The offertory hymn on the First Sunday in Lent at Christ Church Cathedral, Whitehorse. (Hymn #533 in the Anglican Church of Canada's hymn book, Common Praise.)

Jesus, Lover of my soul,
let me to thy bosom fly,
while the nearer waters roll,
while the tempest still is high:
hide me, O my Savior, hide,
till the storm of life be past;
safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.

Other refuge have I none,
hangs my helpless soul on thee;
leave, ah! leave me not alone,
still support and comfort me!
All my trust on thee is stayed;
all my help from thee I bring;
cover my defenseless head
with the shadow of thy wing.

Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
mor than all in thee I find;
raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Just and holy is thy Name;
I am all unrighteousness;
false and full of sin I am;
thou art full of truth and grace.

Plenteous grace with thee is found,
grace to cover all my sin;
let the healing streams abound,
make and keep me pure within.
Thou of life the fountain art,
freely let me take of thee:
spring thou up within my heart,
rise to all eternity.

Charles WesleyWords: Charles Wesley, 1740.
Music: Aberystwyth.

Charles Wesley, one of greatest hymn writers in the history of the church, was the younger brother of John Wesley.  Although both remained Church of England ministers all their lives, their work together in 18th-century Britain led to the rise of Methodism.  They were sons of Samuel Wesley, Anglican rector of Epworth, Lincolnshire, and Susanna Wesley, daughter of dissenting minister Samuel Annesley.

This year marks the tercentenary of Charles Wesley’s birth.  He was born 28 December 1707 in Epworth, and died 29 March 1788 in London.  He was buried at St Marylebone Parish Church, London.

“Jesus, Lover of My Soul” is generally recognised as one of the best of Charles Wesley’s 6500 hymns.  Some have called it the finest hymn in the English language.  It is found in almost every hymnal ever published and has been translated into most of the world’s languages.  Yet, when Charles’s brother John first read it, he did not like it, considering it too sentimental.  The hymn did not become popular until after the brothers had died.