 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
[THE TRIAL OF FAITH]
I. THE TRIAL OF FAITH.
Hymn 1.
“Christ also suffered, leaving us an example.”
Come, O my soul, the call obey,
Take up the burden of thy Lord!
His practice is thy living way,
Thy guide His pure unerring word,
The lovely perfect pattern read,
And haste in all His steps to tread.
Take up the burden of thy Lord!
His practice is thy living way,
Thy guide His pure unerring word,
The lovely perfect pattern read,
And haste in all His steps to tread.
What did my Lord from sinners bear?
His patience is the rule for me:
Walking in Him I cannot err:
And lo! the Man of Griefs I see,
Whose life one scene of sufferings was,
Quite from the manger to the cross.
His patience is the rule for me:
Walking in Him I cannot err:
And lo! the Man of Griefs I see,
Whose life one scene of sufferings was,
Quite from the manger to the cross.
Here then my calling I discern,
('Tis written in affliction's book,)
My first, and latest lesson learn,
For nothing here but sufferings look,
I bow me to the will Divine,
To suffer with my Lord be mine.
('Tis written in affliction's book,)
My first, and latest lesson learn,
For nothing here but sufferings look,
I bow me to the will Divine,
To suffer with my Lord be mine.
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To suffer as my Lord I come:
How did the Lamb His wrongs endure?
Clamorous, and warm? or meek, and dumb?
Did He by force His life secure?
His injured innocence defend;
Or bear His burden to the end?
How did the Lamb His wrongs endure?
Clamorous, and warm? or meek, and dumb?
Did He by force His life secure?
His injured innocence defend;
Or bear His burden to the end?
Did He evade the pain, and shame,
Impatient of unjust disgrace?
Did He throw off the imputed blame?
Did He from spitting hide His face?
Did He to man for succour fly;
Or offer up Himself, and die?
Impatient of unjust disgrace?
Did He throw off the imputed blame?
Did He from spitting hide His face?
Did He to man for succour fly;
Or offer up Himself, and die?
When nature sunk beneath her load,
Would He the dreadful cup decline?
Prostrate, and bruised, and sweating blood,
“Father, Thy will be done, not Mine,”
He speaks, and meets His enemies,
And gives them power Himself to seize.
Would He the dreadful cup decline?
Prostrate, and bruised, and sweating blood,
“Father, Thy will be done, not Mine,”
He speaks, and meets His enemies,
And gives them power Himself to seize.
The word, which struck them to the ground,
Could it not strike them into hell?
Whom all the hosts of heaven surround,
He will not force by force repel.
“Put up,” He cries, thy needless “sword,”
Nor stain the meekness of thy Lord.
Could it not strike them into hell?
Whom all the hosts of heaven surround,
He will not force by force repel.
“Put up,” He cries, thy needless “sword,”
Nor stain the meekness of thy Lord.
He chides His rash disciple's zeal,
Accepts not man's nor angel's aid:
Vouchsafes His wounded foe to heal:
The hands, that had His murderers made,
He stretches out; He lets them bind
The hands that could unmake mankind.
Accepts not man's nor angel's aid:
Vouchsafes His wounded foe to heal:
The hands, that had His murderers made,
He stretches out; He lets them bind
The hands that could unmake mankind.
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Doth He in deed or word gainsay,
Or ask or struggle to be freed?
They lead the speechless Lamb away:
To scorn, and pain, and death they lead
The speechless Lamb; resign'd unto
The utmost earth and hell could do.
Or ask or struggle to be freed?
They lead the speechless Lamb away:
To scorn, and pain, and death they lead
The speechless Lamb; resign'd unto
The utmost earth and hell could do.
O that I might like Him withstand,
Like Him mine innocency clear,
Like Him resist the ruffian band,
Like Him refuse the cross to bear,
Like Him the persecutor fly;
Like Him submit to live, and die?
Like Him mine innocency clear,
Like Him resist the ruffian band,
Like Him refuse the cross to bear,
Like Him the persecutor fly;
Like Him submit to live, and die?
II. THE SAME.
Hymn 2.
[Jesu, Thy record I receive]
Jesu, Thy record I receive,
With lowly self-mistrusting fear:
As many days as here I live,
So many must I suffer here:
In all my Master's steps to go,
To suffer is my lot below.
