Lord, I Believe Thy Work of Grace (including O Joyful Sound of Gospel Grace)

Part One

Lord, I believe Thy work of grace
Is perfect in the soul;
His heart is pure who sees Thy face,
His spirit is made whole.

From every sickness, by Thy word,
From every sore disease,
Saved, and to perfect health restored,
To perfect holiness.

He walks in glorious liberty,
To sin entirely dead;
The Truth, the Son hath made him free,
And he is free indeed.

Throughout his soul Thy glories shine,
His soul is all renewed,
And decked in righteousness Divine,
And clothed and filled with God.

In Spirit joined, and one with Thee,
And purged from all his stains,
No wrinkle of infirmity,
No spot of sin remains.

This is the rest, the life, the peace
Which all Thy people prove;
Love is the bond of perfectness,
And all their soul is love.

Thy people are all sanctified;
And Thou shalt say to me,
“Thou art all fair, My love, My bride,
There is no spot in Thee.”

Part Two

O joyful sound of gospel grace!
Christ shall in me appear;
I, even I, shall see His face,
I shall be holy here.

This heart shall be His constant home;
I hear His Spirit’s cry,
“Surely,” He saith, “I quickly come,”
He saith, Who cannot lie.

The glorious crown of righteousness
To me reached out I view;
Conqueror through Him, I soon shall seize,
And wear it as my due.

The promised land, from Pisgah’s top,
I now exult to see;
My hope is full (O glorious hope!)
Of immortality.

He visits now the house of clay,
He shakes His future home;
O wouldst Thou, Lord, on this glad day,
Into Thy temple come!

With me, I know, I feel, Thou art;
But this cannot suffice,
Unless thou plantest in my heart
A constant paradise.

My earth Thou waterest from on high,
But make it all a pool;
Spring up, O well, I ever cry,
Spring up within my soul!

Come, O my God, Thyself reveal,
Fill all this mighty void;
Thou only canst my spirit fill:
Come, O my God, my God!

Fulfil, fulfil my large desires,
Large as infinity;
Give, give me all my soul requires,
All, all that is in Thee!¹

(The second half of this hymn
came to stand by itself in Methodist hymnals of the 19th Century,
under the name O Joyful Sound of Gospel Grace.)