The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Teach me, Saviour, by Thy grace
To answer Thy design,
When the threatening world to face,
And when their rage decline;
Far from rashness as from fear
I would not, Lord, myself expose,
Would not shrink from danger near,
Or dare, or dread my foes.

353

Thou by Thy example guide
And certify my heart
When I shall the storm abide,
And when I should depart:
Let me till Thy time is come,
From place to place Thy follower fly,
Fly, till Thou recall me home,
And then stand still and die.

1685.

[Wandering souls, lift up your eyes]

Jesus . . . being wearied with His journey, &c. —iv. 6.

Wandering souls, lift up your eyes,
Mark Him fainting on the road,
Him who made both earth and skies,
Wonder at the wearied God!
God descending from above,
Takes your flesh and frailties too,
Wearied in the toil of love,
Wearied in pursuing you.

Jesus, we Thy mercy bless,
Gladly in our service tired,
By Thy toil and weariness
Rest Thou hast for us acquired;
Thy fatigue our souls relieves
Long with Satan's yoke oppress'd,
Rest from sin and fear it gives,
Present, and eternal rest.

1686.

[Weary on the well reclined]

Weary on the well reclined,
Mercy in Thy weariness,
Mercy in Thy rest we find;
Then Thou stay'st to grant Thy peace,

354

Waitest there to seize Thy stray,
Rest and pardon to bestow,
Wearied with her sinful way
That she may her Saviour know.

Welcome weariness and pain!
Servant of Thy church and Thee,
Saviour shall I not sustain
That Thou didst sustain for me?
Let my toil advance Thy praise,
My repose resemble Thine,
Tend to minister Thy grace,
Serve the blessed cause Divine.

1687.

[He asks that He may give]

Give Me to drink. —iv. 7.

He asks that He may give,
His creature's wants relieve,
Drink He earnestly desires,
Water He vouchsafes to crave,
Souls, His vehement Spirit requires,
Thirsts expiring souls to save.

1688.

[Contrary sects we see]

The Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. —iv. 9.

Contrary sects we see
In this alone agree,
Sects that bear the Christian name,
Each from each in heart removed,
Mutual intercourse disclaim,
Hate the souls whom God hath loved.

As heretics and foes
Each other they oppose,
Every church the chosen race,
Every party is the bride,
Strangers, enemies to grace,
Heathens all the world beside.

355

1689.

[Jesus, the gift Divine I know]

If thou knewest the gift of God, . . . thou wouldest, &c. —iv. 10.

Jesus, the gift Divine I know,
The gift Divine I ask of Thee;
The living water now bestow,
Thy Spirit and Thyself on me:
Thou, Lord, of life the Fountain art:
O could I find Thee in my heart!

Thee let me drink, and thirst no more
For drops of finite happiness:
Spring up, O Well, in heavenly power,
In streams of pure perennial peace,
In joy which none can take away,
In life which shall for ever stay.

1690.

[Joy in our enjoyments here]

Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. —iv. 13.

Joy in our enjoyments here
Cannot alas be found,
Tired the gazing eye, the ear
Is glutted with the sound,
Passions with their food increase
And higher by indulgence rise,
Every creature promises,
But nothing satisfies.

Drinking cannot quench or cool
The fever of desire;
Thus inflamed the thirsty soul
Doth more and more require:
Tortured thus by gnawing pains,
And scorch'd with fire unquenchable,
Here the restless sinner gains
An antepast of hell.

356

1691.

[Thou promisest Thyself to' impart]

But . . . the water that I shall give him shall, &c. —iv. 14.

Thou promisest Thyself to' impart
To all who ask Thyself of Thee,
Open the fountain in my heart,
Spring up, O Well of life, in me!
The Root and Principle of grace,
In me let Thy good Spirit abide,
Renew in perfect holiness,
And add me to the glorified.

Not like a sudden transient flood,
But fix'd and permanent and sure,
The grace Thou hast on me bestow'd
Deep let it in my soul endure,
Swift to its source celestial move,
Freely fulfil Thy whole design
With all the' activity of love,
With all the powers of life Divine.

1692.

[Religion true to visit earth]

Religion true to visit earth
In pure Divinity descends,
But mindful of its heavenly birth,
To heaven in all its motions tends;
Returning to its bless'd abode,
It mingles with the crystal sea,
It bears my spirit back to God,
My God through all eternity.

1693.

[Prince and Saviour of mankind]

Thou hast had five husbands; and he whom, &c. —iv. 18.

Prince and Saviour of mankind,
Giver of repentance true,
Bring my secret sins to mind,
Drag them into open view,
Show me what I dread to know,
To himself the sinner show.

357

What I cannot hide from Thee,
From myself I hide in vain:
Give me, Lord, myself to see,
Break my heart with grief and pain,
Then my guilty load remove,
Then reveal Thy pardoning love.

1694.

[Sprinkled with the' atoning blood]

We know what we worship: for salvation is, &c. —iv. 22.

Sprinkled with the' atoning blood
By faith Divine applied,
Knowingly we worship God
In Jesus pacified,
Inward Jews our Lord confess,
(Whose temples pure our bodies are,)
In the spirit of fervent praise,
And sacrificial prayer.

1695.

[Ritual services are pass'd]

The hour cometh, and now is, when the true, &c. —iv. 23

Ritual services are pass'd
The shadows fled away,
God is manifest at last,
And brings the gospel day;
Worship spiritual and true
The God of holiness ordains,
Works in man to will and do;
And pure religion reigns.

God's accepted worshipper
Begotten from above,
Breathes the spirit of grace and prayer,
Of humble faith and love;
All His saints the law fulfil
Engraven on their inward parts,
Sanctified by Jesu's will,
They give Him all their hearts.

358

Such the Father seeks and owns
His worshippers indeed,
Such He calls His genuine sons,
Who in His footsteps tread:
Such on earth He cannot find,
Unless He forms us by His grace,
Makes us one in heart and mind
With Christ our righteousness.

1696.

[Thou, O God, a spirit art]

God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him, &c. —iv. 24.

Thou, O God, a spirit art,
Whose glory fills the sky.
Breathe within my childlike heart,
And there “My Father” cry!
Come in Christ and fill the place
With Wisdom and effectual Power,
Thee I then shall truly praise,
And worthily adore.

All my powers shall then be brought
Into captivity,
Every passion, every thought
Shall bow, and worship Thee,
Thee mine inmost soul shall bless,
Like angels worshipping above,
Silent at Thy feet confess
The' o'erwhelming force of love!

1697.

[Jesus, Lord, for Thee I stay]

Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee, &c. —iv. 26.

Jesus, Lord, for Thee I stay,
Come and take my sins away,
Manifest the Deity,
“I who speak to souls am He”!

359

Speak eternal God to mine,
Light of life, in darkness shine:
Thou the true Messiah art,
Teach by living in my heart.

1698.

[A wonder of grace To angels and men!]

His disciples . . . marvelled that He talked with, &c. —iv. 27.

A wonder of grace To angels and men!
The Ancient of days With mortals is seen,
With sinners converses, His Spirit imparts,
His numberless mercies Makes known to our hearts.

No matter how vile The sinner has been;
His word and His smile Redeems us from sin,
With kind conversation He comforts the worst,
And shows His salvation To profligates first.

1699.

[See a soul with pardon bless'd]

The woman then left her waterpot, and went, &c. —iv. 28.

See a soul with pardon bless'd,
Freely saved by grace alone!
Knowing Christ, she cannot rest,
Till she makes her Saviour known.
Changed by one almighty word,
Earthly things she leaves behind,
This the' Apostle of the Lord,
Lord of her, and all mankind.

1700.

[Jesus keeps the soul in view]

His disciples prayed Him, saying, Master, eat. —iv. 31.

Jesus keeps the soul in view
His converted messenger,
Doth in mind and heart pursue,
Fills with zeal and acts in her,
Acts on those to whom He sends,
Those He for His Father seeks;
Still upon her tongue attends,
Blesses every word she speaks.

360

Souls to win is Jesu's meat;
Jesus thus instructs His own
Nature's cravings to forget,
Living not by bread alone:
Preachers by the gospel live,
Feed on that themselves dispense,
Strength and nourishment receive,
More than life derive from thence.

1701.

[But if Thou the Father show]

I have meat to eat that ye know not of. —iv. 32.

But if Thou the Father show,
Manifest to me His love,
I the hidden meat shall know,
I my Master's joy shall prove,
Feast with Thee on heavenly food:
Heaven on earth is serving God.

1702.

[Jesus, we now with pure delight]

Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, &c. —iv. 35.

Jesus, we now with pure delight
Lift up our eyes and see
The gospel fields to harvest white,
The crowds that flock to Thee:
Call'd by Thy ministers they run,
With eager haste to find
The promised Christ, the God unknown,
The Saviour of mankind.

1703.

[The reaper of Thy fields receives]

He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth, &c. —iv. 36.

The reaper of Thy fields receives
In part his wages here,
Thrice happy in Thy service lives,
Thy Spirit's minister;
His heart Thy peace and blessing glads,
With joy he labours on,
And every added convert adds
A jewel to his crown.

361

He gathers fruit who sinners wins,
And fruit that shall remain,
While souls redeem'd from all their sins
With him the prize obtain;
Who many turns to righteousness,
To Him the grace is given,
To honour God by his success,
To gain and people heaven.

The earnest of his glorious hire
He humbly holds it fast,
Till bless'd with all his heart's desire,
With joys that ever last,
When all who sow'd the gospel word
With all the reapers meet,
And in the presence of their Lord
Behold their bliss complete.

1704.

[The prophets spake of Jesu's grace]

Herein is that saying true, One soweth, and, &c. —iv. 37, 38.

The prophets spake of Jesu's grace,
The seed immortal sow'd;
The' apostles reap'd the ransom'd race,
And brought a world to God.
The prophets and apostles too
For us the way prepared,
And if their footsteps we pursue
We share their full reward.

1705.

[Jesus a sinful soul converts]

Many of the Samaritans . . . believed on Him, &c. —iv. 39.

Jesus a sinful soul converts
And sends her to convert the men,
Master of all His creatures' hearts;
His power is thus in weakness seen,
And thus His counsel to fulfil,
The' Almighty sends by whom He will.

362

Shall men, the great, the learn'd, and wise
His feeble instrument disdain,
(Whoe'er of Jesus testifies)
Or wisdom from a woman gain?
And gladly at her bidding go
Their Saviour from Himself to know?

1706.

[Call'd by Thy gospel messenger]

Now we believe, not because of thy saying, &c. —iv. 42.

Call'd by Thy gospel messenger
We gladly his report believe,
But when of Thine own mouth we hear
The truth we savingly receive,
And partners of Thy Spirit know
That God is manifest below.

By that unspoken word of Thine
Thou dost Thy Deity reveal,
The Saviour of the world is mine,
Saved from my sins I surely feel
The real Christ of God Thou art,
Thy unction speaks it in my heart.

1707.

[The father's fondness for his son]

He went unto Him, and besought Him that, &c. —iv. 47.

The father's fondness for his son,
His forwardness to ask a sign,
False notions of the God unknown
Which would the' Omnipotent confine,
Jesus with kind compassion sees,
His weaknesses with meekness bears,
Relieves a sinner in distress,
And grants his most imperfect prayers.

1708.

[He spake, and Jesus' word alone]

Jesus saith, . . . Go thy way; thy son liveth, &c. —iv. 50.

He spake, and Jesus' word alone
Effects the double miracle,

363

The distant body of the son,
The father's heart, a word can heal;
Credence to God the father gives
Heal'd of his incredulity,
His son restored to health believes,
Believes the cure he doth not see.

1709.

[His word, the sign of Jesus' will]

The father knew that it was at the same hour, &c. —iv. 53.

His word, the sign of Jesus' will,
Performs the thing it signifies,
The power omnipotent to heal
His efficacious word applies;
Say to me, Lord, thy soul is heal'd,
And heal'd it shall this moment be,
And with Thy sinless spirit fill'd,
I live a sacrifice to Thee.

1710.

['Tis not enough for me to know]

Himself believed, and his whole house. —iv. 53.

'Tis not enough for me to know
The things which God for me hath done,
His works I should to others show,
And make His mighty wonders known,
I cannot hide them in my heart,
I must proclaim His power abroad,
His miracles of grace assert,
And give the glory all to God.

The faith which in my heart I feel,
I humbly with my mouth confess,
That others too His praise may tell,
My Saviour's witnesses increase,
That all His family beneath
May magnify, with those above,
The God who saves our souls from death,
The quickening power of dying Love.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER IV.

1684.

[Teach me, Saviour, by Thy grace]