Behold the Man!

Arise, my Soul, arise,
Shake off thy guilty Fears,
The Bleeding Sacrifice
In my Behalf appears;
Before the Throne my Surety stands;
(Before the Throne my Surety stands;)
My Name is written on His Hands.

He ever lives above
For me to intercede,
His All-redeeming Love,
His precious Blood to plead;
His Blood aton'd for All our Race,
And sprinkles now the Throne of Grace.

Five bleeding Wounds He bears,
Receiv'd on Calvary;
They pour effectual Prayers,
They strongly speak for me;
Forgive him, O forgive, they cry,
Nor let that Ransom'd Sinner die!

The Father hears Him pray,
His dear Anointed One,
He cannot turn away
The Presence of His Son:
His Spirit answers to the Blood,
And tells me, I am born of God.

My God is reconcil'd,
His Pard'ning Voice I hear,
He owns me for His Child,
I can no longer fear;
With Confidence I now draw nigh,
And Father, Abba Father, cry!

—Charles Wesley
From Hymns and Sacred Poems.


Tune: "Lennox," Lewis Edson

About the Author

Charles Wesley (1707–1788) was a preacher, today alternately known as the brother of John Wesley, famous Methodist preacher and both of them co-founders of Methodism; or as one of the greatest and most prolific hymnwriters the world has ever known. It is believed that he wrote over five thousand hymns. The author of his entry in the Dictionary of Hymnology pays him this tribute: "The saying that a really good hymn is as rare an appearance as that of a comet is falsified by the work of Charles Wesley".