The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

The Lord, and the eternal Word
We our Creator see,
The Spirit of His mouth concurr'd
And gave the worlds to be:
The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
God in three persons One,
Created that celestial host,
And made our earth alone.

“I by Myself the heavens expand,
And spread the earth abroad!”
All things sprang forth at the command
Of One almighty God:
That One almighty God, Thou art
The glorious Trinity;
Make known the secret to my heart,
Reveal Thy love in me.

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CXI.

[The Lord our God is only One]

The Lord our God is one Jehovah. Deuteronomy vi. 4.

Thou whose name alone is Jehovah art the most high over all the earth. Psalm lxxxiii. 18.

This is the name whereby He shall be called, Jehovah our righteousness. Jeremiah xxiii. 6.

The Lord Jehovah took me, the Spirit lifted me up, &c. Ezekiel viii. 1, 3.

The Lord our God is only One,
One is Jehovah the most high:
Jehovah is His name alone,
Who made and fills both earth and sky:
Jehovah is the Saviour's name;
Jehovah is the Spirit's too:
And Three essentially the same
Is the eternal God and true.

The name peculiarly Divine
Which doth His nature best express,
To the three persons we assign,
And each substantial God confess:
Rivals of His celestial host
We triumph here like those above,
And Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The One supreme Jehovah love.

CXII.

[The Trinity in Unity]

The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. Romans x. 12.

A Saviour which is Christ the Lord. Luke ii. 11.

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Who hath known the mind of the Lord? Romans xi. 34.

Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord? Isaiah xl. 13.

The Trinity in Unity
Is by the church adored,
Which each of the mysterious three
Acknowledges for Lord;
We all the Lord our Father bless,
The Lord our Saviour own,
The Lord the Spirit we confess,
For ever Three in One.

CXIII.

[Israel the Father calls His son]

The multitude glorified the God of Israel. Matthew xv. 31.

The children of Israel shall be turned to the Lord their God: and he shall go before Him. Luke i. 16, 17.

The Spirit of the Lord spake by me—the God of Israel said. 2 Samuel xxiii. 2, 3.

Israel the Father calls His son,
And Jesus is the Lord their God,
The Spirit claims them for His own,
On whom His prophets He bestow'd,
The Spirit who by David spoke
The word He never will revoke.

Each person of the mystic three
The God of Israel we adore,
As was, and is, and still shall be,
When time and nature are no more:
The Triune God we then shall praise
In glorious, everlasting lays.

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CXIV.

[We the Father's law receive]

I myself serve the law of God. Romans vii. 25.

Fulfil the law of Christ. Galatians vi. 2.

The law of the Spirit of life. Romans viii. 2.

There is one Lawgiver who is able to save and to destroy. James iv. 12.

We the Father's law receive,
The law of Christ fulfil,
Keep the Spirit's law, and live
According to His will;
Live to make the mystery known,
And testify, from sin set free,
God our Lawgiver is one,
But one in persons three.

Shall we then with sin comply,
Against our God rebel,
His authority defy
Who can destroy in hell?
He that doth to sin give way,
The glorious Trinity offends,
Treasures up against that day
The wrath which never ends.

CXV.

[They tempt the Lord most high]

Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Deuteronomy vi. 16.

Neither let us tempt Christ. 1 Corinthians x. 9.

How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? Acts v. 9.

They tempt the Lord most high,
Whoe'er transgress His word;
The Father and the Son they try,
And Spirit of the Lord;

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They 'gainst the One in Three
Rebellious arms employ,
Provoke their God to jealousy,
And tempt Him to destroy.

CXVI.

[Who know the thing by God design'd]

Who hath known the mind of the Lord? 1 Corinthians ii. 16.

We have the mind of Christ. Ibid.

He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit. Romans viii. 27.

Who know the thing by God design'd
To us the mind of Christ is known,
To us is known the Spirit's mind
One with the Father and the Son,
The counsel of the Trinity
Infallibly reveal'd we have,
And witness that the heavenly three
Are ready all mankind to save.

CXVII.

[The will of God is Jesus' will]

This is the will of God. 1 Thessalonians iv. 3.

The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldst know His will. Acts xxii. 14.

Prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. 2 Peter i. 21.

