1COME holy celestial Dove, To visit a sorrowful breast, My burden of guilt to remove, And bring me assurance and rest! Thou only hast power to relieve A sinner o'erwhelmed with his load, The sense of acceptance to give, And sprinkle his heart with the blood.
2With me if of old thou hast strove, And strangely withheld from my sin, And tried, by the lure of his love, My worthless affections to win; The work of thy mercy revive, Thy uttermost mercy exert, And kindly continue to strive, And hold, till I yield thee my heart.
3Thy call if I ever have known, And sighed from myself to get free, And groaned the unspeakable groan, And longed to be happy in thee; Fulfil the imperfect desire, Thy peace to my conscience reveal, The sense of thy favour inspire, And give me my pardon to feel.
4If when I had put these to grief, And madly to folly returned, Thy pity hath been my relief, And lifted me up as I mourned; Most pitiful Spirit of grace, Relieve me again, and restore, My spirit in holiness raise, To fall and to suffer no more.
5If now I lament after God, And gasp for a drop of thy love, If Jesus hath bought thee with blood, For me to receive from above; Come, heavenly Comforter, come, True witness of mercy divine, And make me thy permanent home, And seal me eternally thine!
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Charles Wesley (1707 - 1788)
Was an English hymn writer, poet, and preacher who wrote over 5,500 hymns including And Can It Be That I Should Gain?, O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing, and Hark! the Herald Angels Sing. A leader of the Methodist movement with his brother John Wesley.Wesley's conversion had a clear impact on his doctrine, especially the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. The change in doctrine can be seen in his sermons after 1738, but is most notable in his hymns written after 1738. From Charles published work “Hymns and Prayers to the Trinity” and in Hymn number 62 he writes “The Holy Ghost in part we know, For with us He resides, Our whole of good to Him we owe, Whom by His grace he guides, He doth our virtuous thoughts inspire, The evil he averts, And every seed of good desire, He planted in our hearts.”
Charles Wesley is best known for his prolific hymn writing, his poetry and for being one of the founding fathers of the Methodist denomination of Christianity. He wrote more than six thousand hymns, of which a handful remain in modern day worship.
John and Charles Wesley's Methodist style was to take the word of God to people, wherever they were, rather than try to get them into a church to hear it. The numbers of converts grew and were gathered into 'societies' to nurture their faith.
With their helpers they began their travelling ministry, covering thousands of miles on horseback over the years throughout England and in Scotland, Wales and Ireland, with London, Bristol, and Newcastle being the main centres of their work.
The high-intensity preaching took its toll on Charles; he suffered from nervous exhaustion and severe depression. He was 80 when he died on 29th March 1788. With his famous carol Hark the Herald Angels Sing heard everywhere from cathedrals to supermarkets, the legacy of Charles Wesley is likely to continue for years to come.
Charles Wesley was an English leader of the Methodist movement, son of Anglican clergyman and poet Samuel Wesley, the younger brother of Anglican clergyman John Wesley and Anglican clergyman Samuel Wesley (the Younger), and father of musician Samuel Wesley, and grandfather of musician Samuel Sebastian Wesley.
Despite their closeness, Charles and his brother John did not always agree on questions relating to their beliefs. In particular, Charles was strongly opposed to the idea of a breach with the Church of England into which they had been ordained. Charles Wesley is chiefly remembered for the many hymns he wrote. He founded Wesley Chapel in the village of Brayton, which is just south of Selby. His house, located nearby, can still be visited today.