Religion

1 Corinthians 16:14: Let all your things be done with charity

by Charles Wesley 1707–1788

From Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures (1762) · Osborn ed., vol. 13 (1872)

Religion

All our best performances
Without love can never please;
All our pains are misemploy'd,
Worthless in the sight of God;
But the touch of love Divine
Makes our meanest actions shine,
Casts us in a finer mould,
Turns our nature's dross to gold.
Gracious Lord, implant in me
That celestial charity,
Let my every word and deed
From a loving heart proceed,
Hence may all my tempers rise,
Then accept my sacrifice,
Then in all my nature own
The pure Spirit of Thy Son.
WHEN we all things do in love,
To man for Jesus' sake,
Then the mind of Christ we prove,
The nature we partake;
Walk unblameable in white,
Fulfil whate'er His laws enjoin,
Comprehend the depth and height
Of holiness within.
Father, send into our hearts
His Spirit from above,
Write it in our inward parts,
The law of perfect love.
Hence let all our works proceed,
All our words and tempers pure,
Then in Jesus' steps we tread,
And then our heaven is sure.
I Let all be done in love!
That thus we all may do,
Jesus, the enmity remove,
Create our souls anew:
The gift unspeakable,
The grace to us impart,
And O, vouchsafe Thyself to dwell
In every longing heart.

If Thou in us reside
Who Thy commands receive,
And steadfastly in Thee abide,
And in Thy Spirit live;
Then, only then we prove
The perfect charity,
And all our works are wrought in love,
When all are wrought in Thee.

MLA

Wesley, Charles. “1 Corinthians 16:14: Let all your things be done with charity.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/wesley_c/6854/.

Chicago

Wesley, Charles. “1 Corinthians 16:14: Let all your things be done with charity.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/wesley_c/6854/.

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