With lowly self-mistrusting fear:
As many days as here I live,
So many must I suffer here:
In all my Master's steps to go,
To suffer is my lot below.
Thy Spirit witnesses to mine,
I must Thy daily cross endure:
I know the warning is Divine:
The word of promised pain is sure;
Afflictions all my steps attend,
And but with life my griefs shall end.
I must Thy daily cross endure:
I know the warning is Divine:
The word of promised pain is sure;
Afflictions all my steps attend,
And but with life my griefs shall end.
Whate'er the rage of fiends, and men,
Can by Divine permission do,
I come expecting to sustain:
It must be so, for God is true;
And God hath spoke the faithful word,
“The servant shall be as his Lord.”
Can by Divine permission do,
I come expecting to sustain:
It must be so, for God is true;
And God hath spoke the faithful word,
“The servant shall be as his Lord.”
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Master, if Thee the world blasphemed,
Will they not scorn, and cast out me?
I shall be more and more contemn'd,
I shall be more and more like Thee,
Till all conform'd to Thee I am,
And honour'd with Thine utmost shame.
Will they not scorn, and cast out me?
I shall be more and more contemn'd,
I shall be more and more like Thee,
Till all conform'd to Thee I am,
And honour'd with Thine utmost shame.
If Thee the' ungrateful world could hate,
Thou friend, and lover of mankind,
Shall I not feel their anger's weight,
Shall I not all their malice find,
Hated, oppress'd, despised, abhorr'd,
And persecuted with my Lord!
Thou friend, and lover of mankind,
Shall I not feel their anger's weight,
Shall I not all their malice find,
Hated, oppress'd, despised, abhorr'd,
And persecuted with my Lord!
They will, Thyself hast said, they will,
With mortal hate my life pursue,
As helpless sheep Thy people kill,
Service to God by murder do,
Offer Thee human sacrifice,
And glut Thee with Thy martyrs' cries.
With mortal hate my life pursue,
As helpless sheep Thy people kill,
Service to God by murder do,
Offer Thee human sacrifice,
And glut Thee with Thy martyrs' cries.
With steadfast faith for this I wait,
To bear the' inevitable cross,
A sharer in Thy low estate,
Afflicted as my Master was,
I must on earth Thy treatment find,
The scorn, and outcast of mankind.
To bear the' inevitable cross,
A sharer in Thy low estate,
Afflicted as my Master was,
I must on earth Thy treatment find,
The scorn, and outcast of mankind.
I feel it settled in my heart,
Fix'd in my inmost soul I feel
A looking for that better part,
A sure presage of promised ill,
Of all my Saviour bore beneath,
Sorrow, and shame, and bonds, and death.
Fix'd in my inmost soul I feel
A looking for that better part,
A sure presage of promised ill,
Of all my Saviour bore beneath,
Sorrow, and shame, and bonds, and death.
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III. THE SAME.
Hymn 3.
[Come then, my Jesu, from above]
Come then, my Jesu, from above,
Endue me with Thy constant mind,
Inspire me with Thy patient love,
Thou bleeding Saviour of mankind,
My faith increase, my heart prepare,
And arm, and bid me all things bear.
Endue me with Thy constant mind,
Inspire me with Thy patient love,
Thou bleeding Saviour of mankind,
My faith increase, my heart prepare,
And arm, and bid me all things bear.
Mine utter helplessness I own,
And every moment more than see;
Thou know'st I cannot stand alone,
My strength to bear is all from Thee,
Mine all-sufficient strength be Thou,
And lo! I come to suffer now!
And every moment more than see;
Thou know'st I cannot stand alone,
My strength to bear is all from Thee,
Mine all-sufficient strength be Thou,
And lo! I come to suffer now!
Thy power into my heart inspeak,
And lo! I come to meet Thy pain,
To turn like Thee the other cheek,
All wrong and violence to sustain,
Never against my foes to stand,
But sink beneath their bruising hand.
And lo! I come to meet Thy pain,
To turn like Thee the other cheek,
All wrong and violence to sustain,
Never against my foes to stand,
But sink beneath their bruising hand.
I will not take the proffer'd sword,
Or stoop to feeble man for aid:
Lead me away with Christ my Lord,
To scorn, or bonds, or slaughter lead,
A follower of that silent Lamb
The man whom now ye seek, I am.
Or stoop to feeble man for aid:
Lead me away with Christ my Lord,
To scorn, or bonds, or slaughter lead,
A follower of that silent Lamb
The man whom now ye seek, I am.
Come, threatening world, thy prisoner take,
I will not from my Master fly,
Jesus in life or death forsake,
But stay, with Him to live, and die;
Before His foes my Lord I own,
And tell you all, that I am one.
I will not from my Master fly,
Jesus in life or death forsake,
But stay, with Him to live, and die;
Before His foes my Lord I own,
And tell you all, that I am one.
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His servant and disciple see,
Resolved His weal or woe to share;
A Galilean seize in me,
And let me as my Master fare,
Convict (for I my crime confess)
Of following after righteousness.
Resolved His weal or woe to share;
A Galilean seize in me,
And let me as my Master fare,
Convict (for I my crime confess)
Of following after righteousness.
IV. THE SAME.
Hymn 4.
[Yes, Thou dear lamb-like Son of God]
Yes, Thou dear lamb-like Son of God,
Whom now with eyes of faith I view,
Thou know'st, I in Thy steps have trod,
And would to Calvary pursue,
Through all Thy passion's stages run,
Till Thou pronounce the word 'Tis done.
Whom now with eyes of faith I view,
Thou know'st, I in Thy steps have trod,
And would to Calvary pursue,
Through all Thy passion's stages run,
Till Thou pronounce the word 'Tis done.
Thy Spirit breathe into my breast,
Spirit of patient charity,
And lo! I meet the fiery test,
To prison go, and death with Thee,
Anticipate the dreadful hour,
And stand in Thine almighty power.
Spirit of patient charity,
And lo! I meet the fiery test,
To prison go, and death with Thee,
Anticipate the dreadful hour,
And stand in Thine almighty power.
A witness of Thy truth I stand,
Arraign'd at man's unrighteous bar,
In vain my answer they demand,
My silence shall Thy truth declare,
A sheep before the shearers dumb,
To answer as my Lord I come.
Arraign'd at man's unrighteous bar,
In vain my answer they demand,
My silence shall Thy truth declare,
A sheep before the shearers dumb,
To answer as my Lord I come.
Falsely accused I hold my peace,
The Judge Supreme doth all things know;
I want no rescue, or release,
No justice I expect below,
Nor mercy,—more than Jesus found,
The Man to yonder pillar bound.
The Judge Supreme doth all things know;
I want no rescue, or release,
No justice I expect below,
Nor mercy,—more than Jesus found,
The Man to yonder pillar bound.
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O what a piteous sight is there!
His tender hands are tied behind,
His back their cruel scourges tear,
Yet no complaint, or sigh we find;
Or if He groans in all the smart,
'Tis for the hardness of their heart.
His tender hands are tied behind,
His back their cruel scourges tear,
Yet no complaint, or sigh we find;
Or if He groans in all the smart,
'Tis for the hardness of their heart.
My pattern here I plainly see,
A voice is in Thy streaming blood,
It bids me bear the scourge like Thee,
Like Thee commit my cause to God,
Like Thee the' injurious world oppose,
Like Thee avenge me of my foes.
A voice is in Thy streaming blood,
It bids me bear the scourge like Thee,
Like Thee commit my cause to God,
Like Thee the' injurious world oppose,
Like Thee avenge me of my foes.
V. THE SAME.
Hymn 5.
[Still let me on my Pattern gaze]
Still let me on my Pattern gaze,
How meek and motionless He stands!
They spit upon His sacred face,
They buffet with unhallow'd hands,
They bow the knee, present the reed,
And mock whom they have doom'd to bleed.
How meek and motionless He stands!
They spit upon His sacred face,
They buffet with unhallow'd hands,
They bow the knee, present the reed,
And mock whom they have doom'd to bleed.
No answer yet? no late reply
To clear His suffering innocence?
So tamely will the guiltless die,
Die for His guilty foes' offence,
Die, that His murderers may live!
“Father (He gasps in death) forgive!”
To clear His suffering innocence?
So tamely will the guiltless die,
Die for His guilty foes' offence,
Die, that His murderers may live!
