 | The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley |  |
1
HYMNS FOR A PROTESTANT
HYMN I.
[Where have I been so long]
Where have I been so long
Fast bound in sin and night,
Mix'd with the blind self-righteous throng
Who hate the sons of light?
Fast bound in sin and night,
Mix'd with the blind self-righteous throng
Who hate the sons of light?
O how shall I presume,
Jesus, to call on Thee?
Sunk in the lowest dregs of Rome,
The worst idolatry!
Jesus, to call on Thee?
Sunk in the lowest dregs of Rome,
The worst idolatry!
A stranger to Thy grace
Long have I labour'd, Lord,
To stablish my own righteousness,
And been what I abhorr'd.
Long have I labour'd, Lord,
To stablish my own righteousness,
And been what I abhorr'd.
Foe to the Popish boast
No merit was in me!
Yet in my works I put my trust,
And not alone in Thee.
No merit was in me!
Yet in my works I put my trust,
And not alone in Thee.
2
For works that I had wrought
I look'd to be forgiven,
And by my virtuous tempers thought
At last to purchase heaven.
I look'd to be forgiven,
And by my virtuous tempers thought
At last to purchase heaven.
Or if I needed still
The help of grace Divine,
Thy merits should come in to fill
The small defects of mine.
The help of grace Divine,
Thy merits should come in to fill
The small defects of mine.
Alas! I knew not then
Thou only didst atone
For all the sinful sons of men,
And purge our guilt alone;
Thou only didst atone
For all the sinful sons of men,
And purge our guilt alone;
Didst shed Thy blood to pay
The all-sufficient price,
And take the world's offence away
By Thy great sacrifice.
The all-sufficient price,
And take the world's offence away
By Thy great sacrifice.
But O! my dying God,
By Thee convinced at last,
My soul on that atoning blood,
On that alone I cast.
By Thee convinced at last,
My soul on that atoning blood,
On that alone I cast.
I dare no longer trust
On aught I do, or feel,
But own, while humbled in the dust,
My whole desert is hell.
On aught I do, or feel,
But own, while humbled in the dust,
My whole desert is hell.
My works of righteousness
I cast them all away;
My Lord, Thou frankly must release,
For I have nought to pay.
I cast them all away;
My Lord, Thou frankly must release,
For I have nought to pay.
Not one good word or thought
I to Thy merits join,
But gladly take the gift unbought
Of righteousness Divine.
I to Thy merits join,
But gladly take the gift unbought
Of righteousness Divine.
3
My faith is all in Thee,
My only hope Thou art,
The pardon Thou hast bought for me,
Engrave it on my heart.
My only hope Thou art,
The pardon Thou hast bought for me,
Engrave it on my heart.
The blood by faith applied
O let it now take place,
And speak me freely justified,
And fully saved by grace.
O let it now take place,
And speak me freely justified,
And fully saved by grace.
HYMN II.
[Forgive me, O Thou jealous God]
Forgive me, O Thou jealous God,
A wretch, who on Thy laws have trod,
And robb'd Thee of Thy right;
A sinner, to myself unknown,
'Gainst Thee have I transgress'd, and done
This evil in Thy sight.
A wretch, who on Thy laws have trod,
And robb'd Thee of Thy right;
A sinner, to myself unknown,
'Gainst Thee have I transgress'd, and done
This evil in Thy sight.
My body I disdain'd to' incline,
Or worship at an idol's shrine
With gross idolatry:
But oh! my soul hath baser proved,
Honour'd and fear'd, and served, and loved.
The creature more than Thee.
Or worship at an idol's shrine
With gross idolatry:
But oh! my soul hath baser proved,
Honour'd and fear'd, and served, and loved.
The creature more than Thee.
Let the blind sons of Rome bow down
To images of wood and stone;
But I with subtler art,
Safe from the letter of Thy word,
My idols secretly adored,
Set up within my heart.
To images of wood and stone;
But I with subtler art,
Safe from the letter of Thy word,
My idols secretly adored,
Set up within my heart.
But oh! suffice the season past:
My idols now away I cast,
Pleasure, and wealth, and fame;
The world, and all its goods I leave,
To Thee alone resolved to give
Whate'er I have or am.
My idols now away I cast,
Pleasure, and wealth, and fame;
4
To Thee alone resolved to give
Whate'er I have or am.
Lo! in a thankful loving heart
I render Thee whate'er Thou art,
I give myself to Thee;
And Thee my whole delight I own,
My joy, my glory, and my crown,
To all eternity.
I render Thee whate'er Thou art,
I give myself to Thee;
And Thee my whole delight I own,
My joy, my glory, and my crown,
To all eternity.
HYMN III.
[O Thou who seest what is in man]
O Thou who seest what is in man,
And show'st myself to me,
Suffer a sinner to complain
And groan his griefs to Thee.
And show'st myself to me,
Suffer a sinner to complain
And groan his griefs to Thee.
A sinner that has cloak'd his shame
With self-deceiving art,
Thy worshipper reform'd in name
But unrenew'd in heart.
With self-deceiving art,
Thy worshipper reform'd in name
But unrenew'd in heart.
The servants most unlike their Lord,
How oft did I condemn;
The persecuting church abhorr'd,
Nor saw myself in them.
How oft did I condemn;
The persecuting church abhorr'd,
Nor saw myself in them.
The spirit of my foes I caught,
The angry bitter zeal,
And fierce for my own party fought,
And breath'd the fire of hell.
The angry bitter zeal,
And fierce for my own party fought,
And breath'd the fire of hell.
Threatening I did and slaughter breathe,
(The flail of heresy,)
And doom the sects to bonds or death,
That did not think with me.
(The flail of heresy,)
And doom the sects to bonds or death,
That did not think with me.
5
To propagate the truth I fought
With fury and despite,
And in my zeal for Israel sought
To slay the Gibeonite.
With fury and despite,
And in my zeal for Israel sought
To slay the Gibeonite.
“The temple of the Lord are we!”
And all who dared deny,
I would not have their conscience free,
But force them to comply.
And all who dared deny,
I would not have their conscience free,
But force them to comply.
With wholesome discipline severe
To conquer them I strove,
And drive into the pale through fear,
Who would not come through love.
To conquer them I strove,
And drive into the pale through fear,
Who would not come through love.
How vainly then the zealots blind
Of Rome did I disdain!
Still to the church of Satan join'd,
And differing but in name.
Of Rome did I disdain!
Still to the church of Satan join'd,
And differing but in name.
How could I, Lord, myself deceive,
While unreform'd within;
Protest against their creed, and cleave
The closer to their sin?
While unreform'd within;
Protest against their creed, and cleave
The closer to their sin?
Their foulest sin my own I made,
(And humbly now confess,)
While by my anger I essay'd
To work Thy righteousness.
(And humbly now confess,)
While by my anger I essay'd
To work Thy righteousness.
A murderer convict I come
My vileness to bewail,
By nature born a son of Rome,
A child of wrath and hell.
My vileness to bewail,
By nature born a son of Rome,
A child of wrath and hell.
Lord, I at last recant, reject,
Through Thy great strength alone,
The madness of the Romish sect,
The madness of my own.
Through Thy great strength alone,
The madness of the Romish sect,
The madness of my own.
6
Lord, I abhor, renounce, abjure
The fiery spirit unclean,
The persecuting zeal impure,
The sin-opposing sin.
The fiery spirit unclean,
The persecuting zeal impure,
The sin-opposing sin.
Let others draw with fierce despite
The' eradicating sword,
And with the devil's weapons fight
The battles of the Lord:
The' eradicating sword,
And with the devil's weapons fight
The battles of the Lord:
But oh! my gracious God to me
A better spirit impart,
The gentle mind that was in Thee,
The meekly loving heart:
A better spirit impart,
The gentle mind that was in Thee,
The meekly loving heart:
The heart whose charity o'erflows
To all, far off, and near,
True charity to friends and foes
Impartially sincere.
To all, far off, and near,
True charity to friends and foes
Impartially sincere.
Heathens, and Jews, and Turks, may I
And heretics embrace,
Nor even to Rome the love deny
I bear to all the race.
And heretics embrace,
Nor even to Rome the love deny
I bear to all the race.
| The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley | |