The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

A man may his Creator fear,
Devout and truly wise
Train up his house with zeal sincere,
And point them to the skies;
May much accepted alms bestow
With constant prayer to God,
Who doth not yet his Saviour know,
Or feel the sprinkled blood.

2577.

[Were his alms and ceaseless prayers]

Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for, &c. —x. 4.

Were his alms and ceaseless prayers
Splendid sins in God's esteem?
No: the Lord Himself declares
Both acceptable to Him:
Grateful both as incense rise,
Bring an angel from the skies.

244

Prayers and alms to heaven ascend,
But they first from heaven come down:
Man to help if man intend
Good design'd is not his own:
If to God his heart aspire
God infused the chaste desire.

2578.

[The angel might have preach'd his Lord]

Send...to Joppa, and call for one Simon, &c. —x. 5.

The angel might have preach'd his Lord,
Or Christ proclaim'd Himself from heaven,
But God, to magnify His word,
The' appointed means of sins forgiven,
Commands a pious soul to hear
The gospel from His messenger.

The angel from Jehovah sent,
But points him out the common road,
Directs to Jesu's instrument,
That man may preach a dying God:
And then the Lord His Son reveals,
And pardon by His Spirit seals.

2579.

[Whome'er he doth for servants take]

He called two of his household servants, and, &c. —x. 7.

Whome'er he doth for servants take,
The pious man will find or make
Such as himself he is,
Teach them their heavenly Lord to' obey,
That all with him to God may pay
Their faithful services.

2580.

[How can it be? A soldier good!]

A devout soldier. —x. 7.

How can it be? A soldier good!
A man of war whose trade is blood!
The' impossibility

245

Is done by an almighty Lord:
And still in some who use the sword
We true religion see.

Mercy has ways to find them out,
To make the worst of men devout:
And when a soldier trusts
His soul into those hands Divine,
Listed beneath Immanuel's sign
He serves the Lord of Hosts.

2581.

[Servants and lord, when God they fear]

When he had declared all these things unto, &c. —x. 8.

Servants and lord, when God they fear,
An openness of heart sincere
Experience from above,
A mutual trust till then unknown,
Inspired by piety alone,
A confidence of love.

2582.

[The vision doth a church present]

And saw heaven opened, and a certain vessel, &c. —x. 11.

The vision doth a church present
Descending from the heavenly place,
Not in a single corner pent,
But taking in the human race!
From all the ends of earth are brought
Poor souls into that boundless sheet,
And by a common Ransom bought
Jews, Heathens, Turks and Christians meet.

Born from above, their heavenly birth
The universal church maintain,
Collected and redeem'd from earth,
Superior to the sons of men;
In Christ their Saviour and their Head
They live the life that never dies,

246

Inspired, and by His Spirit led
To claim their Father in the skies.

2583.

[Nothing unclean can come from heaven]

What God hath cleansed, that call not thou, &c. —x. 15.

Nothing unclean can come from heaven;
We all were pure as made by God:
And God His only Son hath given
To wash the nations in His blood:
Jesus the middle wall removed,
He made both Jews and Gentiles one,
And all are now in Christ beloved,
And all are God's, through Christ alone.

The creature was created good,
Though since defiled and marr'd by sin,
But Jesus pour'd the sacred flood
Which makes a world of sinners clean:
Our pristine purity restored
By water, and by blood, we find,
And Holiness unto the Lord
Is wrote afresh on all mankind.

2584.

[Things which from without befal us]

While Peter doubted in himself...behold, the, &c. —x. 17.

Things which from without befal us
Answer oft the things within:
Thus we know the Lord doth call us,
Thus His pointing hand is seen!
For their mutual explanation
Thoughts and providences join,
Prove the Spirit's revelation
True, infallible, Divine.

2585.

[Peter musing on the vision]

While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit, &c. —x. 19.

Peter musing on the vision,
Ready made by just degrees

247

For the Spirit's admonition
Farther still and farther sees:
Searching out the mind of heaven
Thus we prove it more and more,
Find that light and grace are given
Only for the present hour.

2586.

[Stand we for a season still]

Go with them, doubting nothing; for I have, &c. —x. 20.

Stand we for a season still
Doubting of the' Almighty's will,
Humble fear our God to' offend
Doth our active powers suspend:
But Thou wilt Thy face display,
By Thy word direct our way,
Show whate'er Thou hast design'd,
Teach us all Thy Spirit's mind.

2587.

[“Apply to Jesus' minister,”]

Cornelius...was warned from God...to send, &c. —x 22.

“Apply to Jesus' minister,”
Is the first lesson given
To one who doth his Maker fear,
By an express from heaven.

2588.

[Our relatives who know not God]

Cornelius...had called together his kinsmen, &c. —x. 24.

Our relatives who know not God
Dear by the ties of flesh and blood
For them we kindly care,
And if our friends we truly love
The real blessings from above
We wish them all to share.

Happy alone we cannot rest,
But call'd ourselves, the gospel feast
We for their souls provide,

248

That speaking in His minister
They all the voice of God may hear,
And feel the blood applied.

2589.

[How beautiful the feet appear]

Cornelius...fell down at his feet, and, &c. —x. 25.

How beautiful the feet appear
Of Jesus' joyful messenger!
Yet will He not from man receive
What man to God alone should give:
And can his successor permit
Adoring crowds to kiss his feet?

2590.

[Shall a poor worm of grace be proud]

But Peter took him up, saying, Stand up, &c. —x. 26.

Shall a poor worm of grace be proud,
Or man mistake himself for God,
Or sacrilegiously allow
That others at his shrine should bow,
His idolised perfections praise,
Or set him in his Maker's place?

With true humility inspired
A saint abhors to be admired;
He makes his blind adorers rise,
Abhors their impious sacrifice,
Their honours blasphemously vain,
And always feels “I am but man.”

2591.

[We lift our hearts (for God is here)]

Now therefore are we all here present before, &c. —x. 33.

We lift our hearts (for God is here),
Assembled in His sight appear,
And listen to the word,
Whate'er He now vouchsafes to give,
And from the servant's mouth receive
As spoken from the Lord.

249

Jehovah sends by whom He will,
And let Him now His truths reveal
His utmost counsel show,
Bless'd with a ready, resolute mind
We'll do the things by Him enjoin'd,
And practise all we know.

2592.

[God is not partial in His love]

God is no respecter of persons. —x. 34.

God is not partial in His love,
Nor e'er decreed a few to' approve
And all the rest pass by;
Whole nations unredeem'd to leave,
Who never can His grace receive,
But must for ever die.

The Lord to every soul is good,
For every soul He shed His blood,
That each might pardon find;
His, and the common Saviour praise,
The God of free, unbounded grace,
The Friend of all mankind.

2593.

[The everlasting gospel hear]

In every nation he that feareth Him, and, &c. —x. 35.

The everlasting gospel hear
To neither time nor place confined,
Whoe'er thou art thy Maker fear,
The awful Father of mankind,
The great and bountiful, and wise,
Who made, and rules both earth and skies.

The sovereign Cause and End of all,
Who justly claims His creature's heart,
On Him with pious reverence call,
From all acknowledged ill depart,
And, true to thy imperfect light,
Do what thy heart approves as right.

250

While thy religious actions show
The principle of secret grace,
Led by a Friend thou dost not know
In all the paths of righteousness,
Heathen, Mahometan, or Jew,
Thy soul is safe, as God is true.

Surely thou dost even now partake
The grace and favour of thy God,
Accepted for His only sake
Who bought the nations with His blood;
And when He makes thy pardon known,
Thou know'st that God and Christ are one.

2594.

[Who in Jesus believe]

We are witnesses of all things which He did, &c. —x. 39.

Who in Jesus believe
True witness we give
Of all He hath suffer'd and done;
Put to death in our stead,
How He rose from the dead,
And return'd to His heavenly throne.

His vouchers we are,
And still we declare
That Himself He is willing to show;
That He daily is seen
By the children of men,
And converses with sinners below.

Though a few might suffice
To attest His first rise,
When the Spirit of faith He imparts,
One and all we maintain
“He is risen again,”
And we carry the proof in our hearts!

251

2595.

[When Jesus' meanest messenger]

While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy, &c. —x. 44.

When Jesus' meanest messenger
To sinners testifies the same,
The Spirit falls on those that hear
Forgiveness preach'd in Jesus' name,
The Holy Ghost the truth reveals,
And pardon on the conscience seals.

As light and heat the solar rays
Mercy accompanies the word,
The doctrine of redeeming grace
Obtain'd through faith in Christ the Lord;
And to confirm our sins forgiven
The Holy Ghost comes down from heaven.

2596.

[Ye Jews of our days Who Heathens reject]

They of the circumcision...were astonished, &c. —x. 45.

Ye Jews of our days Who Heathens reject,
Confining the grace Of Christ to a sect,
His strange dispensation Of mercy adore,
While gospel salvation Is preach'd to the poor.

The sinners unclean Are wash'd in His blood,
The outcasts of men Accepted with God,
Through Jesus's merit They pardon receive,
And fill'd with the Spirit Of holiness live.

2597.

[Who now the water can deny]

Can any man forbid water, that these should, &c. —x. 47.

Who now the water can deny
To those that have in Christ believed,
And found their Father in the sky,
And God the Holy Ghost received?
Who can forbid the sacred use
Of what the Lord did once enjoin,
Or argue from the dire abuse
Against the ordinance Divine?

252

“But by the Holy Ghost baptized,
The truth, the substance we possess,
And need the outward sign be prized
By us, who know the inward grace?”
Yes; for He bids the wash'd with blood
Be sprinkled with the water too,
Who was himself inspired of God,
Who all the mind of Jesus knew.

If then ye have the Spirit known,
Ye Christians unbaptized submit
Your Lord's authority to own,
And lay your reason at His feet:
Obedience is the sacrifice
He waits from Christians to receive:
Obey; and gain Divine supplies,
And fill'd with all His fulness live.

Saviour of all, lay to Thine hand,
The veil from upright hearts remove,
Which will not let them understand
The true intention of Thy love:
Of water and the Spirit born,
May all Thy saints in one agree,
With songs of joy to God return,
And face to face Thy glory see.

2598.

[God, the' eternal God and true]

He commanded them to be baptized in the, &c. —x. 48.

God, the' eternal God and true
Residing in His Son,
Taught by the Holy Ghost they knew
To be with Jesus one:
The Father, Son, and Spirit is Lord,
One God in persons Three,
From all eternity adored
To all eternity.

253

2599.

[If Christ His servant bless]

Then prayed they him to tarry certain days. —x. 48.

If Christ His servant bless
And seal by him our peace,
Peace which speaks our sins removed,
Then we know not how to part,
For his Master's sake beloved,
Hold him in our grateful heart.

We wish his longer stay
Till call'd by Christ away,
Him we patiently resign;
Closer then to Jesus cleave
Sure our Comforter Divine
Never will His people leave.

University of Virginia Library

CHAPTER X.

2576.

[A man may his Creator fear]