Wesley Corpus

My head with Jesus bending, On his great sacrifice I rest my soul, ascending To joy that never dies, With Jesus' resignation With Jesus' perfect love I finish my oblation, And take my seat above. Prayers for a Sick Child. Righteous, O God, are all thy ways! A sinful still-afflicted man The cause I mournfully confess, And bleeding with another's pain, Page 103 And justly punish'd in my son, I cry thy awful will be done! The cause in its effect I find, My sin in its chastisement read: Thy judgments bring my sin to mind, And guilty of his death I plead, If justice now demand its prey, And thou art come my son to slay. Less than thy least of mercies, I Have mercies numberless abus'd, Worthy a thousand deaths to die Who life, eternal life refus'd, Provok'd by vile idolatry, And lov'd thy creature more than thee. Wherefore thy righteousness I own, If thou the forfeiture require, If now I hear his latest groan, And while I see my child expire, The sorrow break my aching heart, The sight my soul and body part. Yet spare him for his only sake Who never sinn'd against thy love, And from the gates of death bring back, In honour of my friend above Who offers up the sinner's prayer, Whose blood beseeches thee to spare. God of unfathomable grace, Whom now I in the dust adore, Omnipotent the dead to raise, Display the wonders of thy power, And kindly give me back my son, T' exalt, and glorify thine own. Page 104 Thou God who hear'st the prayer Of supplicants distrest, With pity mark the care In a sad parent's breast: I cannot, Lord, dissemble; But all my weakness own: Thou knowst for whom I tremble, My son, my only son! Thou gav'st on this condition, That I should ready be To bow with meek submission, And yield him back to thee: To all thy dispensations I would, I would submit, And weep with humble patience, And tremble at thy feet. I must, I do restore, If thou revoke thy loan, And silently adore, Or sigh, thy will be done: To thee his great Creator, I with my Isaac part: But O, thou know'st my nature, Thou read'st a father's heart.