 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
179
I. PETER.
3362.
[See the power of God to save!]
Kept by the power of God.
—i. 5.
See the power of God to save!
Jesu's grace in me admire,
Kept, like Peter, on the wave,
Kept, like Shadrach, in the fire,
Rescued from the lion's teeth,
Safe within the jaws of death!
Jesu's grace in me admire,
Kept, like Peter, on the wave,
Kept, like Shadrach, in the fire,
Rescued from the lion's teeth,
Safe within the jaws of death!
Christ, the saving Power Divine,
Thee by faith I apprehend,
Every moment take of Thine,
Till my faith in vision end,
Till through Thine almighty love,
Pure I take my place above.
Thee by faith I apprehend,
Every moment take of Thine,
Till my faith in vision end,
Till through Thine almighty love,
Pure I take my place above.
Kept from sin, the world, and hell,
By Thy grace through faith I am,
Till Thy nature Thou reveal,
Tell me all Thy secret name,
Read it on my heart impress'd,
Take me perfect to Thy breast.
By Thy grace through faith I am,
Till Thy nature Thou reveal,
Tell me all Thy secret name,
Read it on my heart impress'd,
Take me perfect to Thy breast.
3363.
[Who can tell the worth of Jesus?]
Unto you therefore which believe He is precious.
—ii. 7.
Who can tell the worth of Jesus?
To Thy faithful people known,
Infinitely dear and precious,
Thou art prized and loved alone:
The good things to sinners given,
All summ'd up in Thee they are,
All the happiness of heaven,
All its worth, that Thou art there!
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3364.
[Be double honour paid]
Honour all men.
—ii. 17.
Be double honour paid,
To man beloved of God,
Man in his Maker's image made,
And purchased by His blood:
Mark'd with Thy character,
Lord, every soul is Thine,
And I in all mankind revere
Their Ransomer Divine.
3365.
[Myself begotten from above]
Love the brotherhood.
—ii. 17.
Myself begotten from above,
I must my Father's children love:
Born of the Spirit and the word,
Are we not brethren in the Lord,
Flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone,
His body mystical, and One!
3366.
[My heart is harden'd from Thy fear]
Fear God.
—ii. 17.
My heart is harden'd from Thy fear,
Till Thou the stone remove,
Till love constrain me to revere
The God of pardoning love:
Father, declare Thyself to me
Through Jesus reconciled,
Then shall I always render Thee
The reverence of a child.
3367.
[Honour the king, who God adore]
Honour the king.
—ii. 17.
Honour the king, who God adore:
The king His place sustains,
As image of His awful power,
As God's vicegerent reigns:
And when the King of kings, and Lord
Of lords from heaven comes down,
181
With an immortal crown.
3368.
[Jesus, Thy blood hath purged my sin]
Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an, &c.
—ii. 21.
Jesus, Thy blood hath purged my sin,
Thy blood shall wash me white as snow:
But show me all Thy sufferings mean,
Thy passion's utmost purport show,
And teach my heart the mystery:
Why didst Thou live, and die for me?
Thy blood shall wash me white as snow:
But show me all Thy sufferings mean,
Thy passion's utmost purport show,
And teach my heart the mystery:
Why didst Thou live, and die for me?
Thou didst not work, that I secure
In sloth might all the day remain,
Thou didst not unknown grief endure,
To supersede my needless pain:
Thy life requires my active zeal,
Thy death, that I should suffer still.
In sloth might all the day remain,
Thou didst not unknown grief endure,
To supersede my needless pain:
Thy life requires my active zeal,
Thy death, that I should suffer still.
No follower after Thee I am,
If nothing for Thy sake I bear;
A stranger to Thy grief and shame,
In vain to call Thee mine I dare:
Thy suffering, Lord, doth mine imply,
And binds me on Thy cross to die.
If nothing for Thy sake I bear;
A stranger to Thy grief and shame,
In vain to call Thee mine I dare:
Thy suffering, Lord, doth mine imply,
And binds me on Thy cross to die.
Then let me Thee my Pattern trace,
With Thee cry out, and faint and bleed,
Till partner of Thy last distress
I taste the gall, and bow my head,
Calmly my spotless soul resign,
And die into the arms Divine.
With Thee cry out, and faint and bleed,
Till partner of Thy last distress
I taste the gall, and bow my head,
Calmly my spotless soul resign,
And die into the arms Divine.
3369.
[How shall I that love attain]
Be pitiful.
—iii. 8.
How shall I that love attain,
Love, inexplicably kind,
Love which feels another's pain,
Generous, pure, and unconfined,
Love which bleeds for friend and foe,
Grasps an universe of woe!
Love, inexplicably kind,
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Generous, pure, and unconfined,
Love which bleeds for friend and foe,
Grasps an universe of woe!
Father, manifest Thy Son
Full of pitying grace, in me:
Then I put His bowels on,
Sinners with His eyes I see,
Sinners with His heart embrace,
Glad to die for all the race.
Full of pitying grace, in me:
Then I put His bowels on,
Sinners with His eyes I see,
Sinners with His heart embrace,
Glad to die for all the race.
3370.
[Worldlings in the shadow rest]
Be courteous.
—iii. 8.
Worldlings in the shadow rest:
Taught, and tutor'd, Lord, by Thee,
Christians bear within their breast
True, substantial courtesy,
Not by art, but nature, prove
All the courtesy of love.
Taught, and tutor'd, Lord, by Thee,
Christians bear within their breast
True, substantial courtesy,
Not by art, but nature, prove
All the courtesy of love.
Born (again from heaven) to please
Who Thy softening Spirit know,
Meek and lowly gentleness
They in words and actions show,
They the polish'd pattern give,
Show the world how angels live!
Who Thy softening Spirit know,
Meek and lowly gentleness
They in words and actions show,
They the polish'd pattern give,
Show the world how angels live!
3371.
[Shall we live on like thoughtless brutes]
The end of all things is at hand: be ye...sober, &c.
—iv. 7.
Shall we live on like thoughtless brutes,
Nor ever once attend,
(In the wild whirl of time's pursuits)
That time shall shortly end?
Ah, give us, Lord, the sober mind,
The heaven-ensuring care,
So shall we pass the days behind
In watchfulness and prayer.
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3372.
[Let all who speak in Jesu's name]
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles, &c.
—iv. 11.
Let all who speak in Jesu's name,
To His submit their every word,
Implicit faith in them disclaim,
And send the hearers to their Lord;
Who doth His Father's will reveal,
The only Guide infallible.
To His submit their every word,
Implicit faith in them disclaim,
And send the hearers to their Lord;
Who doth His Father's will reveal,
The only Guide infallible.
Jesus, to me Thy mind impart,
Be Thou Thine own Interpreter,
Explain the Scripture to my heart,
That when the church Thy servant hear,
Taught by the oracles Divine,
They all may own, the word is Thine.
Be Thou Thine own Interpreter,
Explain the Scripture to my heart,
That when the church Thy servant hear,
Taught by the oracles Divine,
They all may own, the word is Thine.
3373.
[Slander'd in the cause of Jesus]
If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, &c.
—iv. 14.
Slander'd in the cause of Jesus,
When we suffer for His name,
Jesus then delights to bless us,
Jesus dignifies our shame,
Then the Comforter is given,
Earnest of our glorious rest,
Seals the raptured heirs of heaven,
Fills His temple in our breast.
3374.
[Where then shall I appear]
If the righteous scarcely be saved.
—iv. 18.
Where then shall I appear,
A mere, mere sinner I!
O may I always fear,
As at the point to die,
Till Thou my sinking soul surprise,
And snatch me up to paradise.
3375.
[When all Thy waves and storms are pass'd]
When all Thy waves and storms are pass'd,
Shall I, shall I, be saved at last?
Then let my Lord conceal His face,
Withhold the knowledge of His grace,
Leave me in doubts, in darkness leave,
And at my latest hour forgive.
Shall I, shall I, be saved at last?
184
Withhold the knowledge of His grace,
Leave me in doubts, in darkness leave,
And at my latest hour forgive.
Deliver from the wrath to come,
And scourge me, Saviour, to the tomb,
I to Thy righteous will submit,
And weep unanswer'd at Thy feet;
But when my dying head I bow,
Assure me then, Thou heard'st me now.
And scourge me, Saviour, to the tomb,
I to Thy righteous will submit,
And weep unanswer'd at Thy feet;
But when my dying head I bow,
Assure me then, Thou heard'st me now.
3376.
[Witness thou righteous man]
Witness thou righteous man,
If now redeem'd from sin,
What agony and pain
It cost to enter in,
Didst thou not knock, and call, and wait,
And long besiege the sacred gate?
If now redeem'd from sin,
What agony and pain
It cost to enter in,
Didst thou not knock, and call, and wait,
And long besiege the sacred gate?
The heavenly way to find,
Didst thou not seek and strive;
And cast thyself behind,
And rather die than live;
The fruits of sad repentance bear,
And sink at last in self-despair?
Didst thou not seek and strive;
And cast thyself behind,
And rather die than live;
The fruits of sad repentance bear,
And sink at last in self-despair?
When thou hadst found the grace,
And gift unspeakable,
All in a moment's space,
Wouldst thou consent to sell?
Or didst thou toil and suffer on
Before thou mad'st the pearl thine own?
And gift unspeakable,
All in a moment's space,
Wouldst thou consent to sell?
Or didst thou toil and suffer on
Before thou mad'st the pearl thine own?
When the old Adam was
With Jesus crucified,
Expiring on the cross,
What frequent deaths he died,
And feign'd himself entirely slain,
Yet soon revived, and fought again.
With Jesus crucified,
Expiring on the cross,
What frequent deaths he died,
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Yet soon revived, and fought again.
The flesh and Spirit's strife
Subsisting still within,
The struggling after life,
The strength of inbred sin,
How did it to the utmost prove
Thy feeble faith, and childish love!
Subsisting still within,
The struggling after life,
The strength of inbred sin,
How did it to the utmost prove
Thy feeble faith, and childish love!
By endless conflicts tried,
Thy patience seem'd to fail,
Thy weary steps to slide,
And sin and hell prevail;
The tempter thrust at thee so sore,
So near each moment to devour.
Thy patience seem'd to fail,
Thy weary steps to slide,
And sin and hell prevail;
The tempter thrust at thee so sore,
So near each moment to devour.
Almost o'erpower'd, compell'd,
Throughout the evil day,
A thousand times to yield,
And cast thy faith away,
Thy soul was ready to expire,
And scarcely saved as through the fire.
Throughout the evil day,
A thousand times to yield,
And cast thy faith away,
Thy soul was ready to expire,
And scarcely saved as through the fire.
Now in the wilderness,
Now in the garden pain'd;
Thy Lord's extreme distress
How oft hast thou sustain'd?
Thy soul perspired His bloody sweat,
And fainted at the Saviour's feet.
Now in the garden pain'd;
Thy Lord's extreme distress
How oft hast thou sustain'd?
Thy soul perspired His bloody sweat,
And fainted at the Saviour's feet.
Didst thou at once spring up
Into a sinless saint?
Or on the mountain's top
Renew His deep complaint,
And cry in lingering misery,
“Why hath my God forsaken me!”
Into a sinless saint?
Or on the mountain's top
Renew His deep complaint,
And cry in lingering misery,
“Why hath my God forsaken me!”
186
Down to the gates of hell,
Times without number brought,
Thy spirit, as it fell,
In mercy's arms He caught,
And after countless falls restored,
And show'd Himself thy God and Lord.
Times without number brought,
Thy spirit, as it fell,
In mercy's arms He caught,
And after countless falls restored,
And show'd Himself thy God and Lord.
Thy trials yet behind,
Only to Him are known;
And when thy soul is join'd
To saints around the throne,
Thy soul shall sink with theirs above,
Lost in astonishment and love.
Only to Him are known;
And when thy soul is join'd
To saints around the throne,
Thy soul shall sink with theirs above,
Lost in astonishment and love.
Thy God's mysterious grace,
Thou wilt in heaven adore,
And wonder on, and praise
His love's stupendous power;
The face of thy Redeemer see,
And gaze through all eternity.
Thou wilt in heaven adore,
And wonder on, and praise
His love's stupendous power;
The face of thy Redeemer see,
And gaze through all eternity.
3377.
[Vain of your gifts and boasted grace]
God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to, &c.
—v. 5.
Vain of your gifts and boasted grace,
Great things who of yourselves declare,
From you the Lord shall hide His face,
And leave you in the fowler's snare
A wretched, self-deceiving crowd,
False saints, false-witnesses, for God!
Great things who of yourselves declare,
From you the Lord shall hide His face,
And leave you in the fowler's snare
A wretched, self-deceiving crowd,
False saints, false-witnesses, for God!
Against your Luciferian pride
His furious jealousy shall burn,
And while ye in the flesh confide,
Your towering confidence o'erturn,
Into the flaming dungeon cast,
Or save you as by fire at last.
His furious jealousy shall burn,
And while ye in the flesh confide,
Your towering confidence o'erturn,
Into the flaming dungeon cast,
Or save you as by fire at last.
187
But ye that tremble at His frown,
And scarcely dare for mercy hope,
Your God in justice casts you down,
Your God in love shall lift you up,
And bless and gospelise the poor
With pardon and salvation sure.
And scarcely dare for mercy hope,
Your God in justice casts you down,
Your God in love shall lift you up,
And bless and gospelise the poor
With pardon and salvation sure.
Pardon'd, if ye the grace retain,
And deeper groan your wants increased;
The Lord shall visit you again,
And entering into perfect rest,
Ye live, when pride and self's destroy'd,
For ever full, for ever void.
And deeper groan your wants increased;
The Lord shall visit you again,
And entering into perfect rest,
Ye live, when pride and self's destroy'd,
For ever full, for ever void.
3378.
[Myself I fain would humble, Lord]
Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty, &c.
—v. 6.
Myself I fain would humble, Lord,
Under Thy mighty hand;
I cannot bear the trying word,
Or in Thy judgment stand.
Under Thy mighty hand;
I cannot bear the trying word,
Or in Thy judgment stand.
Thy vengeful wrath's resistless power
I tremble to confess;
And prostrate in the dust adore
Thy awful righteousness.
I tremble to confess;
And prostrate in the dust adore
Thy awful righteousness.
The body and the deathless soul
Thou canst destroy in hell,
Long as eternal ages roll,
Which I deserve to feel:
Thou canst destroy in hell,
Long as eternal ages roll,
Which I deserve to feel:
Myself to Tophet I condemn:
And now, if Thou require
The rigid penalty extreme,
I sink into the fire.
And now, if Thou require
The rigid penalty extreme,
I sink into the fire.
3379.
[Humble myself! it cannot be]
Humble myself! it cannot be,
But by a power derived from Thee:
The power Thou didst to suppliants give,
Jesus, I would from Thee receive.
I would my total evil feel,
Abhor, adjudge myself to hell;
And to my righteous doom submit,
If now Thou slay me at Thy feet.
But by a power derived from Thee:
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Jesus, I would from Thee receive.
I would my total evil feel,
Abhor, adjudge myself to hell;
And to my righteous doom submit,
If now Thou slay me at Thy feet.
With me how canst Thou longer bear,
Who clog the ground, and taint the air:
Who strive, but never can express
The depth of my own wickedness;
Who as my just desert require
The fiercest wrath, the hottest fire;
Astonish'd at the fresh reprieve,
Amazed that still on earth I live.
Who clog the ground, and taint the air:
Who strive, but never can express
The depth of my own wickedness;
Who as my just desert require
The fiercest wrath, the hottest fire;
Astonish'd at the fresh reprieve,
Amazed that still on earth I live.
Thy patience forces me to hope
Mercy at last may take me up;
May all its energy exert,
And break and change this desperate heart.
I dare not, yet I must confess,
Thou canst restore, and seal my peace;
Exalt a fiend to joys above,
And save me through the fire of love.
Mercy at last may take me up;
May all its energy exert,
And break and change this desperate heart.
I dare not, yet I must confess,
Thou canst restore, and seal my peace;
Exalt a fiend to joys above,
And save me through the fire of love.
3380.
[To whom should I fly for relief]
Casting all your care upon Him.
—v. 7.
To whom should I fly for relief,
But Him that hath loved me so well,
And still, when I sink into grief,
Doth all my infirmities feel!
O Lover of sinners, on Thee
My burden of trouble I cast,
Whose care and compassion for me
For ever and ever shall last.
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3381.
[Our sufferings cannot grace procure]
The God of all grace...after that ye have, &c.
—v. 10.
Our sufferings cannot grace procure,
Or add to Jesu's sacrifice,
Yet God appoints us first to' endure,
And after that to' expect the prize:
And crucified with Christ we wait
The fulness of His life to prove,
The settled, firm, establish'd state
Of perfect holiness and love.
3382.
[“But ah! they damp our eager thirst]
“But ah! they damp our eager thirst,Who tell us, we must suffer first;
But ah! they cool our flaming zeal
Who bid us labour up the hill;”
Yet so the old apostle taught,
And though ye set his words at nought,
I think, he knew the surest road,
I think, he had the Spirit of God.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |