The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Their Lord, unto His own He came;
His own were who received Him not,
Denied and trampled on His name
And blood, by which themselves were bought.

Who under foot their Saviour trod,
Exposed afresh, and crucified,
Who trampled on the Son of God,—
For them, for them, their Saviour died.

For those who at the judgment day
On Him they pierced shall look with pain;
The Lamb for every castaway,
For every soul of man was slain.

Why then, Thou universal Love,
Should any of Thy grace despair?
To all, to all, Thy bowels move,
But straiten'd in our own we are.

'Tis we, the wretched abjects we,
Our blasphemies on Thee translate;
We think that fury is in Thee,
Horribly think, that God is hate.

“Thou hast compell'd the lost to die,
Hast reprobated from Thy face;
Hast others saved, but them pass'd by,
Or mock'd with only damning grace.”

How long, Thou jealous God! how long
Shall impious worms Thy word disprove,
Thy justice stain, Thy mercy wrong,
Deny Thy faithfulness and love?

Still shall the hellish doctrine stand,
And Thee for its dire author claim?
No: let it sink at Thy command
Down to the pit from whence it came.

Arise, O God, maintain Thy cause!
The fulness of the Gentiles call:
Lift up the standard of Thy cross,
And all shall own Thou diedst for all.

HYMN II.

[Lord, not unto me, (The whole I disclaim,)]

Lord, not unto me, (The whole I disclaim,)
All glory to Thee Through Jesus's name!
Thy gifts and Thy graces, Pour'd down from above,
Demand all our praises, Our thanks and our love.

Thy faithfulness, Lord, Each moment we find,
So true to Thy word, So loving and kind;
Thy mercy so tender To all the lost race,
The foulest offender May turn and find grace.

The mercy I feel To others I show,
I set to my seal That Jesus is true;
Ye all may find favour, Who come at His call:
O come to my Saviour, His grace is for all.

To save what was lost, From heaven He came:
Come, sinners, and trust In Jesus's name:
He offers you pardon, He bids you “Be free!
If sin is your burden O come unto Me!”

O let me commend My Saviour to you!
The publican's Friend, And Advocate too;
For you He is pleading His merits and death,
With God interceding For sinners beneath.

Then let us submit His grace to receive,
Fall down at His feet, And gladly believe:
We all are forgiven For Jesus's sake,
Our title to heaven His merits we take.

HYMN III.

[O all that pass by, To Jesus draw near!]

O all that pass by, To Jesus draw near!
He utters a cry; Ye sinners, give ear:

From hell to retrieve you, He spreads out His hands;
Now, now, to receive you He graciously stands.

“If any man thirst, And happy would be,
The vilest and worst May come unto Me;
May drink of My Spirit, (Excepted is none,)
Lay claim to My merit, And take for his own.”

Whoever receives The life-giving word,
In Jesus believes, His God and his Lord,
In him a pure river Of life shall arise,
Shall in the believer Spring up to the skies.

My God and my Lord, Thy call I obey;
My soul on Thy word Of promise I stay;
Thy kind invitation I gladly embrace,
Athirst for salvation, Salvation by grace.

O hasten the hour, Send down from above
The Spirit of power, Of health, and of love,
Of filial fear, Of knowledge and grace,
Of wisdom, of prayer, Of joy, and of praise;

The Spirit of faith, Of faith in Thy blood,
Which saves us from wrath And brings us to God,
Removes the huge mountain Of indwelling sin,
And opens a fountain That washes us clean.

HYMN IV.

[O Saviour of all In Adam that fell]

O Saviour of all In Adam that fell,
Attend to our call, And set to Thy seal,
Our thankful rehearsal If Thou dost approve,
Of grace universal, And infinite love.

For whom didst Thou die, Thou meek Lamb of God?
With all men may I Lay claim to Thy blood?
Me, me Thou redeemest, Who for the unjust
Hast suffer'd, and camest To save what was lost.

If all men were dead, And fell in the fall
Of Adam, our head, The type of us all,
Our Adam from heaven The loss doth retrieve;
For all Thou wast given, That all might believe.

