We, Saviour, at thy footstool lie,
Thy creatures, purchased by thy blood,
AndHoly! holy! holy" cry,
In honour of the Triune God;
With angels and archangels join,
With all the ransom'd sons of grace,
Extol the Majesty divine,
Or breathe unutterable praise,
We praise the constancy of love,
Which kept its favourite to the end,
Which soon shall all our souls remove,
Who trust in our Eternal Friend,
To us who in thy blood believe,
The world, the fiend, and sin tread down, Thou wilt the final victory give,
And then the bright triumphal crown,
How happy the dead Who Jesus adored!
The soldier is freed, And rests with his Lord:
His warfare is ended, His labours are o'er,
The soul is ascended, And death is no more.
The ripe shock of corn Corruption defies;
The spirit is borne To God in the skies;
The partner of Jesus Looks down from above;
Lamenting, he sees us With pity and love.
My father, my guide," Our Israel may say, "Is torn from our side, Is vanish'd away!
A prophet's translation We justly deplore,
With calm lamentation And weeping adore.
"Devotion in tears Expresses its love,
Till Jesus appears, Our souls to remove :
The loss of a Stephen We greatly bewail:
He triumphs in heaven, We mourn in the vale.
"We mourn, but as men Rejoicing in hope,
To see him again, Together caught up,
Our great consolation When Jesus comes down,
The heirs of salvation With glory to crown.
"O Saviour, descend! No longer delay
Our sufferings to end, And bear us away,
Where death cannot sever, Or sorrow molest,
Thy people, forever Reposed on the breast."
The following poetical epistle was addressed by Mr. Charles Wesley to Mr. Whitefield :—
TO THE REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD, 1755.
Come on, my Whitefield, (since the strife is past,
And friends at first are friends again at last,)
Our hands, and hearts, and counsels let us join,
In mutual league, t' advance the work divine.
Our one contention now, our single aim,
To pluck poor souls as brands out of the flame
To spread the victory of that bloody cross,
And gasp our latest breath in the Redeemer's cause.
Too long, alas! we gave to Satan place,
When party-zeal put on an angel's face;
Too long we listen'd to th' consuming fiend,
Whose trumpet sounded, "For the faith contend
With hasty, blindfold rage in error's night!
How did we with our fellow-soldiers fight!
We could not then our Father's children know,
But each mistook his brother for his foe.
"Foes to the truth, can you in conscience spare?
Tear them," the tempter cried, "in pieces tear!"
So thiek the darkness, so confused the noise,
We took the stranger's for the shepherd's voice;
Rash nature waved the controversial sword,
On fire to fight the battles of the Lord;
Fraternal love from every breast was driven,
And bleeding charity return'd to heaven.
The Saviour saw our strife with pitying eye,
And cast a look that made the shadows fly;
Soon as the dayspring in His presence shone,
We found the two fierce armies were but one.
Common our hope, and family, and name,
Our arms, our Captain, and our crown the same;
Enlisted all beneath Emmanuel's sign,
And purchased every soul with precious blood divine.
Then let us cordially again embrace,
Nor e'er infringe the league of gospel grace;
Let us in Jesus' name to battle go,
And turn our arms against the common foe;
Fight, side by side, beneath our Captain's eye,
Chase the Philistines; on their shoulders fly;
And, more than conquerors, in the harness die,
For whether I am born to "blush above,"
On earth suspicious of electing love,
Or you, o'erwhelm'd with honourable shame,
To shout the universal Saviour's name,
It matters not; if, all our conflicts past,
Before the great white throne we meet at last.
Our only care, while sojourning below,
Our real faith by real love to show,
To blast the alien's hope, and let them see
How friends of jarring sentiments agree;
Not in a party's narrow banks confined,
Not by a sameness of opinions join'd,
But cemented with the Redeemer's blood,
And bound together in the heart of God.
Can we forget from whence our union came,
When first we simply met in Jesus' name?
The name mysterious of the God unknown,
Whose secret love allured, and drew us on,
Through a long, lonely, legal wilderness,
To find the promised land of gospel peace.
True yokefellows, we then agreed to draw
Th' intolerable burden of the law;
And jointly labouring on with zealous strife,
Strengthen'd each other's hands to work for life;
To turn against the world our steady face,
And, valiant for the truth, enjoy disgrace.
