Wesley Corpus

To help our soul's infirmity, To heal thy sin-sick people's care, To urge our God-commanding plea, And make our heart an house of prayer, That promis'd Intercessor give, And let us now thyself receive. Come in thy pleading Spirit down, To us, who for thy coming stay; Of all thy gifts we ask but one, We ask the constant power to pray: Indulge us, Lord, in this request, And, if thou canst,25 deny the rest. Desiring to Pray. Hymn V. Shepherd divine, our want relieve In this our evil day, To all thy tempted followers give The power to watch and pray. 25John Wesley substituted "Thou canst not then" for "And, if thou canst" in manuscript in his personal copy of the 2nd edn. (1756). Page 38 Long as our fiery trials last, Long as the cross we bear, O let our souls on thee be cast In never-ceasing prayer. The Spirit of interceeding grace Give us in faith to claim, To wrestle, 'till we see thy face, And know thy hidden name. 'Till thou the perfect love impart, 'Till thou thyself bestow, Be this the cry of every heart I will not let thee go. I will not let thee go, unless Thou tell thy name to me, With all thy great salvation bless, And make me all like thee. Then let me on the mountain-top Behold thine open face, While faith in sight is swallow'd up, And prayer in endless praise. Desiring to Pray. Hymn VI.26 "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint." Luke xviii. 1. Come, ye followers of the Lord, In Jesus' service join; Jesus gives the sacred word, The ordinance divine; Let us his command obey, And ask, and have whate'er we want, Pray we, every moment pray, And never, never faint. 26Published previously in Short View of the Difference Between the Moravian Brethren and the Rev. Mr. John and Charles Wesley (London: Strahan, 1745), 20-21. A manuscript precursor appears in MS Shent, 60a-60b. Page 39 Place no longer let us give To the old tempter's will, Never more our duty leave, While Satan cries "Be still!" Stand we in the antient way, And here with God ourselves acquaint, Pray we, c.