a 'Wesley' a day keeps the trivia away

For many years I have been richly blessed with the incomparable poems of the Wesley brothers, the poetry of which is as sublime as it is heavenly, and breathes from the eternal Spirit who inspired their hearts. In this realm they have no betters, and few, if any, equals.Throughout the land hearts cry out for the realities herein set forth, and these hymns give expression to the unspeakable yearnings within in a manner which beautiful poetry and utmost piety unaided cannot accomplish, for many have produced such hymns but have failed of that ‘something’ that so permeates the writings of the Wesley’s as to place them in a class above all others.The difference surely lies in the fact that these hymns were born in revival, and come from the Spirit of Life then breathing through the land.Our Lord gave them to His Church, and wherever souls long for language of the Spirit these hymns will be sung by all so blessed as to know them.Could heart-cries be formed and framed in better words than these, or man declare his faith for gloriously? (from the preface of a selection of 120 Wesley hymns reproduced in 1971)I thought I might share some of them here from day to day…And can it be that I should gainAn interest in the Saviour’s blood?Died He for me, who caused His pain—For me, who Him to death pursued?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?Amazing love! How can it be,That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:Who can explore His strange design?In vain the firstborn seraph triesTo sound the depths of love divine.’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,Let angel minds inquire no more.’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;Let angel minds inquire no more.He left His Father’s throne aboveSo free, so infinite His grace—Emptied Himself of all but love,And bled for Adam’s helpless race:’Tis mercy all, immense and free,For O my God, it found out me!’Tis mercy all, immense and free,For O my God, it found out me!Long my imprisoned spirit lay,Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;My chains fell off, my heart was free,I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.My chains fell off, my heart was free,I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.Still the small inward voice I hear,That whispers all my sins forgiven;Still the atoning blood is near,That quenched the wrath of hostile Heaven.I feel the life His wounds impart;I feel my Saviour in my heart.I feel the life His wounds impart;I feel my Saviour in my heart.No condemnation now I dread;Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;Alive in Him, my living Head,And clothed in righteousness divine,Bold I approach th’eternal throne,And claim the crown, through Christ my own.Bold I approach th’eternal throne,And claim the crown, through Christ my own.This familiar hymn has the missing verse restored here. See how the much better the ideas flow with the verse restored. Wesley’s confidence of the last verse does not arise from ‘logical deductions drawn from proof texts’ or ‘decision’ and ‘the sinner’s prayer’ but from the inward witness of the Spirit.If you would like to sing it here is a tune

It has been said that the poetry of the Wesley's is 'bibline' that is to say wherever you cut it you will find it bleeds 'bible'. In this hymn Charles Wesley gathers together Bible pictures of Christ and the Salvation He has provided. See how many of these illustrations you can trace to their source...Jesus, my strength and righteousness,My Saviour, and my King,Triumphantly Thy name I bless,Thy conquering name I sing.Thou, Lord, has magnified Thy name,Thou has maintained Thy cause,And I enjoy the glorious shame,The scandal of Thy cross.This is the saving power of God:Who’er this word receive,Feel all the effects of Jesu’s blood,And sensibly believe:Saved from the guilt and power of sinBy instantaneous grace,They trust to have Thy life brought in,And always see Thy face.The pure in heart Thy face shall seeBefore they hence remove,Redeemed from all iniquity,And perfected in love.This is the great salvation” ThisThe prize at which we aim,The end of faith, the hidden bliss,The new, mysterious name.The name inscribed in the white stone,The unbeginning Word,The mystery so long unknown,The secret of the Lord.The living bread sent down from heaven,The saints’ and angels’ food,The immortal seed, the little leaven,The effluence of God!The tree of life, that blooms and growsIn the midst of paradis,The pure and living stream, that flowsBack to its native skies:The Spirit’s law, the covenant seal,The eternal righteousness,The glorious joy unspeakable,The unutterable peace!The treasure in the gospel-field,The wisdom from above,Hid from the wise, to babes revealed,The precious pearl of love;The mystic power of godliness,The end of death and sin,The antepast of heavenly bliss,The kingdom fixed within.The Morning Star, that glittering bright,Shines to the perfect day,The Sun of Righteousness – the Light,The Life, the Truth, the Way:The image of the living God,His nature, and His mind,Himself He hath on us bestowed,And all in Christ we find.you can sing it to this tune.