“Father (He gasps in death) forgive!”
Silent for them, for them He pleads,
And spends in prayer His latest breath;
To purge a sinful world He bleeds,
To bless them dies a cursed death,
Expires into the arms Divine—
Jesu, was ever love like Thine!
And spends in prayer His latest breath;
To purge a sinful world He bleeds,
To bless them dies a cursed death,
Expires into the arms Divine—
Jesu, was ever love like Thine!
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O might it now my heart constrain,
My every rising thought control,
Sweeten the cup of grief, and pain,
And melt and meeken all my soul,
Conform me to the Crucified,
My God, who for His murderers died.
My every rising thought control,
Sweeten the cup of grief, and pain,
And melt and meeken all my soul,
Conform me to the Crucified,
My God, who for His murderers died.
Love only can the conquest win,
And make me as my lamblike God:
Through love I conquer all their sin,
And strive, resisting unto blood;
Strive to secure the glorious wreath,
Resisting, by enduring death.
And make me as my lamblike God:
Through love I conquer all their sin,
And strive, resisting unto blood;
Strive to secure the glorious wreath,
Resisting, by enduring death.
O might I now Thy love retrieve,
And sink among the happy dead,
Into Thine hands my spirit give,
And bow upon Thy cross my head,
When I its utmost virtue prove,
Made perfect by all-patient love.
And sink among the happy dead,
Into Thine hands my spirit give,
And bow upon Thy cross my head,
When I its utmost virtue prove,
Made perfect by all-patient love.
VI. THE SAME.
Hymn 6.
[Saviour of all, what hast Thou done]
Saviour of all, what hast Thou done,
What hast Thou suffer'd on the tree?
Why didst Thou groan Thy mortal groan,
Obedient unto death for me?
The mystery of Thy passion show,
The end of all Thy griefs below.
What hast Thou suffer'd on the tree?
Why didst Thou groan Thy mortal groan,
Obedient unto death for me?
The mystery of Thy passion show,
The end of all Thy griefs below.
Thy soul for sin an offering made
Hath clear'd this guilty soul of mine;
Thou hast for me a ransom paid,
To change my human to Divine,
To cleanse from all iniquity,
And make the sinner all like Thee.
Hath clear'd this guilty soul of mine;
Thou hast for me a ransom paid,
To change my human to Divine,
To cleanse from all iniquity,
And make the sinner all like Thee.
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Pardon, and grace, and heaven to buy,
My bleeding Sacrifice expired:
But didst Thou not my pattern die,
That by Thy glorious Spirit fired,
Faithful I might to death endure,
And make the crown by suffering sure?
My bleeding Sacrifice expired:
But didst Thou not my pattern die,
That by Thy glorious Spirit fired,
Faithful I might to death endure,
And make the crown by suffering sure?
Thou didst the meek example leave,
That I might in Thy footsteps tread;
Might like the Man of sorrows grieve,
And groan, and bow with Thee my head;
Thy dying in my body bear,
And all Thy state of passion share.
That I might in Thy footsteps tread;
Might like the Man of sorrows grieve,
And groan, and bow with Thee my head;
Thy dying in my body bear,
And all Thy state of passion share.
Thy every perfect servant, Lord,
Shall as his patient Master be,
To all Thine inward life restored,
And outwardly conform'd to Thee,
Out of Thy grave the saint shall rise,
And grasp through death the glorious prize.
Shall as his patient Master be,
To all Thine inward life restored,
And outwardly conform'd to Thee,
Out of Thy grave the saint shall rise,
And grasp through death the glorious prize.
This is the straight, and royal way,
That leads us to the courts above;
Here let me ever, ever stay,
Till on the wings of perfect love
I take my last triumphant flight
From Calvary's to Sion's height.
That leads us to the courts above;
Here let me ever, ever stay,
Till on the wings of perfect love
I take my last triumphant flight
From Calvary's to Sion's height.
VII. THE SAME.
Hymn 7.
[And did my Lord on earth endure]
And did my Lord on earth endure
Sorrow, and hardships, and distress,
That I might sit me down secure,
And rest in self-indulgent ease,
His delicate disciple I
Like Him might neither live, nor die!
Sorrow, and hardships, and distress,
That I might sit me down secure,
And rest in self-indulgent ease,
His delicate disciple I
Like Him might neither live, nor die!
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Master, I have not learn'd Thee so:
Thy yoke and burden I receive,
Resolve in all Thy steps to go,
And bless the cross by which I live,
And curse the wisdom from beneath,
That strives to rob me of Thy death.
Thy yoke and burden I receive,
Resolve in all Thy steps to go,
And bless the cross by which I live,
And curse the wisdom from beneath,
That strives to rob me of Thy death.
Thy holy will be done, not mine,
Be suffered all Thy holy will:
I dare not, Lord, the cross decline,
I will not lose the slightest ill,
Or lay the heaviest burden down,
The richest jewel of my crown.
Be suffered all Thy holy will:
I dare not, Lord, the cross decline,
I will not lose the slightest ill,
Or lay the heaviest burden down,
The richest jewel of my crown.
Sorrow is solid joy, and pain
Is pure delight, endured for Thee;
Reproach and loss are glorious gain,
And death is immortality;
And who for Thee their all have given,
Have nobly barter'd earth for heaven.
Is pure delight, endured for Thee;
Reproach and loss are glorious gain,
And death is immortality;
And who for Thee their all have given,
Have nobly barter'd earth for heaven.
Saved is the life for Jesus lost,
Hidden from earth, but found in God;
To suffer is to triumph most,
The highest gift on man bestow'd;
Seal of my sure election this,
Seal of mine everlasting bliss.
Hidden from earth, but found in God;
To suffer is to triumph most,
The highest gift on man bestow'd;
Seal of my sure election this,
Seal of mine everlasting bliss.
The touchstone, and the proof of grace,
The standard of perfection here,
The measure of my heavenly place,
When Christ and all His saints appear,
The mark Divine by Jesu's art
Imprinted on my faithful heart.
The standard of perfection here,
The measure of my heavenly place,
When Christ and all His saints appear,
The mark Divine by Jesu's art
Imprinted on my faithful heart.
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O might it deeper sink, (but give
Me strength Thy strongest love to bear,)
Fain would I die with Thee to live,
Fain would I all Thy passion share;
To me Thy thorny crown be given
On earth, Thy glorious crown in heaven.
Me strength Thy strongest love to bear,)
Fain would I die with Thee to live,
Fain would I all Thy passion share;
To me Thy thorny crown be given
On earth, Thy glorious crown in heaven.
VIII. THE SAME.
Hymn 8.
[It must be so; Thou say'st it must]
It must be so; Thou say'st it must:
True is Thine acceptable word,
They will from their communions thrust
The faithful followers of their Lord;
Buffet, and vex, and scourge, and bind
The friends, and patrons of mankind.
True is Thine acceptable word,
They will from their communions thrust
The faithful followers of their Lord;
Buffet, and vex, and scourge, and bind
The friends, and patrons of mankind.
Full of the wicked one, and born
After the flesh, they will pursue
With restless hate, and cruel scorn,
The souls whom Thou hast formed anew,
The saints begotten from above,
Born of the Spirit of Thy love.
After the flesh, they will pursue
With restless hate, and cruel scorn,
The souls whom Thou hast formed anew,
The saints begotten from above,
Born of the Spirit of Thy love.
Who would the life of God regain,
And Thee for their example take,
They too the honour shall obtain,
And persecuted for Thy sake,
Thy confessors their seal set to,
True witnesses that God is true.
And Thee for their example take,
They too the honour shall obtain,
And persecuted for Thy sake,
Thy confessors their seal set to,
True witnesses that God is true.
Who only seek in Thee our rest,
Are we not now a proverb made,
Reviled, rejected, and oppress'd,
By brethren and by friends betray'd,
By bitterest household foes pursued,
Hated of all that love not God?
Are we not now a proverb made,
Reviled, rejected, and oppress'd,
By brethren and by friends betray'd,
By bitterest household foes pursued,
Hated of all that love not God?
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Since first we heavenward turn'd our face,
Exposed, and outraged all day long
An helpless, poor, afflicted race,
For doing good we suffer wrong.
We suffer shame, distress, and loss,
And wait for all Thy glorious cross.
Exposed, and outraged all day long
An helpless, poor, afflicted race,
For doing good we suffer wrong.