If all men have stray'd, Of every one
The sins God hath laid On Thee, His dear Son;
And all may find pardon, For pardon who call;
Thou bearedst the burden, The guilt of us all.

In Adam we died, In Thee we may live;
Thy merits applied We all may receive:
The common salvation To all doth belong,
To every nation, And people, and tongue.

Our faith is not vain; But death Thou didst taste
For every man: 'Tis finish'd! 'Tis past!
The world is forgiven For Jesus's sake;
The kingdom of heaven By force we may take.

O bowels of love! O infinite grace!
So freely to move To all the lost race!
O wondrous compassion! O mercy Divine!
Eternal salvation, Through Jesus, is mine.

Dear Saviour of all, Attend while we sing;
On Thee do we call, Thy Witness to bring!
Whose arms were extended A world to embrace,
Whose love never ended, Would save the whole race.

Great Witness of God, To Thee we appeal!
His love shed abroad, His counsel reveal:
If all may find favour, Pure love if Thou art,
Speak inwardly, Saviour, Amen to my heart.

HYMN V.

[To the meek and gentle Lamb]

To the meek and gentle Lamb
I pour out my complaint;
Will not hide from Thee my shame,
But tell Thee what I want:
I am full of sin and pride;
I am all unclean, unclean;
Till Thy Spirit here abide,
I cannot cease from sin.

Clearly do I see the way,
My foot is on the path;
Now, this instant, now I may
Draw near by simple faith:
Thou art not a distant God,
Thou art still to sinners near;
Every moment, if I would,
My heart might feel Thee near.

Free as air Thy mercy streams,
Thy universal grace
Shines with undistinguish'd beams
On all the fallen race:
All from Thee a power receive
To reject, or hear, Thy call;
All may choose to die, or live;
Thy grace is free for all.

All the hindrance is in me:
Thou ready art to save;
But I will not come to Thee,
That I Thy life may have.
Stubborn and rebellious still,
From Thy arms of love I fly:
Yes, I will be lost; I will,
In spite of mercy, die.

Holy, meek, and gentle Lamb,
With me what canst Thou do?
Though Thou leav'st me as I am,
I own Thee good and true.
Thou wouldst have me life embrace,
Thou for me and all wast slain,
Thou hast offer'd me Thy grace;
'Twas I that made it vain.

O that I might yield at last,
By dying love subdued!
Lord, on Thee my soul is cast,
The purchase of Thy blood:
If Thou wilt the sinner have,
Thou canst work to will in me;
When, and as Thou pleasest, save;
I leave it all to Thee.

HYMN VI.

[Glorious Saviour of my soul]

Glorious Saviour of my soul,
I lift it up to Thee;
Thou hast made the sinner whole,
Hast set the captive free:

Thou my debt of death hast paid,
Thou hast raised me from my fall,
Thou hast an atonement made:
My Saviour died for all.

What could my Redeemer move
To leave His Father's breast?
Pity drew Him from above,
And would not let Him rest:
Swift to succour sinking man,
Sinking into endless woe,
Jesus to our rescue ran,
And God appear'd below.

God in this dark vale of tears
A Man of Griefs was seen;
Here for three and thirty years
He dwelt with sinful men.
Did they know the Deity?
Did they own Him who He was?
See, the Friend of Sinners see!
He hangs on yonder cross.

Who hath done the direful deed,
Hath crucified my God?
Curses on his guilty head
That spilt that precious blood;
Worthy is the wretch to die:
Self-condemn'd, alas, is he!
I have sold my Saviour, I
Have nail'd Him to the tree.

Yet Thy wrath I cannot fear,
Thou gentle, bleeding Lamb;
By Thy judgment I am clear,
Heal'd by Thy stripes I am:

Thou for me a curse wast made,
That I might in Thee be blest;
Thou hast my full ransom paid,
And in Thy wounds I rest.

How shall I commend the grace
Which all with me may prove;
Magnify Thy mercy's praise,
Thy all-redeeming love?
O 'tis more than tongue can tell!
Who the mystery shall explain?
Angels that in strength excel
Would search it out in vain.

