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The Mystery of Life.
I.
1 SO many Years I've seen the Sun,
2 And call'd these Eyes and Hands my own,
3 A thousand little Acts I've done
4 And Childhood have and Manhood known:
5 O what is Life! and this dull Round
6 To tread, why was a Spirit bound?
II.
7 So many airy Draughts and Lines,
8 And warm Excursions of the Mind,
9 Have fill'd my Soul with great Designs,
10 While Practice grovel'd far behind:
11 O what is Thought! and where withdraw
12 The Glories which my Fancy saw?
III.
[Page 8]13 So many tender Joys and Woes
14 Have on my quiv'ring Soul had Pow'r;
15 Plain Life with height'ning Passions rose,
16 The Boast or Burden of their Hour:
17 O what is All we feel! why fled
18 Those Pains and Pleasures o'er my Head?
IV.
19 So many human Souls Divine,
20 Some at one Interview display'd,
21 Some oft and freely mixt with mine,
22 In lasting Bonds my Heart have laid:
23 O what is Friendship! why imprest
24 On my weak, wretched, dying Breast?
V.
25 So many wondrous Gleams of Light,
26 And gentle Ardors from above,
27 Have made me sit, like Seraph bright,
28 Some Moments on a Throne of Love:
29 O what is Virtue! why had I,
30 Who am so low, a Taste so high?
VI.
31 Ere long, when Sov'reign Wisdom wills,
32 My Soul an unknown Path shall tread,
33 And strangely leave, who strangely fills
34 This Frame, and waft me to the Dead:
35 O what is Death? — 'tis Life's last Shore,
36 Where Vanities are vain no more;
37 Where all Pursuits their Goal obtain,
38 And Life is all retouch'd again;
39 Where in their bright Result shall rise
40 Thoughts, Virtues, Friendships, Griefs and Joys.
Source edition
Wesley, John, 1703-1791. Wesley, Charles, 1707-1788. Hymns and sacred poems: Published by John Wesley, ... and Charles Wesley, ... London: printed by William Strahan; and sold by James Hutton; and at Mr. Bray's, 1739, pp. 7-8. x,[6],223,[1]p.; 12⁰. (ESTC T31323; OTA K034809.000) (Page images digitized from a copy in the Bodleian Library [Vet. A4 f. 254].)
Editorial principles
The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.