Wesley Corpus

Written after Walking over Smithfield Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740), Part I Author: Charles Wesley (attributed) --- Be I, O thou my better part, A seal imprest upon thy heart; Should falling clouds with floods conspire, Their waters could not quench love’s fire: Nor all in nature’s treasury, The freedom of affection buy. O thou that in thy chosen liv’st, And life-infusing counsel giv’st, To those that in thy songs rejoice, To me address thy chearful voice. May I thy finger’s signet prove; For death is not more strong than love. Come, my belov’d, O come away, Love is impatient of delay: Run like a youthful hart or roe, On hills where precious spices grow. Love is impatient of delay: Come, my belov’d, O come away. Written after Walking over Smithfield. Hail, holy martyrs, glorious names, Who nobly here for Jesus stood, Rejoic’d, and clap’d your hands in flames, And dar’d to seal the truth with blood! Strong in the Lord, divinely strong, Tortures and death ye here defy’d. Demons and men, a gazing throng, Ye brav’d, and more than conqu’ring died! Finish’d your course, and fought your fight, Hence did your mounting souls aspire, Starting from flesh, they took their flight Born upward on a car of fire. Where earth and hell no more molest, Ye now have join’d the heavenly host, Entred into your Father’s rest, And found the life which here ye lost. Father, if now thy breath revives In us the pure, primeval flame, Thy power, which animates our lives, Can make us in our deaths the same; Can out of weakness make us strong, Arming as in the antient days, Loosing the stammering infant’s tongue, And perfecting in babes thy praise. Stedfast we then shall stand, and sure Thy everlasting truth to prove, In faith’s plerophory secure, In all th’ omnipotence of love. Come, holy, holy, holy Lord, The Father, Son, and Spirit come! Be mindful of thy changeless word, And make the faithful soul thy home. Arm of the Lord, awake, awake! In us thy glorious self reveal, Let us thy sevenfold gifts partake, Let us thy mighty working feel. Near us, assisting Jesu, stand, Give us the opening heaven to see, Thee to behold at God’s right-hand, And yield our parting souls to thee. My Father, O my Father, hear, And send the fiery chariot down, Let Israel’s flaming steeds appear, And whirl us to the starry crown! We, we would die for Jesus too! Thro’ tortures, fires, and seas of blood, All, all triumphantly break thro’, And plunge into the depths of God!