Verse 1
Hear, holy, holy, holy, Lord,
Father of all mankind,
Spirit of love, eternal word,
In mystick union join’d.
Verse 2
Hear, and inspire my stammering tongue,
Exalt my abject thought,
Speak from my mouth a sacred song,
Who spak’st the world from nought.
Verse 3
Thy darling attribute I praise
Which all alike may prove,
The glory of thy boundless grace,
Thy universal love.
Verse 4
Mercy I sing, transporting sound,
The joy of earth and heaven!
Mercy by every sinner found,
Who takes what God hath given.
Verse 5
Mercy for all, thy hands have made,
Immense, and unconfin’d,
Throughout thy every work display’d,
Embracing all mankind.
Verse 6
Thine eye survey’d the fallen race
When sunk, in sin they lay,
Their misery call’d for all thy grace,
But justice stopp’d the way.
Verse 7
Mercy the fatal bar remov’d,
Thy only Son it gave,—
To save a world so dearly lov’d,
A sinful world to save.
Verse 8
For every man he tasted death,
He suffered once for all,
He calls as many souls as breathe,
And all may hear the call.
Verse 9
A power to chuse, a will to obey,
Freely his grace restores;
We all may find the living way,
And call the Saviour ours.
Verse 10
Whom his eternal mind foreknew,
That they the power would use,
Ascribe to God the glory due,
And not his grace refuse;
Verse 11
Them, only them, his will decreed,
Them did he chuse alone,
Ordain’d in Jesu’s steps to tread,
And to be like his Son.
Verse 12
Them, the elect, consenting few,
Who yield to proffered love,
Justify’d here he forms anew,
And glorifies above.
Verse 13
For as in Adam all have dy’d,
So all in Christ may live,
May (for the world is justify’d)
His righteousness receive.
Verse 14
Whoe’er to God for pardon fly,
In Christ may be forgiven,
He speaks to all, “Why will ye die,
And not accept my heaven!”
Verse 15
No! In the death of him that dies,
(God by his life hath sworn)
He is not pleas’d; but ever cries,
Turn, O ye sinners, turn.
Verse 16
He would that all his truths should own,
His gospel all embrace,
Be justify’d by faith alone,
And freely sav’d by grace.
Verse 17
And shall I, Lord, confine thy love,
As not to others free?
And may not every sinner prove,
The grace that found out me?
Verse 18
Doubtless thro’ one eternal now
Thou ever art the same,
The universal Saviour thou,
And Jesus is thy name.
Verse 19
Ho! Every one that thirsteth come!
Chuse life; obey the word;
Open your hearts to make him room,
And banquet with your Lord.
Verse 20
When God invites, shall man repel?
Shall man th’ exception make?
“Come, freely come, WHOEVER WILL,
And living water take!”
Verse 21
Thou bid’st; and would’st thou bid us chuse,
When purpos’d not to save?
Command us all a power to use,
Thy mercy never gave?
Verse 22
Thou can’st not mock the sons of men,
Invite us to draw nigh,
Offer thy grace to all, and then,
Thy grace to most deny!
Verse 23
Horror to think that God is hate!
Fury in God can dwell,
God could an helpless world create,
To thrust them into hell!
Verse 24
Doom them an endless death to die,
From which they could not flee,
No Lord! Thine inmost bowels cry,
Against the dire decree!
Verse 25
Believe who will that human pain,
Pleasing to God can prove:
Let Molock feast him with the slain,
Our God, we know, is love.
Verse 26
Lord, if indeed, without a bound,
Infinite love thou art,
The HORRIBLE DECREE confound,
Enlarge thy people’s heart!
Verse 27
Ah! Who is as thy servants blind,
So to misjudge their God!
Scatter the darkness of their mind,
And shed thy love abroad.
Verse 28
Give them conceptions worthy thee,
Give them in Jesu’s face,
Thy merciful design to see,
Thy all-redeeming grace.
Verse 29
Stir up thy strength, and help us, Lord,
The preachers multiply,
Send forth thy light, and give the word,
And let the shadows fly.
Verse 30
Oh! If thy Spirit send forth me,
The meanest of the throng,
I’ll sing thy grace divinely free,
And teach mankind the song.
Verse 31
Grace will I sing, thro’ Jesu’s name,
On all mankind bestow’d;
The everlasting truth proclaim,
And seal that truth with blood.
Verse 32
Come then, thou all-embracing love,
Our frozen bosom warm;
Dilating fire within us move,
With truth and meekness arm.
Verse 33
Let us triumphantly ride on,
And more than conquerors prove,
With meekness bear th’ opposers down,[1]
And bind with cords of love.
Verse 34
Shine in our hearts Father of light,
Jesu thy beams impart,
Spirit of truth our minds unite,
And make[2] us one in heart.
Verse 35
Then, only then our eyes shall see
Thy promis’d kingdom come;
And every heart by grace set free,
Shall make the Saviour room.
Verse 36
Thee every tongue shall then confess,
And every knee shall bow,
Come quickly, Lord, we wait thy grace,
We long to meet thee now.
[1] Wesley changed this line to “Mightily bear th’ opposers down” in 1765.
[2] Wesley changed “make” to “keep” in 1740.