Desires After Holiness

645 Longing for a pure Heart 1 OH for a heart to praise my God, A heart from sin set free! A heart that always feels Thy blood, So freely spilt for me?

2 A heart resign'd, submissive, meek, My great Redeemer's throne; Where only Christ is heard to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone:

3 A humble, lowly, contrite heart, Believing, true, and clean; Which neither life nor death can part From Him that dwells within:

4 A heart in every thought renew'd, And full of love divine;

Perfect, and right, and pure, and good, A copy, Lord, of Thine!

5 Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;

Come quickly from above;

Write Thy new name upon my heart, Thy new, best name of love.

Charles Wesley, 1742

646
Longing to love Christ 1 I THIRST, Thou wounded Lamb of God, To wash me in Thy cleansing blood; To dwell within Thy wounds: then pain Is sweet, and life or death is gain.

2 Take my poor heart, and let it be For ever closed to all but Thee!

Seal Thou my breast, and let me wear That pledge of love for ever there.

3 How blest are they who still abide Close shelter'd in Thy bleeding side! Who life and strength from thence derive, And by Thee move, and in Thee live.

4 What are our works but sin and death, Till Thou Thy quickening Spirit breathe?

Thou givest the power Thy grace to move:

Oh wondrous grace! Oh boundless love!

5 How can it be, Thou heavenly King, That Thou shouldst us to glory bring?

Make slaves the partners of Thy throne, Deck'd with a never-fading crown.

6 Hence our hearts melt, our eyes o'erflow; Our words are lost; nor will we know, Nor will we think of aught beside, "My Lord, my Love, is crucified."

7 Ah, Lord! enlarge our scanty thought, To know the wonders Thou hast wrought;

Unloose our stammering tongues, to tell Thy love immense, unsearchable.

8 First-born of many brethren Thou! To Thee, lo! all our souls we bow: To Thee, our hearts and hands we give;

Thine may we die; Thine may we live.

Count Zinzendorf, Anna and John Nitschmann, 1737; tr. by John Wesley, 1740.

647
Love constraining to Obedience 1 NO strength of nature can suffice To serve the Lord aright; And what she has she misapplies, For want of clearer light.

2 How long beneath the law I lay In bondage and distress!

I toil'd the precept to obey, But toil'd without success.

3 Then, to abstain from outward sin, Was more than I could do:

Now, if I feel its power within, I feel I hate it too.

4 Then all my servile works were done A righteousness to raise;

Now, freely chosen in the Son, I freely choose His ways.

5 What shall I do, was then the word, That I may worthier grow?

What shall I render to the Lord? Is my inquiry now.

6 To see the law by Christ fulfill'd, And hear His pardoning voice, Changes a slave into a child, And duty into choice.

William Cowper, 1779

648
Holiness and Grace 1 SO let our lips and lives express The holy gospel we profess; So let our works and virtues shine, To prove the doctrine all divine.

2 Thus shall we best proclaim abroad The honours of our Saviour God, When His salvation reigns within, And grace subdues the power of sin.

3 Our flesh and sense must be denied, Passion and envy, lust and pride;

While justice, temperance, truth, and love, Our inward piety approve.

1 The gospel bears our spirits up, While we expect that blessed hope, The bright appearance of the Lord; And faith stands leaning on His word.

Isaac Watts, 1709. a.

649
Holy Principles desired 1 I WANT a principle within Of jealous, godly fear; A sensibility of sin, A pain to feel it near.

2 I want the first approach to feel Of pride, or fond desire; To catch the wandering of my will, And quench the kindling fire.

3 That I from Thee no more may part, No more Thy goodness grieve, The filial awe, the fleshy heart, The tender conscience, give.

4 Quick as the apple of an eye, O God, my conscience make!

Awake my soul, when sin is nigh, And keep it still awake.

5 If to the right or left I stray, That moment, Lord, reprove; And let me weep my life away, For having grieved Thy love.

6 Oh may the least omission pain My well-instructed soul; And drive me to the blood again, Which makes the wounded whole!

Charles Wesley, 1749.

650
Conformity to Christ 1 LOVE divine, all loves excelling, Joy of heaven, to earth come down:

Fix in us Thy humble dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown;

Jesus, Thou art all compassion;

Pure, unbounded love Thou art;

Visit us with Thy salvation, Enter every trembling heart.

2 Come, almighty to deliver, Let us all Thy grace receive;

Suddenly return, and never, Never more, Thy temples leave;

Thee we would be always blessing;

Serve Thee as Thy hosts above;

Pray, and praise Thee, without ceasing:

Glory in Thy perfect love.

3 Finish, then, Thy new creation, Pure and spotless let us be;

Let us see Thy great salvation, Perfectly restored in Thee:

Changed from glory into glory, Till in heaven we take our place, Till we cast our crowns before Thee, Lost in wonder, love, and praise!

Charles Wesley, 1747

651
Sanctified by the Spirit of our God 1 NOT the malicious or profane, The wanton or the proud, Nor thieves, nor slanderers shall obtain The kingdom of our God.

2 Surprising grace! and such were we By nature and by sin;

Heirs of immortal misery, Unholy and unclean.

3 But we are wash'd in Jesu's blood, We're pardon'd through His name; And the good Spirit of our God Has sanctified our frame.

4 Oh, for a persevering power To keep Thy just commands;

We would defile our hearts no more Mo more pollute our hands.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

652
Prayer for Holiness 1 OH may my heart by grace renew'd, Be my Redeemer's throne: And be my stubborn will subdued, His government to own!

2 Let deep repentance, faith, and love, Be join'd with godly fear; And all my conversation prove My heart to be sincere.

3 Preserve me from the snares of sin Through my remaining days; And in me let each virtue shine To my Redeemer's praise.

4 Let lively hope my soul inspire;

Let warm affections rise; And may I wait with strong desire, To mount above the skies.

John Fawcett, 1782

653
Holiness desired
1 LORD, I desire to live as one Who bears a blood-bought name, As one who fears but grieving Thee, And knows no other shame.

2 As one by whom Thy walk below Should never be forgot; As one who fain would keep apart From all Thou lovest not.

3 I want to live as one who knows Thy fellowship of love; As one whose eyes can pierce beyond The pearl-built gates above.

4 As one who daily speaks to Thee, And hears Thy voice divine With depths of tenderness declare, "Beloved! Thou art mine."

Charitie Lees Smith, 1861.