Far above their noblest songs
Thy glorious mercies rise;
Praise sits silent on their tongues,
And wonder lulls the skies!
O might I with them be one,
Lost in speechless rapture fall,
Cast my crown before Thy throne,
Thou Lamb that diedst for all!

HYMN VII.

[Jesu, hear! in bitterness]

Jesu, hear! in bitterness
Of spirit hear me cry!
See me in my last distress,
And at the point to die!
Save me, or I perish, Lord;
I sink into the gulf beneath:
To the tempted help afford,
And snatch my soul from death.

Compass'd with an host of foes,
Defenceless, and alone,
I have neither strength to' oppose,
Nor swiftness to outrun:
Or, could I their rage evade,
I cannot 'scape the foe within,
Sold to evil, and betray'd
By my own bosom sin.

Lord, as with my latest breath
I ask, What shall I do?
Only ruin, sin, and death,
And hell are in my view.
No way to escape I see
From the infernal fowler's snare,
Everlasting misery,
And blackness of despair.

See me looking for my doom,
When sin shall claim its prey;
When the next temptation come,
And I am cast away.
I have neither will nor power
Temptation to resist, or fly:
Jesu, save me in this hour!
O save me, or I die!

Once Thou didst my doom revoke,
And set my spirit free;
Free from sin's Egyptian yoke
I lived awhile to Thee.
But, alas! I did not stand;
To Thee I did not faithful prove
Basely slighted Thy command,
And left my former love.

I am into bondage brought;
Again entangled, I
Yield to sin in every thought,
And cannot but comply:
Trembling, I expect the time
Which shall my full damnation seal;
When some horrid, horrid crime
Shall shut me up in hell.

Yet, O Lord, I still believe
Thou canst my soul restore;
Thou art ready to forgive,
And bid me sin no more:
Still salvation might be found,
If I would on my Saviour call:
Grace doth more than sin abound;
Thy grace is free for all.

Thou art willing to forgive;
But O, my cursed heart
Cannot, will not, yet believe,
Nor with its idols part.
No, I would not, though I might,
Accept of perfect liberty;
Darkness rather than the light
I love, and sin than Thee.

Yet I may be saved I know,
I feel Thy Spirit strive:
Whether I repent, or no,
I may repent, and live.
I have choice of death or life,
They both on instant now depend:
Who shall tell me if the strife
In heaven or hell shall end?

Whether I shall ever yield
Only to God is known;
If I fall, 'tis uncompell'd,
The deed is all my own.
All the blame be on my head,
The Saviour from my blood is pure;
I, and only I, have made
My own damnation sure.

No decree of His consign'd
My unborn soul to hell.
God was merciful and kind,
But I would still rebel;
Still self-harden'd I remain'd,
Would not receive salvation's cup,
Grieved His Spirit, and constrain'd
At last to give me up.

God forbid that I should dare
To charge my death on Thee;
No, Thy truth and mercy tear
The Horrible Decree!
Though the devil's doom I meet,
The devil's doctrine I disclaim;
Let it sink into the pit
Of hell, from whence it came.

I this record leave behind,—
Though damn'd, I was forgiven;
Every soul may mercy find,
Believe, and enter heaven;
All the heavenly drawings prove,
And all alike are free to' embrace
Special, sovereign, saving love,
And all-sufficient grace.

Sinners, hear my dying call;
Ye all are bought with blood!
Take ye warning by my fall,
Nor trample on your God:
Life to all His death imparts;
Receive what He doth freely give,
Harden not, like me, your hearts,
But turn, O turn and live.

God, the Good, the Just, I clear;
He did not die in vain;
Grace hath brought salvation near
To every soul of man:
I would not be saved from death,
And, self-destroy'd, I justly fall;
Publishing, with my last breath,
The Saviour died for all.

HYMN VIII.

[Father of Jesus Christ the Just]

Father of Jesus Christ the Just,
My Friend and Advocate with Thee,
If I have sinn'd, in Him I trust,
Who ever lives to pray for me:
Behold the Lamb! for me He bleeds,
For me His great atonement pleads!

For all the sins of all mankind
He once a perfect offering made,
For all His precious life resign'd,
For all a bleeding ransom paid:
He bow'd His head upon the tree;
'Tis finish'd! He hath died for me!

This last, and every sin of mine,
Did He not in His body bear?
Was it not purged with blood Divine?
Behold the bond hangs cancell'd there!
'Tis nail'd to the accursed wood,
'Tis blotted out with Jesu's blood.

The sin on Him which was not laid,
For which He hath not satisfied,
Punish it, Father, on my head,
Here let it with Thy wrath abide;
But if He paid my utmost pain,
Thou canst not ask the debt again.

Lo, in the gap my Surety stands,
To turn away Thy vengeful ire!
Am I not written on His hands?
What can Thy justice more require?
No other sacrifice I seek;
Thou hear'st the blood of sprinkling speak.

It speaks me justified from all
My sins, in thought, or word, or deed;
It speaks my soul redeem'd from thrall,
From sin and Satan's prison freed;
It speaks into my heart a power
Which makes me more than conqueror.

Father, behold Thy favourite Son,
And hear Him for His murderer pray:
The face of Thine anointed One
I know Thou canst not turn away;
I leave the cause to Him and Thee,
Give me the thing He asks for me!

HYMN IX.

[O 'tis enough, my God, my God!]

O 'tis enough, my God, my God!
Here let me give my wanderings o'er,
No longer trample on Thy blood,
And grieve Thy gentleness no more;
No more Thy lingering anger move,
Or sin against Thy light and love.

I loathe myself in my own sight,
Adjudge my guilty soul to hell:
How could I do Thee such despite,
So long against Thy love rebel,
Despise the riches of Thy grace,
And dare provoke Thee to Thy face!

But O! if mercy is with Thee,
Now let it upon me be shown,
On me, the chief of sinners, me,
Who humbly for Thy mercy groan:
Me to Thy Father's grace restore,
Nor let me ever grieve Thee more.

Fountain of unexhausted love,
Of infinite compassion, hear!
My Saviour and my Prince above,
Once more in my behalf appear:
Repentance, faith, and pardon give;
O let me turn again, and live!

But if my gracious day is past,
And I am banish'd from Thy sight,
When into outer darkness cast,
My Judge, I'll own, hath done me right,

Adore the Hand whose stroke I feel,
Nor murmur when I sink to hell.

No dire decree of Thine is here,
That pre-ordain'd my damn'd estate;
Jesus the Merciful I clear,
Jesus the Just I vindicate;
He swore He would not have me die:
Why, sinner, wilt thou perish, why?

Because I would not come to Him,
That I His proffer'd life might have:
Jesus was willing to redeem,
I would not suffer Him to save.
I now His truth and justice prove,
I now am damn'd, but God is love.

O God, if Thou art love indeed,
Let it once more be proved in me,
That I Thy mercy's praise may spread,
For every child of Adam free;
O let me now the gift embrace,
O let me now be saved by grace.

If all long-suffering Thou hast shown
On me, that others may believe;
Now make Thy loving-kindness known,
Now the all-conquering Spirit give,
Spirit of victory and power,
That I may never grieve Thee more.

Grant my importunate request;
It is not my desire, but Thine:
Since Thou wouldst have the sinner blest,
Now let me in Thine image shine;

Nor ever from Thy footsteps move,
But more than conquer in Thy love.

Be it according to Thy will;
Set my imprison'd spirit free,
The counsel of Thy grace fulfil;
Into the glorious liberty
My spirit, soul, and flesh restore,
And I shall never grieve Thee more.

HYMN X.

Jesus Christ, the Saviour of all men.

See, sinners, in the gospel glass,
The Friend and Saviour of mankind!
Not one of all the' apostate race
But may in Him salvation find:
His thoughts, and words, and actions prove—
His life and death—that God is love.

Behold the Lamb of God, who bears
The sins of all the world away!
A servant's form He meekly wears,
He sojourns in an house of clay;
His glory is no longer seen,
But God with God is man with men.

See where the God incarnate stands,
And calls His wandering creatures home!
He all day long spreads out His hands,—
“Come, weary souls, to Jesus come!
Ye all may hide you in My breast;
Believe, and I will give you rest.

“Ah! do not of My goodness doubt,
My saving grace for all is free;
I will in nowise cast him out
Who comes, a sinner, unto Me;
I can to none Myself deny;
Why, sinners, will ye perish, why?”

(The mournful cause let Jesus tell)
“They will not come to Me, and live:
I did not force them to rebel,
Or call when I had nought to give,
Invite them to believe a lie,
Or any soul of man pass by.”

Sinners, believe the gospel word;
Jesus is come, your souls to save!
Jesus is come, your common Lord!
Pardon ye all in Him may have;
May now be saved, whoever will;
This Man receiveth sinners still.

See where the lame, the halt, the blind,
The deaf, the dumb, the sick, the poor,
Flock to the Friend of human kind,
And freely all accept their cure:
To whom doth He His help deny?
Whom in His days of flesh pass by?

Did not His word the fiends expel,
The lepers cleanse, and raise the dead?
Did He not all their sickness heal,
And satisfy their every need?
Did He reject His helpless clay,
Or send them sorrowful away?

Nay, but His bowels yearn'd to see
The people hungry, scatter'd, faint;
Nay, but He utter'd over thee
Jerusalem, a true complaint;
Jerusalem, who shedd'st His blood,
That, with His tears, for thee hath flow'd.

How oft for thy hard-heartedness
Did Jesus in his Spirit groan!
The things belonging to thy peace,
Hadst thou, O bloody city, known,
Thee, turning in thy gracious day,
He never would have cast away.

He wept, because thou wouldst not see
The grace which sure salvation brings:
How oft would He have gather'd thee,
And cherish'd underneath His wings;
But thou wouldst not—unhappy thou!
And justly art thou harden'd now.

Would Jesus have the sinner die?
Why hangs He then on yonder tree?
What means that strange expiring cry,
(Sinners, He prays for you and me,)
“Forgive them, Father, O forgive,
They know not that by Me they live!”

He prays for those that shed His blood:
And who from Jesu's blood is pure?
Who hath not crucified his God?
Whose sins did not His death procure?
If all have sinn'd through Adam's fall,
Our Second Adam died for all.

Adam descended from above
Our loss of Eden to retrieve,
Great God of universal love,
If all the world in Thee may live,
In us a quickening Spirit be,
And witness, Thou hast died for me.

Extend to me the cleansing tide
Which freely flow'd for all mankind,
Open the fountain of Thy side,
In Thee may I redemption find,
Give me redemption in Thy blood;
For me and all mankind it flow'd.

Dear, loving, all-atoning Lamb,
Thee by Thy painful agony,
Thy bloody sweat, Thy grief and shame,
Thy cross and passion on the tree,
Thy precious death, and life, I pray—
Take all, take all my sins away!

O let me kiss Thy bleeding feet,
And bathe, and wash them with my tears;
The story of Thy love repeat
In every drooping sinner's ears,
That all may hear the quickening sound:
If I, even I, have mercy found!

O let Thy love my heart constrain,
Thy love for every sinner free,
That every fallen soul of man
May taste the grace that found out me;
That all mankind, with me, may prove
Thy sovereign, everlasting love.

HYMN XI.

The Cry of a Reprobate.

Go, wretched soul, to meet thy doom;
Thou neither canst escape, nor fly:
The day, the fatal day is come;
And thou with all thy hopes must die.

The dire occasion of my fall
Is present to my closest view;
Shorn of my strength, I give up all,
And bid the world of grace adieu!

The Philistines at last have found
The way to' afflict their baffled foe;
By my own sin betray'd and bound,
A sheep I to the slaughter go.

I saw my death with stony eye,
While I the way of life could find;
But would not then from ruin fly,
And now my harden'd heart is blind.

I cannot from destruction turn,
Nor wish it might from me depart;
Down the swift stream of nature borne,
I sin with all my wretchless heart.

