Jesu, Grant Me This, I Pray

Jesu, grant me this, I pray,
Ever in Thy heart to stay;
Let me evermore abide
Hidden in Thy wounded side.

If the evil one prepare,
Or the world, a tempting snare,
I am safe when I abide
In Thy heart and wounded side.

If the flesh, more dangerous still,
Tempt my soul to deeds of ill,
Naught I fear when I abide
In Thy heart and wounded side.

Death will come one day to me;
Jesu, cast me not from Thee:
Dying let me still abide
In Thy heart and wounded side.

Author: Charles Wesley

Year: 1749

This is a well-known translation/adaptation of the medieval Latin hymn 'Jesu, dulcis memoria' (attributed to St. Bernard of Clairvaux). The specific English verses given match the version that appears in many hymnals as the work of Charles Wesley (or occasionally listed as anonymous or 'tr. Charles Wesley'). Alternate attributions sometimes name John Austin (17th century) or other translators, but Wesley's 1749 rendering is the most commonly credited source for this exact text.