 | CHAPTER XXI. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
CHAPTER XXI.
1511.
[He still with fix'd attention sees]
He looked up, and saw the rich men casting, &c.
—xxi. 1.
He still with fix'd attention sees
The hand and heart of rich and poor:
Mark'd by no other eyes than His,
We all should His own gifts restore,
Renounce the empty praise of man,
Of vanity the vain reward,
And truly give whate'er we can,
As cheerful givers to the Lord.
The hand and heart of rich and poor:
Mark'd by no other eyes than His,
We all should His own gifts restore,
Renounce the empty praise of man,
Of vanity the vain reward,
And truly give whate'er we can,
As cheerful givers to the Lord.
Thou dost not Lord the rich condemn,
Who much of their abundance give,
That we the' intent may never blame,
When good the action we perceive:
The end of every offerer here,
The principle to God is known,
And till Thou make their hearts appear,
We leave their hearts to Thee alone.
Who much of their abundance give,
That we the' intent may never blame,
When good the action we perceive:
The end of every offerer here,
The principle to God is known,
And till Thou make their hearts appear,
We leave their hearts to Thee alone.
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1512.
[Rich in faith and poverty]
This poor widow hath cast in more than they all.
—xxi. 3.
Rich in faith and poverty,
Rich in thy Redeemer's love,
Small thy gifts can never be,
Gifts which God delights to' approve;
Charity augments the least,
All exalts and multiplies,
Offer'd through the great High-priest,
Mix'd with Jesus' sacrifice.
1513.
[The pile magnificent may please]
As for these things which ye behold, the days, &c.
—xxi. 6.
The pile magnificent may please
The curious eye of mortals vain,
But nothing great a Christian sees
In all the boasted works of men,
To nobler sights his soul aspires,
And Christ, and only Christ admires.
The curious eye of mortals vain,
But nothing great a Christian sees
In all the boasted works of men,
To nobler sights his soul aspires,
And Christ, and only Christ admires.
Objects which fleshly minds amuse
With careless eye he passes o'er,
Or palaces and temples views
As sinking—to be seen no more,
So soon the shadows disappear,
So soon the' eternal world is here!
With careless eye he passes o'er,
Or palaces and temples views
As sinking—to be seen no more,
So soon the shadows disappear,
So soon the' eternal world is here!
When time and all its works are pass'd,
When earth and heaven are thrown aside,
The things invisible shall last,
The saints shall on their Base abide
(All who the will Divine have done)
As steadfast as Jehovah's throne.
When earth and heaven are thrown aside,
The things invisible shall last,
The saints shall on their Base abide
(All who the will Divine have done)
As steadfast as Jehovah's throne.
1514.
[Did His own apostles need]
Take heed that ye be not deceived, &c.
—xxi. 8.
Did His own apostles need
A commandment to take heed,
And shall we, the dregs of men,
Count the Saviour's caution vain?
If His warning we despise,
Obstinately close our eyes,
Jesus for His foe we leave,
Tempt the tempter to deceive.
A commandment to take heed,
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Count the Saviour's caution vain?
If His warning we despise,
Obstinately close our eyes,
Jesus for His foe we leave,
Tempt the tempter to deceive.
Then the prophets false we hear
Publishing “The time is near,”
Showing when the Judge will come
The ungodly to consume,
Fixing the tremendous day
When He all His foes shall slay,
Pointing out the hour unknown,
Hid from all but God alone.
Publishing “The time is near,”
Showing when the Judge will come
The ungodly to consume,
Fixing the tremendous day
When He all His foes shall slay,
Pointing out the hour unknown,
Hid from all but God alone.
1515.
[Happy the man who uses right]
Great earthquakes shall be in divers places, &c.
—xxi. 11.
Happy the man who uses right
Public calamities,
Whose faith in every fearful sight
The Lord approaching sees:
Famine, and pestilence, and war
Are tokens of that day,
Earthquakes and prodigies prepare
The great Redeemer's way.
Public calamities,
Whose faith in every fearful sight
The Lord approaching sees:
Famine, and pestilence, and war
Are tokens of that day,
Earthquakes and prodigies prepare
The great Redeemer's way.
Good out of all these ills He brings,
And serves His own design,
While ushering in the King of kings
The heavenly armies join;
Dissolved the universal frame,
That Jesus may appear,
And nature's dying groans proclaim
Her New-creator here.
And serves His own design,
While ushering in the King of kings
The heavenly armies join;
Dissolved the universal frame,
That Jesus may appear,
And nature's dying groans proclaim
Her New-creator here.
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1516.
[Fearful, fluttering heart be still]
There shall not an hair of your head perish.
—xxi. 18.
Fearful, fluttering heart be still,
And free from anxious care,
Till my kind Defender will,
I cannot lose an hair:
If for Christ my all I leave
I but a moment's loss sustain,
Here an hundredfold receive,
And life eternal gain.
1517.
[That we may in patient hope]
In your patience possess ye your souls.
—xxi. 19.
That we may in patient hope
Our quiet souls possess,
Lord, to Thee we give them up,
And to Thy guardian grace:
Them we then shall keep secure,
When every moment kept by Thee,
Faithful until death endure,
And die Thy face to see.
1518.
[While the world and sin oppress us]
While the world and sin oppress us,
Strengthen'd by the' infernal fiend,
We who keep the word of Jesus
Suffer on and wait the end;
Safe in manifold temptations,
If His proffer'd grace we use;
But the souls that lose their patience,
They themselves for ever lose.
Strengthen'd by the' infernal fiend,
We who keep the word of Jesus
Suffer on and wait the end;
Safe in manifold temptations,
If His proffer'd grace we use;
But the souls that lose their patience,
They themselves for ever lose.
Fix in us that quiet spirit
Which in Thee our Head abode,
Crucified, we then shall bear it,
Bear and bless the sacred load.
Arm us with Thy self-denial,
With Thy hope of joys above;
Bring us through the fiery trial
Perfected in meekest love.
Which in Thee our Head abode,
Crucified, we then shall bear it,
Bear and bless the sacred load.
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With Thy hope of joys above;
Bring us through the fiery trial
Perfected in meekest love.
Masters of our every passion
Who Thy daily burden bear,
Out of tenfold tribulation
Lo, we come Thy throne to share,
Hold our souls in full subjection,
Till we into nothing fall;
Then we find our true perfection,
Feel that Christ is all in all.
Who Thy daily burden bear,
Out of tenfold tribulation
Lo, we come Thy throne to share,
Hold our souls in full subjection,
Till we into nothing fall;
Then we find our true perfection,
Feel that Christ is all in all.
1519.
[Meet and right it is that Thou]
Then shall they see the Son of man coming, &c.
—xxi. 27.
Meet and right it is that Thou,
Jesus shouldst the heavens bow,
Once an humble Son of man,
Our salvation to obtain,
Shouldst display Thy greatness here,
Glorious like Thyself appear!
Jesus shouldst the heavens bow,
Once an humble Son of man,
Our salvation to obtain,
Shouldst display Thy greatness here,
Glorious like Thyself appear!
Sovereign Lord for this we wait:
Come in Thy sublime estate,
Hasten the expected hour,
Come with all Thy pomp and power,
Come, the Father's only Son,
Shining on Thine azure throne.
Come in Thy sublime estate,
Hasten the expected hour,
Come with all Thy pomp and power,
Come, the Father's only Son,
Shining on Thine azure throne.
Come Thine exiles to remove,
Us who Thy appearing love;
Prays the Spirit in the bride,
Come and take us to Thy side,
Take to our celestial home,
King of saints, triumphant come.
Us who Thy appearing love;
Prays the Spirit in the bride,
Come and take us to Thy side,
Take to our celestial home,
King of saints, triumphant come.
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1520.
[The trees their swelling buds disclose]
Behold the fig tree, and all the trees, &c.
—xxi. 29–31.
The trees their swelling buds disclose,
The vernal flowers appear,
And nature's resurrection shows
Our constant summer near:
The melancholy season's pass'd,
No more we droop and mourn,
But weathering out the wintry blast
Salute the spring's return.
The vernal flowers appear,
And nature's resurrection shows
Our constant summer near:
The melancholy season's pass'd,
No more we droop and mourn,
But weathering out the wintry blast
Salute the spring's return.
The signs of our Redeemer nigh
We see and understand,
With cheerful hope look up and cry
His kingdom is at hand:
The joys which from believing flow
Are happiness in bloom,
And soon by tender love we know,
The life of heaven shall come.
We see and understand,
With cheerful hope look up and cry
His kingdom is at hand:
The joys which from believing flow
Are happiness in bloom,
And soon by tender love we know,
The life of heaven shall come.
In that perpetual summer, we
Retain the flowers of grace,
Nor fear the winter's wastes to see,
Or autumn's sad decays;
Summer and spring eternal meet
And mix their fruits and flowers,
And Jesus makes our bliss complete,
And all He is, is ours.
Retain the flowers of grace,
Nor fear the winter's wastes to see,
Or autumn's sad decays;
Summer and spring eternal meet
And mix their fruits and flowers,
And Jesus makes our bliss complete,
And all He is, is ours.
1521.
[O may we to ourselves take heed]
Take heed to yourselves, lest at any time, &c.
—xxi. 34.
O may we to ourselves take heed,
A life of soft indulgence dread
Disguised by nature's art,
That regular, allow'd excess,
Which lulls the soul in sensual ease,
And stupifies the heart.
A life of soft indulgence dread
Disguised by nature's art,
That regular, allow'd excess,
Which lulls the soul in sensual ease,
And stupifies the heart.
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O may we shun that subtler snare,
The' entanglement of lawful care
Which busy worldlings feel,
Which banishes the thought of death,
And chokes their miserable breath,
And sinks them into hell.
The' entanglement of lawful care
Which busy worldlings feel,
Which banishes the thought of death,
And chokes their miserable breath,
And sinks them into hell.
Regardless of the things unseen,
They live to the desires of men,
Till the great day surprise,
And charged with all their sins they go
To taste the bitterer death below,
The death that never dies.
They live to the desires of men,
Till the great day surprise,
And charged with all their sins they go
To taste the bitterer death below,
The death that never dies.
1522.
[The men of wealth and character]
As a snare shall it come on all them, &c.
—xxi. 35.
The men of wealth and character,
The men of earth who settle here,
And count the world their home,
Entangled in the toils of hell,
Shall all the weight of vengeance feel,
And all the wrath to come.
The men of earth who settle here,
And count the world their home,
Entangled in the toils of hell,
Shall all the weight of vengeance feel,
And all the wrath to come.
But we who God in Jesus know,
Superior to the things below,
To every creature love:
Beyond the fowler's net we fly,
On eagle's wings divide the sky,
And dwell with Christ above.
Superior to the things below,
To every creature love:
Beyond the fowler's net we fly,
On eagle's wings divide the sky,
And dwell with Christ above.
1523.
[The servant of the Lord]
In the day time He was teaching in the, &c.
—xxi. 37, 38.
The servant of the Lord,
Who Jesu's charge receives,
A faithful steward of the word,
A wrestling Jacob lives.
God and the multitude
His sacred labours share,
His day is spent in active good,
His night in fervent prayer.
Who Jesu's charge receives,
A faithful steward of the word,
A wrestling Jacob lives.
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His sacred labours share,
His day is spent in active good,
His night in fervent prayer.
Before the rising morn
He comes his flock to feed,
His flock with hungry hearts return,
And seek their daily bread:
Their love and earnestness
The pastor's zeal improve,
The pastor's zeal doth more increase
Their earnestness and love.
He comes his flock to feed,
His flock with hungry hearts return,
And seek their daily bread:
Their love and earnestness
The pastor's zeal improve,
The pastor's zeal doth more increase
Their earnestness and love.
| CHAPTER XXI. The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |