Jesus, the very thought of Thee (Bernard of Clairvaux)

348 St. Agnew. C. M.

1. Jesus, the very thought of Thee
   With sweetness fills the breast;
   But sweeter far Thy face to see,
   And in Thy presence rest.

2. Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
   Nor can the memory find
   A sweeter sound than Thy blest name,
   O Savior of mankind!

3. O hope of every contrite heart,
   O joy of all the meek,
   To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
   How good to those who seek!

4. But what to those who find? Ah, this
   Nor tongue nor pen can show;
   The love of Jesus, what it is,
   None but His loved ones know.

5. Jesus, our only joy be Thou,
   As Thou our prize will be;
   Jesus be Thou our glory now,
   And through eternity.
                         Authorship uncertain
                         Ascribed to Bernard of Clairvaux
                         Tr. by Edward Caswall
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
As is usual with these older hymns, there are a variety of verses in the various hymnals. Cyberhymnal adds these:

6. O Jesus, King most wonderful
   Thou Conqueror renowned,
   Thou sweetness most ineffable
   In whom all joys are found!

7. When once Thou visitest the heart,
   Then truth begins to shine,
   Then earthly vanities depart,
   Then kindles love divine.

8. O Jesus, light of all below,
   Thou fount of living fire,
   Surpassing all the joys we know,
   And all we can desire.

9. Jesus, may all confess Thy name,
   Thy wondrous love adore,
   And, seeking Thee, themselves inflame
   To seek Thee more and more.

10. Thee, Jesus, may our voices bless,
   Thee may we love alone,
   And ever in our lives express
   The image of Thine own.

11. O Jesus, Thou the beauty art
   Of angel worlds above;
   Thy name is music to the heart,
   Inflaming it with love.

12. Celestial sweetness unalloyed,
   Who eat Thee hunger still;
   Who drink of Thee still feel a void
   Which only Thou canst fill.

13. O most sweet Jesus, hear the sighs
   Which unto Thee we send;
   To Thee our inmost spirit cries;
   To Thee our prayers ascend.

14. Abide with us, and let Thy light
   Shine, Lord, on every heart;
   Dispel the darkness of our night;
   And joy to all impart.

15. Jesus, our love and joy to Thee,
   The virgin’s holy Son,
   All might and praise and glory be,
   While endless ages run.

Although the added verses are really good, it seems a bit long to be sung regularly :)
</idle musing>

Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts

345 Rimington. L. M.

1. Jesus, Thou Joy of loving hearts,
   Thou Fount of life, Thou Light of men,
   From the best bliss that earth imparts,
   We turn unfilled to Thee again.

2. Thy truth unchanged hath ever stood;
   Thou savest those that on Thee call;
   To them that seek Thee Thou art good,
   To them that find Thee all in all.

3. We taste Thee, O Thou living Bread,
   And long to feast upon Thee still;
   We drink of Thee, the Fountainhead,
   And thirst our souls from Thee to fill.

4. Our restless spirits yearn for Thee,
   Wherever our changeful lot is cast;
   Glad when Thy gracious smile we see,
   Blessed when our faith can hold Thee fast.

5. O Jesus, ever with us stay,
   Make all our moments calm and bright;
   Chase the dark night of sin away,
   Shed over the world Thy holy light.
                         Authorship uncertain
                         Bernard of Clairvaux
                         Tr. and arr. by Ray Palmer
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

Of Him who did salvation bring

188 Rockingham (Mason). L. M.

1. Of Him who did salvation bring,
   I could forever think and sing:
   Arise, ye needy, He’ll relieve;
   Arise, ye guilty, He’ll forgive.

2. Ask but His grace, and lo, ’tis given!
   Ask, and He turns your hell to heaven;
   Though sin and sorrow wound my soul,
   Jesus, Thy balm will make it whole.

3. To shame our sins He blushed in blood;
   He closed His eyes to show us God:
   Let all the world fall down and know
   That none but God such love can show.

4. Insatiate to this spring I fly;
   I drink, and yet am ever dry;
   Ah! who against Thy charm is proof!
   Ah! who that loves, can love enough?
                        Bernard of Clairvaux
                        Tr. by Anthony W. Boehm
                        Alt. by John C. Jacobi
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
As is usual with these older, translated hymns, hymnary.org has a wide variety of variations and verses. I'll let you click through and explore them. It's easy to get sidetracked for a half-hour or so doing it : )

In my church history class at seminary, we had a freshly minted PhD for the prof. He firmly believed in exposing students to the primary sources, ad fontes as the saying goes. The textbook was very prosaic, but his lectures were interesting and he required us to read a lot of primary sources. Consequently, we read a goodly number of Bernard's sermons. It's a pity that he is mostly remembered for preaching about the first crusade. He really deserves to be remembered for more than that.
</idle musing>

O sacred head, now wounded

141 Passion Chorale. 7. 6. 7. 6. D.

1 O sacred Head, now wounded,
   with grief and shame weighed down,
   now scornfully surrounded
   with thorns, Thine only crown.
   O sacred Head, what glory,
   what bliss till now was Thine!
   Yet, though despised and gory,
   I joy to call Thee mine.

2 What Thou, my Lord, hast suffered
   was all for sinners' gain;
   mine, mine was the transgression,
   but Thine the deadly pain.
   Lo, here I fall, my Savior!
   'Tis I deserve Thy place;
   look on me with Thy favor,
   vouchsafe to me Thy grace.

3 What language shall I borrow
   to thank Thee, dearest Friend,
   for this, Thy dying sorrow,
   Thy pity without end?
   O make me Thine forever!
   And should I fainting be,
   Lord, let me never, never
   outlive my love for Thee.
                         Authorship uncertain
                         Tr. by Paul Gerhardt
                         Tr. by James W. Alexander
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1939 edition

<idle musing>
I've always liked this hymn, especially the third verse, the final lines:

   And should I fainting be,
   Lord, let me never, never
   outlive my love for Thee.

Far from being a depressing thought, I find it an encouragement, because I know that the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit is so strong that I can't help but fall deeper in love with him.

Hymnary.org adds a fourth verse, which I don't recall seeing before:

4 Be near when I am dying,
   O show Thy cross to me!
   And, for my succor flying,
   come, Lord, to set me free:
   these eyes, new faith receiving,
   from Thee shall never move;
   for he who dies believing
   dies safely in Thy love.

They also note that some attribute the hymn to Bernard of Clairvaux and others to Arnulf, Abbot of Villers-la-Ville, about whom they have no information.
</idle musing>

Jesus the very thought of thee

1 Jesus, the very thought of thee
   with sweetness fills the breast;
   but sweeter far thy face to see,
   and in thy presence rest.

2 O hope of every contrite heart,
   O joy of all the meek,
   to those who fall, how kind thou art!
   How good to those who seek!

3 But what to those who find? Ah, this
   nor tongue nor pen can show;
   the love of Jesus, what it is,
   none but his loved ones know.

4 Jesus, our only joy be thou,
   as thou our prize wilt be;
   Jesus, be thou our glory now,
   and through eternity.
                  St. Bernard of Clairvaux (?)
                  United Methodist Hymnal, 1989

Take that, you Augustinians!

Take away free choice and there is nothing to be saved. Take away grace and there is no means of saving. Without the two combined, this work cannot be done: the one as operative principle, the other as object toword which, or in which, it is accomplished. God is the author of salvation, the free willing faculty merely capable of receiving it. None but God can give it, nothing but free choice receive it.—Bernard of Clairvaux as cited in Prevenient Grace: God’s Provision for Fallen Humanity, pages 76–77

Quote for the day

“My brother, only the heart is hard that does not know that it is hard. Only he is hardened who does not know that he is hardened. When we are concerned for our coldness, it is because of the yearning God has put there. God has not rejected us.” Bernard of Clairvaux