1. O the depth of love divine, th’unfathomable grace!
Who shall say how bread and wine God into us conveys!
How the bread His flesh imparts, how the wine transmits His blood,
Fills His faithful people’s hearts with all the life of God!
2. Let the wisest mortals show how we the grace receive;
Feeble elements bestow a power not theirs to give.
Who explains the wondrous way, how through these the virtue came?
These the virtue did convey, yet still remain the same.
3. How can spirits heavenward rise, by earthly matter fed,
Drink herewith divine supplies and eat immortal bread?
Ask the Father’s wisdom how: Christ who did the means ordain;
Angels round our altars bow to search it out, in vain.
4. Sure and real is the grace, the manner be unknown;
Only meet us in thy ways and perfect us in one.
Let us taste the heavenly powers, Lord, we ask for nothing more.
Thine to bless, ’tis only ours to wonder and adore.
Charles Wesley
Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition
<idle musing>
Not exactly one of Wesley's better known hymns—it only occurs in six hymnals and they are all Methodist ones as far as I could tell.
It's also obvious that Charles wasn't a Zwinglian! For him, and for John, Christ was present in some special and unique way during communion. As far as I've been able to discover, they never tried to explain it; they were content to allow it to remain a mystery.
That's pretty much where I come down, too. But, I've only ever felt that special presence when sharing communion in groups smaller than fifteen—and not always or even frequently then. A lot of it depends on the group and their openness to the ways of the Spirit. And I don't mean they have to lean Charismatic/Pentecostal! Some of the most meaningful experiences of the presence of God in communion happened in a Plymouth Brethren body—and they were very strong cessationists!
</idle musing>
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