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| XXI. |
| XXII. | CHAPTER XXII. |
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| XXIII. |
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 | CHAPTER XXII. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
CHAPTER XXII.
543.
[King of kings Jehovah made]
The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain, &c.
—xxii. 2.
King of kings Jehovah made
A marriage for His Son,
Jesus in our flesh array'd,
And Partner of His throne;
349
God Most High to worms allied
Fell in love with misery
And came to seek His bride.
544.
[First His own peculiar race]
He sent forth his servants to call them that, &c.
—xxii. 3.
First His own peculiar race
The Father sent to' invite,
Woo'd them Jesus to embrace,
And in His love delight:
Moses show'd the Bridegroom near,
The prophets all confirm'd the word:
Israel heard, yet would not hear,
Or turn to meet their Lord.
545.
[God in mercy sent again]
Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, &c.
—xxii. 4.
God in mercy sent again
His gospel-ministers,
Tell them now that God is man,
And in their flesh appears!
Bless'd in Him, supremely bless'd,
To Jesus' name, ye sinners, bow;
Come and share the marriage feast,
For all is ready now.
546.
[O the vile ungrateful race]
But they made light of it, and went their, &c.
—xxii. 5, 6.
O the vile ungrateful race
His offers to despise!
Some to pleasure went their ways,
Some to their merchandise:
Sons of violent wickedness,
The rest His messengers abhorr'd,
Bold to mock, and wound, and seize,
And kill them with the sword.
350
547.
[The great King of earth and sky]
But when the king heard thereof, he was, &c.
—xxii. 7.
The great King of earth and sky,
The wicked to consume,
Hasten'd at His martyrs' cry,
And seal'd the murderers' doom;
By His Roman armies slew
The men that dared His utmost ire,
Burn'd their city up, and threw
Their souls into the fire.
548.
[Lo the wedding is prepared]
Then saith he to his servants, The wedding, &c.
—xxii. 8.
Lo the wedding is prepared,
(He to His servants said,)
Call who will the call regard,
In faithless Israel's stead:
Bidden first since they refuse,
And all My invitations scorn,
Leave the reprobated Jews,
And to the Gentiles turn.
549.
[To the broad frequented ways]
Go ye therefore into the highways, and as, &c.
—xxii. 9.
To the broad frequented ways
With My commission go,
Tidings glad of pardoning grace
To wandering sinners show:
Every soul may be My guest:
Bring in every soul ye find,
Press them to the gospel-feast,
A feast for all mankind.
550.
[Forth the zealous servants went]
So those servants went out into the highways.
—xxii. 10.
Forth the zealous servants went,
And preach'd the welcome word:
Sinners heard with glad consent,
And ran to meet their Lord;
351
High and low, a countless crowd,
Rush'd into the nuptial hall,
And fill'd the church of God.
551.
[When the King of Israel came]
And when the king came in to see the guests, &c.
—xxii. 11.
When the King of Israel came
His joyful guests to view,
Looking with His eyes of flame,
He look'd the sinner through;
One observed with angry frown,
(One the type of millions more,)
Bold with Jesus to sit down,
And only seem to' adore.
His joyful guests to view,
Looking with His eyes of flame,
He look'd the sinner through;
One observed with angry frown,
(One the type of millions more,)
Bold with Jesus to sit down,
And only seem to' adore.
Unadorn'd and unarray'd
With Jesus' righteousness,
In his filthy garments clad,
And destitute of grace,
Naked in his Maker's sight,
Without the covering from above,
Dress of saints, the linen white,
The robe of faith and love.
With Jesus' righteousness,
In his filthy garments clad,
And destitute of grace,
Naked in his Maker's sight,
Without the covering from above,
Dress of saints, the linen white,
The robe of faith and love.
552.
[Friend, how darest thou enter in]
And he saith unto him, Friend, how, &c.
—xxi. 12, 13.
Friend, how darest thou enter in,
And unprepared intrude,
Show thyself, a slave of sin
Among the saints of God?
Hand and foot the' intruder bind
Through guilt impenitently dumb
Cast him out to woes consign'd,
And hell's eternal gloom.
And unprepared intrude,
Show thyself, a slave of sin
Among the saints of God?
Hand and foot the' intruder bind
Through guilt impenitently dumb
Cast him out to woes consign'd,
And hell's eternal gloom.
352
No more feet from wrath to flee,
Or hands to work for God,
No more light His face to see,
In that profound abode!
What doth now for souls remain
Cast out to be tormented there?
Darkness, grief and rage, and pain,
And blasphemous despair!
Or hands to work for God,
No more light His face to see,
In that profound abode!
What doth now for souls remain
Cast out to be tormented there?
Darkness, grief and rage, and pain,
And blasphemous despair!
553.
[Jesus prepare Thy meanest guest]
Jesus prepare Thy meanest guest,Since Thou hast bid me to the feast,
Clothe with a covering from above,
The Spirit of Thy spotless love,
And make the wedding-garment mine,
That robe of righteousness Divine.
554.
[Call'd by nature's glimmering light]
Many are called, but few are chosen.
—xxii. 14.
Call'd by nature's glimmering light,
The law, and gospel word,
Few come in by faith, delight
In Christ, and keep their Lord;
Fewer still that persevere
To make their own election sure,
Gain the sinless character
And saints till death endure.
555.
[Hell's ministers by Satan taught]
Then went the Pharisees, and took counsel, &c.
—xxii. 15.
Hell's ministers by Satan taught,
They just for a short season leave,
That in an hour unguarded caught
They may more easily deceive,
Tempt them to sin, by fraud prevail,
And thus destroy their souls in hell.
They just for a short season leave,
That in an hour unguarded caught
They may more easily deceive,
Tempt them to sin, by fraud prevail,
And thus destroy their souls in hell.
353
The world would by my words ensnare:
O may I to my words take heed!
Help, Lord, who saidst of men “Beware,”
So shall I circumspectly tread,
Watch unto prayer; and humbly wise,
And kept by Thee, defy surprise.
O may I to my words take heed!
Help, Lord, who saidst of men “Beware,”
So shall I circumspectly tread,
Watch unto prayer; and humbly wise,
And kept by Thee, defy surprise.
556.
[Jesus, if our faith be true]
Render . . . unto Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's.
—xxii. 21.
Jesus, if our faith be true,
We must Thy words obey,
Tribute to whom tribute's due,
And fear, and homage pay:
Thee they impiously deny,
Who Cæsar of his right defraud,
Rebels 'gainst the Lord Most-High,
And traitors to their God.
557.
[The double source of error see]
Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor, &c.
—xxii. 29.
The double source of error see,
Ignorance of the word,
And blindfold incredulity
In an almighty Lord.
Who feel their want, to these alone
Knowledge Divine is given,
While worldly fools go wandering on,
And miss the way to heaven.
558.
[The first and great command, we own]
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with, &c.
—xxii. 37, 38.
The first and great command, we own,
Is the pure love of God alone:
First in antiquity; obey'd
In heaven, before this earth was made:
And when our lower world began,
Congenial with the soul of man,
Deep in his inmost essence found,
Engraved on an eternal ground.
Is the pure love of God alone:
First in antiquity; obey'd
In heaven, before this earth was made:
And when our lower world began,
Congenial with the soul of man,
Deep in his inmost essence found,
Engraved on an eternal ground.
354
How great in excellence, above
All other laws, the law of love,
Which doth to God directly tend,
And in its lovely Author end!
In the new covenant of grace
It challenges the highest place,
The spirit of piety imparts,
And breathes in all the children's hearts.
All other laws, the law of love,
Which doth to God directly tend,
And in its lovely Author end!
In the new covenant of grace
It challenges the highest place,
The spirit of piety imparts,
And breathes in all the children's hearts.
Love, only love in justice great
Renders to God His due complete,
Its Author worthily adores,
His universal good restores;
It teaches man his rank to know,
It lays the ransom'd creature low,
Constrains us at the throne to fall
And own that God is all in all.
Renders to God His due complete,
Its Author worthily adores,
His universal good restores;
It teaches man his rank to know,
It lays the ransom'd creature low,
Constrains us at the throne to fall
And own that God is all in all.
Love, all-sufficient love alone
Reduces all our wants to one,
Richly that single want supplies,
And gives us back our paradise:
It makes and keeps us happy here,
And meet before His face to' appear;
It sets the jewels in our crown,
And lifts us to our Father's throne.
Reduces all our wants to one,
Richly that single want supplies,
And gives us back our paradise:
It makes and keeps us happy here,
And meet before His face to' appear;
It sets the jewels in our crown,
And lifts us to our Father's throne.
Great in Divine fecundity
Love is the life-imparting tree;
Love is the true, celestial root,
Which bears the ripe the perfect fruit,
The law on faithful hearts impress'd,
(A law comprising all the rest,)
Which every grace in man reveals,
Which every word of God fulfils.
Love is the life-imparting tree;
Love is the true, celestial root,
Which bears the ripe the perfect fruit,
The law on faithful hearts impress'd,
(A law comprising all the rest,)
Which every grace in man reveals,
Which every word of God fulfils.
355
How great its efficacious power
Our lost dominion to restore!
It re-erects His throne in man,
And kings with Christ by love we reign;
Our souls it doth to Christ unite,
It makes Him in our souls delight,
And God is pleased with smiles to own
The Head and members are but one.
Our lost dominion to restore!
It re-erects His throne in man,
And kings with Christ by love we reign;
Our souls it doth to Christ unite,
It makes Him in our souls delight,
And God is pleased with smiles to own
The Head and members are but one.
The saints alone can understand
How vast the reach of this command,
Which seizes, and refers to God
Whate'er on creatures is bestow'd!
How needful every heart may feel
This duty indispensable,
When God Himself and love are one,
When heaven depends on love alone.
How vast the reach of this command,
Which seizes, and refers to God
Whate'er on creatures is bestow'd!
How needful every heart may feel
This duty indispensable,
When God Himself and love are one,
When heaven depends on love alone.
The great command which here we know
Commensurate with life below,
We wait to comprehend above
In raptures of unbounded love,
With that triumphant host to join
In sweetest praise of love Divine
Which, when our mourning days are pass'd
Through all eternity shall last.
Commensurate with life below,
We wait to comprehend above
In raptures of unbounded love,
With that triumphant host to join
In sweetest praise of love Divine
Which, when our mourning days are pass'd
Through all eternity shall last.
559.
[O Love Divine, how can it be]
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt, &c.
—xxii. 39.
O Love Divine, how can it be
That man should not be lost in Thee!
Yet ah, till Thou Thyself impart
He never finds Thee in his heart;
O could I catch that heavenly fire
Which burns in yon enraptured choir,
And live on earth the life above,
The life of pure seraphic love!
That man should not be lost in Thee!
Yet ah, till Thou Thyself impart
He never finds Thee in his heart;
O could I catch that heavenly fire
Which burns in yon enraptured choir,
356
The life of pure seraphic love!
O Love Divine, of Thee possess'd,
I find an heaven within my breast;
Expanded by Thy power I find
My heart drawn out to all mankind!
The warmth that in my bosom glows
Its origin celestial shows,
The Sun in the illustrious beam,
The Fountain in the crystal stream.
I find an heaven within my breast;
Expanded by Thy power I find
My heart drawn out to all mankind!
The warmth that in my bosom glows
Its origin celestial shows,
The Sun in the illustrious beam,
The Fountain in the crystal stream.
560.
[The love of God is found again]
The love of God is found again,Where'er we find the love of man,
The cause in its effect we see,
And by the fruit discern the tree;
From human to Divine ascend,
Its pattern, principle, and end,
And loving man in God alone,
We feel that both the loves are one.
561.
[The two commands are one]
On these two commandments hang all the, &c.
—xxii. 40.
The two commands are one:
Ah, give me Lord, to prove
Who loves his God alone
He must his neighbour love;
And what Thine oracles enjoin,
Is all summ'd up in love Divine.
562.
[Poor, ignorant, illiterate men]
Poor, ignorant, illiterate men,We cannot what we feel explain,
But taught, enlighten'd from above,
We know both God and man to love:
'Tis all our training here below,
'Tis all we want in heaven to know,
357
'Tis Scripture written on our hearts.
563.
[I think Him David's Son]
What think ye of Christ?
—xxii. 42.
I think Him David's Son
Whom David Lord doth call:
I think Him God and man in one,
I think Him all in all.
Whom David Lord doth call:
I think Him God and man in one,
I think Him all in all.
I think Him the Most-High,
Sole, self-existing God,
Made flesh, a sinful world to buy,
And save us through His blood.
Sole, self-existing God,
Made flesh, a sinful world to buy,
And save us through His blood.
I think Him perfect Love
Who groan'd on Calvary:
I more than think His bowels move
To such a worm as me.
Who groan'd on Calvary:
I more than think His bowels move
To such a worm as me.
I think Him still the same,
My Ransomer Divine;
I think if His through life I am
He is for ever mine.
My Ransomer Divine;
I think if His through life I am
He is for ever mine.
564.
[Priests and infidels may join]
No man was able to answer Him a word.
—xxii. 46.
Priests and infidels may join
Messiah to assail:
Great the power of Truth Divine,
And must at last prevail:
Every knee to David's Lord
Shall bow in worship at His throne,
Every tongue the praise record
Of God's eternal Son.
| CHAPTER XXII. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |