The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Who Jesus our Example know,
And apostolic teachers trace,
We gladly to the temple go,
Frequent the consecrated place
At every solemn hour of prayer,
And meet the God of mercy there.

Still at the stated hours we pray,
And openly our God adore,
The Lamb presenting every day
Our sins who on His body bore;
As incense sweet our prayers arise,
Mingled with His great sacrifice.

His offering pure we call to mind,
There on the golden altar laid,
Whose Godhead with the manhood join'd,
For every soul atonement made;
And have whate'er we ask of God,
Through faith in that all-saving blood.

2398.

[I in this emblem see]

And a certain man lame from his mother's, &c. —iii. 2, 3.

I in this emblem see
My own unhappy case,
My nature's poverty
And utter helplessness;
So impotent to good I am,
Who from the womb a cripple came.

Here at the Temple's gate
(The real Temple,) I
A feeble beggar wait,
And for His mercy cry,

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Who only can my wants relieve,
And power and peace, and pardon give.

Day after day distress'd
On Jesus I attend,
And urging my request
Besiege the sinner's Friend;
In patient prayer expect a cure,
Till He pronounce my pardon sure.

2399.

[Master, Thy pitying eye]

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him, &c. —iii. 4, 5.

Master, Thy pitying eye
Is fasten'd now on me,
Thou bidd'st my soul rely,
And look for help to Thee:
To Thee I steadfastly give heed,
For all the good Thou know'st I need.

I every moment hope
To hear Thy pardoning word,
Mine eyes are lifted up,
Are ever to the Lord,
On Thee my fix'd regard I turn,
And for the consolation mourn.

2400.

[Thou seest my helplessness]

Silver and gold have I none; but such as I, &c. —iii. 6, 7.

Thou seest my helplessness,
Thou hear'st my sad complaint;
The riches of Thy grace
And nothing else I want,
Those riches which the world despise,
Are all I wish, and all I prize.

The blessing I implore
Kindly vouchsafe to give,
Or through Thy servants poor,
Or by Thyself relieve,

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Raise by Thine own immediate word,
And speak my soul to health restored.

Thyself lay hold on me,
And lifted up by grace
And apprehending Thee
I walk in all Thy ways,
More active as I further go,
And swifter than a bounding roe.

A sinner poor and lame,
At Thy command I rise;
Thine efficacious Name
With springing life supplies,
Thy Name, the moment I believe,
Doth strength and perfect soundness give.

2401.

[Jesus through faith alone]

And he leaping up stood, and walked, and, &c. —iii. 8.

Jesus through faith alone
I answer to Thy call;
I stand, and walk, and run,
And leap o'er every wall,
Enter with joy the hallow'd place,
And loudly sing my Saviour's praise.

Both strength and righteousness
In Thee I surely have,
Gladly I Thee confess
Omnipotent to save,
My helpless unbelief to heal,
And pardon on my conscience seal.

2402.

[Who our weaknesses have known]

And all the people saw him walking and praising God. —iii. 9.

Who our weaknesses have known
Should our conversion see,

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While with joyful lips we own
The name that sets us free,
By our walk the change sincere,
By holiness of life we prove,
While we humbly persevere
In gratitude and love.

2403.

[Stranger far the miracle]

And they were filled with wonder. —iii. 10.

Stranger far the miracle
Which doth a soul convert,
When our Lord vouchsafes to heal
Our impotence of heart:
Outward miracles are done
That we the' Invisible may see,
God who all His power makes known
In man's infirmity.

2404.

[Through the ministry of man]

The people ran together unto them...greatly wondering. —iii. 11.

Through the ministry of man
Whoe'er their cure receive,
Fondly they at first detain,
And to the preacher cleave:
Farther taught by grace Divine,
The Author of all good they own,
Every instrument resign,
And cleave to Christ alone.

Lord, in these Thy Spirit's days
Thou dost Thy work renew,
Daily miracles of grace
On helpless sinners show:
O might all the thoughtless crowd
With wonder struck my change to see,
Flock into the courts of God,
And run for faith to Thee!

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2405.

[His name through faith alone]

His name through faith in His name hath, &c. —iii. 16.

His name through faith alone
The halt and lame hath heal'd,
Impotent souls with life unknown,
With heavenly vigour fill'd:
His name believed and loved
Did miracles perform,
And sin's infirmity removed
From many a helpless worm:

The witnesses appear
Even now before your face,
Restored to perfect soundness here
Through reconciling grace:
Jesus the faith bestow'd
On men ye see and know,
Who daily praise their pardoning God,
And walk with Christ below.

2406.

[Sinners what have ye done]

Through ignorance ye did it, as did also your, &c. —iii. 17.

Sinners what have ye done
In nature's ignorance!
Your crime, ye unbelievers own,
Your unperceived offence:
Ye have exposed to shame
The' eternal Son of God,
Murder'd afresh the slaughter'd Lamb,
And trampled on His blood.

Your learned rulers too
Who sit in Moses' chair,
Have crucified their Lord anew;
And still their Saviour tear:

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Alas, they know not yet,
In sin and error bred,
Who spitefully the members treat,
They persecute the Head.

2407.

[The sinful will of man]

Those things, which God before had shewed, &c. —iii. 18.

The sinful will of man
Without his own design
Subserves, if so our God ordain,
The holy will Divine:
Our God's almighty grace
O'errules the bounded ill,
To answer His great purposes,
And all His thoughts fulfil.

Of sinners He foretells
The wickedness foreknown,
Permits their act but not compels,
Their act is all their own.
Who can the wisdom sound
Of His eternal mind,
That makes my Saviour's mortal wound
The life of all mankind!

2408.

[O that we could to God present]

Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that, &c. —iii. 19, 20.

O that we could to God present
Our hearts by true contrition rent
Through His beloved Son;
To Christ our mighty Fortress turn,
Look upon Him we pierced and mourn,
Till our Desire come down!

Jesus through Thy atoning blood
Blot out this thick, incumbent cloud,
Which hides the face of Heaven;

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Thou art that Presence of the Lord:
Descend, Divine Eternal Word,
And speak our sins forgiven.

Whene'er Thou dost our crimes efface,
The times of sweet refreshing grace,
The Comforter is come,
The Pledge, the Witness, and the Seal,
That God again on earth shall dwell
And take His exiles home.

2409.

[The body He did once assume]

Whom the heaven must receive until the, &c. —iii. 21.

The body He did once assume,
Did of the virgin's substance take,
The flesh which swell'd her sacred womb,
And suffer'd torment for our sake,
Join'd with the Deity is gone,
And sits on His eternal throne.

The body pure of flesh and blood,
Subject no more to death or pain,
Sublime at the right hand of God,
Doth in perpetual rest remain:
Its virtues, fruits, effects we prove;
Yet still the body dwells above.

Enrobed with majesty and power,
It fills and brightens all the sky,
Till coming all things to restore,
And visible to mortal eye,
Earth He renews by sovereign grace,
And shows the world His glorious face.

Immortal Son of Man, appear,
Our Maker, on Thine azure seat,
Begin the great sabbatic year,
Thy people spotless and complete

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In full millennial joy maintain,
And then in Thine eternal reign!

2410.

[Moses the meek man of God]

A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up, &c. —iii. 22.

Moses the meek man of God,
A type of Christ was seen,
Head of faithful Israel stood,
And guide of sinful men,
Show'd as prophet of the Lord
The land to all believers given,
Herald of Jehovah's word,
Interpreter of Heaven.

Israel he from Egypt led,
But must to Jesus yield;
Jesus like His brethren made,
His brethren far excell'd;
Moses form'd the church of old,
And one peculiar nation join'd;
Christ received into His fold
The souls of all mankind.

Soon as Moses prophesied,
Israel's deliverance came;
Soon as Jesus spake, and died
The sacrificial Lamb,
Life, the grand effect, ensued;
That blood for every soul was spilt,
Purged that all-redeeming blood
The universal guilt.

Those who quaked and could not bear
Jehovah's thundering word,
Ask'd that Moses might declare
The dictates of his Lord:

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Wearied by the law of fire,
Much more the slaves of guilty fear
Fly from Sinai, and desire
The voice of Christ to hear.

Moses truly minister'd,
A servant, not a Son;
Christ, who in our flesh appear'd,
Came from His Father down;
Equal to the Lord Most-High,
By all the heavenly hosts confess'd,
Re-enthroned beyond the sky,
Our God for ever bless'd.

2411.

[Lord with open heart and ear]

Him shall ye hear in all things. —iii. 22.

Lord with open heart and ear
We would Thy law receive,
All Thy gracious sayings hear,
And savingly believe,
All Thy kind commands obey,
The pattern trace which Thou hast given,
Walk in Thee, the Truth, the Way,
The Life, and Heaven of heaven.

2412.

[Ye adders deaf, who stop your ears]

Every soul, which will not hear that prophet, &c. —iii. 23.

Ye adders deaf, who stop your ears
Against the' immortal Prophet's voice,
(That voice which dying sinners cheers,
And bids our broken hearts rejoice,)
Who nature's perfect law maintain,
Your own weak reason idolize,
And dare the' incarnate God disdain,
The God who made both earth and skies.

Ye men who Christ profess to know,
And vainly call Him God and Lord,

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But will not in His footsteps go,
Or hearken to His Spirit's word,
Deists and formalists, who slight
His love, expect His wrath to feel,
Cut off and banish'd from His sight
Ye both shall shortly meet in hell.

2413.

[The seers and holy men of old]

All the prophets...foretold of these days. —iii. 24.

The seers and holy men of old
Have spoken of these gospel-days,
The kingdom of their Lord foretold,
The reigning power of Jesus' grace;
O might their prophecies on me,
On every soul be soon fulfill'd,
Redeem'd from all iniquity,
Rejoicing in our pardon seal'd.

2414.

[First to the Jews was Shiloh sent]

Ye are the children,...&c. —iii. 25, 26.

First to the Jews was Shiloh sent,
Power effectual to repent
On Israel He bestow'd,
With pardon and salvation bless'd,
His murderers from their sins released,
And wash'd them in His blood.

He now is sent to every heart,
Every soul He would convert
In this accepted day;
And heathens now are justified,
And feel through faith the blood applied,
Which takes our sins away.

2415.

[The God of all grace]

God, having raised up His Son Jesus, sent, &c. —iii. 26.

The God of all grace,
To restore a lost race,

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Hath raised up His Son,
And sent Him again in the Comforter down.
Ye sinners, believe,
And your Saviour receive,
By His Father bestow'd,
That ye all may return to the bosom of God.

God sent Him to bless
With unspeakable peace
The children of men,
That ye here may His favour and image regain:
'Twas His only design,
By the Spirit Divine
To redeem you from woe,
And indulge with a taste of your heaven below.

He is ready to prove
The truth of His love:
And when Jesus reveals
Your pardon obtain'd, He His office fulfils;
He bids you be clean
From the nature of sin
Through the power of His blood,
And He makes your hearts happy, by making them good.

Repent and believe
And the blessing receive,
The felicity pure,
The salvation of God which shall always endure.
Your Saviour embrace,
With His fulness of grace,
And hold fast the high Prize,
And live upon earth as they live in the skies.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER III.

2397.

[Who Jesus our Example know]