Blow ye the trumpet, blow. C. Wesley. [Year of Jubilee, or the New Year.]This is No. iii. of his seven Hymns for New Year's Day, 1750, in 6 stanzas of 6 lines. It is based upon Lev. xxv. In 1772, and again in 1774, R. Conyers included stanza vi., iii., iv. and vi. in his Collection. This arrangement, however, gave way to one by A. M. Toplady which appeared in his Psalms & Hymns, 1776, No. 318, where stanza ii. is given as vi., stanza iv. as v., and a slight but significant alteration is introduced in stanza iii. Originally lines 1-2 read:—
Extol the Lamb of God,
The all-atoning Lamb.
This was changed to:—
Extol the Lamb of God,
The sin atoning Lamb.
The heated controversy between the Wesleys and Toplady on the questions, vital to them, of Arminianism and Calvinism gave point and meaning to this change. From Toplady's Psalms & Hymns, the text and arrangement of stanzas were taken by other compilers until the hymn acquired universal reputation as his composition. In 1830, it was included with three alterations in the Supplement to the Wesleyan Hymn Book, No. 645, and the error of authorship was rectified. In the revised edition of the Wesleyan Hymn Book, 1875. two of the alterations are repeated: stanza iv., lines 3, "blest," for "bless'd"; and stanza v., "Receive if," for "Shall have it," &c. In varying forms, sometimes, as in Toplady, then as in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, and again in some other shape, this hymn is in very extensive use in all English-speaking countries. Original text in Poetical Works, 1868-72, vol. vi. p. 12.
-- John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)
Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepene… Go to person page >
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