The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Father of lights, Thy needful aid
To us who ask impart,
Mistrustful of ourselves, afraid
Of our own treacherous heart;
O'erwhelm'd with justest fear, again
To Thee for help we call,
Where many mightier have been slain,
By Thee unsaved, we fall.

Unless restrain'd by grace we are,
In vain the snare we see,
We see and rush into the snare
Of blind idolatry;

We plunge ourselves in endless woes,
Our hapless infant sell,
Resist the light, and side with those
Who send their babes to hell.

Ah, what avails superior light
Without superior love?
We see the truth, we judge aright,
And wisdom's ways approve;
We mark the idolizing throng,
Their cruel fondness blame;
Their children's souls we know they wrong,
And we shall do the same.

We censure them, ourselves untried,
For passionate excess,
Who train their children up in pride,
And sloth, and stubbornness:
Less savage in our judgment they
Who slew their little ones,
Or left to ravenous beasts a prey,
Or dash'd against the stones.

Yet, spite of our resolves, we fear
Our own infirmity,
And tremble at the trial near,
And cry, O God, to Thee:
We soon shall do what we condemn,
And, down the current borne,
With shame confess our nature's stream
Too strong for us to turn.

Our only help in danger's hour,
Our only strength Thou art,
Above the world and tempter's power,
And greater than our heart.

Us from ourselves Thou canst secure
In nature's slippery ways,
And make our feeble footsteps sure
By Thy sufficient grace.

If on Thy promised grace alone
We faithfully depend,
Thou surely wilt protect Thy own,
And keep us to the end;
Wilt make us tenderly discreet
To guard what Thou hast given,
And bring our child with us to meet
At Thy right hand in heaven.

University of Virginia Library

LXVI.

[Father of lights, Thy needful aid]