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| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
| XII. |
| XIII. |
 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
PSALM XXXVII.
[Fret not thyself in vain]
PART I.
Fret not thyself in vain
At evil men's success,
Nor envy them the fatal gain
Of prosperous wickedness:
For all their pomp shall pass,
Their glory, wealth, and power,
Cut down and wither'd as the grass,
And fleeting as an hour.
At evil men's success,
Nor envy them the fatal gain
Of prosperous wickedness:
For all their pomp shall pass,
Their glory, wealth, and power,
Cut down and wither'd as the grass,
And fleeting as an hour.
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Trust in the Lord, and still
Thy faith by works approve;
So shall He 'stablish thee, and fill
With blessings from above.
Delight thee in thy God,
And God Himself shall give;
Shed in thy heart His love abroad,
And there for ever live.
Thy faith by works approve;
So shall He 'stablish thee, and fill
With blessings from above.
Delight thee in thy God,
And God Himself shall give;
Shed in thy heart His love abroad,
And there for ever live.
Commit unto the Lord
Thyself and all thy ways;
Trust Him to keep His faithful word,
And bring the things to pass.
He shall, in all men's sight,
Thy righteousness display,
Thine innocence as clear as light,
And glaring as the day.
Thyself and all thy ways;
Trust Him to keep His faithful word,
And bring the things to pass.
He shall, in all men's sight,
Thy righteousness display,
Thine innocence as clear as light,
And glaring as the day.
Thou in the Lord be still,
With patient hope attend;
And wait the counsel of His will,
And calmly mark the end.
Ah! let not go thy peace,
Nor at the sinner grieve;
Who, vainly boasting his success,
Doth for a moment live.
With patient hope attend;
And wait the counsel of His will,
And calmly mark the end.
Ah! let not go thy peace,
Nor at the sinner grieve;
Who, vainly boasting his success,
Doth for a moment live.
Cast thy concern away,
Thy rising grief control;
Lest anger into sin betray,
And poison all thy soul.
Cut off by wrath Divine,
The wicked soon shall cease;
But who on God their souls recline,
They shall the land possess.
Thy rising grief control;
Lest anger into sin betray,
And poison all thy soul.
Cut off by wrath Divine,
The wicked soon shall cease;
But who on God their souls recline,
They shall the land possess.
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PART II.
Pass a few days or years,
The sinner's boast is o'er;
His pomp no more on earth appears,
His place is found no more.
But still the meek shall live,
With every blessing bless'd;
Fulness of gospel-peace receive,
And everlasting rest.
The sinner's boast is o'er;
His pomp no more on earth appears,
His place is found no more.
But still the meek shall live,
With every blessing bless'd;
Fulness of gospel-peace receive,
And everlasting rest.
The wicked plots the death
Of the detested just;
And gnashes on them with his teeth,
Who put in God their trust.
But God shall him deride;
He sees his evil day
Approach, to end the tyrant's pride,
And sweep from earth away.
Of the detested just;
And gnashes on them with his teeth,
Who put in God their trust.
But God shall him deride;
He sees his evil day
Approach, to end the tyrant's pride,
And sweep from earth away.
Sinners have drawn the sword,
And ready bent their bow,
To slay the servants of the Lord,
The needy to o'erthrow.
But God His power shall show,
And take His servants' part;
Their bow shall break, their sword go through
Their own malicious heart.
And ready bent their bow,
To slay the servants of the Lord,
The needy to o'erthrow.
But God His power shall show,
And take His servants' part;
Their bow shall break, their sword go through
Their own malicious heart.
The little of the just
'Tis better to possess,
Than all the wealth of those that trust
In their own wickedness.
Their strength shall be broke down,
Their insolence and power:
But still the Lord upholds His own,
And keeps them evermore.
'Tis better to possess,
Than all the wealth of those that trust
In their own wickedness.
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Their insolence and power:
But still the Lord upholds His own,
And keeps them evermore.
He knows their happy days;
Their lot shall still abide;
In time of dearth the righteous race
Shall all be satisfied.
Kept in the evil time,
While all the wicked fail,
Haters of God, they bear their crime,
And vanish into hell.
Their lot shall still abide;
In time of dearth the righteous race
Shall all be satisfied.
