The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

God let His vineyard out to man,
His rent of glory to obtain,
Told him his soul was not his own,
But made to serve his Lord alone;
He bade him feed, increase, improve
His grain of faith, his seed of love,
And stock'd him with sufficient grace
To bear the fruits of righteousness.

1028.

[Though long He seem'd as distant far]

At the season he sent to the husbandmen, &c. —xii. 2.

Though long He seem'd as distant far,
His vineyard still engross'd His care;
His servant in due time He sent,
To gather in the gracious rent:
His messenger was good desires
With which He freely all inspires,
And stirs us up to use the power,
To serve, and worship, and adore.

1029.

[Conscience when we refuse to hear]

They caught him, and beat him, and sent, &c. —xii. 3.

Conscience when we refuse to hear,
And quite throw off our gracious fear,

The serious thought resist, repel,
Our heart against conviction steel,
'Tis then the messenger we slight,
Entreat the Sender with despite,
By violence force Him to depart,
And chase His Spirit from our heart.

1030.

[Scripture, a second servant, came]

Again he sent unto them another servant; &c. —xii. 4.

Scripture, a second servant, came,
The vineyard's fruit for God to claim:
We its authority deny,
And will not with the word comply:
The word which doth His mind declare,
We mangle, mutilate, and tear,
Abuse with haughty rage and scorn,
Nor make our Lord the least return.

1031.

[The Lord, whose mercies never end]

Again he sent another; and him they killed, &c. —xii. 5.

The Lord, whose mercies never end,
More messengers vouchsafed to send;
By teachers His demands made known,
By seers and saints required His own;
They call'd on man his rent to pay,
They urged, “Repent, believe, obey,
Restore whate'er His grace bestow'd,
And live to glorify your God.”

But man averse in heart and mind
Cast all his Maker's words behind,
In every age the' ungrateful race
Hath spurn'd the ministers of grace,
Hated whoe'er the message brought,
Their ruin and destruction sought;
Truth and its witnesses abhorr'd,
And stoned, and kill'd them with the sword.

1032.

[That all might savingly believe]

He sent his well-beloved Son also last unto, &c. —xii. 6.

That all might savingly believe,
And glory to Jehovah give,
He sent at last His favourite Son
To take possession of His own:
To every soul He sends Him still,
That every soul may serve His will,
Their faith by meek obedience prove,
With fear rejoice, with reverence love.

1033.

[Murder'd on earth by Jews He was]

They took him, and killed him. —xii. 8.

Murder'd on earth by Jews He was,
When once they nail'd Him to the cross;
But we renew His deadly pains
Who glorious and triumphant reigns,
Against His life contriving still,
By twice ten thousand ways we kill,
By twice ten thousand sins we slay,
And crucify Him every day.

1034.

[Ah, wretched man when God requires]

He will come and destroy the husbandmen. —xii. 9.

Ah, wretched man when God requires
His soul, who in his sins expires!
His soul alas, is his no more,
Consign'd to the tormentor's power,
Losing his soul, he loses all
Yet cannot into nothing fall,
But hopelessly his doom bemoans,
And pours in hell eternal groans.

1035.

[Thee, Lord, Thy church confess]

The stone which the builders rejected is become, &c. —xii. 10.

Thee, Lord, Thy church confess
The Stone of steadfastness;
Firm with immortality,
Strength immovable is Thine,
Whiteness we ascribe to Thee,
Spotless purity Divine.

Thou art the basis laid,
The principle and head,
Author of our faith we own
Thee the Finisher complete,
Join'd to Thee the corner-stone,
All in one the members meet.

'Tis Thine, O God of grace,
The living stones to place,
Framed and fitted, Lord, by Thee
All into a temple rise,
Hallow'd by the Deity,
Fill'd with Him who fills the skies.

1036.

[How happy, Lord, are we]

How happy, Lord, are we,
Repulsed and scorn'd with Thee!
Charged with Thy reproach and shame,
Glad the trial we abide:
Let them still cast out our name,
Treat us like the Crucified.

Who suffer for Thy sake
We shall Thy joy partake,
Sure as now Thy cross we bear,
Till with life we lay it down,
We shall all Thy glories share,
Sit exalted on Thy throne.

1037.

[God o'er the heathen reigns]

They sought to lay hold on Him, &c. —xii. 12.

God o'er the heathen reigns,
And checks their full career,
Passion by passion He restrains,
Malicious rage by fear;
Suspends their wicked deed,
Till all His work is done,
And when He lets their purpose speed
He only serves His own.

1038.

[A pastor with courageous zeal]

Master, we know that Thou art true, &c. —xii. 14.

A pastor with courageous zeal
The truth to all alike should deal,
And no respect of persons know;
But if he once himself respect,
That leaven will the lump infect,
And all his confidence o'erthrow.
The flattering fiend, his faith to try,
Will turn upon himself his eye,
His zeal admire, his boldness praise,
Impel him to some dire extreme,
Or make him dignities blaspheme,
And lose through pride his boasted grace.

But should we not the truth declare,
Refuse or high or low to spare,
And kings undauntedly reprove?
If fired with an intrepid zeal
The way of God in truth we tell,
What more can there be wanted? Love:
Love and discretion must conspire,
To cool and guide the temper'd fire
Of Jesus' flaming witnesses;
Humble and peaceable and meek,
Wisdom should teach us when to speak,
And how the' unsoften'd truth to press.

1039.

[When captious Pharisees are near]

Render to Cæsar the things that are Cæsar's, &c. —xii. 17.

When captious Pharisees are near,
Through prudence false or slavish fear
We never should the truth suppress,
We never should with man comply,
Their pride or malice gratify,
Or speak a curious world to please.

Whether they praise us, or condemn,
Our silence or our freedom blame,
We make the heavenly counsel known,
To truth our testimony bear,
And only for His interests care,
And simply speak for Christ alone.

1040.

[Will carnal thoughts of carnal men]

In the resurrection . . . whose wife shall she be? —xii. 23.

Will carnal thoughts of carnal men
The hidden life of heaven explain?
Who rightly would of heaven conceive
Must all his old ideas leave,
Forget whate'er is done below,
After the flesh no longer know
Children, or wife, or bosom-friend,
But stripp'd of all, on Christ attend.

The creature in those realms of bliss
Doth only his Creator please;
Man, happy man, no more his own,
Doth greatly live to God alone:
Who father here and mother leaves
And for all creatures one receives,
Her and himself forsakes above,
And cleaves to Christ in endless love.

1041.

[The carnal Jews misunderstood]

Do ye not therefore err, &c. —xii. 24.

The carnal Jews misunderstood
The lively oracles of God,
No promise spiritual they saw
Beneath the shadows of the law,
But resting in the literal word
Renounced the truth, with Christ our Lord.

The modern Jews who bear His name,
In judgment and mistake the same,

No hope of immortality
In Moses or the prophets see,
No Spirit now to sinners given,
No inward Christ, or present heaven.

They still a God unknown adore,
Strangers to faith's almighty power,
To Christ the power of God in man,
Who only can His word explain
And write it on their inward parts,
And breathe the sense into their hearts.

1042.

[The Scriptures never can be known]

The Scriptures never can be known
But through the power of God alone;
The Spirit of power, and truth, and love
Doth first our unbelief remove,
Discovers the deep things of God,
And shows to me my Saviour's blood.

My Father's mind I then perceive,
And quicken'd by His Spirit live;
The Spirit doth His word reveal,
The Spirit teaches me His will,
And while into all truth He guides,
My Teacher in my heart resides.

1043.

[How pure the blessed spirits there]

When they shall rise from the dead, they, &c. —xii. 25.

How pure the blessed spirits there,
Who bright celestial bodies wear,
No more to earth allied.
Consummated in joy unknown,
For ever bless'd, for ever one,
With Jesus glorified.

O that we might begin below
The life angelical to know,
Our faithfulness approve,

Present with God in every place,
Perform His will, and see His face
In purity of love!

Jesus, the holiness impart,
Earnest of glory in my heart,
And then my soul receive
To cast its wreath before Thy throne,
The heavenly life on earth begun
Eternally to live.

1044.

[The one religion see]

Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is, &c. —xii. 29, 30.

The one religion see
Which God vouchsafes to' approve,
'Tis grounded on His unity,
'Tis—Hear, believe, and love!

1045.

[How bless'd the people are—]

How bless'd the people are—
Peculiarly His own,
To whom He doth His will declare,
And makes His Godhead known!
Whate'er He doth require
He graciously imparts,
And writes the perfect law entire
Upon their loving hearts.

Ah, tell it, Lord, to me,
That Thou art God alone:
My only God in Jesus be,
Thy well-beloved Son:
Ah, fill for Jesus' sake
My heart with love Divine,
And now the full possession take,
And keep it always Thine.

1046.

[The sovereign God affects]

To love Him with all the heart . . . is more than, &c. —xii. 33.

The sovereign God affects
Our whole delight to be,
And every worshipper rejects
When void of charity:
No other sacrifice
Can for this want atone,
But love the place of all supplies,
But love is all in one.

1047.

[Not he who barely knows]

Thou art not far from the kingdom of God. —xii. 34.

Not he who barely knows
Hath found the kingdom here;
Yet towards it he by knowledge goes,
And finds salvation near;
But let him forward press
In search of things above,
By violent prayer the kingdom seize,
The power of faith and love.

Our God is love supreme:
And who in love abides
He dwells in God, and God in him
Substantially resides:
His Spirit lives and reigns
In every loving one,
His throne of grace in saints maintains
His everlasting throne.

1048.

[Jehovah to Jehovah]

The Lord said to My Lord, Sit Thou on, &c. —xii. 36.

Jehovah to Jehovah
Fulness of power hath given,
Hath bid His Son
Ascend the throne,
And reign in earth and heaven:

His foes shall prove His footstool,
His foes subdued before Him
Shall prostrate lie,
While happy I
With all His saints adore Him.

The stubborn and rebellious
With iron rod He bruises,
As grovelling slaves;
But loves and saves
Whome'er His mercy chooses:
With mercy's outstretch'd sceptre
His subjects here He raises,
Who at His feet
For grace entreat
Us by His side He places.

A church of living members
He fills us with His Spirit,
And makes us meet
On thrones to sit,
And glorious joys inherit:
O'er our last foe victorious
He shortly shall deliver,
And then receive;
His saints to live
And reign with Him for ever.

1049.

[Still by faith we see Him wait]

Jesus sat over against the treasury, &c. —xii. 41.

Still by faith we see Him wait
Sinners' offerings to receive;
There He at the temple-gate
Judges of the alms we give:

But His ways and thoughts we own
Far above out of our sight:
Sitting on Thy heavenly throne
All Thy judgments, Lord, are right.

1050.

[Let the rich their wish obtain]

There came a certain poor widow, &c. —xii. 42.

Let the rich their wish obtain
By the world admired and prized;
Free from envy I remain,
Mean, neglected, and despised:
Friend and Patron of the poor,
Noticed if I am by Thee,
I can covet nothing more:
Jesus, Thou art all to me.

1051.

[Needy saints your privilege know]

This poor widow hath cast more in, than all, &c. —xii. 43.

Needy saints your privilege know,
Needy whom the rich miscall,
Ye can more than them bestow,
Ye can give your little all:
What with willing heart ye give
Jesus doth with smiles approve;
Nothing for yourselves ye leave,
Nothing but your Saviour's love.

1052.

[By the needy widow taught]

All they did cast in of their abundance, &c. —xii. 44.

By the needy widow taught
Blush, ye rich, who little give;
Poorest you who offer nought
Learn the poorest to relieve;
God declares the giver bless'd:
Trust His providential word,
Cast your mite into the chest,
Cast yourselves upon the Lord.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XII.

1027.

[God let His vineyard out to man]