Wesley Corpus

The wayfaring men, tho' fools, shall not stray, His method so plain, so easy his way: The simplest believer his promise may prove, And drink of the river of Jesus's love. Poor outcasts of men whose souls were despised, And left with disdain, by Jesus are prized; His gracious creation in us he makes known, And brings us salvation, and calls us his own. Another Hymn for the Kingswood Colliers.62 My brethren belov'd, your calling ye see: In Jesus approv'd, no goodness have we: No riches or merit, no wisdom or might, But all things inherit thro' Jesus's right. Our God would not have one reprobate die: Who all men would save hath no man pass'd by: His boundless compassion on sinners doth call; He offers salvation thro' mercy to all. Yet not many wise his summons obey; And great ones despise so vulgar a way; And strong ones will never their helplesness own, Or stoop to find favour thro' mercy alone. 62A manuscript precursor of this hymn appears in MS Thirty, 33-35. Page 248 And therefore our God the outcasts hath chose, His righteousness shew'd to heathen like us: When wise ones rejected his offers of grace, His goodness elected the foolish and base. To baffle the wise, and noble, and strong, He bad us arise, an impotent throng: Poor ignorant wretches we gladly imbrace A prophet that teaches salvation by grace. The things that were not his mercy bids live; His mercy unbought we freely receive, His gracious compassion we thankfully prove, And all our salvation ascribe to his love. The Physician's Hymn. Physician, friend of human-kind, Whose pitying love is pleas'd to find A cure for every ill; By thee rais'd up, by thee bestow'd To do my fellow creatures good, I come to serve thy will. I come, not like the sordid herd, Who mad for honour, or reward, Abuse the healing art: Nor thirst of praise, nor lust of gain, But kind concern at human pain, And love constrains my heart. On thee I fix my single eye, Thee only seek to glorify, And make thy goodness known, Resolv'd if thou my labours bless, To give thee back my whole success, To praise my God alone. Page 249