Then, when we served our God through fear alone,
Our views, our studies, and our hearts were one :
No smallest difference damp'd the social flame;
In Moses' school we thought and spoke the same.
And must we, now in Christ, with shame confess,
Our love was greater when our light was less?
When darkly through a glass, with servile awe,
We first the spiritual commandment saw,
Could we not then, our mutual love to show,
Through fire and water for each other go?
We could we did. In a strange land I stood,
And beckon'd thee to cross th' Atlantic flood.
With true affection wing'd, thy ready mind
Left country, fame, and ease, and friends behind;
And, eager all heaven's counsels to explore,
Flew through the watery world, and grasp'd the shore.
Nor did I linger, at my friend's desire,
To tempt the furnace, and abide the fire;
When, suddenly sent forth, from the highways
I call'd poor outcasts to the feast of grace,
Urged to pursue the work by thee begun,
Through good and ill report I still rush'd on,
Nor felt the fire of popular applause,
Nor fear'd the torturing flame in such a glorious cause.
Ah! wherefore did we ever seem to part,
Or clash in sentiment, while one in heart?
What dire device did the old serpent find,
To put asunder those whom God had join'd?
From folly and self-love opinion rose,
To sever friends who never yet were foes,
To baffle and divert our noblest aim,
Confound our pride, and cover us with shame;
To make us blush beneath her short-lived power,
And glad the world with one triumphant hour.
But lo! the snare is broke, the captive 's freed,
By faith on all the hostile powers we tread,
And crush, through Jesus' strength, the serpent's head.
Jesus hath cast the cursed accuser down,
Hath rooted up the tares by Satan sown,
Kindled anew the never-dying flame,
And re-baptized our souls into his name.
Soon as the virtue of his name we feel,
The storm of strife subsides, the sea is still :
All nature bows to his supreme command,
And two are one in his almighty hand.
One in his hand O may we still remain,
Fast bound with love's indissoluble chain;
(That adamant which time and death defies,
That golden chain which draws us to the skies!)
His love the tie that binds us to his throne;
His love the bond that perfects us in one;
His love, (let all the ground of friendship see,)
His love alone constrains our hearts t' agree,
And gives the rivet of eternity.
The following hymns were addressed by Mr. Charles Wesley to Mr. Whitefield, at an early period of their public life :
TO THE REV. GEORGE WHITEFIELD.
Brother in Christ, and well-beloved,
Attend, and add thy prayer to mine,
As Aaron call'd, yet inly moved,
To minister in things divine.
Faithful, and often own'd of God,
Vessel of grace by Jesus used;
Stir up the gift on thee bestow'd,
The gift through hallow'd hands transfused,
Fully thy heavenly mission prove,
And make thy own election sure}
Rooted in faith, and hope, and love,
Active to work, and firm t' endure.
Scorn to contend with flesh and blood,
And trample on so mean a foe;
By stronger fiends in vain withstood,
Dauntless to nobler conquests go.
Go where the darkest tempest lowers,
Thy foes, triumphant wrestler, foil;
Thrones, principalities, and powers,
Engage, o'ercome, and take the spoil.
The weapons of thy warfare take,
With truth and meekness arm'd, ride on ; Mighty through God, hell's kingdom shake, Satan's strongholds, through God, pull down.
Humble each vain, aspiring boast,
Intensely for God's glory burn;
Strongly declare the sinner lost,
SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS o'erturn, o'erturn!
Tear the bright idol from his shrine,
Nor suffer him on earth to dwell,
T'usurp the place of blood divine,
But chase him to his native hell.
Be all into subjection brought;
The pride of man let faith abase;
And captivate his every thought,
And force him to be saved by grace.
TO THE SAME, BEFORE HIS VOYAGE.
Servant of God, the summons hear,
The Master calls! arise, obey!
The tokens of his will appear,
His providence points out the way.
Lo, we commend thee to his grace,
In confidence go forth! be strong!
Thy meat his will, thy boast his praise,
His righteousness be all thy song.
Strong in the Lord's almighty power,
And arm'd in panoply divine,
Firm may'st thou stand in danger's hour,
And prove the strength of Jesus thine.
Thy breastplate be his righteousness,
His sacred truth thy loins surround;
Shod be thy beauteous feet with peace,
Spring forth, and spread the gospel sound.
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