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 | CHAPTER XV. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
CHAPTER XV.
384.
[If only with our lips we pray]
This people draweth nigh unto Me with their, &c.
—xv. 8.
If only with our lips we pray,
And want the grace within,
Our pious pains we cast away,
Our prayer is turn'd to sin:
Religion pure and undefiled
Unites the heart to God,
A God in Jesus reconciled,
Who bought us with His blood.
And want the grace within,
Our pious pains we cast away,
Our prayer is turn'd to sin:
Religion pure and undefiled
Unites the heart to God,
A God in Jesus reconciled,
Who bought us with His blood.
288
The power of vital piety
To me, O God, impart,
So shall I gladly render Thee
The worship of the heart:
And when to Thee alone I cleave
With smiles Thou wilt approve
And kindly through Thy Son receive
The homage of my love.
To me, O God, impart,
So shall I gladly render Thee
The worship of the heart:
And when to Thee alone I cleave
With smiles Thou wilt approve
And kindly through Thy Son receive
The homage of my love.
385.
[Jesus the formal teachers leaves]
He called the multitude, and said unto them, &c.
—xv. 10.
Jesus the formal teachers leaves,
And to the multitude applies,
Them He instructs and undeceives,
And makes unto salvation wise:
And following our celestial Guide
His will we to the people show,
Set the false piety aside,
And teach their simpler hearts the true.
386.
[The truth a Pharisee offends]
Knowest Thou that the Pharisees were offended, &c.
—xv. 12.
The truth a Pharisee offends
Too proud instruction to receive:
He never his own faults amends,
Or bears that others should believe:
Yet will we still the truth declare
Which angry formalists reject;
Thus to offend we must not spare
But slight the whole self-righteous sect.
387.
[Whate'er is not of God]
Every plant which My heavenly Father hath, &c.
—xv. 13.
Whate'er is not of God
Is labour lost and vain:
The works of men, though men applaud,
They cannot long remain:
Exulting in their power,
Who seem to reach the sky
Shall bloom and wither in an hour,
With all their works shall die.
Is labour lost and vain:
The works of men, though men applaud,
They cannot long remain:
289
Who seem to reach the sky
Shall bloom and wither in an hour,
With all their works shall die.
The adversary's seed
As thorns and briers abound,
The vineyard of our Lord o'erspread,
And clog the sacred ground.
But Jesus shall at last
Reveal His righteous ire,
And root up Satan's plants, and cast
Them all into the fire.
As thorns and briers abound,
The vineyard of our Lord o'erspread,
And clog the sacred ground.
But Jesus shall at last
Reveal His righteous ire,
And root up Satan's plants, and cast
Them all into the fire.
Who their own good declare,
Their height of grace possess,
May flourish for a season fair
As trees of righteousness;
But God did never plant,
Nor will for His approve
Men that the children's spirit want,
The meek and humble love.
Their height of grace possess,
May flourish for a season fair
As trees of righteousness;
But God did never plant,
Nor will for His approve
Men that the children's spirit want,
The meek and humble love.
388.
[Let him alone, the blindfold guide]
Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind.
—xv. 14.
Let him alone, the blindfold guide,
Stir not the hornet's nest,
Or rashly tempt the furious pride
Of a revengeful priest:
His ignorance you cannot heal,
His envious wrath avert,
Or help the stubbornness of will,
The blindness of his heart.
389.
[Who dares religion's power deny]
If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall, &c.
—xv. 14.
Who dares religion's power deny,
While for the forms he pleads,
290
To sure destruction leads:
The guide who will not Jesus know,
Is Satan's messenger,
Damns his own soul to endless woe,
And all the souls that hear.
390.
[What numbers call the Saviour Lord]
Are ye also yet without understanding?
—xv. 16.
What numbers call the Saviour Lord,
Spiritual guides in their own eyes.
Who slight His sanctifying word,
Nor see their holy calling's prize!
The perfect love they cannot gain,
“With sin's remains they cannot part,”
The' inherent righteousness attain,
The real purity of heart.
391.
[Man, fallen man conceals within]
Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, &c.
—xv. 19.
Man, fallen man conceals within
The principles of every sin;
But virtuous seed of every kind
We in the heart of Jesus find:
Jesus my evil heart remove,
Cleansed by Thy own imparted love;
And to preserve my purity,
Reside with all Thy grace in me.
392.
[Lord, on Thy promise I rely]
These are the things which defile a man.
