Wesley Corpus

O for thy great and glorious name, The dire reproach, the guilty shame The cursed thing avert, In all th' assaults of sense and pride Continue on thy people's side, And guard the feeble heart. No more may we to sin submit, But trample it beneath our feet With holy rage and scorn, 'Till each is more than conqueror, And all obtain the perfect power, And all to God return. Page 28 Another For the Brotherhood. Thou God of love, and truth, and power, Guard us in the evil hour, By sore temptation tried, Shelter thy poor, afflicted flock, And in the clefts of Israel's Rock Our trembling spirits hide. Long as the war subsists within, Save, O save us, Lord, from sin, The lusting flesh subdue; The Spirit's stronger lust exert, And watch o'er every helpless heart, 'Till thou hast made it new. For this we strive, for this we pray, Take the stumbling-block away, The cursed thing remove, Uphold, and make our footsteps sure, And let us stand, and walk secure In humble faith, and love. Sin, only sin we deprecate, Fill us with a perfect hate Of that thy soul abhors; O let us every sin eschew 'Till all are brought victorious thro', And more than conquerors. Another For the Brotherhood. Still, Lord, we ask, and urge thee still, Ask according to thy will, Page 29 And urge our strong request: Preserve thy little flock from sin, And keep, 'till thou hast brought us in To thine eternal rest. Ah! Do not suffer us to stray,18 Thee our Master to betray, And shamefully deny: But (for thou knowst our treacherous heart) Command us sooner to depart, And innocently die. Be jealous for thy glorious name, Never let the heathen blame The truth for our offence; But rather now confirm us thine, And let us all our souls resign, And fly this moment hence. Canst thou despise our fear and pain, Suffer us to cry in vain Beneath the load we bear? Our load of pain and fear remove, And answer by the fire of love Our agonizing prayer. 'Tis done! He hears his Spirit's cry, Surely now we feel him nigh To grant his own request: We shall not live to fall away, But taken from the evil day With him forever rest.