Let earth and heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
The incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made Man.
He laid His glory by,
He wrapped Him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of days He here became,
And bore the mild Immanuel’s Name.
Unsearchable the love
That hath the Saviour brought;
The grace is far above
Or men or angels’ thought:
Suffice for us that God, we know,
Our God, is manifest below.
He deigns in flesh to appear,
Widest extremes to join;
To bring our vileness near,
And make us all divine:
And we the life of God shall know,
For God is manifest below.
Made perfect first in love,
And sanctified by grace,
We shall from earth remove,
And see His glorious face:
His love shall then be fully showed,
And man shall all be lost in God.
Charles Wesley
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ee 01.03.07 at 1:13 pm
Good Christmas hymn, not one I’m familiar with. Does anyone but the Methodists know it?
I’m interested by the number of hymn writers who rhyme ‘love’ with ‘move’. Did ‘move’ used to be pronounced ‘muvv’?
Richard 01.03.07 at 3:07 pm
I don’t think it is much used outside British Methodism — a shame, because it is one of my favourites. In the nineteenth century it was included in a hymnbook used by the ‘Strict and particular Baptists’, William Gadsby’s ‘Selection of Hymns for Public Worship’ of 1814.
Hymn trivia: I understand that Samuel Wesley, thomas Aquinas, Jeremy Taylor and George Herbert are all thought to have been influential on Charles wesley in the writing of this hymn.
Jim Eldergill 01.11.07 at 12:02 pm
Thank you for publishing this hymn. The words ;Our God contracted to a span, incomprehensibly made man’ have been with me all over Christmas. I asked my own congregation and also the churc at our combined Carol Service and no one could give me the hymn,even though I knew it was one of Wesley’s
Jim Eldergill; Pastor, Strete Chapel nr Dartmouth
Richard Martin 11.13.09 at 10:48 am
What a pity this magnificent hymn is not better known by Christians.
I would always name it as my favourite Christmas Hymn (?carol) - but I would sing it at any time of the year.
It is one that I love to chose - I preach in Methodist Churches up to 20 times a year.
The poetry, the structure and the theology are outstanding and the metre allows more than one possible inspiring tunes.
The phrase ‘Our God contracted to a span incomprehensibly made man’ is one I also hold on to and delight it.
Thank you Richard and thank you Jim.
Richard 11.13.09 at 11:24 am
I’m always surprised it isn’t better known, too. It is definitely one of my favourites. You might be interested in reading other Charles Wesley hymns - I normally post one every Sunday morning. Thanks for dropping in.
Gareth Bolton 01.14.11 at 5:26 pm
Magnificent hymn - I am quoting it in my message on John 2 tomorrow (Sat), three weeks to the day we celebrated the incarnation!