Speak the Word

Ever fainting with desire

Author: Charles Wesley
Published in 44 hymnals

Representative Text

1 Ever fainting with desire,
For thee, O Christ, I call;
Thee I restlessly require;
I want my God, my all.
Jesus, dear redeeming Lord,
I wait thy coming from above;
Help me, Saviour, speak the word,
And perfect me in love.

2 Wilt thou suffer me to go
Lamenting all my days?
Shall I never, never know
Thy sanctifying grace?
Wilt thou not thy light afford?
The darkness from my soul remove?
Help me, Saviour, speak the word,
And perfect me in love.

3 Thou my life, my treasure be,
My portion here below:
Nothing would I seek but thee--
Thee only would I know;
My exceeding great reward--
My heaven on earth, my heaven above:
Help me, Saviour, speak the word,
And perfect me in love.

Source: The Voice of Praise: a collection of hymns for the use of the Methodist Church #445

Author: 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: Ever fainting with desire
Title: Speak the Word
Author: Charles Wesley
Meter: 7.6.7.6.7.8.7.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Notes

Ever fainting with desire. C. Wesley. [Holiness desired.] Appeared in Hymns and Sacred Poems, 1742, p. 219, in 10 stanzas of 8 lines, and headed, "A Prayer for Holiness" (Poetical Works, 1868-72, vol. ii. p. 274). In 1780 it was included in the Wesleyan Hymn Book, No. 344, with the omission of stanzas iii.-vi, and in this form it has been repeated in several hymnbooks. The omitted stanzas contain expressions concerning entire holiness, which gave rise to much controversy, and caused J. Wesley to mark them for omission in later editions of the Hymns & Sacred Poems (Works, vol. x. p. 397; and Poetical Works, vol. ii. p. 274).

--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 44 of 44)

A Collection of Hymns Adapted to the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #d121

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A Collection of Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church #320

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A Collection of Hymns, for the Use of the People Called Methodists, with a Supplement #354

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A Collection of Hymns #320

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A Collection of Hymns #352

A New and Beautiful Collection of Select Hymns and Spiritual Songs #d87

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A New Selection of Hymns #CLVI

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A Pocket hymn book, designed as a constant companion for the pious #CIII

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A Pocket Hymn Book #CIII

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A Pocket hymn-book, designed as a constant companion for the pious #CIII

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A Pocket Hymn-book #103

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A Pocket Hymn-Book #CIII

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A Selection of Hymns for Worship (2nd ed.) #174

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Hymn Book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (2nd ed.) #688

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Hymn book of the Methodist Protestant Church. (4th ed.) #688

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Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church #494

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Hymns and Sacred Poems #219

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Hymns for the Use of the Methodist Episcopal Church. Rev. ed. #543

Methodist Hymn and Tune Book #d172

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Methodist Hymn-Book #546

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New Hymn and Tune book #379b

Pocket Hymn Book of the Methodist Episcopal Church #d66

Pocket Hymn Book, Designed as a Constant Companion. 25th ed. #d65

Spiritual Melodies #d76

Spiritual Melodies. Enl. & impr. ed. #d88

The African Methodist Episcopal Church Hymn Book #d103

The Chapel Hymn Book #d87

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The Clifton Chapel Collection of "Psalms, Hymns, and Spiritual Songs" #292

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The Heart and Voice #349a

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The Hymn Book of the Free Methodist Church #475

The Methodist Pocket Hymn Book. 35th ed. #d65

The Methodist Pocket Hymn Book. Rev. #d67

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The Methodist Pocket Hymn-book, revised and improved #C

The Spiritual Songster. lst ed. #d36

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The Voice of Praise #445

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Hymns and Tunes for Prayer and Social Meetings #61

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A Collection of Hymns for the use of the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church in America #543

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Hymnal of the Methodist Episcopal Church #494

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New Hymn and Tune Book #379b

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