Scripture Verse

We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 1 John 2:1

Introduction

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems 1739 (Try Me, O God, and Seek the Ground of My Heart).

Music: Do­vers­dale Sam­uel Stan­ley (1767–1822) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Stan­ley (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Lyrics

Jesus, my ad­vo­cate above,
My friend be­fore the throne of love,
If now for me pre­vails Thy pray­er,
If now I find Thee plead­ing there,
If Thou the sec­ret wish con­vey,
And sweet­ly prompt my heart to pray;
Hear, and my weak pe­ti­tions join,
Almighty Ad­vo­cate, to Thine.

Fain would I know my ut­most ill,
And groan my na­ture’s weight to feel,
To feel the clouds that round me roll,
The night that hangs up­on my soul,
The dark­ness of my car­nal mind,
My will per­verse, my pas­sions blind,
Scattered o’er all the earth abroad,
Immeasurably far from God.

Jesus, my heart’s de­sire ob­tain!
My ear­nest suit pre­sent, and gain;
My full­ness of cor­rupt­ion show,
The know­ledge of my­self be­stow;
A deep­er dis­pla­cence at sin,
A sharp­er sense of hell with­in,
A strong­er strug­gling to get free,
A keen­er ap­pe­tite for Thee.

O so­ver­eign Love, to Thee I cry,
Give me Thy­self, or else I die!
Save me from death, from hell set free,
Death, hell, are but the want of Thee.
Quickened by Thy im­part­ed flame,
Saved, when pos­sessed of Thee, I am;
My life, my on­ly hea­ven Thou art,
O might I feel Thee in my heart!