Wesley Corpus

Canst thou deny thy love to me? Say, thou incarnate deity, Thou Man of Sorrows, say: Thy glory why didst thou inshrine In such a clod of earth as mine, And wrap thee in my clay? Antient of days, why didst thou come, And stoop to a poor virgin's womb, Contracted to a span? Flesh of our flesh why wast thou made, And humbly in a manger laid, The new-born Son of man? Why didst thou in this vale of tears, For more than thirty mournful years, A life of sufferings lead? Why did thine eyes with tears o'erflow? Why wouldst thou chuse to want below A place to lay thy head? Love, only love, thy heart inclin'd, And brought thee, Saviour of mankind, Down from thy throne above: Love made my God a man of grief, Distress'd thee sore for my relief: O mystery of love! To fill my soul it emptied thee, It made thee poor, that I might be Page 61 Enrich'd with every grace: Love made thee to thy Father cry, And hid his face from thee, that I Might always see his face. Quite from the manger to the cross Thy life one scene of sufferings was, And all sustain'd for me: O strange excess of love divine! Jesus, was ever love like thine! Answer me from that tree! If thou couldst stoop for me to die, Surely thou wouldst that I, ev'n I, Thy death's effect should prove; Then help me for thy mercy's sake, To weep, believe, and pay thee back Thy dear expiring love. Because thou lov'dst, and dy'dst38 for me, Cause me, my Jesus, to love thee, And gladly to resign Whate'er I have, whate'er I am; My life be all with thine the same, And all thy death be mine. For a Dying Unconverted Sinner.39 Now, sinner, now what is thy hope? Canst thou with confidence look up, And see the angel nigh? Is death a messenger of peace? And dost thou long for thy release? And art thou fit to die? Say, if prepar'd for death thou art, What means that fault'ring of thy heart, 38Ori., "di'dst"; corrected in 2nd edn. (1755). 39Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Cheshunt, 69-72; MS Clarke, 77-80; and MS Shent, 143a-144a.