How sweet the name of Jesus sounds

How sweet the name of Jesus sounds. John Newton* (1725-1807). First published in Olney Hymns (1779) Book I, ‘On select Passages of Scripture’, with the title ‘The name of Jesus’ and a reference to the Song of Solomon 1:3, ‘Because of the savour of thy good ointments thy name is as ointment poured forth, therefore do the virgins love thee’. The text gives a New Testament reading of the Old Testament imagery, in which the ‘sweetness’ pervading the poem has rich associations. It is both the fragrance of oils used in healing and the sweet sound of a beloved name, which shapes the poem from the first lines, How sweet the name of Jesus sounds In a believer’s ear to the last, And may the music...

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