The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Hear then the pleading Spirit's prayer,
(The Spirit's will to Thee is known,)
For all who now Thy sufferings share,
And still for full redemption groan.

Poor tempted souls, with tempests toss'd,
And strangers to a moment's peace;
Disconsolate, afflicted, lost,
Lost in an howling wilderness.

Torn with an endless war within,
Vex'd with the flesh and Spirit's strife,
And struggling in the toils of sin,
And agonizing into life.

O! let the prisoners' mournful cries
As incense in Thy sight appear!
Their humble wailings pierce the skies,
If haply they may feel Thee near.

The captive exiles make their moans,
From sin impatient to be free:
Call home, call home Thy banish'd ones!
Lead captive their captivity!

Show them the blood that bought their peace,
The anchor of their steadfast hope;
And bid their guilty terrors cease,
And bring the ransom'd prisoners up.

Out of the deep regard their cries,
The fallen raise, the mourners cheer;
O Sun of Righteousness, arise,
And scatter all their doubt, and fear!

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Pity the day of feeble things:
O! gather every halting soul,
And drop salvation from Thy wings,
And make the contrite sinner whole.

Stand by them in the fiery hour,
Their feebleness of mind defend;
And in their weakness show Thy power,
And make them patient to the end.

O! satisfy their soul in drought;
Give them Thy saving health to see,
And let Thy mercy find them out;
And let Thy mercy reach to me.

Hast Thou the work of grace begun,
And brought them to the birth in vain?
O let Thy children see the sun!
Let all their souls be born again.

Relieve the souls whose cross we bear,
For whom Thy suffering members mourn;
Answer our faith's effectual prayer:
Bid every struggling child be born.

Hark, how Thy turtle-dove complains,
And see us weep for Sion's woe!
Pity Thy suffering people's pains;
Avenge us of our inbred foe.

Whom Thou hast bound, O Lord, expel,
And take his armour all away;
The man of sin, the child of hell,
The devil in our nature slay.

Him, and his works at once destroy,
The being of all sin erase,
And turn our mourning into joy,
And clothe us with the robes of praise.

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Then, when our sufferings all are past,
O! let us pure and perfect be,
And gain our calling's prize at last,
For ever sanctified in Thee.

LXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Author of faith, we seek Thy face]

Author of faith, we seek Thy face,
For all who feel Thy work begun;
Confirm, and stablish them in grace,
And bring Thy feeblest children on.

Thou seest their wants Thou know'st their names:
Be mindful of Thy youngest care;
Be tender of Thy new-born lambs,
And gently in Thy bosom bear.

The lion roaring for his prey,
With ravening wolves on every side,
Watch over them to tear, and slay,
If found one moment from their Guide.

Satan his thousand arts essays,
His agents all their powers employ,
To blast the blooming work of grace,
The heavenly offspring to destroy.

Baffle the crooked serpent's skill,
And turn his sharpest dart aside;
Hide from their eyes the devilish ill,
O save them from the plague of pride.

The dreaming, visionary fiend
Unmask, and drag to open light,
And let his wild illusions end,
And chase him to eternal night.

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In safety lead Thy little flock,
From hell, the world, and sin secure;
And set their feet upon the Rock,
And make in Thee their goings sure.

From idol loves, and vain desires,
O God, Thy little children keep,
And fill their hearts with holy fires,
And lull them in Thy arms to sleep.

There let them lie secure, and take
Their rest, and never thence remove,
Till in Thy likeness they awake,
The glorious likeness of Thy love.

LXV. THE SAME. FOR THE FALLEN.

Hymn 5.

Shepherd of Israel, hear
Our supplicating cry,
And gather in the souls sincere,
That from their brethren fly;
Scatter'd through devious ways
Collect Thy feeble flock,
And join by Thine atoning grace,
And hide them in the Rock.

Thou every simple heart
With pity dost behold:
Ah! bring again whom Satan's art
Hath sever'd from the fold;
The souls far off removed,
Whose burden still we bear,
Ah! give them back so dearly loved,
To faith's almighty prayer.

