Wesley Corpus

Every fresh alarming token More confirms thy faithful word, Nature (for its Lord hath spoken) Must be suddenly restor'd: From this national confusion, From this ruin'd earth and skies, See the times of restitution, See the new creation rise! Vanish then the world of shadows, Pass the former things away, Lord, appear, appear to glad us With the dawn of endless day: O conclude this mortal story, Throw this universe aside, Come, eternal King of Glory, Now descend, and take thy bride. Hymn XVI. Stand th' omnipotent decree, Jehovah's will be done! Nature's end we wait to see, And hear her final groan: Let this earth dissolve, and blend In death the wicked and the just, Let those pondrous orbs descend, And grind us into dust. Rests secure the righteous man, At his Redeemer's beck Sure t' emerge, and rise again And mount above the wreck, Lo! The heavenly spirit towers, Like flames, o'er nature's funeral pyre, Triumphs in immortal powers, And claps his wings of fire. Page 23 6A shorter manuscript precursor appears in Charles Wesley's letter to his wife, December 22, Nothing hath the just to lose By worlds on worlds destroy'd: Far beneath his feet he views With smiles the flaming void: Sees this universe renew'd, The grand millennial reign begun, Shouts with all the sons of God Around th' eternal throne. Resting in this glorious hope To be at last restor'd, Yield we now our bodies up To earthquake, plague, or sword; List'ning for the call divine, The latest trumpet of the seven, Soon our soul and dust shall join, And both fly up to heaven. Hymn XVII.6 How happy are the little flock, Who safe beneath their guardian rock In all commotions rest! When wars and tumult's waves run high, Unmov'd above the storm they lie, They lodge in Jesu's breast. Such happiness, O Lord, have we, By mercy gather'd into thee, Before the floods descend: And while the bursting cloud comes down, We mark the vengeful day begun, And calmly wait the end. The plague, and dearth, and din of war Our Saviour's swift approach declare, Page 24 And bid our hearts arise: Earth's basis shook confirms our hope, Its cities' fall but lifts us up, To meet thee in the skies.