Wesley Corpus

"You never can forget Your God, or leave him now, Or once look back, if you have set Your hand unto the plow: You never can deny The Lord who you hath bought, Nor can your God his own pass by, Tho' you receive him not. "God is unchangeable, And therefore so are you; And therefore they can never fail Who once his goodness knew; In part perhaps you may, You cannot wholly fall, Cannot become a castaway Like non-elected Paul. "Tho' you continue not, Yet God remains the same, Out of his book he cannot blot Your everlasting name: Cut off you shall not be, You never shall remove, Secure from all eternity In his electing love. "If God the seed did sow, He sow'd it not in vain, It cannot to perfection grow, But it must still remain: Page 10 "Nor cares, nor sins can choak, Or make the grace depart, Nor can it be by Satan took Out of your careless heart. "You must for ever live, If of the chosen race; If God did but one talent give Of special, saving grace, You cannot bury it; He never can reprove, Or cast you out into the pit For trampling on his love. "God sees in you no sin; On his decree depend; You who did in the Sp'rit begin, In flesh can never end: You never can reject His mercies, or abuse, His great salvation none neglect, And death and evil chuse. "If once the sp'rit unclean Out of his house is gone, He never more can enter in, Or seize you for his own; You need not dread the fate Of reprobates accurst, Or tremble lest your last estate Be worser than4 the first. "Surely the righteous man Can never more draw back, He his own mercies never can With his good works forsake; That he should sink to hell In his iniquity, God may suppose it possible, But it can never be. 4Change to "Be worse than was ..." in 2nd edn. (1756) and following. Page 11 "His threatnings all are vain, You fancy him sincere, But spare yourself the needless pain, And cast away your fear. He speaks with this intent To frighten you from ill With sufferings, which he only meant The reprobate should feel.