Wesley Corpus

My stony heart thy wrath defies, And dares against thy judgments rise, 2Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Shent, 126a-126b; and MS Thirty, 66-67. Page 199 Self-hardned from thy fear; What canst thou with thy rebel do? Try me by love, and in my view With all thy wounds appear. Ah! Who that piteous sight can bear! Behold the Lamb hangs bleeding there! There, there! On yonder tree! Pierc'd are his feet, his hands, his side! My Lamb, my love is crucified! O God! He dies for me! For me he meekly bows his head, He suffers in the sinner's stead, My ruin to retrieve: He spreads his arms to take me in, He sheds his blood to purge my sin; He dies that I may live. O love, by thee constrain'd at last, I yield, I yield; my tears flow fast, Fast as thy streaming blood! Breaks at the sight my heart of stone; I faint to hear that dying groan, Why, O my God! My God! O God, I can hold out no more, My heart resents thy softning power, My heart is melting wax; I feel, that thou art love indeed, Thou wilt not break the bruised reed, Or quench the smoaking flax. Thou wilt not slight the feeblest grace, This spark of love thy breath shall raise, And kindle to a flame; And I, who taste how good thou art, Shall shortly love with all my heart My lovely, bleeding Lamb. Page 200 Hymns for Believers. Hymn III. "Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin."3 Vouchsafe to keep me, Lord, this day Without committing sin, And with me let thy Spirit stay, 'Till he is fixt within. Thou canst from every sin secure; And is it not thy will Still to preserve thy servant pure From every touch of ill? Ye advocates for sin, and hell, Which of you all dares say, With God this is impossible To keep my soul this day? He can, he can, yourselves confess, Almighty is my Lord: But will he guard me by his grace? But will he keep his word? Whate'er I ask, the truth hath said, I surely shall receive: I ask to be made free indeed, And without sin to live.