Scripture Verse

There remaineth a rest to the people of God. Hebrews 4:9

Introduction

portrait
Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Words: Charles Wes­ley, Hymns and Sac­red Po­ems 1740.

Music: Ev­an Will­iam H. Ha­ver­gal, 1847. Ar­ranged by Lo­well Ma­son in New Car­mi­na Sac­ra (Bos­ton, Mas­sa­chu­setts: Wil­kins, Car­ter & Com­pa­ny, 1850) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Lowell Mason (1792–1872)

Lyrics

Lord, I believe a rest remains
To all Thy people known,
A rest where pure enjoyment reigns,
And Thou art loved alone.

A rest where all our soul’s desire
Is fixed on things above;
Where fear, and sin, and grief expire,
Cast out by perfect love.

A rest of lasting joy and peace,
Where all is calm within;
’Tis there from own works we cease,
From pride, and self, and sin

Our life is hid with Christ in god;
The agony is o’er;
We wrestle not with flesh and blood,
We strive with sin no more.

Our spirit is right, our heart is clean,
Our nature is renewed;
We cannot, no we cannot sin,
For we are born of God.

From every evil motion freed,
The Son hath set us free,
On all the powers of hell we tread,
In glo­ri­ous liberty.

Redeemed, we walk on holy ground,
In Christ we cannot err:
No lion in that way is found,
No ravenous beast is there!

Safe in the way of life, above
Death, earth, and hell we rise;
We find, when perfected in love,
Our long sought paradise.

Within that Eden we retire,
We rest in Je­su’s name;
It guards, as a wall of fire,
And a sword of flame.

O that I now the rest might know,
Believe, and enter in!
Now, Sav­ior, now the power bestow,
And let me cease from sin.

Remove this hardness from my heart,
This unbelief remove:
To me the rest of faith impart,
The Sabbath of Thy love.

I groan from sin to be set free,
From self to be released;
O take me, take me into Thee,
Mine ev­er­last­ing rest.

I would be Thine; Thou know’st I would,
And have Thee all my own:
Thee, O my all-sufficient good,
I want, and Thee alone.

Thy name to me, Thy nature grant!
This, only this, be given:
Nothing beside my God I want,
Nothing in earth and Hea­ven.

Come, O my Sav­ior, come away,
Into my soul descend!
No longer from Thy creature stay,
My author and my end!

The bliss Thou hast for me prepared
No longer be delayed;
Come, my exceeding great reward,
For whom I first was made.

Come, Fa­ther, Son, and Holy Ghost,
And seal me Thine abode!
Let all I am in Thee be lost,
Let all I am be God!