Gospel Expostulations

515 The Stranger at the Door 1 BEHOLD! a stranger's at the door!

He gently knocks, has knock'd before; Has waited long; is waiting still:

You treat no other friend so ill.

2 But will He prove a friend indeed?

He will; the very friend you need: The Man of Nazareth, 'tis He, With garments dyed at Calvary.

3 Oh lovely attitude! He stands With melting heart and laden hands:

Oh matchless kindness! and He shows This matchless kindness to His foes!

4 Rise touch'd with gratitude divine, Turn out His enemy and thine, That hateful, hell-born monster sin, And let the heavenly stranger in.

5 Admit Him, ere His anger burn, His feet depart, and ne'er return:

Admit Him, or the hour's at hand When at His door denied you'll stand:

6 Admit Him, for the human breast Ne'er entertain'd so kind a guest:

Admit Him, for you can't expel;

Where'er He comes, He comes to dwell

7 Yet know (nor of the terms complain) Where Jesus comes, He comes to reign; To reign, and with no partial sway;

Thoughts must be slain that disobey.

8 Sovereign of souls! Thou Prince of Peace, Oh may Thy gentle reign increase:

Throw wide the door each willing mind; And be His empire all mankind.

Joseph Grigg, 1765

516 Despising the Riches of Goodness 1 AND canst thou, sinner, slight The call of love divine? Shall God with tenderness invite, And gain no thought of thine?

2 Wilt thou not cease to grieve The Spirit from thy breast, Till He thy wretched soul shall leave, With all thy sins oppress'd?

3 To-day, a pardoning God Will hear the suppliant pray;

To-day, a Saviour's cleansing blood Will wash thy guilt away.

4 But, grace so dearly bought If yet thou wilt despise, Thy fearful doom with vengeance fraught, Will fill thee with surprise.

Ann Beadley Hyde, 1820

517

Holy Meetings.

1 HEART of stone, relent, relent;

Break, by Jesu's cross subdued!

See His body, mangled, rent, Cover'd with a gore of blood;

Sinful soul, what hast thou done?

Crucified God's only Son!

2 Yes, thy sins have done the deed, Driven the nails that fix'd Him there, Crown'd with thorns His sacred head, Plunged into His side the spear, Made His soul a sacrifice, While for sinful man He dies!

3 Can I put my Lord to pain?

Still to death my Lord pursue?

Open all His wounds again? And the shameful cross renew?

No, with all my sins I'll part;

Break, oh break my bleeding heart.

Charles Wesley, 1745, a.

518

Hear and Live 1 SINNERS, will you scorn the message Sent in mercy from above?

Every sentence, oh, how tender!

Every line is full of love:

Listen to it;

Every line is full of love.

2 Hear the heralds of the gospel News from Zion's King proclaim:

"Pardon to each rebel sinner;

Free forgiveness in His name:"

How important!

"Free forgiveness in His name."

3 Tempted souls, they bring you succour;

Fearful hearts, they quell your fears; And with news of consolation, Chase away the falling tears:

Tender heralds!

Chase away the falling tears.

4 Who hath our report believed? Who received the joyful word? Who embraced the news of pardon Spoken to you by the Lord? Can you slight it?

Spoken to you by the Lord.

5 O ye angels, hovering round us, Waiting spirits, speed your way;

Haste ye to the court of heaven, Tidings bear without delay:

Rebel sinners, Glad the message will obey.

Jonathan Allen, 1801, a.

519 The Gospel Message 1 SINNERS, you are now addressed In the name of Christ our Lord;

He hath sent a message to you, Pay attention to His word;

He hath sent it, Pay attention to His word.

2 Think what you have all been doing, Think what rebels you have been;

You have spent your lives in nothing But in adding sin to sin:

All your actions One continued scene of sin.

3 Yet your long-abused Sovereign Sends to you a message mild, Loth to execute His vengeance, Prays you to be reconciled:

Hear Him woo you—

Sinners, now be reconciled.

