Wesley Corpus

O Lord, according to thy love, Thy utmost power of love, we pray Thine anger and thy plague remove; Turn from Jerusalem away The curse and punishment we feel, Thou know'st we are thy people still. The holy mountain of our God, The city thou hast built below, Thy people, tho' disperst abroad, A proverb of reproach and woe, Page 6 We have our fathers' sins fill'd up, And drunk the bitter trembling cup. Now then acknowledge us for thine, Regard thine humbled servant's prayer, And cause on us thy face to shine, The ruins of thy church repair, O for the sake of Christ the Lord, Let all our souls be now restor'd. My God, incline thine ear, and hear, Open thine eyes our wastes to see, Thy fallen des'late Sion chear, The city which is nam'd by thee; Not for our cry the grace be shewn, But hear, in Jesus hear thine own. All our desert, we own, is hell, But spare us for thy mercy's3 sake, We humbly to thy grace appeal, And Jesus' wounds our refuge make, O let us all thy mercy prove, The riches of thy pard'ning love. O Lord, attend, O Lord, forgive, O Lord, regard our prayer, and do, Hasten, my God, and bid us live, The fulness of thy mercy shew, Thy city, and thy people own, And perfect all our souls in one. God of infinite compassion, God of unexhausted love, From a sinful sinking nation Once again thy plagues remove: Snatch us from the jaws of ruin; See thy helpless people, see! Death and hell are close pursuing, Save, O save us into thee. 3Ori., "mercy." 4Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Cheshunt, 87-88; and MS Clarke, 100-101. Page 7 Have we not fill'd up the measure Of our daring wickedness, Challeng'd all thy just displeasure, Quench'd the Spirit of thy grace? Yes, our heinous provocations For thy heaviest judgments cry: We have wearied out thy patience, Forc'd thy love to let us die. Why should not the dreadful sentence Now on all our souls take place? Why should not thine instant vengeance Swallow up our faithless race? How can we expect thy favour? Good and gracious as thou art, Sinner's advocate and Saviour, Find the answer in thy heart!