We suffer shame, distress, and loss,
And wait for all Thy glorious cross.
The Scriptures they in vain deny,
The world unknowingly fulfil;
Bursting through nature's closest tie,
The brother shall the brother kill,
The son shall stop his father's breath,
The parent drag his child to death.
The world unknowingly fulfil;
Bursting through nature's closest tie,
The brother shall the brother kill,
The son shall stop his father's breath,
The parent drag his child to death.
No pity or humane regard
We in our savage foes shall find,
For all their cruelties prepared:
From those who cast Thy words behind
Justice, alas! we look for none;
Our help is all in Christ alone.
We in our savage foes shall find,
For all their cruelties prepared:
From those who cast Thy words behind
Justice, alas! we look for none;
Our help is all in Christ alone.
Holpen by Him to suffer more,
From strength to strength we meekly go;
And when we gain the perfect power,
The world their utmost rage shall show,
And when we all Thy life retrieve
Shall count us then not fit to live.
From strength to strength we meekly go;
And when we gain the perfect power,
The world their utmost rage shall show,
And when we all Thy life retrieve
Shall count us then not fit to live.
IX. THE SAME.
Hymn 9.
[Jesu, Thy legacy I take]
Jesu, Thy legacy I take,
The pattern Thou hast left behind,
To suffer all things for Thy sake,
Thy patient, meek, submissive mind
I long throughout my life to' express,
And copy all Thy righteousness.
The pattern Thou hast left behind,
To suffer all things for Thy sake,
Thy patient, meek, submissive mind
I long throughout my life to' express,
And copy all Thy righteousness.
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I will not point Thee out the way,
Or rashly this, or that require,
I dare not for affliction pray;
But, Lord, Thou know'st my heart's desire,
Which pants for full conformity,
And struggles to be all like Thee.
Or rashly this, or that require,
I dare not for affliction pray;
But, Lord, Thou know'st my heart's desire,
Which pants for full conformity,
And struggles to be all like Thee.
I thirst to drink my Master's cup,
Thy fiery baptism to know,
To take Thy hallow'd burden up,
Companion of the Man of woe,
To tread where'er the Lamb hath trod,
One with the suffering Son of God.
Thy fiery baptism to know,
To take Thy hallow'd burden up,
Companion of the Man of woe,
To tread where'er the Lamb hath trod,
One with the suffering Son of God.
My soul, with just ambition fired,
Hath languish'd to be great in Thee,
Hath oft to Calvary aspired,
Honour'd the ignominious tree,
And envied those, who earliest bear
Thy cross, and longest suffer there.
Hath languish'd to be great in Thee,
Hath oft to Calvary aspired,
Honour'd the ignominious tree,
And envied those, who earliest bear
Thy cross, and longest suffer there.
Who now to every ill submit,
Foremost of all Thy saints they stand,
Who suffer most, with Jesus sit,
Exalted at their Lord's right hand,
While here on earth, they reign above,
Triumphant on a throne of love.
Foremost of all Thy saints they stand,
Who suffer most, with Jesus sit,
Exalted at their Lord's right hand,
While here on earth, they reign above,
Triumphant on a throne of love.
X. THE SAME.
Hymn 10.
[How long, Thou suffering Son of God]
How long, Thou suffering Son of God,
Shall sinners take Thy name in vain,
Start from the thorny narrow road
Of sacred salutary pain,
Fondly presume to call Thee, Lord,
But tremble to obey Thy word?
Shall sinners take Thy name in vain,
Start from the thorny narrow road
Of sacred salutary pain,
Fondly presume to call Thee, Lord,
But tremble to obey Thy word?
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The man that will Thy follower be,
Thou bidd'st him still himself deny,
Take up his daily cross with Thee,
Thy shameful death rejoice to die,
And choose a momentary pain,
A crown of endless life to gain.
Thou bidd'st him still himself deny,
Take up his daily cross with Thee,
Thy shameful death rejoice to die,
And choose a momentary pain,
A crown of endless life to gain.
But who the dreadful word receive,
Or gladly take Thy burden up?
We dare not, Lord, the truth believe,
But soothed with a self-flattering hope
To feeble man for succour run,
The crown-ensuring cross to shun.
Or gladly take Thy burden up?
