The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Still, Lord, I languish for Thy grace,
Unveil the beauties of Thy face,
The middle wall remove,
Appear, and banish my complaint,
Come, and supply mine only want,
Fill all my soul with love.

Accurst without Thy love I am,
I bear my punishment, and shame,
And droop my guilty head,
Unchanged, unhallow'd, unrestored,
I do not love my bleeding Lord;
No other hell I need.

O conquer this rebellious will,
(Willing Thou art, and ready still,
Thy help is always nigh,)
The stony from my heart remove,
And give me, Lord, O give me love,
Or at Thy feet I die.

Whither, ah! whither should I go?
Nothing is worth a thought below;
Yet while on earth I stay,
O let me here my station keep,
And wash Thy feet with tears, and weep,
And weep my life away.

To Thee I lift my mournful eye,
Why am I thus? O tell me why
Cannot I love my God?

336

The hindrance must be all in me,
It cannot in my Saviour be,
Witness that streaming blood!

It cost Thy blood my heart to win,
To buy me from the power of sin,
And make me love again;
Come then, my Lord, Thy right assert,
Take to Thyself my ransom'd heart,
Nor bleed, nor die in vain.

XX. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Thou lovely Lamb, who on the tree]

Thou lovely Lamb, who on the tree
Shedd'st Thy last drop of blood for me,
My sufferings to remove,
Low in the dust I lie, and mourn
That I can make Thee no return
For all Thy waste of love.

'Tis all Thy loving heart's desire,
That I Thy fulness should require,
And with my misery part;
Thy Spirit strives to set me free,
The Father's Wisdom speaks in Thee,
“My Son, give Me thy heart.”

What is it, Lord, that keeps me back?
What is it which for Thy dear sake
I would not now forego?
Pleasure, or wealth, or life, or fame?
Thou know'st, no more my wishes aim
At happiness below.

337

I dread the human face Divine,
I want no other love than Thine,
All lovely as Thou art:
I view Thy creatures with disdain:
Tear them away, let Jesus reign
The monarch of my heart.

I would not, Lord, my soul deceive,
Willing I seem my all to leave,
So I might purchase Thee:
What is it then that holds me still?
My own, my own, and not the will
Of Him who died for me.

It must be so; in me alone
It stands; some cursed thing unknown
Compels my Lord to stay;
I will not suffer Him to save,
Some mystery of sin I have,
That bars the Saviour's way.

Shame on my soul! The dire disgrace
Covers with guilty shame my face,
And presses down my soul;
Hardly compell'd, I now confess,
I love, and cherish my disease,
And will not be made whole.

The Saviour God of love I clear,
Who justifies is always near,
And waits His grace to show;
But I, the stubborn rebel I,
Far from His arms of mercy fly,
And will not Jesus know.

338

Here then beneath my curse I stoop,
I give my false pretensions up,
Death's sentence I receive,
Guilty before my God I am,
I justify the angry Lamb,
He would have had me live.

I would not live, and therefore go,
Self-plunged in gulfs of endless woe,
I go to second death;
And let me now to Tophet fall,
Unless the God, who died for all,
Still spreads His arms beneath.

XXI. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[O Saviour, cast a pitying eye]

O Saviour, cast a pitying eye,
A sinner at Thy feet I lie,
And will not hence depart,
Till Thou regard my ceaseless moan;
O speak, and take away the stone,
The unbelieving heart:

Till Thou the mountain load remove,
I groan beneath my want of love;
O hear my bitter cry:
Without Thy love I cannot live,
Give, Jesu, Friend of sinners, give
Me love, or else I die.

Dost Thou not all my sufferings know,
Dost Thou not see mine eyes o'erflow,
My labouring bosom move?
Why do I all this burden bear?
Need I to Thee the cause declare?
Thou know'st, I cannot love.

339

This is my sin and misery,
I always find Thy love to me,
Seal'd by Thy precious blood;
And yet I make Thee no return,
I only for my baseness mourn,
I cannot love my God.

The world admire my mystic grief,
And torture me with vain relief,
And cruel kindness show;
They bid me give my wailings o'er,
And weep and vex myself no more
For One they never knew.

My Father's children feel my care,
With kind concern my cross they bear,
And in my sorrows join;
The suffering members sympathise,
And grieve my griefs, and sigh my sighs,
And mix their tears with mine.

But all in vain for me they grieve,
Their sufferings cannot mine relieve,
Or mitigate my pain:
No answer to their prayers they see,
And prevalent with God for me
They seem to pray in vain.

Thou then, O God, Thine hand lay to,
And let me all the means look through,
And trust to Thee alone,
To Thee alone for all things trust,
And say to Thee, who sav'st the lost,
Thine only will be done.

340

XXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[O Jesu, let me bless Thy name!]

O Jesu, let me bless Thy name!
All sin, alas! Thou know'st I am,
But Thou all pity art;
Turn into flesh my heart of stone,
Such power belongs to Thee alone,
Turn into flesh my heart.

A poor unloving wretch to Thee
For help against myself I flee;
Thou only canst remove
The hindrances out of Thy way,
And soften my unyielding clay,
And mould it into love.

O let Thy Spirit shed abroad
The love, the perfect love of God,
In this cold heart of mine!
O might He now descend, and rest,
And dwell for ever in my breast,
And make me all Divine.

What shall I do my suit to gain?
O Lamb of God, for sinners slain,
I plead what Thou hast done:
Didst Thou not die the death for me?
Jesu, remember Calvary,
And break this heart of stone.

Take the dear purchase of Thy blood,
My Friend, and Advocate with God,
My Ransom and my Peace,
Surety, who all my debt hast paid,
For all my sins atonement made,
The Lord my Righteousness.

341

Why didst Thou leave Thy throne above,
But that the secret of Thy love
Might to my soul be known?
Hast Thou not given Thyself for me,
That I might only live to Thee,
Might die to Thee alone?

Be it according to Thy will,
In me Thy mystic love reveal,
And all in earth and heaven
Shall own that I their love outvie:
There's none can love so much as I,
None hath so much forgiven.

XXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[O Love Divine, how sweet Thou art!]

O Love Divine, how sweet Thou art!
When shall I find my willing heart
All taken up by Thee!
I thirst, and faint, and die to prove,
The greatness of redeeming love,
The love of Christ to me.

Stronger His love than death or hell;
Its riches are unsearchable;
The first-born sons of light
Desire in vain its depth to see,
They cannot reach the mystery,
The length, and breadth, and height.

God only knows the love of God;
O that it now were shed abroad
In this poor stony heart!
For love I sigh, for love I pine:
This only portion, Lord, be mine,
Be mine this better part.

342

O that I could for ever sit,
With Mary at the Master's feet!
Be this my happy choice,
My only care, delight, and bliss,
My joy, my heaven on earth be this
To hear the Bridegroom's voice.

O that with humbled Peter I
Could weep, believe, and thrice reply
My faithfulness to prove,
Thou know'st, (for all to Thee is known,)
Thou know'st, O Lord, and Thou alone,
Thou know'st that Thee I love.

O that I could with favour'd John
Recline my weary head upon
The dear Redeemer's breast!
From care, and sin, and sorrow free,
Give me, O Lord, to find in Thee
My everlasting rest.

Thy only love do I require,
Nothing in earth beneath desire,
Nothing in heaven above;
Let earth, and heaven, and all things go,
Give me Thy only love to know,
Give me Thy only love.

XXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[O Thou, who hast redeem'd of old]

O Thou, who hast redeem'd of old,
And bidd'st me of Thy strength take hold,
And be at peace with Thee,
Help me Thy benefits to own,
And hear me tell what Thou hast done,
O dying Lamb, for me.

343

Out of myself for help I go,
Thy only love resolved to know,
Thy love my plea I make:
Give me Thy love; 'tis all I claim:
Give for the honour of Thy name,
Give for Thy mercy's sake.

Canst Thou deny Thy love to me?
Say, Thou Incarnate Deity,
Thou Man of Sorrows, say:
Thy glory why didst Thou enshrine
In such a clod of earth as mine,
And wrap Thee in my clay?

Ancient of Days, why didst Thou come,
And stoop to a poor virgin's womb,
Contracted to a span?
Flesh of our flesh why wast Thou made,
And humbly in a manger laid,
The new-born Son of Man?

Why didst Thou in this vale of tears,
For more than thirty mournful years,
A life of sufferings lead?
Why did Thine eyes with tears o'erflow?
Why wouldst Thou choose to want below
A place to lay Thy head?

Love, only love, Thy heart inclined,
And brought Thee, Saviour of mankind,
Down from Thy throne above:
Love made my God a man of grief,
Distress'd Thee sore for my relief:
O mystery of love!

344

To fill my soul it emptied Thee,
It made Thee poor, that I might be
Enrich'd with every grace:
Love made Thee to Thy Father cry,
And hid His face from Thee, that I
Might always see His face.

Quite from the manger to the cross
Thy life one scene of sufferings was,
And all sustain'd for me:
O strange excess of love Divine!
Jesus, was ever love like Thine!
Answer me from that tree!

If Thou couldst stoop for me to die,
Surely Thou wouldst that I, even I,
Thy death's effect should prove;
Then help me for Thy mercy's sake,
To weep, believe, and pay Thee back
Thy dear expiring love.

Because Thou lovedst, and diedst for me,
Cause me, my Jesus, to love Thee,
And gladly to resign
Whate'er I have, whate'er I am;
My life be all with Thine the same,
And all Thy death be mine!

University of Virginia Library

[DESIRING TO LOVE.]

XIX. DESIRING TO LOVE.

Hymn 1.