Wesley Corpus

The father curb'd his swelling grief, 'Twas God requir'd, it must be done; He stagger'd not thro' unbelief, He bar'd his arm to slay his son. Page 7 He rested in Jehovah's power, The word must stand which God hath said, He knew th' Almighty could restore, Could raise his Isaac from the dead. He knew in whom he had believ'd, And, trusting in omnipotence, His son as from the dead receiv'd, His stedfast faith receiv'd him thence. O for a faith like his, that we The bright example may pursue, May gladly give up all to thee, To whom our more than all is due! Now, Lord, for thee our all we leave, Our willing soul thy call obeys, Pleasure, and wealth, and fame we give, Freedom, and life, to win thy grace. Is there a thing than life more dear, A thing from which we cannot part? We can we now rejoice to tear The idol from our bleeding heart. Jesu accept our sacrifice, All things for thee we count but loss, Lo! At thy word our Isaac dies, Dies on the altar of thy cross. Now to thyself the victim take, Nature's last agony is o'er, Freely thine own we render back, We grieve to part with all no more. For what to thee, O Lord, we give, An hundred fold we here obtain, And soon with thee shall all receive, And loss shall be eternal gain. Page 8 Verses XX, XXI, XXII. Isaac by faith declar'd his race In Jacob and in Esau blest, The younger by peculiar grace A nobler heritage possess'd. By faith expiring Jacob knew Distinguish'd mercies to pronounce, His hands found out the happy two, And bless'd his fav'rite Joseph's sons. He rais'd himself upon the bed, Prop'd on a staff he own'd his Lord, The patriarch bow'd his hoary head, His body with his soul ador'd. Joseph by faith the flight foretold Of Israel's afflicted race; God their hard bondage should behold, And lead them to the promis'd place. Thither he will'd his bones to go, And take possession in their stead; His bones the promis'd land shall shew, He claims his Canaan, tho' dead. Verses XXIII, XXIV, XXV, XXVI, XXVII, XXVIII. Moses by faith from death was sav'd, While heedless of the tyrant's will, His parents in their God believ'd, And dar'd the lovely babe conceal.