It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine

It passeth knowledge, that dear love of Thine. Mary Shekleton* (1827-1883). Written in 1863 and first published in broadsheet form. It was later included in Ira D. Sankey*’s Sacred Songs and Solos No 1 (ca. 1873) to be sung to Sankey’s tune IT PASSETH KNOWLEDGE. It is a reflection on Ephesians 3: 17-19, ending ‘to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God’. It had seven verses. It still appears in some hymn books (WOV, HP) in shortened form, and often with ‘My Saviour, Jesus’ replacing ‘My Jesus, Saviour’. The verse most frequently omitted in modern books (e.g. BHB) is the original verse 5: I am an empty vessel — not one...