The Inward Witness

Thou great mysterious God unknown

Author: Charles Wesley
Published in 83 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, MusicXML
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Thou great, mysterious, God unknown,
Whose love hath gently led me on
E'en from my infant days;
Mine inmost soul expose to view,
And tell me if I ever knew
Thy justifying grace.

2 If I have only known Thy fear,
And followed with a heart sincere
Thy drawing from above,
Now, now the farther grace bestow,
And let my sprinkled conscience know
Thy sweet forgiving love.

3 Short of Thy love I would not stop,
A stranger to the gospel hope,
The sense of sin forgiven;
I would not, Lord, my soul deceive,
Without Thine inward witness live,
That antepast of heaven.

4 If now the witness were in me,
Would He not testify of thee,
In Jesus reconcil'd?
And should I not with faith draw nigh,
And boldly, Abba, Father, cry,
I know myself Thy child?

5 Ah! never let Thy servant rest,
Till, of my part in Christ possessed,
I on Thy mercy feed:
Unworthy of the crumbs that fall,
Yet raised by Him who died for all,
To eat the children's bread.

6 Whate'er obstructs Thy pardoning love,
Or sin, or righteousness, remove,
Thy glory to display;
My heart of unbelief convince,
And now absolve me from my sins,
And take them all away.

Source: The Book of Worship #210

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: Thou great mysterious God unknown
Title: The Inward Witness
Author: Charles Wesley
Meter: 8.8.6.8.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Instances

Instances (1 - 2 of 2)
TextScoreAudio

The Cyber Hymnal #6563

The Shenandoah Harmony #2B

Include 81 pre-1979 instances
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