Welcome, contempt! stern, faithful guide

Verse 1
Welcome, contempt! Stern, faithful guide,
Unpleasing, healthful food!
Hail pride-sprung antidote of pride,
Hail evil turn’d to good!

Verse 2
Thee when with awful pomp array’d
Ill-judging mortals see,
Perverse they fly with coward speed,
To guilt they fly from thee.

Verse 3
Yet if one haply longing stands
To choose a nobler part,
Ardent from sin’s ensnaring bands
To vindicate his heart:

Verse 4
Present to end the doubtful strife,
Thy aid he soon shall feel;
Confirm’d by thee, tho’ warm in life,
Bid the vain world farewell.

Verse 5
Thro’ thee he treads the shining way
That saints and martyrs trod,
Shakes off the frailty of his clay,
And wings his soul for God.

Verse 6
His portion thou, he burns no more,
With fond desire to please;
The fierce, distracting conflict’s o’er
And all his thoughts are peace.

Verse 7
Sent by almighty pity down,
To thee alone ’tis giv’n
With glorious infamy to crown
The favourites of heav’n.

Verse 8
With thee heav’n’s fav’rite Son, when made
Incarnate, deign’d t’ abide;
To thee he meekly bow’d his head,
He bow’d his head, and dy’d.

Verse 9
And shall I still the cup decline,
His suff’rings disesteem,
Disdain to make this portion mine
When sanctify’d by him?

Verse 10
Or firm thro’ him and undismay’d,
Thy sharpest darts abide?
Sharp as the thorns that tore his head,
The spear that pierc’d his side.

Verse 11
Yes—since with thee my lot is cast,
I bless my God’s decree,
Embrace with joy what he embrac’d,
And live and die with thee!

Verse 12
So when before th’ angelic host
To each his lot is giv’n,
Thy name shall be in glory lost,
And mine be found in heav’n!

Hymnal/Album: Originally titled: "Hymn to Contempt." This is the original version of this hymn, as first published in "Hymns and Sacred Poems (1739)," published by John and Charles Wesley (London: William Strahan, 1739). Published in The Poetical Works of John and Charles Wesley, Collected and Arranged by G. Osborn, Vol. 1 (London: Wesleyan-Methodist Conference Office, 1868), page 25.
Publishing: Public Domain