With glorious clouds encompassed round,Whom angels dimly see,Will the Unsearchable be found,Or God appear to me? Will He forsake His throne above,Himself to worms impart?Answer, Thou Man of grief and love,And speak it to my heart. In manifested love explainThy wonderful design;What meant the suffering Son of man,The streaming blood divine? Didst Thou not in our flesh appear,And live and die below,That I may now perceive Thee near,And my Redeemer know? Come then, and to my soul revealThe heights and depths of grace,The wounds which all Thy sorrows heal,That dear disfigured face. Before my eyes of faith confessedStand forth a slaughtered Lamb;And wrap me in Thy crimson vest,And tell me all Thy name. Jehovah in Thy person show,Jehovah crucified!And then the pardoning God I know,And feel the blood applied; I view the Lamb in His own light,Whom angels dimly see,And gaze, transported at the sight,Through all eternity. here's a suggested tune

With glorious clouds encompassed round,Whom angels dimly see,Will the Unsearchable be found,Or God appear to me? Will He forsake His throne above,Himself to worms impart?Answer, Thou Man of grief and love,And speak it to my heart. In manifested love explainThy wonderful design;What meant the suffering Son of man,The streaming blood divine? Didst Thou not in our flesh appear,And live and die below,That I may now perceive Thee near,And my Redeemer know? Come then, and to my soul revealThe heights and depths of grace,The wounds which all Thy sorrows heal,That dear disfigured face. Before my eyes of faith confessedStand forth a slaughtered Lamb;And wrap me in Thy crimson vest,And tell me all Thy name. Jehovah in Thy person show,Jehovah crucified!And then the pardoning God I know,And feel the blood applied; I view the Lamb in His own light,Whom angels dimly see,And gaze, transported at the sight,Through all eternity. Thank you so much, Ron, for this one! What a prayer this hymn is! It echoes so much of what my heart longs for, I just didn't know that it could be expressed in such a beautiful way... Once again I thank you. /Rikard

This is Charles Wesley's gift to himself on his birthday. The Birthday Hymn. It may not be your birthday but today is, as they say, the beginning of the rest of our lives. Wesley is not daunted by 'our remnant of days'.Away with our fears!The glad morning appears,When an heir of salvation was born!From Jehovah I came,For His glory I am,And to Him I with singing return.Thy Jesus, alone,The fountain I ownOf my life and felicity here,And cheerfully singMy Redeemer and King,Till His sign in the heavens appear.With thanks I rejoiceIn Thy fatherly choiceOf my state and condition below;If of parents I cameWho honoured Thy name,'Twas Thy wisdom appointed it so.I sing of Thy grace,From my earliest daysEver near to allure and defend;Hitherto Thou hast beenMy preserver from sin,And I know Thou wilt save to the end.O the infinite cares,And temptations, and snares,Thy hand hath conducted me through!O! the blessings bestowedBy a bountiful God,And the mercies eternally new!What a mercy is this,What a heaven of bliss,How unspeakably happy am I!Gathered into the fold,With Thy people enrolled,With Thy people to live and to die!O the goodness of God,Employing a clodHis tribute of glory to raise!His standard to bear,And with triumph declareHis unsearchable riches of grace.O the fathomless love,That has deigned to approveAnd prosper the work of my hands!With my pastoral crookI went over the brook,And, behold, I am spread into bands!Who, I ask in amaze,Hath begotten me these?And inquire from what quarter they came?My full heart it replies,They are born from the skies,And gives glory to God and the Lamb.All honour and praiseTo the Father of grace,To the Spirit, and Son, I return!The business pursueHe hath made me to do,And rejoice that I ever was born.In a rapture of joyMy life I employ,The God of my life to proclaim;'Tis worth living for this,To administer blissAnd salvation in Jesus's name.My remnant of daysI spend in His praise,Who died the whole world to redeem:Be they many or few,My days are His due,And they all are devoted to Him.oh, the goodness of God in employing a clod!I can't find the tune we use, but the meter is 5.6.9.6.6.9

