wesley

From John Wesley’s Sermon Upon our Lord’s Sermon on the Mount (VIII)
Therefore, “lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal.” If you do, it is plain your eye is evil; it is not singly fixed on God.
With regard to most of the [...]

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And did those feet in ancient times
Walk upon England’s mountain’s green?
Blake’s Jerusalem is sung with patriotic fervour, despite the fact that William Blake did not intend his original poem that way would be horrified at this appropriation of it. But the combination of a stirring tune by Parry and the words about England’s green [...]

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O astonishing grace,
That the reprobate race
Should be so reconciled!
What a wonder of wonders that God is a child!
[...]

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Another of Wesley’s nativity hymns.
Ye simple men of heart sincere,
Shepherds who watch your flocks by night,
Start not to see an angel near,
Nor tremble at [...]

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From Charles Wesley’s Hymns for the Nativity of Our Lord. Merry Christmas!
Away with our fears!
The Godhead appears
In Christ reconciled,
The Father of Mercies in [...]

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This is a gratuitous plug for a weekend event I’m organising with Andy Watts of the Carnival Band on June 27/28th.

Andy will provide music specially adapted from the arrangements used by Maddy Prior and the Carnival Band in their recordings ‘Sing Lustily and With Good Courage’ and ‘Paradise Found’. Assisted by one or more [...]

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Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia!
Earth and heaven in chorus say, Alleluia!
Raise your joys and triumphs high, Alleluia!
Sing, ye heavens, and earth reply, Alleluia!
Love’s redeeming work is done, Alleluia!
Fought the fight, the battle won, Alleluia!
Death in vain forbids him rise, Alleluia!
Christ has opened paradise, Alleluia!
Lives again our glorious King, Alleluia!
Where, O death, [...]

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O Love divine, what hast thou done!
The immortal God hath died for me!
The Father’s co-eternal Son
Bore all my sins upon the tree;
Th’immortal God for me hath died!
My Lord, my Love, is crucified –
Is crucified for me and you,
To bring us rebels back to God;
Believe, believe the record true,
Ye all are bought with Jesus’ blood,
Pardon for [...]

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Thy ceaseless, unexhausted love,
Unmerited and free,
Delights our evil to remove,
And help our misery.
Thou waitest to be gracious still;
Thou dost with sinners bear,
That, saved, we may thy goodness feel,
And all thy grace declare.
Thy goodness and Tthy truth to me
To every soul, abound,
A vast, unfathomable sea,
Where all our thoughts are drowned.
Its streams the whole creation reach,
So plenteous [...]

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A guest post by John Wesley.
1. To say, “This man is an Arminian,” has the same effect on many hearers, as to say, “This is a mad dog.” It puts them into a fright at once: They run away from him with all speed and diligence; and will hardly stop, unless it be to throw [...]

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Would Jesus have the sinner die?
Why hangs he then on yonder tree?
What means that strange expiring cry?
(Sinners, he prays for you and me)
“Forgive them, Father, O forgive,
They know not that by me they live!”
Adam descended from above,
Our loss of Eden to retrieve,
Great God of universal love,
If all the world through thee may live,
In us a [...]

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GREAT is our redeeming Lord,
In power, and truth, and grace
Him, by highest heaven adored,
His church on earth doth praise:
In the city of our God,
In his holy mount below,
Publish, spread his name abroad,
And all his greatness show.
For thy loving-kindness, Lord,
We in thy temple stay;
Here thy faithful love record,
Thy saving power display:
With thy name thy praise is [...]

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O Love divine, what hast thou done!
The immortal God hath died for me!
The Father’s co-eternal Son
Bore all my sins upon the tree;
The immortal God for me hath died:
My Lord, my Love is crucified –
Is crucified for me and you,
To bring us rebels back to God;
Believe, believe the record true,
Ye all are bought with Jesu’s blood,
Pardon [...]

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Eternal Son, eternal Love,
Take to thyself thy mighty power;
Let all earth’s sons thy mercy prove;
Let all thy bleeding grace adore.
The triumphs of thy love display;
In every heart reign thou alone;
Till all thy foes confess thy sway,
And glory ends what grace begun.
Spirit of grace with health and power,
Fountain of light and love below,
Abroad thy healing influence [...]

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Jesus, lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll, while the tempest still is high.
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide; O receive my soul at last.
Other refuge have I none, hangs my helpless soul on Thee;
Leave, ah! leave [...]

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The Methoblog says God wants you to buy this book. I don’t know whether that’s true or not, but strangely my copy came from Amazon this very morning. When I’ve had a chance to look at it, I’ll let you know what I think.
One of the things that concerns me about the Methodist Church is [...]

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LET earth and heaven combine,
Angels and men agree,
To praise in songs divine
The incarnate Deity,
Our God contracted to a span,
Incomprehensibly made man.
He laid his glory by,
He wrapped him in our clay;
Unmarked by human eye,
The latent Godhead lay;
Infant of days he here became,
And bore the mild Immanuel’s name.
See in that infant’s face
The depths of deity
And labour while [...]

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Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only light,
Sun of Righteousness, arise,
triumph o’er the shades of night;
Dayspring from on high, be near;
Daystar, in my heart appear.
Dark and cheerless is the morn
unaccompanied by thee;
joyless is the day’s return,
till thy mercy’s beams I see;
till they inward light impart,
glad my eyes and warm my [...]

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Come, Thou long expected Jesus
Born to set thy people free;
From our fears and sins release us,
Let us find our rest in thee.
Israel’s strength and consolation,
Hope of all the earth thou art;
Dear desire of every nation,
Joy of every longing heart.
Born thy people to deliver,
Born a child and yet a King,
Born to reign in us forever,
Now thy [...]

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