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We steadfastly believe
Such power belongs to Thee,
Thou canst the lawful prey retrieve,
And set the captives free,
Canst bring the wanderers back,
So perfectly restore,
That Satan never more shall shake,
Shall never touch them more.

O wouldst Thou end the storm,
That keeps us still apart;
The thing impossible perform,
And make us of one heart,
One spirit, and one mind,
The same that was in Thee;
O might we all again be join'd
In perfect charity.

Jesu, at Thy command,
We know it shall be done:
Take the two sticks into Thy hand,
The two shall then be one;
One body, and one fold,
We then shall sweetly prove,
And live in Thee, like those of old,
The life of spotless love.

God of all power, and grace,
Set up Thy bloody sign,
And gather those, that seek Thy face,
And by Thy Spirit join:
Thy few remaining sheep
In Britain's pastures bred,
United to each other keep,
United to their Head.

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The soul transforming word
In us, even us fulfil:
Join to Thyself, our common Lord,
And all Thy servants seal;
Confer the grace unknown,
The mystic charity:
As Thou art with Thy Father one,
Unite us all in Thee.

So shall the world believe
Our record, Lord, and Thine,
And Thee with thankful hearts receive
The Messenger Divine,
Sent from His throne above,
To Adam's offspring given,
To join, and perfect us in love,
And take us all to heaven.

[FOR A SICK FRIEND]

LXVI. THE SAME. FOR A SICK FRIEND.

Hymn 6.

See, Lord, with pity see
The object of Thy love,
And help his soul's infirmity,
And all his griefs remove,
Support the tottering clay
That weighs his spirit down,
And lead him through this thorny way
To that eternal crown.

Yet now in life detain
His soul for Sion's sake,
In mercy lift him up again,
And to his friends give back:

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In answer to our cry,
Thy chosen servant raise,
And send him forth to testify
The gospel of Thy grace.

Regard Thy faithful ones,
Who all his burden bear,
And hear in us the earnest groans,
The Spirit's silent prayer;
The prayer that oft hath stay'd
The saints in their remove,
And in the vale their souls delay'd,
To' enhance their joy above.

According to Thy will
If now Thy Spirit prays,
The prayer of faith the sick shall heal,
And lengthen out his days:
Thou know'st the Spirit's mind
To us, O Lord, unknown;
But lo! we wait on Thee, resign'd,
Till all Thy will be done.

LXVII. ANOTHER.

Hymn 7.

[See, Lord, the object of Thy love]

See, Lord, the object of Thy love,
And O come quickly from above,
The blessing to impart,
Him to Thyself by faith unite,
And in large bloody letters write
Forgiveness on his heart.

Feeble, and languishing in pain,
He only longs Thy love to gain,
That medicine of the soul:

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Jesus, Thy pardoning love reveal,
And give him now the balm to feel,
Which made our spirits whole.

Lo! in the arms of faith and prayer
To Thee his sin-sick soul we bear,
And place beneath Thine eye;
Pronounce the comfortable word,
And speak him now to health restored,
And freely justify.

Thou Son of Man, with equal ease
The body's and the soul's disease
Canst in a moment heal,
Canst from his bed of sickness raise,
And by Thine instantaneous grace
His present pardon seal.

But that the faithless world may know
Thou canst forgive our sins below,
Before we reach the skies,
The double miracle repeat,
Absolve the sinner at Thy feet,
And bid his body rise.

Body, and soul at once restore,
And bid him testify the power
That shows his sins forgiven;
Bid him by faith take up the bed,
On which Thy sacred limbs were laid,
And bear his cross to heaven.

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LXVIII. THE SAME. FOR A BACKSLIDER IN DESPAIR.

Hymn 8.

See, Lord, with tenderest pity see
A wandering sheep, cut off from Thee,
And from Thy people driven,
A fallen soul that did run well;
Arrest her on the brink of hell,
And snatch her up to heaven.

Her to the throne of grace we bear,
And strive, in agony of prayer,
To tear her from the foe:
Break, Jesu, break the lion's teeth,
And pluck her from the toils of death,
And let the captive go.

Is she so near the burning lake,
That Thou no more canst bring her back,
Canst ransom her no more?
Nay, but Thou able art to save
A soul within the gaping grave,
And bid the deep restore.

Stir up, O Lord, Thine utmost power,
And pluck her in this gracious hour
Out of the fowler's snare,
Command the' accuser to depart,
And kill the worm that gnaws her heart,
The viper of despair.

For her the plaintive turtle moans,
For her the pleading Spirit groans,
And lo! Thy saints agree
Touching this thing, in faith to claim
A pardon, Jesus, in Thy name,
A pardon full and free.

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Canst Thou reject Thy Spirit's cry?
Canst Thou Thy bride, Thyself deny?
Nay, but Thou shalt not rest,
No, never will we let Thee go,
Till she again Thy mercy know,
And sink upon Thy breast.

Extend Thine arms, and take her in,
A weary fugitive from sin,
To show Thy utmost power,
Now, Lord, from Satan's bond release,
And freely give her back her peace,
And bid her sin no more.

LXIX. THE SAME. FOR A BACKSLIDER.

Hymn 9.

Master, come, no more delay,
From Thine own no longer stay,
Whom Thou lov'st is sick of pride,
Sick for whom Thyself hast died.

See the soul whose fall we weep,
Come, and wake him out of sleep,
Lull'd in self-security,
Halting 'twixt the world and Thee.

Hear our faith's effectual prayer,
Snatch him from the fatal snare,
Now Thy ready help supply,
Come, before our brother die.

Ask, (Thyself hast said,) and have:
Save him then, in mercy save,
Grant the grace for him we claim,
Life we ask in Jesu's name.

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Jesu, call to mind Thy word,
Give him to our faith restored,
Freely his backslidings heal,
On his heart his pardon seal.

Make him as the troubled sea,
Till he find his rest in Thee,
Bind, and then his soul release,
Bid him then depart in peace.

LXX. THE SAME. FOR THE WAVERING.

Hymn 10.

See, Lord, our wavering brethren see,
Ready to leave Thy church and Thee,
Beguiled by hellish art;
O save them, save them from the snare,
Watch o'er Thine own with jealous care,
And keep their feeble heart.

O do not quit Thy gracious hold,
Nor let them straggle from the fold
In danger's trying hour;
Thine arm in their behalf display,
Bear them on eagles' wings away
Beyond the tempter's power.

Why should a child of Thine give place
To Satan with his angel face?
Jesu, the cloud dispel,
Give them to see his specious lies,
And strip him of his fair disguise,
And all his depths reveal.

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Apprize them of the ruin near,
Fill all their soul with sacred fear,
With wisdom from above
Their unsuspicious heart inspire;
Surround them as a wall of fire,
And wrap them in Thy love.

Thy love, that found the wandering sheep,
O! let it still in safety keep
The children of our prayer;
In answer to our faithful cry,
Preserve them, till they reach the sky,
And own Thy people there!

LXXI. THE SAME. FOR THE TEMPTED.

Hymn 11.

Meek, patient Son of God and man,
With us in our temptation stay;
Our fainting, feeble minds sustain,
And keep throughout the evil day;
The evil day of doubts, and fears,
And fightings, till Thy face appears.

We have not an high-priest in Thee,
Who cannot our afflictions feel;
The tempted soul's infirmity
With kind concern affects Thee still;
Touch'd with our every grief Thou art,
And bleeds for us Thy pitying heart.

For us, by men and fiends distress'd,
For us by various passions torn,
Who toil to enter into rest,
Who for Thy second coming mourn,

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And fill Thy sacred sorrows up,
And drink Thine agonizing cup.

Companions to the Man of Woe,
O! let us still with Thee abide;
Tempted, alas! to let Thee go,
And start from the command aside,
By every wind of doctrine driven,
To seek a broader way to heaven.

Yes, Lord, with deepest shame we own
Our weariness of all Thy ways,
Our haste to throw Thy burden down,
Nor bear the hidings of Thy face,
Nor wait till Thou create us new,
And give the crown to conquest due.

We fear'd to wait Thy leisure, Lord,
Or make the crown through sufferings sure,
Nature the killing word abhorr'd,
Nor would we to the end endure,
But snatch a cheap fallacious peace,
And rest in fancied holiness.

Ah! do not let Thy sheep depart,
Wide scatter'd, in the cloudy day,
But cross the' angelic tempter's art,
But spoil the lion of his prey,
Nor let us from our hope remove,
Our gospel hope of perfect love.

Us, and our brethren in distress,
Patient within Thy kingdom keep,
Sure all Thy fulness to possess,
Our harvest in the end to reap,
Thy sinless nature to retrieve,
And glorious in Thine image live.

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LXXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 12.

[Saviour, to Thee we humbly cry]

Saviour, to Thee we humbly cry:
The brethren we have lost restore,
Recall them by Thy pitying eye,
Retrieve them from the tempter's power,
By Thy victorious blood cast down,
Nor suffer him to take their crown.

Beguiled, alas, by Satan's art
We see them now far off removed,
The burden of our bleeding heart,
The souls whom once in Thee we loved,
Whom still we love with grief, and pain,
And weep for their return in vain.

In vain, till Thou the power bestow,
The double power of quickening grace,
And make the happy sinners know
Their tempter with his angel face,
Who leads them captive at his will,
Captive—but happy sinners still:

O wouldst Thou break the fatal snare
Of carnal self-security,
And let them feel the wrath they bear,
And let them groan their want of Thee,
Robb'd of their false pernicious peace,
Stripp'd of their fancied righteousness.

The men of careless lives, who deem
Thy righteousness accounted theirs,
Awake out of the soothing dream,
Alarm their souls with humble fears,
Thou jealous God, stir up Thy power,
And let them sleep in sin no more.

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Long as the guilt of sin shall last,
Them in its misery detain,
Hold their licentious spirits fast,
Bind them with their own nature's chain,
Nor ever let the wanderers rest,
Till lodged again in Jesu's breast.

LXXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 13.

[Shepherd Divine, at whose command]

Shepherd Divine, at whose command
I seek the wandering souls of men,
Supported by Thy chastening hand,
To Thee I groan mine inmost pain,
To Thee pour out my sad complaint,
And sweetly on Thy bosom faint.

Thou only know'st the load I bear,
For every weak and wavering sheep:
For them I in Thy bowels care,
For them in secret places weep,
And tremble at their danger nigh,
And daily mourn, and daily die.

I mourn for those that did run well,
But now have left the narrow way;
Have lost their former love, and zeal,
And fainted in their evil day,
And weakly given to Satan place,
To Satan with his angel face.

Beguiled, alas, of their reward,
And baffled by his soothing lie,
Poor blinded souls, they call Thee Lord,
But all Thy kingly power deny,
Thy perfect power to root out sin,
And bring the heavenly nature in.

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Removed from the sure gospel hope,
They vilely cast their shield away,
Their calling's glorious prize give up,
Down the smooth path of pleasure stray,
Blaspheme the grace they will not prove,
And spurn the pearl of perfect love.

Lull'd in imaginary peace,
Rich in a fancied faith they reign,
And fold their arms, and take their ease,
And settled on their lees again
All inward holiness disclaim,
Since Christ was meek, and chaste for them.

Thy righteousness to cloak their sin
They claim with lips and hearts impure,
Unchanged, unhallow'd, and unclean,
They fancy their salvation sure,
Wrapp'd up in fleshly liberty,
Happy in sin, but not in Thee.

Ah! wouldst Thou, Lord, once more awake
Their souls out of the dead repose,
Their Babel schemes in pieces shake,
And give them back the Spirit's throes,
The labour for substantial peace,
The strife for real righteousness.

My heart's desire, and prayer to Thee
Is, that they may be saved at last,
Though toss'd on error's stormy sea,
Late on the Rock of Ages cast,
In pieces let them dash their pride,
And sink—into the Crucified!

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Who will not be by love constrain'd,
O bring them by Thy judgments back,
Regard the prayer of faith unfeign'd,
And save them for Thy mercy's sake;
Answer our labouring heart's desire,
And save them by affliction's fire.

LXXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 14.

[Ah! Lord, regard my endless woe]

Ah! Lord, regard my endless woe,
Remove at last the load I bear,
I will not, will not let Thee go,
Without an answer to my prayer,
But grieve, till Thou suppress my sighs,
And dry the fountains of my eyes.

Ceaseless I mourn my children lost,
The children whom Thy grace had given,
Or to and fro by Satan toss'd,
By every wind of doctrine driven,
Or hamper'd in the toils of hell—
Poor helpless souls, that did run well!

Part by their own inventions led,
Down the broad path of pleasure stray,
In Egypt hide their guilty head,
And happy by the fleshpots stay,
Indulge their sensual hearts' desires,
And mock at what Thy law requires.

Choked by the thorns of worldly care
Others give up their calling's prize,
No fruit unto perfection bear,
But bound in lust, or avarice,
Eternity for time forego,
And seek their base delight below.

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Stumbling on shame's offensive rock,
Others have left the thorny road,
Thy people, and Thy cause forsook,
And prudently denied their God,
Secured an honourable name,
And lost their souls, to keep their fame.

How many to the' angelic foe
Have weakly fallen an easy prey,
And let their holy calling go,
And wander'd down a smoother way,
Charm'd by his Antinomian lore,
To watch, and pray, and strive no more!

Ah! Lord, the grievous havoc see,
Which Satan of Thy church hath made,
And set once more the prisoners free,
By pride into his toils betray'd,
Once more the keen conviction dart,
And break the self-deceiving heart.

O! for the honour of Thy name,
Release the slaves to evil sold,
Again with heavenly fire inflame
The souls whose love is waxen cold,
And fix, and stablish us in grace,
The monuments of Thy perfect praise.

LXXV. THE SAME

Hymn 15.

[Shepherd of souls, lay to Thine hand]

Shepherd of souls, lay to Thine hand,
And vindicate Thine injured cause,
The troublers of Thy flock withstand,
The foes, and haters of Thy cross,
Who cause Thy little ones to stray,
And lead them down an easier way.

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Thy poor, oppress'd disciples, Lord,
In peril 'mongst false brethren see,
And O! Thy timely help afford
To us, that look for help in Thee,
Who hear'st the tempted soul's complaint,
And givest power to all that faint.

We beckon'd to our friends for aid,
Our partners in the other ship;
They came; our easy trust betray'd,
They came—to sink us in the deep,
Our vessel 'gainst their own to break,
And then to gather up the wreck.

Deceitful workers, in Thy name,
With guile they catch the simple heart;
The feeble followers of the Lamb
They make them from Thy paths depart;
Remove from their high calling's prize,
And rob them of their paradise.

Deceiving, and deceived, they glide
Down the smooth stream of carnal peace,
The gate through which they pass is wide,
And broad their path of righteousness,
No strife, no conflict, and no care,
No cross, or holiness is there.

Perfect at once, and pure, and clean,
Yet foul, imperfect, and impure,
They sin, and bless themselves in sin,
And boast of their salvation sure:
Saviour, the fond delusion show,
For O! they know not what they do.

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Alas, for them, that will not know
The Lord abhors their sacrifice!
Who weak, unstable souls o'erthrow,
And on their brethren's ruin rise;
Offer Thee fraud, and robbery,
And fawn, and lie, and steal for Thee.

Forgive them, Lord, but O! restrain,
No longer let their guile proceed:
O might they their first love regain,
And simply in Thy statutes tread,
Their faith by their obedience prove,
And rise with us to perfect love.

University of Virginia Library

[HYMNS OF INTERCESSION]

LXI. HYMNS OF INTERCESSION.

Hymn 1.

LXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[O Thou our Husband, Brother, Friend]

LXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[O most compassionate High-Priest]