Myself, my residue of days
I consecrate to Thee.
Thy ransomed servant, I
Restore to Thee Thine own,
And, from this moment, live or die
To serve my God alone.
These two verses belong to the very extensive series of
6. Hymns on Passages of Holy Scripture
Charles Wesley’s poetry is always sanctified by the word of God. In this regard he is unsurpassed, and I think unequalled, by any other writer. He thought and wrote in the language of the Bible, and constantly weaves into his hymns the words, phrases, incidents of Holy Scripture. No one ‘spiritualized’ more boldly than he. Of this his most famous poem, ‘Wrestling Jacob,’ is the great example. Many other hymns illustrate the same power, e.g. this verse, which ‘spiritualizes’ Peter’s deliverance from prison—
Long my imprisoned spirit lay