Wesley Corpus

Page 372 "Consider him." Heb. xii. 3. I do consider thee Who didst the cross sustain, Griev'd with our misery, Afflicted with our pain! Asham'd to faint I am Beneath my lighter load, Contemplating the Lamb, The silent Lamb of God! "Despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint, when thou art rebuked of him." Heb. xii. 5. Chastiz'd by an indulgent God, I would the kind chastisement feel, But never faint beneath the rod, Nor desperate, nor insensible: From each extream divinely kept, The trouble coming from above I would with thankful awe accept, And bless with tears my Father's love. "Whom the Lord loveth, he chasteneth." Heb. xii. 6. The children's mark I surely bear, And bless thee, Father, for the grace, Because thou lov'st, thou dost not spare, But chide and scourge me all my days:100 'Tis thus thou dost thine own receive, And seal the children for thine own, 'Tis thus thou call'st us up to live Co-partners with thy glorious Son. "What son is he whom the father chasteneth not?" Heb. xii. 7. Vain man, who dost dispute the need Of suffering by a Father's love,101 And blindly the exemption plead Peculiar to the saints above, With lighten'd eyes thy calling see, And take the cup prepar'd for thee. 100John Wesley underlined "chide" and "all my days" in line 4 and "'Tis thus" in line 5 in his personal copy, drawing an exclamation point in the margin after line 4. 101John Wesley underlined "the need" in line 1 and "Of suffering" in line 2 in his personal copy, drawing a "Q" (for Question) in the margin. Page 373 Whoe'er their heavenly Father fear His loving chastisements sustain, Not one of all his children here Is privileg'd from grief and pain, Not one but feels in deep distress102 This token of paternal grace. "If ye be without chastisement, ye are not sons." Heb. xii. 8. Who never hast affliction known, Or smarted by a Father's rod, Sinner, thou art not yet a son, Thou art not truly born of God, Howe'er thou mayst thy soul deceive, Thou never didst in Christ believe.