Wesley Corpus

Encompast by the dogs of hell Sin, only sin without I feel, Sin only reigns within; Sin always meets my blasted eyes, Sin is the worm that never dies, And all my soul is sin. O'erwhelm'd with horrible affright, I shudder at the monster's sight, And know not where to fly; O for thy pity's sake remove, Take, seize me, Saviour, from above, And give me, now to die. 70Manuscript precursors of this hymn appear in MS Cheshunt, 111-12; and MS Clarke, 127-29. Page 112 My vehement soul cries out for death! Bury me in the depth beneath, Air, earth, or sea, or fire! But save me from the great offence, And let me keep my innocence, And without sin expire. O that I could my soul resign, And fairly lose whate'er is mine, Step o'er the griefs between, And snatch the death, for which I call, Or let me into nothing fall, To 'scape the hell of sin. Struggles my soul, and gasps for ease In more than mortal agonies, A living death I bear: I wish I strive but cannot die; Still in the flames of sin I lie, The Tophet of despair. I need not fear the burning pool, Already kindled in my soul The wrath divine I feel, With not one drop of comfort nigh To cool my tongue, I howl, and cry, Tormented in this hell. O hell of sin! Thy fiery rage Not many waters can asswage, Not all the ocean's flood, Thy flames would, spite of all, increase: What then can make thy burnings cease? A drop of Jesu's blood. Page 113 Hymns for One Fallen from Grace. Hymn X. O take away thy rod, A dying sinner spare! My punishment Almighty God, Is more than I can bear: I haste to my own place, From sin to sin I fall, Abandon'd by restraining grace; Yet I deserve it all. My just desert is more, If more on earth can be, My sin requir'd it long before That thou shouldst cast off me, Shouldst take my pardon back, Cut short my gracious day, Forget; and utterly forsake, And cast me quite away.