Wesley Corpus

Witness his one extreme desire, To live, if spar'd, for God alone; But rather with the13 tuneful quire, To join the souls14 around the throne: 10Westley Hall Jr., the nephew of Charles Wesley, died in Sept. 1757. A shorthand copy of Part I of this hymn in CW's hand appears in MS Spencer, 57-58, with a few variants noted below. A draft of Part I in JW's hand also survives (MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8), with variants noted below. 11MS Spencer has "shortened" instead of "short-liv'd." 12MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 has "fulfill'd an" instead of "fulfills his." 13MS Spencer and MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 have "that" instead of "the." 14MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 has "in songs" instead of "the souls." Page 19 He grasps on earth the prize above, And all his soul is prayer and love. When reason fled the rack of pain, Love still defi'd the torturer's power, Love, deathless love, doth still remain, And consecrates his dying15 hour, And wafts him to his native place, And crowns his brow with golden rays. Ascending to that world of light, He quits our dreary vale of death, But drops his mantle in his flight, His blessing on his friends beneath; Thrice happy, if his virtue's heirs, If given to his dying prayers! Happy whoe'er his wants supplied, Or serv'd an heir of glory here; Happy the souls to thine16 allied, That saw their shining pattern near; Happy the mates thou leav'st17 below, If wise, with thee, their God to know. But chiefly blest the womb that bare, The paps that nurs'd a child like thee, A child of providence and prayer, Ordain'd his Father's face to see, T' enjoy his love, to chant his praise In rapturous, everlasting lays. 'Tis done, the soul is entered there, Where kindred saints and angels join: We cast away our mournful care, We bow and bless the will divine: Let God resume whom God had given, And take us after him to heaven. 15MS Spencer and MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 have "final" instead of "dying." 16MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 has "them" instead of "thine." 17MARC, MA 1977/157, JW III.8 has "left'st" instead of "leav'st." Page 20 Hymn XI. On the Death of W. H ll, Aged Fourteen. Part II.