1PRISONERS of hope, lift up your heads, The day of liberty draws near! Jesus, who on the serpent treads, Shall soon in your behalf appear, The Lord will to his temple come, Prepare your hearts to make him room.
2Ye all shall find, whom in his word Himself hath caused to put your trust, The Father of our dying Lord Is ever to His promise just; Faithful, if we our sins confess, To cleanse from all unrighteousness.
3Yes, Lord, we must believe thee kind, Thou never canst unfaithful prove; Surely we shall thy mercy find, Who ask, shall all receive thy love; Nor canst thou it to me deny, I ask, the chief of sinners I!
4O ye of fearful hearts, be strong! Your downcast eyes and hands lift up! We shall not be forgotten long, Hope to the end, in Jesus hope! Tell him ye wait his grace to prove, And cannot fail, if God is love!
5Prisoners of hope, be strong, be bold, Cast off your doubts, disdain to fear! Dare to believe; on Christ lay hold! Wrestle with Christ in mighty prayer, Tell him, "We will not let thee go, Till we thy name, thy nature know."
6Hast thou not died to purge our sin, And risen, thy death for us to plead To write thy law of love within Our hearts, and make us free indeed That we our Eden might regain, Thou diedst, and couldst not die in vain.
7Lord, we believe, and wait the hour Which all thy great salvation brings; The Spirit of love, and health, and power, Shall come, and make us priests and kings; Thou wilt perform thy faithful word, "The servant shall be as his Lord."
8The promise stands for ever sure, And we shall in thine image shine, Partakers of a nature pure, Holy, angelical, divine; In spirit joined to thee the Son, As thou art with thy Father one.
9Faithful and True, we now receive The promise ratified by thee: To thee the when and how we leave, In time and in eternity; We only hang upon thy word, "The servant shall be as His Lord."
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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.