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| XIII. |
 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
HYMN III.
[O Thou who seest what is in man]
O Thou who seest what is in man,
And show'st myself to me,
Suffer a sinner to complain
And groan his griefs to Thee.
And show'st myself to me,
Suffer a sinner to complain
And groan his griefs to Thee.
A sinner that has cloak'd his shame
With self-deceiving art,
Thy worshipper reform'd in name
But unrenew'd in heart.
With self-deceiving art,
Thy worshipper reform'd in name
But unrenew'd in heart.
The servants most unlike their Lord,
How oft did I condemn;
The persecuting church abhorr'd,
Nor saw myself in them.
How oft did I condemn;
The persecuting church abhorr'd,
Nor saw myself in them.
The spirit of my foes I caught,
The angry bitter zeal,
And fierce for my own party fought,
And breath'd the fire of hell.
The angry bitter zeal,
And fierce for my own party fought,
And breath'd the fire of hell.
Threatening I did and slaughter breathe,
(The flail of heresy,)
And doom the sects to bonds or death,
That did not think with me.
(The flail of heresy,)
And doom the sects to bonds or death,
That did not think with me.
5
To propagate the truth I fought
With fury and despite,
And in my zeal for Israel sought
To slay the Gibeonite.
With fury and despite,
And in my zeal for Israel sought
To slay the Gibeonite.
“The temple of the Lord are we!”
And all who dared deny,
I would not have their conscience free,
But force them to comply.
And all who dared deny,
I would not have their conscience free,
But force them to comply.
With wholesome discipline severe
To conquer them I strove,
And drive into the pale through fear,
Who would not come through love.
To conquer them I strove,
And drive into the pale through fear,
Who would not come through love.
How vainly then the zealots blind
Of Rome did I disdain!
Still to the church of Satan join'd,
And differing but in name.
Of Rome did I disdain!
Still to the church of Satan join'd,
And differing but in name.
How could I, Lord, myself deceive,
While unreform'd within;
Protest against their creed, and cleave
The closer to their sin?
While unreform'd within;
Protest against their creed, and cleave
The closer to their sin?
Their foulest sin my own I made,
(And humbly now confess,)
While by my anger I essay'd
To work Thy righteousness.
(And humbly now confess,)
While by my anger I essay'd
To work Thy righteousness.
A murderer convict I come
My vileness to bewail,
By nature born a son of Rome,
A child of wrath and hell.
My vileness to bewail,
By nature born a son of Rome,
A child of wrath and hell.
Lord, I at last recant, reject,
Through Thy great strength alone,
The madness of the Romish sect,
The madness of my own.
Through Thy great strength alone,
The madness of the Romish sect,
The madness of my own.
6
Lord, I abhor, renounce, abjure
The fiery spirit unclean,
The persecuting zeal impure,
The sin-opposing sin.
The fiery spirit unclean,
The persecuting zeal impure,
The sin-opposing sin.
Let others draw with fierce despite
The' eradicating sword,
And with the devil's weapons fight
The battles of the Lord:
The' eradicating sword,
And with the devil's weapons fight
The battles of the Lord:
But oh! my gracious God to me
A better spirit impart,
The gentle mind that was in Thee,
The meekly loving heart:
A better spirit impart,
The gentle mind that was in Thee,
The meekly loving heart:
The heart whose charity o'erflows
To all, far off, and near,
True charity to friends and foes
Impartially sincere.
To all, far off, and near,
True charity to friends and foes
Impartially sincere.
Heathens, and Jews, and Turks, may I
And heretics embrace,
Nor even to Rome the love deny
I bear to all the race.
And heretics embrace,
Nor even to Rome the love deny
I bear to all the race.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |