d here. "Hark! the herald angels sing," "Love
divine, all love excelling" and "Jesus, Lover of my soul" form a
triumvirate of hymns never surpassed by a single author. Add to these
such hymns as "A charge to keep I have," "Arise, my soul, arise,"
"Christ, whose glory fills the sky," "Come, Thou long-expected Jesus,"
"Soldiers of Christ, arise," "Hail the day that sees Him rise," and
"Suffering Son of Man, be near me," and it will readily be understood why
the name of Charles Wesley is graven in such large letters in the hymnody
of the Christian Church.

"Jesus, Lover of my soul" is generally recognized as the finest hymn of
Wesley. This is all the more remarkable since it was one of the earliest
written by him. It was first published in 1740 in a collection of 139
hymns known as "Hymns and Sacred Poems, by John and Charles Wesley." This
was at the beginning of the Wesleyan movement, which soon began to spread
like fire all over England.

There are several stories extant as to the origin of the hymn. The most
trustworthy of these tells how the author was deeply perplexed by
spiritual difficulties one day, when he noticed through his open study
window a little song bird pursued by a hungry hawk. Presently the bird
fluttered exhausted through the window and straight into the arms of
Wesley, where it found a safe refuge. Pondering on this unusual incident,
the thought came to Wesley that, in like manner, the soul of man must
flee to Christ in doubts and fears. Then he took up his pen and wrote:

Jesus, Lover of my soul,
Let me to Thy bosom fly.

The reference to the "tempest" and the "storm of life" may have been
prompted by the memory of an earlier experience, when he and his brother
John were on their way to the colony of Georgia on a missionary journey.
It was in the year 1735 the brothers formed a friendship with a band of
Moravians who were sailing on the same ship for America. During the
crossing a terrible tempest was encountered and for a while it was feared
the ship would sink. While all of the other passengers were filled with
terror, the Wesleys were impressed by the calmness and courage of the
Moravians, who sang hymns in the midst of the raging storm.

Seeking for a reason for their spiritual fortitude, the brothers found
that the Moravians seemed to possess a positive certainty of salvation
through faith in Jesus Christ. The Wesleys also made the sad discovery
that they themselves did not really p