In the second verse, the text here is "Jesus is fairer, / Jesus is purer," and in the third verse, the text is "Jesus shines brighter, / Jesus shines purer." "Fairer," "brighter," and both "purer"s are all sung with melismas (Bb G Ab for the first two, Ab F G for the second two). These articulations emphasize these comparative adjectives and comparative adverbs. It's as if there are more notes to indicate these higher degrees.
