Scripture Verse

Behold, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are ye in Mine hand. Jeremiah 18:6

Introduction

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Thomas Campbell (1777–1844)
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: Charles Wes­ley, 1745.

Music: Sa­gi­na (Short) Tho­mas Camp­bell, Bou­quet 1825 (🔊 pdf nwc).

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Charles Wesley (1707–1788)

Anecdote

William Ar­thur says that on Dr. Puns­hon’s last vis­it to Cannes [prob­ab­ly Wes­ley’s bi­og­ra­pher, W. Mor­ley Pun­shon], in March, 1881, ‘Mem­bers of my fa­mi­ly told me of the de­light­ful spi­rits he seemed to be in dur­ing an ex­cur­sion on the Es­té­rel Moun­tains, and es­pe­cial­ly of the in­ter­est with which, on anoth­er day, he watched the pro­cess of ma­nu­fac­tur­ing in por­celain at Val­laur­is.

As the pot­ter out of his lump evolved form af­ter form, he watched in­tent­ly un­til tears ran down his cheeks, and then said in his own tell­ing tones—tones they would have ne­ver have for­got­ten, ev­en if they had not been so so­lemn­ly called to mind a lit­tle while af­ter­wards—Mould as Thou wilt Thy pas­sive clay.’

Telford, p. 334

Lyrics

Behold the ser­vant of the Lord!
I wait Thy guid­ing eye to feel,
To hear and keep Thy ev­ery word,
To prove and do Thy per­fect will,
Joyful from my own works to cease,
Glad to ful­fill all right­eous­ness.

Me if Thy grace vouch­safe to use,
Meanest of all Thy crea­tures, me,
The deed, the time, the man­ner choose,
Let all my fruit be found of Thee;
Let all my works in Thee be wrought,
By Thee to full per­fect­ion brought.

My ev­ery weak, though good de­sign,
O’errule, or change, as seems Thee meet;
Jesus, let all my work be Thine!
Thy work, O Lord, is all com­plete,
And pleas­ing in Thy Fa­ther’s sight;
Thou on­ly hast done all things right.

Here then to Thee Thy own I leave;
Mold as Thou wilt Thy pass­ive clay;
But let me all Thy stamp re­ceive,
But let me all Thy words ob­ey,
Serve with a sin­gle heart and eye,
And to Thy glo­ry live and die.