1. Where is the holy Heav'n-born Child,
Heir of the everlasting Throne,
Who Heav'n and Earth hath reconcil'd,
And GOD and Man rejoin'd in One?
2. Shall we of earthly Kings enquire?
To Courts or Palaces repair?
The Nation's Hope, the World's Desire,
Alas! we cannot find Him there.
3. Shall Learning shew the Sinner's Friend,
Or Scribes a Sight of CHRIST afford?
Us to his Natal Place they send,
But never go to seek the Lord.
4. We search the Outward Church in vain,
They cannot Him we seek declare,
They have not found the Son of Man,
Or known the sacred Name they bear.
5. Then let us turn no more aside,
But use the Light Himself imparts,
His Spirit is our surest Guide,
His Spirit glimmering in our Hearts.
6. Drawn by Grace we come from far,
And fix on Heaven our wishful Eyes,
That Ray divine, that orient Star
Directs us where the Infant lies.
7. See there! the new born Saviour see,
By Faith discern the great I AM;
'Tis He! the Eternal GOD! 'tis He
That bears the mild Immanuel's Name.
8. The Prince of Peace on Earth is found,
The Child is born, the Son is given;
Tell it to all the Nations round,
JEHOVAH is come down from Heaven!
9. JEHOVAH is come down to raise
His dying Creatures from their Fall,
And all may now receive the Grace
Which brings eternal Life to all.
10. Lord, We receive the Grace and Thee,
With Joy unspeakable receive,
And rise Thine open Face to see,
And one with GOD for ever live.
What a beautiful hymn! It is told from the perspective of the wise men (the first 6 stanzas at least), and Charles has a very intriguing way of taking the story of the wise men and their interactions and reading it through the lens of the political and ecclesial powers of his own day.
If you'll forgive yet another pop culture reference, the story of the wise men reminds me of 'Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For' by U2. I've heard it said that this modern song is the "cry of a lost generation" whereby it indicates the perennial pursuit to fill the void of the heart. I don't think that's what the song is about. I think the narrator knows what he's looking for, he just doesn't know where to find it, which is also true of the wise men. "Where is the holy Heav'n-born Child?"
And this leads us to inquire to whom we shall turn to lead us to the right place. We could turn to our kings and presidents, but we won't find him in these sorts of "courts" or "palaces." No, we're looking for the "Heir of the everlasting Throne." We could turn to sages, philosophy, and reason, which might be helpful in that they may point us in the right direction, but they can't or won't take us there. What about the Church? I must confess I'm unsure where Charles was going here except to admit that the institutional Church often fails in living in accordance with the Name which we bear. When people come looking for Christ, will they find him in our midst? Or at least will they discover that we are on our way to him too? May they not search us "in vain"!
Ultimately it is the Holy Spirit who will guide us to where Christ is: the ray of the light which "enlightens everyone who comes into the world," John Wesley's preferred Scripture on prevenient grace. This makes sense in light of stanza 6: "Drawn by grace..." The Holy Spirit takes us not only to Christ on the Cross but also Christ in the Manger. Prevenient grace is meant to lead us to meet a Humble Lord so that we may have the same mind of humility. May we be the Church who is guided by the Spirit to see and embody the humble "mind which was in Christ."
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