And are we yet alive,
And see each other’s face?
Glory and thanks to Jesus give
For His almighty grace!
Preserved by power divine
To full salvation here,
Again in Jesus’ praise we join
And in His sight appear.
What troubles have we seen,
What mighty conflicts past,
Fightings without, and fears within,
Since we assembled last!
Yet out of all the Lord
Hath brought us by His love;
And still He doth His help afford,
And hides our life above.
Then let us make our boast
Of His redeeming power,
Which saves us to the uttermost,
Till we can sin no more.
Let us take up the cross
Till we the crown obtain,
And gladly reckon all things loss
So we may Jesus gain.
lyrics by Charles Wesley
1749
music "Dennis" by Johann
Georg Nageli
Johann "Hans" Nageli was primarily noted for his folk and popular
music. He was known as "the man who taught Switzerland to sing."
His tunes are still sung in European beer tents today. While he was
the son of a clergyman, his songs were not generally related to
religious themes. You probably recognize this tune as "Blest
Be the Tie that Binds." It is. Both lyrics have
traditionally been associated with Nageli's melody entitled, "Dennis."
Charles Wesley wrote lyrics to about 6000 hymns. Also he was a
founding member of the Holy Club at Oxford, which John Wesley later
joined. John Wesley called this, "The First Rise of Methodism."
Later, he helped John form the Methodist Societies. The brothers
often disagreed over allegiance to the Church of England. Charles
seemed to influence John to stay closely affiliated with the Church
of England. It's hard to know which brother had the greater
impact. It seems that more people know a few Charles Wesley hymns,
than know a few John Wesley sermons. Fortunately, they generally
agreed on Christian doctrine.
