301 Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Charles Wesley, 1707-88
The original poem of six stanzas is from Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1749, where it was entitled, “At the Baptism of Adults.”
Wesley’s second line of the first stanza read
“Honor the means injoin’d by Thee,”
which was changed to “ordained by Thee” for the Collection of 1780. The awkward expression, “Effectuate now the sacred sign,” Wesley’s second line of stanza 3, was changed to “Effectual make the sacred sign,” by the editors of the hymn book in 1849.
For comments on Charles Wesley see Hymn 6.
MUSIC. SO LANGE JESUS BLEIBT DER HERR is a familiar melody, of unknown origin, from the Gesangbuch mit Noten.