Wesley Corpus

Thou God of truth and love, We seek thy perfect way, Ready thy choice t' approve, Thy providence t' obey, Enter into thy wise design, And sweetly lose our will in thine. Why hast thou cast our lot In the same age and place, Or why together brought To see each other's face, To join with softest sympathy, And mix our friendly souls in thee? Didst thou not make us one, That both might one remain, Together travel on, And bear each other's pain, 'Till both thine utmost goodness prove, And rise renew'd in perfect love. Surely thou didst unite Our kindred spirits here, That both hereafter might Before thy throne appear, Meet at the marriage of the Lamb, And all thy glorious love proclaim. Then let us ever bear The blessed end in view, And join with mutual care To fight our passage thro', 83Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Friendship I, 7-8; and MS Friendship II, 14-16. Page 280 And kindly help each other on, 'Till both receive the starry crown. O might thy Spirit seal Our souls unto that day, With all thy fulness fill, And then transport away, Away to our eternal rest, Away to our Redeemer's breast. There, only there we shall Fulfil thy great design, And in thy praise with all Our elder brethren join, And hymn in songs which never end Our heavenly everlasting friend. Hymns for Christian Friends. Hymn XIV.84 Come, let us arise, And press to the skies, The summons obey, My friend, my beloved, and hasten away! The master of all For our service doth call, And deigns to approve With smiles of acceptance our labour of love. His burthen who bear, We alone can declare How easy his yoke, While to love, and good works we each other provoke: By word and by deed, The bodies in need, The souls to relieve, And freely as Jesus hath given to give. 84Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Friendship I, 36-37; and MS Friendship II, 16-17. Page 281 Then let us attend Our heavenly friend, In his members distrest, With want, or affliction, or sickness opprest: The prisoner relieve, The stranger receive, Supply all their wants, And spend, and be spent in assisting his saints: