The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Objects of His constant care,
The Shepherd of the sheep
Them as in His arms did bear,
And in His bosom keep;
Them with persevering love
He died from suffering to redeem,
Then resumed His place above,
And claim'd their thrones for them.

2040.

[Saviour, am not I Thine own?]

Saviour, am not I Thine own?
Throughout my evil days,
Surely Thou on me hast shown
The riches of Thy grace:

500

Thee, the sinner's constant Friend,
In life, and death I trust on Thee;
Love me, Lord, when time shall end,
Through all eternity.

2041.

[My God, my God was ever love]

Jesus knowing that the Father had given, &c. —xiii. 3.

My God, my God was ever love
Was ever lowliness like Thine!
Conscious of what Thou art above
Supreme in majesty Divine,
Thy Father ere the world began
Into Thy hands had all things given,
And sanctified the Son of man,
The sovereign Lord of earth and heaven.

Who didst from Him Thy mission know,
Returning to Thy Father's breast,
How could Thy greatness stoop so low,
God over all, by all confess'd!
Contemplating Thy glorious state
Which mortal eye had never seen
Thou didst on Thy own creatures wait,
And serve the sinful sons of men.

See then ye haughty worms of earth,
The strange humility unknown,
Who boast your power, or pomp, or birth,
Behold Jehovah's only Son!
The sight might kings themselves convert,
God only could so far submit:
Satan is in the traitor's heart,
The Lord most high is at his feet.

2042.

[But stranger far, and more profound]

He . . . laid aside His garments; and took, &c. —xiii. 4, 5.

But stranger far, and more profound
That first abasement of our God,

501

When with eternal glory crown'd
A man to men Himself He show'd!
He laid His dazzling robes aside,
His greatness and majestic grace,
And pleased with sinners to abide,
Put on our nature's sordid dress.

Jehovah in our form appears
With frail humanity endued,
Washes His servants in His tears
And purifies us by His blood:
Our souls immersed in guilt and clay
And by His sacred flesh made clean,
He wipes our earthly minds away,
And all the filth of inbred sin.

2043.

[Incomprehensible to man]

Peter . . . said unto Him, Lord, dost Thou, &c. —xiii. 6.

Incomprehensible to man
The strange humility Divine
Till Jesus doth Himself explain
His own mysterious love's design:
Wondering we ask how can it be,
That God should wait on man below,
That the Most-High should stoop to me,
And wash the sinner white as snow!

When Jesus at his feet he saw,
Peter might well repeat the word
“From a vile sinful man withdraw,
Holy and just and heavenly Lord!”
But therefore will the Saviour stay
For this in human likeness born,
To purge our guilty stains away,
And to a saint a sinner turn.

502

2044.

[Do what Thou wilt; it should be so]

What I do thou knowest not now, &c. —xiii. 7.

Do what Thou wilt; it should be so;
If now I cannot sound Thy mind,
Thy work I shall hereafter know,
The meaning of Thy conduct find:
Death shall ere long unwind the maze,
The' impenetrable cloud remove,
And then I see that all Thy ways
Were wisdom, faithfulness, and love.

2045.

[We have no benefit from Thee]

If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me. —xiii. 8.

We have no benefit from Thee,
Unless Thy blood by faith applied
Redeem from all iniquity,
And throughly cleanse Thy ransom'd bride:
But if Thy blood to flesh convert
This unbelieving heart of stone,
Mine own assuredly Thou art,
Thou art eternally mine own.

2046.

[Fountain of purity Divine]

Peter saith unto Him, Lord, not my feet only, &c. —xiii. 9.

Fountain of purity Divine,
No longer I refuse Thy grace
But give up my own will to Thine,
But waive my own unworthiness;
Since Thou so freely dost forgive,
And wash and seal me for Thine own,
My pardon I with joy receive,
And share the blessings of Thy throne.

2047.

[If bathed in Thine atoning blood]

He that is washed needeth not save to wash, &c. —xiii. 10.

If bathed in Thine atoning blood
Am I not every whit made clean,
Completely justified with God,
Redeem'd from all the guilt of sin?

503

My conscience is no more defiled,
Sprinkled and purified my heart,
I know my Father reconciled,
I know that Thou my Saviour art.

Thy Spirit, Lord, the water pure
Together with Thy blood applied,
Hath made my peace and pardon sure,
Hath plunged me in the mingled tide:
My care is now to wash my feet,
And if I humbly walk in Thee
Sin I need never more repeat,
Or lose my faith and purity.

2048.

[Didst Thou not leave Thy Father's throne]

And ye are clean. —xiii. 10.

Didst Thou not leave Thy Father's throne
To save Thy people from their sin?
Assure our hearts, the work is done,
And tell us Lord, we now are clean;
Cleansed by the Spirit and the word
Give us in all Thy steps to tread,
As followers of our holy Lord,
As members of our sinless Head.

2049.

[Not all who saving faith profess]

But not all. —xiii. 10.

Not all who saving faith profess,
Are wash'd in Thy all-cleansing blood;
There lurks among Thy witnesses
Some Judas false to man and God!
Searcher of hearts, Thou seest alone
Our unperceived hypocrisy:
Make the perfidious traitor known,
And show me Lord, if I am he!

504

2050.

[No: without Thy farther light]

Know ye what I have done to you? —xiii. 12.

No: without Thy farther light,
My ignorance I own;
Cannot understand aright
The things which Thou hast done:
Give mine inmost soul to know
The depth of Thy humility,
What Thy love hath wrought below,
And daily doth for me.

2051.

[Master Thee we call, and Lord]

Ye call Me Master and Lord: and ye say, &c. —xiii. 13

Master Thee we call, and Lord,
Performing what we say
When our lives fulfil Thy word,
And when our hearts obey;
O that thus we always might
Ourselves Thy true disciples prove,
Find like Thee our whole delight
In works of humble love.

2052.

[No; the letter profits nought]

If I then, your Lord and Master, have, &c. —xiii. 14.

No; the letter profits nought
And few could that fulfil;
But we all by Jesus taught
May know and do His will;
All to all may helpful prove
To meanest offices submit:
Thus we humbly serve in love,
And wash each other's feet.

2053.

[Jesus, Lord, I fain would stoop]

I have given you an example, that ye should, &c. —xiii. 15.

Jesus, Lord, I fain would stoop
With Thy humility,

505

Take Thy sacred burden up
And meekly follow Thee:
Lowly both in mind and deed
Thou hast a perfect pattern given;
Give me in Thy steps to tread,
And bear Thy cross to heaven.

2054.

[What avails it, Lord, to know]

If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them. —xiii. 17.

What avails it, Lord, to know,
And not to do Thy will?
This is all my joy below,
Thy pleasure to fulfil,
This my pure delight above;
This happiness to me be given,
To do the will of Him I love,
I ask no other heaven.

2055.

[A pastor should his flock prepare]

Now I tell you before it come, that, when, &c. —xiii. 19.

A pastor should his flock prepare,
And arm against the trying hour;
Forewarn'd the rude assault they bear,
Their Lord's Divinity and power
With stronger confidence confess,
With fuller joy their Saviour bless.

2056.

[The body and the Head are one]

He that receiveth whomsoever I send, &c. —xiii. 20.

The body and the Head are one,
One Spirit in all the members lives,
And whatsoe'er to them is done
Jesus as done to Him receives,
Strangely partakes of their distress,
And suffers with His witnesses

But stricter still the union is
'Twixt Christ and those He doth ordain;

506

Their mission is a part of His,
His place and office they sustain,
With His authority endued,
As envoys from the living God!

2057.

[Troubled at heart and grieved within]

Jesus . . . was troubled in spirit, &c. —xiii. 21.

Troubled at heart and grieved within
The Lord of all vouchsafes to be,
He mourns His own disciple's sin,
His own disciple's perfidy,
And feels with voluntary pain
The misery of ungrateful man.

Pastors and priests to avarice sold
Who Jesus and His truth betray,
Basely intrude into the fold
To make immortal souls their prey,
They to the fiend admittance give
And still the soul of Jesus grieve.

2058.

[Sinners redeem'd, yet still inclined]

Then the disciples looked one on another, &c. —xiii. 22.

Sinners redeem'd, yet still inclined
To sin, should tremble at the name;
The evils we in others find
Ourselves may soon commit the same;
And I shall act the traitor's part,
If e'er I trust my treacherous heart.

2059.

[On his Redeemer's breast reclined]

Now there was leaning on Jesus' bosom, &c. —xiii. 23.

On his Redeemer's breast reclined,
And taken up with Christ alone,
No more he calls himself to mind,
By nought but Jesus' kindness known;
Regardless of reproach and praise,
If blamed by mortals or approved;

507

His name, his talents, and his grace,
Lost in—the man by Jesus loved!

The modest man, the meek in heart
May still be dignified and bless'd
With the beloved disciple's part,
May with his dear Redeemer rest:
And those that their own name forget,
Cast their ambitious pride away,
And lay themselves at Jesus' feet,
Jesus will in His bosom lay.

2060.

[The secret of the Lord is known]

Peter . . . beckoned to him, that he should ask, &c. —xiii. 24.

The secret of the Lord is known
To saints whose hearts are kept above,
Who cleave by faith to Christ alone,
And humbly fear, because they love;
Jesus, on whom their souls rely,
Their every prayer and sigh receives;
Nothing He can to such deny,
And more than all they ask He gives.

2061.

[My most indulgent Saviour]

He then lying on Jesus' breast saith unto, &c. —xiii. 25.

My most indulgent Saviour,
I long Thy love to find,
To triumph in Thy favour,
And know Thy Spirit's mind:
This grace to me be given,
I nothing more request,
I want no other heaven
Than leaning on Thy breast.

The place of John I covet
More than a seraph's throne,
To rest in my Beloved,
And breathe my final groan;

508

On Thee alone relying
To lose my sin and pain,
And on Thy bosom dying,
My life eternal gain.

2062.

[Jesus His benefits bestows]

He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, &c. —xiii. 26.

Jesus His benefits bestows
On open friends and secret foes,
Or these to those prefers;
The sop, the outward gift He gives
To traitors, hypocrites, and thieves,
To Satan's ministers.

Gifts will not evidence our grace,
Or riches in their shining face
The marks of goodness show;
We can by no external sign
Discern the favourites Divine,
Or John from Judas know.

2063.

[How hopeless is a sinner's case]

Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, &c. —xiii. 27.

How hopeless is a sinner's case,
No more restrain'd by Jesus' grace
Left to the fiend alone,
The reprobate by God abhorr'd,
The slave with his indwelling lord
Is now for ever one!

Lest this my dreadful end should be,
My Saviour go not far from me;
Who hast my rescue been,
Still with Thy tempted servant stay,
And hedge about with thorns my way,
And hold me back from sin.

509

2064.

[Doth Jesus still the traitor spare]

Now no man at the table knew for what, &c. —xiii. 28.

Doth Jesus still the traitor spare,
And patient to the end forbear
To' expose His basest foe?
O may I thus behave to mine,
And all the tenderness Divine
To harden'd sinners show.

O that like His disciples, I
Might to myself His word apply:
With candid charity
The traitor undisclosed receive,
Nor evil of the worst believe
Till forced by what I see!

2065.

[Christ and His friends the poor relieve]

Some of them thought, . . . Jesus had said, &c. —xiii. 29.

Christ and His friends the poor relieve,
Alms from their little stock they give,
And shall not I afford
My love in poverty to show,
And gladly the last mite bestow
To feed my hungry Lord.

2066.

[Who hears His warnings with disdain]

He then having received the sop went, &c. —xiii. 30.

Who hears His warnings with disdain,
And Jesus' gifts receives in vain,
Must fall from sin to sin:
No time in Satan's service lose,
No hellish drudgery refuse,
Till Tophet takes him in.

2067.

[Horrible night for murder made!]

And it was night. —xiii. 30.

Horrible night for murder made!
Beneath whose execrable shade
Demons their treason hide!

510

Betray'd was God's eternal Son,
The darkest deed that e'er was done,
The blackest parricide!

Most lovely night with blessings crown'd!
When Jesus sold, the ransom found,
Consenting to be slain!
The brightest deed that e'er was done!
He made our foulest sins His own,
He gave His life for man!

He left on this auspicious night
The death-commemorating rite
Which life Divine imparts,
The feast which all our wants relieves,
And Christ with all His fulness gives
Into our longing hearts.

2068.

[Enter'd upon His final scene]

Now is the Son of Man glorified, &c. —xiii. 31.

Enter'd upon His final scene
He sees the joy before Him set,
O'erlooks the shame and pain between,
And hastes His great reward to meet;
The victory is already won,
Already of the prize possess'd
He reigns as on His Father's throne,
He triumphs in His Father's breast.

Redemption's wondrous work is wrought,
(The Lamb from earth's foundation died,)
The debt is paid, the pardon bought,
The righteous God is satisfied:
His wrongs repaid, His law fulfill'd,
His power and wisdom from above,

511

His truth shines forth in Christ reveal'd,
His perfect holiness and love.

2069.

[That strange excess of love unknown]

A new commandment I give unto you, &c. —xiii. 34.

That strange excess of love unknown
Bestow'd on those Thou call'st Thine own,
Bestow it now on me,
And rendering back what I receive,
My life a sacrifice I give
For all Thy saints and Thee.

2070.

[O put it in our inward parts]

O put it in our inward parts,
Write Thy new precept on our hearts
In characters Divine,
Inspire us with Thy Spirit's love;
Stronger than death it then shall prove,
A copy, Lord, of Thine.

2071.

[The love impartial and sincere]

By this shall all men know that ye are, &c. —xiii. 35.

The love impartial and sincere
The' inimitable character
On genuine saints impress'd
O that I in myself could find,
Endued with my Redeemer's mind,
With His affection bless'd!

Enlarged beyond the narrow space
Of those that their own sect embrace,
And none besides approve,
I would to liberty restored
Love all the lovers of my Lord,
And all who seek His love.

Jesus the gospel-grace impart
To mine and every longing heart!
Take us into Thy fold,

512

The truth of pure religion give,
That all who bear Thy name may live,
And love like those of old.

The mark on every face impress,
That like Thy first-born witnesses
We hand in hand may move:
And ready each for each to die,
Constrain the world for each to cry,
“See how these Christians live!”

2072.

[Jesus must first for Peter die]

Jesus answered him, Wilt thou lay down, &c. —xiii. 38.

Jesus must first for Peter die,
And purchase the courageous grace,
Must His own Godhead testify
That Peter may his Lord confess:
The Son of God, the martyrs' Head
Doth power for His disciples claim,
And gives us, dying in our stead,
The strength to suffer for His name.

2073.

[How deep and unperceived in man]

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock, &c. —xiii. 38.

How deep and unperceived in man
The wound of self-presuming pride!
Only the great Physician can
Reveal what nature strives to hide;
Righteous, and wise, and gracious too,
He lets His loved apostle fall,
Lays the wound open to our view,
And thus provides a cure for all.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER XIII.

2039.

[Objects of His constant care]