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| II. |
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| VI. |
| VII. |
| VIII. |
| IX. |
| X. |
| XI. |
 | XII. |
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| XIII. |
 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
EZRA.
683.
[Rock of eternity]
All the people shouted, because the foundation, &c.
—iii. 11.
Rock of eternity,
Thy church is built on Thee,
Thou the Foundation art,
Laid in the faithful heart,
And fill'd with glorious joy unknown,
We shout to see Thy house begun.
Thy church is built on Thee,
Thou the Foundation art,
Laid in the faithful heart,
And fill'd with glorious joy unknown,
We shout to see Thy house begun.
The sure Foundation laid
Makes all Thy people glad,
Who wait, with joy renew'd,
To see the house of God
In finish'd holiness arise,
By just degrees to reach the skies.
Makes all Thy people glad,
Who wait, with joy renew'd,
To see the house of God
In finish'd holiness arise,
By just degrees to reach the skies.
219
684.
[What but Thy strength-inspiring eye]
The eye of their God was upon the elders, &c.
—v. 5.
What but Thy strength-inspiring eye
Thy weakest servants could sustain?
Jesus, Thou dost with grace supply,
And lo, the heathen rage in vain,
They cannot make the workmen cease,
Or stop Thy preaching witnesses.
685.
[In vain we offer sacrifice]
That they may offer sacrifices unto the God of, &c.
—vi. 10.
In vain we offer sacrifice
To God who rules both earth and skies,
Unless our loyal hearts revere
His image and vicegerent here;
But when for conscience we obey,
Long live our king on earth, we pray,
Long live our king, and late remove
To claim his crown of life above!
686.
[Thou that by a touch Divine]
The Lord turned the heart of the king unto, &c.
—vi. 22.
Thou that by a touch Divine
Dost the heart of kings incline,
See, with smiles of favour see
Whom our faith presents to Thee:
Mould, and turn his heart and will
All Thy counsel to fulfil,
Honour'd with his God to join,
Glad to second Thy design.
Dost the heart of kings incline,
See, with smiles of favour see
Whom our faith presents to Thee:
Mould, and turn his heart and will
All Thy counsel to fulfil,
Honour'd with his God to join,
Glad to second Thy design.
By his gracious wise commands
Strengthen Thou the workmen's hands,
Who, as instruments of grace,
Under Thee Thy temple raise:
Or if so Thy will ordain
Not to' accept the help of man,
Only Thou Thy servants own,
Build the house Thyself alone.
Strengthen Thou the workmen's hands,
Who, as instruments of grace,
Under Thee Thy temple raise:
220
Not to' accept the help of man,
Only Thou Thy servants own,
Build the house Thyself alone.
687.
[Jesus, with Thine o'ershadowing hand]
The king granted him all his request, according, &c.—
vii. 6.
Jesus, with Thine o'ershadowing hand,
With Thine almighty favour bless'd,
Thy servants before kings shall stand,
And prosper'd in their just request,
Boldly dispense that gospel-word;
Which builds the temple of the Lord.
688.
[Conducted by His gracious power]
He came to Jerusalem, according to the good, &c.
—vii. 9.
Conducted by His gracious power,
Where'er our Lord directs we go,
Secure in danger's blackest hour,
And careless of our ambush'd foe,
Whom Jesus covers with His hand,
We reach the holy, heavenly land.
689.
[The' external house of the Most High]
God hath put this in the king's heart, to beautify, &c.
—vii. 27.
The' external house of the Most High
Cyrus may build, or beautify,
Jesus, 'tis Thine alone to raise
The living temples of Thy grace,
To' adorn our souls, when cleansed from sin,
And make us glorious all within.
690.
[Lord, we before the world profess]
I was ashamed to require of the king a band of, &c.
—viii. 22.
Lord, we before the world profess
Our trust in Thine almighty grace
Which for Thy servants cares;
Thou, while we trust on Thee alone,
Dost bring the blind by ways unknown,
And number all our hairs.
Our trust in Thine almighty grace
Which for Thy servants cares;
Thou, while we trust on Thee alone,
Dost bring the blind by ways unknown,
And number all our hairs.
221
Ah, leave us not in danger's day,
By fear Thine honour to betray,
By base mistrust to' offend
The strangers to Thy pardoning love;
But let us still consistent prove,
And faithful to the end.
By fear Thine honour to betray,
By base mistrust to' offend
The strangers to Thy pardoning love;
But let us still consistent prove,
And faithful to the end.
691.
[Father, in Christ we seek Thy face]
The hand of our God is upon all them for, &c.
—viii. 22.
Father, in Christ we seek Thy face;
Stay by Thine outstretch'd hand of grace
The weak, and lead the blind,
In every trying hour defend,
Till the high prize we apprehend,
And heaven in Jesus find.
692.
[Favour, and grace to Israel shown]
And now for a little space grace hath been, &c.
—ix. 8.
Favour, and grace to Israel shown
Is from the Lord our God alone,
Whatever hand Thy blessing brings,
Or Persia's, or Britannia's kings,
The Fountain in the streams we see,
And all our good derived from Thee.
693.
[Thou lately, Lord, in special grace]
To leave us a remnant to escape.
—ix. 8.
Thou lately, Lord, in special grace,
Hast visited our captive race,
The remnant left in Babylon,
And made Thy pardoning mercy known,
And help'd us to escape away
By the first dawn of gospel-day.
694.
[Mercy hath a sure nail bestow'd]
To give us a nail in His holy place.
—ix. 8.
Mercy hath a sure nail bestow'd
And fix'd us in the House of God,
Where Thou Thy glories dost reveal,
In Christ the holy Place we dwell,
222
Or quit our hold of Jesu's love.
695.
[Now with enlighten'd eyes we see]
That our God may lighten our eyes, and give, &c.
—ix. 8.
Now with enlighten'd eyes we see
In Christ the smiling Deity,
Out of the house of bondage freed,
And raised with Jesus from the dead,
Yet still we for redemption pray,
For perfect life, and perfect day.
696.
[Bondmen indeed! too long we lived]
We were bondmen; yet our God hath not, &c.
—ix. 9.
Bondmen indeed! too long we lived,
In Egypt's iron furnace bound,
And then, the thralls of Babel, grieved,
Till Love Divine a ransom found,
Pitied our sore captivity,
And died Himself, to set us free.
697.
[Yes; for we are not yet in hell]
Thou our God hast punished us less than our, &c.
—ix. 13.
Yes; for we are not yet in hell,
Worthy the fiercest torments there,
With kindred fiends we do not dwell,
Or gnaw our tongues through vain despair;
Chastised, we still on earth remain,
Patient beneath Thy judgments grieve,
And short of that eternal pain,
'Tis mercy, all we can receive!
698.
[Such as we are, without disguise]
We are before Thee in our trespasses.
—ix. 15.
Such as we are, without disguise,
Or colouring we appear,
O'erwhelm'd, before Thy glorious eyes,
With guilty shame and fear:
223
Most gracious God, receive,
And us who thus our sins confess,
For Jesu's sake forgive.
699.
[Why should I of His grace despair]
Yet now there is hope in Israel concerning this thing.
—x. 2.
Why should I of His grace despair,
Who this, and all my sins did bear,
My Saviour, and my God?
Surely there is for Israel hope,
For every soul that dares look up,
And catch that streaming blood!
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |