And shall mere man of men demand

Verse 1
And shall mere man of men demand
His saying simply to receive,
Before the proofs we understand,
Before we see the witness live,
And evidence his sins forgiven
By walking like an heir of heaven?

Verse 2
We ought not to his word alone
Or confident assertions trust;
The life must join to make it known,
The works to shew the doer just,
And all the Spirit’s fruits to prove
A Christian perfected in love.

Hymnal/Album: Originally titled “If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.”—[John] v. 31. Introduced in Charles Wesley, Short Hymns on Select Passages of the Holy Scriptures, Vol. 2 (Bristol: Farley, 1762). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 11 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1871), page 372.
Publishing: Public Domain