Here's valuable reminder for a Monday. It's easy to get sucked back into the busy-ness of our lives only to forget our glorious calling and stewardship.A charge to keep I have,A God to glorify,A never-dying soul to save,And fit it for the sky;To serve the present age,My calling to fulfil:O may it all my powers engageTo do my Master's will! Arm me with jealous care,As in Thy sight to live;And O Thy servant, Lord, prepareA strict account to give!Help me to watch and pray,And on Thyself rely,Assured, if I my trust betray,I shall for ever die. This is the tune that we use here in Reading.

What are your targets for today? Of all my works be Thou the aim.O GOD, what offering shall I giveTo Thee, the Lord of earth and skies?My spirit, soul, and flesh receive,A holy, living sacrifice;Small as it is, 'tis all my store;More should’st Thou have, if I had more. Now then, my God, Thou hast my soul,No longer mine, but Thine I am;Guard Thou Thine own; possess it whole,Cheer it with hope, with love inflame.Thou hast my spirit; there displayThy glory to the perfect day. Thou hast my flesh; Thy hallowed shrine,Devoted solely to Thy will:Here let Thy light for ever shine,This house still let Thy presence fill:O Source of Life, live, dwell, and moveIn me, till all my life be love! O, never in these veils of shame,Sad fruits of sin, my glorying be!Clothe with salvation, through Thy name,My soul, and let me put on Thee!Be living faith my costly dress,And my best robe Thy righteousness. Send down Thy likeness from above,And let this my adorning be:Clothe me with wisdom, patience, love,With lowliness and purity,Than gold and pearls more precious far,And brighter than the morning star. Lord, arm me with Thy Spirit's might,Since I am called by Thy great name:In Thee my wandering thoughts unite,Of all my works be Thou the aim;Thy love attend me all my days,And my sole business be Thy praise! Any 8,8,8,8,8,8, tune but here's suggestion; EisenachIf you're using Mozilla, right click Eisenach above and choose 'open link in new tab' then you can see the words and hear the tune.

Do you sometimes find it difficult to settle off to sleep? May I suggest a daily dose of this lovely hymn, to be taken just prior to switching the light out?How do Thy mercies close me round!For ever be Thy name adored!I blush in all things to abound;The servant is above his Lord.Inured to poverty and pain.A suffering life my Master led;The Son of God, the Son of Man,He had not where to lay His head.But, lo! A place He hath preparedFor me, whom watchful angels keep;Nay, He Himself becomes my Guard,He smoothes my bed, and gives me sleep.Jesus protects; my fears, be gone!What can the Rock of Ages move?Safe in Thy arms I lay me down,Thy everlasting arms of love!While Thou are intimately nigh,Who, who shall violate my rest?Sin, earth and hell I now defy;I lean upon my Saviour’s breast.I rest beneath the Almighty’s shade;My griefs expire, my troubles cease;Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed,Wilt keep me still in perfect peace.Me for Thine own Thou lov’st to takeIn time and in eternity;Thou never, never wilt forsakeA helpless worm that trusts in Thee.we use this tune

John Wesley did not write nearly so many hymns as his brother Charles, but he had learned German on his trip to the Colonies (USA!) in the company of the Moravians. He used this to good effect in translating some the hymns of Nikolaus L. von Zin­zen­dorf (Count Zinzendorf). You will note that did not view the doctrine of limited atonement with much favour.Jesus, Thy blood and righteousnessMy beauty are, my glorious dress;’Midst flaming worlds, in these arrayed,With joy shall I lift up my head.Bold shall I stand in Thy great day;For who aught to my charge shall lay?Fully absolved through these I amFrom sin and fear, from guilt and shame.The holy, meek, unspotted Lamb,Who from the Father’s bosom came,Who died for me, e’en me to atone,Now for my Lord and God I own.Lord, I believe Thy precious blood,Which, at the mercy seat of God,Forever doth for sinners plead,For me, e’en for my soul, was shed.Lord, I believe were sinners moreThan sands upon the ocean shore,Thou hast for all a ransom paid,For all a full atonement made.When from the dust of death I riseTo claim my mansion in the skies,Ev’n then this shall be all my plea,Jesus hath lived, hath died, for me.Jesus, the endless praise to Thee,Whose boundless mercy hath for me—For me a full atonement made,An everlasting ransom paid.O let the dead now hear Thy voice;Now bid Thy banished ones rejoice;Their beauty this, their glorious dress,Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness.This is probably the most favoured tuneIf you're using Mozilla, right click 'tune' above and choose 'open link in new tab' then you can see the words and hear the tune.