My greedy soul knows no remorse,
(While conscience sear'd no longer cries,)
Impetuous as the headlong horse
Rushes into the fight, and dies.

I hasten where the deepest hell
Is moved to meet me from beneath,
Where damn'd apostate spirits yell,
And gnaw their tongues, and gnash their teeth.

Tophet is for the king prepared;
But I must have the hottest place;
I claim it as my just reward
For such an endless waste of grace.

Dives, and I, and Judas there,
With galling chains of darkness bound,
Shall howl in blasphemous despair,
And fiends return the doleful sound.

A real, fiery, sulphurous hell
Shall prey upon our outward frame;
But sorer pangs the soul shall feel,
Tormented in a fiercer flame.

The dreadful sin-consuming fire
God shall into our spirits breathe,
A brimstone stream of vengeful ire,
And slay them with a living death.

Conscience, the worm that never dies,
Shall gnaw and tear us day and night,
For ever banish'd from the skies,
And cast out of the Saviour's sight.

Back to the presence of the Lord
O'er the vast gulf we cannot pass;
We cannot, cannot be restored
To see the glories of His face.

Horror of horrors! hell of hell!
This makes the cup of wrath run o'er;
Far from my Lord with fiends to dwell,
And never, never see Him more.

O death, this is thy sting! O grave
Of souls, this is thy victory!
The Saviour can no longer save,
A gulf is fix'd 'twixt Him and me.

No ray of light, no gleam of hope
The dismal regions can allow;
'Tis here I must my eyes lift up,
The pains of hell surround me now.

Hopeless, my damn'd estate I mourn;
God's wrath is dropt into my soul;
His fiery wrath in me shall burn
Long as eternal ages roll.

Hear, sinners, hear an human fiend,
And shudder at my horrid tale;
Consign'd to woes that never end,
Before my time I weep and wail.

As Dives would his brethren warn,
Lest they should share his dreadful doom,
Sinners, (I cry,) to Jesus turn,
Nor to my place of torment come.

Hear an incarnate devil preach,
Nor throw, like me, your souls away,
While heavenly bliss is in your reach
And God prolongs your gracious day.

Whom I reject, do you receive;
The Saviour of mankind embrace:
He tasted death for all; believe,
Believe, and ye are saved by grace.

Ye are, and I was once, forgiven;
Jesus's doom did mine repeal;
I might, with you, have come to heaven,
Saved by the grace from which I fell.

A ransom for my soul was paid;
For mine, and every soul of man,
The Lamb a full atonement made,
The Lamb, for me and Judas slain.

Before I at His bar appear,
Thence into outer darkness thrust,
The Judge of all the earth I clear,
Jesus, the merciful and just!

By my own hands, not His, I fall;
The hellish doctrine I disprove:
Sinners, His grace is free for all;
Though I am damn'd, yet God is love!

HYMN XII.

[Saviour, and Friend of sinners, see]

Saviour, and Friend of sinners, see
The most rebellious of Thy foes;
If grace, unbounded grace, from Thee
In streams of endless pity flows,
O let it now my soul embrace,
O'erwhelm me now with pardoning grace.

Hear, Jesu, hear my dying call,
Me in a way of mercy meet;
Self-loathing, self-condemn'd I fall
A sinner at my Saviour's feet;
Unless Thou cast a pitying eye,
The sinner at Thy feet must die.

I own my punishment is just,
If now Thou drive me from Thy face,
Down into outer darkness thrust,
And quite exclude me from Thy grace,
And leave me to my fearful doom;
I now am ripe for wrath to come.

I know my soul is foul as hell;
The hottest hell my deeds require,
There only am I fit to dwell
With fiends in everlasting fire:
But why, Redeemer, didst Thou die?
O let Thy bowels answer why!

Was it to save, or to condemn,
The world that nail'd Thee to the tree?
Say, didst Thou only die for them,
Thy murderers, Lord, and pass by me?
But hast Thou for Thy murderers died?
Then I my God have crucified!

Wherefore, my God hath tasted death
For me and every soul of man,
To pluck us from the lion's teeth,
To save us from infernal pain,
That every soul, from sin set free,
Might witness God hath died for me!

HYMN XIII.

[My dear Redeemer, and my God]

My dear Redeemer, and my God,
I stake my soul on Thy free grace;
Take back my interest in Thy blood,
Unless it stream'd for all the race:
I stake my soul on this alone,
Thy blood did once for all atone.

Gracious and True, set to Thy seal,
Preach the glad tidings to my heart;
Now let my new-born spirit feel
Pure universal love Thou art;
In mine, in all our bosoms move,
And testify that God is love.

Enlarge my heart to all mankind,
The purchase of Thy dying groans;
O let me by this token find
They all are Thy redeemed ones;
For if I loved whom God abhorr'd,
The servant were above his Lord.

Thus let me Thy free mercy prove
To all who Thy pure truths oppose;
If I my fiercest foes can love,
If I, to save my fiercest foes,
To die myself would not deny,
For whom couldst Thou refuse to die?

Dear dying Lord, thy Spirit breathe,
Kindle in us the living fire;
Jesu, conform us to Thy death,
The fulness of Thy life inspire;

O manifest in us Thy mind
Benevolent to all mankind.

Now, Lord, into our souls bring in
Thine everlasting righteousness;
A period make of guilt and sin,
And call us forth Thy witnesses,
That all mankind with us may prove
Thy infinite and perfect love.

HYMN XIV.

God's Sovereign, Everlasting Love.

O all-redeeming Lord,
Thy kindness I record:
Me Thy kindness hath allured,
Call'd, and drawn me from above;
Sweetly am I thus assured
Of Thy everlasting love.

But is Thy grace less free
For others than for me?
Lord, I have not learn'd Thee so;
Good to every man Thou art,
Free as air Thy mercies flow;
So I feel it in my heart.

Thee every soul may find
Loving to all mankind;
All have once Thy drawings proved,
Every soul may say, with me,
Me the Friend of sinners loved,
Loved from all eternity.

Before His name I knew
Me to Himself He drew,
My unconscious heart inclined
To pursue some good unknown;
Happiness I long'd to find,
Happiness is God alone.

God is the thing I sought,
But then I knew it not:
Who shall show me any good?
(With the many still I cried)
Rest was only in Thy blood,
Who for me, for all, hast died.

The world's Desire and Hope
For this was lifted up;
Lord, Thou didst hereby engage
To draw all men unto Thee,
All in every place and age:
Grace for all mankind is free!

The Spirit of Thy love
With every soul hath strove;
Every fallen soul of man
May recover from his fall,
See the Lamb for sinners slain,
Feel that He hath died for all.

Thou dost not mock our race
With insufficient grace;
Thou hast reprobated none,
Thou from Pharaoh's blood art free;
Thou didst once for all atone—
Judas, Esau, Cain, and me.

HYMN XV.

[1 John ii. 1, 2.]

Father, if I have sinn'd, with Thee
An Advocate I have:
Jesus, the Just, shall plead for me;
The sinner Christ shall save.

Pardon and peace in Him I find:
But not for me alone
The Lamb was slain; for all mankind
His blood did once atone.

My soul is on Thy promise cast,
And lo! I claim my part:
The universal pardon's past;
O seal it on my heart.

Thou canst not now Thy grace deny;
Thou canst not but forgive;
Lord, if Thy justice asks me why—
In Jesus I believe!

HYMN XVI.

[Saviour of all, by God design'd]

Saviour of all, by God design'd
Our loss of Eden to retrieve,
Mighty Restorer of mankind,
In whom we all, though dead, may live,—

In rapture lost, on Thee I gaze,
Thy universal goodness prove,
Adore the riches of Thy grace,
And triumph in Thy boundless love.

Rest to my soul I now have found,
My interest in Thy blood I see;
On this my confidence I ground,
Who died for all hath died for me.

For me, for me the Saviour died!
Surely Thy grace for all is free:
I feel it now by faith applied;
Who died for all hath died for me.

No dire decree obtain'd Thy seal,
Or fix'd the' unalterable doom,
Consign'd my unborn soul to hell,
Or damn'd me from my mother's womb.

