Head Of Thy Suffering Church Below

Representative Text

1 Head of Thy suffering Church below,
We ask in faith the passive power,
Thy perfect strength in weakness show,
And arm us for the dreadful hour.
Prepare the soul Thou first shalt call
To own in death the pardoning God,
To die for Him who died for all,
And seal the record with his blood.

2 O let Thy soldier, Lord, endure
The daily cross with joy to prove;
Give him a heart resolved and pure,
And meek, and full of patient love.
Give him, when now the day draws near,
His utter helplessness to see;
Give him the self-mistrusting fear,
The humble awe that cleaves to Thee.

3 To Thee let him in faith look up,
And claim the succors from above,
And rise to all the strength of hope,
To all th’omnipotence of love.
O’erwhelm him with th’amazing grace,
That He, so poor, so self abhorred,
Least of the blood besprinkled race,
That he should suffer for his Lord!

4 Give him th’indubitable sign,
That all his sufferings are for Thee;
Assure his heart the cause is Thine,
And Thou wilt get the victory.
Give him, before he bows his head,
The sight to fervent Stephen given,
The everlasting doors displayed,
The glories of a widespread Heaven.

5 Show him Thyself at God’s right hand:
Thou on the faithful soul look down,
Thou by thy dying champion stand,
And give to him the starry crown.
Inspire him with Thy tender care
For those who nailed Thee to the wood,
And give to his expiring prayer
The men that drive his soul to God.

Source: The Cyber Hymnal #11469

Author (attributed to): Charles Wesley

Charles Wesley, M.A. was the great hymn-writer of the Wesley family, perhaps, taking quantity and quality into consideration, the great hymn-writer of all ages. Charles Wesley was the youngest son and 18th child of Samuel and Susanna Wesley, and was born at Epworth Rectory, Dec. 18, 1707. In 1716 he went to Westminster School, being provided with a home and board by his elder brother Samuel, then usher at the school, until 1721, when he was elected King's Scholar, and as such received his board and education free. In 1726 Charles Wesley was elected to a Westminster studentship at Christ Church, Oxford, where he took his degree in 1729, and became a college tutor. In the early part of the same year his religious impressions were much deepene… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Head of Thy suffering Church below
Title: Head Of Thy Suffering Church Below
Author (attributed to): Charles Wesley
Meter: 8.8.8.8
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Tune

CREATION (Haydn)

The tune CREATION is taken from the chorus “The Heavens Are Telling” from the well known oratorio The Creation (1798) by Franz Joseph Haydn (b. Rohrau, Austria, 1732; d. Vienna, Austria, 1809). Haydn's life was relatively uneventful, but his artistic legacy was truly astounding. He began his mus…

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The Cyber Hymnal #11469
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The Cyber Hymnal #11469

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