1 Father, hear our humble claim;
We are met in thy great name;
In the midst do thou appear,
Manifest thy presence here.
2 Lord, our fellowship increase;
Knit us in the bond of peace;
Join our heart, O Father! join
Each to each, and all to thine.
3 Move and actuate and guide,
Diverse gifts to each divide;
Placed according to thy will,
Let us each his work fulfill.
4 Build us in one spirit up,
Called in one high calling's hope,
One the spirit, one the aim,
One the pure baptismal flame:
5 One the faith, and one the Lord,
Whom, by heaven and earth adored,
We our God and Father call--
O'er all, through all, with us all.
Source: The Voice of Praise: a collection of hymns for the use of the Methodist Church #520
First Line: | Father, hear our humble claim |
Author: | Charles Wesley |
Copyright: | Public Domain |
Father, hear our humble claim. C. Wesley. [For Unity.] In Longfellow & Johnson's Hymns of the Spirit, Boston, U.S., 1864, No. 227, and in the Songs for the Sanctuary, 1865-1872, No. 823. This cento is taken from two hymns by C. Wesley: (1) "Come, and let us sweetly join"; and (2) "Father, Son and Spirit, hear," both of which appeared in Hymns & Sacred Poems, 1740, and each of which has furnished several centos to the hymnbooks. This cento is stanza i. from No. 1, and stanzas ii.-v. from No. 2. (See Poetical Works, 1868-1872, vol. i. pp. 351, 356, 357.)
--John Julian, Dictionary of Hymnology (1907)