Light of those whose dreary dwelling
Light of those whose dreary dwelling. Charles Wesley* (1707-1788).
From Hymns for the Nativity of our Lord (1745), where it was Hymn XI in three 8-line stanzas. This very beautiful hymn remained in Methodist use up to and including MHB (1933), after which it was dropped. It is a hymn of comfort to ‘every weary wandring spirit’, guiding the soul into the ‘perfect Peace’ at the end. The 1745 text was:
Light of those whose dreary Dwelling Borders on the Shades of Death,Come, and by thy Love’s revealing Dissipate the Clouds beneath:The new Heaven and Earth’s Creator, In our deepest Darkness rise,Scattering all the Night of Nature, Pouring Eye-sight on our Eyes.
Still we wait for thy...
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MLA style (see MLA Style Manual and Guide to Scholarly Publishing, 3rd Ed.)
. "Light of those whose dreary dwelling."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press. Web. 16 Feb. 2026.<
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/light-of-those-whose-dreary-dwelling>.
Chicago style (see The Chicago Manual of Style, 16th Ed.)
. "Light of those whose dreary dwelling."
The Canterbury Dictionary of Hymnology. Canterbury Press, accessed February 16, 2026,
http://www.hymnology.co.uk/l/light-of-those-whose-dreary-dwelling.