The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Commendable excess
Of generous faith and love!
O could I thus my zeal express,
My gratitude approve;
Pour out the precious balm
And rendering Him His own,
Whate'er I have, whate'er I am,
Expend on Christ alone.

1070.

[Our zeal in men's esteem]

Some . . . had indignation, . . . and said, Why, &c. —xiv. 4.

Our zeal in men's esteem
May pass for indiscreet;
Suffice if what we do for Him
Our Lord's acceptance meet:
If He our gift receive,
Though more than life it cost,
We know whate'er to Christ we give
It never can be lost.

1071.

[Who worldly good pursue]

They murmured against her. —xiv. 5.

Who worldly good pursue
As their supreme delight
Will murmur at His followers true
Who all for Jesus slight:

Yet we who Jesus know
The world as nothing deem,
And all the precious things below
Account but dross for Him.

1072.

[Saviour, Thy witnesses]

Jesus said, Let her alone. —xiv. 6.

Saviour, Thy witnesses
The world must disapprove,
They cannot judge in righteousness
Who want both light and love;
But patient of the wrong
I leave my cause to Thee,
And, while I meekly hold my tongue,
Thou answerest, Lord, for me.

1073.

[No longer visible]

Me ye have not always. —xiv. 7.

No longer visible
To eyes of flesh and blood,
The Son of Man with God doth dwell
Himself the' eternal God:
Yet still He ready stands
Assistance to receive:
And through His poor disciples' hands
Our alms to Christ we give.

1074.

[Might I but do for Thee]

She hath done what she could. —xiv. 8.

Might I but do for Thee
The little in my power,
Who know'st my soul's infirmity,
Thou wouldst require no more:
Work then in me to will
To ask and use Thy grace,
And lo, Thy pleasure I fulfil,
And give Thee all the praise.

1075.

[The one great God supreme]

Wheresoever this gospel shall be preached, &c. —xiv. 9.

The one great God supreme
In power and majesty,
Jesus, Thou lov'st and honour'st them
Who love and honour Thee:
Thou will'st that all our race
Should know what faith hath done,
Should imitate the saints, and praise,
But worship God alone.

1076.

[How sad the triumph of an hour]

When they heard it, they were glad. —xiv. 11.

How sad the triumph of an hour,
How short the joy of human fiends,
Which leaves them to the tempter's power,
And in eternal sorrow ends!

1077.

[Able to break the' infernal band]

He sought how he might conveniently betray Him. —xiv. 11.

Able to break the' infernal band,
And blast the plots of earth and hell,
He let their direful counsel stand,
And Satan over God prevail;
Holy and just, and wise and good,
To' abolish sin, He sin employs,
Lays down our ransom in His blood,
And death through His own death destroys.

1078.

[If still Thou dost with sinners eat]

Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat, &c. —xiv. 14.

If still Thou dost with sinners eat,
Come, dearest Lord, and quickly come:
Thy grace alone can speak us meet,
Our souls enlarge to make Thee room,
The leaven old of inbred sin
Expel by true sincerity,
Prepare our heart and enter in,
And keep a passover in me.

1079.

[Alas for him! whose teaching pride]

Good were it for that man if he had, &c. —xiv. 21.

Alas for him! whose teaching pride
Peoples the realms beneath,
And helps poor sinners to deride
The never-dying death!
Who madly mocks the endless pain,
And laughs his God to scorn—
Good were it for that wretched man,
If he had ne'er been born!

1080.

[From Jesu's sacrifice]

I will drink no more of the fruit of the vine, &c. —xiv. 25.

From Jesu's sacrifice
And sacrament we rise,
Borne on wings of faith and love
To the mansions of the bless'd,
Triumph with the saints above,
Share that everlasting feast.

The Truth, the Deity,
We there unveil'd shall see;
Lose in that transporting sight
All we felt or fear'd below;
Torrents of unmix'd delight
There our raptured souls o'erflow.

O blessed, blessed hope!
From earth it lifts us up:
Now in heaven with Christ we dwell,
Now the bliss of heaven we taste,
Glorious joys unspeakable,
Joys which shall for ever last.

Jesus, substantial Bread,
If Thou our spirits feed,
Nothing can we want beside,
With Thy immortality,

With Thy fulness satisfied,
All we sacrifice to Thee.

1081.

[Rivals of saints supremely bless'd]

When they had sung an hymn, they went, &c. —xiv. 26.

Rivals of saints supremely bless'd,
Our souls to heaven ascend,
Who Jesu's eucharistic feast
With praise begin and end.
With Jesus while our hearts we feed
They must with joy o'erflow,
And find, in that immortal Bread,
Their heaven begun below.

But conscious of our constant wants
To Christ again we cry,
Who all our needed graces grants,
And ask a fresh supply:
Oft to the garden we remove,
Our Master's grief to share,
Pour out our souls in plaintive love,
And agony of prayer.

An upper room will soon be found
Where we with Christ shall sit,
Partake His joy with glory crown'd,
And all our griefs forget:
Our praises there shall never cease,
Our joys shall ne'er decay,
But higher rise and more increase
Through one eternal day.

1082.

[Who trusts his own intrepid heart]

Although all shall be offended, yet will not I. —xiv. 29.

Who trusts his own intrepid heart,
Burning with inexperienced zeal,
Secure he never shall depart,
“For sin is quite impossible,”

He must perceive himself but man,
Must fall, to teach him that he can.

Presuming on his strength of grace,
Himself to others who prefers,
And boasts his future faithfulness,
And slights the warning word he hears,
He soon shall prove his pride to all,
Alarming thousands by his fall.

1083.

[How little of himself he knows]

How little of himself he knows,
Who dares depend on his own heart!
Our whole of strength from Jesus flows:
Jesus, my confidence Thou art,
And while I can on Thee rely,
I never shall my Lord deny.

Who in Thy faithful word believes,
And humbly calls upon Thy name,
Each moment he Thy grace receives,
And never shall be put to shame;
But Thou a stumbling block shalt be
To all who trust themselves, not Thee.

1084.

[Who every thought and motion knows]

Before the cock crow twice, &c. —xiv. 30.

Who every thought and motion knows
Of every heart Himself hath made,
The day, the hour, the moment shows,
When Peter through his pride betray'd
Shall fall: by basest perjury
To warn, and shake, and stablish me.

Omniscient God of love, impart
A ray of Thine unerring light,
That seeing my own treacherous heart,
And trembling at the horrid sight,

I may to my Supporter run,
And humbly stand by faith alone.

1085.

[“This night thou shalt deny Me thrice,”]

If I should die with Thee, I will not deny Thee. —xiv. 31.

“This night thou shalt deny Me thrice,”
Is the meek Master's warning word:
“I never will,” the servant cries,
And boldly contradicts his Lord;
“Though all beside turn back and flee,
I vow to live and die with Thee.”

The Saviour sad replies no more,
Nor eagerly His word defends,
But leaves it to the trying hour;
And who on his own strength depends,
Peter the confident, the proud,
Abjures his Master and his God.

Instructed by his fall, I stand
In just self-diffidence secure:
And while my soul is in Thy hand
Jesus, I can the test endure,
Arm'd with that lowly mind of Thine,
That modesty of truth Divine.

Warm, vehement, positive, and loud
With violent bold assertions vain,
If others boast their zeal for God,
Their future constancy maintain,
O may I see them with Thy eyes,
And neither credit, nor despise.

Much of myself I dare not say,
Or glory in my faith unproved,
Or promise in the evil day
That I alone shall stand unmoved,

Weakest, and sinfullest of all,
I fear to' affirm, “I cannot fall.”

Yet if I truly trust in Thee,
Me to myself Thou wilt not leave,
But help my soul's infirmity,
Dependent on Thy grace to live,
To live (till Thou from earth remove),
The spotless life of humble love.

1086.

[How stubborn the presumptuous man]

Likewise also said they all. —xiv. 31.

How stubborn the presumptuous man,
So blind, so sure he cannot fall!
How swift the fatal mischief ran,
While Peter's bane infects them all,
To sin the sacred college leads,
And pride through every bosom spreads.

They promise all, seduced by one,
Freedom, or life itself to save,
The Lord they never will disown;
But who the dire example gave
Left to himself, and most secure,
He only doth his Lord abjure.

1087.

[Thus might I from man retreat]

Sit ye here, while I shall pray. —xiv. 32.

Thus might I from man retreat,
Shut to him my sorrowing heart,
Open it my Lord to meet,
Watch and mourn, and pray apart!
Thus prevent the trying hour:
Then I share Thine agony,
Arm'd with all Thy Spirit's power
Then I come to die with Thee.

1088.

[Sore amazed is God's own Son]

He . . . began to be sore amazed, and to be, &c. —xiv. 33.

Sore amazed is God's own Son,
God's vindictive wrath to see,
Grieved with mortal grief unknown,
Crush'd by our iniquity:
And shall we ourselves remain
Still to both insensible,
Strangers to remorse and pain
Neither sin nor justice feel.

Could we see that dreadful sight
With our Saviour's eyes and heart,
Justice, sin brought forth to light
Would our soul and body part;
But who both for man hath borne
Spares us the extreme dismay,
Gives us self-condemn'd to mourn,
Takes our sins and griefs away.

1089.

[The' Almighty can employ His power]

Take away this cup from Me: nevertheless, &c. —xiv. 36.

The' Almighty can employ His power
To snatch us from the dreadful hour;
But oft to' exalt His name,
To raise our bliss and virtue higher,
Continues with us in the fire,
And saves us in the flame.

If God doth for a time defer
To answer his continued prayer,
Shall sinful man complain,
When Christ the Lord for ever bless'd
Repeats, and urges His request,
Yet seems to pray in vain!

1090.

[Who promised with his Lord to die]

Couldest not thou watch one hour? —xiv. 37.

Who promised with his Lord to die,
But sinks so soon, by sleep o'ercome,
Did he not on himself rely,
And rash on his own strength presume?
Gently rebuked, and call'd again,
Full of himself, he slights the call,
Who will not see must blind remain,
And fall, to wake him from his fall.

1091.

[Unless a constant watch I keep]

Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into, &c. —xiv. 38.

Unless a constant watch I keep,
I cannot without ceasing pray,
Unless by prayer I shake off sleep,
I fold my hands, and sink away;
Saviour, bestow the double power,
My soul and flesh with strength endue,
And save me from the dangerous hour,
Or bring me more than conqueror through.

1092.

[Into the hands of sinful men]

Betrayed into the hands of sinners. —xiv. 41.

Into the hands of sinful men
Is Holiness Himself betray'd,
Sinners to save from Satan's den,
To snatch them from the' infernal shade.
The hour is come by nature fear'd,
For which so long His spirit pined,
For which He in the flesh appear'd,
To honour God, and save mankind.

1093.

[In our feeble nature clad]

Rise up, let us go; lo, he that betrayeth, &c. —xiv. 42.

In our feeble nature clad
He sinks beneath His load,
In His own great strength array'd
He stands the' almighty God!

Calmly meets His murderous foes,
Animates His drooping friends,
To His cross intrepid goes,
And thence to heaven ascends.

Left to his own feebleness,
Or arm'd with Jesus' name,
Weak by nature, strong by grace,
A man is not the same:
Nothing can he do alone:
But when enabled from above,
In his impotence is shown
The' omnipotence of love.

1094.

[Hail, all-redeeming Lord]

They laid their hands on Him, and took Him. —xiv. 46.

Hail, all-redeeming Lord,
Through earth and heaven adored,
Seized by sacrilegious hands,
Jesus, Thy captivity
Looses all our slavish bands,
Sets imprison'd spirits free.

