We are saved, first, through God’s calling. God’s calling is the first thing that God accomplishes in His chosen ones in the initial stage of His full salvation. This is God’s new beginning, in which He calls men out of the created Adamic race and transfers them into the called Abrahamic race, and out of the life of the old creation into the life of the new creation, that the believers may come out of darkness and enter into the marvelous light of God, out of the death-realm of Satan’s darkness into the liferealm of God’s marvelous light, and become a people made holy unto God. It is through God’s calling that we receive God’s salvation. Therefore, we are saved through God’s calling.
God’s calling is a holy calling as well as a heavenly calling. The believers were called with the heavenly calling to possess, partake of, and enjoy the all-inclusive Christ, who is the embodiment of the processed Triune God. Today He is our life and hope; in the future He will be our glory and inheritance. This Christ supplies us with His unsearchable riches and immeasurable dimensions that we may live in the church life and have a walk which is worthy of the heavenly calling. The purpose of God’s calling is that we, the believers, may come out of darkness and enter into the marvelous light of God, out of the death-realm of Satan’s darkness into the life-realm of God’s marvelous light, and be made holy unto God; that we may enter into the fellowship of Christ to enjoy Him as the eternal portion given by God to us; that we may endure the suffering of Christ to follow in His steps and live the life that He lived; that we may enter into the peace of Christ to allow Him to be the Arbitrator for the keeping of the oneness of His Body; that we may obtain the glory of Christ to express the Father in Christ in His fullness, that we may enter into the eternal glory of God to express the God of all grace; and that we may enter into the kingdom of God to reign in it and enjoy the eternal blessing of the eternal life of God to the uttermost.
Reading this hymn in the way the author wrote it is so moving. (See Steve Miller's comment) William Cowper certainly understood God's love toward us. And now I'm seeing more His love towards me!
William Cowper wrote these beautiful words after he had gone through a time of severe depression and was comforted through words of Jesus in Scripture.
Cowper was born in his father's rectory at Berkhamstead. His mother died when he was a frail child. His father was disappointed in this sickly lad, so he sent him off to boarding school to be rid of him. There Cowper was intimidated and beaten by other boys. The teachers also did their share of beating him. At the age of 18 William was ready to go up to London to prepare for a law career. Reading law, his mind broke. His friends put him in a private asylum, which was a great kindness. There he met a caretaker, a private nurse or doctor, who ministered to his patients spiritually and physically. Many needed physical and mental healing, but all needed spiritual healing far more. A man or woman, who is mentally alert and of sound health spiritually, can stand much physical suffering.
Night after night Cowper put his head under his covers and wailed, "My sin, oh, my sin. Would God here were a fountain where I could cleanse them." Faithful Mr. Cotton assured him that Jesus died for his sins, and that indeed there is a fountain opened in the house of David for sin and for uncleanness. (Zech 13:1). Young Cowper felt that though God had saved others, William Cowper was forsaken of God and man. The prayers of saintly Mr. Cotton did comfort him many nights. Then, one day as Cowper read his New Testament, these words in Romans 3 were God's message to his soul: "Being justified freely by His grace, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God has sent forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to manifest His righteousness." "Immediately the Sun of Righteousness shone upon me. I saw the sufficiency of the atonement which He had made, my pardon in His blood, and a full and complete salvation."
When Cowper died, his nephew said that he seemed troubled some time before, then a beautiful smile lighted his face as from the Sun of Righteousness Himself. He exclaimed, "O, I am not shut out of heaven after all! Hallelujah, what a thought. What a Savior!" - Hymn Stories by Wilbur Konkel
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Cowper wrote this hymn mostly in the first person, as though Jesus is speaking to the singer and listener. There is an additional stanza before stanza 1 above which introduces the speaking:
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1a. Hark, my soul, it is the Lord!
’Tis thy Savior, hear His Word;
Jesus speaks, and speaks to thee,
"Say, poor, sinner, lovest thou Me?"
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1.“I delivered thee when bound,
And, when bleeding, healed thy wound;
Sought thee wandering, set thee right,
Turned thy darkness into light.
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2. “Can a woman’s tender care
Cease toward the child she bare?
Yes, she may forgetful be,
Yet will I remember thee.
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3. “Mine is an unchanging love,
Higher than the heights above,
Deeper than the depths beneath,
Free and faithful, strong as death.
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4. "Thou shalt see My glory soon,
When the work of grace is done;
Partner of My throne shalt be:
Say, poor sinner, lovest thou Me?"
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