Wesley Corpus

The Communion of Saints. Part VI Source: Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740), Part I Author: Charles Wesley (attributed) --- Saints, who now their names behold In the Book of Life enroll’d, Spirits of the righteous, made Perfect now in Christ their head. We with them to God are come, God who speaks the general doom, Jesus Christ, who stands between Angry heaven, and guilty men, Undertakes to buy our peace, Gives the covenant of grace, Ratifies, and makes it good, Signs and seals it in his blood. Life his healing blood imparts, Sprinkled on our peaceful hearts: Abel’s blood for vengeance cried, Jesu’s speaks us justify’d: Speaks, and calls for better things, Makes us prophets, priests, and kings, Asks that we with him may reign, Earth and heaven say, Amen! The Communion of Saints. Part VI. Come, ye kindred souls above, Man provokes you unto love; Saints and angels hear the call, Praise the common Lord of all: Him let earth and heaven proclaim, Earth and heaven record his name, Let us both in this agree, Both his one great family. Hosts of heaven begin the song, Praise him with a tuneful tongue, (Sounds like yours we cannot raise, We can only lisp his praise) Us repenting sinners see, Jesus died to set us free, Sing ye over us forgiven; Shout for joy, ye hosts of heaven. Be it unto angels known, By the church, what God hath done: Depths of love and wisdom see In a dying deity! Gaze, ye first-born seraphs, gaze! Never can ye sound his grace: Lost in wonder, look no more; Fall, and silently adore. Ministerial spirits know, Execute your charge below. You our Father hath prepar’d, Fenc’d us with a flaming guard: Bid you all our ways attend, Safe convoy us to the end, On your wings our souls remove, Waft us to the realms of love. Happy souls, whose course is run, Who the fight of faith have won, Parted by an earlier death, Think ye of your friends beneath. Have ye your own flesh forgot, By a common ransom bought? Can death’s interposing tide Spirits one in Christ divide? No: for us you ever wait, Till we make your bliss compleat, Till your fellow-servants come, Till your brethren hasten home: You in paradise remain, For your testimony slain, Nobly who for Jesus stood, Bold to seal the truth with blood. Ever now your speaking cries From beneath the altar rise, Loudly call for vengeance due: “Come, thou holy God, and true! “Lord, how long dost thou delay? Come to judgment, come away! Hasten, Lord, the general doom, Come away, to judgment come!” Wait, ye righteous spirits, wait, Soon arrives your perfect state; Rob’d in white a season rest, Blest, if not compleatly blest.