Wesley Corpus

I want with all my heart Thy pleasure to fulfil, To know myself, and what thou art, And what thy perfect will. I want, I know not what, I want my wants to see, I want, alas! What want I not, When thou art not in me! A Prayer for Humility. O my Father, and my God, Look upon thy42 helpless child! Thou hast laid aside thy rod, Thou in Christ art reconcil'd: Hear me then, my Father, hear, Good, and gracious as thou art, Fill me with an holy fear, Give me, Lord, an humble heart. 40Ori., "I"; corrected in errata. 41"Thy" changed to "thine" in 2nd edn. (1745) and following. 42"Thy" changed to "thine" in 2nd edn. (1745) and following. Page 149 O! 'Tis all I want below, Jesus, and myself to feel, Only sin, and grace to know, All the good and all the ill. Shew me, Father, what I am, Shew me what in Christ thou art, All my glory, all my shame; Give me, Lord, an humble heart. Listen to my ceaseless cries, Mean and little may I be, Base, and vile in my own eyes, Griev'd at my own misery. Shew, and then my sickness cure; Make me know as I am known, Wound my spirit, make me poor, Break, O break this heart of stone. Dust and ashes is my name, Sinful dust and ashes I Back return from whence I came, Earth to earth I sink, and die. Abject I, yet haughty too, Nothing of my own possess, Nothing of myself can do, Proud of sin, and proud of grace. O the curse, the plague I feel By the demon pride pursu'd! Proud to see I merit hell, Proud I am that God is good, Proud, that thou my works hast wrought, Proud that I was justified, Proud in every word and thought: All my fallen soul is pride. My own glory still I seek, Still I covet human praise, Still in all I do, or speak, Thee I wrong, and rob thy grace: Page 150 Nature will usurp a share, Fondly of thy graces boast, Needlessly thy gifts declare, Needlessly declar'd and lost.