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| XVIII. | CHAPTER XVIII. |
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| XVII. |
| XXVIII. |
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 | CHAPTER XVIII. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
CHAPTER XVIII.
455.
[Usurpers of the Christian name]
Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, &c.
—xviii. 3.
Usurpers of the Christian name,
Slaves to the proud ambitious sin,
Heaven as your own howe'er ye claim
Unchanged ye cannot enter in,
Unless your inmost spirit prove
The humbling power of childlike love.
Slaves to the proud ambitious sin,
Heaven as your own howe'er ye claim
Unchanged ye cannot enter in,
Unless your inmost spirit prove
The humbling power of childlike love.
Ye must, ye must be born again,
Converted by a change entire,
A child's simplicity attain,
Or sink in everlasting fire;
The Truth, the Truth Himself hath spoke
The word He never will revoke.
Converted by a change entire,
A child's simplicity attain,
Or sink in everlasting fire;
The Truth, the Truth Himself hath spoke
The word He never will revoke.
314
456.
[See the true evangelic child]
Whosoever . . . shall humble himself as this little, &c.
—xviii. 4.
See the true evangelic child,
So ready at the Father's call!
Harmless, and tractable, and mild,
Placid, benevolent to all,
Nor wealth nor honour he desires,
Nor proudly to be first aspires.
So ready at the Father's call!
Harmless, and tractable, and mild,
Placid, benevolent to all,
Nor wealth nor honour he desires,
Nor proudly to be first aspires.
Directed by the Father's will
What to eschew, what to approve,
Simple, and ignorant of ill,
He speaks with unreflecting love,
A stranger to the colouring art;
And truth flows genuine from his heart.
What to eschew, what to approve,
Simple, and ignorant of ill,
He speaks with unreflecting love,
A stranger to the colouring art;
And truth flows genuine from his heart.
This is the soul divinely great,
To spotless innocence restored,
Establish'd in his first estate,
Born in the image of his Lord,
With Jesus' little ones to rise,
And reign immortal in the skies.
To spotless innocence restored,
Establish'd in his first estate,
Born in the image of his Lord,
With Jesus' little ones to rise,
And reign immortal in the skies.
457.
[Let the world profusely vain]
Whoso shall receive one such little child in, &c.
—xviii. 5.
Let the world profusely vain,
At each luxurious feast
Glory, that they entertain
The great or wealthy guest:
Glad His blessings to restore,
His gifts as He appoints to give,
Present in the pious poor
My Saviour I receive.
At each luxurious feast
Glory, that they entertain
The great or wealthy guest:
Glad His blessings to restore,
His gifts as He appoints to give,
Present in the pious poor
My Saviour I receive.
Happy, when by faith I can
My needy Saviour spy,
Feed Him in the humble man,
And all His wants supply:
What I do, most gracious Lord,
For Thine, as done for Thee approve;
With one smiling look reward
My hospitable love.
My needy Saviour spy,
Feed Him in the humble man,
And all His wants supply:
315
For Thine, as done for Thee approve;
With one smiling look reward
My hospitable love.
458.
[Woe to the man, eternal woe]
Woe to that man by whom the offence cometh!
—xviii. 7.
Woe to the man, eternal woe
To him by whom the' offence doth come!
His lot and portion is below,
His sentence is the' apostate's doom;
Plunged in the depths of grief unless
With broken heart his crime he feel,
A load of guilt shall soon depress
His soul to the profoundest hell.
To him by whom the' offence doth come!
His lot and portion is below,
His sentence is the' apostate's doom;
Plunged in the depths of grief unless
With broken heart his crime he feel,
A load of guilt shall soon depress
His soul to the profoundest hell.
Ah, Saviour, keep my trembling heart
Which feels its own infirmity;
One moment, Lord, if Thou depart,
The dire offence will come by me:
But if myself I always fear,
Thou wilt display Thy guardian love,
And give me grace to persevere,
Till safe with Thee I rest above.
Which feels its own infirmity;
One moment, Lord, if Thou depart,
The dire offence will come by me:
But if myself I always fear,
Thou wilt display Thy guardian love,
And give me grace to persevere,
Till safe with Thee I rest above.
459.
['Tis not enough, at Thy command]
If thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them, &c.
—xviii. 8.
'Tis not enough, at Thy command
The eye to shut, the hand to stay,
The eye I must pluck out, the hand
Cut off, and cast them both away,
The' occasions dear far off remove,
The objects of my sinful love.
The eye to shut, the hand to stay,
The eye I must pluck out, the hand
Cut off, and cast them both away,
The' occasions dear far off remove,
The objects of my sinful love.
Not without grief an eye is lost,
Torn from its seat with lingering smart:
And will it less of anguish cost
To tear a passion from the heart?
Jesus, my helplessness I see,
And ask the violent grace from Thee.
Torn from its seat with lingering smart:
And will it less of anguish cost
To tear a passion from the heart?
316
And ask the violent grace from Thee.
460.
[To save the lost He came]
The Son of Man is come to save that which, &c.
—xviii. 11.
To save the lost He came:
The lost was all mankind:
And I through Jesu's name
Do now salvation find,
And publish it the world around
That grace doth more than sin abound.
461.
[We two, O Lord, on earth agree]
If two of you shall agree on earth as, &c.
—xviii. 19.
We two, O Lord, on earth agree
Touching a thing to ask of Thee,
And trust it shall for us be done:
We ask to be preserved from sin,
Kept by the power of God within,
Till saved, and perfected in one.
Touching a thing to ask of Thee,
And trust it shall for us be done:
We ask to be preserved from sin,
Kept by the power of God within,
Till saved, and perfected in one.
To ask a second grace we join;
Answer in us Thine own design,
When life's important hour is o'er,
(The end for which we here did meet,)
Place us together on Thy seat;
Do this, and we can ask no more.
Answer in us Thine own design,
When life's important hour is o'er,
(The end for which we here did meet,)
Place us together on Thy seat;
Do this, and we can ask no more.
462.
[United to our Head]
United to our Head,
When round the throne of grace,
We all are in our suit agreed,
'Tis Christ Himself that prays!
His meritorious love
Whate'er we ask requires,
His bowels sound and softly move,
And echo our desires.
When round the throne of grace,
We all are in our suit agreed,
'Tis Christ Himself that prays!
His meritorious love
Whate'er we ask requires,
His bowels sound and softly move,
And echo our desires.
317
His heart it is that bleeds
In His afflicted ones,
His blood that speaks and intercedes,
Mix'd with His Spirit's groans!
The Father hears His Son
And by His grace reveal'd
Assures our inmost souls 't is done,
And Jesus' prayer is seal'd!
In His afflicted ones,
His blood that speaks and intercedes,
Mix'd with His Spirit's groans!
The Father hears His Son
And by His grace reveal'd
Assures our inmost souls 't is done,
And Jesus' prayer is seal'd!
463.
[Can we believe this precious word]
Where two or three are gathered together, &c.
—xviii. 20.
Can we believe this precious word,
And not assemble in Thy name,
Sure, if we meet, to meet our Lord,
And catch Thy whisper, “Here I am!”
Where two or three with faithful heart
Unite to plead the promise given,
As truly in the midst Thou art,
As with the countless hosts of heaven.
464.
[How difficult the task we find]
Then came Peter . . . and said, Lord, how oft, &c.
—xviii. 21.
How difficult the task we find
To blot and banish from the mind
The evils we receive!
Nature of injuries afraid
Would by a thousand arts evade
The duty to forgive.
To blot and banish from the mind
The evils we receive!
Nature of injuries afraid
Would by a thousand arts evade
The duty to forgive.
'Tis always nature's cautious care
In duty not to go too far:
And niggardly self-love
The law would cheaply satisfy,
And do but just enough to buy
The meanest place above.
In duty not to go too far:
And niggardly self-love
The law would cheaply satisfy,
And do but just enough to buy
The meanest place above.
318
465.
[Devoted to eternal fire]
Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, &c.
—xviii. 22.
Devoted to eternal fire,
If Thy Divine compassion end,
Shall sinners, Lord, of Thee inquire
How far their mercy shall extend,
How oft a sinner to receive,
How much of injury forgive?
If Thy Divine compassion end,
Shall sinners, Lord, of Thee inquire
How far their mercy shall extend,
How oft a sinner to receive,
How much of injury forgive?
O that I could like Thee forget
Whate'er to me my brother owes,
Remit the re-contracted debt,
A thousand times embrace my foes,
And still forgive with charity
Unbounded, as Thy love to me!
Whate'er to me my brother owes,
Remit the re-contracted debt,
A thousand times embrace my foes,
And still forgive with charity
Unbounded, as Thy love to me!
Me when an enemy to God,
Thou didst with arms of love embrace,
Though infinite the debt I owed,
Thy free, immeasurable grace
Forgave: and still Thou daily art
Inscribing pardon on my heart.
Thou didst with arms of love embrace,
Though infinite the debt I owed,
Thy free, immeasurable grace
Forgave: and still Thou daily art
Inscribing pardon on my heart.
466.
[Immensely great the debt of man]
One was brought unto him, which owed him, &c.
—xviii. 24.
Immensely great the debt of man
Compell'd we are to own
When all we have, and are, and can
Belongs to God alone;
Our time and thoughts are His, not ours,
Our actions, words, desires,
And all our faculties and powers
He as His due requires.
467.
[Justice severe demands the whole]
He had not to pay.
—xviii. 25.
Justice severe demands the whole:
What shall the sinner say
319
Who nothing has to pay!
No: if the worth and righteousness
Of all the saints were mine,
I could not answer, or appease
The Creditor Divine.
468.
[God never alienates His right]
His lord commanded him to be sold.
—xviii. 25.
God never alienates His right
To souls He loves so well;
They sell themselves for sin's delight
To Satan and to hell:
And who in Christ can have no share
They must tormented be,
And groan without redemption there
Through all eternity.
469.
[Thy debtor at Thy feet I fall]
Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all.
—xviii. 26.
Thy debtor at Thy feet I fall:
But can I ever pay Thee all?
Or for a single sin atone?
No, Lord: I leave it to Thy Son.
470.
[Sinners the Lord our God receives]
And loosed him, and forgave him the debt.
—xviii. 27.
Sinners the Lord our God receives,
And never partially forgives,
Whate'er our sins He pardons all,
The great as freely as the small,
When humbly we confess the debt,
And beg forbearance at His feet.
471.
[Master, Thou didst the same by me]
Master, Thou didst the same by me,When at Thy feet I lay;
Thy grace forgave, and set me free,
And left me nought to pay:
320
I thankfully receive,
And thus my fellow-servants treat,
And thus like Thee forgive.
472.
[An hundred pence! how small the debt]
The same servant went out, and found one, &c.
—xviii. 28.
An hundred pence! how small the debt,
(How slight the injury,)
Against ten thousand talents set
But now remitted me!
The pardon I from Christ receive
Still may I bear in mind,
And gladly for His sake forgive
The wrongs of all mankind.
473.
[A sinner, though he truly know]
His fellow-servants . . . were very sorry, &c.
—xviii. 31.
A sinner, though he truly know
His sins through Jesus' grace forgiven,
If mercy he refuse to show,
He irritates both earth and heaven;
The saints in that great day shall rise
'Gainst every soul implacable,
And praise the vengeance of the skies
Which dooms the merciless to hell.
474.
[Ye pitiless, hard-hearted men]
Shouldest not thou also have had compassion, &c.
—xviii. 33.
Ye pitiless, hard-hearted men,
Pardon to others who deny,
Ye lose your grace, received in vain,
And soon ye in your sins shall die:
Harsh to your fellow-servants here
Who rigorously exact your due
When Christ doth in the clouds appear
Judgment alone remains for you.
321
475.
[O may I never sadly prove]
So . . . shall My heavenly Father do also unto you.
—xviii. 35.
O may I never sadly prove
A child can lose his Father's love,
A soul implacable,
Whose countless sins were once forgiven,
May justly from Thy face be driven,
To pay his debt—in hell!
| CHAPTER XVIII. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |