Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord, I humbly seek

Verse 1
Father of Jesus Christ, my Lord,
I humbly seek thy face,
Incourag’d by the Saviour’s word
To ask thy pard’ning grace.

Verse 2
Entring into my closet I
The busy world exclude,
In secret prayer for mercy cry,
And groan to be renew’d.

Verse 3
Far from the paths of men to thee
I solemnly retire,
See, thou who dost in secret see,
And grant my heart’s desire.

Verse 4
Thy grace I languish to receive,
The Spirit of love and power,
Blameless before thy face to live,
To live and sin no more.

Verse 5
Fain would I all thy goodness feel,
And know my sins forgiven,
And do on earth thy perfect will
As angels do in heaven.

Verse 6
O Father, glorify thy Son,
And grant what I require,
For Jesus’[1] sake the gift send down,
And answer me by fire.

Verse 7
Kindle the flame of love within
That[2] may to heaven ascend,
And now in grace the work[3] begin
Which shall in glory end.

[1] Wesley changed “Jesus’” to “Jesu’s” in 1747.
[2] Wesley changed “That” to “Which” in 1747.
[3] Wesley changed “in grace the work” to “the work in grace” in 1747, and changed “in grace” to “of grace” in 1755.

Hymnal/Album: Introduced in Hymns for Those That Seek and Those That Have Redemption in the Blood of Jesus Christ (William Strahan, 1747). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 4 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1869), page 259.
Publishing: Public Domain