[Page 147]

In DESERTION or TEMPTATION.

I.
1 AH! my dear LORD, whose changeless Love
2 To Me, nor Earth nor Hell can part;
3 When shall my Feet forget to rove?
4 Ah, what shall fix this faithless Heart?
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II.
5 Why do these Cares my Soul divide
6 If Thou indeed hast set me free?
7 Why am I Thus, if GOD hath dy'd;
8 If GOD hath dy'd to purchase Me?
III.
9 Around me Clouds of Darkness roll,
10 In deepest Night I still walk on;
11 Heavily moves my fainting Soul,
12 My Comfort and my GOD are gone.
IV.
13 Chearless and all forlorn I droop;
14 In vain I lift my weary Eye;
15 No Gleam of Light, no Ray of Hope
16 Appears throughout the darken'd Sky.
V.
17 My feeble Knees I bend again,
18 My drooping Hands again I rear:
19 Vain is the Task, the Effort vain,
20 My Heart abhors the irksome Pray'r.
VI.
21 Oft with thy Saints my Voice I raise,
22 And seem to join the tastless Song:
23 Faintly ascends th' imperfect Praise,
24 Or dies upon my thoughtless Tongue.
VII.
25 Cold, weary, languid, heartless, dead
26 To thy dread Courts I oft repair;
27 By Conscience drag'd, or Custom led
28 I come; nor know that GOD is there!
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VIII.
29 Nigh with my Lips to Thee I draw,
30 Unconscious at thy Altar found;
31 Far off my Heart: nor touch'd with Awe,
32 Nor mov'd — tho' Angels tremble round.
IX.
33 In All I do, Myself I feel,
34 And groan beneath the wonted Load,
35 Still unrenew'd and carnal still,
36 Naked of CHRIST, and void of GOD.
X.
37 Nor yet the Earthly Adam dies,
38 But lives, and moves, and fights again,
39 Still the fierce Gusts of Passion rise,
40 And rebel Nature strives to reign.
XI.
41 Fondly my foolish Heart essays
42 T' augment the Source of perfect Bliss,
43 Love's All-sufficient Sea to raise
44 With Drops of Creature-Happiness.
XII.
45 O Love! thy Sov'reign Aid impart,
46 And guard the Gifts Thyself hast giv'n:
47 My Portion Thou, my Treasure art,
48 And Life, and Happiness, and Heav'n.
XIII.
49 Would ought with Thee my Wishes share,
50 Tho' dear as Life the Idol be,
51 The Idol from my Breast I'll tear,
52 Resolv'd to seek my All from Thee.
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XIV.
53 Whate'er I fondly counted Mine,
54 To Thee, my LORD, I here restore:
55 Gladly I all for Thee resign:
56 Give me Thyself, I ask no more!

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Title (in Source Edition): In DESERTION or TEMPTATION.
Author: Rev. Charles Wesley
Themes:
Genres: hymn

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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. 147-150. 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].)

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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.

Other works by Rev. Charles Wesley