And Can It Be

Sorry for the delay, but here is Hymn #4. This one goes out to my surrogate mother, Julie.

Hymn Title: And Can it Be

Tune: Sagina

Numeric Outline: 88, 88, 88, 88 (LMD)

Author: Charles Wesley

Composer: Thomas Campbell

     Known as a hymn of adoration, "And Can It Be" was written in 1738, just a few days after the composer found God once again, and put all of his trust in God. The composer, Charles Wesley, was said to have written at least 10 lines of verse every day for at least 50 years. If my math is correct, that amounts to 182,500 lines of verse, all of which were used by Wesley to write just shy of 9,000 hymns (8,989 to be exact). In his life of 81 years, Wesley wrote nearly 10 times the volume of hymns than any other writer of note in his time. Even though Charles Wesley has this claim to fame and is known for his hymns all over the world, he is still known as the "forgotten Wesley," and why? Because Charles Wesley was the younger brother of John Wesley, the man who is considered to be the organizing force behind the Methodist Church. Though both John and Charles Wesley grew up to become ordained Ministers in the Church of England, both of them would have to find religious conversions before they could become the men they are known as today.
     Born prematurely in December 1707, Charles Wesley was thought to be dead upon arriving in this world. For weeks he would do nothing but lay in his wool blankets for weeks before he began to move and show signs of life. He was the 18th child of Samuel and Susannah  Wesley, but only 10 of those 18 children grew to maturity. As Charles grew old enough to learn, his mother, who was fluent in Greek, French and Latin, began to teach Charles very methodically for nearly 6 hours a day. This would prove useful to Charles when he began school at Westminster School, where the only language allowed in public was Latin. After 13 years of study at Westminster, Charles moved on to Oxford where he eventually earned his Masters degree and was said to be able to recite Latin poets fluently and with ease.
     The next step in the journey for Charles was Oxford University. Because of the lack of religiousness in the other schools, Charles formed a group called the Holy Club. This club would meet regularly to partake in communion and have scholarly discussions about the Bible. Eventually the group moved past its small routes and became very methodical about how they would do things. The groups regimen included early rising, prison ministry, and spiritual Bible studies, which would eventually earn them the title of "Methodists." Shortly after the title was given to them, Charles' older brother John joined the group and would eventually become known for his ability to do missionary works for the church. In 1735 Charles became an ordained member of the Church of England, but he was not pleased with the state that the church was in. As his ministry continued, Charles and John (who was also an ordained minister) began to do missionary work in the colony of Georgia. While they were in Georgia, they were shot at, slandered, and generally not welcome in the colony at all. Upon leaving Georgian, Charles had said "I went to America to convert the Indians, but, oh, who will convert me?" In 1738, it became clear to Charles who it would be to convert him, the Moravians.
     John and Charles had met a group of Moravian men, who upon meeting with them found their spirituality to be refreshing. The Moravians encouraged the Wesley brothers to look deeper at their souls in order to find the peace they were looking for. In may of 1738, Charles began to read Martin Luther's volume on Galatians, which would eventually lead him to write about his struggles to find who would make him happy. Shortly after finishing the book, Charles found that he had a renewed faith in God and two days after began work on writing a hymn celebrating his conversion. "And Can It Be," was first published in John Wesley's book Psalms and Hymns in 1738 and was eventually published again under the subtitle of "Free Grace," in John and Charles' book Hymns and Sacred Poems published in 1739. After preaching for several years within the walls of the Church, Charles and John were encouraged to begin preaching outside of the walls and in public. It was estimated that Charles preached to nearly 150,00 people in only 5 sermons given. 

     The Composer, Thomas Campbell, never actually published more than one collection of tunes in his career entitled The Bouquet, which each tune published in the collection was given a Horticultural name. The tune used almost exclusively with the text for "And Can It Be," is a tune called Sagina, which is a genus of the pink family of herbs, which includes Baby's Breath and Carnations. Though little is actually known of Thomas Campbell, this tune is one that can be sung with passion and with vigor, and thanks to the singing instructions written by John Wesley (which are still printed in the front of each Methodist Hymnal), will continue to be sung for many years to come.


The Text:

(1) And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

(2) ’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;

Let angel minds inquire no more.

(3) He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!

(4)Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.

(5) Still the small inward voice I hear,
That whispers all my sins forgiven;
Still the atoning blood is near,
That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.
I feel the life His wounds impart;
I feel the Savior in my heart.

(6) No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.

The Hymn:

My take on the hymn:

     This hymn is entirely meant to praise God and his saving grace. The hymn serves to remind us of how amazing and omnipotent God really is, and that even a man who is deeply religious can find a new depth of faith in God. God's love is never ending, never ceasing, and never failing no matter how hard life gets. This hymn praises God for finding the voice of the text in the darkest possible places, chained, and imprisoned. Even in the darkest hour of the voice, God has come to save and to resurrect the life within someone. Christ isn't the only one who rose from the dead, we all have. We all were once dead and now we have risen from the ashes of our sins and have begun life anew! This hymn is a great way of turning our praise to God and saying thank you for bringing us back to life and giving us a new day. Live each day as if it is the biggest blessing that Christ has given you, and you will find life is a lot happier and less anxious!

Sources:

Galli, Mark. "Charles Wesley | Christian History." Christianity Today. B&H Publishing Group,

               8 Aug. 2008. Web. 22 July 2012.         

                <http://www.christianitytoday.com/ch/131christians/poets/charleswesley.html>. 

Brink, Emily R. "And Can It Be." Psalter Hymnal Handbook. Ed. Bertus F. Polman. Grand Rapids,      

     Michigan: CRC Publications, 1998. N. pag. Print.