Who that beholds Thy lovely face
Can doubt if all Thy grace may share?
So strong the lines of general grace—
Grace, grace is all that's written there.

Loving to every man Thou art:
Sinners, ye all His grace may prove;
He bears you all upon His heart;
God is not hate, but God is love.

HYMN XVII.

The Horrible Decree.

Ah! gentle, gracious Dove;
And art Thou grieved in me,
That sinners should restrain Thy love,
And say, “It is not free:
It is not free for all;
The most Thou passest by,
And mockest with a fruitless call
Whom Thou hast doom'd to die.”

They think Thee not sincere
In giving each his day:
“Thou only draw'st the sinner near,
To cast him quite away;
To aggravate his sin,
His sure damnation seal,
Thou show'st him heaven, and say'st, Go, in,—
And thrusts him into hell.”

O Horrible Decree,
Worthy of whence it came!
Forgive their hellish blasphemy
Who charge it on the Lamb,
Whose pity Him inclined
To leave His throne above,
The Friend and Saviour of mankind,
The God of grace and love.

O gracious, loving Lord,
I feel Thy bowels yearn;
For those who slight the gospel word
I share in Thy concern:
How art Thou grieved to be
By ransom'd worms withstood!
How dost Thou bleed afresh, to see
Them trample on Thy blood!

To limit Thee they dare,
Blaspheme Thee to Thy face,
Deny their fellow worms a share
In Thy redeeming grace;
All for their own they take,
Thy righteousness engross,
Of none effect to most they make
The merits of Thy cross.

Sinners, abhor the fiend:
His other gospel hear—
“The God of truth did not intend
The thing His words declare;
He offers grace to all,
Which most cannot embrace,
Mock'd with an ineffectual call
And insufficient grace.

“The righteous God consign'd
Them over to their doom,
And sent the Saviour of mankind
To damn them from the womb;

To damn for falling short
Of what they could not do,
For not believing the report
Of that which was not true.

“The God of love pass'd by
The most of those that fell,
Ordain'd poor reprobates to die,
And forced them into hell.”
“He did not do the deed,
(Some have more mildly raved,)
He did not damn them—but decreed
They never should be saved.

“He did not them bereave
Of life, or stop their breath;
His grace He only would not give,
And starved their souls to death.”
Satanic sophistry!
But still, all-gracious God,
They charge the sinner's death on Thee,
Who bought'st him with Thy blood.

They think with shrieks and cries
To please the Lord of Hosts,
And offer Thee, in sacrifice,
Millions of slaughter'd ghosts;
With new-born babes they fill
The dire infernal shade,
For such (they say) was Thy great will
Before the world was made.

How long, O God, how long
Shall Satan's rage proceed!

Wilt Thou not soon avenge the wrong,
And crush the serpent's head?
Surely Thou shalt at last
Bruise him beneath our feet;
The devil and his doctrine cast
Into the burning pit.

Arise, O God, arise;
Thy glorious truth maintain;
Hold forth the bloody Sacrifice,
For every sinner slain!
Defend Thy mercy's cause,
Thy grace divinely free;
Lift up the standard of Thy cross,
Draw all men unto Thee.

O vindicate Thy grace,
Which every soul may prove;
Us in Thy arms of love embrace,
Of everlasting love.
Give the pure gospel word,
Thy preachers multiply;
Let all confess their common Lord,
And dare for Him to die.

My life I here present,
My heart's last drop of blood:
O let it all be freely spent
In proof that Thou art good;
Art good to all that breathe,
Who all may pardon have;
Thou willest not the sinner's death,
But all the world wouldst save.

O take me at my word;
But arm me with Thy power,
Then call me forth to suffer, Lord,
To meet the fiery hour:
In death will I proclaim
That all may hear Thy call,
And clap my hands amidst the flame,
And shout,—He died for all.

University of Virginia Library

HYMNS ON God's Everlasting Love.

To which is added, The Cry of a Reprobate, AND The Horrible Decree.

HYMN I.

[Father, whose everlasting love]