Wesley Corpus

Page 185 No; but he did his weakness spare, Glad that his convert went so far, The evil saw, the good confest, And trusted God to do the rest.54 "He cut down a stick, and cast it in, and the iron did swim." II. Kings vi. 6. Deep sunk in nature's base desire, The sinful mud, the worldly mire, What but the casting in of grace This stony, iron heart can raise, To heavenly turn my earthly love, And lift my soul to things above? "They that be with us, are more than they that be with them." II. Kings vi. 16. Thick swarming from the dark abyss What troops our soul assail, Rulers and principalities And all the fiends of hell! But Israel's God, supream in might, Their countless host o'erpowers, Single he puts them all to flight; And Israel's God is ours. "Behold the mountain was full of horses, and chariots of fire round about Elisha." II. Kings vi. 17. How safe the man in Jesus found, Who keeps his Saviour's word! Angelic hosts his soul surround, The chariots of the Lord, Myriads of flaming guards he sees, In earth and hell's alarms, And feels beneath, the Rock of peace, The everlasting arms! 54John Wesley underlined "did his weakness" in line 5 and "to do" in line 8 of this stanza in his personal copy, commenting in the margin "Miserable!" Page 186 "God do so and more also to me, if the head of Elisha shall stand on him this day." II. Kings vi. 31. By all who neither love nor fear Our God, the righteous are abhor'd, As authors of their evils here, They hate the servants of the Lord: "Away with them," the world exclaim, "The Christians to the lions cast!" The stream is troubled by the Lamb, And must be so, while time shall last. "Thou shall see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof." II. Kings vii. 2. The world, O Lord, will not receive Thy word to sinners given; They see thy church in plenty live, And fed with bread from heaven: Yet though thou dost thy blessings pour, Incessant from the sky, They never taste the gracious shower, But unbelievers die. "Is thy servant a dog that he should do this great thing?" II. Kings viii. 13.