Wesley Corpus

Page 117 And hear me in thy bosom breathe My passionate desires of death. Still do I urge my sole request, In horror of offending thee, Snatch me to my eternal rest, Before the evil day I see, Save from the more than mortal pain, Nor let me live to sin again. Wouldst thou not rather have me fly From earth, than stay to lose thy love? Die, and not sin, than sin and die? O take me to thy rest above, Now, Lord, my struggling soul set free, Renew, and bid me die in thee. Hymns for One Fallen from Grace. Hymn XII.73 O that my load were gone, That I my wish might have, Be sav'd from sin, and then sink down Into a quiet grave! Where grief and guilty care Can never more molest: The wicked cease from troubling there, The weary are at rest. O that I now could find A place to lay my head; Be clean forgot, and out of mind, And free among the dead! O that the hour were come! That I my head might bow, And gain the harbour of the tomb, And yield my spirit now! 73A manuscript precursor of this hymn appears in MS Cheshunt, 148-50. Page 118 Who that hath ever known The bitterness of sin, Would not for full redemption groan, And die to be made clean? But all in vain our hope By death to be set free, Unless we after God wake up, And here his glory see. How then dare I presume, Unchang'd, and unrenew'd, To wish for death to meet my doom And perish in my blood! Ev'n now (but God denies My foolish heart's desire) I should be lifting up my eyes In everlasting fire. Ah! Gracious Lord, forgive My unbelieving haste; My time is in thy hand, I leave It all to thee at last: I do at last comply, My stubborn will resign; Chuse thou for me to live, or die, And let thy choice be mine. Still hide from me thy face, But give me strength to bear The guilty load, the dire disgrace, The sadness of despair: Still let me groan beneath A nature all unclean, And drag the body of this death, And feel this hell of sin.