Wesley Corpus

With joyfullest news Your prisons resound, Your fetters are loose, Your souls are unbound: 5"Passion and" changed to "passionate" in 1752 edn. and following. Page 9 Resume the possession For which ye were born, From Satan's oppression To heaven return. Come, let us anew Our journey pursue, Roll round with the year, And never stand still, 'till the Master appear; His adorable will Let us gladly fulfil, And our talents improve By the patience of hope, and the labour of love. Our life is a dream, Our time as a stream Glides swiftly away, And the fugitive moment refuses to stay, The arrow is flown, The moment is gone, The millennial year Rushes on to our view, and eternity's here! O that each in the day Of his coming might say "I have fought my way thro', I have finish'd the work thou didst give me to do!" O that each from his Lord May receive the glad word "Well and faithfully done, Enter into my joy, and sit down on my throne!" Page 10 The Lord of earth and sky The God of ages praise, Who reigns enthron'd on high, Antient of endless days, Who lengthens out our trial here, And spares us yet another year. Barren and wither'd trees We cumbred long the ground, No fruit of holiness On our dead souls was found; Yet doth he us in mercy spare Another, and another year. When justice bared the sword To cut the fig-tree down, The pity of our Lord Cried, Let it still alone! The Father mild inclines his ear, And spares us yet another year. Jesus, thy speaking blood From God obtain'd the grace, Who therefore hath bestow'd On us a longer space, Thou didst in our behalf appear, And lo, we see another year! Then dig about our root, Break up our fallow ground, And let our gracious fruit To thy great praise abound, 6A manuscript predecessor appears in MS Thirty, 53 (title "New Year's Day, 1741"). It was published in HSP (1749), 1:250-51. Page 11 O let us all thy praise declare, And fruit unto perfection bear. Sing to the great Jehovah's praise! All praise to him belongs, Who kindly lengthens out our days, Demands our choicest songs: Whose providence has brought us thro' Another various year, We all with vows and anthems new Before our God appear.