Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

297 Jesus Christ Is Risen Today

1 Jesus Christ is ris'n today, alleluia!
   our triumphant holy day, alleluia!
   who did once, upon the cross, alleluia!
   suffer to redeem our loss, alleluia!

2 Hymns of praise then let us sing, alleluia!
   unto Christ, our heav'nly King, alleluia!
   who endured the cross and grave, alleluia!
   sinners to redeem and save, alleluia!

3 But the pains which He endured, alleluia!
   our salvation have procured; alleluia!
   now above the sky He's King, alleluia!
   where the angels ever sing: alleluia!

4 Jesus Christ is risen today, Alleluia!
   Our triumphant holy day, Alleluia!
   Who did once upon the cross, Alleluia!
   Suffer to redeem our loss. Alleluia!
                         Latin: 14th Century
                         Charles Wesley, stanza 4
                         Hymns for the Family of God

<idle musing>
Cyberhymnal lists all these verse under "Christ the Lord Is Risen Today" and attributes them all to Wesley—and that's usually the way I've seen them.
</idle musing>

Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown

529 Come, O Thou Traveler Unknown

1. Come, O thou traveler unknown,
   Whom still I hold, but cannot see!
   My company before is gone,
   And I am left alone with thee;
   With thee all night to stay
   And wrestle till the break of day.

2. I need not tell thee who I am,
   My misery or 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.

3. Yield to me now—for I am weak,
   But confident in self-despair!
   Speak to my heart, in blessings speak,
   Be conquer’d by my instant prayer;
   Speak, or thou never hence shalt move,
   And tell me, if thy name is love.

4. ’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 passions move;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn, occurring in around 290 hymnals. It also has a lot more verses:

3. 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.

4. Wilt thou not yet to me reveal
   Thy 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.

5. ’Tis all in vain to hold thy tongue,
   Or touch the hollow of my thigh:
   Though every sinew were unstrung,
   Out of my arms thou shalt not fly;
   Wrestling, I will not let thee go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

6. 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 strong;
   And when my all of strength shall fail,
   I shall with the God-man prevail.

7. 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 go,
   Till I thy name, thy nature know.

10. My pray’r hath power with God; the grace
   Unspeakable 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.

11. 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.

12. The Sun of Righteousness on me
   Hath rose, with healing in his wings;
   Withered my nature’s strength; from thee
   My soul its life and comfort brings;
   My help is all laid up above;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

13. Contented now, upon my thigh
   I halt, till life’s short journey end;
   All helplesness, all weakness I,
   On thee alone for strength depend,
   Nor have I power from thee to move;
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

14. 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 prove
   Thy nature and thy name is love.

</idle musing>

Where shall my wondering soul begin?

528 Where shall my wondering soul begin?

1 Where shall my wondering soul begin?
   How shall I all to heaven aspire?
   A slave redeemed from death and sin,
   a brand plucked from eternal fire,
   how shall I equal triumphs raise,
   or sing my great deliverer’s praise?

2 O how shall I the goodness tell,
   Father, which thou to me hast showed?
   That I, a child of wrath and hell,
   I should be called a child of God!
   Should know, should feel my sins forgiven,
   blest with this antepast of heaven!

3 And shall I slight my Father’s love,
   or basely fear his gifts to own?
   Unmindful of his favors prove,
   shall I, the hallowed cross to shun,
   refuse his righteousness to impart,
   by hiding it within my heart?

4 Outcasts of men, to you I call,
   harlots, and publicans, and thieves;
   he spreads his arms to embrace you all,
   sinners alone his grace receive.
   No need of Him the righteous have;
   he came the lost to seek and save.

5 Come, O my guilty brethren, come,
   groaning beneath your load of sin;
   his bleeding heart shall make you room,
   his open side shall take you in.
   He calls you now, invites you home:
   Come, O my guilty brethren, come.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org adds a verse:

For you the purple current flowed
   in pardon from his wounded side,
   languished for you the eternal God,
   for you the Prince of Glory died.
   Believe, and all your sin’s forgiven,
   only believe--and yours is heaven.