Here's a lovely hymn that comes in two installments. Part One today, the remainder tomorrow. Its theme is the One Body of the Church.Christ, from whom all blessings flow,Perfecting the saints below,Hear us, who Thy nature share,Who Thy mystic body are.Join us, in one spirit join,Let us still receive of Thine;Still for more on Thee we call;Thou who fillest all in all. Closer knit to Thee, our Head;Nourish us, O Christ, and feed;Let us daily growth receive,More and more in Jesus live:Jesus, we Thy members are,Cherish us with kindest care;Of Thy flesh and of Thy bone,Love, for ever love Thine own. Move, and actuate, and guide,Divers gifts to each divide:Placed according to Thy will,Let us all our work fulfil; Never from our office move,Needful to the others prove;Use the grace on each bestowed,Tempered by the art of God. Sweetly now we all agree,Touched with softest sympathy;Kindly for each other care;Every member feels its share. Wounded by the grief of one,All the suffering members groan;Honoured if one member is,All partake the common bliss. Many are we now and one,We who Jesus have put on:There is neither bond nor free,Male nor female, Lord, in thee. Love, like death, hath all destroyed,Rendered all distinctions void:Names, and sects, and parties fall;Thou, O Christ, art all in all! with a lovely Welsh tune to go with it; Aberystwyth (Parry)If you're using Mozilla, right click 'Aberystwyth' above and choose 'open link in new tab' then you can see the words and hear the tune.

This is part 2 of the same hymn as yesterday. It develops the theme of the Church and looks to its glorious consummation.King of Saints, to whom are givenAll in earth, and all in heaven,Reconciled through Thee alone,Joined and gathered into one:Heirs of glory, sons of grace,Lo! to Thee our hopes we raise,Raise and fix our hopes on Thee,Full of immortality!We with them to God are come,God who speaks the general doom:Jesus Christ, who stand betweenAngry heaven, and guilty men,Undertakes to buy our peace,Gives the covenant of grace;Ratifies and makes it good,Signs and seals it in His blood.Life His healing blood imparts,Sprinkled on our peaceful hearts:Abel’s blood for vengeance cried,Jesu’s speaks us justified;Speaks, and calls for better things,Makes us prophets, priests, and kings;Asks that we with Him may reign:Earth and heaven say, Amen!Be it unto angels known,By the church, what God hath done:Depths of love and wisdom seeIn a dying Deity!Gaze, ye first-born seraphs, gaze!Never can ye sound His grace:Lost in wonder, look no more;Fall, and silently adore.Jesu, hear, and bow the skies;Hark! We all unite our cries:“Take us to our heavenly home;Quickly let Thy kingdom come!”“Jesu, come,” the Spirit cries;“Jesu, come,” the bride replies;One triumphant church above,Join us all in perfect love.with a lovely Welsh tune to go with it; Aberystwyth (Parry)If you're using Mozilla, right click 'Aberystwyth' above and choose 'open link in new tab' then you can see the words and hear the tune.

