The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Jesus, fix Thy kingdom here!
Thy kingdom is the stone,
Sent from heaven in man to' appear,
And stand on earth alone:
Let it now the image smite,
Break the iron and the clay,
Conquer (not by power or might)
And force the world to' obey.

By this stone to powder ground
The kingdoms all shall be;
Then their place no more is found,
When earth submits to Thee:
Let Thy kingdom now prevail,
All opposing power disperse,
To a boundless mountain swell,
And fill the universe.

1414.

[God of heaven, appear below]

In the days of these kings shall the God, &c. —ii. 44.

God of heaven, appear below,
And let Thy kingdom come,
All these worldly powers o'erthrow,
And scatter, and consume!
Let the last on earth take place,
Never, never to decline,
Founded in perpetual grace,
The monarchy Divine.

Lord, as taught by Thee, we pray
That sin and death may end:
In the great millennial day
With all Thy saints descend:
Now display'd with glorious power
Let that final empire rise,
Stand, when time shall be no more,
Eternal in the skies.

1415.

[O for the faith in Jesu's name]

O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful, &c. —iii. 16.

O for the faith in Jesu's name
Which tyrants can despise,
Which triumphs o'er the threatening flame,
And all its rage defies;
Calmly replies with resolute scorn
To furious cruelty,
“My body tear, or rack, or burn,
Ye cannot injure me.”

1416.

[Let the horrific king appear]

Our God whom we serve is able, &c. —iii. 17.

Let the horrific king appear
And all his terrors show,
True Israelites disdain to fear
A stingless, baffled foe:

Though seven-times hotter than before
The torturing fires increase,
The Lord our God whom we adore
Can save His witnesses.

1417.

[Let earth and hell their powers employ]

And He will deliver us out of thine hand, &c. —iii. 17.

Let earth and hell their powers employ,
A sure defence we have,
They are not nearer to destroy,
Than Jesus is to save:
And if it serve Thy glory, Thou
Shalt pluck us from the flame,
Our God in ages past, and now,
And evermore the same.

1418.

[But if Thou wilt not save us here]

But if not, we will not serve thy gods, &c. —iii. 18.

But if Thou wilt not save us here
From the tormentor's power,
Faithful to death we persevere,
And meet the fiery hour:
We will not bow our heart or knee,
And live to idols join'd,
Assured the life we lose for Thee
In paradise to find.

1419.

[Behold the miracle renew'd!]

Lo, I see four men loose, walking, &c. —iii. 25.

Behold the miracle renew'd!
Whom faith Divine inspires,
We walk with Christ the Son of God,
And praise Him in the fires:
Kept by His presence and His name,
Who earth and hell subdued,
We quench the violence of the flame
Through our Redeemer's blood.

Tempted, and persecuted here,
Afflicted and distress'd,
With steadfast faith we persevere,
And stand the fiery test:
The fire shall all our bands consume,
And in the furnace tried,
Out of the flames we soon shall come
Unhurt and purified.

1420.

[And dost thou not thyself suspect]

Is not this great Babylon, that I have built? —iv. 30.

And dost thou not thyself suspect,
Vain founder of the rising sect,
Or thine own language see?
“Is not this Babylon the great,
'Stablish'd in her sublime estate,
Built up to heaven—by me!”

The plan, and finish'd discipline,
The' exact economy is mine,
The whole, internal frame:
These monuments of my toil and thought
Now to perfection's summit brought
Immortalize my name.

1421.

[Throughout my fallen soul I feel]

Those that walk in pride He is able to abase. —iv. 37.

Throughout my fallen soul I feel
The strength of pride invincible;
But Thou, the' almighty God of grace,
Canst proud aspiring worms abase:
All things are possible to Thee,
Display Thy humbling power on me,
And for His sake, to me impart
My Saviour's lowliness of heart.

1422.

[What hath this wretched world to give]

Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards, &c. —v. 17.

What hath this wretched world to give
Which Christians can with joy receive?
Its goods for a short moment stay,
And pass insensibly away:
I seek a permanent reward;
The favour of my glorious Lord,
The gift unspeakable be mine,
And all the heaven of love Divine.

1423.

[Sinner secure, the writing see!]

Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin. —v. 25.

Sinner secure, the writing see!
Death, judgment, hell it speaks to thee:
The number of thy days
Is finish'd in a moment here,
With horror then thou must appear
Before thy Judge's face.

Weigh'd in the scale, thou wanting art,
And when thy soul and body part,
Thy guilty spirit flies
From earth, with kindred fiends to dwell,
Condemn'd the second death to feel,
The death that never dies.

1424.

[On me the wisdom pure bestow]

We shall not find any occasion, &c. —vi. 5.

On me the wisdom pure bestow,
To walk unblamable with Thee,
To stop the mouth of every foe
Whose evil eye is fix'd on me:
O may I none occasion give,
But by my firm resolve to pray,
Thy constant worshipper to live,
And rather die than disobey.

1425.

[Thus, Lord, throughout my life would I]

When Daniel knew that the writing, &c. —vi. 10.

Thus, Lord, throughout my life would I
At stated times Thy grace implore,
At morning, noon, and night, draw nigh
Thy throne, to worship and adore,
For mercy every moment pray,
And never from Thy praises cease,
But glide insensibly away
To raptures of eternal bliss.

1426.

[Let the infernal lion roar]

Let the infernal lion roar,
I still approach Thy throne of grace,
Daily present, as heretofore,
My sacrifice of prayer and praise:
Before my God by Satan's host
Found on my knees might I but be,
I'd glory, that my life it cost,
And die from man, to live with Thee.

1427.

[My soul is among lions still]

Is thy God, whom thou servest, able to deliver, &c. —vi. 20.

My soul is among lions still,
But a good God I have
Who saves me from their mouth, and will
Me to the utmost save:
I sing His wonder-working grace,
And call the world to join,
Let all the name of Jesus praise,
The power of love Divine.

1428.

[That kingdom of the saints below]

The saints of the Most High shall take, &c. —vii. 18.

That kingdom of the saints below
To all believers given,
It is not of this world, we know,
But comes with Christ from heaven.

We for no earthly grandeur wait,
No outward wealth or power,
But trust to reign, when pomp, and state,
And pride shall be no more.

That kingdom of the Lord most high
His people shall receive,
And, long before we reach the sky,
With Christ triumphant live:
And I shall reign on earth, possess'd
Of glory in my heart,
For ever, and for ever bless'd
With all Thou hast, and art.

1429.

[Holiness of Holinesses]

To anoint the Most-Holy [Heb. Holiness of Holinesses]. —ix. 24.

Holiness of Holinesses,
On a sinful world bestow'd,
Jesus, all the nations blesses,
Consecrates our souls to God:
Yes, Thou art for us anointed,
That we may Thy unction know,
Priests and kings to God appointed,
Throughly sanctified below.

1430.

[Dismiss'd I calmly go my way]

Go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, &c. —xii. 13.

Dismiss'd I calmly go my way
Which leads me to the tomb,
And rest in hope of that great day
When my Desire shall come:
Happy, with those that first arise,
Might I my lot obtain,
When Christ descending from the skies
Begins His glorious reign.

An end of all these earthly things
Shall I not wake to see?

And wilt not Thou, O King of kings,
Appoint a throne for me?
I lay me down at Thy command,
But soon to life restored,
I trust on the new earth to stand
Before my heavenly Lord.

University of Virginia Library

DANIEL.

1413.

[Jesus, fix Thy kingdom here!]