</idle musing>

We Lift Our Hearts to Thee

492 We Lift Our Hearts to Thee

1 We lift our hearts to thee,
   O Day-star from on high!
   The sun itself is but thy shade,
   Yet cheers both earth and sky.

2 O let thy orient beams
   The night of sin disperse!
   The mists of error, and of vice,
   Which shade the universe!

3 How beauteous nature now!
   How dark and sad before!
   With joy we view the pleasing change,
   And nature’s God adore.

4 May we this life improve,
   To mourn for errors past,
   And live this short revolving day,
   As if it were our last.

5 To God, the Father, Son,
   And Spirit, one and three,
   Be glory, as it was, is now,
   And shall for ever be.
                         John Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
John Wesley didn't write a lot of hymns. He preferred to translate them and to edit Charles's hymns. Besides, Charles was a much better hymnwriter! That being said, the ones John wrote tended to be pretty solid, like this one, which occurs in around 165 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

4 O may no gloomy crime
   Pollute the rising day;
   Or Jesu’s blood, like evening dew,
   Wash all our stains away.

</idle musing>

Eternal Son, Eternal Love

471 Eternal Son, Eternal Love

1 Father of everlasting love,
   Take to thyself thy mighty power;
   Let all earth’s sons thy mercy prove,
   Let all thy wond'rous grace adore.

2 The triumphs of thy love display;
   In every heart reign thou alone;
   Till all thy foes confess thy sway,
   And glory ends what grace begun.

3 The God of grace, and health, and power,
   Fountain of light and love below,
   Abroad thine healing influence shower,
   O’er all the nations let it flow.

4 Inflame our hearts with perfect love,
   In us the work of faith fulfil;
   So not heaven’s host shall swifter move,
   Than we on earth, to do thy will.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
OK, it's not technically a Christmas hymn! But the Methodist hymnal puts it under Kingdomtide and that's ultimately what Christmas is all about, right?

I don't recall ever singing this hymn, and according to Hymnary.org, it only occurs in about 6 or 7 hymnals, so I guess that's not surprising.
</idle musing>

Father, in Whom We Live

465 Father, in Whom We Live

1 Father in whom we live,
   in whom we are and move,
   the glory, power, and praise receive
   of thy creating love.
   Let all the angel throng
   give thanks to God on high,
   while earth repeats the joyful song,
   and echoes to the sky.

2 Incarnate Deity,
   let all the ransomed race
   render in thanks their lives to thee
   for thy redeeming grace.
   The grace to sinners showed
   ye heavenly choirs proclaim,
   and cry: 'Salvation to our God,
   salvation to the Lamb!

3 Spirit of holiness,
   let all thy saints adore
   thy sacred energy, and bless
   thine heart-renewing power.
   Not angel tongues can tell
   thy love's ecstatic height,
   the glorious joy unspeakable,
   the beatific sight.

4 Eternal triune Lord!
   Let all the hosts above,
   let all the sons of men, record
   and dwell upon thy love.
   When heaven and earth are fled
   before thy glorious face,
   sing all the saints thy love hath made
   thine everlasting praise.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
A good trinitarian hymn. Would that it were more common; heaven knows we need better theology in our songs today. But this one only occurs in about 100 hymnals. Mores the pity.
</idle musing>

Come, Let Us Rise with Christ

457 Come, Let Us Rise with Christ

1. Come, let us rise with Christ our head
   And seek the things above,
   By the almighty Spirit led
   And filled with faith and love;
   Our hearts detached from all below
   Should after Him ascend,
   And only wish the joy to know
   Of our triumphant Friend.

2. Enthroned at God’s right hand He sits,
   Maintainer of our cause,
   Till every vanquished foe submits
   To His victorious cross;
   Worthy to be exalted thus,
   The Lamb for sinners slain,
   The Lord our King, who reigns for us,
   And shall forever reign.

3. To Him our willing hearts we give
   Who gives us power and peace,
   And dead to sin, His members live
   The life of righteousness;
   The hidden life of Christ is ours
   With Christ concealed above,
   And tasting the celestial powers,
   We banquet on His love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I can't believe the stats on this one: A Wesley hymn that only occurs in four hymnals! I've never seen that before. And it's not like the hymn is bad; the theology is good. Wonder why it isn't more popular...
</idle musing>

'Tis Finished! The Messiah Dies

429 'Tis Finished! The Messiah Dies

1. ’Tis finished! The Messiah dies,
   Cut off for sins, but not His own:
   Accomplished is the sacrifice,
   The great redeeming work is done.

2. The veil is rent in Christ alone;
   The living way to Heaven is seen;
   The middle wall is broken down,
   And all mankind may enter in.

3. The reign of sin and death is o’er,
   And all may live from sin set free;
   Satan hath lost his mortal power;
   ’Tis swallowed up in victory.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a very popular hymn, only occurring in about 65 hymnals. As usual with a Wesley hymn, there are more verses. Cyberhymnal has them:

2. ’Tis finished! all the debt is paid;
   Justice divine is satisfied;
   The grand and full atonement made;
   God for a guilty world hath died.

4. The types and figures are fulfilled;
   Exacted is the legal pain;
   The precious promises are sealed;
   The spotless Lamb of God is slain.

6. Saved from the legal curse I am,
   My Savior hangs on yonder tree:
   See there the meek, expiring Lamb!
   ’Tis finished! He expires for me.

7. Accepted in the Well-beloved,
   And clothed in righteousness divine,
   I see the bar to heaven removed;
   And all Thy merits, Lord, are mine.

8. Death, hell, and sin are now subdued;
   All grace is now to sinners given;
   And lo, I plead the atoning blood,
   And in Thy right I claim Thy Heaven!

</idle musing>

Ye Servants of God

409 Ye Servants of God

1 You servants of God, your Master proclaim,
   and publish abroad his wonderful name;
   the name all-victorious of Jesus extol;
   his kingdom is glorious and rules over all.

2 God rules in the height, almighty to save;
   though hid from our sight, his presence we have;
   the great congregation his triumph shall sing,
   ascribing salvation to Jesus our King.

3 "Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!"
   let all cry aloud, and honor the Son;
   the praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
   fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.

4 Then let us adore and give him his right:
   all glory and power, all wisdom and might,
   all honor and blessing with angels above
   and thanks never ceasing for infinite love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
A great Wesley hymn! I recall singing this one many times growing up and I always loved it. Seems I'm not the only one, as it occurs in more than 650 hymnals.

Cyberhymnal inserts a couple of verses:

2. The waves of the sea have lift up their voice,
   Sore troubled that we in Jesus rejoice;
   The floods they are roaring, but Jesus is here;
   While we are adoring, He always is near.

3. When devils engage, the billows arise,
   And horribly rage, and threaten the skies:
   Their fury shall never our steadfastness shock,
   The weakest believer is built on a rock.

I love that third verse, "the weakest believer is built on a rock!" It's not us, but the foundation on which we stand that matters. Something to remember as we head into another tumultous four years...
</idle musing>

Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

401 Christ, Whose Glory Fills the Skies

1 Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
   Christ, the true, the only Light,
   Sun of Righteousness, arise,
   Triumph o’er the shades of night;
   Day-spring from on high, be near,
   Day-star, in my heart appear.

2 Dark and cheerless is the morn,
   Unaccompanied by thee;
   Joyless is the day’s return,
   Till thy mercy’s beams I see;
   Till they inward light impart,
   Glad my eyes, and warm my heart.

3 Visit, then, this soul of mine;
   Pierce the gloom of sin and grief;
   Fill me, Radiancy Divine!
   Scatter all my unbelief;
   More and more thyself display,
   Shining to the perfect day.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

Hymn for today

I've posted this twice before, but it keeps coming to my mind today (I'd like to think it's a God-thing):

1 Rejoice the Lord is King,
   Your God and king adore;
   Rejoice give thanks and sing,
   And triumph ever-more.
   Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

2 The Lord our Saviour reigns,
   The God of truth and love;
   When he had purg'd our stains,
   He took his seat above;
   Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

3 His kingdom cannot fail,
   He rules o'er earth and heav'n;
   The keys of death and hell
   Are to our Jesus giv'n.
   Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.

4 Rejoice in glorious hope;
   The Lord our judge shall come,
   And take his servants up,
   To their eternal home.
   Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
   Rejoice, again I say, rejoice.
                         Charles Wesley

And Are We Yet Alive (Hymn)

336 And Are We Yet Alive

1 And are we yet alive,
   And see each other's face?
   Glory and praise to Jesus give,
   For His redeeming grace.

2 What troubles have we seen,
   What conflicts have we past;
   Fightings without and fears within,
   Since we assembled last.

3 Yet out of all, the Lord
   Hath brought us by his love;
   And still he does his help afford,
   And hides our life above.

4 Then let us make our boast,
   Of his redeeming pow'r;
   Which saves us to the uttermost,
   Till we can sin no more.

5 Let us take up the cross,
   Till we the crown obtain;
   And gladly reckon all things lost,
   So we may Jesus gain.
                         Charles Wesley
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

2 Preserv'd by pow'r divine,
   To feel salvation here;
   Again in Jesus' name we join,
   And in his sight appear.

</idle musing>

O the Depth of Love Divine

332 O the Depth of Love Divine

1. O the depth of love divine, th’unfathomable grace!
   Who shall say how bread and wine God into us conveys!
   How the bread His flesh imparts, how the wine transmits His blood,
   Fills His faithful people’s hearts with all the life of God!

2. Let the wisest mortals show how we the grace receive;
   Feeble elements bestow a power not theirs to give.
   Who explains the wondrous way, how through these the virtue came?
   These the virtue did convey, yet still remain the same.

3. How can spirits heavenward rise, by earthly matter fed,
   Drink herewith divine supplies and eat immortal bread?
   Ask the Father’s wisdom how: Christ who did the means ordain;
   Angels round our altars bow to search it out, in vain.

4. Sure and real is the grace, the manner be unknown;
   Only meet us in thy ways and perfect us in one.
   Let us taste the heavenly powers, Lord, we ask for nothing more.
   Thine to bless, ’tis only ours to wonder and adore.
                         Charles Wesley
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not exactly one of Wesley's better known hymns—it only occurs in six hymnals and they are all Methodist ones as far as I could tell.

It's also obvious that Charles wasn't a Zwinglian! For him, and for John, Christ was present in some special and unique way during communion. As far as I've been able to discover, they never tried to explain it; they were content to allow it to remain a mystery.

That's pretty much where I come down, too. But, I've only ever felt that special presence when sharing communion in groups smaller than fifteen—and not always or even frequently then. A lot of it depends on the group and their openness to the ways of the Spirit. And I don't mean they have to lean Charismatic/Pentecostal! Some of the most meaningful experiences of the presence of God in communion happened in a Plymouth Brethren body—and they were very strong cessationists!
</idle musing>

How Happy Are Thy Servants, Lord

328 How Happy Are Thy Servants, Lord

1. How happy are Thy servants, Lord,
   Who thus remember Thee!
   What tongue can tell our sweet accord,
   Our perfect harmony?

2. Who Thy mysterious supper share,
   Here at Thy table fed,
   Many, and yet but one we are,
   One undivided bread.

3. One with the living bread divine
   Which now by faith we eat,
   Our hearts and minds and spirits join,
   And all in Jesus meet.

4. So dear the tie where souls agree
   In Jesus’ dying love!
   Then only can it closer be,
   When all are joined above.
                         Charles Wesley
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I don't think I've ever seen a lower number of occurrences for a Wesley hymn. This one occurs in a mere six hymnals. And there are no variations, either. Just four verses.
</idle musing>

Jesus, We Look to Thee

310 Jesus, We Look to Thee

1 Jesus, we look to Thee,
   Thy promised presence claim;
   Thou in the midst of us shalt be,
   Assembled in Thy Name.

2 Thy Name salvation is,
   Which here we come to prove;
   Thy Name is life, and health, and peace,
   And everlasting love.

3 We meet, the grace to take
   Which Thou hast freely given;
   We meet on earth for Thy dear sake
   That we may meet in heaven.

4 Present we know Thou art;
   But, O, Thyself reveal!
   Now Lord, let every bounding heart
   Thy mighty comfort feel.

5 O may Thy quickening voice
   The death of sin remove;
   And bid our inmost souls rejoice
   In hope of perfect love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not a terribly popular hymn for one by Wesley; it occurs in fewer than 200 hymnals. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

3 Not in the name of pride
   Or selfishness we meet;
   From nature's paths we turn aside,
   And worldly thoughts forget.

</idle musing>

Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee

309 Jesus, Lord, We Look to Thee

1 Jesus, Lord, we look to thee,
   Let us in thy name agree;
   Show thyself the Prince of Peace:
   Bid our jars for ever cease.

2 By thy reconciling love,
   Ev'ry stumbling-block remove:
   Each to each unite, endear,
   Come and spread thy banner here!

3 Make us of one heart and mind,
   Courteous, pitiful, and kind;
   Lowly, meek, in thought and word,
   Altogether like our Lord.

4 Let us for each other care,
   Each the other's burden bear;
   To thy church the pattern give,
   Shew how true believers live.

5 Free from anger and from pride,
   Let us thus in God abide;
   All the depths of love express,
   All the heights of holiness!

6 Let us then with joy remove
   To the family above:
   On the wings of angels fly;
   Shew how true believers die.
                         Charles Wesley
                         Methodist Hymnal, 1964 edition

O Love Divine, How Sweet Thou Art

285 O Love Divine, How Sweet Thou Art

1 O love divine, how sweet thou art!
   When shall I find my longing heart
   all taken up by thee?
   I thirst, I faint, I die to prove
   the greatness of redeeming love,
   the love of Christ to me.

2 Stronger his love than death or hell;
   its riches are unsearchable:
   the first-born sons of light
   desire in vain its depth to see;
   they cannot reach the mystery,
   the length and breadth and height.

3 God only knows the love of God;
   O that it now were shed abroad
   in this poor stony heart!
   For love I sigh, for love I pine;
   this only portion, Lord, be mine,
   be mine this better part.

4 Thy only love do I require,
   nothing on earth beneath desire,
   nothing in heaven above:
   let earth and heaven, and all things go,
   give me thine only love to know,
   give me thine only love.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not one of Wesley's better known hymns, only occurring in about 375 hymnals. I can't say that I recall ever singing it. Hymnary.org inserts a verse:

4 For ever would I take my seat
   with Mary at the Master's feet:
   be this my happy choice;
   my only care, delight, and bliss,
   my joy, my heaven on earth, be this,
   to hear the Bridegroom's voice!

</idle musing>

God of All Power and Truth and Grace

281 God of All Power and Truth and Grace

1 God of all power, and truth, and grace,
   which shall from age to age endure,
   whose word, when heaven and earth shall pass,
   remains and stands for ever sure;

2 That I thy mercy may proclaim,
   that all mankind thy truth may see,
   hallow thy great and glorious name,
   and perfect holiness in me.

3 Thy sanctifying Spirit pour
   to quench my thirst and make me clean;
   now, Father, let the gracious shower
   descend, and make me pure from sin.

4 Give me a new, a perfect heart,
   from doubt, and fear, and sorrow free;
   the mind which was in Christ impart,
   and let my spirit cleave to thee.

5 O that I now, from sin released,
   thy word may to the utmost prove,
   enter into the promised rest,
   the Canaan of thy perfect love!
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Not one of Wesley's more popular hymns, occurring in less than 100 hymnals. Cyberhymnal adds some verses:

2 Calmly to Thee my soul looks up,
   And waits Thy promises to prove,
   The object of my steadfast hope,
   The seal of Thine eternal love.

4 Chose from the world if now I stand
   Adorned in righteousness divine;
   If brought unto the promised land,
   I justly call the Savior mine.

5 Perform the work Thou hast begun
   My inmost soul to Thee, convert;
   Love me, for ever love Thine own,
   And sprinkle with Thy blood my heart.

7 Purge me from every sinful blot,
   My idols all be cast aside,
   Cleanse me from every evil thought,
   From all the filth of self and pride.

9 O take this heart of stone away!
   Thy sway it doth not, cannot own;
   In me no longer let it stay;
   O take away this heart of stone.

10 The hatred of the carnal mind
   Out of my flesh at once remove;
   Give me a tender heart, resigned
   And pure, and. full of faith and love.

11 Within me Thy good Spirit place,
   Spirit of health, and love, and power;
   Plant in me Thy victorious grace,
   And sin shall never enter more.

12 Cause me to walk in Christ my way;
   And I Thy statutes shall fulfill,
   In every point Thy law obey,
   And perfectly perform Thy will.

13 Hast Thou not said, who cannot lie,
   That I Thy law shall keep and do?
   Lord, I believe; though men deny:
   They are all false, but Thou art true.

15 There let me ever, ever dwell,
   Be Thou my God, and I will be
   Thy servant; O set to Thy seal,
   Give me eternal life in Thee.

16 From all remaining filth within,
   Let me in Thee salvation have,
   From actual, and from inbred sin,
   My ransomed soul persist to save.

17 Wash out my deep original stain,
   Tell me no more, it cannot be,
   Demons, or men! The Lamb was slain,
   His blood was all poured out for me.

18 Sprinkle it, Jesu, on my heart!
   One drop of Thy all cleansing blood
   Shall make my sinfulness depart,
   And fill me with the life of God.

19 Father, supply my every need;
   Sustain the life Thyself has giv’n:
   Call for the never failing Bread,
   The Manna that comes down from Heav’n.

20 The gracious fruits of righteousness,
   Thy blessings’ unexhausted store
   In me abundantly increase
   Nor let me ever hunger more.

21 Let me no more in deep complaint
   My leanness, O my leanness, cry,
   Alone consumed with pining want
   Of all my Father’s children I!

22 The painful thirst, the fond desire,
   Thy joyous presence shall remove,
   While my full soul doth still require
   Thy whole eternity of love.

23 Holy, and true, and righteous Lord,
   I wait to prove Thy perfect will,
   Be mindful of Thy gracious word,
   And stamp me with Thy Spirit’s seal.

24 Thy faithful mercies let me find,
   In which Thou causest me to trust;
   Give me the meek and lowly mind,
   And lay my spirit in the dust.

25 Show me how foul my heart hath been,
   When all renewed by grace I am,
   When Thou hast emptied me of sin,
   Show me the fullness of my shame.

26 Open my faith’s interior eye:
   Display Thy glory from above,
   And all I am shall sink, and die,
   Lost in astonishment and love.

27 Confound, o’erpower me with Thy grace!
   I would be by myself abhorred;
   All might, all majesty, all praise,
   All glory be to Christ my Lord!

28 Now let me gain perfection’s height;
   Now let me into nothing fall!
   Be less than nothing in Thy sight,
   And feel that Christ is all in all.

Did a say a few? OK, a bunch! Charles always wanted to pack his hymns full of theology. Sometimes he took longer than other times : )
</idle musing>

Jesus, My Strength, My Hope

253 Jesus, My Strength, My Hope

1 Jesus, my strength, my hope,
   On Thee I cast my care,
   With humble confidence look up,
   And know Thou hear’st my prayer.
   Give me on Thee to wait,
   Till I can all things do;
   On Thee, almighty to create,
   Almighty to renew.

2 I want a sober mind,
   A self-renouncing will,
   That tramples down and casts behind
   The baits of pleasing ill;
   A soul inured to pain,
   To hardship, grief, and loss,
   Bold to take up, firm to sustain,
   The consecrated cross.

3 I want a godly fear,
   A quick-discerning eye,
   That looks to Thee when sin is near,
   And bids the tempter fly;
   A spirit still prepared,
   And armed with jealous care,
   Forever standing on its guard,
   And watching unto prayer.

4 I want a true regard,
   A single, steady aim,
   Unmoved by threatening or reward,
   To Thee and Thy great name;
   A jealous, just concern
   For thine, immortal praise;
   A pure desire that all my learn
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition

<idle musing>
Cyberhymnal.org adds the following verses:

4. I want a heart to pray,
   To pray and never cease,
   Never to murmur at Thy stay,
   Or wish my sufferings less.
   This blessing, above all,
   Always to pray, I want,
   Out of the deep on Thee to call,
   And never, never faint.

6. I rest upon Thy Word;
   The promise is for me;
   My comfort and salvation, Lord,
   Shall surely come from Thee.
   But let me still abide,
   Nor from my hope remove,
   Till Thou my patient spirit guide
   Into Thy perfect love.

7. I want with all my heart
   Thy pleasure to fulfill,
   To know myself, and what Thou art,
   And what Thy perfect will.
   I want I know not what,
   I want my wants to see,
   I want—alas! what want I not,
   When Thou art not in me?

</idle musing>

O How Happy They Are

227 O How Happy They Are

1 How happy are they,
   Who the Saviuor obey,
   And have laid up their treasure above!
   Tongue cannot express
   The sweet comfort and peace
   Of a soul in its earliest love.

2 That comfort was mine,
   When the favour divine
   I first found in the blood of the Lamb;
   When my heart it believ'd,
   O what joy I receiv'd,
   What a heaven in Jesus's name!

3 'Twas a heaven below
   The Saviour to know;
   And the angels could do nothing more
   Than to fall at his feet,
   And the story repeat,
   And the lover of sinners adore.

4 Jesus all the day long
   Was my joy and my song;
   O that all his salvation might see!
   He hath loved me, I cried,
   He hath suffer'd and died,
   To redeem such a rebel as me.

5 Oh! the rapturous height
   Of that holy delight
   Which I felt in the life-giving blood!
   Of my Saviour possest,
   I was perfectly blest,
   As if fill'd with the fulness of God.

6 Now my remnant of days
   Would I spend to his praise,
   Who hath died my poor soul to redeem.
   Whether many or few,
   All my years are his due;
   May they all be devoted to him.
                         Charles Wesley
                         The Methodist Hymnal 1964 edition

<idle musing>
I don't recall ever singing this hymn, but it does a good job of capturing the first love of a believer. Would that it remained true for the rest of their (and my) life!

Hymnary.org inserts a few verses:

5 On the wings of his love
   I was carry'd above
   All sin, and temptation, and pain;
   I could not believe
   That I ever should grieve
   That I ever should suffer again.

6 I rode on the sky,
   Freely justify'd I!
   Nor envy'd Elijah his seat:
   My soul mounted higher
   In a chariot of fire,
   And the moon it was under my feet.

9 What a mercy is this!
   What a heaven of bliss!
   How unspeakably favored am I!
   Gathered into the fold,
   With believers enrolled,
   With believers to live and to die!

</idle musing