We've had a thread on Sabbath for a few days. Here's little contribution from Charles Wesley; the remainder tomorrow...part oneLord, I believe a rest remains,To all Thy people known;A rest where pure enjoyment reigns,And Thou art loved alone:A rest where all our soul’s desireIs fixed on things above;Where doubt, and pain, and fear expire;Cast out by perfect love:A rest of lasting joy and peace,Where all is calm within:‘Tis then from our own works we cease,From pride, self-will, and sin.Our life is hid with Christ in God;The agony is o’er,We wrestle not with flesh and blood,We strive with sin no more.From every evil motion freed,(The Son hath made us free,)On all the powers of hell we tread,In glorious liberty.Safe in the way of life, aboveDeath, earth, and hell we rise;We find, when perfected in love,Our long-sought paradise.Within that Eden we retire,We rest in Jesu’s name:It guards us, as a wall of fire,And as a sword of flame.O that I now the rest might know,Believe, and enter in!Now, Saviour, now the power bestow,And let me cease from sin.Remove this hardness from my heart,This unbelief remove;To me the rest of faith import,The Sabbath of Thy love.and a tune for those who like to sing...

Here's the other half of that Wesley hymn of prayer for the Rest of God.Part TwoI groan from pride to be set free,From wrath to be released:Take me, O take me into Thee,My everlasting Rest.I would be Thine, Thou knowest I would,And have Thee all my own;Thee, O my all-sufficient Good,I want, and Thee alone.Thy Name to me, Thy Nature grant;This, only this be given:Nothing beside my God I want,Nothing in earth or heaven.Come. O my Saviour, come away,Into my soul descend;No longer from Thy creature stay,My Author and my End.The bliss Thou hast for me preparedNo longer be delayed;Come, my exceeding Great Reward,For whom I first was made.Come, Father, Son and Holy Ghost,And seal me Thine abode;Let all I am in Thee be lost,Let all I am be God!and a tune for those who like to sing...

Here's my favourite example of a particular kind of Wesley hymn; exposition. In order to understand this hymn you will need read Isaiah 35; it's a relatively short chapter. Read it and then see how Wesley opens up this chapter by means of 10 glorious verses in personal application of its images and truths.Heavenly Father, Sovereign Lord,Ever faithful to Thy word,Humbly we our seal set to,Testify that Thou are true.Lo! for us the wilds are glad,All in cheerful green arrayed;Opening sweets they all disclose,Bud and blossom as the rose.Hark, the wastes have found a voice,Lonely deserts now rejoice,Gladsome hallelujahs sing,All around with praises ring.Lo! abundantly they bloom,Lebanon is hither come,Carmel’s stores the heavens dispence,Sharon fertile excellence.See these barren souls of oursBloom, and put forth fruits and flowers,Flowers of Eden, fruits of grace,Peace, and joy, and righteousness.We behold (the abjects we)Christ the incarnate Deity,Christ in Whom Thy glories shine,Excellence of strength Divine.Ye that tremble at His frown,He shall lift your hands cast down;Christ who all your weakness sees,He shall prop your feeble knees.Ye of fearful hearts, be strong,Jesus will not tarry long;Fear not, lest His truth, should fail,Jesus is unchangeable.God, your God, shall surely come,Quell your foes, and seal their doom;He shall come, and save you too:We, O Lord, have found Thee true.Blind we were, not now we see,Deaf, we hearken now to Thee,Dumb, for Thee our tongues employ,Lame, and, lo! we leap for joy!Faint we were, and parched with drought,Water at Thy word gushed out;Streams of grace ours souls refresh,Starting from the wilderness.Still we gasp Thy grace to know;Here for ever let it flow,Make the thirst land a pool,Fix the Spirit in our soul.Were the ancient dragon lay,Open for Thyself a way;There let holy tempers rise,All the fruits of paradise.Lead us in the way of peace,In the paths of righteousness,Never by the sinner trod,Till he feels the cleansing blood.There the simple cannot stray;Babes, though blind, may find their way,Find, nor ever thence depart,Safe in lowliness of hear.Far from fear, from danger far,No devouring beast is there;There the humble walk secure,God hath made their footsteps sure.Jesu, mighty to redeem,Let our lot be cast with them;Far from earth our souls remove,Ransomed by Thy dying love.Leave us not below to mourn;Fain we would to thee return,Crowned with righteousness ariseFar above these nether skies.Come, and all our sorrows chase,Wipe the tears from every face;Gladness let us now obtain,Partners of Thy endless reign.Death the latest foe, destroy;Sorrow then shall yield to joy,Gloomy grief shall flee away,Swallowed up in endless day.We sing this to the tune called Maidstone

sorry posted this twice.

I think it was Leonard Ravenhill who told the story of Isaac Watt's feelings about today's hymn. "I would gladly have foregone the privilege of writing all of my hymns" said Watts "to have written 'Come, O Thou Traveller Unknown'. It is another expositional hymn, taking the account of the Angel's wrestling with Jacob, Wesley pours into it his own experience and that of many. Many believe this to have been the greatest of Wesley's hymns. I think they may be right.Charles Wesley’s bro­ther John quot­ed Isaac Watts as say­ing of this hymn, “that sin­gle po­em, Wrest­ling Ja­cob, was worth all the vers­es he him­self had writ­ten.” Short­ly after Charles’ death, John tried to teach this hymn, but broke into tears when he reached the line, “my com­pa­ny be­fore is gone, and I am left alone with Thee.”Come, O thou Traveller unknown,Whom still I hold, but cannot see!My company before is gone,And I am left alone with Thee;With Thee all night I mean to stay,And wrestle till the break of day.I need not tell Thee who I am,My misery and sin declare;Thyself hast called me by my name,Look on Thy hands, and read it there;But who, I ask Thee, who art Thou?Tell me Thy name, and tell me now.In vain Thou strugglest to get free,I never will unloose my hold!Art Thou the Man that died for me?The secret of Thy love unfold;Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,Till I Thy name, Thy nature know.Wilt Thou not yet to me revealThy new, unutterable Name?Tell me, I still beseech Thee, tell;To know it now resolved I am;Wrestling, I will not let Thee go,Till I Thy Name, Thy nature know.’Tis all in vain to hold Thy tongueOr touch the hollow of my thigh;Though every sinew be unstrung,Out of my arms Thou shalt not fly;Wrestling I will not let Thee goTill I Thy name, Thy nature know.What though my shrinking flesh complain,And murmur to contend so long?I rise superior to my pain,When I am weak, then I am strongAnd when my all of strength shall fail,I shall with the God-man prevail.Contented now upon my thighI halt, till life’s short journey end;All helplessness, all weakness IOn Thee alone for strength depend;Nor have I power from Thee to move:Thy nature, and Thy name is Love.My strength is gone, my nature dies,I sink beneath Thy weighty hand,Faint to revive, and fall to rise;I fall, and yet by faith I stand;I stand and will not let Thee goTill I Thy Name, Thy nature know.Yield to me now, for I am weak,But confident in self-despair;Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,Be conquered by my instant prayer;Speak, or Thou never hence shalt move,And tell me if Thy Name is Love.’Tis Love! ’tis Love! Thou diedst for me!I hear Thy whisper in my heart;The morning breaks, the shadows flee,Pure, universal love Thou art;To me, to all, Thy bowels move;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.My prayer hath power with God; the graceUnspeakable I now receive;Through faith I see Thee face to face,I see Thee face to face, and live!In vain I have not wept and strove;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.I know Thee, Savior, who Thou art.Jesus, the feeble sinner’s friend;Nor wilt Thou with the night depart.But stay and love me to the end,Thy mercies never shall remove;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.The Sun of righteousness on meHath rose with healing in His wings,Withered my nature’s strength; from TheeMy soul its life and succor brings;My help is all laid up above;Thy nature and Thy Name is Love.Lame as I am, I take the prey,Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o’ercome;I leap for joy, pursue my way,And as a bounding hart fly home,Through all eternity to proveThy nature and Thy Name is Love.We have our own tune to this hymn but 'Eisenach' fits it well.

