The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

New Pharisees in every place
In every age arise,
And Satan, by the captious race,
The faithful pastor tries:
They ask ensnaring questions still:
But who the Saviour know,
We baffle all the tempter's skill,
And all his host o'erthrow.

982. [Jesus, kind, inviting Lord]

Suffer the little children to come unto Me. —x. 14.

Jesus, kind, inviting Lord,
We with joy obey Thy word,
In their earliest infancy
Bring our little ones to Thee:
Born they are, like us, in sin,
Touch the' unconscious lepers clean;
Purchase of Thy blood they are,
Save them by Thy dying prayer.

983. [I yield, I joyfully agree]

I yield, I joyfully agree
That children should be brought to Thee,
Myself their infant weakness bear,
And bring them in the arms of prayer.

Hear, Jesus, hear their helpless cry,
Whom now I place beneath Thine eye;
Into Thy kind embraces take,
And subjects of Thy kingdom make.

Thine hand beneficent extend
To bless, and shelter, and defend;
Thy Spirit to my children give,
And let them to Thy glory live.

Dear objects of their Shepherd's care
Thy lambs and little ones they are,
Whom Thou dost in Thy bosom hide
Or by the silent waters glide.

Still let them in Thy footsteps tread,
Till by Thy loving Spirit led
They find the final blessing given,
And triumph with Thy flock in heaven.

984. [Thy church is here with saints supplied]

Of such is the kingdom of God. —x. 14.

Thy church is here with saints supplied,
Who childlike innocence regain;
And every babe that ever died
Shall in Thy heavenly kingdom reign.

985. [A soul by sacred infancy]

A soul by sacred infancy
From anger and desire set free,
From pride and avarice,
From guile, ambition, and self-will
Helpless, and innocent of ill,
In Jesus' arms he lies.

The God of love Himself imparts
To men of simple, humble hearts
Who hang on Him alone;
He claims these little ones for His,
The new-born heirs of heavenly bliss,
And seats them on His throne.

986. [Old age we second childhood name]

Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of, &c. —x. 15.

Old age we second childhood name,
Reason's decline, and nature's shame;
But infancy of grace
Our reason's full perfection is,
Our meetness for the' ecstatic bliss,
The sight of Jesus' face.

Jesus, believing in Thy name,
By faith a child of God I am,
The faith Thou didst impart;
And with a child's docility
A tablet I present to Thee,
An unopposing heart.

Erase the character of sin,
And write whate'er Thou wilt therein,
Whate'er Thou art for man:
Thy name, Thine image I receive,
Which makes me fit with Thee to live,
With Thee my Lord to reign.

987. [Who is this condescending Friend]

He took them up in His arms. —x. 16.

Who is this condescending Friend,
That doth for children care,
That doth my little ones defend,
And in His bosom bear?
The arms, within whose soft embrace
My sleeping babes I see,
They comprehend unbounded space,
And grasp infinity!

988. [Thy hands upon our children lay]

He . . . put His hands upon them, and blessed them. —x. 16.

Thy hands upon our children lay,
And bless them in Thy service here,
Into their tender hearts convey
A principle of pious fear:
Thee by a life of holy love
Long may they live to glorify,
Or innocent from earth remove,
And spotless to Thy bosom fly.

989. [Jesus, Lord, to Thee I run]

There came one running, and kneeled to Him, &c. —x. 17.

Jesus, Lord, to Thee I run,
Humbly for direction sue,
Make the' important secret known,
Show me, Saviour, what to do:
Hear a dying sinner pray
For the life that never dies,
Art Thou not Thyself the Way?
Lead me, lead me to the skies.

Bold I may of Thee inquire:
Me the Truth will not deceive,
Life into my heart inspire,
In Thyself the answer give,
Tree of immortality,
Earnest of Thy joys above,
Live, eternal Life, in me,
Fill, O fill my soul with love!

990. [How hard for you to think it hard]

How hardly shall they that have riches enter, &c. —x. 23.

How hard for you to think it hard,
To think that God is true,
Who riches as your end regard,
And as your good pursue!
Your dangerous state ye will not fear,
Till mercy's day is pass'd;
And then ye have your riches here,
And die unsaved at last.

991. [The worldly man of wealth possess'd]

How hard is it for them that trust in riches, &c. —x. 24.

The worldly man of wealth possess'd
Doth nothing else esteem,
In wealth he seeks his joy and rest,
And happiness supreme;

To wealth, in the Almighty's stead,
He trusts for clothes and food,
And when he prays for daily bread
He only mocks our God.

His good is that to which he gives
His confidence and love:
His portion he from earth receives,
And slights the things above.
A mystic kingdom he disdains
To none but beggars given,
And never seeks and never gains
The' inheritance of heaven.

992. [A rich man saved! it cannot be.]

With men it is impossible, but not with God. —x. 27.

A rich man saved! it cannot be.
Ye that in riches trust,
Feel this impossibility,
Or be for ever lost!
Despair, and then to Jesus fly,
Who can the bar remove,
For Jesus is the Lord Most High,
The' almighty God of love.

993. [Rejoice, ye rich, with humble fear]

With God all things are possible. —x. 27.

Rejoice, ye rich, with humble fear:
There yet is hope for you,
Jesus the Power of God is near
And He can all things do:
He waits to pluck you from the fire,
His utmost grace to' exert,
And tear the covetous desire
Out of your bleeding heart.

994. [Myself from sin I cannot save]

Myself from sin I cannot save,
My weakness I confess,
But surely in the Lord I have
Both strength and righteousness:
When Jesus gives me to believe,
His righteousness is mine,
And I into my heart receive
Omnipotence Divine.

What cannot Christ in sinners do,
In me the sinners' chief?
Thy creature, Lord, Thou wilt renew
And end mine unbelief;
Thou wilt destroy the enmity,
My ruin'd soul restore,
Effect the thing which cannot be;
And then I sin no more.

995. [Made willing by Thy gracious call]

Lo, we have left all, and have followed Thee. —x. 28.

Made willing by Thy gracious call,
We have left our earthly all,
Our heavenly Lord to find:
But help us by Thy Spirit still
To leave our pride and fleshly will,
To cast ourselves behind.

The gifts Thou didst Thyself bestow
Give us, Saviour, to forego,
If Thou revoke Thine own,
In life and death to follow Thee
And cry, expiring on the tree,
Thine only will be done!

996. [Who would not serve a Lord]

He shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, &c. —x. 30.

Who would not serve a Lord
With loyalty sincere,

So kind and bounteous to reward
His faithful followers here?
He gives us joy in pain,
In want our wealth He is,
And turns our loss to present gain,
And to eternal bliss.

997. [Saviour, who ask to reign with Thee]

Ye know not what ye ask: can ye drink of, &c. —x. 38.

Saviour, who ask to reign with Thee,
They ask (what yet they cannot know)
Thy cup of inward agony,
Thy burden of external woe;
With eagerness of blind desire,
They ask reproach, and pain, and loss,
They ask to be baptized with fire,
And hang expiring on Thy cross.

Cover'd with outward sufferings here
Thou wast, with inward sufferings fill'd;
They mark'd Thy perfect character,
They show'd Thee by Thy Father seal'd:
The cross Thou didst for sinners prove
The lot of all Thy followers is;
And leads us on to perfect love,
And paves our way to glorious bliss.

Query? J.W.

998. [An apostolic prelate hopes]

Whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be, &c. —x. 44.

An apostolic prelate hopes
For no preferment here,
To every cross and burden stoops,
The church's minister;
He strives with unremitted pain
In Jesus' steps to move,
He labours all the heights to' attain,
And depths of humble love.

999. [The Son of man, the Man of woe]

The Son of Man came . . . to minister, and to, &c. —x. 45.

The Son of man, the Man of woe,
Why did He leave the sky?
'Twas all His business here below,
To serve us, and to die!

1000.

[A sinner blind and poor]

Blind Bartimeus . . . sat by the highway side begging. —x. 46.

A sinner blind and poor,
A helpless beggar I,
The pardoning grace implore
Of Him that passes by:
He passes now: His name I hear,
And long to see my Saviour near.

1001.

[Jesus, for this I wait]

Jesus, Thou Son of David, have mercy on me. —x. 47.

Jesus, for this I wait,
Thy Deity to know,
Pity my dark estate,
On me Thy mercy show;
Thou Son and Lord of David, be
A Prophet, Priest, and King to me.

1002.

[The world rebuke in vain]

Many charged him that he should hold his, &c. —x. 48.

The world rebuke in vain,
And would my clamours still,
Till mercy I obtain
I must cry on, and will,
Mercy, Thou Son of David, show,
And give me eyes Thyself to know.

1003.

[Stopp'd by a sinner's prayer]

Jesus stood still, and commanded him to, &c. —x. 49, 50.

Stopp'd by a sinner's prayer,
Thou canst no farther move,
Thou canst no more forbear
To manifest Thy love.
Thou waitest now to show Thy grace,
And callest me to seek Thy face.

I now Thy call obey,
Put off my sordid dress,
And cast the rags away
Of my own righteousness;
Naked, and indigent, and blind,
I run the pardoning God to find.

By Thy own mercy brought
Before Thy face I stand,
Yet still I see Thee not
Till Thou put forth Thy hand,
And by Thy word create the light,
And by Thy touch restore my sight.

In pity to my cries,
And heartfelt poverty,
Open the beggar's eyes,
That I my way may see,
My pure and living way pursue,
Till Thee I in Thy glory view.

1004.

[I would my sight receive]

Lord, that I might receive my sight. —x. 51.

I would my sight receive
And keep my Lord in view,
Thy faithful follower live,
Thy steps in death pursue,
And joyful lay my body down,
The cross exchanging for the crown.

1005.

[Faith to be heal'd I have]

Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole, &c. —x. 52.

Faith to be heal'd I have,
The faith Thou didst impart,
But now the sinner save
And cure the blind of heart,

This instant, Lord, my sight restore,
And following Thee I sin no more.

Yes, O my suffering God,
Henceforth I follow Thee
The narrow rugged road;
Which leads to Calvary;
And there I on the cross ascend
To heavenly joys that never end.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER X.

981.

[New Pharisees in every place]

982.

[Jesus, kind, inviting Lord]

983.

[I yield, I joyfully agree]

984.

[Thy church is here with saints supplied]

985.

[A soul by sacred infancy]

986.

[Old age we second childhood name]

987.

[Who is this condescending Friend]

988.

[Thy hands upon our children lay]

989.

[Jesus, Lord, to Thee I run]

990.

[How hard for you to think it hard]

991.

[The worldly man of wealth possess'd]

992.

[A rich man saved! it cannot be.]

993.

[Rejoice, ye rich, with humble fear]

994.

[Myself from sin I cannot save]

995.

[Made willing by Thy gracious call]

996.

[Who would not serve a Lord]

997.

[Saviour, who ask to reign with Thee]

998.

[An apostolic prelate hopes]

999.

[The Son of man, the Man of woe]