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A HYMN for MIDNIGHT.

I.
1 WHILE Midnight Shades the Earth o'erspread,
2 And veil the Bosom of the Deep,
3 Nature reclines her weary Head,
4 And Care respires and Sorrows sleep:
5 My Soul still aims at Nobler Rest,
6 Aspiring to her Saviour's Breast.
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II.
7 Aid me, ye hov'ring Spirits near,
8 Angels and Ministers of Grace;
9 Who ever, while you guard us here,
10 Behold your Heav'nly Father's Face!
11 Gently my raptur'd Soul convey
12 To Regions of Eternal Day.
III.
13 Fain would I leave this Earth below.
14 Of Pain and Sin the dark Abode;
15 Where shadowy Joy, or solid Woe
16 Allures, or tears me from my GOD:
17 Doubtful and Insecure of Bliss,
18 Since Death alone confirms me His.
IV.
19 Till then, to Sorrow born I sigh,
20 And gasp, and languish after Home;
21 Upward I send my streaming Eye,
22 Expecting till the Bridegroom come:
23 Come quickly, Lord! Thy own receive,
24 Now let me see thy Face, and live.
V.
25 Absent from Thee, my exil'd Soul
26 Deep in a Fleshly Dungeon groans;
27 Around me Clouds of Darkness roll,
28 And lab'ring Silence speaks my Moans:
29 Come quickly, Lord! Thy Face display,
30 And look my Midnight into Day.
VI.
31 Error and Sin, and Death are o'er
32 If Thou reverse the Creature's Doom;
33 Sad, Rachel weeps her Loss no more,
34 If Thou the GOD, the Saviour come:
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35 Of Thee possest, in Thee we prove
36 The Light, the Life, the Heav'n of Love.

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Title (in Source Edition): A HYMN for MIDNIGHT.
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Genres: hymn

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Wesley, John, 1703-1791. Wesley, Charles, 1707-1788. Hymns and sacred poems: Published by John Wesley, ... and Charles Wesley, ... London: printed by William Strahan; and sold by James Hutton; and at Mr. Bray's, 1739, pp. 55-57. x,[6],223,[1]p.; 12⁰. (ESTC T31323; OTA K034809.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Vet. A4 f. 254].)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.

Other works by Rev. Charles Wesley