Wesley Corpus

His justice or grace Ye shortly shall prove, For these be the days Of vengeance and love. The great tribulation Ev'n now is begun: The hour of temptation, And rescue is one. Redemption is come, Jehovah descends, His haters to doom, And honour his friends. The world he is waking From sinful repose: In battles of shaking, He fights with his foes. Fire, vapour, and storm Accomplish his word, And earthquakes perform The charge of their Lord: The pride of the nations He terribly spurns, Earth's stedfast foundations, And cities o'erturns. Page 20 Outstretching his hand O'er mountains and seas, He shakes the dry land, And watry abyss! A marvellous motion Thro' nature is spread, And peaceable ocean Starts out of his bed! Like thunder confin'd In caverns, he roars, And rais'd without wind Looks down on the shores, Hangs horribly over The children of woe, Expanded to cover Their cities below. But Jesus's throne Immoveable stands, The elements own Almighty commands; The ruin of nature Doth awfully bring Her second Creator, Her absolute King. Come Saviour array'd With glory and power, The world thou hast made, Destroy, and restore, That all the new heaven And earth may proclaim, "The kingdom is given To Jesus the Lamb." Page 21 5"Humble" changed to "humbled" in 2nd edn. and following. Hymn XV. Righteous God, whose vengeful vials All our fears and thoughts exceed, Big with woes and fiery trials, Hanging, bursting o'er our head: While thou visitest the nations, Thy selected people spare, Arm our caution'd souls with patience, Fill our humble5 hearts with prayer. If thy dreadful controversy With all flesh is now begun, In thy wrath remember mercy, Mercy first and last be shewn: Plead thy cause with sword and fire, Shake us, 'till the curse remove, 'Till thou com'st the world's desire, Conquering all with sov'reign love. By the signals of thy coming, Soon, we know, thou wilt appear, Evil with thy breath consuming, Setting up thy kingdom here: Thy last heavenly revelation These tremendous plagues fore-run, Judgment ushers in salvation, Seats thee on thy glorious throne. Earth unhing'd as from her basis, Owns her great restorer nigh: Plung'd in complicate distresses, Poor distracted sinners cry: Men their instant doom deploring, Faint beneath their fearful load; Ocean working, rising, roaring, Claps his hands, to meet his God. Page 22