Religion

On the Admission of Any Person into the Society

by Charles Wesley 1707–1788

From Hymns and Sacred Poems (1740) · Osborn ed., vol. 1 (1868)

Religion

Brother in Christ, and well-beloved,
To Jesus and His servants dear,
Enter, and show Thyself approved;
Enter, and find that God is here!

Scaped from the world, redeem'd from sin,
By fiends pursued, by men abhorr'd,
Come in, poor fugitive, come in,
And share the portion of Thy Lord.

Welcome from earth! — Lo! the right hand
Of fellowship to thee we give;
With open arms and hearts we stand,
And thee in Jesu's name receive!

Say, is thy heart resolved as ours?
Then let it burn with sacred love;
Then let it taste the heavenly powers,
Partaker of the joys above.

Jesu, attend! Thyself reveal!
Are we not met in Thy great name?
Thee in the midst we wait to feel,
We wait to catch the spreading flame.

Thou God, that answerest by fire,
The Spirit of burning now impart,
And let the flames of pure desire
Rise from the altar of our heart.

Truly our fellowship below
With Thee, and with Thy Father is;
In Thee eternal life we know,
And heaven's unutterable bliss.

In part we only know Thee here,
But wait Thy coming from above: —
And I shall then behold Thee near,
And I shall all be lost in love!

✦ ✦ ✦

Attributed to Charles Wesley; Osborn's edition does not distinguish the brothers

MLA

Wesley, Charles. “On the Admission of Any Person into the Society.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/wesley_c/151/.

Chicago

Wesley, Charles. “On the Admission of Any Person into the Society.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/wesley_c/151/.

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