Wesley Corpus

Fain would I all thy goodness feel, And know my sins forgiven, And do on earth thy perfect will As angels do in heaven. O Father, glorify thy Son, And grant what I require, For Jesus'7 sake the gift send down, And answer me by fire. Kindle the flame of love within That8 may to heaven ascend, And now in grace the work begin9 Which shall in glory end. Page 19 10Ori., "they"; a misprint, corrected in 2nd edn. (1747). Isaiah lxiv. 5. "Thou meetest those that remember thee in thy ways." Come, Lord, to a soul That waits in thy ways, That stays at the pool Expecting thy grace: To see thy salvation, And prove all thy10 will, With sure expectation I calmly stand still. With fasting and prayer My Saviour I seek, And listen to hear The Comforter speak; In searching and hearing The life-giving word I wait thy appearing, I look for my Lord. Because thou hast said Do this for my sake, The mystical bread I gladly partake: I thirst for the Spirit That flows from above, And long to inherit Thy fulness of love. 'Tis here I look up, And grasp at thy mind, Here only I hope Thine image to find The means of bestowing Thy gifts I embrace; But all things are owing To Jesus's grace. Page 20 11This hymn later included in HSP (1749), 2:38-39. A manuscript precursor of the hymn appears in MS Shent, 60a-60b. 12"Jesu's" changed to "Jesus'" in HSP (1749). 13"Grief" changed to "griefs" in HSP (1749). Luke xviii. 1. "Men OUGHT always to pray, and not to faint."11 Come ye followers of the Lord, In Jesu's12 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. 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. Be it weariness and pain To slothful flesh and blood, Yet we will the cross sustain, And bless the welcome load. All our grief13 to God display, And humbly pour out our complaint, Pray we, c.