Wesley Corpus

The test of truth and righteousness, O God, thy records we confess, And who thine oracles gainsay, Have miss'd the right celestial way: Their pardon sure they vainly boast In nature sunk, in darkness lost; Or if they of perfection dream, The light of grace is not in them. 88John Wesley underlined "hid'st thy" in his personal copy, commenting in the margin "not for the nonce" i.e., not for the time being. Page 311 "The people that walked in darkness, have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Isa. ix. 2. The people that in darkness lay, The confines of eternal night, We, we have seen the gospel day, The glorious beams of heavenly light, His Spirit in our hearts hath shone, And shew'd the Father in the Son. "Thou hast multiplied the nation, and to him increased the joy." Isa. ix. 3. Father of everlasting grace, Thou hast in us thy arm reveal'd, Hast multiplied the faithful race, Who conscious of our pardon seal'd, Of joy unspeakable possest, Anticipate our heavenly rest. "They joy before thee, according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil." Isa. ix. 3. In tears who sow'd, in joy we reap, And praise thy goodness all day long, Him in our eye of faith we keep, Who gave us our triumphal song, And doth his spoils to each divide, A lot among the sanctified. "For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian." Isa. ix. 4. Thou hast our bonds in sunder broke, Took all our load of guilt away, From sin, the world, and Satan's yoke, (Like Israel sav'd in Midian's day) Redeem'd us by our conquering Lord, Our Gideon, and his Spirit's sword.