The Works of John Wesley, vol. 11 · section 24 of 85
A Hymn.
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A HYMN.
REGARD, thou righteous God, and true,
Regard thy weeping people’s prayer,
Before the sword our land go through,
Before thy latest plague we bear,
Let all to thee, their Smiter, turn,
Let all beneath thine anger mourn.
The sword, which first bereaved abroad,
We now within our borders see;
We see, but slight, thy nearer rod:
So oft, so kindly, warn’d by thee,
We still thy warning love despise,
And dare thine utmost wrath to rise.
Yet, for the faithful remnant’s sake,
Thine utmost wrath awhile defer,
If, haply, we at last may wake,
And, trembling at destruction near,
The cause of all our evils own,
And leave the sins for which we groan.
Or, if the wicked will not mourn,
And ‘scape the long-suspended blow,
Yet shall it to thy glory turn,
Yet shall they all thy patience know,
Thy slighted love and mercy clear,
And vindicate thy justice here.