Wesley Corpus

[“I thirst, thou wounded Lamb of God.”] From the German [Nikolaus von Zinzendorf] Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740), Part I Author: Charles Wesley (attributed) --- If thou impart thyself to me, No other good I need; If thou the Son shalt make me free, I shall be free indeed. I cannot rest, till in thy blood, I full redemption have; But thou, thro’ whom I come to God, Canst to the utmost save. From sin, the guilt, the power, the pain, Thou wilt redeem my soul. Lord, I believe; and not in vain: My faith shall make me whole. I too with thee shall walk in white; With all thy saints shall prove, What is the length, and breadth, and height, And depth of perfect love. From the German.36 I thirst, thou wounded Lamb of God, To wash me in thy cleansing blood, To dwell within thy wounds; then pain Is sweet, and life or death is gain. 36Source: Nikolaus Ludwig von Zinzendorf, ed. Das Gesang-Buch der Gemeine in Herrn-Huth (Halle: Wäysenhaus, 1737). Composed of excerpts from four hymns in this collection: vv. 1-2 from #1197 (p. 1059, by Zinzendorf); vv. 3-6 from #1210 (p. 1068, by Johann Nitschmann); v. 7 from #1201 (p. 1061-62, by Zinzendorf); and v. 8 from #1233 (p. 1084-86, by Anna Nitschmann). Take my poor heart, and let it be For ever closed to all but thee! Seal thou my breast, and let me wear That pledge of love for ever there. How blest are they, who still abide Close shelter’d in thy bleeding side! Who life, and strength from thence derive, And by thee move, and in thee live! What are our works but sin and death, Till thou thy quick’ning Spirit breathe! Thou giv’st the power thy grace to move-- O wond’rous grace! O boundless love! How can it be, thou heavenly King, That thou should’st us to glory bring? Make slaves the partners of thy throne, Deck’d with a never-fading crown. Hence our hearts melt, our eyes o’erflow, Our words are lost: nor will we know, Nor will we think of ought, beside “My Lord, my love is crucified.” Ah Lord! Enlarge our scanty thought, To know the wonders thou hast wrought! Unloose our stamm’ring tongue, to tell Thy love, immense, unsearchable!