Charles Wesley. [Whitsuntide.] Written by Charles Wesley, this vibrant Pentecostal hymn was published at Bristol in 1746 as No. 32 in his collection titled Hymns of Petition and Thanksgiving for the Promise of the Father (commonly known as Hymns for Whitsunday). The original text is written in 5 stanzas of 8 lines. In 1776, Augustus M. Toplady included four somewhat altered stanzas in his Psalms and Hymns (No. 236), which helped introduce the hymn to non-Methodist congregations. Surprisingly, despite its spiritual fervor and doctrinal clarity regarding the Holy Spirit, the hymn was not added to the official Wesleyan Hymn Book until the revised edition of 1875. The full original text is preserved in the Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley (1868-1872, volume IV, page 203). The hymn celebrates the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, urging believers to banish sorrow and rejoice in the divine Comforter's abiding presence and gifts.
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