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54
SCHWENKFELDER HYMNOLOGY

Das er avch wird der wellte spot
so schaidet er doch nit von got
der in behvet vor hell und todt
vnd speist in mit seim himel brott.

The following hymn entitled "Of the Love of Christ," because of its associations, must always retain—at least for Schwenkfelders—a peculiar charm. It was written in Ulm on the occasion of the approaching death of Schwenkfeld. In the earliest Schwenkfelder collections which contain it, Agathe Streicher is named as the writer of the hymn. It will be observed, however, that the fourth and sixth lines of the third strophe seem to indicate that it was not written by a woman, and for this and other reasons the question has been raised by Wackernagel : "May it have been written by Schwenkfeld him- self?" The hymn follows:[1]

"VON DER LIEB CHRISTJ.

"Wach auf, mein seel,
mit Psalmen, Beeten, singen,
hab Lieb ob alien Dingen
den waren höchsten Gott,
Jhesum, sein Lieben Sohne.
regierend jn dem Trone
in gleicher macht vnnd Ehr.
für mich am Creuz gestorben.

2. "Jhesu, mein Gott,
gib dich mir zuerkennen:
vva jch dich nu hor nennen
sich mein gemiit erf rent.
Du kennst dein Creature,
das jch bin von Nature
durch Satanns List vnnd trug
in siinden ganz verdorben.


  1. Reprinted from Wackernagel, Vol. V.