Kept in the evil time,
While all the wicked fail,
Haters of God, they bear their crime,
And vanish into hell.
The wicked borrower owes,
But never pays again;
Mercy the righteous lender shows,
And gives his gifts to men.
Whom God hath cursed shall cease,
Uprooted by His hand;
But whom He condescends to bless,
They shall possess the land.
But never pays again;
Mercy the righteous lender shows,
And gives his gifts to men.
Whom God hath cursed shall cease,
Uprooted by His hand;
But whom He condescends to bless,
They shall possess the land.
In paths of righteousness
He leads His servant right;
His servant's steady walk He sees
With favour and delight.
Though into trouble cast,
He shall not fall away;
The Lord supports, and holds him fast,
And shall for ever stay.
He leads His servant right;
His servant's steady walk He sees
With favour and delight.
Though into trouble cast,
He shall not fall away;
The Lord supports, and holds him fast,
And shall for ever stay.
I never yet have seen
The righteous, or their seed,
Wandering among the sons of men,
And destitute of bread.
Freely he gives and lends;
And what to God is given,
In blessings on his seed descends
Who lays up wealth in heaven.
The righteous, or their seed,
Wandering among the sons of men,
And destitute of bread.
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And what to God is given,
In blessings on his seed descends
Who lays up wealth in heaven.
PART III.
Evil do thou eschew,
Do good with all thy power;
And perfect holiness pursue,
And dwell for evermore.
Lover of holiness,
The Lord preserves His own,
When all the sinner's offspring cease,
For ever lost and gone.
Do good with all thy power;
And perfect holiness pursue,
And dwell for evermore.
Lover of holiness,
The Lord preserves His own,
When all the sinner's offspring cease,
For ever lost and gone.
Saints shall possess the land,
And dwell for ever there;
Confess the faith by which they stand,
Their righteousness declare.
The law is writ within
The pure and perfect heart;
The saint indeed shall never sin,
Or from his God depart.
And dwell for ever there;
Confess the faith by which they stand,
Their righteousness declare.
The law is writ within
The pure and perfect heart;
The saint indeed shall never sin,
Or from his God depart.
The wicked eyes the good,
And watches to devour;
God will not leave His saint, pursued
By persecuting power.
Though men arrest, arraign,
And judge him in their day,
The Lord shall soon his cause maintain,
His innocence display.
And watches to devour;
God will not leave His saint, pursued
By persecuting power.
Though men arrest, arraign,
And judge him in their day,
The Lord shall soon his cause maintain,
His innocence display.
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Thou in the Saviour hope,
And in His statutes live,
So shall He keep, and lift thee up,
The promise to receive.
When the ungodly fall,
Thou shalt their ruin see,
And glorify the Judge of all,
Who now appears for thee.
And in His statutes live,
So shall He keep, and lift thee up,
The promise to receive.
When the ungodly fall,
Thou shalt their ruin see,
And glorify the Judge of all,
Who now appears for thee.
I have the wicked seen
In all his pomp and power,
Fair as the laurel-tree, and green,
And flourishing his hour.
I pass'd, and look'd again,—
The mighty man was not;
I sought his place, and sought in vain,
His place was clean forgot!
In all his pomp and power,
Fair as the laurel-tree, and green,
And flourishing his hour.
I pass'd, and look'd again,—
The mighty man was not;
I sought his place, and sought in vain,
His place was clean forgot!
Observe the saint of God,
Who walks in uprightness,
The man in perfect love renew'd,—
His end is glorious peace.
While wicked souls, at last,
Together all descend
Into a flaming Tophet cast;
Damnation is their end!
Who walks in uprightness,
The man in perfect love renew'd,—
His end is glorious peace.
While wicked souls, at last,
Together all descend
Into a flaming Tophet cast;
Damnation is their end!
But God rewards His own
With heavenly happiness,
And saves them till their course is run,
And keeps in their distress.
From all their foes the just
A present Saviour have,
And (for in Him they put their trust)
He shall for ever save.
With heavenly happiness,
And saves them till their course is run,
And keeps in their distress.
From all their foes the just
A present Saviour have,
And (for in Him they put their trust)
He shall for ever save.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |