Wesley Corpus

Volume 6 (1783): 336 An Epitaph on the Death of Mr. Charles Perronet.45 Here lies, who late a living emblem lay Of human greatness, in a tent of clay; A pilgrim, wandring through this desart wild, Weak as a reed, and helpless as a child: Whose strengthen'd arm by raith untaught to yield, Oft foil'd the tempter, and maintain'd the field. In wars without, in warring fears within, He conquer'd terror as he conquer'd sin; Look'd from himself to him, whose potent breath Can light up darkness, or extinguish death: Dart from his eye destruction on the foe, And make hell tremble as she hears the blow: He look'd, and found what all who look receive, Strength to resist, and virtue to believe; Meek, to endure and suffer from his God The tender chast'nings of a father's rod: While thus corrected, as by pain refin'd His spirit groan'd to leave its dross behind: The dross is left no more his spirit mourns, But spreads her wings, and to her ark returns: Great Ark of Rest the sufferer's bright abode; The arms of Jesus, and the ark of God! 45Like the prior poem, this one appeared first in the September 1776 issue of Gospel Magazine , with the heading "The Epitaph" and concluding with the benediction, "Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord." There is no indication of authorship there, or when it is republished with the new title here in the Arminian Magazine. However, the reasons given for the prior poem also point to Charles Wesley as the most likely author of this epitaph.