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136

A PRAYER FOR PERSONS JOINED IN FELLOWSHIP.

PART I.

Try us, O God, and search the ground
Of every sinful heart;
Whate'er of sin in us is found,
O bid it all depart.
When to the right or left we stray,
Leave us not comfortless,
But guide our feet into the way
Of everlasting peace.
Help us to help each other, Lord,
Each other's cross to bear;
Let each his friendly aid afford,
And feel his brother's care.
Help us to build each other up,
Our little stock improve;
Increase our faith, confirm our hope,
And perfect us in love.
Up into Thee, our living Head,
Let us in all things grow,
Till Thou hast made us free indeed
And sinless here below.
Then, when the mighty work is wrought,
Receive Thy ready bride,
Give us in heaven an happy lot
With all the sanctified.

PART II.

Jesu, all power is given to Thee;
Command our inward parts;
Turn, as the rivers of the sea,
Our hard unyielding hearts.
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Our hearts are to ourselves unknown,
Till Thou the veil remove;
Open, enlarge, and melt them down
By Thy victorious love.
Thee, at Thy word, we come to meet,
And humbly to confess,
While lowly prostrate at Thy feet,
Our utter sinfulness.
O let us faithfully obey
The counsel of Thy will,
And each to each our faults display,
Our every thought reveal.
Our fig-leaves all be cast aside;
Let no self-soothing art
Conceal the lust, to' indulge the pride
Of a foul hellish heart.
Open a window in our breast,
That each our heart may see,
And let no secret be supprest,
Since all are known to Thee.
Remove the sins which we declare,
The burden of our soul,
And hear the mutual faithful prayer,
Which makes the sinner whole.
To all, through faith which is in Thee,
A perfect soundness give,
And let us, from all sin set free,
The life of Jesus live.
138

PART III.

God of our life, at Thy command
We now our sins confess,
In nakedness of spirit stand,
And show our sore disease.
God of our health, in Thy great name
We now perform Thy will;
Regard our prayer, admit our claim,
Our sin-sick spirits heal.
Forgive the sins through which we groan,
Which we no longer hide;
Our filthiness of flesh we own,
Our filthiness of pride.
The devilish and the brutal lust
To Thee we now confess;
Cleanse us, O faithful God and just,
From all unrighteousness.
Then shall we to Thine only name
The praise and glory give,
The greatness of Thy power proclaim
To us-ward who believe.
Then let or earth or hell oppose,
We will assert Thy power,
And witness to a world of foes
That we can sin no more.

PART IV.

Jesu, united by Thy grace,
And each to each endear'd,
With confidence we seek Thy face,
And know our prayer is heard.
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Still let us own our common Lord,
And bear Thine easy yoke—
A band of love, a threefold cord
Which never can be broke.
Make us into one spirit drink,
Baptize into Thy Name,
And let us always kindly think,
And sweetly speak the same.
Touch'd by the loadstone of Thy love,
Let all our hearts agree,
And ever towards each other move,
And ever move towards Thee.
To Thee inseparably join'd,
Let all our spirits cleave;
O may we all the loving mind
That was in Thee receive:
This is the bond of perfectness,
Thy spotless charity;
O let us (still we pray) possess
The mind that was in Thee.
Grant this, and then from all below
Insensibly remove;
Our souls their change shall scarcely know,
Made perfect first in love.
With ease our souls through death shall glide
Into their paradise,
And thence on wings of angels ride
Triumphant through the skies.
140

Yet when the fullest joy is given
The same delight we prove;
In earth, in paradise, in heaven,
Our all in all is love.
previous section The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley
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