Wesley Corpus

By Jesus's dying merit, Father, I thee conjure Page 300 To help his fainting spirit, And speak his pardon sure: Or hear our friend before thee, Thine interceeding Son, And shew us both thy glory, And take us to thy throne. Hymns for Christian Friends. Hymn XXXI. In Danger of Losing His Gracious, Lord, how long shall I Tremble at thy comforts nigh, Taste with fear my pleasant food, Start from every creature-good? Kept in awe by my own heart, Lest thy gifts I still pervert, Still thy holy things prophane, Turn thy blessings into bane, Never sure was heart like mine, Heart so contrary to thine, None so wholly lost as me, Lost in vile idolatry. 4106 Thus I from my birth have been Grace abusing into sin, Poorer for the plenty given, Wretched thro' the smiles of heaven. But, my Lord, I cry to thee, Must it thus forever be? Must I still thy gifts abuse, Lose them all, and more than lose? 105The original manuscript version of this hymn can be found in Wesley's letter to Sarah Gwynne Jr., November 12, 1748. 106Ori., "5." Next stanza: ori., "6." Error corrected in 2nd edn. (1756). Page 301 Shall I force thee still to take Thy perverted blessings back? Blast with my infectious breath, Doom my fondled joys to death? Shall my most suspected love Hurtful to its object prove, Soon in double ruin end, Fatal to my dearest friend! Rather let my soul depart, Stop the panting of my heart, Speak again my sins forgiven, Sweep me off from earth to heaven! Hymns for Christian Friends. Hymn XXXII. Fluttering soul, what dost thou here, Pinion'd with a load of clay? Poor, afflicted sojourner, Shake thy wings, and fly away, From the mournful valley fly, Break the cage, and reach the sky. What doth this low earth afford Worthy an immortal mind? Man, its miserable lord, Can he here his equal find? Fallen, yet in ruins great, Sinks the world beneath his weight. All on earth is vanity, This I surely feel and know, Good itself is ill to me, Seeming joy but real woe, Page 302 Comforts double my distress, Edge the pain they cannot ease. Friendship self, celestial guest, Can she make me happy here? Answer this distracted breast, Answer this foreboding fear! Fear to lose outweighs my gain, Heighten'd bliss is heighten'd pain.