4 Pardon now is freely publish'd Through the Mediator's blood; Who hath died to make atonement And appease the wrath of God!

Wondrous mercy!

See it flows through Jesus' blood!

5 In His name, you are entreated To accept this act of grace; This the day of your acceptance, Listen to the terms of peace:

Oh delay not, Listen to the terms of peace.

6 Having, thus, then, heard the message, All with heavenly mercy fraught;

Go, and tell the gracious Jesus If you will be saved or not:

Say, poor sinner, Will you now be saved or not?

John Fountain.

520

Hasten, Sinner 1 HASTEN, sinner, to be wise, Stay not for the morrow's sun;

Longer wisdom you despise, Harder is she to be won.

2 Hasten mercy to implore, Stay not for the morrow's sun, Lest thy season should be o'er Ere this evening's stage be run.

3 Hasten, sinner, to return, Stay not for the morrow's sun, Lest thy lamp should fail to burn Ere salvation's work is done.

4 Hasten, sinner, to be blest, Stay not for the morrow's sun, Lest perdition thee arrest Ere the morrow is begun.

5 Lord, do Thou the sinner turn!

Rouse him from his senseless state;

Let him not Thy counsel spurn, Rue his fatal choice too late!

Thomas Scott, 1773.

521 Return, O Wanderer 1 RETURN, O wanderer! return! And seek an injured Father's face:

Those warm desires that in thee burn Were kindled by reclaiming grace.

2 Return, O wanderer! return! And seek a Father's melting heart, Whose pitying eyes thy grief discern, Whose hand can heal thine inward smart.

3 Return, O wanderer! return!

He heard thy deep repentant sigh!

He saw thy soften'd spirit mourn, When no intruding ear was nigh.

4 Return, O wanderer! return!

Thy Saviour bids thy spirit live;

Go to His bleeding feet, and learn How freely Jesus can forgive.

5 Return, O wanderer! return! And wipe away the falling tear;

'Tis God who says, "No longer mourn,"

'Tis mercy's voice invites thee near.

6 Return, O wanderer! return!

Regain thy lost, lamented rest;

Jehovah's melting bowels yearn To clasp His Ephraim to His breast.

William Bengo Collyer, 1812.

522 Return, O Wanderer 1 RETURN, O wanderer, to thy home, Thy Father calls for thee; No longer now an exile roam In guilt and misery;

Return, return.

2 Return, O wanderer, to thy home, 'Tis Jesus calls for thee: The Spirit and the Bride say, Come;

Oh now for refuge flee;

Return, return.

3 Return, O wanderer, to thy home, 'Tis madness to delay;

There are no pardons in the tomb, And brief is mercy's day.

Return, return.

Thomas Hastings, 1834.

523 The Day of Grace 1 YE sinners, fear the Lord, While yet 'tis call'd to-day:

Soon will the awful voice of death Command your souls away.

2 Soon will the harvest close, The summer soon be o'er;

Oh sinners, then your injured God Will heed your cries no more.

3 Then while 'tis call'd to-day, Oh hear the gospel sound;

Come, sinner, haste, oh haste away While pardon may be found.

Timothy Dwight, 1800, a

524 What Hope have you?

1 SINNER, what hast thou to show Like the joys believers know? Is thy path of fading flowers, Half so bright, so sweet, as ours?

2 Doth a skilful healing friend, On thy daily path attend, And where thorns and stings abound, Shed a balm on every wound?

3 When the tempests roar on high, Hast thou still a refuge nigh?

Can, oh can thy dying breath Summon one more strong than death

4 Canst thou, in that awful day, Fearless tread the gloomy way, Plead a glorious ransom given, Burst from earth and soar to heaven?

Charlotte Elizabeth Tonna, 1829, a.

525 "Prepare to meet thy God."

1 SINNER, art thou still secure?

Wilt thou still refuse to pray? Can thy heart or hands endure In the Lord's avenging day?

See, His mighty arm is bared!

Awful terrors clothe His brow! For His judgment stand prepared, Thou must either break or bow.

