History

O Come and Dwell in Me

John and Charles disagreed on the measure of holiness a Christian might expect on earth, but both longed for it. From Christian Perfection (Sermon 40)

O Come and Dwell in Me

O come and dwell in me,
Spirit of power within,
And bring the glorious liberty
From sorrow, fear, and sin.

Hasten the joyful day
Which shall my sins consume,
When old things shall be done away,
And all things new become.

I want the witness, Lord,
That all I do is right,
According to thy mind and word,
Well-pleasing in thy sight.

I ask no higher state;
Indulge me but in this,
And soon or later then translate
To thine eternal bliss.

O for a Heart to Praise My God

O for a heart to praise my God,
A heart from sin set free,
A heart that always feels Thy blood
So freely shed for me!

A humble, lowly, contrite heart,
Believing, true and clean,
Which neither life nor death can part
From Him that dwells within.

A heart in every thought renewed,
And full of love divine;
Perfect and right and pure and good,
A copy, Lord, of Thine!

Thy nature, gracious Lord, impart;
Come quickly from above,
Write Thy new name upon my heart,
Thy new best name of Love.

—Charles Wesley

Copyright © 2001 by the author or Christianity Today/Christian History magazine. Click here for reprint information on Christian History.

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