Wesley Corpus

Of life thou art the tree, My immortality! Feed this tender branch of thine, Ceaseless influence derive, Thou the true, the heav'nly vine, Grafted into thee I live. Of life the fountain thou, I know I feel it now! Faint and dead no more I droop: Thou art in me: thy supplies Ev'ry moment springing up Into life eternal rise. Thou the good shepherd art, From thee I ne'er shall part: Thou my keeper and my guide, Make me still thy tender care, Gently lead me by thy side, Sweetly in thy bosom bear. Thou art my daily bread; O Christ, thou art my head: Motion, virtue, strength to me, Me thy living member flow; Nourish'd I, and fed by thee, Up to thee in all things grow. Page 110 Prophet, to me reveal Thy Father's perfect will. Never mortal spake like thee, Human prophet like divine; Loud and strong their voices be, Small and still and inward thine! On thee my priest I call, Thy blood aton'd for all. Still the Lamb as slain appears, Still thou stand'st before the throne, Ever off'ring up my31 pray'rs, These presenting with thy own. Jesu!32 Thou art my King, From thee my strength I bring! Shadow'd by thy mighty hand, Saviour, who shall pluck me thence? Faith supports, by faith I stand Strong as thy omnipotence. O filial deity, Accept my new-born cry! See the travail of thy soul, Saviour, and be satisfy'd; Take me now, possess me whole, Who for me, for me hast dy'd! 31Ori., "thy"; a misprint, not corrected until the 3rd edn. (1782) of Hymns (1780). 32Charles Wesley changes "Jesu!" to "Jesus," in All in All (1761). Page 111 Hymn to the Holy Ghost.33 Hear, Holy Spirit, hear, My inward Comforter! Loos'd by thee my stamm'ring tongue First essays34 to praise thee now, This the new, the joyful song, Hear it in thy temple thou! Long o'er my formless soul The dreary waves did roll; Void I lay and sunk in night: Thou, the overshadowing Dove, Call'dst35 the chaos into light, Bad'st me be, and live, and love. Thee I exult to feel, Thou in my heart dost dwell: There thou bear'st thy witness true, Shed'st the love of God abroad; I in Christ a creature new, I, ev'n I am born of God!