The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Terrible God, severely just,
Inexorable Judge of all,
A sinner cleaving to the dust,
And looking for a deeper fall,
Thy awful justice I confess,
And glorify Thy righteousness.

Righteous in all Thy ways Thou art;
Long didst Thou strive my soul to win:
Though harden'd now I feel my heart
Through the deceitfulness of sin,
I clear Thee in my latest groan;
O God, my death is all my own.

Ten thousand thousand times restored,
Still into fouler sins I fell,
Trod under foot my bleeding Lord,
And labour'd to ensure my hell;
How couldst Thou still defer my fate?
How couldst Thou give me up so late?

I might have seen in that my day
The things belonging to my peace;
But would not let Thy Spirit stay,
But forced His striving love to cease:
I forced Him to withdraw His light,
And take His everlasting flight.

Most justly then my day is past,
Mercy no more remains for me;
Thy Spirit grieved and quench'd at last,
With senseless unconcern I see
The measure of my sin fill'd up,
Shipwreck'd my faith, extinct my hope.

No cloak for mine offence have I;
I calmly sin against the light,
Deliberately resolve to die,
And sink into eternal night:
The day is past, the strife is o'er,
I will accept of grace no more.

My hands hang down, my feeble knees
Refuse to bear the sinful clay,
My ineffectual strivings cease,
I fall a final castaway;
I fall, and own my God is just,
No longer mine—for all is lost!

Lost, and undone, and damn'd am I,—
But whence this unavailing tear,
This struggling, faint, imperfect sigh?
Can aught of good be harbour'd here?
O no! it cannot, cannot be;
Mercy no more remains for me.

Away, ye dreams of future rest!
Why am I tempted to look up?
What means this struggling in my breast?
My flinty breast must never hope:
Yet kindled my relentings are,
And check'd I feel my just despair.

But is it possible that I
Remorse or hope again should know?
If mercy's fountain is not dry
To me, its streams eternal flow;
If grace to me doth still abound,
Then Judas might have pardon found.

If yet again my Lord returns,
And will not with His purchase part;
If over me His Spirit mourns,
And works upon my stony heart;
None out of hell need now despair,
A viler devil is not there!

If after all my waste of love,
(Enough ten thousand worlds to save,)
I still am call'd His grace to prove,
And may in Him redemption have,
Sinners, ye all with me must own
The day of grace and life is one.

God of unfathomable grace,
Vouchsafe Thy benefits to crown;
Most fallen of the fallen race,
To me, of sinners chief, come down;
A worse did ne'er Thy Spirit grieve,
A worse Thou never canst forgive.

Since first with Adam's sons He strove
To bring the' apostates back to God,
The Spirit of Thy grace and love
Never, no never yet subdued
A more rebellious worm than me,
Or gain'd an harder victory.

Then save me for Thy mercy's sake,
And give, O give me to Thy Son,
That I to all mankind may make
The riches of Thy mercy known,
Thy everlasting love proclaim,
And grace for all in Jesu's name.

HYMN II.

[Jesus, my Jesus, hear]

Jesus, my Jesus, hear,
And bid the sinner hope;
Guilty and trembling, I draw near,
But dare not give Thee up:
For this alone I live,
A poor backslider I,
Thy forfeit mercy to retrieve,
Or at Thy feet to die.

O 'tis a bitter thing
From Jesus to depart:
This is, O death, thy only sting,
I feel it in my heart;
I bear my guilty load,
My foolishness I mourn,
I have forsook the living God;
O how shall I return!

O Jesu, full of grace,
To Thee I make my moan;
Let me again behold Thy face,
Call home Thy banish'd one,
Again my pardon seal,
Again my soul restore,
And freely my backslidings heal,
And bid me sin no more.

Wilt Thou not bid me rise?
Speak—and my soul shall live;
Forgive, my gasping spirit cries,
Abundantly forgive;
Where sin hath most increased,
Let grace much more abound;
Let me, from all my bonds released,
Again in Thee be found.

What shall I say to move
The pity of my Lord?
Dost Thou not still delight to love
Me of Thine own accord?
For Thine own mercy's sake
Relieve my wretchedness,
And O! my pardon give me back,
And give me back my peace.

Again Thy love reveal,
Restore that inward heaven;
O grant me once again to feel,
Through faith, my sins forgiven;
Thy utmost mercy show,
Say to my drooping soul,
In peace, and full assurance go,
Thy faith hath made thee whole.

HYMN III.

[O take away the stone]

O take away the stone;
Jesu, the bar remove,
The' accursed thing, to me unknown,
That stops Thy streaming love:
Thy grace is always free,
Thou waitest to be good,
And still Thy Spirit grieves for me,
And speaks Thy sprinkled blood.

Ah! do not let me trust
In gifts and graces past;
But lay my spirit in the dust,
And stop my mouth at last.
What Thou for me hast done
I can no longer plead;
Thy truth and faithfulness I own,
If now Thou strike me dead.

Surely I once believed,
And felt my sins forgiven;
Thy faithful record I received,
That Thou hast purchased heaven
For me and all mankind,
Who from their sins would part;
The peace of God I once could find,
The witness in my heart.

But soon the subtle fiend
Beguiled my simple mind,
Darkness with light he knew to blend,
Falsehood and truth he join'd;

Pride (he remember'd well)
Had cast him from the skies;
By pride the first transgressor fell,
And lost his paradise.

Arm'd with this fiery dart,
The enemy drew nigh,
And preach'd to my unsettled heart
His bold presumptuous lie;
“You are secure of heaven,”
(The tempter softly says,)
“You are elect, and once forgiven
Can never fall from grace.

“You never can receive
The grace of God in vain;
The gift, be sure, He did not give,
To take it back again;
He cannot take it back,
Whether you use or no
His grace; you cannot shipwreck make
Of faith, or let it go.

“You never can forget
Your God, or leave Him now,
Or once look back if you have set
Your hand unto the plough;
You never can deny
The Lord who you hath bought,
Nor can your God His own pass by,
Though you receive Him not.

“God is unchangeable,
And therefore so are you;
And therefore they can never fail
Who once His goodness knew;

In part perhaps you may,
You cannot wholly fall,
Cannot become a castaway
Like non-elected Paul.

“Though you continue not,
Yet God remains the same;
Out of His book He cannot blot
Your everlasting name:
Cut off you shall not be;
You never shall remove,
Secure from all eternity
In His electing love.

“If God the seed did sow
He sow'd it not in vain;
It cannot to perfection grow,
But it must still remain;
Nor cares nor sins can choke,
Or make the grace depart,
Nor can it be by Satan took
Out of your careless heart.

“You must for ever live,
If of the chosen race;
If God did but one talent give
Of special, saving grace,
You cannot bury it;
He never can reprove,
Or cast you out into the pit
For trampling on His love.

“God sees in you no sin;
On His decree depend;
You who did in the Spirit begin
In flesh can never end;

You never can reject
His mercies, or abuse;
His great salvation none neglect,
And death and evil choose.

“If once the spirit unclean
Out of his house is gone,
He never more can enter in,
Or seize you for his own;
You need not dread the fate
Of reprobates accurst,
Or tremble lest your last estate
Be worse than was the first.

“Surely the righteous man
Can never more draw back,
He his own mercies never can
With his good works forsake;
That he should sink to hell
In his iniquity,
God may suppose it possible,
But it can never be:

“His threatenings all are vain;
You fancy Him sincere,
But spare yourself the needless pain,
And cast away your fear.
He speaks with this intent—
To frighten you from ill
With sufferings, which He only meant
The reprobate should feel.

“He only meant to warn
The damn'd, devoted race,
Back from His ways, lest they should turn
Who never knew His ways;

He only cautions all
Who never came to God
Not to depart from God, or fall
From grace, who never stood.

“His threatenings are a jest,
Or not design'd for you;
He only means them for the rest,
And they shall find them true
Who slight His mercy's call,
Which they could ne'er embrace;
He warns the' apostates not to fall
From common (damning) grace.

“'Gainst those that faithless prove
He shuts His mercy's door,
And whom He never once did love
Threatens to love no more;
From them He doth revoke
The grace they did not share,
And blot the names out of His book
That ne'er were written there.

“But you may rest secure,
And safely take your ease;
If you are once in grace, be sure
You always are in grace;
Cast all your fears away;
My son, be of good cheer,
Nor mind what Paul or Peter say,
For you must persevere.

“And did they fright the child,
And tell it it might fall,
Might be of its reward beguiled,
And sin, and forfeit all;

Might to its vomit turn,
And wallow in the mire,
And perish in its sins, and burn
In everlasting fire?

“What naughty men be they,
To take the children's bread,
Their carnal confidence to slay,
And force them to take heed!
With humble useless doubt
The fearful babes they fill,
Compell'd with trembling to work out
Their own salvation still.

“Ah poor misguided soul!
And did they make it weep!
Come, let me in my bosom lull
Thy sorrows all to sleep:
Thine eyes in safety close,
Secure from all alarms,
And take thine undisturb'd repose
And rest within my arms.

“They shall not vex it so,
By bidding it take heed;
You need not as a bulrush go,
Still bowing down your head;
Your griefs and fears reject,
My other gospel own,
Only believe yourself elect,
And all the work is done.”

HYMN IV.

['Twas thus the subtle foe]

'Twas thus the subtle foe
Beguiled my foolish heart,
While weak in faith I did not know
His false, ensnaring art:
I listen'd to a lie
Which nature liked so well,
Believed the soothing fiend, that I
Could never fall—and fell.

The tempter now withdrew,
And left me free from care;
His own advantage well he knew,
My soul was in his snare:
Secure and lull'd in ease,
Sin vex'd me now no more,
My sorrows end, my troubles cease,
And all my pangs are o'er.

Freed from the inward cross,
Of all corruption full,
A prophet of smooth things I was
To my own wretched soul:
Unchanged and unrenew'd,
Yet still I could not fall;
Daub'd with untemper'd mortar stood
The tottering, whited wall.

My wound I slightly heal'd,
And quieted my grief,
With all the false assurance fill'd
Of damning unbelief;

One of the happy sect
Who scoff at mourners poor,
That will not dream themselves elect
Till they have made it sure.

How happier far was I,
From grief and scruple free,
Who could from all conviction fly
To God's supposed decree!
O what a settled peace,
What comfort did I prove,
And hug me in my sins, and bless
His sweet electing love!

What if I sinn'd sometimes
In this imperfect state,
It was not like the damning crimes
Of a lost reprobate;
Sin was not sin in me,
God doth not blame His own,
Doth not behold iniquity
In any chosen one.

What if I foully fell,
I finally could not;
His grace is irresistible,
And back I must be brought:
What if in sin I lived,
The firm decree is past—
I must be at my death received,
I must be saved at last.

How could my folly dare
Satan and sin to slight?
The judgments of my God were far
Above, out of my sight:

His wrath was not for me;
And therefore I defied
Mine enemies, from danger free,
In self-electing pride.

Not all His threaten'd woes
My stubborn heart could move;
His threatenings only were for those
Who never knew His love:
He cannot take away
His covenanted grace,
Though I rebel, and disobey,
And mock Him to His face.

He cannot me pass by,
Or utterly reject,
Or judge His people, or deny
To save His own elect:
He swore to bring me in
To heaven; 't were perjury
For God to punish me for sin,
For God to pass by me.

'Twas thus my wretched heart
Abused His patient grace,
Provoked His mercy to depart,
His justice to take place:
Unconscious of its state,
In death my soul abode,
Nor groan'd beneath its guilty weight,
Nor knew its fall from God.

I could not be restored,
By pardoning grace renew'd,
While, trampling on His written word,
Self-confident I stood:

He only saves the lost,
Which I could never be;
I never could be damn'd, but must
Be saved by His decree.

HYMN V.

[O my offended God]

O my offended God,
If now at last I see
That I have trampled on Thy blood,
And done despite to Thee,
If I begin to wake
Out of my deadly sleep,
Into Thy arms of mercy take,
And there for ever keep.

I can no more rely
On gifts and graces past;
Lost, and undone, and damn'd am I,
I give up all at last:
With guilty shame I drop
My bold presumptuous plea;
Mercy itself may give me up,
The vile apostate me.

I can no longer trust
In my abuse of grace,
I own Thee merciful and just
If banish'd from Thy face;
Though once I surely knew
And felt my sins forgiven,
Faithful I own Thee, Lord, and true,
If now shut out from heaven.

Through faith in Jesu's name
I once was justified;
Yet hence no benefit I claim,
I lost it all by pride:
More desperate is my state,
Farther I am from God,
Than any hopeless reprobate
Who never felt Thy blood.

Nothing have I to plead;
Lord, at Thy feet I fall,
Pour all Thy judgments on my head,
I have deserved them all:
Justice my life demands;
Thou art unchangeable,
Thy covenant unshaken stands,
Though I am doom'd to hell.

Nothing for me remains
But horror and despair,
A fearful looking for of pains
Too exquisite to bear,
Judgment and fiery wrath;
For I have wilfully
(Since I received Thy saving faith)
Apostatized from Thee.

Enlighten'd once I was,
And saw my sins forgiven,
And tasted of Thy pardoning grace,
The happiness of heaven:
I tasted the good word,
And, sanctified in part,
Received the promise of my Lord,
The Spirit, into my heart.

Now I am fall'n away:
And Thou may'st let me fall,
Till ended is my gracious day
And I am stript of all;
Till I am void of God,
Till all the strife is o'er,
And I can never be renew'd,
Can never see Thee more.

But O, forbid it, Lord!
Nor drive me from Thy face,
While, self-condemn'd and self-abhorr'd,
I humbly sue for grace:
For Thy own mercy's sake
My guilty soul release,
And now my pardon give me back,
And give me back my peace.

No other right have I
Than what the world may claim;
All, all, may to their God draw nigh,
Through faith in Jesu's name;
Thou all the debt hast paid,
This is my only plea,
The covenant God in Thee hath made
With all mankind and me.

Thou hast obtain'd the grace
That all may turn and live;
And lo! Thy offer I embrace,
Thy mercy I receive.
Whene'er the wicked man
Turns from his sin to Thee,
His late repentance is not vain,
He shall accepted be.

Thy death hath bought the power
For every sinful soul,
That all might know their gracious hour,
And be by faith made whole;
Thou hast for sinners died,
That all might come to God;
The covenant Thou hast ratified,
And seal'd it with Thy blood.

He that believes in Thee,
And doth to death endure,
He shall be saved eternally,
The covenant is sure;
The mountains shall give place,
Thy covenant cannot move,
The covenant of Thy general grace,
Thy all-redeeming love.

He that in Thee believes,
And to the end remains,
He everlasting life receives,
For so Thy will ordains;
This is the firm decree,
The word of Thy command,
Fast as the sun and moon, with Thee
It doth for ever stand.

God of all-pardoning grace,
The covenant now I plead,
The covenant made with all our race
In Jesus Christ our Head:
Canst Thou the grace deny,
The pardon which I claim?
O why did the Redeemer die?
I ask in Jesu's name.

Hast Thou not sent us forth
His prisoners from the pit?
And do I not to Jesu's worth
And righteousness submit?
Father, behold Thy Son,
As in my place He stood,
And hear His dying word, “'Tis done,”
And hear His speaking blood.

It speaks me justified,
My Father must forgive:
He doth; I feel it now applied,
My pardon I receive;
My peace He gives me back,
My antepast of heaven,
And God again for Jesu's sake
Hath me, even me, forgiven.

HYMN VI.

[Jesu, my Hope, my Help, my Power]

Jesu, my Hope, my Help, my Power,
On Thee I ever call;
O save me from temptation's hour,
Or into hell I fall.

If by Thy light I now perceive
My utter helplessness,
O do not for one moment leave
The sinner in distress.

I cannot trust my treacherous heart,
I shall myself betray,
I must be lost if Thou depart,
A final castaway.

I feel within me, unsubdued,
A cursed, carnal will;
It hates and starts from all that's good,
And cleaves to all that's ill.

My soul could yield to every vice
And passion in excess;
My soul to all the height could rise
Of daring wickedness.

The blackest crime upon record
I freely could commit,
The sins by nature most abhorr'd
My nature could repeat.

I could the devil's law receive,
Unless restrain'd by Thee;
I could (good God!) I could believe
The Horrible Decree.

I could believe that God is hate,—
The God of love and grace
Did damn, pass by, and reprobate
The most of human race.

Farther than this I cannot go.
Till Tophet take me in:
But O, forbid that I should know
This mystery of sin!

Jesu, to Thee for help I fly;
Support my soul, and guide:
Keep as the apple of an eye,
Under Thy shadow hide.

Withhold my foot from every snare,
From every sin defend;
Throughout the way my spirit bear,
And bring me to the end.

Wisdom and strength to Thee belong,
Folly and sin are mine;
But out of weakness make me strong,
But in my darkness shine.

My strength will I ascribe to Thee,
My Wisdom from above;
And praise to all eternity
Thine all-redeeming love.

HYMN VII.

[Ah! when shall I awake]

Ah! when shall I awake
From sin's soft soothing power;
This slumber from my spirit shake,
And rise to fall no more?
Awake, no more to sleep,
But stand with constant care,
Looking for God my soul to keep,
And watching unto prayer?

O, could I always pray,
And never, never faint,
But simply to my God display
My every care and want!
I know that Thou wouldst give
More than I can request;
Thou still art ready to receive
My soul to perfect rest.

Gracious Thou art to all;
Such faith in Thee I have,
If all the world on Thee would call
Thou all the world wouldst save.
To every one that prays
The gift is freely given;
Who seek shall every one find grace,
Who knock shall enter heaven.

Yet still I cannot ask,
From Thee I turn away;
My heart abhors the irksome task,
And knows not how to pray:
If dragg'd to sue for grace,
I soon my suit forbear,
Break off, as in a moment's space,
The' intolerable prayer.

O wretched man of sin,
Wretched I still remain,
A perfect happiness within
My reach I see in vain;
I see, but cannot take,
But will not it receive;
Still my own mercies I forsake,
I will not yet believe.

Thou dost not mock me, Lord,
The work of Thine own hands;
Or call me to believe Thy word,
While Thy decree withstands:
Thy grace for all is free,
Though all accept it not;
To every sinner, and to me,
It hath salvation brought.

To me this token give
Of all-redeeming grace;
O let me now the gift receive,
Thy proffer'd life embrace!
I do embrace it now,
Descending from above;
Low at Thy throne of love I bow,
Of universal love.

I feel Thee willing, Lord,
A sinful world to save;
All may obey the gospel word,
May peace and pardon have:
Not one of all the race
But may return to Thee,
But at the throne of sovereign grace
May fall and weep with me.

Here let me ever lie,
And tell Thee all my care,
And Father, Abba, Father, cry,
And pour a ceaseless prayer;
Till Thou my sins subdue,
Till Thou my sins destroy,
My spirit after God renew,
And fill with peace and joy.

Messias, Prince of Peace,
Into my soul bring in
Thine everlasting righteousness,
And make an end of sin;
Into all those that seek
Redemption in Thy blood,
The sanctifying Spirit speak,
The plenitude of God.

Let us in silence wait,
Till faith shall make us whole,
Till Thou shalt all things new create
In each believing soul.
Who can resist Thy will?
Speak, and it shall be done;
Thou shalt the work of faith fulfil,
And perfect us in one.

HYMN VIII.

[Come, let us who in Christ believe]

Come, let us who in Christ believe
Our common Saviour praise;
To Him with joyful voices give
The glory of His grace.

His grace would every soul restore
That fell in Adam's fall;
His Father's justice asks no more,
Since He hath died for all.

He died for all, He none pass'd by
In their forlorn estate;
He left not in his sin to die
One hopeless reprobate.

We stake our interest in Thy blood,
On this, on this alone,—
That it for all mankind hath flow'd,
And did for all atone.

Unless to all Thy bowels move,
Unless Thy grace is free,
O bleeding Lamb, take back Thy love,
O Saviour, pass by me.

But can I fear Thy justice nigh,
When love is on my side?
Thou canst not, Lord, Thyself deny;
For wherefore hast Thou died?

For me, for us, for all mankind
The ransom price was given,
That all might here their Eden find,
And then remove to heaven.

If any fail of promised rest
Their death is all their own;
All nations now in Christ are blest,
His love excepted none.

All our salvation is of God,
Whose arms would all embrace:
Who perish perish self-destroy'd,
For not accepting grace.

Surely the grace doth once appear
To every soul of man;
Jesus hath brought salvation near,
He did not die in vain.

He made it possible for all
To turn again and live;
And therefore doth His gospel call,
And His good Spirit strive.

He now stands knocking at the door
Of every sinner's heart;
The worst need keep Him out no more,
Or force Him to depart.

Through grace, we hearken to Thy voice,
Yield to be saved from sin,
In sure and certain hope rejoice
That Thou wilt enter in.

Come quickly in, Thou heavenly Guest;
Nor ever hence remove,
But sup with us, and let the feast
Be everlasting love.

HYMN IX.

[Holy, and just, and gracious God]

Holy, and just, and gracious God,
Still wilt Thou let Thy foes blaspheme
Their Saviour's all-atoning blood,
And say,—“'Twas only shed for them.

“For them, and not for all mankind,
The Saviour of the world was given;
Millions of souls He cast behind,
And only mock'd with hopes of heaven.

“To damn the world, and not to save,
The Father sent His only Son,
That none but they might pardon have,
They,—the whole world of them alone.

