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| XI. |
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| XIII. |
 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
363
[THE MARKS OF FAITH.]
CLXI. THE MARKS OF FAITH.
Hymn 1.
How can a sinner know
His sins on earth forgiven?
How can my Saviour show
My name inscribed in heaven?
What we ourselves have felt, and seen,
With confidence we tell,
And publish to the sons of men
The signs infallible.
His sins on earth forgiven?
How can my Saviour show
My name inscribed in heaven?
What we ourselves have felt, and seen,
With confidence we tell,
And publish to the sons of men
The signs infallible.
We who in Christ believe
That He for us hath died,
His unknown peace receive,
And feel His blood applied:
Exults for joy our rising soul,
Disburden'd of her load,
And swells, unutterably full
Of glory, and of God.
That He for us hath died,
His unknown peace receive,
And feel His blood applied:
Exults for joy our rising soul,
Disburden'd of her load,
And swells, unutterably full
Of glory, and of God.
His love, surpassing far
The love of all beneath,
We find within, and dare
The pointless darts of death:
Stronger than death, or sin, or hell,
The mystic power we prove,
And conquerors of the world we dwell
In heaven, who dwell in love.
The love of all beneath,
We find within, and dare
The pointless darts of death:
Stronger than death, or sin, or hell,
The mystic power we prove,
And conquerors of the world we dwell
In heaven, who dwell in love.
The pledge of future bliss
He now to us imparts,
His gracious Spirit is
The earnest in our hearts:
We antedate the joys above,
We taste the' eternal powers,
And know that all those heights of love,
And all those heavens are ours.
He now to us imparts,
His gracious Spirit is
The earnest in our hearts:
364
We taste the' eternal powers,
And know that all those heights of love,
And all those heavens are ours.
Till He our life reveal,
We rest in Christ secure:
His Spirit is the seal,
Which made our pardon sure:
Our sins His blood hath blotted out,
And sign'd our soul's release:
And can we of His favour doubt,
Whose blood declares us His?
We rest in Christ secure:
His Spirit is the seal,
Which made our pardon sure:
Our sins His blood hath blotted out,
And sign'd our soul's release:
And can we of His favour doubt,
Whose blood declares us His?
We by His Spirit prove,
And know the things of God,
The things which of His love
He hath on us bestow'd:
Our God to us His Spirit gave,
And dwells in us, we know,
The witness in ourselves we have,
And all His fruits we show.
And know the things of God,
The things which of His love
He hath on us bestow'd:
Our God to us His Spirit gave,
And dwells in us, we know,
The witness in ourselves we have,
And all His fruits we show.
The meek and lowly heart,
Which in our Saviour was,
He doth to us impart,
And signs us with His cross:
Our nature's course is turn'd, our mind
Transform'd in all its powers,
And both the witnesses are join'd,
The Spirit of God with ours.
Which in our Saviour was,
He doth to us impart,
And signs us with His cross:
Our nature's course is turn'd, our mind
Transform'd in all its powers,
And both the witnesses are join'd,
The Spirit of God with ours.
Whate'er our pardoning Lord
Commands, we gladly do,
And guided by His word
We all His steps pursue:
His glory is our sole design,
We live our God to please,
And rise with filial fear Divine
To perfect holiness.
Commands, we gladly do,
And guided by His word
We all His steps pursue:
365
We live our God to please,
And rise with filial fear Divine
To perfect holiness.
CLXII. THE SAME.
Hymn 2.
[How shall a slave released]
How shall a slave released
From his oppressive chain
Distinguish ease, and rest,
From weariness, and pain?
Can he his burden borne away
Infallibly perceive?
Or I before the judgment-day
My pardon'd sin believe?
From his oppressive chain
Distinguish ease, and rest,
From weariness, and pain?
Can he his burden borne away
Infallibly perceive?
Or I before the judgment-day
My pardon'd sin believe?
Redeem'd from all his woes,
Out of his dungeon freed,
Ask, how the prisoner knows
That he is free indeed!
How can he tell the gloom of night
From the meridian blaze?
Or I discern the glorious light,
That streams from Jesu's face?
Out of his dungeon freed,
Ask, how the prisoner knows
That he is free indeed!
How can he tell the gloom of night
From the meridian blaze?
Or I discern the glorious light,
That streams from Jesu's face?
The gasping patient lies
In agony of pain!
But see him light arise,
Restored to health again
And doth he certainly receive
The knowledge of his cure!
And am I conscious that I live?
And is my pardon sure?
In agony of pain!
But see him light arise,
Restored to health again
And doth he certainly receive
The knowledge of his cure!
And am I conscious that I live?
And is my pardon sure?
366
A wretch for years consign'd
To hopeless misery,
The happy change must find,
From all his pain set free:
And must not I the difference know
Of joy, and anxious grief,
Of grace, and sin, of weal, and woe,
Of faith, and unbelief?
To hopeless misery,
The happy change must find,
From all his pain set free:
And must not I the difference know
Of joy, and anxious grief,
Of grace, and sin, of weal, and woe,
Of faith, and unbelief?
Yes, Lord, I now perceive,
And bless Thee for the grace,
Through which redeem'd I live
To see Thy smiling face:
Alive I am, who once was dead,
And freely justified;
I know Thy blood for me was shed,
I feel it now applied.
And bless Thee for the grace,
Through which redeem'd I live
To see Thy smiling face:
Alive I am, who once was dead,
And freely justified;
I know Thy blood for me was shed,
I feel it now applied.
By sin no longer bound,
The prisoner is set free,
The lost again is found
In paradise, in Thee:
In darkness, chains, and death I was,
But lo! to life restored,
Into Thy wondrous light I pass,
The freeman of the Lord.
The prisoner is set free,
The lost again is found
In paradise, in Thee:
In darkness, chains, and death I was,
But lo! to life restored,
Into Thy wondrous light I pass,
The freeman of the Lord.
In comfort, power, and peace
Thy favour, Lord, I prove,
In faith, and joy's increase,
And self-abasing love:
Thou dost my pardon'd sin reveal,
My life, and heart renew;
The pledge, the witness, and the seal
Confirm the record true.
Thy favour, Lord, I prove,
In faith, and joy's increase,
And self-abasing love:
Thou dost my pardon'd sin reveal,
My life, and heart renew;
The pledge, the witness, and the seal
Confirm the record true.
367
The Spirit of my God
Hath certified Him mine,
And all the tokens show'd
Infallible, Divine:
Hereby the pardon'd sinner knows
His sins on earth forgiven,
And thus my faithful Saviour shows
My name inscribed in heaven.
Hath certified Him mine,
And all the tokens show'd
Infallible, Divine:
Hereby the pardon'd sinner knows
His sins on earth forgiven,
And thus my faithful Saviour shows
My name inscribed in heaven.
CLXIII. THE SAME.
Hymn 3.
[Ah! foolish world, forbear]
Ah! foolish world, forbear
Thine unavailing pain,
Nor needlessly declare
Our hope, and labour vain:
Tell us no more, we cannot know
On earth the heavenly powers,
Or taste the glorious bliss below,
Or feel, that God is ours.
Thine unavailing pain,
Nor needlessly declare
Our hope, and labour vain:
Tell us no more, we cannot know
On earth the heavenly powers,
Or taste the glorious bliss below,
Or feel, that God is ours.
So ignorant of God,
In sin brought up, and born,
Ye fools, be not so proud,
Suspend your idle scorn:
For us who have received our sight
Ye fain would judges be,
And make us think, there is no light,
Because you cannot see.
In sin brought up, and born,
Ye fools, be not so proud,
Suspend your idle scorn:
For us who have received our sight
Ye fain would judges be,
And make us think, there is no light,
Because you cannot see.
The same in your esteem,
Falsehood and truth ye join,
The wild pretender's dream,
And real work Divine:
Between the substance, and the show
No difference you can find,
For colours all, full well we know,
Are equal to the blind.
Falsehood and truth ye join,
The wild pretender's dream,
And real work Divine:
368
No difference you can find,
For colours all, full well we know,
Are equal to the blind.
Wherefore from us depart,
And to each other tell
“We cannot on our heart
The written pardon feel:”
A stranger to the living Bread
Ye may beguile, and cheat,
But us you never can persuade
That honey is not sweet.
And to each other tell
“We cannot on our heart
The written pardon feel:”
A stranger to the living Bread
Ye may beguile, and cheat,
But us you never can persuade
That honey is not sweet.
CLXIV. THE SAME.
Hymn 4.
[Who of the great, or wise]
Who of the great, or wise,
Hath our report believed!
Alas! they close their eyes,
Nor will be undeceived:
The world cry out, in needless fright,
“Your rash attempt forbear
To lift us to presumption's height,
Or plunge us in despair.
Hath our report believed!
Alas! they close their eyes,
Nor will be undeceived:
The world cry out, in needless fright,
“Your rash attempt forbear
To lift us to presumption's height,
Or plunge us in despair.
“Whoever seek to know
Their sins on earth forgiven,
Or sink in hopeless woe,
Or rise to madness driven.”
They safely choose the middle way,
Aware of each extreme,
The only prudent men are they,
And wisdom dies with them.
Their sins on earth forgiven,
Or sink in hopeless woe,
Or rise to madness driven.”
They safely choose the middle way,
Aware of each extreme,
The only prudent men are they,
And wisdom dies with them.
369
The sayings of our Lord
Their folly dares despise,
Above the written word,
To their own ruin, wise;
The written word, by which we steer
From all mistake secure,
It bids us make our calling here
And our election sure.
Their folly dares despise,
Above the written word,
To their own ruin, wise;
The written word, by which we steer
From all mistake secure,
It bids us make our calling here
And our election sure.
It bids the weary come,
And find in Christ their rest,
Invites the wanderer home
To his Redeemer's breast;
It stirs us up to knock, and pray,
And seek the pardoning God,
Till Jesus take our sins away,
And wash us in His blood.
And find in Christ their rest,
Invites the wanderer home
To his Redeemer's breast;
It stirs us up to knock, and pray,
And seek the pardoning God,
Till Jesus take our sins away,
And wash us in His blood.
It proffers happiness
To all who dare believe,
And promises a peace,
Which man can never give;
With full assurance of belief
Commands us to draw near,
And taste the joy that casts out grief,
The love that casts out fear.
To all who dare believe,
And promises a peace,
Which man can never give;
With full assurance of belief
Commands us to draw near,
And taste the joy that casts out grief,
The love that casts out fear.
Water of life Divine
It bids us freely take,
And mystic milk and wine
For Jesu's only sake:
The Holy Ghost, the Comforter
To all who ask is given,
That seal of our salvation here,
That antepast of heaven.
It bids us freely take,
And mystic milk and wine
For Jesu's only sake:
The Holy Ghost, the Comforter
To all who ask is given,
That seal of our salvation here,
That antepast of heaven.
370
But still the world refuse
An heaven begun below,
And vainly fear to' abuse
The grace they never know:
The grace their pride will not receive
They impiously deny,
And in their sins securely live,
And desperately die.
An heaven begun below,
And vainly fear to' abuse
The grace they never know:
The grace their pride will not receive
They impiously deny,
And in their sins securely live,
And desperately die.
CLXV. THE SAME.
Hymn 5.
[Yet hear, ye souls that cleave]
Yet hear, ye souls that cleave
To earth and misery,
The joyful news receive,
And yield to be set free;
Redeem'd from pride, and guilty shame,
The grace of Jesus prove,
The virtue of your Saviour's name,
The humbling power of love.
To earth and misery,
The joyful news receive,
And yield to be set free;
Redeem'd from pride, and guilty shame,
The grace of Jesus prove,
The virtue of your Saviour's name,
The humbling power of love.
His blood by faith applied
Shall wash you white as snow,
And all the justified
Themselves and Jesus know:
Who honour God, themselves despise
With deep humility,
And none so vile in their own eyes
As those that Jesus see.
Shall wash you white as snow,
And all the justified
Themselves and Jesus know:
Who honour God, themselves despise
With deep humility,
And none so vile in their own eyes
As those that Jesus see.
He never will ensnare,
Or by His gifts destroy
The objects of His care,
The vessels of His joy:
His mercy shall with lowly fear
Your faithful souls abase,
And make you in the dust revere
The pardoning God of grace.
Or by His gifts destroy
The objects of His care,
The vessels of His joy:
371
Your faithful souls abase,
And make you in the dust revere
The pardoning God of grace.
His truth, and love, and power
Shall His own gifts maintain;
But may ye not implore
The Saviour's grace in vain?
What if ye seek, and never find
The pardon in His blood?—
What if the Saviour of mankind
Be neither just, nor good!—
Shall His own gifts maintain;
But may ye not implore
The Saviour's grace in vain?
What if ye seek, and never find
The pardon in His blood?—
What if the Saviour of mankind
Be neither just, nor good!—
Hath He not spoke the word,
“Who ask shall all receive!”
Believe our faithful Lord,
Ye abject souls believe!
The hellish doubt reject, disclaim,
And on our God rely;
Our God continues still the same,
Nor can Himself deny.
“Who ask shall all receive!”
Believe our faithful Lord,
Ye abject souls believe!
The hellish doubt reject, disclaim,
And on our God rely;
Our God continues still the same,
Nor can Himself deny.
We now affix our seal
That God is good, and true,
His faithful love we feel,
And ye may feel it too:
We know, ye all the grace may take,
Ye all the truth may prove,
And twice ten thousand souls we stake
On Jesu's faithful love.
That God is good, and true,
His faithful love we feel,
And ye may feel it too:
We know, ye all the grace may take,
Ye all the truth may prove,
And twice ten thousand souls we stake
On Jesu's faithful love.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |