 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
HYMN XVI. FOR THE MAGISTRATES.
Fountain of power and dignity,
Thy delegates preserve and bless;
Ordain'd, not by the crowd, but Thee,
To curb the floods of wickedness,
Commission'd ministers of Thine,
Clothed with authority Divine.
Thy delegates preserve and bless;
Ordain'd, not by the crowd, but Thee,
To curb the floods of wickedness,
Commission'd ministers of Thine,
Clothed with authority Divine.
Strengthen them in the gap to stand,
To bear the sword, and not in vain,
To spread Thy terror through the land,
And truth and righteousness maintain,
And ancient piety restore
In all its purity and power.
To bear the sword, and not in vain,
To spread Thy terror through the land,
And truth and righteousness maintain,
And ancient piety restore
In all its purity and power.
The guardians of religion true
Its witnesses vouchsafe to make:
And when Thee in the clouds we view,
And when Thou dost the kingdom take,
The good they did Thy church reward
As done unto her heavenly Lord.
Its witnesses vouchsafe to make:
And when Thee in the clouds we view,
And when Thou dost the kingdom take,
The good they did Thy church reward
As done unto her heavenly Lord.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |