Wesley Corpus

Whate'er I ask in faith, I have, As sure as God is true; My faithful God is strong to save, And he is ready too. 3Te Deum, BCP. Page 201 Jesus from sin shall save his own, Who wait the truth to prove: Poor, faithless souls, have ye not known That God, my God, is love? Willing he is, that all should live From all their sins set free: Lord, I thy solemn word receive, Thy oath to rescue me. Thou canst, thou wilt for one short day Preserve me sinless4 here, And why not then (let Satan say) A week, a month, a year? Why wilt thou not for all my life My helpless soul defend, And bear me thro' the doubtful strife, And keep me to the end! With shame the fatal cause I own Of all my sin, and grief; I did not stand by faith alone, I fell thro' unbelief. I ask'd, but never hoped from thee T' obtain the promis'd power, Or look'd from sin to be set free, Before my dying hour. But lo! With humble faith I bow My soul before thy throne: Deliver me from evil now; For thou canst save thine own. Vouchsafe to keep me, Lord, this day, And every day from sin, Until thou take it all away, And bring thy nature in. 4John Wesley substituted "spotless" for "sinless" in manuscript in his personal copy of the 2nd edn. (1755). Page 202 Safe in thine all-victorious love, And confident I rest; What power can from my Rock remove, Or tear me from thy breast? My soul, on thee, O Lord, relies, Thine arms are my defence; My soul, hell, earth, and sin defies, To come, and pluck me hence. Nigh me I find my three-fold foe, But thou art always nigher; Nor will I from my fortress go, Or leave my wall of fire. My life is hid with Christ above; Faith in thy blood I feel, A faith which doth the mountain move; And bids the sun stand still. The sin-subduing power divine Thro' faith I still receive, It keeps this feeble heart of mine, While unrenew'd I live. It keeps, 'till I am born again,5 And find the perfect power, And tell the faithless sons of men That I can sin no more. Hymns for Believers. Hymn IV.6 For the Morning.