We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
There is a Green Hill Far Away
Hymn 194
I love the “There is no end” verses in the hymn, “If You Could Hie to Kolob”. For me, they poetically evoke a sense of the incalculably immense reach and reward of the Atonement.
What a contrast they are to a daily life of bill-paying and yard work, a reminder for me to raise my spiritual eyes to a higher plane.
The works of God continue,
And worlds and lives abound;
Improvement and progression
Have one eternal round.
There is no end to matter;
There is no end to space;
There is no end to spirit;
There is no end to race.
There is no end to virtue;
There is no end to might;
There is no end to wisdom;
There is no end to light.
There is no end to union;
There is no end to youth;
There is no end to priesthood;
There is no end to truth.
There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.
There is no end to glory;
There is no end to love;
There is no end to being;
There is no death above.
William W. Phelps
If You Could Hie to Kolob, Hymns, No. 284
And a marvelous musical and video evocation of a creation without an end.
I woke this morning with an old hymn running through my mind, Come, Ye That Love the Lord. I grew up in the Methodist Church and its founder, John Wesley, wrote the words.
Although he died before the Gospel was restored, we know from Wilford Woodruff that John Wesley was a good man.
There were, doubtless, millions of good men, who acted according to the best understanding that they had. There were such men as John Wesley (1703–1791) English theologian, Martin Luther (1483–1546) German reformer, Wickliffe (Wycliffe) (1320–1384) English reformer, Zwingli (1484–1531) Swiss reformer, Melancthon (1497–1560) German reformer, and thousands of others, who came forth in their day and preached the Gospel according to the knowledge and understanding they possessed.
Wilford Woodruff
“We Are Led by Revelation,” Tambuli, Dec 1978, 15
In 1877, while Pres. Woodruff was a counselor to Brigham Young and also serving as President of the St. George Temple, the first temple completed in Utah, Wesley requested that Pres. Woodruff perform temple ordinances for him.
“The spirits of the dead gathered around me, wanting to know why we did not redeem them. Said they, ‘You have had the use of the Endowment House for a number of years, and yet nothing has ever been done for us. We laid the foundation of the government you now enjoy, and we … remained true to it and were faithful to God.’ These were the signers of the Declaration of Independence [of the United States of America], and they waited on me for two days and two nights. … I straightway went into the baptismal font and called upon Brother McAllister to baptize me for the signers of the Declaration of Independence, and fifty other eminent men, making one hundred in all, including John Wesley, Columbus, and others” (The Discourses of Wilford Woodruff, sel. G. Homer Durham [1946], 160–61).
Wesley was inspired to write the words of this hymn by Jeremiah 31:6, where we see prophesied a future gathering to Zion of those men and women who love the Lord. Jeremiah reveals that the tribe of Ephraim will play a significant role in this gathering. An alternate title for Wesley’s hymn is “Marching to Zion.”
For there shall be a day, that the watchmen upon the mount Ephraim shall cry, Arise ye, and let us go up to Zion unto the Lord our God.
Here are a few words from that good man, John Wesley:
There we shall see his face,
And never, never sin;
There, from the rivers of his grace,
Drink endless pleasures in:
Yea, and before we rise
To that immortal state,
The thoughts of such amazing bliss
Should constant joys create.The men of grace have found
Glory begun below;
Celestial fruit on earthly ground
From faith and hope may grow:
Then let our songs abound,
And every tear be dry;
We are marching through Immanuel’s grounds
To fairer worlds on high.Come Ye That Love the Lord, words by John Wesley
Through the Atonement of Christ, it is possible for us to begin growing Celestial fruit today.
Below, I have inserted a partial page from the St. George temple records showing the work that Pres. Woodruff performed. This is from the Religion 341-343 manual, page 417.
I need thee every hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.
I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Every hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee!
“I Need Thee Every Hour”, Hymns no. 98
We may not know, we cannot tell,
What pains he had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
There is a Green Hill Far Away
Hymn 194
Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness deepens. Lord, with me abide!
When other helpers fail and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless, oh, abide with me!
Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day.
Earth’s joys grow dim; its glories pass away.
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not, abide with me!
I need thy presence ev’ry passing hour.
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s pow’r?
Who, like thyself, my guide and stay can be?
Thru cloud and sunshine, Lord, abide with me!
Abide With Me, Hymns 166
When We Lived with our Father
.
When we lived with our Father in palaces of light,
We never felt of suffering, of loneliness or fright.
We trusted that God loved us, before we said good-bye,
For He gave us a Savior upon whom we rely.
.
We came to earth without Him, our hearts still feel the loss
Of loving arms around us, bright days that now are lost.
Our mortal flesh brings choices, and we so often err.
We follow other voices, we fail to kneel in prayer.
.
But we still have our Savior, the Son we knew above.
He taught us, showed us mercy, the fullness of His love.
He never will forget us or leave us in the night.
When we call out for Jesus, He comes and brings His light.
.
Our hearts were filled with anguish when He hung on the cross.
We knew He suffered for us, that we supplied the cost.
Our Father had us watch Him though we would hide our eyes,
So we would never doubt Him, that He would hear our cries.
.
For only His Atonement can raise us from the grave
And cleanse us, lift us homeward with families He has saved.
He’ll bring us back to Father, embrace us with delight,
As shining men and women, as beings filled with light.
.
David P. Vandagriff
Copyright 2011, All Rights Reserved
May be sung to the tune of Hymn 197, O Savior, Thou Who Wearest a Crown
O hope of ev’ry contrite heart,
O joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind thou art!
How good to those who seek!
Jesus the Very Thought of Thee, Hymn 141
Come, ye disconsolate, where’er ye languish,
Come to the mercy seat, fervently kneel.
Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell your anguish;
Earth has no sorrow that heaven cannot heal.
Joy of the desolate, light of the straying,
Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure!
Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying,
“Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure.”
Here see the Bread of Life, see waters flowing
Forth from the throne of God, pure from above.
Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing
Earth has no sorrow but heaven can remove.
Come Ye Disconsolate, Hymn 115