Analysis of Hymn VI: Sinners, Turn, Why Will Ye Die?

John Wesley 1703 (Epworth, Lincolnshire) – 1791 (London)



Sinners, turn, why will ye die?
God, your Maker, asks you why?
God, who did your being give,
Made you with himself to live -
He the fatal cause demands,
Asks the work of his own hands,
Why, ye thankless creatures, why
Will ye cross his love, and die?

Sinners, turn, why will ye die?
God, your Saviour, asks you why?
God, who did your souls retrieve,
Died himself, that ye might live;
Will you let him die in vain?
Crucify your Lord again?
Why, ye ransomed sinners, why
Will you slight his grace, and die?

Sinners, turn, why will ye die?
God, the Spirit, asks you why?
He who all your lives hath strove,
Wooed you to embrace his love:
Will you not his grace receive?
Will you still refuse to live?
Why, ye long-sought sinners, why
Will you grieve your God, and die?

Dead, already dead within,
Spiritually dead in sin,
Dead to God while here you breathe,
Pant ye after second death?
Will you still in sin remain,
Greedy of eternal pain?
O ye dying sinners, why,
Why will you for ever die?


Scheme Aaxbccaa Aadbexaa Aaxxdbaa ffxxeeaa
Poetic Form
Metre 1011111 1110111 1111101 1110111 1010101 1011111 1110101 1111101 1011111 111111 1111101 1011111 1111101 101101 111101 1111101 1011111 1010111 1111111 1110111 1111101 1110111 1111101 1111101 1010101 10000101 1111111 1110101 1110101 1010101 1110101 1111101
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 966
Words 188
Sentences 17
Stanzas 4
Stanza Lengths 8, 8, 8, 8
Lines Amount 32
Letters per line (avg) 23
Words per line (avg) 6
Letters per stanza (avg) 186
Words per stanza (avg) 47
Font size:
 

Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

56 sec read
40

John Wesley

John Wesley, also known as Wes Dearth is an American singer, songwriter and guitar player. more…

All John Wesley poems | John Wesley Books

1 fan

Discuss this John Wesley poem analysis with the community:

0 Comments

    Citation

    Use the citation below to add this poem analysis to your bibliography:

    Style:MLAChicagoAPA

    "Hymn VI: Sinners, Turn, Why Will Ye Die?" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Apr. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem-analysis/24157/hymn-vi%3A-sinners%2C-turn%2C-why-will-ye-die%3F>.

    Become a member!

    Join our community of poets and poetry lovers to share your work and offer feedback and encouragement to writers all over the world!

    April 2024

    Poetry Contest

    Join our monthly contest for an opportunity to win cash prizes and attain global acclaim for your talent.
    1
    day
    17
    hours
    54
    minutes

    Special Program

    Earn Rewards!

    Unlock exciting rewards such as a free mug and free contest pass by commenting on fellow members' poems today!

    Browse Poetry.com

    Quiz

    Are you a poetry master?

    »
    Who wrote four original poems for the movie 'Paterson'?
    A Anne Bradstreet
    B John Berryman
    C Ron Padgett
    D Matthew Arnold