Pensees: Shall I for Fear of Feeble Man

Shall I for Fear of Feeble Man

Shall I, for fear of feeble man,
The Spirit’s course in me restrain?
Or, undismayed, in deed and word
Be a true witness for my Lord?

Awed by a mortal’s frown, shall I
Conceal the Word of God Most High?
How then before Thee shall I dare
To stand, or how Thine anger bear?

Shall I, to soothe the unholy throng,
Soften Thy truths, and smooth my tongue,
To gain earth’s guilded toys, or flee
The cross, endured, my God, by Thee?

What then is he whose scorn I dread,
Whose wrath or hate make me afraid?
A man! An heir of death! A slave
Of sin! A bubble on the wave!

(The first four of ten verses by Johann J. Winkler translated by John Wesley)