2 At His presence nature shakes, Earth affrighted hastes to flee, Solid mountains melt like wax What will then become of thee? Who His advent may abide?

You that glory in your shame, Will you find a place to hide When the world is wrapt in flame?

3 Then the rich, the great, the wise.

Trembling, guilty, self-condemn'd, Must behold the wrathful eyes Of the Judge they once blasphemed: Where are now their haughty looks?

Oh, their horror and despair, When they see the open'd books And their dreadful sentence hear!

4 Lord, prepare us by Thy grace!

Soon we must resign our breath! And our souls be call'd to pass Through the iron gate of death:

Let us now our day improve, Listen to the gospel-voice;

Seek the things that are above, Scorn the world's pretended joys.

5 Oh! when flesh and heart shall fail, Let Thy love our spirits cheer, Strengthen'd thus, we shall prevail Over Satan, sin, and fear;

Trusting in Thy precious name, May we thus our journey end:

Then our foes shall lose their aim, And the Judge will be our friend.

John Newton, 1779.

526 Treasuring up Wrath 1 UNGRATEFUL sinners, whence this scorn Of long-extended grace? And whence this madness, that insults The Almighty to His face?

2 Is it because His patience waits, And pitying bowels move, You multiply audacious crimes, And spurn His richest love?

3 Is all the treasured wrath so small, You labour still for more?

Though not eternal rolling years Can e'er exhaust the store.

4 Alarm'd and melted at Thy voice, Our conquer'd hearts would bow, And to escape the Thunderer then, Embrace the Saviour now.

Philip Doddridge, 1765.

527 Appeal to Conscience 1 SINNER, is thy heart at rest? Is thy bosom void of fear?

Art thou not by guilt oppress'd?

Speaks not conscience in thy ear?

2 Can this world afford thee bliss? Can it chase away thy gloom?

Flattering, false, and vain it is;

Tremble at the worldling's doom.

3 Long the gospel thou hast spurn'd, Long delay'd to love thy God, Stifled conscience, nor hast turn'd, Wooed though by a Saviour's blood.

4 Think, O sinner, on thy end;

See the judgment day appear, Thither must thy spirit wend, There thy righteous sentence hear.

5 Wretched, ruin'd, helpless soul, To a Saviour's blood apply;

He alone can make thee whole, Fly to Jesus, sinner, fly.

Jared Bell Water bury, 1844.

528 Against Self-destruction 1 SINNER, oh why so thoughtless grown?

Why in such dreadful haste to die?

Daring to leap to worlds unknown, Heedless against thy God to fly.

2 Wilt thou despise eternal fate, Urged on by sin's fantastic dreams?

Madly attempt the infernal gate, And force thy passage to the flames?

3 Stay, sinner! on the gospel plains, Behold the God of love unfold The glories of His dying pains, For ever telling, yet untold.

Watts and Rippon, 1706-1787.

529 Prayer for Thoughtfulness 1 THOU God of glorious majesty, To Thee against myself, to Thee, A worm of earth I cry: A half-awaken'd child of man, An heir of endless bliss or pain, A sinner born to die.

2 Lo! on a narrow neck of land, 'Twixt two unbounded seas I stand, Yet how insensible! A point of time, a moment's space, Removes me to yon heavenly place, Or shuts me up in hell.

3 O God, my inmost soul convert, And deeply on my thoughtful heart Eternal things impress;

Give me to feel their solemn weight, And trembling on the brink of fate, Wake me to righteousness.

4 Before me place, in dread array, The pomp of that tremendous day, When Thou with clouds shalt come To judge the nations at Thy bar; And tell me, Lord, shall I be there, To meet a joyful doom?

5 Be this my one great business here, With holy trembling, holy fear, To make my calling sure!

Thine utmost counsel to fulfil, And suffer all Thy righteous will, And to the end endure.

6 Then, Saviour, then, my soul receive, Transported from this vale to live And reign with Thee above: Where faith is sweetly lost in sight, And hope in full supreme delight And everlasting love.

Charles Wesley, 1749, a.