“He willeth not that all should come
To faith and heaven, through saving grace;
He reprobated from the womb
The most of Adam's helpless race.

“He willeth (so they judge their God)
That most should perish in their fall;
He left them weltering in their blood,
And mocks them with a fruitless call.

“Bids all men everywhere repent,
And He to all His life will give;”
He bids them all; but never meant
That any reprobate should live.

No: to be saved He made them not,—
Them to be damn'd He therefore made.
No medium here can human thought
Find out, though help'd with Satan's aid.

“God, ever merciful and just,
With new-born babes did Tophet fill;
Down into endless torments thrust,
Merely to show His sovereign will.”

This is that Horrible Decree!
This is that wisdom from beneath!
God (O detest the blasphemy!)
Hath pleasure in the sinner's death.

Horror of horrors! spawn of hell!
It issues from the burning pit!
Come, see the fiend ye love so well,
Who blindly to his sway submit.

See him dragg'd out to open light,
And judge him by the written Word;
Then let him sink to endless night,
Slain by the Spirit's two-edged sword.

If reason can arrest his doom,
Make haste, produce your strongest plea;
Ye potsherds of the earth, presume
To disunite the Trinity.

“Since God might justly let all die,
And leave all to eternal woe,
Might He not justly some pass by?”
The wounds of Jesus answer, No!

His wrath He might on all have shown,
Had not His law been satisfied:
But now He cannot pass by one;
He cannot,—for His Son hath died.

The Mediator stands between
An angry God and guilty race;
The blood of sprinkling speaks for men,
Justice appeased gives way to grace.

God was in Christ, and all mankind
Now to Himself hath reconciled;
The Lamb His precious life resign'd;
He died, and rigid Justice smiled.

'Tis finished! Thou hast bought our peace!
Jesus, the sound of Jesu's name,
Makes all our guilty terrors cease,
For God and Jesus are the same.

Thou hast for all a ransom paid,
The world's offence Thy body bore,
Thou all the mighty debt hast paid,
And God the Just can ask no more.

Before Thou hadst the debt laid down,
He might have left us all to hell;
But now He cannot pass by one,
Since Thou hast died for all that fell.

Lord, we forget Thou once didst take
Our sin, and all our curse remove,
O'erlook Thy passion, when we make
Thy justice swallow up Thy love.

Lord, we forget Thy dying groans,
That Thou for all hast tasted death,
For all the' unjust hast suffer'd once:
“Forgive them,” gasp'd Thy parting breath.

Surely Thy dying prayer is heard,
God for Thy sake hath all forgiven,
Grace hath to all mankind appear'd,
And all may follow it to heaven.

HYMN X.

[Jesu, Thy word is past! the grace]

Jesu, Thy word is past! the grace
Unspeakable is come to all:
Restored by Thee, the fallen race
May all recover from their fall;
From earth Thou hast been lifted up,
That all the ends of earth might hope.

The sure, irrevocable word
Hath no one soul of man pass'd by;
We all may claim the common Lord,
Not one is forced or left to die:
Say Thou, if all may come to Thee?
“I will draw all men unto Me!”

But hath Thy love excepted none?
But wouldst Thou draw us all to God?
Didst Thou for the whole world atone?
Have all an interest in Thy blood?
Say, if Thy grace for all is free?
“I will draw all men unto Me.”

But dost Thou give Thy special grace,
Sufficient all the world to save?
Dost Thou not hide from half the race
What none but the elect can have?

“The grace that brings salvation near
Doth once to all mankind appear.”

And canst Thou, Lord, incline our heart,
And draw us to Thyself in vain,
And then compel us to depart,
And thrust us into endless pain?
“I am not willing one should die;
Why, sinners, will ye perish, why?”

But if Thy written Word be true,
And Thou art willing to save all,
Why do not all the track pursue,
And listen to the' effectual call?
Why do not all Thy grace receive?
“They will not come to Me, and live.”

All might be saved, but all are not,
For all will not Thy call obey;
The grace that once salvation brought
Self-harden'd sinners cast away;
They would not see the way of peace,
But forced the Spirit's strife to cease.

They would not the pure truth receive;
Saved, when they might, they would not be;
God therefore left them to believe
The devil's Horrible Decree:
And lo! they still believe a lie,—
That God did nine in ten pass by.

In them the strong delusion reigns,
That none but they in Christ have hope;
The poison spreads throughout their veins,
And drinks their angry spirits up;

“Let all but us in Tophet dwell,
Away with reprobates to hell!”

The spirit of their father speaks:
The lion roaring for his prey,
The reprobating lion, seeks
Unstable souls to tear and slay.
Fly, sinners, fly the fowler's snare;
Satan and all his depths are there.

Hear the old hellish murderer roar,—
“For all the Saviour did not die,
For only you, and not one more,
My children, who believe my lie.”
His children answer to his call,
And shout, “Christ did not die for all.”

O God of love, lay to Thine hand,
And bruise him underneath our feet;
No longer let his doctrine stand,
But chase it to its native pit;
There only let the fiend declare,
And preach his other gospel there.

HYMN XI.

[Let earth and heaven agree]

Let earth and heaven agree,
Angels and men be join'd,
To celebrate with me
The Saviour of mankind;
To' adore the all-atoning Lamb,
And bless the sound of Jesu's name.

Jesus, transporting sound!
The joy of earth and heaven!
No other help is found,
No other name is given
By which we can salvation have;
But Jesus came the world to save.

Jesus, harmonious name!
It charms the hosts above:
They evermore proclaim,
And wonder at His love!
'Tis all their happiness to gaze,
'Tis heaven to see our Jesu's face.

His name the sinner hears,
And is from sin set free;
'Tis music in his ears,
'Tis life and victory;
New songs do now his lips employ,
And dances his glad heart for joy.

Stung by the scorpion sin,
My poor expiring soul
The balmy sound drinks in,
And is at once made whole.
See there my Lord upon the tree!
I hear, I feel He died for me.

For me, and all mankind,
The Lamb of God was slain;
My Lamb His life resign'd
For every soul of man:
Loving to all, He none pass'd by;
He would not have one sinner die.

O unexampled Love,
O all-redeeming Grace!
How freely didst Thou move
To save a fallen race!
What shall I do to make it known
What Thou for all mankind hast done?

For this alone I breathe,
To spread the gospel sound,
Glad tidings of Thy death
To all the nations round;
Who all may feel Thy blood applied,
Since all are freely justified.

O for a trumpet voice
On all the world to call,
To bid their hearts rejoice
In Him who died for all!
For all my Lord was crucified;
For all, for all my Saviour died.

To serve Thy blessed will,
Thy dying love to praise,
Thy counsel to fulfil,
And minister Thy grace;
Freely what I receive to give,
The life of heaven on earth I live.

HYMN XII.

[O God of all grace, All truth, and all power]

O God of all grace, All truth, and all power,
On Adam's lost race Thy benefits shower,

Thy boundless compassion To sinners make known,
And bring us salvation, And seal us Thine own.

Come down from above, Whose mercies abound,
Whose bowels of love Continually sound;
To every creature All-gracious Thou art,
All mercy Thy nature, All pity Thy heart.

O Saviour of all, Who didst not pass by
Or leave in his fall One sinner to die,
'Gainst Satan's delusion We cry unto Thee,
O bring to confusion The hellish decree.

The stoical fiend Root out of our heart,
And bring to an end His magical art
Wherewith he bewitches, By forging Thy seal,
And horribly preaches Poor sinners to hell.

The simple and weak Pluck out of his net,
His covenant break, Bruise under our feet
The' electing deceiver; Destroy all his power,
And O that he never Might trouble us more!

HYMN XIII.

The Lord's Controversy.

Where is Elijah's jealous God?
O God, arise, maintain Thy cause
'Gainst all who trample on Thy blood
And stain the glory of Thy cross;

'Gainst all who give our God the lie,
The God of truth and grace miscall,
The Saviour of the world deny,
And teach He did not die for all.

How long, ye wavering souls, how long
Halt ye between two different ways?
Recant, or justify the wrong;
Renounce, or own the Saviour's grace.
If Moloch be your horrid god,
Pursue and cleave to him alone;
If Christ hath bought you with His blood,
The universal blessing own.

Though twice four hundred prophets swear
That God delights in human pain,
I, even I, their fury dare,
His all-redeeming grace maintain;
Against them all I stand alone,
And challenge them their cause to prove;
The God of truth shall make it known,
Shall answer by the fire of love.

Call on your reprobating god;
To him, ye priests of Moloch, cry:—
“Didst thou for all pour out thy blood?
Didst thou not half the world pass by?
The most hast thou not doom'd to hell?
Is grace for every sinner free?
Hear, Moloch, hear; set to thy seal,
Confirm thy Horrible Decree!”

Where is the answer to your prayer?
(Aloud, ye priests of Moloch, cry!)
The voice, the seal, the witness where?
What, doth your god his own pass by?

Perhaps he hunts his routed foe,
Who preaches grace is free for all;
Perhaps he talks with fiends below,
Or sleeps, and needs a louder call.

No answer yet? What, no reply?
After your manner seek your god;
Your rage, your knives and lancets, try;
(He much delights in human blood;)
By furious wrath your spirits wound,
Exert your mad Satanic zeal,
Start up, and with a frantic bound
Awaken all your inbred hell.

Come near, ye people of my Lord,
With me the common Saviour share;
Come near, and let the gospel word
The altar of your hearts repair:
By sin and Satan broken down,
That altar now in ruins lies;
But God His glorious cause shall own,
And bare His arm in all your eyes.

There let the untamed bullock lay,
A whole burnt-offering to the Lord;
His Spirit shall the' old Adam slay,
And hew in pieces by the word.
Now let the fuel be applied;
Streams of ungodliness pour in,
O'erwhelm it with corruption's tide,
Fill all your hearts and lives with sin.

'Tis done: your hearts with sin o'erflow;
This is the hour of sacrifice:
Lo! to the living God I go,
The living God of earth and skies.

O Thou almighty Lord and God,
By Abraham and his sons confest,
Shed in our hearts Thy love abroad,
And answer by the fiery test.

To Thee I make my bold appeal:
Let it be known in this our day
That Thou art God in Israel,
And I am sent to teach Thy way;
A faithful servant of my Lord,
That I Thy gospel truths proclaim,
That I have publish'd at Thy word
The universal Saviour's name.

O hear, and show Thou hear'st my call,
That this Thy people now may know
Thou art the common Lord of all,
Thy blood for all mankind did flow.
O let them feel the grace, the power,
The life Thy healing blood imparts;
The Saviour of the world adore,
And own that Thou hast turn'd their hearts.

The God that answereth by fire,
Jehovah, to our help is come!
In flames of love our hearts aspire,
His love doth all our sins consume;
It now consumes the sacrifice,
The burning Spirit makes us clean,
The wood, and stone, and dust destroys,
And licks up all the streams of sin.

The sin of all the world He bears
Away: upon our face we fall;
His fire of love confirms our prayers,
Attesting that He died for all.

He died for all the fallen race,
We all may His salvation prove:
The Lord—He is the God of grace,
The Lord—He is the God of love!

ANOTHER.

[O all-atoning Lamb]

O all-atoning Lamb,
O Saviour of mankind,
If every soul may in Thy name
With me salvation find;
If Thou hast chosen me
To testify Thy grace,
(That vast unfathomable sea
Which covers all our race,)—

Equip me for the war,
And teach my hands to fight,
My simple upright heart prepare,
And guide my words aright!
Control my every thought,
My every sin remove;
Let all my works in Thee be wrought,
Let all be wrought in love.

O arm me with the mind,
Meek Lamb, that was in Thee;
And let my knowing zeal be join'd
To fervent charity;
With calm and temper'd zeal
Let me enforce Thy call,
And vindicate Thy gracious will,
Which offers life to all.

O do not let me trust
In any arm but Thine;
Humble, O humble to the dust
This stubborn soul of mine;
Cast all my reeds aside,
Captivate every thought,
And drain me of my strength and pride,
And bring me down to nought.

Thou dost not stand in need
Of me to prop Thy cause,
To' assert Thy general grace, or spread
The victory of Thy cross:
A feeble thing of nought,
With humble shame I own
The help which upon earth is wrought
Thou dost it all alone.

Little, and base, and mean,
And vile in my own eyes,
A lump of misery and sin
At Thy command I rise;
I rise at Thy command,
I answer to Thy call,
A witness of Thy grace I stand,
Thy grace, which is for all.

O may I love like Thee,
And in Thy footsteps tread!
Thou hatest all iniquity,
But nothing Thou hast made.
O may I learn Thy art,
With meekness to reprove,
To hate the sin with all my heart,
But still the sinner love.

Increase (if that can be)
The perfect hate I feel
To Satan's Horrible Decree,
That genuine child of hell;
Which feigns Thee to pass by
The most of Adam's race,
And leave them in their blood to die,
Shut out from saving grace.

To most, as devils teach,
(Get thee behind me, fiend!)
To most Thy mercies never reach,
Whose mercies never end:
“Millions of souls Thy will
Delighted to ordain
Inevitable death to feel,
And everlasting pain.”

In vain Thy written Word
The hellish tale gainsays,
Bids all receive their common Lord,
And offers all Thy grace:
Prophets, apostles join,
And saints and angels call,
And Christ attests the love Divine
That sent Him down for all.

Yet still, alas! there are
Who give their God the lie,
The Saviour of the world they dare
With all His truths deny:
A monstrous two-fold will
To God the Just they give;
“His secret one ordain'd to kill
Whom His declared bids live.

“The God of truth commands
All sinners to repent,
And mocks the work of His own hands
By what He never meant;
Commands them to believe
An unavailing lie,
Him for their Saviour to receive,
For them who did not die.”

Loving to every man,
Of tenderest pity full,
Did God, the good, the just, ordain
To damn one helpless soul?
“He did! the Just, the Good,
(Hell answers from beneath,)
Spite of His word, His oath, He would,
He wills, the sinner's death.”

Like as a father feels
His suffering children's care,
In God such kind compassion dwells,
For all His offspring are:
“He loves His little ones
(As Satan speaks) so well,
To dash their brains against the stones,
And shut them up in hell.

“He gives them damning grace,
To raise their torments higher,
And makes His shrieking children pass
To Moloch through the fire;
He doom'd their souls to death
From all eternity.”
This is that wisdom from beneath,
That Horrible Decree!

My soul it harrows up,
It freezes all my blood,
My tingling ears I fain would stop
Against their hellish god,
Constrain'd, alas! to hear
His reprobating roar,
And see him horribly appear
All stain'd with human gore.

'Tis thus, Thou loving Lamb,
Thy creatures picture Thee;
I blush to own my nature's shame,
That nature is in me:
But let it not remain;
The dire reproach efface;
Arise, O God! Thy truth maintain,
Thy all-redeeming grace.

Defend Thy mercy's cause:
Men have blasphemed their God,
Thrown down the altar of Thy cross,
And trampled on Thy blood;
Thy truth and righteousness
Their impious schemes disprove,
And rob Thee of Thy favourite grace,
Thine universal love.

Ah! foolish souls, and blind!
If your report be true,
If mercy is not unconfined,
What mercy were for you
Who all His truth blaspheme,
Who all His grace deny!
Fury, ye worms, is not in Him,
Or He would you pass by.

Jesus, forgive the wrong;
But O, Thy foes restrain;
Silence the lewd, opprobrious tongue
That scourges Thee again:
They put Thee, Lord, to shame,
Again to death pursue;
Yet, O forgive them, gentle Lamb,
They know not what they do.

Some men of simple heart
The devil's tale believe;
Beguiled by the old Serpent's art,
His saying they receive:
For fear of robbing Thee
They rob Thee of Thy grace,
And (O good God!) to prove it free,
Damn almost all the race.

Pity their simpleness,
O Saviour of mankind;
Scatter the clouds of smoke that press
Their weak, bewilder'd mind;
The other gospel chase
To hell, from whence it came,
And let them taste Thy general grace,
And let them know Thy name.

O all-redeeming Lord,
Our common Friend and Head,
Thine everlasting gospel word
In their behalf we plead:
If they have drank their bane,
Do Thou the death remove,
The venomous thing drive out again
By universal love.

Let it not plunge their soul
In all the' extremes of ill;
The fatal mischief, Lord, control,
Nor suffer it to kill:
Thou wouldst that none should die;
O bring them back to God,
Thy sovereign antidote apply,
Thine all-atoning blood.

Avenge us of our foe,
And crush the Serpent's head,
Nor longer suffer him to sow
On earth the deadly seed;
The trampler on Thy grace,
Bruise him beneath our feet;
To hell the old deceiver chase,
And seal the burning pit.

Then shall Thy saints rejoice,
The song of Moses sing,
With angel choirs lift up their voice,
And praise their heavenly King,—
“The' accuser is subdued
And put to endless shame,
Cast down by the all-cleansing blood
Of the victorious Lamb.”

HYMN XIV.

[Sinners, turn; why will ye die?]

“Why will ye die, O house of Israel?” —Ezekiel xviii. 31.

Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God, your Maker, asks you why;

God, who did your being give,
Made you with Himself to live:
He the fatal cause demands,
Asks the work of His own hands,
Why, ye thankless creatures, why
Will ye cross His love, and die?

Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God, your Saviour, asks you why;
God, who did your souls retrieve,
Died Himself that you might live:
Will you let Him die in vain?
Crucify your Lord again?
Why, ye ransom'd sinners, why
Will you slight His grace and die?

Sinners, turn; why will ye die?
God, the Spirit, asks you why;
God, who all your lives hath strove,
Woo'd you to embrace His love:
Will you not the grace receive?
Will you still refuse to live?
Why, ye long-sought sinners, why
Will ye grieve your God, and die?

Dead, already dead within,
Spiritually dead in sin,
Dead to God, while here you breathe,
Pant ye after second death?
Will ye still in sin remain,
Greedy of eternal pain?
O ye dying sinners, why,
Why will you for ever die?

Let the beasts their breath resign,
Strangers to the life Divine,
Who their God can never know,
Let their spirit downward go:
Ye for higher ends were born,
Ye may all to God return,
Live with Him above the sky;
Why will you for ever die?

You, on whom He favours showers,
You, possess'd of nobler powers,
You, of reason's powers possess'd,
You, with will and memory blest,
You, with finer sense endued,
Creatures capable of God,
Noblest of His creatures, why,
Why will you for ever die?

You, whom He ordain'd to be
Transcripts of the Trinity,
You, whom He in life doth hold,
You, for whom Himself was sold,
You, on whom He still doth wait,
Whom He would again create,
Made by Him, and purchased, why,
Why will you for ever die?

You, who own His record true,
You, His chosen people, you,
You, who call the Saviour Lord,
You, who read His written Word,
You, who see the gospel light,
Claim a crown in Jesu's right,
Why will you, ye Christians, why
Will the house of Israel die?

You, His own peculiar race,
Sharers of His special grace,
All His grace to you is given,
You the favourites of heaven;
And will you unfaithful prove,
Trample on His richest love?
Jesus asks the reason, why,
Why will you resolve to die?

What could your Redeemer do,
More than He hath done for you?
To procure your peace with God,
Could He more than shed His blood?
After all His waste of love,
All His drawings from above,
Why will you your Lord deny?
Why will you resolve to die?

Will you die because His grace
Cannot reach to all the race?
Life because you cannot have?
You because He will not save?
Dare you say He doth not call,
Doth not offer life to all,
Doth not ask His creatures, why,
Why will you resolve to die?

Saith He what He never meant,
Calls on all men to repent,
Calls, while His decree withstands,
Mocks the work of His own hands?
Will you die because you must?
Dare you make your God unjust?

He would have you live; O why,
Why will you resolve to die?

Turn, He cries, ye sinners, turn;
By His life your God hath sworn
He would have you turn, and live,
He would all the world receive;
He hath brought to all the race
Full salvation by His grace,
He hath no one soul pass'd by;
Why will you resolve to die?

Hath He pleasure in your pain?
Did He you to death ordain,
Vow you never should return,
Damn or ever you were born?
If your death were His delight,
Would He you to life invite?
Would He ask, obtest, and cry,
Why will you resolve to die?

Sinners, turn while God is near,
Dare not think Him insincere:
Now, even now, your Saviour stands,
All day long He spreads His hands,
Cries, “Ye will not happy be,
No, ye will not come to Me,
Me, who life to none deny;
Why will you resolve to die?”

Can ye doubt if God is love,
If to all His bowels move?
Will ye not His word receive?
Will ye not His oath believe?

See, the suffering God appears;
Jesus weeps! believe His tears;
Mingled with His blood, they cry,
Why will you resolve to die?

HYMN XV.

[Ah! whither should I go]

“God will have all men to be saved.” —1 Timothy ii. 4.

Ah! whither should I go,
Burden'd, and sick, and faint?
To whom should I my trouble show,
Or pour out my complaint?
The Saviour bids me come;
Ah! why do I delay!
He calls the weary sinner home,
And yet from Him I stay.

What is it keeps me back,
From which I cannot part,
Which will not let my Saviour take
Possession of my heart?
Some cursed thing unknown
Must surely lurk within,
Some idol which I will not own,
Some secret bosom sin.

Jesu, the hindrance show
Which I have fear'd to see;
Yet let me now consent to know
What keeps me out of Thee.

Searcher of hearts, in mine
Thy trying power display,
Into its darkest corners shine,
And take the veil away.

I would not still deceive
My soul, and blind my sight;
I would not still Thy Spirit grieve
By shutting out Thy light.
Late, in Thy light I see,
And thank Thee for the grace;
Thou wouldst have all men come to Thee,
Saviour of human race.

Not one of all that fell
But may Thy favour find,
With Thee, the Friend of sinners, dwell,
The Friend of human kind.
Thee every soul may see,
Thy saving grace may prove,
Confirm the merciful decree
Of universal love.

Thou oft hast call'd in vain,
Thou oft hast come unsought,
Wouldst gather every soul of man,
But we, alas! would not.
Thou offerest all to fill
For Thy own mercies' sake,
“Come, freely come, whoever will,
And living water take.”

Thou standest at the door,
And wilt not thence depart,
But entrance ever dost implore
Into the sinner's heart;

Thy knock, if any hear
And open to his Guest,
Thou enterest in that soul, to cheer,
And art Thyself its feast.

The vilest need not doubt,
Thy grace for all is free,
Thou wilt in nowise cast him out
Who feebly comes to Thee.
Thou dost of us complain,—
“To Me ye will not come,
That ye eternal life may gain,
And then be taken home.”

That all may turn and live,
Thou by Thy life hast sworn,—
“Why will ye die, when I would give
Pardon to all that turn.”
Lord, I believe at last
Thy promise and Thy vow,
Thy word and solemn oath are past,
And Thou wilt save me now.

At last I yield, I yield,
Renounce my faithless fear;
By all Thy attributes compell'd,
I give up my despair.
O, how have I belied
My God, and wildly raved!
Thou wilt not save, I falsely cried,
When I would not be saved.

Thy goodness I accused,
(Pardon the blasphemy,)
Of life Thy proffer I refused,
And charged my death on Thee.

How long have I, how long,
Of God a devil made?
Forgive me, gracious Lord, the wrong;
I knew not what I said.

I now believe in Thee
Compassion reigns alone;
According to my faith, to me
O let it, Lord, be done.
In me is all the bar,
Which Thou wouldst fain remove;
Remove it, and I shall declare
That God is only love.

Thy mercy then takes place,
We find that love Thou art
When we no more resist Thy grace,
And harden not our heart.
Answer, if this be true,
Thy counsel now fulfil;
On me, for good, some token show,
O, work in me to will.

Lo! in Thy hand I lay,
And wait Thy will to prove;
My Potter, stamp on me, Thy clay,
Thy only stamp of love.
Be this my whole desire;
(I know that it is Thine;)
Then kindle in my soul a fire
Which shall for ever shine.

Thy gracious readiness
To save mankind assert;
Thine image, love, Thy name impress,
Thy nature, on my heart.

Bowels of mercy, hear,
Into my soul come down;
Let it throughout my life appear
That I have Christ put on.

O, plant in me Thy mind!
O, fix in me Thy home!
So shall I cry to all mankind,
Come to the waters, come.
Jesus is full of grace,
To all His bowels move!
Behold in me, ye fallen race,
That God is only Love!

HYMN XVI.

Free Grace.

Come, let us join our friends above,
The God of our salvation praise,
The God of everlasting love,
The God of universal grace.

'Tis not by works that we have done,
'Twas grace alone His heart inclined,
'Twas grace that gave His only Son
To taste of death for all mankind.

For every man He tasted death;
And hence we in His sight appear,
Not lifting up our eyes beneath,
But publishing His mercy here.

This is the ground of all our hope,
The fountain this of all our good,
Jesus for all was lifted up,
And shed for all His precious blood.

His blood, for all a ransom given,
Has wash'd away the general sin;
He closed His eyes to open heaven,
And all, who will, may enter in.

He worketh once to will in all,
Or mercy we could ne'er embrace;
He calls with an effectual call,
And bids us all receive His grace.

Thou drawest all men unto Thee,
Grace doth to every soul appear;
Preventing grace for all is free,
And brings to all salvation near.

Had not Thy grace salvation brought,
Thyself we never could desire;
Thy grace suggests our first good thought,
Thy only grace doth all inspire.

By nature only free to ill,
We never had one motion known
Of good, hadst Thou not given the will,
And wrought it by Thy grace alone.

'Twas grace, when we in sin were dead,
Us from the death of sin did raise;
Grace only hath the difference made;
Whate'er we are, we are by grace.

When on Thy love we turn'd our back,
Thou wouldst not shut Thy mercy's door,
The forfeiture Thou wouldst not take,
Thy grace did still our souls restore.

When twice ten thousand times we fell,
Thou gav'st us still a longer space,
Didst freely our backslidings heal,
And show'dst Thy more abundant grace.

'Twas grace from hell that brought us up;
Lo! to Thy sovereign grace we bow,
Through sovereign grace we still have hope,
Thy sovereign grace supports us now.

Grace only doth from sin restrain,
From which our nature cannot cease;
By grace we still Thy grace retain,
And wait to feel Thy perfect peace.

Kept by the mercy of our God,
Through faith, to full salvation's hour,
Jesu, we spread Thy name abroad,
And glorify Thy gracious power.

The constant miracle we own
By which we every moment live,
To grace, to Thy free grace alone,
The whole of our salvation give.

Strongly upheld by Thy right hand,
Thy all-redeeming love we praise;
The monuments of Thy grace we stand,
Thy free, Thine universal grace.

By grace we draw our every breath;
By grace we live, and move, and are;
By grace we 'scape the second death;
By grace we now Thy grace declare.

From the first feeble thought of good
To when the perfect grace is given,
'Tis all of grace; by grace renew'd,
From hell we pass through earth to heaven.

We need no reprobates to prove
That grace, free grace, is truly free;
Who cannot see that God is love,
Open your eyes, and look on me,

On us, whom Jesus hath call'd forth
To' assert that all His grace may have,
To vindicate His passion's worth
Enough ten thousand worlds to save.

He made it possible for all
His gift of righteousness to' embrace;
We all may answer to His call,
May all be freely saved by grace.

He promised all mankind to draw;
We feel Him draw us from above,
And preach with Him the gracious law,
And publish the Decree of Love.

Behold the all-atoning Lamb;
Come, sinners, at the gospel call;
Look, and be saved through Jesu's name;
We witness He hath died for all.

We join with all our friends above,
The God of our salvation praise,
The God of everlasting love,
The God of universal grace.

GLORIA PATRI.

I.

Father, whose everlasting love
Draws every sinner from above,
And points him to the' atoning blood,

Thou all the world wouldst freely save,
If all Thy record would believe,
That Thou hast Christ on all bestow'd.
Saviour of all, to Thee we bow;
The universal Saviour, Thou
Thy gift of life to all wouldst give:
'Tis we that make Thine offers vain,
We force Thy pity to complain,
“Ye will not come to Me, and live.”

Thee, Spirit of Love, we gladly praise,
Who strivest long with all the race;
We own Thine universal lure:
Had he accepted of Thine aid,
The blackest soul in hell had made
His calling and election sure.
Joint Causes of our glorious hope,
To Thee our thanks we offer up,
Of Thy free grace we make our boast;
On angels and archangels call,—
Praise ye the Lamb that died for all,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

II.

O Fountain of love, O God of all grace,
Whose bowels did move Toward Adam's lost race,
Accept our thanksgiving For sending our Lord,
That all men believing Might all be restored.

Great Friend of mankind, We trust in Thy blood;
Thy passion, we find, Hath brought us to God:
We thank and we bless Thee, Who savest us from thrall,
And gladly confess Thee, The Saviour of all.

O Spirit of love, Whom all men may feel,
Whose pity has strove And strives with us still,
We bless Thee for giving To all Thy free grace;
Thy prevalent striving Would save the whole race.

III.

Father of our dear Lord,
Thy mercy we record,
Over all Thy works it shone;
Mercy freely Thee inclined,
Mercy gave Thine only Son,
Death to taste for all mankind.

O Lamb, for sinners slain,
For every soul of man,
Thou, for all men lifted up,
Drawest all men unto Thee:
Glory be to Christ our Hope!
All the world may hope in Thee.

Thee, Holy Ghost, we praise,
Giver of general grace;
Preacher Thou to spirits bound,
Dost for harden'd sinners grieve,
Those who, while He may be found,
Will not come to God and live.

Blessing, and praise to Thee,
All-glorious Trinity!
Live by all Thy works adored,
All below and all above,
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God of grace, and God of love.

IV.

Father of mankind, whose love
In Christ for all is free,
Thou hast sent Him from above
To bring us all to Thee;
Thou hast every heart inclined
Christ the Saviour to embrace,
All those heavenly drawings find,
All may be saved by grace.

Christ, the true and living Light,
Thou shinest into all,
Lightest every son of night
That fell in Adam's fall:
Bear we witness unto Thee,
Thou Thy light to all dost give,
That the world through it might see
Their Saviour, and believe.

Holy Ghost, all-quickening Fire,
Thou givest each his day,
Dost one spark of life inspire
In every castaway;
Not to aggravate his sin,
Not his sorer doom to seal,
But that he might let Thee in
And all Thy fulness feel.

100

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
All glory be to Thee;
The whole world of sinners lost
To save Thou dost agree:
Thee triumphantly we praise,
Vie with all Thy hosts above,
Shout Thine universal grace,
Thine everlasting love.

V.

Praise God from whom pure blessings flow,
Whose bowels yearn on all below,
Who would not have one sinner lost;
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!

VI.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Who sweetly all agree
To save a world of sinners lost,
Eternal glory be.

VII.

Father of Jesus Christ our Lord,
Giver of covenanted grace,
For ever be Thy love adored,
Which sent Thy Son to save our race;
To save the world, and not condemn,
That all the world might live through Him.

Thee, Saviour of mankind, we bless,
Who didst the' offending nature take;
The world's Desire, and Hope, and Peace,
Thou didst for all atonement make:

101

For men, and not for angels given,
Or hell might all be turn'd to heaven.

Spirit of power, and health, and love,
Who broodest over every soul,
Dost once in every bosom move,
And offer once to make all whole,
Let all Thy general grace adore,
And lie against Thy truth no more.

VIII.

God of infinite compassion,
Thou hast gave Christ to save
All in every nation.

Thou hast all in Christ elected,
Not a soul of the whole
Was by Thee rejected.

Father of our common Saviour,
All Thy grace might embrace,
Might have once found favour.

Give we to our Lord the glory;
Lord, Thy love all may prove,
May with us adore Thee.

For us all Thy great salvation
Thou hast wrought; all hast bought
By Thy bloody passion.

Partner of the sinful nature,
Lord, Thine eye none pass'd by,
No one fallen creature.

Hail, Thou all-alluring Spirit;
All, would we follow Thee,
Might Thy heaven inherit.

102

To all flesh Thy grace is given,
All beneath feel Thy breath
Drawing them toward heaven.

Thy long-suffering is salvation,
Not to seal souls for hell,
Not for man's damnation.

God the Father through the Spirit
Shows His Son, makes Him known,
And applies His merit.

Father, Son, and Spirit bless us;
One and Three all agree,
Three are One in Jesus.

God is both the Gift and Giver;
Let us praise His free grace
Now, henceforth, for ever.

IX.

Paternal Deity,
Pure Universal Love,
All praise we render Thee
For sending from above
The glorious Partner of Thy throne,
Thine only co-eternal Son.

Jesus, the Woman's Seed,
The Covenant of peace,
To bruise the serpent's head,
To ransom us, and bless,
Thou to the Gentile world hast gave,
Not to condemn the world, but save.

103

The Lamb of God, who takes
The general sin away,
Who no exception makes,
But gives to each his day,
On Thee our common Lord we call,
And bless Thee, who hast died for all.

Thou all the debt hast paid,
For all a ransom given,
For all atonement made,
For all hast purchased heaven;
And now Thou art before the throne
To plead what Thou for all hast done.

We glorify the Dove,
Who peaceful tidings brings,
And whispers God is love,
And spreads for all His wings,
And strives, since first the world began,
With every fallen soul of man.

Thee, Holy Ghost, we praise;
Thy sweet attracting power
Would quicken all the race,
Would all mankind restore;
Salvation Thy long-suffering is,
And leads to everlasting bliss.

X.

Publish we our Father's praise,
Saved by His unbounded grace;
Christ He gave for all that breathe,
Christ for all hath tasted death.

104

Christ we praise, our God above;
He is pure unspotted love,
Hateth nothing He hath made,
Died in every sinner's stead.

Let us the Good Spirit bless,
Him the gift of Christ confess,
Listen to His general call,
Yield, and He will save us all.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Thee, with all the heavenly host,
We poor ransom'd worms adore
Now, henceforth, and evermore.

XI.

Father of earth and heaven,
All glory be to Thee,
Who self-inclined hast freely given
Thy Son to die for me;
For me and all that breathe,
For all of Adam's race,
The Second Adam tasted death,
By Thy all-pardoning grace.

We bless the saving name,
Jesus, the sinner's peace,
The Saviour of mankind, proclaim,
The Lord our Righteousness,
Whose gift is come to all;
For all the Lamb hath died;
The world may listen to His call,
The world is justified.

105

We glorify the Dove,
Who strives with every soul,
And witnesses that God is love
When He hath made us whole,—
Witnesses with the blood
That it for all did stream,
That all through Christ may come to God,
May all be saved through Him.

We magnify the grace,
The universal love
Of Father, Son, and Spirit praise,
With all the hosts above.
Till Christ on earth appears,
Angels, on you we call,
Come, praise with us, ye morning stars,
The Lamb that died for all.

With us together sing,
Your tongues and harps employ;
To sound the glories of our King,
Ye angels, shout for joy;
For joy that God hath died,
That we might be forgiven,
And find, with all the sanctified,
Our names enroll'd in heaven.

Worthy, O Lamb, art Thou,
That all Thy name should bless;
That every knee to Thee should bow,
And every tongue confess:
Thee, Jesus, Thee we own
For every sinner slain;
With Him that sitteth on the throne
Worthy art Thou to reign.

106

Hosannah to the Son!
Hosannah, cry aloud;
Then cast your crowns before the throne,
Ye first-born sons of God!
With you we now adore,
Low at His footstool fall,
And praise and worship evermore
The Lamb that died for all.

University of Virginia Library

HYMNS ON God's Everlasting Love [Second series].

HYMN I.

[Terrible God, severely just]