Wesley Corpus

Partaker of my flesh below, To thee, O Jesus, I apply; Thou wilt thy poor relations know, Thou never canst thyself deny, Exclude me from thy guardian care, Or slight a sinful beggar's35 prayer. Thee, Saviour, at my greatest need I trust my faithful friend to prove: Now o'er thy meanest servant spread The skirt of thy redeeming love, Under thy wings of mercy take, And save me for thy nature's sake. Hast thou not undertook my cause, Lord over all, to worms allied? Answer me from that bleeding cross, Demand thy dearly-ransom'd bride, And let my soul, betroth'd to thee, Thine wholly, thine for ever be! "I have bought all that was Elimelech's, ... moreover, Ruth the Moabitess, have I purchased to be my wife, to raise up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off." Ruth iv. 9, 10. O Jesus, full of richest grace, In pity to our fallen race, Thou didst at infinite expence Redeem our lost inheritance, Thine own inheritance forego, A poor afflicted man below, For us procure with all thy blood The God of heaven, and heaven of God. Strangers, and foreigners we were, Who now thy purchas'd people are, Forlorn, abandon'd, and despis'd, Yet by our great Redeemer priz'd: 35MS Judges reads "needy sinner's," instead of "sinful beggar's." Page 142 Patron of friendless poverty, The widow now betroth'd to thee, Thy church, with heavenly gifts endow'd, Is made the glorious spouse of God.