Wesley Corpus

Hymn IX Source: Hymns on God's Everlasting Love (1742) Author: Charles Wesley --- Holy, and just, and gracious God, Still wilt thou let thy foes blaspheme Their Saviour's all-attoning blood, And say, "'Twas only shed for them. "For them, and not for all mankind, The Saviour of the world was given, Millions of souls he cast behind, And only mock'd with hopes of heaven. "To damn the world, and not to save The Father sent his only Son, That none but they might pardon have, They,--the whole world of them alone. "He willeth not that all should come To faith, and heaven thro' saving grace, He reprobated from the womb The most of Adam's helpless race. "He willeth" (so they judge their God) "That most should perish in their fall, He left them welt'ring in their blood, And mocks them with a fruitless call. "Bids all men every where repent, And he to all his life will give;" He bids them all; but never meant That any reprobate should live. "No: to be sav'd he made them not,"-- Them to be damn'd he therefore made. No medium here can human thought Find out, tho' help'd with Satan's aid. "God, ever merciful and just, With new-born babes did Tophet fill, Down into endless torments thrust, Merely to shew his sovereign will." This is that HORRIBLE DECREE! This is that wisdom from beneath! God (O detest the blasphemy!) Hath pleasure in the sinner's death. Horror of horrors! Spawn of hell! It issues from the burning pit! Come, see the fiend ye love so well, Who blindly to his sway submit. See him dragg'd out to open light, And judge him by the written word, Then let him sink to endless night, Slain by the Spirit's two-edg'd sword. If reason can arrest his doom, Make haste, produce your strongest plea, Ye potsherds of the earth, presume To disunite the Trinity, "Since God might justly let all die, And leave all to eternal woe, Might he not justly some pass by?" The wounds of Jesus answer NO! His wrath he might on all have shewn, Had not his law been satisfy'd; But now he cannot pass by one, He cannot--for his Son hath died. The Mediator stands between An angry God, and guilty race, The blood of sprinkling speaks for men, Justice appeas'd gives way to grace. God was in Christ, and all mankind Now to himself hath reconcil'd, The Lamb his precious life resign'd, He died; and rigid justice smil'd. 'Tis finish'd! Thou hast bought our peace! Jesus, the sound of Jesu's name, Makes all our guilty terrors cease, For God and Jesus are the same. Thou hast for all a ransom paid, The world's offence thy body bore, Thou all the mighty debt hast paid, And God the just can ask no more. Before thou hadst the debt laid down, He might have left us all to hell, But now he cannot pass by one, Since thou hast died for all that fell. Lord, we forget thou once didst take Our sin, and all our curse remove, O'erlook thy passion, when we make Thy justice swallow up thy love. Lord, we forget thy dying groans, That thou for all hast tasted death, For all th' unjust hast suffer'd once: "Forgive them," gasp'd thy parting breath. Surely thy dying prayer is heard, God for thy sake hath all forgiven, Grace hath to all mankind appear'd, And all may follow it to heaven.