Wesley Corpus

4 Their selfish will in time subdue, And mortify their pride ; And lend their youth a sacred clew To find the Crucified. 5 We would in every step look up ; By thy example taught To' alarm their fear, excite their hope, And rectify their thought. 6 We would persuade their hearts to' obey ; With mildest zeal proceed ; And never take the harsher way, When love will do the deed. 7 For this we ask, in faith sincere, The wisdom from above, To touch their hearts with filial fear, And pure, ingenuous love : 8 To watch their will, to sense inclined ; Withhold their hurtful food ; And gently bend their tender mind, And draw their souls to God. HYMN 469. c. m. 1 T^ATHER of Lights ! thy needful aid ■*- To us that ask impart ; Mistrustful of ourselves, afraid Of our own treacherous heart. 2 O'erwhelm'd with justest fear, again To thee for help we call : Where many mightier have been slain, By thee unsaved, we fall. 4o8 For Believers Interceding". s 3 Unless restrain 'd by grace we are, In vain the snare we see; We see, and rush into the snare Of blind idolatry. 4 We plunge ourselves in endless woes, Our helpless infant sell ; Resist the light, and side with those Who send their babes to hell. 5 Ah ! what avails superior light, Without superior love ? We see the truth, we judge aright, And wisdom's ways approve : 6 We mark the idolizing throng, Their cruel fondness blame ; Their children's souls we know they wrong ; And we shall do the same. 7 In spite of our resolves, we fear Our own infirmity ; And tremble at the trial near, And cry, O God, to thee ! 8 We soon shall do what we condemn, And, down the current borne, With shame confess our nature's stream Too strong for us to turn. 9 Our only help in danger's hour, Our only strength, thou art! Above the world, and Satan's power, And greater than our heart ! 10 Us from ourselves thou canst secure, In nature's slippery ways ; And make our feeble footsteps sure, By thy sufficient grace. For Believers Interceding. 439 11 If on thy promised grace alone We faithfully depend, Thou surely wilt preserve thy own, And keep them to the end :