—xv. 20.
Lord, on Thy promise I rely,
From all my filth to purify,
To pour Thy Spirit into my heart,
And make mine unbelief depart:
Thy blood which cleanses from all sin
Shall wash mine inmost nature clean,
291
Nor leave one evil thought behind.
393.
[The bowels of that Shepherd good]
Jesus went thence, and departed into the, &c.
—xv. 21.
The bowels of that Shepherd good
Who purchased Israel with His blood
What tongue can fully tell?
He leaves the ninety-nine behind,
One single straggling sheep to find,
One tortured soul to heal.
394.
[The image of a sinner see]
A woman of Canaan came out of the same, &c.
—xv. 22.
The image of a sinner see,
Who pierced with his own misery
Doth from his home depart,
The' occasions of his sin forsakes,
Jesus his only refuge makes,
And prays with all his heart.
Who pierced with his own misery
Doth from his home depart,
The' occasions of his sin forsakes,
Jesus his only refuge makes,
And prays with all his heart.
A sinner's penitential prayer
Doth humbly short his wants declare,
With faith in David's Son:
Nothing prescribes to God most high,
But mercy still persists to cry,
And trusts in that alone.
Doth humbly short his wants declare,
With faith in David's Son:
Nothing prescribes to God most high,
But mercy still persists to cry,
And trusts in that alone.
395.
[If Jesus answers not a word]
But He answered her not a word. And His, &c.
—xv. 23.
If Jesus answers not a word,
He urges still his silent Lord,
He will not let Him rest;
Resolved the Master to pursue,
He wearies out the servants too,
To second his request.
396.
[Patient the rough repulse he bears]
He answered and said, I am not sent but, &c.
—xv. 24, 25.
Patient the rough repulse he bears
Instant in unsuccessful prayers,
With deep humility,
292
He groans at his Redeemer's feet,
“Extend Thy help to me.”
397.
[Help me, Lord, on whom alone]
Lord, help me.
—xv. 25.
Help me, Lord, on whom alone
Succour is for sinners laid,
Help me for Thine aid to groan,
Help me to accept Thine aid;
Still assist me by Thy grace
Helpless at Thy feet to lie,
Well to close my various race,
Well to suffer, and to die.
398.
[I here beneath Thy feet confess]
He answered and said, It is not meet, &c.
—xv. 26.
I here beneath Thy feet confess
Mine universal sinfulness;
Thy harshest word is true,
Nothing as of desert I claim,
A dog, and not a child I am,
And hell is all my due.
Mine universal sinfulness;
Thy harshest word is true,
Nothing as of desert I claim,
A dog, and not a child I am,
And hell is all my due.
Forgiveness is the children's bread,
And let them first with grace be fed
With full felicity,
With true celestial bread supplied:
And when they all are satisfied
Enough remains for me.
And let them first with grace be fed
With full felicity,
With true celestial bread supplied:
And when they all are satisfied
Enough remains for me.
399.
[Jesus, beneath the sense I groan]
Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs.
—xv. 27.
Jesus, beneath the sense I groan
Of my unworthiness,
Yet trust, the' unworthiness I own
Shall never bar Thy grace:
The children first be fed by Thee:
The dogs with crumbs supply:
293
Let me through hunger die.
400.
[That mighty faith on me bestow]
O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee, &c.
—xv. 28.
That mighty faith on me bestow
Which cannot ask in vain,
Which holds, and will not let Thee go,
Till I my suit obtain;
Till Thou into my soul inspire
The perfect love unknown,
And tell mine infinite desire,
“Whate'er thou wilt, be done!”
401.
[But how much greater, O my God]
But how much greater, O my God,Thy mercy which the faith bestow'd
On all who now believe,
By violent importunity
To conquer, and extort from Thee
Whate'er Thou hast to give!
402.
[See with what vehement eagerness]
Great multitudes came unto Him, having, &c.
—xv. 30.
See with what vehement eagerness
What faith and hope and zeal
Distemper'd crowds to Jesus press
Who doth their bodies heal!
And shall not languid souls draw near,
To Christ for help apply,
Sentenced, unless He heal them here,
An endless death to die.
What faith and hope and zeal
Distemper'd crowds to Jesus press
Who doth their bodies heal!
And shall not languid souls draw near,
To Christ for help apply,
Sentenced, unless He heal them here,
An endless death to die.
More desperately diseased than those
Who first embraced Thy feet,
Saviour, my evils I expose,
And for Thy grace entreat;
Spiritual health I seek from Thee
With unremitting strife,
With strongest importunity
I ask eternal life.
Who first embraced Thy feet,
Saviour, my evils I expose,
And for Thy grace entreat;
294
With unremitting strife,
With strongest importunity
I ask eternal life.
Feet on my helpless soul bestow
To walk in all Thy ways,
The eyes of faith my Lord to know
A tongue to sound Thy praise;
Thy Spirit's powerful skill exert,
My sicknesses remove,
And cure the evil of my heart
With balm of perfect love.
To walk in all Thy ways,
The eyes of faith my Lord to know
A tongue to sound Thy praise;
Thy Spirit's powerful skill exert,
My sicknesses remove,
And cure the evil of my heart
With balm of perfect love.
403.
[Jesus, display Thy sovereign skill]
And cast them down at Jesus' feet; and He, &c.
—xv. 30.
Jesus, display Thy sovereign skill,
Thine ancient miracles repeat:
Thou never canst refuse to heal
A gasping sinner at Thy feet:
Expiring at Thy feet I lie:
O let Thy yearning bowels move,
Forgive, or in my sins I die,
Restore me by Thy bleeding love.
404.
[Canst Thou then without compassion]
I have compassion on the multitude.
—xv. 32.
Canst Thou then without compassion
Me Thy faint disciple see,
Hungering after Thy salvation,
Perishing for want of Thee?
Dying, till the grace is given,
Only for Thy life I pine:
Feed me, Lord, with bread from heaven,
Fill my soul with love Divine.
295
405.
[The world is one great wilderness]
Whence should we have so much bread, &c.
—xv. 33.
The world is one great wilderness,
Which nothing doth contain
To fill, in his extreme distress,
The hungry soul of man:
Yet shall we not through hunger die,
If in His steps we tread,
Who gives Himself to satisfy
Our souls with living bread.
406.
[God on man the grace bestows]
How many loaves have ye? And they said, &c.
—xv. 34.
God on man the grace bestows
His own indigence to see:
Then the humbled sinner knows,
Owns his heart-felt poverty:
Then he doth himself abase,
Nothing in his own esteem,
Prizes the Redeemer's grace,
Seeks his whole of good in Him.
407.
[Sinners form'd out of the ground]
He commanded the multitude to sit down, &c.
—xv. 35.
Sinners form'd out of the ground,
Mindful of their low estate,
Should with lowliness profound
For the heavenly blessing wait;
Stooping to their Lord's commands,
Humbled in the dust receive
Food out of their Saviour's hands,
Food which none but God can give.
408.
[Every gospel-minister]
He . . . brake, and gave to His disciples, and, &c.
xv. 36.
Every gospel-minister
All his gifts from Christ receives,
Nothing have they to confer
But what first to them He gives:
296
Gives the word by faith applied:
Then the multitude is fed,
Then our souls are satisfied.
409.
[Whom the Lord vouchsafes to feed]
They did all eat, and were filled.
—xv. 37.
Whom the Lord vouchsafes to feed,
They alone are truly fill'd,
Banquet on immortal Bread,
Pardon'd, sanctified, and seal'd:
Yet His gifts our want increase,
Poorer for His grace we prove,
Till we all His joy possess,
Feast on all His heavenly love.
410.
[Who on Providence depend]
They that did eat were four thousand men, &c.
—xv. 38.
Who on Providence depend,
Unconcern'd for numbers I
All my stock for Jesus spend,
All His followers' wants supply:
Can a stock exhausted be,
Still replenish'd from above?
Jesus is my Treasury,
Truth Divine, and Power, and Love.
411.
[Can a servant of the Lord]
Can a servant of the LordDread his family's increase?
Trusting in the Saviour's word,
Daily miracles he sees,
Children, blessings multiplied,
Mouths and meat together given:
Jesus doth for all provide,
All maintains with bread from heaven.
297
412.
[An instrument of Jesus' grace]
He sent away the multitude, and took ship, &c.
—xv. 39.
An instrument of Jesus' grace,
Who some applauded work hath done,
Withdraws to' escape the people's praise,
And hides him in a coast unknown:
Yet there he imitates his Lord,
Yet there the' esteem of man he flies,
And works, expecting no reward,
Till caught to Jesus in the skies.
| CHAPTER XV. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |