Wesley Corpus

Safe as devoted Peter Betwixt the soldiers sleeping, Like sheep we lay To wolves a prey, Yet still in Jesus' keeping. Thou from th' infernal Herod And Jewish expectation Hast set us free: All praise to thee, O God of our salvation! The world and Satan's malice Thou, Jesus, hast confounded, And by thy grace With songs of praise Our happy souls resounded. Accepting our deliverance We triumph in thy favour, And for the love Which now we prove, Shall praise thy name for ever. Hymn XXI.34 To: "Ye servants of God." Ye heavens, rejoice In Jesus's grace, Let earth make a noise, And eccho his praise! Our all-loving Saviour Hath pacified God, And paid for his favour The price of his blood. Ye mountains and vales In praises abound, Ye hills and ye dales Continue the sound, 34This hymn later incorporated into a longer hymn on Isaiah 44 (Pt. II, vs. 5-8) in HSP (1749), 1:16. Page 30 Break forth into singing Ye trees of the wood, For Jesus's35 bringing Lost sinners to God. Atonement he made For every one, The debt he hath paid, The work he hath done, Shout all the creation Below and above, Ascribing salvation To Jesus his36 love. His mercy hath brought Salvation to all, Who take it unbought, He frees them from thrall, Throughout the believer His glory displays, And perfects for ever The vessels of grace. Hymn XXII. At Lying Down. To: "Ah lovely appearance of death." And can I in sorrow lie37 down My weary and languishing head, Nor think on the souls that are gone, Nor envy the peaceable dead! The peaceable dead are set free, The good which I covet they have, An end of their sorrows they see, And bury their cares in the grave. 35"Jesus's" changed to "Jesus is" in All in All (1761), then in 8th edn. (1768) and following. 36"Jesus his" changed to "Jesus's" in 5th edn. (1756) and following. 37"Lie" changed to "lay" in 6th edn. (1761) and following. Page 31 Their souls are impassive above, And nothing of mortals they know, Unless on an errand of love They visit a mourner below, With pity angelical view A spirit imprison'd in pain, And long for his happiness too, And wait for his bursting the chain.