Wesley Corpus

Not in a confident conceit Of our own strength, and virtuous power, We offer up ourselves, to meet The fierceness of that fiery hour: Left to ourselves we all shall fly, And I shall first my Lord deny. I first, of ill o'ercome, shall yield, Apostate from thy glorious cause, Shall vilely cast away my shield, And hate the haters of thy cross, Retort the sharp opprobrious word, Or smite with the offensive sword. Strange fire will in this bosom burn, Unless thou quench it with thy blood; Impatient of their cruel scorn My spirit will throw off the load, "And Baal's priests with wrath repel, And send th' accursed brood to hell." Or I shall gaul the mitred race By satire keen, and railings rude, By proud contempt, and malice base, Scurrilous wit, and laughter lewd, Laughter which soon itself bemoans, And ends in everlasting groans. But do not, Lord, from us remove, While sin and Satan are so near, But arm us with thy patient love, That only to ourselves severe Page 17 6Manuscript versions appear in MS Preachers, 7-8; MS Preachers Extraordinary, 14-15; and MS Miscellaneous Hymns, 122-23. The world we may, like thee, oppose, And die, a ransom for our foes. Hymn IV.6 Master, at thy command we rise, No prophets we, or prophets' sons, Or mighty, or well-born, or wise; But quick'ned clods, but breathing stones, Urg'd to cry out, constrain'd to call, And tell mankind He died for all! We speak, because they hold their peace, Who should thy dying love proclaim: We must declare thy righteousness, Thy truth, and power, and saving name, Though the dumb ass with accent clear Rebuke the silence of the seer. But shall we e'er ourselves forget, And in our gifts and graces trust, With wild contempt the prophets treat, Proudly against the branches boast, Or dare the rulers vilify, Or mock the priests of God most high! Let them alone, thy wisdom cries, If blind conductors of the blind! Let them alone, our heart replies, And draws us to the work assign'd, The work of publishing the word, And seizing sinners for our Lord. Here let us spend our utmost zeal, Here let us all our powers exert, To testify thy gracious will, Inform the world how kind thou art, And nothing, know, desire, approve, But Jesus and thy bleeding love.