Wesley Corpus

We have not hearken'd to the word Thy prophets and apostles spoke; In them we disobey'd their Lord; Our princes have cast off the yoke, Our kings thy sovereign will withstood, Our fathers have denied their God. The rich, and poor, the high, and low, Have trampled on thy mild command; The floods of wickedness o'erflow, And deluge all our guilty land, People and priest lie drown'd in sin, And Tophet yawns to take us in. Righteousness, Lord, belongs to thee, But guilt to us, and foul disgrace, Confusion, shame, and misery Is due to all our faithless race, Scatter'd by sin where'er we rove Vile rebels 'gainst thy pard'ning love. Confusion, misery, and shame Our loudly-crying sins require, Our princes, kings, and fathers claim Their portion in eternal fire, For all the downward path have trod, For all have sinn'd against their God. But O, forgivenesses are thine Far above all our hearts conceive, The glorious property divine Is still to pity and forgive, With thee is full redemption found, And grace doth more than sin abound. All may in thee our gracious Lord Forgivenesses and mercies find, Tho' we thy warnings have abhor'd, And cast thy precepts all behind, Page 5 The voice divine refus'd t' obey, And started from thy plainest way. All Israel have transgress'd thy law, And therefore did the curse take place, Our sins did all thy judgments draw In showers on our devoted race, Thou hast fulfill'd thy threatning word, We bear the fury of the Lord. Justly we all thine anger bear, Chastis'd for our iniquity, Yet made we not our humble prayer, Yet have we not return'd to thee, Renounc'd our sins, or long'd to prove The truth of thy forgiving love. Therefore the Lord, the jealous God Hath watch'd to bring the evil day, Bruis'd us with his avenging rod, Who would not his still voice obey, Righteous is God in all his ways: We forc'd him to withdraw his grace. Yet now, O Lord our God, at last Our sins and wickedness we own; We call to mind thy mercies past, The antient days of thy renown, The wonders thou for us hast wrought, The arm that out of Egypt brought.