The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

O Jesus, the Rest
Of spirits distress'd,
In whom all the children of men may be blest,
The blessing design'd
For the whole of mankind,
Give us in the love of Thy Spirit to find.

266

For this do we keep
A sad vigil, and weep,
The fruit of our tears that in joy we may reap;
While sent from above
The comfort we prove,
The unspeakable gift of Thy ransoming love.

Our brethren we see
By mercy set free,
They have found the abundant redemption in Thee.
Thy tenders of grace
They gladly embrace,
And tell of Thy goodness, and live to Thy praise.

But still we remain
In bondage and pain,
Unable to bear, or to shake off our chain;
In the furnace we cry,
Come, Lord, from the sky,
Make haste to our help, or in Egypt we die.

O Jesus, appear
Thy mourners to cheer,
Our grief to assuage, and to banish our fear:
Thy prisoners release,
Vouchsafe us Thy peace,
And our troubles and sins in a moment shall cease.

That moment be now;
The petition allow,
Our present Redeemer, and Comforter Thou,
The freedom from sin,
The' atonement bring in,
And sprinkle our conscience, and bid us be clean.

267

Thy blessing of grace
Now let it take place,
The dew of Thy mercy descend on our race;
Thy Spirit, O God,
Pour out on the crowd,
And water us all with a shower of Thy blood!

University of Virginia Library

LXXXVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[O Jesus, the Rest]