Wesley Corpus

Page 165 "The last state of that man is worse than the first." Matt. xii. 45. Yes, my Lord may justly leave me, Me who first my Lord forsook, Never, never more forgive me, Blot my name out of his book: But if I, again forgiven, Reach at last the happy shore, How shall all the hosts of heaven Shout, and wonder, and adore! "Behold, my mother, and my brethren!" Matt. xii. 49. Lord, what is man's distinguish'd race, Whom thou dost for thy brethren own, Crown'd with a dignity and grace To brightest seraphim unknown! Who do on earth thy Father's will, Most closely to their Lord allied Shall meet thee on the heavenly hill, And cleave forever to thy side. "Forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth." Matt. xiii. 5. Lord, give us wisdom to suspect The sudden growths of seeming grace, To prove them first, and then reject, Whose haste their shallowness betrays; Who instantaneously spring up,7 Their own great imperfection prove: They want the toil of patient hope, They want the root of humble love. "Whosoever hath, to him shall be given." Matt. xiii. 12. Thou offerest, Lord, to all thy love: Thy love may we retain, With faithful diligence improve, And farther blessings gain: 7John Wesley underlined "sudden growths" in line 2, "whose haste" in line 4, and "instantaneously spring up" in line 5 in his personal copy, drawing an exclamation point in the margin near line 2.