Wesley Corpus

To Be Sung while at Work Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740), Part I Author: Charles Wesley (attributed) --- For this the saints lift up their voice, And ceaseless praise to thee is given, For this the hosts above rejoice: We raise the happiness of heaven. For this, no longer sons of night, To thee our thanks and hearts we give; To thee who call’d us into light, To thee we die, to thee we live. Suffice, that for the season past, Hell’s horrid language fill’d our tongues, We all thy words behind us cast, And loudly sang the drunkard’s songs. But, O the power of grace divine! In hymns we now our voices raise, Loudly in strange hosannas join, And blasphemies are turn’d to praise! Praise God, from whom all blessings flow, Praise him all creatures here below, Praise him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.48 To Be Sung while at Work. Give we to the Lord above Blessing, honour, praise, and love, To the God that loos’d our tongue Sing we an unwonted song. 48This closing doxology was crafted by Thomas Ken, originally as st. 14 of “A Morning Hymn” in A Manual of Prayers, revised edition (London: Charles Brome, 1695), 145. He to us hath come unsought, Us hath out of darkness brought, Darkness such as devils feel, Issuing from the pit of hell. Had he not in mercy spar’d, Hell had been our sure reward; There we had receiv’d our hire, Fuel49 of eternal fire. But we now extol his name, Pluck’d as firebrands from the flame, Proofs of his unbounded grace, Monuments of endless praise. We are now in Jesus found, With his praise let earth resound, Tell it out thro’ all her caves, Jesu’s name the sinner saves. With his blood he us hath bought, His we are, who once were not; Far, as hell from heaven, remov’d, He hath call’d us his belov’d. Sing we then with one accord Praises to our loving Lord, Who the stone to flesh converts, Let us give him all our hearts. 49Ori., “Fewel”; corrected in 5th edn. (1756).