Messiah, Prince of Peace

Messiah, Prince of peace!
Where men each other tear,
Where war is learned, they must confess,
Thy kingdom is not there.
Who, prompted by Thy foe,
Delight in human blood,
Apollyon is their king, we know,
And Satan is their god.

But shall he still devour
The souls redeemed by Thee?
Jesus, stir up Thy glorious power
And end the apostasy!
Come, Savior, from above,
O’er all our hearts to reign;
And plant the kingdom of Thy love
In every heart of man.

Then shall we exercise
The hellish art no more,
While Thou our long-lost paradise
Dost with Thyself restore.
Fightings and wars shall cease,
And, in Thy Spirit giv’n,
Pure joy and everlasting peace
Shall turn our earth to Heav’n.

Author: Charles Wesley

Year: 1749

This is one of Charles Wesley's lesser-known hymns on the theme of peace; it appears in his 1749 collection 'Hymns and Sacred Poems'. The style, vocabulary (e.g., 'Apollyon'), and theological emphasis are characteristic of Wesley.