Wesley Corpus

Page 15 He cannot take away His covenanted grace, Tho' I rebel, and disobey, And mock him to his face. He cannot me pass by, Or utterly reject, Or judge his people, or deny To save his own elect; He swore to bring me in To heaven; 'twere perjury For God to punish me for sin, For God to pass by me. 'Twas thus my wretched heart Abus'd his patient grace, Provok'd his mercy to depart, His justice to take place: Unconscious of its state, In death my soul abode, Nor groan'd beneath its guilty weight, Nor knew its fall from God. I could not be restor'd, By pard'ning grace renew'd, While trampling on his written word Self-confident I stood: He only saves the lost, Which I could never be, I never could be damn'd, but must Be sav'd by his decree. Hymn V.8 O my offended God, If now at last I see That I have trampled on thy blood, And done despight to thee, 8Stanzas 1, 3 9 of this hymn constitute stanzas 36-38 of An Answer to all which the Revd. Dr. Gill has printed on the Final Perseverance of the Saints (London: Foundery, 1754). Page 16 If I begin to wake Out of my deadly sleep, Into thy arms of mercy take, And there for ever keep. I can no more rely On gifts and graces past, Lost, and undone, and damn'd am I, I give up all at last: With guilty shame I drop My bold presumptuous plea, Mercy itself may give me up, The vile apostate me. I can no longer trust In my abuse of grace, I own thee merciful and just, If banish'd from thy face: Tho' once I surely knew, And felt my sins forgiven, Faithful I own thee, Lord, and true, If now shut out from heaven. Thro' faith in Jesu's name I once was justify'd, Yet hence no benefit I claim, I lost it all by pride, More desp'rate is my state, Farther I am from God Than any hopeless reprobate, Who never felt thy blood. Nothing have I to plead, Lord, at thy feet I fall, Pour all thy judgments on my head, I have deserv'd them all: Justice my life demands; Thou art unchangeable, Thy covenant unshaken stands, Tho' I am doom'd to hell. Page 17