The will of God is Jesus' will
Electing Paul, his Lord to see,
To know His counsel, and fulfil
A glorious, gospel ministry:

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The will of God the Spirit's is,
Who moved the holy men of old,
By them proclaim'd approaching peace,
And all good things in Christ foretold.

Father, and Son, and Spirit join
To make the joyful secret known,
The love unsearchable, Divine,
Of One in Three, and Three in One:
This is the counsel of His grace,
That Him we here by faith should see,
Should see above His glorious face,
And gaze to all eternity.

CXVIII.

[God whom we in Christ adore]

The grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of His power. Ephesians iii. 7.

That the power of Christ may rest upon me. 2 Corinthians xii. 9.

Signs and wonders by the power of the Spirit of God. Romans xv. 19.

God whom we in Christ adore,
Wonders wrought by Jesus' name;
By His own effectual power
Christ Himself perform'd the same:
The same miracles of grace
By the Holy Ghost were done;
Teaching us our God to praise,
One in Three and Three in One.

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
One almighty God most high,
One in persons three adored,
Thee we laud and magnify;

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Still the Triune God we praise,
Till around Thy throne we meet,
Heighten the seraphic lays,
Make the harmony complete.

CXIX.

[The everlasting Father bless]

The mystery—made manifest according to the commandment of the everlasting God. Romans xvi. 25, 26.

I am the First and the Last. Revelation xxii. 13.

—who through the Eternal Spirit. Hebrews ix. 14.

The everlasting Father bless,
The everlasting God commend,
The everlasting Spirit confess,
Who neither can begin nor end,
Equal in power and majesty
One God reveal'd in persons three.

Not three eternals we adore,
But One eternal God most high,
Him whom the angels fall before,
And Holy, holy, holy cry,
Him who to man His name imparts,
And lives in all believing hearts.

CXX.

[Who sent the Son is true]

He that sent Me is true. John vii. 28.

These things saith He that is true, He that hath the key of David. Revelation iii. 7.

The Spirit is truth. 1 John v. 6.

Who sent the Son is true;
True is the Son that came;
True is the Spirit too,
Conferr'd in Jesus' name:

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The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Essential truth we own,
And prostrate with His heavenly host
Adore the Three in One.

CXXI.

[Holy is our God alone]

Who shall not fear Thee, O Lord? for Thou only art holy. Revelation xv. 4.

Ye denied the Holy One. Acts iii. 14.

Ye have an unction from the Holy One. 1 John ii. 20.

Holy is our God alone,
God the Father and the Son,
Holy we the Spirit esteem
God omnipotent, supreme,
Manifest in persons three,
God through all eternity.

In each person we revere
God's authentic character;
Praise in each the Holy One
Bright on His eternal throne,
The great God we glorify,
Bless the name of the Most High.

God by nature we confess
Pure essential holiness:
God inhabiting the heart
All our holiness Thou art,
Thou art here to sinners given,
All our holiness in heaven.

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CXXII.

[Father, Thy glory we confess]

Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. Jeremiah xxiii. 24.

The fulness of Him that filleth all in all. Ephesians i. 22.

Whither shall I go then from Thy Spirit? If I go up into heaven, Thou art there; if I go down into hell, Thou art there also. Psalm cxxxix. 7, 8.

Father, Thy glory we confess,
Accept the sacrifice of praise
By all Thy people given;
Thy presence to our faith appears,
Thy beatific presence cheers,
And fills both earth and heaven.

Supreme in majesty and power
Thee, Jesus, Thee Thy saints adore,
Jehovah's Fellow call,
Thy heavenly Person we esteem
The glorious plenitude of Him
That filleth all in all.

Spirit of uncreated Light,
How shall we 'scape Thy piercing sight,
Or whither shall we go?
The God of vengeance or of love,
Thy presence fills the realms above,
And the abyss below.

Great omnipresent One in Three,
Absorb'd in Thine immensity
Thy worshippers receive,
Beyond the bounds of time and space
Contemplating Thy blissful face
Eternally to live.

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CXXIII.

[He is our Life, the Lord our God]

Love the Lord thy God, for He is thy Life. Deuteronomy xxx. 20.

When Christ who is our Life shall appear. Colossians iii. 4.

The Spirit is Life. Romans viii. 10.

He is our Life, the Lord our God:
Our Father's love we find,
Who being graciously bestow'd
On us, and all mankind:
Jesus our Life alike we own,
Our Life eternal here
Conceal'd, and by the world unknown;
But He shall soon appear.

The Spirit is Life, we know and feel
Who life to us imparts;
And God doth in three persons dwell
For ever in our hearts:
Our Life is One: a Trinity
In Unity we love,
And gladly die from earth, to see
His face unveil'd above.

CXXIV.

[By the Father, and the Son]

The Lord He is God, it is He that hath made us. Psalm c. 3.

By Him were all things made. John i. 3.

The Spirit of God hath made me. Job xxxiii. 4.

By the Father, and the Son,
And blessed Spirit made,
God in persons three we own,
And hang upon His aid:
Reason asks, How can it be?
But who by simple faith embrace,
We shall know the mystery,
And see Him face to face.

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CXXV.

[Fountain of life Divine]

The Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them. John v. 21.

Even so the Son quickeneth whom He will. Ibid.

It is the Spirit that quickeneth. Ibid. vi. 63.

Fountain of life Divine
The Three in One we know,
The Father, Son, and Spirit join
To quicken all below;
Each person of the three
The breath of lives inspires;
And then we rise our God to see,
And do what He requires.

Spiritual life to' impart
The Father's power we feel;
The Son doth the same power exert
And quickens whom He will:
The quickening Spirit stirs
Infusing His own grace;
And the whole Trinity concurs,
Me from the dead to raise.

CXXVI.

[God our Teacher we embrace]

They shall all be taught of God. John vi. 45.

Neither was I taught it but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians i. 12.

The Comforter the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. John xiv. 26.

God our Teacher we embrace;
He His will to man reveals:
Every lesson of His grace
Father, Son, and Spirit seals:

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Truth the God of truth imparts;
Our Instructer from above
Writes His law upon our hearts,
Law of liberty and love.

He makes known the mystery,
Gives us simply to believe
Three are One, and One is Three,
Whom our faithful hearts receive;
There He sheds His love abroad;
Then beyond conception bless'd,
Image of the Triune God,
We like Him for ever rest.

CXXVII.

[Our fellowship, who Christ profess]

Truly our fellowship is with the Father. 1 John i. 3.

And with His Son Jesus Christ. Ibid.

The fellowship of the Holy Ghost be with you all. 2 Corinthians xiii. 14.

Our fellowship, who Christ profess,
Is with the Father and the Son,
And Spirit of true holiness;
In person three, in nature one,
One undivided God we know,
And walk, and talk with God below.

Who intimate communion feel
With God our Guide and Bosom-Friend,
He doth to us the secret tell
Which reason could not comprehend,
And three unutterably one
He dwells in all His saints alone.

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CXXVIII.

[God of a truth in us resides]

God is in you of a truth. 1 Corinthians xiv. 25.

Christ is in you. 2 Corinthians xiii. 5.

The Spirit dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. John xiv. 17.

God of a truth in us resides,
Christ is in us both felt and known,
In us the Holy Ghost abides:
Not three indwelling Gods, but one,
One true essential Deity
For ever one in persons three.

CXXIX.

[The Father, Son, and Spirit dwell]

God hath said, I will dwell in them. 2 Corinthians vi. 16.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts. Ephesians iii. 17.

His Spirit that dwelleth in you. Romans viii. 11.

The Father, Son, and Spirit dwell
By faith in all His saints below,
And then in love unspeakable
The glorious Trinity we know
Created after God to shine,
Fill'd with the plenitude Divine.

CXXX.

[God the Father His whole will]

God shall reveal even this unto you. Philippians iii. 15.

Neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Galatians i. 12.

It was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost. Luke ii. 26.

God the Father His whole will
Doth to sinful man reveal,
God the co-eternal Son
Makes His heavenly counsel known,
All the mysteries of grace
God the Holy Ghost displays.

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One revealing Deity
We confess in persons three,
Guide of His enlighten'd sons,
Teacher of the simple ones:
Lord, to Thee our souls we bow—
Speak, Thy servants hearken now!

CXXXI.

[If of the truth a proof ye seek]

God who spake unto the fathers by the prophets. Hebrews i. 1.

Ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me. 2 Corinthians xiii. 3.

It is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost. Mark xiii. 11.

If of the truth a proof ye seek
(The truth ye never can explain),
Hear Father, Son, and Spirit speak
One God oracular in man;
Thus saith the Lord, thus saith the Son,
Thus saith the Spirit to all that hear,
The One in Three, and Three in One,
Ye saints, eternally revere.

CXXXII.

[The breathless body of our Lord]

God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by His own power. 1 Corinthians vi. 14.

Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. John ii. 19.

Christ—being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit. 1 Peter iii. 18.

The breathless body of our Lord
Which once for sinners bled,
The blessed Trinity concurr'd
To raise it from the dead:

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The Father did His Son restore
Uplifting from the grave,
And by His own effectual power
Life to Himself He gave.

The Spirit quickening Him, again
His soul and body join'd;
And lo, in that immortal Man
The Triune God we find:
Each of the three is God alone,
The One almighty Lord,
One from eternity, and One
World without end adored.

CXXXIII.

[O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost]

I am the Lord thy God, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldst go. Isaiah xlviii. 17.

He calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. John x. 3.

As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. Romans viii. 14.

O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Conductor of the blood-bought host,
The faithful Israelites indeed,
Us, if aright Thy name we know,
Lead by the way that we should go,
In all the paths of justice lead.

Stay with us, Lord, our Guide unseen;
Shepherd of souls, in pastures green
Bring forth Thy flock, and feed, and guard;
Spirit of love, the chosen race
Prepare with all Thy hallowing grace,
And lead us to a full reward.

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CXXXIV.

[The Father and the Son]

Our sufficiency is of God, who hath made us able ministers. 2 Corinthians iii. 5, 6.

Jesus Christ—counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry. 1 Timothy i. 12.

Take heed therefore to all the flock, over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers. Acts v. 28.

The Father and the Son
And Spirit are but one,
Essence one in persons three,
God appoints His servants here,
Gives us our sufficiency,
Makes the able minister.

The Father we proclaim,
Sent forth in Jesus' name;
Us our heavenly Father sent;
Christ our dispensation gave,
Furnish'd every instrument
Dear immortal souls to save.

The Spirit His love imparts,
And consecrates our hearts,
Makes us overlook the sheep;
Sure He will our toil repay,
Kept by Him His church we keep,
Watch and teach them night and day.

We teach the mystery
Of God both one and three:
God Himself both three and one
Our Divine commission seals,
Comes in attestation down,
In His church for ever dwells.

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CXXXV.

[The Father and Son And Spirit we praise]

To them that are sanctified by God the Father. Jude 1.

He that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one. Hebrews ii. 11.

Being sanctified by the Holy Ghost. Romans xv. 16.

The Father and Son And Spirit we praise,
Three persons in one, The God of all grace,
Whose joint operation The children and heirs
By present salvation For glory prepares.

By God sanctified Our Father we love;
And Jesus His bride Delights to approve;
With blood to besprinkle Believers in Him,
From every wrinkle His church to redeem.

To sanctify those By mercy foreknown,
The Comforter flows From Father and Son:
Renew'd by the Spirit, In holiness pure,
The joy we inherit, And make the prize sure.

The merciful God, The hallowing three
Himself hath bestow'd On sinners like me:
Our full Sanctifier He perfects in one,
And raises us higher, And seats on His throne.

CXXXVI.

[Fulness of energy Divine]

It is the same God which worketh all in all. 1 Corinthians xii. 16.

Christ is all, and in all. Colossians iii. 11.

But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit. 1 Corinthians xii. 11.

Fulness of energy Divine
In Father, Son, and Spirit confess!
Three persons in Jehovah join
To save, and sanctify, and bless:

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Power appertains to God alone,
The sovereign, absolute I am:
And God who worketh all is One,
In three eternally the same.

All things in all the Father doth;
Jesus is all, and all He fills;
The Spirit is the same with Both,
And His own acting power reveals;
The Father's works are by the Son
Perform'd, and by the Spirit of grace:
That One in Three, and Three in One,
His people may for ever praise.

University of Virginia Library

The Trinity in Unity.

CX.

[The Lord, and the eternal Word]