We dare not, Lord, the truth believe,
But soothed with a self-flattering hope
To feeble man for succour run,
The crown-ensuring cross to shun.
A thousand ways and means we try,
The cross of none effect to make;
To Egypt we for chariots fly,
Shelter in human laws we take,
Assured the world will do us right,
And Satan against Satan fight.
The cross of none effect to make;
To Egypt we for chariots fly,
Shelter in human laws we take,
Assured the world will do us right,
And Satan against Satan fight.
Fools that we are, and slow of heart,
Our richest portion to refuse,
The patient Saviour's better part,
The labour, and reward, to lose,
The fairest prize to sufferers given,
The largest recompense in heaven.
Our richest portion to refuse,
The patient Saviour's better part,
The labour, and reward, to lose,
The fairest prize to sufferers given,
The largest recompense in heaven.
But O! suffice the season past
That we Thy saying have abhorr'd,
Disdain'd Thy passion's cup to taste,
And strove to be above our Lord:
To Thy sweet yoke at length we bow,
And meekly come to suffer now.
That we Thy saying have abhorr'd,
Disdain'd Thy passion's cup to taste,
And strove to be above our Lord:
To Thy sweet yoke at length we bow,
And meekly come to suffer now.
155
Or let us here on Tabor stop,
Thy glorious face awhile to see,
Or climb yon adverse mountain's top,
The height of rugged Calvary;
To Calvary we with joy repair,
And die to find our Saviour there.
Thy glorious face awhile to see,
Or climb yon adverse mountain's top,
The height of rugged Calvary;
To Calvary we with joy repair,
And die to find our Saviour there.
XI. THE SAME.
Hymn 11.
[Help, gracious Lord, the time is come]
Help, gracious Lord, the time is come
Of suffering for Thy righteous cause,
I see, I see Thy people's doom,
To' endure with Thee the sacred cross,
And now my own convictions fear,
And tremble at the trial near.
Of suffering for Thy righteous cause,
I see, I see Thy people's doom,
To' endure with Thee the sacred cross,
And now my own convictions fear,
And tremble at the trial near.
The flesh, alas! Thou know'st is weak,
Nor can the lightest cross sustain,
Convinced, on earth I must not seek
A rescue from reproach, or pain,
Or put the hallow'd cup aside,
But bow with Jesus crucified.
Nor can the lightest cross sustain,
Convinced, on earth I must not seek
A rescue from reproach, or pain,
Or put the hallow'd cup aside,
But bow with Jesus crucified.
Call'd to distress, and patient grief,
Have I not made Thy portion mine?
I have: I look for no relief,
No lessening of my lot Divine,
But hold Thy rigid literal word,
A simple follower of my Lord!
Have I not made Thy portion mine?
I have: I look for no relief,
No lessening of my lot Divine,
But hold Thy rigid literal word,
A simple follower of my Lord!
Let Jews their slightest wrong repay,
And fiercely eye for eye require:
More excellent the Christian way,
We will not call for vengeful fire,
Evil resist in word or deed,
But close in all Thy footsteps tread.
And fiercely eye for eye require:
More excellent the Christian way,
We will not call for vengeful fire,
Evil resist in word or deed,
But close in all Thy footsteps tread.
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Let others human succour seek,
With all their powers the cross evade,
We learn to turn the other cheek,
We look to Thee alone for aid;
In suffering all we cannot err,
We cannot follow Thee too far.
With all their powers the cross evade,
We learn to turn the other cheek,
We look to Thee alone for aid;
In suffering all we cannot err,
We cannot follow Thee too far.
To suffer all things for Thy sake,
My calling this I humbly own;
Nor will from Thee the matter take,
But trust my cause to Thee alone:
My help is all laid up above,
My only refuge is Thy love.
My calling this I humbly own;
Nor will from Thee the matter take,
But trust my cause to Thee alone:
My help is all laid up above,
My only refuge is Thy love.
The word, the awful word, is true,
Howe'er my feeble flesh may fail,
I should my patient Lord pursue,
The utmost rage of earth and hell,
Meek, as the Lamb of God endure,
And die to make my calling sure.
Howe'er my feeble flesh may fail,
I should my patient Lord pursue,
The utmost rage of earth and hell,
Meek, as the Lamb of God endure,
And die to make my calling sure.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |