Wesley Corpus

Jesu, I come my doom to meet, A sinner whom thou wilt not spare: But I will perish at thy feet, The first that ever perish'd there! Genesis iii. 15. "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed," c. God of truth, and power, and love, Father, friend of all mankind, Let on me thy Spirit move, Influence my feeble mind; Page 19 'Twixt the serpent's seed and me Prevalently interpose, Break the fatal amity, Make us everlasting foes. Sin hath poison'd all my soul, Sin the serpent's cursed seed: No one part in me is whole; Yet will I the promise plead, Promise of all-saving grace, Promise of an inward power, Able to redeem the race, Me, and all men to restore. Breathe the breath of simple life, Oh! Be Abel born in me Previous to the legal strife, Innocent simplicity: Give me childishness t' oppose To the subtle serpent's art; Childishness no evil knows, Give me, Lord, a simple heart. Or if pride hath this destroy'd Turn'd into self-righteousness, Let the law supply the void, Setha succeed in Abel's place. Deeply root thy law within Parent of the wretched man:b Check my forwardness to sin, Forcibly by fear restrain. Bind in me the strong-man bind With the fetters of the law, Curb, and thwart the carnal mind, Keep the man of sin in awe, Enemy to all that's good, Never will he quite give place; a תשA positive law. b שונאEnos, i.e., miserable. Page 20 He can only be subdu'd, By the sense of pard'ning grace. Tell me, Jesus died for me, Shew some token of his love; Love and sin can ne'er agree, Love shall still the stronger prove: Love in the first measure give, Sin shall then no longer sway, Flesh may for a season strive, I the Spirit shall obey. Patiently I then shall wait For the woman's noblest seed, JESUS CHRIST the MIGHTY HATE, Bruiser of the serpent's head; O reveal thy Son in me, Bring the perfect nature in, Now destroy the enmity, Now consume the man of sin.