The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

That heavenly Light appear'd below,
Pass'd through this mortal life for me,
When doubly blind I could not know
My God, or my Redeemer see:
On me He cast a pitying look
Which chased the shades of death away,
And all my chains of darkness broke,
And made my soul a child of day.

1891.

[Let every child of Adam own]

Who did sin, this man, or his parents, &c. —ix. 2.

Let every child of Adam own
The cause of all his sufferings here:
The cause is sin and sin alone,
And death and hell are in the rear!
My parents' sins engender'd pain,
Entail'd eternal death on me;
Who still in misery bound remain,
Till Christ appears to set me free.

1892.

[God cannot take delight to grieve]

Neither hath this man sinned, &c. —ix. 3.

God cannot take delight to grieve
The wretched helpless sons of men,
But may awhile in weakness leave,
That all His power may soon be seen:
His work is to restore the blind;
And when He doth the scales remove,
Our Lord by His own light we find
And praise the pardoning God of love.

438

1893.

[Long as my day of life remains]

I must work the works of Him that sent Me. —ix. 4.

Long as my day of life remains,
My business is to work for God,
To' employ my utmost strength and pains
For Him who bought me with His blood;
No respite from the toils of love
I ask, till life's short season end:
Suffice for me to rest above,
To rest with my eternal Friend.

1894.

[The Light for a few moments shines]

The night cometh, when no man can work. —ix. 4.

The Light for a few moments shines,
That every soul his course may run,
And joining in the Lord's designs
Labour till all his work is done:
But when the Sun of Righteousness
Withdraws from man His Spirit's light.
And leaves us wholly void of grace,
His absence is eternal night.

1895.

[Most sensibly, O Lord, I know]

Most sensibly, O Lord, I know,
My night of death approaches fast;
My time for work, my course below,
Is in another moment pass'd;
O then cut short Thy work of grace,
This moment finish it in me,
And let the next conclude my race,
And bring me to my goal and Thee.

1896.

[I know, most gracious Saviour]

I know, most gracious Saviour,
My night approaches fast;
O may I by Thy favour,
Be found in peace at last:

439

My time of visitation,
My latest hour improve,
And work out my salvation,
And die, renew'd in love.

What can I do but offer
My dregs of life to Thee?
What can I do but suffer
Whate'er Thou lay'st on me?
In manifold temptations,
I at Thy feet attend:
My duty now is patience,
Till pain, with life shall end.

1897.

[The world's bright Day did then appear]

As long as I am in the world, I am the light, &c. —ix. 5.

The world's bright Day did then appear,
When present in His body here
Our Lord vouchsafed to shine:
His heavenly life and doctrine show'd
The majesty of real God,
The' eternal Light Divine.

But present in Thy Spirit still,
Jesus, Thou dost Thyself reveal
In this Thy church below;
And every soul though wrapp'd in night,
May see Thine all enlivening light,
And Thee his Saviour know.

Light of the world, appear to all,
To raise the nations from their fall
Thy beams of glory dart.
Our sin and ignorance disperse,
And cheer our gladden'd universe,
And shine in every heart.

440

Come O Thou Day-spring from on high
Forth from Thy chamber in the sky,
To poor benighted man;
That visited and led by Thee,
We all our way to heaven may see,
And life eternal gain.

1898.

[Man made of earth by earth He heals!]

He anointed the eyes of the blind man, &c. —ix. 6.

Man made of earth by earth He heals!
The creature is whate'er He wills
Who gave it first to be;
Clay in the' Almighty's hands restores
Our bodily or mental powers,
And gives the blind to see.

The weakest instrument Divine,
Water, or earth, or bread and wine,
Can work upon the soul:
Thou giv'st the means their saving use,
And then Thy virtue they transfuse,
And make the sinner whole.

Thy touch medicinal we prove
Our blindness it doth still remove,
The unction of Thy grace
Opens our faith's enlighten'd eyes,
And lo with rapturous surprise
We see Thy lovely face.

1899.

[When Jesus bade me first believe]

Go, wash in the pool of Siloam . . . . He went, &c. —ix. 7.

When Jesus bade me first believe,
My spirit did its sight receive,
Though long by nature blind;
To Christ at His command I went,
And found Him by His Father sent,
The Saviour of mankind.

441

His Spirit drew me to the pool
Which makes a world of sinners whole,
The purple fountain show'd,
The balm infallible applied,
And pointed out the Crucified,
And plunged me in His blood.

'Twas there I wash'd my sins away,
I triumph'd in the gospel-day
To paradise restored:
And clearly still I all things see;
But nothing half so fair as Thee,
So heavenly as my Lord.

1900.

[The sinner blind is always poor]

The neighbours . . . said, Is not this he that, &c. —ix. 8.

The sinner blind is always poor,
And begging waits at mercy's door:
He waits when now restored to sight
A suppliant still for farther light,
Humbly resolved through life to sit
A beggar at his Saviour's feet.

1901.

[Enlighten'd by his God alone]

Some said, This is he: others said, He is like, &c. —ix. 9.

Enlighten'd by his God alone
A sinner saved is hardly known,
No more the slave of hell and sin
But humble, meek, and pure within,
In love renew'd and born again,
The Christian is another man!

Yet well he knows himself the same,
And owns “the beggar blind I am”;
With open'd eyes he always sees
His pardon'd sin and past disease,
Different through grace in heart and will,
But of himself a sinner still.

442

1902.

[We ask a soul no longer blind]

Therefore said they unto him, How were thine, &c. —ix. 10.

We ask a soul no longer blind,
Who chased the darkness of thy mind,
Open'd thine inward eyes to see
That all on earth is vanity,
To see the true celestial road,
And fix thy faithful heart on God?

1903.

[Through vanity I will not tell]

He answered and said, A Man that is called, &c. —ix. 11.

Through vanity I will not tell,
Nor yet through fear the truth conceal,
But own in love's simplicity
The things my God hath done for me;
He of His own accord pass'd by
And saw the blind with pitying eye.

The Man, the God, they Jesus call,
My Saviour, and the Friend of all,
Anointed with His grace my soul,
And said, Go wash in Siloam's pool:
Obedient to His Spirit's word
I went; I wash'd, and saw my Lord.

1904.

[Jesus! where is He to be found]

Then said they unto him, Where is He? —ix. 12.

Jesus! where is He to be found,
Whose mercy doth to all abound?
O that the blind would all inquire,
Impatient for the world's Desire,
Till Christ His healing light imparts,
And shows His presence to their hearts!

1905.

[A sinner once to sight restored]

He said, I know not. —ix. 12.

A sinner once to sight restored
Need never miss his pardoning Lord:

443

Nor shall he of his loss complain,
Who strives the Saviour to retain,
And only seeks the things above
With humble fear and grateful love.

1906.

[Jesus, the sabbath's Lord we praise]

It was the sabbath day when Jesus made the, &c. —ix. 14.

Jesus, the sabbath's Lord we praise,
Who carrying on His great designs,
His miracles of power and grace,
Redemption to creation joins,
He bids the soul with pardon bless'd
From its own works for ever cease,
Receives into His people's rest,
And keeps with Him in perfect peace.

1907.

[Pharisees inquire in vain]

The Pharisees . . . asked him how he had received, &c. —ix. 15.

Pharisees inquire in vain
How we received our sight,
Will not bow to God made man
Believing in the Light:
God in human clay reveal'd,
Who heal'd us by His blood applied,
Rests with all His works conceal'd
From all the sons of pride.

Jesus hides Himself from those,
Who with an evil heart
Seek the truth, the truth to' oppose,
And spitefully pervert:
When their Saviour they repel,
The Light their pride disdains to' adore,
Leaves them inexcusable,
And blinder than before.

444

1908.

[From the man, outrageous spite]

Said some, . . . This Man is not of God, &c. —ix. 16.

From the man, outrageous spite
To judgment false proceeds,
Equity pronounces right
Of persons from their deeds:
They appearances look through
Who darkness hate, and light approve,
They believe the Saviour true
Who truth and goodness love.

1909.

[Jesus, Thy disciples here]

And there was a division among them. —ix. 16.

Jesus, Thy disciples here
The judging world divide,
Praised by some as men sincere,
By others vilified:
Various as their passions, Lord,
The thoughts of men will ever be;
Thus they verify Thy word,
And treat Thy church like Thee.

1910.

[Strange malignity of men!]

They say unto the blind man . . . What sayest, &c. —ix. 17.

Strange malignity of men!
Who credulous of ill
All the proofs of good disdain
Which court their stubborn will!
Light from heaven if we receive,
They only question to disprove,
Good they never can believe
Of those they will not love.

1911.

[Jesus' upright confessor]

He said, He is a prophet. —ix. 17.

Jesus' upright confessor
Discharging what he owes,
Speaks without reserve or fear
The truth before its foes;

445

Vindicates the instrument
Who open'd a blind sinner's eyes,
Witnesses the Prophet sent,
His Saviour from the skies.

1912.

[Who the work of God oppose]

The Jews did not believe . . . that he had been, &c. —ix. 18, 19.

Who the work of God oppose,
Through obstinate despite,
Every avenue they close
Against the hateful light;
Pharisees the truth to shun
Unwearied pains and trouble take;
Doubting if the thing were done,
They it undoubted make.

1913.

[Few will risk the consequence]

He is of age, ask him. —ix. 21.

Few will risk the consequence,
And dare the truth confess,
Standing bold in the defence
Of Jesu's witnesses;
Prudently themselves to clear,
The burden they on others lay;
But they must to God appear,
And answer in that day!

1914.

[And have they not agreed it now]

The Jews had agreed already that if any man, &c. —ix. 22.

And have they not agreed it now,
While us who dare acknowledge Him,
To the one God in Jesus bow,
God self-existent and supreme,
Out of the Church they still reject,
And force into a separate sect?

But O most gracious God and true,
Defeat their dire malicious aim,

446

Who hate the Lord they never knew,
Abhor the followers of the Lamb,
And would as schismatics oppress,
And slay Thy patient witnesses.

Sole all-sufficient God most-high,
Exalted on Thy throne above,
The flock who on Thy blood rely
For peace and purity of love,
Kept in the British fold defend,
Kept in the Church till time shall end.

1915.

[Hear what the wise and learned say!]

Give God the praise: we know that this man, &c. —ix. 24.

Hear what the wise and learned say!
“This Man pretending to do good,
To show the blind their heavenly way,
And teach the' illiterate multitude,
The sabbath He profanely breaks,
And contrary to order speaks.”

We hear, but cannot think with them,
Or to their bold assertions trust,
Or from appearances condemn
Blindly implicitly unjust,
But Jesu's ministers receive;
And thus the praise to God we give.

1916.

[We still among the poor may find]

Whether He be a sinner I know not: one thing, &c. —ix. 25.

We still among the poor may find,
A soul to sudden sight restored,
A sinner now no longer blind
A generous witness for his Lord,
Who speaks and simply perseveres,
And neither man nor devil fears.

447

Born blind I was, and bred in sin,
Bound like the fiends in chains of night:
But Thou hast shone my heart within,
Surrounded with stupendous light;
And clearly, Lord, my way I see,
My end, my present heaven in Thee.

1917.

[Envious and proud in every age]

Then said they to him again, What did He, &c. —ix. 26.

Envious and proud in every age
The world against our Lord conspire
With restless unrelenting rage
Into His gracious work inquire,
With stubborn infidelity
They ask, they urge, how can it be!

The wonders wrought in this our day,
Which Thy experienced people know,
Saviour, they study to gainsay,
Our faith by cavilling to' o'erthrow,
The Spirit mock, the inward Light,
And rob Thee of Thy gracious right.

Yet will we still the truth maintain,
Born and enlighten'd from above,
And tell the faithless world again
Thy miracles of power and love;
We know what Thou to us hast done,
But how appears to Thee alone.

1918.

[An answer plain and full we give]

Wherefore would ye hear it again? Will ye, &c. —ix. 27.

An answer plain and full we give
When friends or candid foes demand,
Willing our witness to receive,
The truth to know and understand:
The truth we then with joy impart,
And speak to Thy disciples' heart.

448

Weary of publishing Thy grace
To listening souls, we cannot be:
But if they proud objections raise,
Resist the light, and will not see,
And judges of Thy work appear,
They are not worthy, Lord, to hear.

1919.

[And let the railing world exclaim]

Then they reviled him, and said, Thou art, &c. —ix. 28.

And let the railing world exclaim:
I wish them all to follow Thee:
I glory in the sacred shame
Pour'd by their blindfold rage on me;
Thy poor reviled disciple I,
As such rejoice to live and die.

1920.

[Ye know not, for ye will not know]

We know that God spake unto Moses: &c. —ix. 29.

Ye know not, for ye will not know,
Jesus descended from the sky,
The Substance whom your shadows show,
The Prophet great, the Lord most-high,
The Light, the Life, the Truth, the Way,
Which leads to everlasting day.

Strangers to His converting grace,
Opposers of His Spirit's power,
Ye scorn our Saviour to confess,
The Opener of our eyes to' adore,
Who Christ undauntedly proclaim,
Our God eternally the same.

1921.

[The poor wayfaring man]

The man answered, . . . Why herein is a, &c. —ix. 30.

The poor wayfaring man,
Enlighten'd from above,
Doth valiantly the truth maintain,
And more than conqueror prove;

449

The man who nothing knows
But Jesus on his side
Withstands an host of learned foes,
And baffles all their pride.

Learning and power contend
Against the truth in vain,
Whoe'er the cause of Christ defend
The victory must obtain;
For still the truth of God
Doth in its witness fight,
Confounds the unbelieving crowd,
And puts the world to flight.

1922.

[His understanding's eyes]

Ye know not from whence He is, and yet He, &c. —ix. 30.

His understanding's eyes,
His mouth is open'd too,
The blind is brought divinely wise
A way he never knew;
With reasons strong and clear,
With wisdom not his own,
He proves the hand of God is here,
And God the work hath done.

1923.

[Even we, the vulgar know]

We know that God heareth not sinners: but, &c. —ix. 31.

Even we, the vulgar know
Who God disdains to fear,
And on in sin presumes to go,
His prayer He will not hear:
But if with contrite sighs
The wretch for mercy groan,
A sinner vile in his own eyes
In God's account is none.

450

1924.

[Who God in truth adore]

But if any man be a worshipper of God, &c. —ix. 31.

Who God in truth adore
And walk in all His ways,
He makes the channels of His power,
The vessels of His grace
Sends to declare His will,
And sinful souls convert;
And daily through His word they heal
The blindness of the heart.

1925.

[Conviction is from God]

Since the world began was it not heard, &c. —ix. 32.

Conviction is from God:
Since first the world began,
Was never man who knew or show'd
The sinfulness of man:
The Spirit of truth alone
Of unbelief reproves,
He makes the human darkness known,
And by His light removes.

1926.

[Ye scribes with learning fraught]

If this Man were not of God, He could do nothing. —ix. 33.

Ye scribes with learning fraught,
Ye doctors of the law,
By an illiterate beggar taught,
The just conclusion draw:
A man can nothing do
Of God uncall'd, unsent,
But saving souls in him we view
Our Saviour's instrument.

1927.

[The marks of wicked pastors see!]

Thou wast altogether born in sins, and dost, &c. —ix. 34.

The marks of wicked pastors see!
Fierce war against the sheep they wage,
Treat them with scornful cruelty,
And minded of their duty rage;

451

Pleaders for rules, and union too,
The sheep out of the fold they drive,
And then as schismatics pursue,
And count them then not fit to live.

Yet will we not their sentence fear,
The' unjust themselves, not us, condemn;
Cast out we find our Saviour near,
Cut off not from our Head, but them;
Without the pale we cannot be,
Whose life is hid with Christ above,
Who cleave, dear Lord, to Thine and Thee
With steadfast faith, and humble love.

1928.

[The furious world rejecting those]

Jesus heard that they had cast him out, &c. —ix. 35.

The furious world rejecting those
Who seek in holiness to' excel,
Foes to themselves, eternal foes,
Themselves they from the church expel;
They separate from the saints indeed,
(The saints by formalists abhorr'd,)
And make the members like their Head,
And drive them closer to their Lord.

Our loving Lord the outcasts seeks
Whom Satan's synagogue expels,
He finds, and words of comfort speaks,
And to our hearts Himself reveals:
He gives us faith and faith's increase,
And while on us His Spirit rests,
Our souls o'erflow with joyous peace,
And heaven is open'd in our breasts.

1929.

[Happy the self-mistrusting man]

He answered and said, Who is He, Lord, that, &c. —ix. 36.

Happy the self-mistrusting man
Who for Thyself of Thee inquires,

452

Thou wilt not let him ask in vain,
But grant in his Thine own desires:
For faith Divine the sinner's heart
Is open'd by docility,
But Thou of both the Giver art,
And all our good proceeds from Thee.

The man whom God to this hath wrought,
Instruction readily receives,
And found by Him who came unsought,
He first inquires, and then believes.
Enlighten'd by his Saviour's grace,
Convinced of His converting power,
His soul shall soon with joy embrace,
And Christ in spirit and truth adore.

1930.

[What comfortable words are Thine]

Jesus said unto him, Thou hast both seen Him, &c. —ix. 37.

What comfortable words are Thine,
Physician of the helpless poor!
They speak our Comforter Divine,
They speak our heart-felt pardon sure:
Thy words are words of truth and grace,
Spirit, and light, and life they give;
We hear, we see the Speaker's face,
We see the face of God, and live!

1931.

[The sudden faith Thou hast bestow'd]

And he said, Lord, I believe. And he worshipped Him. —ix. 38.

The sudden faith Thou hast bestow'd,
Saviour, I must in words express,
Adore the true eternal God,
And Thee my God, my Lord confess:
For this alone I Thee entreat,
This only good on earth desire,
To live adoring at Thy feet,
And meekly at Thy feet expire.

453

1932.

[Righteous Lord Thy judgments are!]

For judgment I am come into this world, &c. —ix. 39.

Righteous Lord Thy judgments are!
When men their misery own,
Thou Thy mercy dost declare,
And make Thy Godhead known:
Foolish, ignorant, and blind,
We first our unbelief confess,
Then the light from heaven we find,
The Lord our Righteousness.

But the wise, and learn'd, and proud
Refuse themselves to' abase,
Scorn to' admit their fall from God,
And total want of grace;
Justly are they left by Thee,
Who still against Thy Spirit fight;
Left in their obscurity,
Or blinded by the light.

1933.

[Of their ignorance they show]

Some of the Pharisees . . . said, . . . Are we blind also? —ix. 40.

Of their ignorance they show
The most undoubted sign,
Dark as hell who will not know
Their need of light Divine;
Pharisees, untaught by grace,
Yet learned in their own esteem;
None of all our blindfold race
Is half so blind as them.

1934.

[Ignorance in which ye dwell]

If ye were blind, ye should have no sin, &c. —ix. 41.

Ignorance in which ye dwell
Excusable had been
Were it quite invincible,
It is not wilful sin.

454

But your knowledge ye assert,
And cast your helps and means aside,
Hence the veil is on your heart,
And all your faith is pride.

Would you own with humble grief
Your want of light and love,
Christ would help your unbelief,
And all your guilt remove:
But with arrogant disdain
Your blindness if ye still deny,
Infidels ye must remain
Till in your sins ye die.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER IX.

1890.

[How sad our state by nature is]