Wesley Corpus

Hymn to the Holy Ghost (Part II, First) Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739), Part II Author: Charles Wesley (attributed) --- 1 Hear, Holy Spirit, hear, My inward Comforter! Loos’d by thee my stamm’ring tongue First essays34 to praise thee now, This the new, the joyful song, Hear it in thy temple thou! 2 Long o’er my formless soul The dreary waves did roll; Void I lay and sunk in night: Thou, the overshadowing Dove, Call’dst35 the chaos into light, Bad’st me be, and live, and love. 3 Thee I exult to feel, Thou in my heart dost dwell: There thou bear’st thy witness true, Shed’st the love of God abroad; I in Christ a creature new, I, ev’n I am born of God! 4 Ere yet the time was come To fix in me thy home, With me oft thou didst reside: Now, my God, thou in me art!36 Here thou ever shalt37 abide; One we are, no more to part. 33Charles records use of this hymn in his MS Journal as early as July 11, 1738. 34Charles Wesley changes “essays” to “assays” in All in All (1761). 35Charles Wesley changes “Call’dst” to “Call’d” in All in All (1761). 36Charles Wesley changes “thou in me art” to “in me thou art” in All in All (1761). 37Charles Wesley changes “shalt” to “shall” in All in All (1761). 5 Fruit of the Saviour’s pray’r, My promis’d Comforter! Thee the world cannot receive, Thee they neither know nor see, Dead is all the life they live, Dark their light, while void of thee. 6 Yet I partake thy grace Thro’ Christ my righteousness; Mine the gifts thou dost impart, Mine the unction from above, Pardon written on my heart, Light, and life, and joy, and love. 7 Thy gifts, blest Paraclete, I glory to repeat: Sweetly sure of grace I am, Pardon to my soul apply’d, Int’rest in the spotless Lamb; Dead for all, for me he dy’d. 8 Thou art thyself the seal; I more than pardon feel, Peace, unutterable peace, Joy that ages ne’er can move, Faith’s assurance, hope’s increase, All the confidence of love! 9 Pledge of thy38 promise giv’n, My antepast of heav’n; 38Charles Wesley changes “thy” to “the” in All in All (1761). Earnest thou of joys divine, Joys divine on me bestow’d, Heav’n and Christ, and all is mine, All the plenitude of God. 10 Thou art my inward guide, I ask no help beside: Arm of God, to39 thee I call, Weak as helpless infancy! Weak I am--yet cannot fall Stay’d by faith, and led by thee! 11 Hear, Holy Spirit, hear, My inward Comforter! Loos’d by thee my stamm’ring tongue First essays40 to praise thee now; This the new, the joyful song, Hear it in thy temple thou! 39“To” changed to “on” in 4th edn. (1743) and 5th edn. (1756). 40Charles Wesley changes “essays” to “assays” in All in All (1761).