The Captive struggling to be free.
FEEL the strugglings of desire
The value of my soul I feel;
Almighty God, my breast inspire
With conquering faith and holy zeal.
2 Trembling I stand, and still afraid,
That man should see my bosom swell;
Asham'd to lift my guilty head,
Expos'd to all the flames of hell.
3 Reasoning I ask, why should I dread
The scoff of dying worms like me?
Yet, just as soon could raise the dead,
As from this fear myself to free.
4 O Thou whose voice can all control,
And set the guilty captive free,-
Speak thy salvation to my soul;
Bid me arise, and come to thee.
5 Speak, and my broken chains shall fall,
And never bind my soul again;
Speak, and releas'd from sin and thrall,
I shall arise and own thy name.
The Prayer of the Penitent.
TREMBLING I stand before the Lord,
And know not what to do;
My bosom heaves beneath a load,
A load of guilt and woe.
2 Where shall I go, or whither flee,
That I may ease receive?
Divine Redeemer, pity me,
O pity and forgive!
3 Speak with the voice that wakes the dead, And bid my guilt remove;
That voice shall raise my drooping head,
And teach my heart to love."
Be still and know that I am God.
BE still! and know that I am God,
Before my footstool wait;
Whene'er I lift my chast'ning rod,
Let guilty rebels quake.
2 I am Jehovah, I alone
Can kill and make alive;
Sinner, approach my gracious throne,
Believe in Christ and live.
3 Almighty God, I fear thy power,
And trembling bend to thee;
I wait the joy-inspiring hour,
When thou shalt say,-be free!
4 Sunk down beneath a guilty load,
I feel, alas! undone;
And wait to know thee as my God,
In Christ thy only Son.
5 I hear and feel thy awful word,
Through grace I will be still,-
Be still and know that thou art God ;Bow to thy sovereign will.
306. C. M.
Prayer of the Penitent.
JESUS, thou lover of mankind,
Who did the church redeem,
Wilt thou my captive soul unbind;
Break off these chains of sin?
2 Righteous and true, O Lord, thou art
In all thy glorious ways;
To thee I yield a broken heart-
O heal it by thy grace!
Prayer for Repentance and Faith.
BESTOW, Almighty God,
The penitent desire;
And by thy word diffuse abroad,
The pure, celestial fire.
2 Melt down my frozen heart,
And bend my will to thee;
The gift of penitence impart,
And set the prisoner free.
3 The conquering faith bestow,
The chains of sin unbind;
Now bid the rescued captive go,
And leave his guilt behind.
ALMIGHTY God, I come to thee,
For thou canst all things do,
O take this flinty stone away,
My stubborn heart renew.
2 Melt down to penitential grief,
The soul that will not grieve;
power of unbelief,
And help me to believe.
3 This moment, Lord, the gift bestow,
Nor let me longer wait;-
For Jesus' sake bestow it now,
Lest it should be too late.
Halting between two opinions.
MONVINC'D that I against thy throne,
Sometimes I'm half inclin'd to own,
And seek relief from sin.
2 I dread the awful sound, depart
Down to the flames of hell!
And yet this proud, rebellious heart,
Will scarce consent to kneel!
3 If grace has e'er begun the work,
Now, Lord, the work complete ;
If not, O let me feel the stroke,
That lays me at thy feet.
4 Kindly invited to return,
Invited, Lord, by thee;
I hasten to thy gracious throne,
And bend the suppliant knee.
5 0 melt this stubborn heart of stone,
In thy dissolving blood!
Then shall I bow to thee alone,
And yield to Christ my God.
310. C. M. PART II.
The surrender.
SAVIOUR, help me to resolve,
And cause my heart to bleed;
May goodness now the stone dissolve,
That I may mourn indeed.
2 Here at thy gracious feet I fall,
And struggling to be free,
Forsaking sin, and self, and all,
I give myself to thee.
311. S. M. Wesley's Coll.
The Penitent's prayer and surrender.
Saviour bids me come,
Ah! why do I delay?
He calls the weary sinner home,
And yet from him I stay.
2 What is it keeps me back,
From which I cannot part?
Which will not let the Saviour take
3 Jesus, the hindrance show,
The hindrance now remove; With all created things below, I part for thee, my love.
The breath of Repentance.
THAT I could repent!
O that I could believe!
Thou by thy voice the marble rent,
The rock in sunder cleave.
2 Saviour and Prince of peace,
The double grace bestow;
Unloose the bands of wickedness,
And let the captive go.
3 Grant me my sins to feel,
And then the load remove;
Wound, and pour in, my wounds to heal,
The balm of pardoning love.
313. L. M. Anon.
Moral inability lamented.
HOW sad's my state! I know not how
To please the Lord, or do his will;
Myself and God I want to know,
Yet ignorant of both am still.
2 I mourn, because I cannot mourn;
I grieve, because I cannot grieve;
I hate my sins, but cannot turn;
I hear the truth, yet can't believe.
3 Helpless am I, and self-condemn'd;
Incurable I see my wound;
I'd come to Thee, but am asham'd-
O, where shall help for me be found?
4 Where shall so great a sinner run?
Dangers on every side I see ;-
I am undone, undone, undone!
Unless the Saviour comes to me.
5 Let pity move thee to appear,
Sinner-receiving Son of God;
In my behalf be kindly near,
And quench my crying sins with blood.
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