Psalm 45 is entitled "a song of loves". The first half is a love song to the Bridegroom and the second half is a love song to the Bride. Charles Wesley expounded the psalm in a wonderful two-part hymn; My heart is full of Christ...Part OneMy heart is full of Christ, and longsIts glorious matter to declare!Of Him I make my loftiest songs,I cannot from His praise forbear;My ready tongue makes haste to singThe beauties of my heavenly King.Fairer than all the earth-born race,Perfect in comeliness Thou art;Replenished are Thy lips with grace,And full of love Thy tender heart:God ever blessed, we bow the knee,And own all fullness dwells in Thee.Gird on Thy thigh the Spirit’s sword,And take to Thee Thy power divine;Stir up Thy strength, almighty Lord,All power and majesty are Thine:Assert Thy worship and renown;O all redeeming God, come down!Come, and maintain Thy righteous cause,And let Thy glorious toil succeed;Dispread the victory of Thy cross,Ride on, and prosper in Thy deed;Through earth triumphantly ride on,And reign in every heart alone.Sharp are the arrows of Thy love,And pierce the most obdurate heart:Their point Thine enemies shall prove,And strangely filled with pleasing smart,Fall down before the cross subdued,And feel Thine arrows dipped in blood.Lover Thou art of purity,And hatest every spot of sin;Nothing profane can dwell with Thee,Nothing unholy or unclean:And therefore doth Thy Father ownHis glorious likeness in His Son.Therefore He hath His Spirit shed,Spirit of joy, and power, and grace,Immeasurably on Thy head;First-born of all the chosen race,From Thee the sacred unction springsThat makes Thy fellows priests and kings.We usually sing this to the tune Carey

This is Part Two pf Wesley's exposition of Psalm 45. His subject is the Bride; the Glorious Church. Be sure to read Psalm 45 before you sing the hymn.Part TwoThy heavenly charms the virgins move,And bow them to Thy pleasing sway;They triumph in Thy princely love,Thy will with all their hearts obey;Revere Thine honourable word,The glorious handmaids of the Lord.High above all, at Thy right hand,Adorned with each diviner grace,Thy favourite queen exults to stand,Thy church her heavenly charms displays,Clothed with the sun, for glory meet,She sees the moon beneath her feet.Daughter of heaven, though born on earth,Incline thy willing heart and ear;Forget thy first ignoble birth,Thy people, and thy kinsfolk here;So shall the King delight to seeHis beauties copied out on thee.Are not His servants kings? And ruleThey not o’er hell, and earth, and sin?His daughter is divinely fullOf Christ, and “glorious all within”;All glorious inwardly she reigns,And not one spot of sin remains.Clothed with humility and love,With every dazzling virtue bright,With faith which God vouchsafes to approve,Precious in her great Father’s sight,The royal maid with joy shall come,Triumphant, to her heavenly home.Brought by His sweet attracting grace,She first shall in His sight appearIn holiness before His face,Made perfect with her fellows here:Spotless and pure, a virgin train,They all shall in His palace reign.In lieu of seers and patriarchs old,Of whom she once did make her boast,The virgin-mother shall beholdHer numerous sons a princely host,Installed o’er all the earth abroad,Anointed kings and priests to God.We usually sing this to the tune Carey

During the last two days we read Wesley's exposition of Solomon's Marriage Song, now we can turn to earthly marriages. Wesley wrote many hymns for specific occasions. Today's is a marriage hymn. Opportunities for singing this might be thought to be rare, but we sing it often as a prayer for the fellowship of the saints in the church below.How about that 5th verse as a motto for the SermonIndex family?Thou God of truth and love,We seek Thy perfect way,Ready Thy choice to approve,Thy providence to obey,Enter into Thy wise design,And sweetly lose our will in Thine.Why hast Thou cast our lotIn the same age and place,Or why together broughtTo see each other’s face,To join with softest sympathy,And mix our friendly souls in Thee?Dids’t Thou not make us oneThat both might one remain,Together travel on,And bear each other’s pain,Till both Thine utmost goodness proveAnd rise renewed in perfect love?Surely Thou dids’t uniteOur kindred spirits hereThat both hereafter mightBefore Thy throne appear,Meet at the marriage of the Lamb,And all Thy glorious love proclaim.Then let us ever bearThe blessed end in view,And join with mutual careTo fight our passage through,And kindly help each other onTill both receive the starry crown.O might Thy Spirit sealOur souls unto that day,With all Thy fulness fill,And then transport away,Away to our eternal rest,Away to our Redeemer’s breast.We sing this to our own tune but it goes well with Christ Church