The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Gospel indeed! the' eternal God
His Son on mortals hath bestow'd!
Rejoice! ye favour'd sons of men,
Jehovah in your flesh is seen:
He brings you news of sins forgiven,
Of peace restored 'twixt earth and heaven.

Triumph ye ransom'd worms of earth,
Exult in your Creator's birth,
Your long expected Saviour greet,
And gladly to His sway submit:
Good tidings of great joy He brings
Exalting beggars into kings.

Sure earnest of the joys above,
He bids you reign, enthroned in love;
His gracious kingdom here receive
With meekness in His sight to live,
And then His glorious kingdom share,
And reign with Christ triumphant there.

781. [What, to man my follies own!]

And were all baptized of him in the river, &c. —i. 5.

What, to man my follies own!
Pride will never give consent:
Lord, Thou seest my heart is stone,
Till the stricken rock is rent:

445

Touch my heart with contrite shame,
Speak my stubborn pride removed;
Then I can to all proclaim
What a monster Thou hast loved.

Bid me step into the pool,
By repentance I obey:
But my filthiness of soul
Cannot thus be purged away:
Tears may wash my actual sin;
Guilt requires a stronger flood:
Plunge, and make my spirit clean
In the fountain of Thy blood.

782. [A true forerunner of his Lord]

There cometh One mightier than I after me, &c. —i. 7.

A true forerunner of his Lord
Will point to Him that comes behind,
Worthy to be of all adored
The God, the Saviour of mankind!
The servant strives with jealous care
Himself out of our minds to' efface,
His image from our hearts to tear
And print his Maker's in the place.

A preacher of repentance true
Impatient of esteem and praise,
Withdraws himself from human view,
And sends us to the God of grace;
Skilful to turn our heart and eyes
On Him that doth our hearts require,
Doth with the Holy Ghost baptize,
And purge our earth with heavenly fire.

783. [What avails the outward sign]

He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost. —i. 8.

What avails the outward sign,
Without the inward grace?

446

Lord, I want Thy Spirit Divine
The spark of love to raise,
Straiten'd through intense desire
To feel the pure baptismal flame
Let the Holy Ghost inspire,
And plunge me in Thy name.

Unbaptized, in sin I live,
Till I Thy Spirit feel;
To Thy ransom'd servant give
That Gift unspeakable,
Witness, Pledge of joys unseen
Thy Spirit breathe into my breast:
Partner of Thy nature then
And one with Thee I rest.

784. [That Spirit Divine, that Water clean]

That Spirit Divine, that Water clean,
Jesus, Thou only canst impart,
That Fire which burns up all our sin,
And purifies the foulest heart:
O might He now the filth remove,
The burden of this wretched breast,
And kindling here a flame of love
For ever in His temple rest!

785. [Where'er the pure baptismal rite]

Coming up out of the water, He saw the, &c. —i. 10.

Where'er the pure baptismal rite
Is duly minister'd below,
The heavens are open'd in our sight,
And God His Spirit doth bestow,
The grace infused invisible,
Which would with man for ever dwell.

But ah, we lost the grace bestow'd,
Nor let the Spirit on us remain,

447

Made void the ordinance of God,
By sin shut up the heavens again,
Who would not keep our garments white,
Or walk as children of the light.

786. [By the legal goat foreshow'd]

Immediately the spirit driveth Him into, &c. —i. 12.

By the legal goat foreshow'd
The heavenly Victim see,
Burden'd with the people's load,
A world's iniquity!
God on Him our sins did lay:
And lo, into the desert driven
Jesus bears them far away;
And we are all forgiven!

787. [Life a temptation is!]

He was there in the wilderness forty days, &c. —i. 13.

Life a temptation is!
Its troubles never cease:
Grief to grief doth still succeed,
Woe to woe, as wave to wave,
Till the last o'erwhelms our head,
Sinks us to the quiet grave.

Soon as one fight is done,
Another is begun:
Satan watches us to see
When the flesh is mortified,
Tempts us by our victory,
Drives us on the rock of pride.

Ah, whither shall I run
By grace itself undone?
How escape my inbred foe,
While I in the furnace dwell,
Hunted by the fiends below,
Compass'd with the toils of hell?

448

To Christ the tempted I
Tempted for help apply,
Meekly suffer to the end
Forty days or forty years,
Till the flaming guards descend,
Till the angel-God appears.

788. [Sinners with true repentance turn]

Repent ye. —i. 15.

Sinners with true repentance turn
To Him your sins have pierced, and mourn;
Pardon'd, with deeper sorrow grieve,
Nor e'er on earth yourselves forgive;
When grace hath form'd your souls anew,
The sadly-pleasing task pursue,
And weeping show, till life is pass'd,
That the first duty is the last.

Through life your change of mind express
By following after righteousness,
By humble zeal and watchful prayer
The fruit of true repentance bear:
And still when all in Christ complete,
Lamenting at your Saviour's feet,
The height of your perfection prove
By lowest depths of contrite love.

789. [Without reluctance or delay]

Straightway they forsook their nets, &c. —i. 18.

Without reluctance or delay,
The call I cheerfully obey,
Drawn by no sensible reward
To follow my celestial Lord:
Made willing by the God unknown
My all to leave for Him alone,
Meanest of His disciples I
With Christ resolve to live and die.

449

790. [Doth Christ the passive people lead]

He entered into the synagogue, and taught. —i. 21.

Doth Christ the passive people lead
By instincts or impressions blind?
Or doth He gradually proceed
To' inform and teach the reasoning mind?
The outward knowledge of His word
His Spirit's inward light afford!

From Him His ministers should learn
To' instruct the unenlighten'd crowd,
To show poor souls their first concern,
To' explain the oracles of God
And lead them on in all His ways
To search His word and seek His grace.

791. [From servile fear and flatterers free]

They were astonished at His doctrine: for, &c. —i. 22.

From servile fear and flatterers free
Who ministers the gospel-word,
With wisdom, life, and energy
He only seeks to please his Lord
And labours sinners to convert,
And gains, by preaching to, the heart.

He doth not learnedly declaim,
His gifts or eloquence to show,
But preaches peace in Jesus' name:
And all the man of God may know
Distinguish'd by an heavenly sign,
Clothed with authority Divine.

792. [What violence and convulsive throes]

When the unclean spirit had torn him, &c. —i. 26.

What violence and convulsive throes
Doth Satan's struggling captive feel!
Happy the man who soonest knows
To' escape the toils of sin and hell:

450

But if resolved to serve thy God,
Sinner, for sorer toils prepare;
Satan will aggravate thy load,
Thy flesh torment, thy spirit tear.

His utmost rage and efforts vain,
Sure token of deliverance nigh,
His fiercest last assaults sustain,
With all thy strength to Jesus cry,
Invoke Him with redoubled prayer,
And soon the Saviour from all sin
Shall pluck thy soul out of the snare,
Shall bid thy sprinkled heart be clean.

793. [Who soften and corrupt the word]

What new doctrine is this? —i. 27.

Who soften and corrupt the word,
The power of God who never knew,
They stumble at our pardoning Lord,
They call the ancient gospel new;
New to poor souls by them misled,
To teachers blind and sinners dead.

New as the word of truth and grace,
In Abraham and his sons fulfill'd,
In every age and every place;
New as the woman's Seed reveal'd,
New as the Lamb from Adam's fall
Promised, and preach'd, and slain for all!

794. [His own renown, His own great name]

His fame spread abroad throughout all, &c. —i. 28.

His own renown, His own great name
Could never hurt God's only Son:
But listening to the voice of fame,
A human preacher is undone;

451

He lets the pleasing poison glide
Insensible through every part,
Till praise, and vanity, and pride
Corrupt his whole unwary heart.

795. [In the houses of the great]

They entered into the house of Simon. —i. 29.

In the houses of the great
Jesus doth not seek repose,
Pleased with an obscure retreat
To the poor and sick He goes.
Troubled with His creatures' pain,
Glad to answer their requests
Sojourns with a fisherman,
Humbly in a cottage rests.

796. [Happy the sin-sick soul to whom]

He came, and took her by the hand, and lifted her, &c. —i. 31.

Happy the sin-sick soul to whom
Jesus doth in pity come,
Physician from the skies!
He touches by His sovereign grace,
Commands the fever to give place,
And bids the patient rise.

He rises glad to tend his Lord,
Renders back his strength restored,
And labours to approve
His faithful gratitude sincere,
By serving all who serve or fear
The God of pardoning love.

797. [Preventing the first dawn of day]

In the morning, rising up a great while before, &c. —i. 35.

Preventing the first dawn of day,
Thus may I steal myself away,
As Jesus leads me on;

452

My labours leave to pray apart,
And pour out all my earnest heart,
And talk with God alone.

Howe'er in serving Him employ'd,
Oft will I quit the works of God,
And to the mount repair,
With thankfulness His grace request;
Or borrow the soft hours of rest
To spend in praise and prayer.

798. [An humble instrument of God]

When they had found Him, they said unto, &c. —i. 37, 38.

An humble instrument of God,
Whom all men seek, esteem, applaud,
Their praises casts behind,
Far as his ministry permits
Into the wilderness retreats,
And flies from all mankind.

Glad to be hid, unknown, obscure,
Servant and preacher to the poor,
He leaves the wilderness;
To sinners rich the poor prefers,
Chief object of their Saviour's cares
And His expiring grace.

799. [Where but at his Saviour's feet]

There came a leper to Him, beseeching Him, &c. —i. 40.

Where but at his Saviour's feet
Should a guilty sinner lie?
Languishing Thy touch to meet,
Jesus, for Thy help I cry,
Sin's inveterate leprosy
Humbly here expose to Thee.

Loathsome, foul, and self-abhorr'd,
Most unholy, most impure,

453

From the pity of my Lord
May I not expect a cure?
Trusting in Thy power to heal,
Need I doubt Thy gracious will?

No I cannot doubt Thy love,
Love in every age the same;
Still my Saviour's bowels move,
While I invocate Thy name,
Humbly in Thy love confide,
Wait for Thy deserts applied.

Thou in Thy humanity
Instrument of grace Divine,
Dost apply Thyself to me,
Holiness to sinners join,
If I can believe that Thou
Willing art to cleanse me now.

Lord, I can, I do believe
Sin retires at Thy command:
Now the word almighty give,
Now extend Thy healing hand,
Bid my leprosy depart,
Touch, and purify my heart.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER I.

780.

[Gospel indeed! the' eternal God]

781.

[What, to man my follies own!]

782.

[A true forerunner of his Lord]

783.

[What avails the outward sign]

784.

[That Spirit Divine, that Water clean]

785.

[Where'er the pure baptismal rite]

786.

[By the legal goat foreshow'd]

787.

[Life a temptation is!]

788.

[Sinners with true repentance turn]

789.

[Without reluctance or delay]

790.

[Doth Christ the passive people lead]

791.

[From servile fear and flatterers free]

792.

[What violence and convulsive throes]

793.

[Who soften and corrupt the word]

794.

[His own renown, His own great name]

795.

[In the houses of the great]

796.

[Happy the sin-sick soul to whom]

797.

[Preventing the first dawn of day]

798.

[An humble instrument of God]

799.

[Where but at his Saviour's feet]