A Dull Conscience, a Wise Woman, a Hard Heart (2 Samuel 20:10-26)
I love to tell the story
Of unseen things above,
Of Jesus and His glory,
Of Jesus and His love;
I love to tell the story
Because I know it’s true,
It satisfies my longings,
As nothing else would do.
I love to tell the story,
More wonderful it seems
Than all the golden fancies
Of all the golden dreams;
I love to tell the story,
It did so much for me,
And this is just the reason
I tell it now to thee.
I love to tell the story,
‘Tis pleasant to repeat
What seems, each time I tell it,
More wonderfully sweet:
I love to tell the story,
For some have never heard
The message of salvation
From God’s own holy Word.
I love to tell the story:
For those who know it best
Seem hungering and thirsting
To hear it, like the rest;
And when, in scenes of glory,
I sing the new, new song,
‘Twill be the old, old story,
That I have loved so long.
Arabella C Hankey
Extended on a cursèd tree,
Besmear’d with dust, and sweat, and blood,
See there, the King of Glory see!
Sinks and expires the Son of God.
Who, who, my Saviour, this hath done?
Who could Thy sacred body wound?
No guilt Thy spotless heart hath known,
No guile hath in Thy lips been found.
I, I alone, have done the deed!
‘Tis I Thy sacred flesh have torn;
My sins have caused Thee, Lord, to bleed,
Pointed the nail, and fixed the thorn.
The burden, for me to sustain
Too great, on Thee, my Lord, was laid;
To heal me, Thou hast borne my pain;
To bless me, Thou a curse wast made.
My Saviour, how shall I proclaim?
How pay the mighty debt I owe?
Let all I have and all I am,
Ceaseless to all Thy glory show.
Too much to Thee I cannot give;
Too much I cannot do for Thee;
Let all Thy love, and all Thy grief,
Grav’n on my heart for ever be!
Paulus Gerhardt, tr. John Wesley
Inspirer of the ancient seers,
Who wrote from Thee the sacred page,
The same through all succeeding years;
To us, in our degenerate age,
The spirit of Thy Word impart,
And breathe the life into our heart.
While now Thine oracles we read
With earnest prayer and strong desire,
Oh, let Thy Spirit from Thee proceed,
Our souls to awaken and inspire,
Our weakness help, our darkness chase,
And guide us by the light of grace.
Whene’er in error’s paths we rove,
The living God through sin forsake,
Our conscience by Thy Word reprove,
Convince and bring the wanderers back.
Deep wounded by Thy Spirit’s sword,
And then by Gilead’s balm restored.
The sacred lessons of Thy grace,
Transmitted through Thy Word, repeat,
And train us up in all Thy ways,
To make us in Thy will complete;
Fulfil Thy love’s redeeming plan,
And bring us to a perfect man.
Furnish’d out of Thy treasury,
Oh, may we always ready stand
To help the souls redeemed by Thee,
In what their various states demand
To teach, convince, correct, reprove,
And build them up in holiest love!
Charles Wesley
Would Jesus Have the Sinner Die?
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, oh forgive!
They know not that by Me they live.
Thou loving, all-atoning Lamb,
Thee – by Thy painful agony,
Thy blood-like sweat, Thy grief and shame,
Thy cross and passion on the tree,
Thy precious death and life – I pray,
Take all, take all my sins away!
Oh let me kiss Thy pierced feet,
And bathe and wash them with my tears!
The story of Thy love repeat
In every drooping sinner’s ears,
That all may hear the quickening sound,
Since, I, e’en I, have mercy found.
Oh let Thy love my heart constrain!
Thy love for every sinner free,
That every fallen soul of man
May taste the grace that found out me;
That all mankind with me may prove
Thy sovereign everlasting love.
Charles Wesley
Piano: Bill Ashton
Singing: Hilary Ashton
Sunday Worship 10.45am & 6.00pm