The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Quicken'd with our immortal Head,
Who daily, Lord, ascend with Thee,
Redeem'd from sin, and free indeed,
We taste our glorious liberty:
Saved from the fear of hell and death,
With joy we seek the things above,
And all Thy saints the Spirit breathe
Of power, sobriety, and love.

Power o'er the world, the fiend, and sin
We in Thy gracious Spirit feel,
Full power the victory to win,
And answer all Thy righteous will;
Pure love to God Thy members find,
Pure love to every soul of man,
And in Thy sober spotless mind,
Saviour, our heaven on earth we gain.

3237.

[Ah, grant me, Lord, in death to find]

Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and, &c. —i. 10.

Ah, grant me, Lord, in death to find,
That death is swallow'd up in Thee,

105

While on Thy loving breast reclined
I gasp for immortality,
Purchased by Thine expiring groan,
And feel it in my heart made known.

Ah, Saviour, now in me reveal
The' eternal life Thou dost bestow,
And when my mortal foe I feel,
I'll trample on my mortal foe,
Into Thine hands my spirit give,
And long as my Redeemer live.

3238.

[I know in whom I have believed]

I know whom I have believed, and am, &c. —i. 12.

I know in whom I have believed,
Who, when this precious faith He gave,
My soul into His hands received,
And bade me trust His power to save:
His Spirit doth my heart assure,
That what I still to Him commend
His constant love shall keep secure,
Till faith fill'd up in vision end.

3239.

[Thou Man of affliction and woe]

If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. —ii. 12.

Thou Man of affliction and woe,
What is it, to suffer with Thee?
Thy secret I languish to know,
Thy passion and death on the tree:
Thou, Jesus, alone canst explain,
And give me a sense of Thy load:
Ah, show me in darkness and pain
The heart of a crucified God.

If tempted in death, and forsook,
Thy burden unknowing I bear,
To God with astonishment look,
Nor find a return of my prayer;

106

Assure me, my anguish is Thine;
This hope to a sinner afford,
And lo, I my spirit resign,
And cheerfully die—with my Lord!

Or let me in sorrow remain,
So Thou my Redeemer art nigh,
Thy marks in my body sustain,
And daily in agonies die:
Fill up Thy afflictions below,
So Thou to my conscience reveal
Thou dost my infirmities know,
My griefs Thou art troubled to feel.

Sustain'd by the pity Divine,
That pants in Immanuel's breast,
My sorrow uniting to Thine,
In calm resignation I rest:
Thy word to the members is sure,
The joy is annex'd to the pain:
With Thee to the end I endure,
With Thee I in glory shall reign.

3240.

[Our long-expected Jesus]

Our long-expected Jesus,
Ah, when wilt Thou appear,
From all our griefs release us,
From all our sufferings here?
This mighty tribulation
Shall in Thy presence end;
And partners of Thy passion,
We shall Thy throne ascend.

Who on Thy word relying
Endure the' allotted pain,

107

Distress'd, and daily dying,
We shall Thy life obtain:
The joy display'd before Thee,
Thou wilt on us bestow,
Who on Thy cross adore Thee,
And share Thy deepest woe.

In hope of the salvation
Thou didst so dearly buy,
With humble resignation,
Our latest death we die.
My torment undiminish'd,
In patient love abide,
Till Thou repeat, 'Tis finish'd!
And take us to Thy side.

3241.

[Call'd after Thee I am]

Let every one that nameth the name of Christ, &c. —ii. 19.

Call'd after Thee I am,
And Thou my Saviour art,
And through the virtue of Thy name
I now from sin depart:
Thus may I always tell
That I, O Christ, am Thine,
And bear throughout my life the seal
And character Divine.

3242.

[The form of godliness remains]

Having a form of godliness, but denying, &c. —iii. 5.

The form of godliness remains,
Which the dead church its saviour makes,
Or each a different form maintains,
The shadow for the substance takes;
But all the living power deny,
And call the truth of God a lie.

The living power, which saves from sin,
Which pardon on the conscience seals,

108

Which writes the law of love within,
And all the promises fulfils,
The christen'd infidels blaspheme,
As folly's creed, or frenzy's dream.

By this, Divinely warn'd, we know
The latest perilous times are come,
And look for Christ to' appear below,
His anti-Christian foes to doom,
And reign o'er all our earth renew'd,
The sole, supreme, eternal God.

3243.

[Sinner, who dost thyself deceive]

All that will live godly in Christ Jesus, &c. —iii. 12.

Sinner, who dost thyself deceive,
By prudent care the cross decline,
Thou art not willing yet to live
In Christ the righteous life Divine;
Thou dost not persecution bear,
Which all who would be saved endure;
Thy soul is in the fowler's snare,
And sleeps in Satan's arms secure.

Soon as thou wilt the world forsake,
The world becomes thy mortal foe,
Vengeance on their old slave they take,
And Pharaoh will not let thee go;
Thou hast the mark, the foul disgrace,
Resolved with sin no more to dwell,
And heavenward if thou turn thy face,
Thou bear'st the wrath of earth and hell.

3244.

[If children may the Scripture know]

From a child thou hast known the holy, &c. —iii. 15.

If children may the Scripture know,
Explain it, Lord, to mine,
And let them in the wisdom grow,
The tender fear Divine;

109

While in Thy word Thy voice they hear,
And use the grace bestow'd,
Let it throughout their lives appear
That they are taught of God.

3245.

[If faith in our dear dying Lord]

The holy scriptures, which are able to, &c. —iii. 15.

If faith in our dear dying Lord
The sacred instrument applies,
The virtue of His hallowing word
Shall make us to salvation wise,
Wise our high calling's prize to' attain,
And everlasting glory gain.

Jesus, the Spirit of faith bestow,
Who only can Thy book unseal,
And give me all Thy will to know,
And give me all Thy mind to feel,
Fill'd with the wisdom from above,
The purity of heavenly love.

3246.

[Inspirer of the ancient seers]

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, &c. —iii. 16, 17.

Inspirer of the ancient seers,
Who wrote from Thee the sacred page,
The same through all succeeding years,
To us, in our degenerate age,
The Spirit of Thy word impart,
And breathe the life into our heart.

The word if Thou vouchsafe to give,
We find its efficacious power,
The saving benefit receive,
And taught aright our God to' adore,
The living sentiment we feel,
Conform'd to all Thy righteous will.

110

While now Thine oracles we read,
With earnest prayer, and strong desire,
O let Thy Spirit from Thee proceed,
Our souls to waken and inspire,
Our weakness help, our darkness chase,
And guide us by the light of grace.

Whene'er in error's paths we rove,
The living God through sin forsake,
Our conscience by Thy word reprove,
Convince, and bring the wanderers back,
Deep-wounded by Thy Spirit's sword,
And then by Gilead's balm restored.

The secret lessons of Thy grace,
Transmitted through the word, repeat,
To train us up in all Thy ways,
To make us in Thy will complete,
Fulfil Thy love's redeeming plan,
And bring us to a perfect man.

Furnish'd out of Thy treasury,
O may we always ready stand,
To help the souls redeem'd by Thee,
In what their various states demand,
To teach, convince, correct, reprove,
And build them up in holiest love.

3247.

[“I the good fight have fought,”]

I have fought a good fight. —iv. 7.

“I the good fight have fought,”
O when shall I declare!
The victory by my Saviour got
I long, with Paul, to share:
O might I triumph so,
When all my warfare's past,

111

And dying find my latest foe
Beneath my feet at last!

3248.

[Strengthen'd by Christ alone]

I have finished my course. —iv. 7.

Strengthen'd by Christ alone,
With long-continued strife,
A race as for my life I run,
For my eternal life!
And who His grace receive,
And who His grace employ,
My earthly course, I dare believe,
Shall end in heavenly joy.

3249.

[This blessed word be mine]

I have kept the faith. —iv. 7.

This blessed word be mine,
Just as the port is gain'd,
“Kept by the power of grace Divine
I have the faith maintain'd!”
The' apostles of my Lord,
To whom it first was given,
They could not speak a greater word,
Nor all the saints in heaven.

3250.

[A crown of righteousness]

Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown, &c. —iv. 8.

A crown of righteousness
There is laid for me,
Who keep the faith, and win the race,
And get the victory:
The Judge of all is just
His saints to glorify,
To save who in His promise trust,
And in His favour die.

When shall the Judge descend,
And fix His kingdom here!

112

With vehement love we still attend
To see our Lord appear;
With languishing desire,
We long our Head to own,
Encircled by His angel-choir,
High on His azure throne.

O King of saints come down,
In dazzling majesty,
Thy suffering witnesses to crown,
Who share Thy cross with Thee:
Thou promisest to give
The crown at that glad day
To all who lovingly believe,
And for Thy coming stay.

The name, the cross we love
Of our exalted Friend,
And still to meet Thee from above
Our hearts to heaven we send:
And when Thou dost appear,
Thou wilt the kingdom give,
And all Thy fellow-sufferers here
Into Thy joy receive.

3251.

[That steadfast faith Divine]

The Lord shall deliver me from every evil, &c. —iv. 18.

That steadfast faith Divine,
Jesus, on me bestow,
To' assure this trembling heart of mine
Thou wilt not let me go;
In every time of need
Thou wilt my soul defend,
And save from every evil deed,
Till all my conflicts end.

113

With me, most gracious Lord,
In my temptation stay,
And by Thy comfortable word
Preserve unto that day,
When Thou, our King, shalt come
With all Thine angels down,
And take Thy suffering servants home,
And with Thy glory crown.

University of Virginia Library

II. TIMOTHY.

3236.

[Quicken'd with our immortal Head]