Thou by Thy foes confined
Enlargest all mankind;
Liberty from sin and pain,
Lo, we by Thy bonds receive,
Glorious liberty obtain,
Liberty with God to live.

1095.

[Nature's strife will never last]

One of them . . . drew a sword. —xiv. 47.

Nature's strife will never last,
Soon her warmest zeal is pass'd;
While a soldier of the Lord,
Arm'd with neither shield nor sword,
Doth, like Christ, himself defend,
Calm and patient to the end,

Strives, for ill returning good,
Strives, resisting unto blood.

1096.

[Christ by the youth's escape makes known]

He left the linen cloth, and fled from them, &c. —xiv. 52.

Christ by the youth's escape makes known
His power and guardian care,
And thus admonishes His own
To fly the coming snare:
Shows the malicious world's design
His followers all to seize,
And bids us still the storm decline
Of furious wickedness.

Weakest of Thy disciples, young
In inexperienced grace,
I dare not meet the' outrageous throng,
Or now Thy cross embrace:
Sufficient strength to die with Thee
Yet while I cannot find,
Naked, I from their violence flee,
And leave the world behind.

1097.

[Can injured innocence complain]

Many bare . . . witness against Him. —xiv. 56.

Can injured innocence complain,
Or martyrs at their lot repine,
Who mark that blessed sinless Man,
That spotless Innocent Divine,
Arraign'd before His creatures' bar,
Patient, and meek, and silent there!

1098.

[An advocate the sinner needs]

But He held His peace. —xiv. 61.

An advocate the sinner needs,
And Christ the just for us declares,
Our desperate cause by silence pleads,
Our long-lost innocence repairs,

Refusing to defend His own,
He clears us at His Father's throne.

1099.

[Silent long the Prisoner stood]

Jesus said, I am. —xiv. 62.

Silent long the Prisoner stood,
But not through guilty fear;
Bold at last the Son of God
Asserts His character,
Makes to God His just appeal,
Who every heart will soon display,
Cites His judge the truth to feel
At that tremendous day.

1100.

[Adjudged to die He is by all]

They all condemned Him. —xiv. 64.

Adjudged to die He is by all,
A criminal unfit to live:
Our sins transferr'd for justice call;
And meek the sentence to receive
The patient Lamb makes no reply,
For all His meaning is to die.

Guilty of death Thou art indeed
Who dost the general guilt assume,
Appearing in the sinner's stead,
Our merits justify Thy doom:
And freely moved by love alone,
Thou mak'st our sins and death Thine own.

1101.

[The saint who of his grace presumes]

Thou also wast with Jesus of Nazareth. —xiv. 67.

The saint who of his grace presumes,
Nor yet his own great weakness knows,
A woman's word or look o'ercomes,
A pillar of the church o'erthrows.
And Peter's sin proclaims to all
That pride precedes a certain fall.

1102.

[Is this the man who answer'd, “Lord]

He began to curse and to swear. —xiv. 71.

Is this the man who answer'd, “Lord,
'Tis Thine eternal life to' impart,
Thou art the Christ by heaven adored,
Son of the living God Thou art,
Thee we believe, and surely know
Jehovah manifest below.”

Betray'd by pride insensible,
Whate'er of knowledge we possess,
Of faith Divine, or fervent zeal,
We may be robb'd of all our grace,
May in a moment forfeit all,
And like presumptuous Peter fall.

1103.

[The cock had crow'd in vain]

And when he thought thereon, he wept. —xiv. 72.

The cock had crow'd in vain,
If Jesus had not stirr'd,
And brought to Peter's mind again
The warning of his Lord:
But Jesus cast the look
Which into contrite woe
Dissolved at once the smitten rock,
And made the waters flow.

Retreat the mourner seeks,
(When Christ the grace supplies,)
Not with his tongue but heart he speaks
Through his o'erflowing eyes:
His tongue he sadly knew
The organ of his sin,
And show'd us that repentance true
With silence must begin.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XIV.

1069.

[Commendable excess]