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About Numbered Notation

Numbered Notation (also called Jianpu, 简谱) writes each melody note as a number from 1 to 7 instead of a note on a staff. The number shows the note's position in the song's scale -- not its exact pitch -- so the same tune looks identical no matter what key it's sung in.

Within one octave, the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 correspond to the familiar do re mi fa sol la ti. A dot above a number raises it an octave higher; a dot below lowers it an octave lower -- no dot means the middle, as-written octave.

A plain number lasts one beat. A dash (-) right after a number holds that same note for one more beat. A line underneath a number shortens it instead -- one line is half a beat, two lines a quarter of a beat. A 0 is a rest: silence for one beat.

The label at the top of the sheet, like "1=C" or "1=Ab", shows which pitch scale degree 1 ("do") is tuned to. A song in a minor key is labeled "6=X" instead -- scale degree 6 ("la") is the true tonic. Chord names printed above the notes (like "C" or "G7") always use their familiar letter names, never numbers.

For example, under a "1=C" heading, the numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 sound as C D E F G A B. Under a "1=G" heading, those very same numbers sound as G A B C D E F# instead -- same shape, different key.

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine

Praise of the Lord His Love

English154
1
It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine,
My Savior, Jesus; yet this soul of mine
Would of Thy love in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
Know more and more.
2
It passeth telling, that dear love of Thine,
My Savior, Jesus; yet these lips of mine
Would fain proclaim to sinners, far and near,
A love which can remove all guilty fear,
And love beget.
3
It passeth praises, that dear love of Thine,
My Savior, Jesus; yet this heart of mine
Would sing that love, so full, so rich, so free,
Which brings a rebel sinner, such as me,
Nigh unto God.
4
But though I cannot sing, or tell, or know
The fullness of Thy love, while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring;
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.
5
I am an empty vessel—not one thought
Or look of love to Thee I’ve ever brought;
Yet I may come, and come again to Thee,
With this the empty sinner’s only plea,
Thou lovest me.
6
Oh, fill me, Jesus, Savior, with Thy love!
Lead, lead me to the living fount above;
Thither may I, in simple faith draw nigh,
And never to another fountain fly,
But unto Thee.
7
Lord Jesus, when Thee face to face I see,
When on Thy lofty throne I sit with Thee,
Then of Thy love, in all its breadth and length,
Its height and depth, its everlasting strength,
My soul shall sing.

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Cankwaro Samson Kisseka

Lira, Kampala, Uganda

Sep 8, 2026

The Love of God is indeed greater far and hard to comprehend. Psalms 103 Tells us of this very kind of Love our Saviour brought to us. Again Isaiah 55 gives us the depths of who God really is. No wonder his ways are not ours and his thoughts are above us as high as the heavens!

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Don

Pomona, CA, United States

Jun 27, 2026

We bring ourselves as empty vessels, thank you Lord we can always come to you, and you always fill us Lord we love you so much.

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Francis Y Chow

Church In New York CIty, NY, United States

Sep 28, 2025

Oh Lord Jesus we praise You for the Love You have for us!

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Un Hermano

Jul 28, 2025

As the indwelling Spirit,
strengthening us
(through the divine dispensing)
into the inner man

The life-giving Spirit, the compound Spirit, the all-inclusive Spirit, is the indwelling Spirit, strengthening us (through the divine dispensing) into our inner man that Christ may make His home in our hearts, that we may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are, that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God, which is the church (Eph. 3:16-19). In Ephesians 3:16 Paul prayed that God would strengthen us through His Spirit into our inner man. To live in the outer man does not require us to do anything. Every morning when we rise up, we are in the outer man. If we are not watchful, we will be in the outer man the whole day. We talk in the outer man, we laugh in the outer man, we express our attitude in the outer man — we do everything in the outer man. We are just an outer man. But we should live in the inner man. However, this can take place only by our entering into our inner man. According to Ephesians 3:16, the way to enter into the inner man is by the strengthening of the Spirit. The Spirit strengthens us into the inner man.

When we have morning watch and experience a morning revival, we are in the inner man. Before that time we might have wanted to argue with someone in the outer man, but after ten minutes we were in the inner man by being strengthened through the Spirit. However, ten minutes later, we might be back in the outer man. At that point we need to pray. This is why the Bible tells us to pray unceasingly (1 Thes. 5:17). Only prayer and calling on the name of the Lord can strengthen us into the inner man and keep us in the inner man. This kind of strengthening is also a dispensing. It dispenses the divine element into our being and strengthens us into the inner man that Christ may make His home in our hearts. Christ is in our spirit, but He needs to spread from our spirit into our hearts to make His home there that we may be full of strength to apprehend with all the saints what the breadth and length and height and depth are, that is, the dimensions of Christ. We need to know this unlimited Christ that we may be filled unto all the fullness of God. The fullness here simply means the manifestation, the expression, of God, which is the church. The church is the expression of God. When Christ makes His home in our hearts, we will be able to know His dimensions. Then we will be filled unto all the fullness of God. This is altogether by the inner dispensing of the Spirit. First, the Spirit strengthens us into the inner man; then the Spirit strengthens us so that Christ may make His home in our being, making us the expression of God, that God may be fully expressed.

The Central Line of
the Divine Revelation
Message 11 (LSM)

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James Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Dec 14, 2024

It is important to know many things in the Bible are beyond our ability to understand, but we can still experience them. The love of God is certainly one of these things. It is meant to be experienced. We live by faith in this loving God.

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James Smith

Mansfield, Ohio, United States

Nov 19, 2024

This hymn was written by Mary Shekleton. It was written in the mid 1800’s and has passed the test of time. Mary was an invalid and house bound. She did not let this stop her. She started a ministry with others with the same restrictions. This was all done by correspondence. I find this to be inspiring in its self. I’m sure this hymn about her desire to be filled with the love of God strikes a chord with many. “I am an empty vessel not one thought or look of love to thee I’ve ever brought, but I may come and come again to thee with this the empty sinners only plee thou loves me”. These are powerful words!

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Josephine Kabila

Lusaka, Zambia

Apr 15, 2024

Lovely, the song most of us struggled to sing yesterday after the breaking of bread meeting. So I searched for this so I practice singing it well. I have shared with my children so we can practice together.

Thank you so much.

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Maurice Ward

Irving, Texas, United States

Aug 30, 2023

What a revelation!
But though I cannot sing, or tell, or know
The fulness of Thy love, while here below,
My empty vessel I may freely bring;
O Thou, who art of love the living spring,
My vessel fill.

Ephesians 3:8 speaks of the unsearchable riches. All the day long I kept waiting to feel or sense these riches. But to be unsearchable means without trace, beyond comprehension. We cannot simply find these riches in feelings or mind. We just need to receive by faith and enjoy in our mingled spirit.

Hallelujah it passes knowledge, so may we freely bring our empty vessels to be filled.

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Angeline Walton

Solihull, West Midlands, United Kingdom

Jun 7, 2023

A wonderful song! Full of Truth
To know that love of Jesus
MORE AND MORE, so be it Lord 🙏

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Alyssa Lasnier

Mission Viejo, California, United States

Mar 9, 2023

I love this song even if I am only nine it’s so sweet and I love the Lord and I also love the tune and when I first heard this song I loved and kept in singing it and now it is stuck in my head. I bet my hole family will love this song because my family is Christian hope all of you love this song too!

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