 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
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COMMEMORATIVE HYMN.
PART I.
Merciful God, what hast Thou done,
What hast Thou borne, for me,
For me, Thy most rebellious son,
From earliest infancy?
The patience of Thy richest grace
Throughout my life I prove,
And measure back the endless maze
With wonder, grief, and love.
What hast Thou borne, for me,
For me, Thy most rebellious son,
From earliest infancy?
The patience of Thy richest grace
Throughout my life I prove,
And measure back the endless maze
With wonder, grief, and love.
Soon as my power of acting came,
I spake and acted sin,
But felt at once in fear and shame
The Spirit's check within:
I felt the point of anger's thorn,
With daily guilt defiled,
By passion and by conscience torn,
A wretch while yet a child.
I spake and acted sin,
But felt at once in fear and shame
The Spirit's check within:
I felt the point of anger's thorn,
With daily guilt defiled,
By passion and by conscience torn,
A wretch while yet a child.
Bolder I with my fellows grew,
Nor yet to evil ran,
But envied those who dared break through,
And copy lawless man:
From parents' eye far off removed,
I still was under Thine,
And found, for secret sin reproved,
The government Divine.
Nor yet to evil ran,
But envied those who dared break through,
And copy lawless man:
From parents' eye far off removed,
I still was under Thine,
And found, for secret sin reproved,
The government Divine.
Thou wouldst not suffer me to rest,
When deviating from right,
But visitedst my childish breast
With trouble or delight:
So often grieved, Thy Spirit strove,
And kept my soul in awe,
Or drew me, with the cords of love,
Without the fiery law.
When deviating from right,
But visitedst my childish breast
With trouble or delight:
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And kept my soul in awe,
Or drew me, with the cords of love,
Without the fiery law.
Without the law I lived awhile,
Till the commandment came,
And stirr'd me up, by virtuous toil,
To hide my vicious shame;
To' establish my own righteousness,
“Controller of the skies,”
And make with Thee my labour'd peace,
And purchase paradise.
Till the commandment came,
And stirr'd me up, by virtuous toil,
To hide my vicious shame;
To' establish my own righteousness,
“Controller of the skies,”
And make with Thee my labour'd peace,
And purchase paradise.
Thine eye beneath the fig-tree saw
My self-disguising strife,
And sent the thunders of Thy law
To slay my righteous life:
The sin-convincing Spirit blew
My leafy veil aside,
My vain self-confidence o'erthrew,
And blasted all my pride.
My self-disguising strife,
And sent the thunders of Thy law
To slay my righteous life:
The sin-convincing Spirit blew
My leafy veil aside,
My vain self-confidence o'erthrew,
And blasted all my pride.
O what a cruel war ensued,
What grief, and shame, and pain!
I only fought to be subdued,
And rose—to fall again:
A thousand vows I fondly made,
A thousand vows I broke,
O'erpower'd by sin, and captive led,
Yet not of Thee forsook.
What grief, and shame, and pain!
I only fought to be subdued,
And rose—to fall again:
A thousand vows I fondly made,
A thousand vows I broke,
O'erpower'd by sin, and captive led,
Yet not of Thee forsook.
Thy mercy bade my strugglings cease,
And, bursting then the snare,
Sent forth out of the dark abyss
The prisoner of despair:
I thank'd my God, with pardon bless'd,
Through Jesu's blood applied,
So instantaneously released,
So freely justified!
And, bursting then the snare,
Sent forth out of the dark abyss
The prisoner of despair:
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Through Jesu's blood applied,
So instantaneously released,
So freely justified!
PART II.
Here let me pause, and fix mine eye
On that mysterious grace;
Unseen, unfelt, it still was nigh
Throughout my youthful days:
Glory to God alone I give!
Instructed from above,
Father, I now with joy perceive
The wisdom of Thy love.
On that mysterious grace;
Unseen, unfelt, it still was nigh
Throughout my youthful days:
Glory to God alone I give!
Instructed from above,
Father, I now with joy perceive
The wisdom of Thy love.
How has Thy love contrived to keep
From sin's abhorr'd extreme,
Till waken'd out of nature's sleep,
And virtue's golden dream!
How strangely didst Thou hedge me in,
So prone to every vice,
And damp my eager love of sin
By sacred cowardice!
From sin's abhorr'd extreme,
Till waken'd out of nature's sleep,
And virtue's golden dream!
How strangely didst Thou hedge me in,
So prone to every vice,
And damp my eager love of sin
By sacred cowardice!
Thy mercy placed my parents good
As guardian angels near,
And with Thy flaming sword they stood,
To' inspire me with Thy fear:
The voice which cried in them, “Beware,”
I now revere as Thine;
Not kept from ill by human care,
But Providence Divine.
As guardian angels near,
And with Thy flaming sword they stood,
To' inspire me with Thy fear:
The voice which cried in them, “Beware,”
I now revere as Thine;
Not kept from ill by human care,
But Providence Divine.
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What but a miracle of grace
Could keep my soul within
The mouth of hell, the murderer's ways,
The public schools of sin;
Where troops of young corrupters tried
In wickedness to' excel,
Lewdness their vile delight, and pride
Their boasted principle?
Could keep my soul within
The mouth of hell, the murderer's ways,
The public schools of sin;
Where troops of young corrupters tried
In wickedness to' excel,
Lewdness their vile delight, and pride
Their boasted principle?
I found Thy hand, again beset,
And saved by grace alone,
Where learning keeps its loftiest seat,
And hell its firmest throne:
Satan and sloth had smooth'd my way
To pleasure's paradise;
Yet still I paused, afraid to stray,
Or plunge the gulf of vice.
And saved by grace alone,
Where learning keeps its loftiest seat,
And hell its firmest throne:
Satan and sloth had smooth'd my way
To pleasure's paradise;
Yet still I paused, afraid to stray,
Or plunge the gulf of vice.
How wisely timed the help that came
In my extremity,
And bade the Law its prisoner claim,
And shut me up for Thee!
Within the iron walls immured,
I now Thy goodness bless,
By servile fear for years secured
From my own wickedness.
In my extremity,
And bade the Law its prisoner claim,
And shut me up for Thee!
Within the iron walls immured,
I now Thy goodness bless,
By servile fear for years secured
From my own wickedness.
Loosed from the chains of unbelief,
From legal bondage freed,
I felt the joy that follow'd grief,
And love that banish'd dread:
To me, beneath the wrath of God,
The pardoning grace how sweet,
When, bruised to death by Moses' rod,
I fell at Jesu's feet!
From legal bondage freed,
I felt the joy that follow'd grief,
And love that banish'd dread:
To me, beneath the wrath of God,
The pardoning grace how sweet,
When, bruised to death by Moses' rod,
I fell at Jesu's feet!
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Still at His feet I humbly own
Thy uniform design,
The Spirit of fear and love was one,
Was given to make me Thine:
Wherefore with reverend joy I praise
Thine all-redeeming plan,
The various wisdom of Thy ways,
And charity to man.
Thy uniform design,
The Spirit of fear and love was one,
Was given to make me Thine:
Wherefore with reverend joy I praise
Thine all-redeeming plan,
The various wisdom of Thy ways,
And charity to man.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |