The poetical works of John and Charles Wesley

Come, O my soul, the call obey,
Take up the burden of thy Lord!
His practice is thy living way,
Thy guide His pure unerring word,
The lovely perfect pattern read,
And haste in all His steps to tread.

What did my Lord from sinners bear?
His patience is the rule for me:
Walking in Him I cannot err:
And lo! the Man of Griefs I see,
Whose life one scene of sufferings was,
Quite from the manger to the cross.

Here then my calling I discern,
('Tis written in affliction's book,)
My first, and latest lesson learn,
For nothing here but sufferings look,
I bow me to the will Divine,
To suffer with my Lord be mine.

142

To suffer as my Lord I come:
How did the Lamb His wrongs endure?
Clamorous, and warm? or meek, and dumb?
Did He by force His life secure?
His injured innocence defend;
Or bear His burden to the end?

Did He evade the pain, and shame,
Impatient of unjust disgrace?
Did He throw off the imputed blame?
Did He from spitting hide His face?
Did He to man for succour fly;
Or offer up Himself, and die?

When nature sunk beneath her load,
Would He the dreadful cup decline?
Prostrate, and bruised, and sweating blood,
“Father, Thy will be done, not Mine,”
He speaks, and meets His enemies,
And gives them power Himself to seize.

The word, which struck them to the ground,
Could it not strike them into hell?
Whom all the hosts of heaven surround,
He will not force by force repel.
“Put up,” He cries, thy needless “sword,”
Nor stain the meekness of thy Lord.

He chides His rash disciple's zeal,
Accepts not man's nor angel's aid:
Vouchsafes His wounded foe to heal:
The hands, that had His murderers made,
He stretches out; He lets them bind
The hands that could unmake mankind.

143

Doth He in deed or word gainsay,
Or ask or struggle to be freed?
They lead the speechless Lamb away:
To scorn, and pain, and death they lead
The speechless Lamb; resign'd unto
The utmost earth and hell could do.

O that I might like Him withstand,
Like Him mine innocency clear,
Like Him resist the ruffian band,
Like Him refuse the cross to bear,
Like Him the persecutor fly;
Like Him submit to live, and die?

II. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Jesu, Thy record I receive]

Jesu, Thy record I receive,
With lowly self-mistrusting fear:
As many days as here I live,
So many must I suffer here:
In all my Master's steps to go,
To suffer is my lot below.

Thy Spirit witnesses to mine,
I must Thy daily cross endure:
I know the warning is Divine:
The word of promised pain is sure;
Afflictions all my steps attend,
And but with life my griefs shall end.

Whate'er the rage of fiends, and men,
Can by Divine permission do,
I come expecting to sustain:
It must be so, for God is true;
And God hath spoke the faithful word,
“The servant shall be as his Lord.”

144

Master, if Thee the world blasphemed,
Will they not scorn, and cast out me?
I shall be more and more contemn'd,
I shall be more and more like Thee,
Till all conform'd to Thee I am,
And honour'd with Thine utmost shame.

If Thee the' ungrateful world could hate,
Thou friend, and lover of mankind,
Shall I not feel their anger's weight,
Shall I not all their malice find,
Hated, oppress'd, despised, abhorr'd,
And persecuted with my Lord!

They will, Thyself hast said, they will,
With mortal hate my life pursue,
As helpless sheep Thy people kill,
Service to God by murder do,
Offer Thee human sacrifice,
And glut Thee with Thy martyrs' cries.

With steadfast faith for this I wait,
To bear the' inevitable cross,
A sharer in Thy low estate,
Afflicted as my Master was,
I must on earth Thy treatment find,
The scorn, and outcast of mankind.

I feel it settled in my heart,
Fix'd in my inmost soul I feel
A looking for that better part,
A sure presage of promised ill,
Of all my Saviour bore beneath,
Sorrow, and shame, and bonds, and death.

145

III. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[Come then, my Jesu, from above]

Come then, my Jesu, from above,
Endue me with Thy constant mind,
Inspire me with Thy patient love,
Thou bleeding Saviour of mankind,
My faith increase, my heart prepare,
And arm, and bid me all things bear.

Mine utter helplessness I own,
And every moment more than see;
Thou know'st I cannot stand alone,
My strength to bear is all from Thee,
Mine all-sufficient strength be Thou,
And lo! I come to suffer now!

Thy power into my heart inspeak,
And lo! I come to meet Thy pain,
To turn like Thee the other cheek,
All wrong and violence to sustain,
Never against my foes to stand,
But sink beneath their bruising hand.

I will not take the proffer'd sword,
Or stoop to feeble man for aid:
Lead me away with Christ my Lord,
To scorn, or bonds, or slaughter lead,
A follower of that silent Lamb
The man whom now ye seek, I am.

Come, threatening world, thy prisoner take,
I will not from my Master fly,
Jesus in life or death forsake,
But stay, with Him to live, and die;
Before His foes my Lord I own,
And tell you all, that I am one.

146

His servant and disciple see,
Resolved His weal or woe to share;
A Galilean seize in me,
And let me as my Master fare,
Convict (for I my crime confess)
Of following after righteousness.

IV. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Yes, Thou dear lamb-like Son of God]

Yes, Thou dear lamb-like Son of God,
Whom now with eyes of faith I view,
Thou know'st, I in Thy steps have trod,
And would to Calvary pursue,
Through all Thy passion's stages run,
Till Thou pronounce the word 'Tis done.

Thy Spirit breathe into my breast,
Spirit of patient charity,
And lo! I meet the fiery test,
To prison go, and death with Thee,
Anticipate the dreadful hour,
And stand in Thine almighty power.

A witness of Thy truth I stand,
Arraign'd at man's unrighteous bar,
In vain my answer they demand,
My silence shall Thy truth declare,
A sheep before the shearers dumb,
To answer as my Lord I come.

Falsely accused I hold my peace,
The Judge Supreme doth all things know;
I want no rescue, or release,
No justice I expect below,
Nor mercy,—more than Jesus found,
The Man to yonder pillar bound.

147

O what a piteous sight is there!
His tender hands are tied behind,
His back their cruel scourges tear,
Yet no complaint, or sigh we find;
Or if He groans in all the smart,
'Tis for the hardness of their heart.

My pattern here I plainly see,
A voice is in Thy streaming blood,
It bids me bear the scourge like Thee,
Like Thee commit my cause to God,
Like Thee the' injurious world oppose,
Like Thee avenge me of my foes.

V. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Still let me on my Pattern gaze]

Still let me on my Pattern gaze,
How meek and motionless He stands!
They spit upon His sacred face,
They buffet with unhallow'd hands,
They bow the knee, present the reed,
And mock whom they have doom'd to bleed.

No answer yet? no late reply
To clear His suffering innocence?
So tamely will the guiltless die,
Die for His guilty foes' offence,
Die, that His murderers may live!
“Father (He gasps in death) forgive!”

Silent for them, for them He pleads,
And spends in prayer His latest breath;
To purge a sinful world He bleeds,
To bless them dies a cursed death,
Expires into the arms Divine—
Jesu, was ever love like Thine!

148

O might it now my heart constrain,
My every rising thought control,
Sweeten the cup of grief, and pain,
And melt and meeken all my soul,
Conform me to the Crucified,
My God, who for His murderers died.

Love only can the conquest win,
And make me as my lamblike God:
Through love I conquer all their sin,
And strive, resisting unto blood;
Strive to secure the glorious wreath,
Resisting, by enduring death.

O might I now Thy love retrieve,
And sink among the happy dead,
Into Thine hands my spirit give,
And bow upon Thy cross my head,
When I its utmost virtue prove,
Made perfect by all-patient love.

VI. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Saviour of all, what hast Thou done]

Saviour of all, what hast Thou done,
What hast Thou suffer'd on the tree?
Why didst Thou groan Thy mortal groan,
Obedient unto death for me?
The mystery of Thy passion show,
The end of all Thy griefs below.

Thy soul for sin an offering made
Hath clear'd this guilty soul of mine;
Thou hast for me a ransom paid,
To change my human to Divine,
To cleanse from all iniquity,
And make the sinner all like Thee.

149

Pardon, and grace, and heaven to buy,
My bleeding Sacrifice expired:
But didst Thou not my pattern die,
That by Thy glorious Spirit fired,
Faithful I might to death endure,
And make the crown by suffering sure?

Thou didst the meek example leave,
That I might in Thy footsteps tread;
Might like the Man of sorrows grieve,
And groan, and bow with Thee my head;
Thy dying in my body bear,
And all Thy state of passion share.

Thy every perfect servant, Lord,
Shall as his patient Master be,
To all Thine inward life restored,
And outwardly conform'd to Thee,
Out of Thy grave the saint shall rise,
And grasp through death the glorious prize.

This is the straight, and royal way,
That leads us to the courts above;
Here let me ever, ever stay,
Till on the wings of perfect love
I take my last triumphant flight
From Calvary's to Sion's height.

VII. THE SAME.

Hymn 7.

[And did my Lord on earth endure]

And did my Lord on earth endure
Sorrow, and hardships, and distress,
That I might sit me down secure,
And rest in self-indulgent ease,
His delicate disciple I
Like Him might neither live, nor die!

150

Master, I have not learn'd Thee so:
Thy yoke and burden I receive,
Resolve in all Thy steps to go,
And bless the cross by which I live,
And curse the wisdom from beneath,
That strives to rob me of Thy death.

Thy holy will be done, not mine,
Be suffered all Thy holy will:
I dare not, Lord, the cross decline,
I will not lose the slightest ill,
Or lay the heaviest burden down,
The richest jewel of my crown.

Sorrow is solid joy, and pain
Is pure delight, endured for Thee;
Reproach and loss are glorious gain,
And death is immortality;
And who for Thee their all have given,
Have nobly barter'd earth for heaven.

Saved is the life for Jesus lost,
Hidden from earth, but found in God;
To suffer is to triumph most,
The highest gift on man bestow'd;
Seal of my sure election this,
Seal of mine everlasting bliss.

The touchstone, and the proof of grace,
The standard of perfection here,
The measure of my heavenly place,
When Christ and all His saints appear,
The mark Divine by Jesu's art
Imprinted on my faithful heart.

151

O might it deeper sink, (but give
Me strength Thy strongest love to bear,)
Fain would I die with Thee to live,
Fain would I all Thy passion share;
To me Thy thorny crown be given
On earth, Thy glorious crown in heaven.

VIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 8.

[It must be so; Thou say'st it must]

It must be so; Thou say'st it must:
True is Thine acceptable word,
They will from their communions thrust
The faithful followers of their Lord;
Buffet, and vex, and scourge, and bind
The friends, and patrons of mankind.

Full of the wicked one, and born
After the flesh, they will pursue
With restless hate, and cruel scorn,
The souls whom Thou hast formed anew,
The saints begotten from above,
Born of the Spirit of Thy love.

Who would the life of God regain,
And Thee for their example take,
They too the honour shall obtain,
And persecuted for Thy sake,
Thy confessors their seal set to,
True witnesses that God is true.

Who only seek in Thee our rest,
Are we not now a proverb made,
Reviled, rejected, and oppress'd,
By brethren and by friends betray'd,
By bitterest household foes pursued,
Hated of all that love not God?

152

Since first we heavenward turn'd our face,
Exposed, and outraged all day long
An helpless, poor, afflicted race,
For doing good we suffer wrong.
We suffer shame, distress, and loss,
And wait for all Thy glorious cross.

The Scriptures they in vain deny,
The world unknowingly fulfil;
Bursting through nature's closest tie,
The brother shall the brother kill,
The son shall stop his father's breath,
The parent drag his child to death.

No pity or humane regard
We in our savage foes shall find,
For all their cruelties prepared:
From those who cast Thy words behind
Justice, alas! we look for none;
Our help is all in Christ alone.

Holpen by Him to suffer more,
From strength to strength we meekly go;
And when we gain the perfect power,
The world their utmost rage shall show,
And when we all Thy life retrieve
Shall count us then not fit to live.

IX. THE SAME.

Hymn 9.

[Jesu, Thy legacy I take]

Jesu, Thy legacy I take,
The pattern Thou hast left behind,
To suffer all things for Thy sake,
Thy patient, meek, submissive mind
I long throughout my life to' express,
And copy all Thy righteousness.

153

I will not point Thee out the way,
Or rashly this, or that require,
I dare not for affliction pray;
But, Lord, Thou know'st my heart's desire,
Which pants for full conformity,
And struggles to be all like Thee.

I thirst to drink my Master's cup,
Thy fiery baptism to know,
To take Thy hallow'd burden up,
Companion of the Man of woe,
To tread where'er the Lamb hath trod,
One with the suffering Son of God.

My soul, with just ambition fired,
Hath languish'd to be great in Thee,
Hath oft to Calvary aspired,
Honour'd the ignominious tree,
And envied those, who earliest bear
Thy cross, and longest suffer there.

Who now to every ill submit,
Foremost of all Thy saints they stand,
Who suffer most, with Jesus sit,
Exalted at their Lord's right hand,
While here on earth, they reign above,
Triumphant on a throne of love.

X. THE SAME.

Hymn 10.

[How long, Thou suffering Son of God]

How long, Thou suffering Son of God,
Shall sinners take Thy name in vain,
Start from the thorny narrow road
Of sacred salutary pain,
Fondly presume to call Thee, Lord,
But tremble to obey Thy word?

154

The man that will Thy follower be,
Thou bidd'st him still himself deny,
Take up his daily cross with Thee,
Thy shameful death rejoice to die,
And choose a momentary pain,
A crown of endless life to gain.

But who the dreadful word receive,
Or gladly take Thy burden up?
We dare not, Lord, the truth believe,
But soothed with a self-flattering hope
To feeble man for succour run,
The crown-ensuring cross to shun.

A thousand ways and means we try,
The cross of none effect to make;
To Egypt we for chariots fly,
Shelter in human laws we take,
Assured the world will do us right,
And Satan against Satan fight.

Fools that we are, and slow of heart,
Our richest portion to refuse,
The patient Saviour's better part,
The labour, and reward, to lose,
The fairest prize to sufferers given,
The largest recompense in heaven.

But O! suffice the season past
That we Thy saying have abhorr'd,
Disdain'd Thy passion's cup to taste,
And strove to be above our Lord:
To Thy sweet yoke at length we bow,
And meekly come to suffer now.

155

Or let us here on Tabor stop,
Thy glorious face awhile to see,
Or climb yon adverse mountain's top,
The height of rugged Calvary;
To Calvary we with joy repair,
And die to find our Saviour there.

XI. THE SAME.

Hymn 11.

[Help, gracious Lord, the time is come]

Help, gracious Lord, the time is come
Of suffering for Thy righteous cause,
I see, I see Thy people's doom,
To' endure with Thee the sacred cross,
And now my own convictions fear,
And tremble at the trial near.

The flesh, alas! Thou know'st is weak,
Nor can the lightest cross sustain,
Convinced, on earth I must not seek
A rescue from reproach, or pain,
Or put the hallow'd cup aside,
But bow with Jesus crucified.

Call'd to distress, and patient grief,
Have I not made Thy portion mine?
I have: I look for no relief,
No lessening of my lot Divine,
But hold Thy rigid literal word,
A simple follower of my Lord!

Let Jews their slightest wrong repay,
And fiercely eye for eye require:
More excellent the Christian way,
We will not call for vengeful fire,
Evil resist in word or deed,
But close in all Thy footsteps tread.

156

Let others human succour seek,
With all their powers the cross evade,
We learn to turn the other cheek,
We look to Thee alone for aid;
In suffering all we cannot err,
We cannot follow Thee too far.

To suffer all things for Thy sake,
My calling this I humbly own;
Nor will from Thee the matter take,
But trust my cause to Thee alone:
My help is all laid up above,
My only refuge is Thy love.

The word, the awful word, is true,
Howe'er my feeble flesh may fail,
I should my patient Lord pursue,
The utmost rage of earth and hell,
Meek, as the Lamb of God endure,
And die to make my calling sure.

XII. THE INWARD CROSS.

O my dear Master, and my Lord,
Good is Thine acceptable will,
I yield obeisance to Thy word,
I come, Thy humbled state to feel,
My calling here I plainly see,
To bear, and bleed, and die with Thee.

Sufferer for sin my Master was,
A Man of griefs, inured to woe,
I bow me to Thine inward cross,
Sad fellowship with Thee I know:
Thou for another's sin didst groan,
And shall not I lament mine own?

157

Yes, Lord, I drink Thy bitter cup
Of grief, astonishment, and pain;
I fill Thy sore afflictions up,
I faint Thy burden to sustain,
My spirit sweats Thy sweat of blood,
And gasping calls “My God, my God!”

My spirit by Thy pangs is torn,
While Thou art pleased my faith to try;
For Thee disconsolate I mourn,
And still repeat Thy bitter cry,
“My God, my God,” I cry like Thee,
Ah! “why hast Thou forsaken me!”

Abandon'd to the tempter's power,
Still on Thy daily cross I bleed,
Till all the rage of hell is o'er,
Till all my nature's life is dead;
Then, then my utmost wish I have,
And sink into my Saviour's grave.

I sink with Thee, with Thee to rise,
Thy quick'ning Spirit to regain,
To' insure my calling's heavenly prize,
And suffer with my Lord to reign,
Thy resurrection's power to prove,
And live the life of perfect love.

XIII. ANOTHER.

[Master, I own Thy lawful claim]

“And He said to (them) all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”— Luke ix. 23.

Master, I own Thy lawful claim,
Thine, wholly Thine I long to be;
Thou see'st at last I willing am,
Where'er Thou goest to follow Thee,

158

Myself in all things to deny;
Thine, wholly Thine, to live and die.

Whate'er my sinful flesh requires
For Thee I cheerfully forego,
My covetous and vain desires,
My hopes of happiness below,
My senses' and my passions' food,
And all my lust of creature-good.

Pleasure, and wealth, and praise no more
Shall lead my captive soul astray,
My fond pursuits I all give o'er,
Thee, only Thee resolved to' obey,
My own in all things to resign,
And know no other will than Thine.

Reason, blind leader of the blind,
No more my sinking soul shall stay,
The wisdom of the carnal mind
That broken reed I cast away,
And stand by trusting in Thy might,
And follow Thy unerring light.

The beast, and devil I deny,
Sensual, and animal delight,
The wanton and the curious eye,
Be closed in everlasting night;
My learned lust be cast aside,
And all my filth of self and pride.

Henceforth I will not comfort take,
Or pleasure in myself but Thee;
Myself I cheerfully forsake,
From self I would at once get free,

159

I would not live, whate'er is (I,)
But O! my God, must Isaac

[_]

Not necessarily; not always: yet if God call for him, we must be ready to sacrifice our Isaac, or joy in Himself.

die!

My joy in Thee, my pure delight,
So long desired, so late bestow'd,
The comfort of Thy blissful sight,
The offspring and the gift of God,
The sweet refreshments of Thy grace,
The glimpses of Thy heavenly face!

O the insufferable loss!
To lay my gifts and comforts down,
To nail my Isaac to the cross,
Before Thy feet to cast my crown,
Jesus, my Jesus, to restore!
All earth and heaven can give no more.

Yet will I offer in Thy might
This only offering worthy Thee,
Give up my spiritual delight,
My taste of glorious liberty,
Thine to Thyself I render back,
Thy all for Thee I now forsake.

All power is Thine in earth and heaven,
All fulness dwells in Thee alone;
Whate'er I had was freely given,
Nothing but sin I call my own,
Other propriety disclaim,
Thou only art the great I AM.

Wherefore to Thee I all resign,
Being Thou art, and good, and power,
Thy only will be done, not mine;
Thee, Lord, let earth and heaven adore,

160

Flow back the rivers to their sea,
And let our all be lost in Thee.

The word “them” is not in the original.

XIV. ANOTHER.

[O this agony of grief]

O this agony of grief,
When shall it all be past?
Surely God will send relief,
And rescue me at last:
Comforter of all that mourn,
Jesus shall my peace restore,
Root out of my flesh the thorn,
And bid me weep no more.

Thrice, three thousand, times have I
For speedy rescue pray'd,
Can the God of love deny
His kindly promised aid?
Shall I never, never know
Full release from sin and pain,
First of all the sons of woe
That ask'd His help in vain.

No, Thou gracious God and true,
Thy promise cannot fail,
Thou at last shall bring me through
The toils of sin and hell:
This from Thee even now I have—
If Thou art not always nigh,
If Thou canst not, wilt not save,
Let me for ever die.

Too bold. J. W.

161

XV. ANOTHER.

[O my only Ease in pain]

O my only Ease in pain,
O my only Joy in grief,
Hear me secretly complain,
Sigh for permanent relief,
Burden'd more than I can bear,
Still with earthly passions torn,
Let me tell Thee all my care,
Let me in Thy bosom mourn.

Jesus, why dost Thou delay
Thy poor prisoner to release,
All my sin to take away,
All my soul to fill with peace?
Surely, Lord, I would be free,
Would from every evil fly:
Set my heart at liberty,
Give me love, and let me die.

Nothing do I seek below,
Lord, I dare to Thee appeal,
Thou my tempted soul dost know,
All I fear and all I feel:
Nothing here but sin I dread,
Nothing here but love I crave:
Let me rest my weary head,
Let me find a quiet grave.

Grant me first the rest from sin,
Then permit me to depart,
Thou who seest this war within,
Thou who read'st this troubled heart.
When it doth to sin incline,
O the agony I bear!
This unworthy heart of mine
Would I not in pieces tear.

162

Wherefore then, Thou gracious God,
(Let me yet again inquire,)
Dost Thou leave me to my load,
Still deny my best desire?
Why dost Thou to help forbear,
Heedless of my griefs and fears,
Deaf to my continual prayer,
Silent at my ceaseless tears?

What Thou dost I know not now,
But on Thee my soul I cast,
To Thy secret counsel bow,
Sure to know the whole at last.
Sure Thine utmost grace to know,
Sure to prove Thine utmost will,
Throughly sanctified below,
Caught up to Thy heavenly hill.

XVI. THE LAST WISH.

To do, or not to do; to have
Or not to have, I leave to Thee;
To be or not to be, I leave:
Thy only will be done in me:
All my requests are lost in one,
Father, Thy only will be done.

Suffice that for the season past
Myself in things Divine I sought,
For comforts cried with eager haste,
And murmur'd that I found them not:

163

I leave it now to Thee alone,
Father, Thy only will be done.

Thy gifts I clamour for no more,
Or selfishly Thy grace require
An evil heart to varnish o'er;
Jesus the Giver I desire,
After the flesh no longer known:
Father, Thy only will be done.

Welcome alike the crown or cross;
Trouble I cannot ask, nor peace,
Nor toil, nor rest, nor gain, nor loss,
Nor joy, nor grief, nor pain, nor ease,
Nor life, nor death; but ever groan,
Father, Thy only will be done.

XVII. [Rock of everlasting love]

Rock of everlasting love,
Into Thy clefts I flee,
Never, never to remove
I build my house on Thee;
On Thy dying love I stand,
Hear Thy words, and keep them too;
Duteous to Thy kind command,
By works my faith I show.

Made unto salvation wise,
And freely saved by grace,
Thee, on whom my soul relies,
My faithful soul obeys:
Faithful, and obedient still,
Let me not be put to shame,
Coming now to' endure Thy will,
And suffer for Thy name.

164

Lo! the rains descend, o'erflow,
And to a deluge spread;
Winds, and storms, and tempests blow,
And beat upon my head:
Satan drives the furious blast,
Floods of wickedness assail,
Stands my house on Jesus fast;
That Rock can never fail.

Higher let the torrent rise,
The tempest louder roar;
Satan, storm with all Thy lies,
And use thine utmost power,
Firm I stand the general shock,
Never from my basis move,
Built, and 'stablish'd on the Rock
Of everlasting love.

XVIII. [Thee, Jesus, full of truth and grace]

Thee, Jesus, full of truth and grace,
Our Saviour we adore;
Thee in affliction's furnace praise,
And magnify Thy power.
Thy power in human weakness shown,
Shall make us all entire;
We now Thy guardian presence own,
And walk unburnt in fire.

Thee, Son of Man, by faith we see,
And glory in our Guide;
Surrounded, and upheld by Thee,
The fiery test abide.

165

The fire our graces shall refine,
Till moulded from above
We bear the character Divine,
The stamp of perfect love.

XIX. FOR THE BROTHERHOOD.

Head of Thy patient church beneath,
Attend the faithful prayer we breathe
In Thy own Spirit's power;
And by Thy grace protect, and keep,
Thy little flock of helpless sheep
In every trying hour.

Our brethren, and companions dear,
Who suffer in Thy kingdom here,
Preserve in their distress;
Support us by that glorious hope,
And bring, O bring us quickly up
Out of the wilderness.

The lion roaring for his prey,
Ah! do not suffer him to slay
One soul that would be Thine:
To us the wiles of Satan show,
And arm us 'gainst our hellish foe
In panoply Divine.

By human wolves encompass'd round,
Let none without the fold be found
Of all Thy lambs or sheep:
From worldly rage and malice hide,
And keep us ever by Thy side,
And in Thy bosom keep.

166

But above all Thy power display,
To screen us in our evil day
And from ourselves defend;
Subdue, destroy our foes within,
And save the tempted soul from sin,
And save us to the end.

O for Thy great and glorious name,
The dire reproach, the guilty shame,
The cursed thing avert;
In all the' assaults of sense and pride
Continue on Thy people's side,
And guard the feeble heart.

No more may we to sin submit,
But trample it beneath our feet
With holy rage and scorn,
Till each is more than conqueror,
And all obtain the perfect power,
And all to God return.

XX. ANOTHER.

[Thou God of love, and truth, and power]

Thou God of love, and truth, and power,
Guard us in the evil hour,
By sore temptation tried;
Shelter Thy poor, afflicted flock,
And in the clefts of Israel's Rock
Our trembling spirits hide.

Long as the war subsists within,
Save, O save us, Lord, from sin,
The lusting flesh subdue;
The Spirit's stronger lust exert,
And watch o'er every helpless heart,
Till Thou hast made it new.

167

For this we strive, for this we pray,
Take the stumbling-block away,
The cursed thing remove;
Uphold, and make our footsteps sure,
And let us stand, and walk secure
In humble faith, and love.

Sin, only sin we deprecate,
Fill us with a perfect hate
Of that Thy soul abhors;
O let us every sin eschew
Till all are brought victorious through,
And more than conquerors.

XXI. ANOTHER.

[Still, Lord, we ask, and urge Thee still]

Still, Lord, we ask, and urge Thee still,
Ask according to Thy will,
And urge our strong request:
Preserve Thy little flock from sin,
And keep, till Thou hast brought us in
To Thine eternal rest.

Ah! do not suffer us to stray,
Thee our Master to betray,
And shamefully deny:
But (for Thou know'st our treacherous heart)
Command us sooner to depart,
And innocently die.

Be jealous for Thy glorious name,
Never let the heathen blame
The truth for our offence;
But rather now confirm us Thine,
And let us all our souls resign,
And fly this moment hence.

168

Canst Thou despise our fear and pain,
Suffer us to cry in vain
Beneath the load we bear?
Our load of pain and fear remove,
And answer by the fire of love
Our agonizing prayer.

'Tis done! He hears His Spirit's cry,
Surely now we feel Him nigh
To grant His own request:
We shall not live to fall away,
But taken from the evil day
With Him for ever rest.

XXII. [Come on, my partners in distress]

Come on, my partners in distress,
My comrades through the wilderness,
Who still your bodies feel;
A while forget your griefs and fears,
And look beyond the vale of tears
To that celestial hill.

Beyond the bounds of time, and space,
Look forward to that happy place,
The saints' secure abode;
On faith's strong eagle pinions rise,
And force your passage to the skies,
And scale the mount of God.

See, where the Lamb in glory stands,
Encircled with His radiant bands,
And join the' angelic powers,
For all that height of glorious bliss
Our everlasting portion is,
And all that heaven is ours.

169

Who suffer for our Master here,
We shall before His face appear,
And by His side sit down:
To patient faith the prize is sure,
And all, that to the end endure
The cross, shall wear the crown.

Thrice-blessed bliss-inspiring hope!
It lifts the fainting spirits up,
It brings to life the dead:
Our conflicts here shall soon be past,
And you and I ascend at last
Triumphant with our Head.

That great mysterious Deity
We soon with open face shall see:
The beatific sight
Shall fill the heavenly courts with praise,
And wide diffuse the golden blaze
Of everlasting light.

The Father shining on His throne,
The glorious co-eternal Son,
The Spirit One and Seven,
Conspire our rapture to complete;
And lo! we fall before His feet,
And silence heightens heaven.

In hope of that ecstatic pause,
Jesus, we now sustain Thy cross,
And at Thy footstool fall,
Till Thou our hidden life reveal,
Till Thou our ravish'd spirits fill,
And God is all in all.

170

[DESIRING TO PRAY]

XXIII. DESIRING TO PRAY.

Hymn 1.

O that I could but pray!
How gladly should I bear
The burden of this evil day
With the support of prayer!
Happy, could I but tell
To God my inward woe,
My depth of wickedness reveal,
My height of trouble show.

Alas, He knows it all,
My whole of sin and grief;
Yet O, for help I cannot call,
I cannot ask relief:
Mountains on mountains rise,
And quite block up the way;
O that I could but lift my eyes,
O that I could but pray!

I struggle still, and fain
I would throw off my load,
Stir myself up, and strive again
To apprehend my God:
Farther He doth from me,
And farther still depart;
In vain I bow my feeble knee,
But not my stubborn heart.

My heart, alas, is dead,
Or unconcern'd it sleeps,
Or starts, of its own wish afraid,
And contradicts my lips;

171

Or with suggestions fraught
Too horrible to bear,
Breaks off the suit, to' escape the thought
Of blasphemous despair.

Ah, whither, or to whom
Shall I for succour fly!
My Saviour bids the weary come,
Yet do I not draw nigh:
I would (but all in vain)
To Him my wants display:
My heart abhors the fruitless pain,
I cannot, cannot pray.

But shall I then depart,
And cast away my hope,
Yield to a wretched, faithless heart,
And give my Saviour up?
No, no! that killing thought
Is worse than all I feel;
Still let me seek, though clean forgot,
And want my Saviour still.

Dead as I am to God,
I will not Him forego,
But patiently take up my load,
And suffer all my woe:
For ever will I lie
Before His mercy-seat,
Though not allow'd with Mary I
To wash, and kiss His feet.

In quiet, calm distress
Will I my cross sustain,
Content to sigh for happiness,
And strive to pray,—in vain!

172

Unless He from His throne
The speechless mourner hear,
The deep, unutterable groan,
The loudly silent tear.

He hears, He hears it now!
The anguish not express'd,
The struggle of my soul to bow,
And fall upon His breast!
Silence a voice hath found,
A cry is in the void,
Through earth and heaven my woes resound,
And pierce the ears of God.

Believing against hope,
I will expect His grace,
Through all the clouds of sin look up,
And wait to see His face:
Forgotten though I seem,
He knows what I would say;
The darkness is not dark to Him,
The night is clear as day.

I dare no longer doubt
His readiness to save;
Will Jesus therefore cast me out,
Because no good I have?
To sinners truly poor
Will God Himself deny!
He cannot cast me out—no more
Than He again can die!

XXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Jesu, full of grace for me]

Jesu, full of grace for me,
Help my soul's infirmity;

173

Grant the supplicating grace,
Give the power to seek Thy face:
Hear a feeble sinner groan,
Burden'd with an heart of stone;
Take the heart of stone away,
Give me will, and power to pray.

Once again revive the dead,
Stir me up to ask Thine aid;
By Thy Spirit's breath incline
This unyielding heart of mine;
Now the rock in sunder rend,
Now eject the silent fiend,
Power into my soul convey,
Sigh the pitying Ephphatha!

O my God, how long shall I
Coldly with my lips draw nigh,
Lift my eyes with useless pain,
Drop their weary lids again,
Feebly struggle to declare
The sad meaning of my prayer,
Give the fruitless labour o'er,
Gasp for utterance no more!

Help a poor and needy soul,
Make the wilderness a pool,
Pour Thy Spirit from above,
Bless me with a flood of love;
For Thy mercy sake alone
Let the miracle be done;
Take my heart of stone away,
Give me will, and power to pray.

174

XXV. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[O Thou Father of compassions]

O Thou Father of compassions,
O Thou God of mercies, hear,
Send the Spirit of supplications,
Send the gracious Comforter:
Have respect to Jesus' merit,
To Thy church the Gift impart,
Send Him now; the pleading Spirit
Pour into Thy people's heart.

If we have through Him found favour,
If for us He ever prays,
Now in honour of our Saviour,
Grant the all-commanding grace;
Stir us up to prayer unceasing,
Let us all the promise claim,
Wrestle for the mighty blessing,
For the new, mysterious name.

Send our long desired Messias,
Us to teach Thy perfect way;
Faithful, fervent as Elias,
Let us in the Spirit pray,
Let the power to us be given,
(Weak and helpless as we are,)
Power to shut, and open heaven,
All the' omnipotence of prayer.

XXVI. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Jesu, Thou sovereign Lord of all]

Jesu, Thou sovereign Lord of all,
The same through one eternal day,
Attend Thy feeblest followers' call,
And O! instruct us how to pray;

175

Pour out the supplicating grace,
And stir us up to seek Thy face.

We cannot think a gracious thought,
We cannot feel a good desire,
Till Thou, who call'dst a world from nought,
The power into our hearts inspire;
And then we in Thy Spirit groan,
And then we give Thee back Thy own.

Proceeds from Thee the wish to pray,
The longing wish which now we feel;
But O! we know not what to say,
We would, but cannot, Lord, reveal
The load our fainting spirits bear,
Or tell Thee all our wants in prayer.

Lost in a labyrinth of sin,
Long have we wander'd to and fro,
The wilderness hath shut us in,
And only faith the way can show,
And only prayer can lend the clue,
To guide our weary footsteps through.

Tormented, destitute, distress'd,
Scatter'd in the dark, cloudy day,
We labour for that farther rest,
And fain would force our hearts to pray,
And strive and pant with endless care
To heave away the mountain bar.

Dost Thou not, Lord, our trouble see,
Our sore, unprofitable pain?
A thousand times we bow the knee,
Approach Thee with our lips in vain,
Present with lifted hands and eyes,
An heartless, lifeless sacrifice.

176

A thousand times o'erwhelm'd with woe,
We groan impatient at Thy stay,
Ready to let the promise go,
Ready to cast our shield away,
The fruitless labour to forbear,
And fold our arms in sad despair.

Jesu, regard the joint complaint
Of all Thy tempted followers here,
And now supply the common want,
And send us down the Comforter,
The spirit of ceaseless prayer impart,
And fix Thine Agent in our heart.

To help our soul's infirmity,
To heal Thy sin-sick people's care,
To urge our God-commanding plea,
And make our heart an house of prayer,
That promised Intercessor give,
And let us now Thyself receive.

Come in Thy pleading Spirit down,
To us, who for Thy coming stay;
Of all Thy gifts we ask but one,
We ask the constant power to pray:
Indulge us, Lord, in this request,
And, if Thou canst, deny the rest.

XXVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Shepherd Divine, our want relieve]

Shepherd Divine, our want relieve
In this our evil day,
To all Thy tempted followers give
The power to watch and pray.

177

Long as our fiery trials last,
Long as the cross we bear,
O let our souls on Thee be cast
In never ceasing prayer.

The Spirit of interceding grace
Give us in faith to claim,
To wrestle, till we see Thy face,
And know Thy hidden name.

Till Thou the perfect love impart,
Till Thou Thyself bestow,
Be this the cry of every heart,
I will not let Thee go.

I will not let Thee go, unless
Thou tell Thy name to me,
With all Thy great salvation bless,
And make me all like Thee.

Then let me on the mountain top
Behold Thine open face,
While faith in sight is swallow'd up,
And prayer in endless praise.

XXVIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Come, ye followers of the Lord]

“Men ought always to pray, and not to faint.” —Luke xviii. 1.

Come, ye followers of the Lord,
In Jesus' service join;
Jesus gives the sacred word,
The ordinance Divine;

178

Let us His command obey,
And ask, and have whate'er we want;
Pray we, every moment pray,
And never, never faint.

Place no longer let us give
To the old tempter's will;
Never more our duty leave,
While Satan cries Be still!
Stand we in the ancient way,
And here with God ourselves acquaint;
Pray we, &c.

Be it weariness and pain
To slothful flesh and blood,
Yet we will the cross sustain,
And bless the welcome load;
All our griefs to God display,
And humbly pour out our complaint;
Pray we, &c.

Let us patiently endure,
And still our wants declare;
All the promises are sure
To persevering prayer:

179

Till we see the perfect day,
And each wakes up a spotless saint,
Pray we, &c.

Pray we on, when all-renew'd,
And perfected in love,
Till we see the Saviour-God
Descending from above,
All His heavenly charms survey,
Beyond what angel minds can paint,
Pray we, &c.

Pray we, in the realms of light
Till we behold His face;
Faith shall there be lost in sight,
And prayer in endless praise,
Blest through one eternal day,
Possess'd of all that God can grant;
There we need not, cannot pray,
For heaven is all we want.

[ON THE LOSS OF HIS FRIENDS]

XXIX. ON THE LOSS OF HIS FRIENDS.

Hymn 1.

Take these broken reeds away!
On the Rock of Ages I
Calmly now my spirit stay,
Now on Christ alone rely,
Every other prop resign,
Sure the Sinners' Friend is mine.

Fly, my friends, with treacherous speed,
Melt as snow before the sun,
Leave me at my greatest need,
Leave me to my God alone,
To my help which cannot fail,
To my Friend unchangeable.

180

O! how constant is my Lord,
While I to His promise cleave!
True, and faithful to His word,
Me my Lord will never leave,
None shall us by violence part,
None shall tear me from His heart.

Keep me then, my Lord, my Love,
Keep me close to Thy own breast,
Till Thou take me up above,
Till I gain the heavenly rest,
Seated on Thy glorious throne,
With Thyself for ever one.

XXX. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Glory to the awful God!]

Glory to the awful God!
Object of Thy kindest care,
Thankful I adore Thy rod,
Bless Thee for the griefs I bear,
Griefs which all my steps attend,
Hasten on the joyful end.

O how wonderful Thy love,
Most benign, when most severe!
All Thy rivals to remove,
All my hopes of comfort here,
Forcing me to feel, and see,
All on earth is vanity.

Long as in the vale I live,
Calmly in the vale I mourn,
Thankfully my lot receive,
Till I to Thy arms return;
Harden'd in my grief, till I
Sink into Thy arms, and die.

181

Till that welcome hour I see,
Brood I o'er my hoarded grief,
Hug my sacred misery,
Wretched above all relief,
Smile I with superior pain,
Earth, and all its joys disdain.

What a mighty blessing this!
Peace on earth I cannot know,
Cannot taste a moment's bliss,
Stripp'd of all I prized below;
Shall I of my loss complain?
Only heaven is greater gain.

XXXI. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[Disconsolate tenant of clay]

Disconsolate tenant of clay,
In solemn assurance arise,
Thy treasure of sorrow survey,
And look through it all to the skies:
That heavenly house is prepared
For all who are sufferers here,
And wait the return of their Lord,
And long for His day to appear.

Who suffer in Jesus's shame,
Shall triumph in Jesus's love:
A child of affliction I claim
My sure habitation above;
My seal of election is this,
His marks in my body I bear;
My fulness of infinite bliss,
My crown of rejoicing is there.

182

There all the tempestuous blast
Of bitter affliction is o'er,
The spirit is landed at last,
And sorrow and shame are no more,
Temptation and trouble are gone,
The trial is all at an end—
And there I shall cease to bemoan
The loss of my brother, and friend.

'Tis there I shall meet him again
Whose burden through life I must bear,
No longer the cause of my pain,
No longer a fugitive there:
Here only the world could divide,
Here only the tempter could part,
And turn the unwary aside,
And poison the innocent heart.

Then let me with meekness attend
The word that shall summon me home,
The days of my pilgrimage end,
And bury my griefs in the tomb;
The tears shall be wiped from my eyes,
When him I behold with the blest,
Who hasten'd my soul to the skies,
And follow'd me into my rest.

XXXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[O my best, my only Friend]

O my best, my only Friend,
Ever constant, kind, and true,
Let my days of mourning end,
Let me bid the world adieu,
From its vice and vanity
Take, O take me up to Thee.

183

Weary of my friends below,
Friends that quickly melt away,
Friends, that faint to share my woe,
Friends, that promise and betray,
Let me quit the faithless kind,
Truth in Thee alone to find.

O that now my spirit might fail,
Suddenly from earth remove!
Snatch me from the weeping vale,
Bear me to the world above:
There at rest the weary are,
Vex'd with no false brethren there.

Jesu, Lord, when shall it be?
End of all my wishes Thou,
Set my struggling spirit free,
Hasten to my rescue now:
Bid me to the mountain fly,
Get me up this hour, and die.

XXXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Or if Thy great will ordain]

Or if Thy great will ordain
In the vale my longer stay,
Let me cease from wretched man,
Cast the broken reed away,
Give my vainest labour o'er,
Look for faith in man no more.

Pass away the empty shade,
Idle dream of friendship here,
Let the fond idea fade,
Let the vapour disappear:
Human friends, I give you up,
Thou, O Christ, art all my hope.

184

Only Thou canst never be
Wearied out with my complaint:
Crush'd by my own misery,
Oft as at Thy feet I faint,
Thou my grief dost more than share,
Thou dost all my burden bear.

Never will Thy patience fail,
Never leave me in distress,
Though my enemies prevail,
Though my miseries increase,
Though Thou dost my follies see,
Though my faults are known to Thee.

Weak, and wayward as I am,
Naked, indigent, and blind,
Thou dost hide my guilty shame,
Kindly cast my sins behind,
Freely my backslidings heal,
Love the faithless sinner still.

Sinning on so oft, so long,
Though I did Thy Spirit grieve,
Patient Love endured the wrong,
Love refused His spoils to leave;
Though I would from Thee depart,
Love pursued, and broke my heart.

Let me then on Thee rely,
All Thy faithful mercies prove,
Till I meet Thee in the sky,
Till I join the church above,
Love me, love me to the end,
Be my everlasting Friend.

185

XXXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[O my condescending Lord]

O my condescending Lord,
How hast Thou to earth stoop'd down!
Sinners vile and self-abhorr'd
Thou dost for Thy brethren own;
O the grace on man bestow'd,
Man is call'd the friend of God!

What can I desire beside?
Jesus for my friend I claim,
Jesus is my faithful guide,
Happy in His love I am,
Fulness of delight I prove
In His all-sufficient love.

From the faithless sons of men,
Saviour, to Thy arms I flee,
Sweetly on Thy bosom lean,
Find my happiness in Thee,
Happiness that cannot fail,
Gloriously unchangeable.

While I thus my soul recline
On my dear Redeemer's breast,
Need I for the creature pine,
Fondly seek a farther rest,
Still for human friendship sue,
Stoop, ye worms of earth, to you!

Jesus, Thee alone I know,
Monarch of my simple heart,
Thou my only friend below,
Thou my heavenly portion art,
Here, and in eternity,
Thou art all in all to me.

186

XXXV. THE SAME.

Hymn 7.

[Father, take Thy plague away]

Father, take Thy plague away,
And give me back my peace,
In the dark and cloudy day
I show Thee my distress:
Fear, rebuke, and blasphemy
Beset my soul on every side:
See, the helpless sinner see,
For whom Thy Son hath died.

Earth and hell their counsel take
Thy servant to devour,
Do not, Lord, my soul forsake,
Nor leave me to their power;
Be not Thou mine enemy,
Nor in Thy fierce displeasure chide;
See, the helpless sinner see,
For whom Thy Son hath died.

Let the gathering storm descend;
Let the triumphant foe
Sweep away my dearest friend,
My every good below,
Vent his utmost rage on me,
So Thou my God art pacified;
See, the helpless sinner see,
For whom Thy Son hath died.

Lord, I will not deprecate
The utmost sufferings here,
Let the world condemn, and hate,
If Thou in mercy clear:

187

Let them set their brand on me,
So Thou pronounce me justified;
See, the helpless sinner see,
For whom Thy Son hath died.

XXXVI. THE SAME. FOR MIDNIGHT.

Hymn 8.

At this solemn noon of night,
Lo! I rise to sing Thy praise,
All Thy judgments, Lord, are right,
True, and holy all Thy ways:
Dark, and grievous though they be,
Just are all Thy ways to me.

Glory to the God unknown!
Chasten'd from my infant years,
Thy afflictive love I own,
Mingle praises with my tears,
Bless Thee for my troubles past,
Calmly wait to feel the last.

Thee I awfully adore,
Bruised by Thy severest rod;
Strengthen me to suffer more,
Still increase my heaviest load,
Child of sorrow from the womb
Send me weeping to the tomb.

Still in weariness, and pain,
Will I a sad vigil keep;
Lift my mournful eyes again,
Only wake, to pray, and weep;
To my midnight task return,
Bless Thee for my power to mourn.

188

O how gracious is Thy love,
Thus to strip me of my joy!
All my comforts to remove,
All my idols to destroy,
Forced by stress of misery
Happiness to seek in Thee.

Wounded in the tenderest part,
Spoil'd of all my friends below,
Can I thank Thee from my heart,
Bless the Hand that deals the blow?
Lord, beneath Thy hand I bow;
What Thou dost I know not now.

Yet I can Thy mercy praise,
Doom'd my chastening here to feel
That I with the godless race
May not be adjudged to hell;
Lord, for this my thanks receive,
Wretched out of hell, I live.

Of his earthly all bereft
Should a living man complain?
Or have I a blessing left?
Take that blessing back again,
Now my latest good remove,
Give me but at last Thy love.

XXXVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 9.

[O bitter, bitter loss!]

O bitter, bitter loss!
My bosom friend is gone,
My life, and comfort was
Wrapp'd up in him alone:

189

My eyes' and heart's desire is fled,
The intercourse is o'er,
My bosom friend to me is dead,
He loves my soul no more.

To Satan's malice left,
By human furies torn,
Of all my joys bereft,
For none but this I mourn;
As Rachel obstinately grieve,
Disconsolate in woe,
Nor will I ever more receive
Comfort in things below.

I lift my broken heart
To Him that reigns above:
O would He once impart
The medicine of His love!
His only love can be my balm,
My wounded spirit ease;
His only voice the storm can calm,
And bid my sorrows cease.

O wouldst Thou, Lord, appear,
And answer to my cry,
Thy hopeless mourner cheer,
Thy balmy blood apply.
From Thee, the God of pardoning love,
I never would depart,
But seek my whole delight above,
And give Thee all my heart.

Were I from all my pain
Miraculously freed,
Might I receive again
My Isaac from the dead,

190

He still should on Thine altar lie,
Till both translated were,
And met each other in the sky,
And met the Saviour there!

XXXVIII. THE SAME. JONAH'S GOURD.

Hymn 10.

Where is the gourd, that sudden rose
To screen a weary pilgrim's head,
To' assuage the violence of my woes,
And bless me with its cooling shade,
Make all my cares, and sorrows cease,
And turn my anguish into ease?

A worm hath smote my verdant bower,
And lo! how soon it fades away!
It could not stand the morning hour,
Or bear the scorching heat of day:
My wither'd joy, alas, is fled,
My fence is gone—my friend is dead.

Dead, dead are all my hopes below,
On earth I look for no relief:
No pause, or interval of woe,
No respite, or suspense of grief;
My short-lived happiness is o'er,
And human friendship is no more.

The fiery sun's directest ray,
The vehement wind's severest blast,
Beat on me in this evil day:
O might I now complain my last,
Now, now lay down my fainting head,
And weary sink among the dead!

191

Better for me to die, than live
An useless life of grief and pain:
O wouldst Thou, Lord, my spirit receive!
But purge it first from every stain,
From all my foes, and friends set free,
And then receive me up to Thee.

XXXIX. THE SAME.

Hymn 11.

[O 'tis enough! my God, my God]

O 'tis enough! my God, my God,
Thy hand withhold, Thy wrath forbear;
Spare, for I hear the speaking rod,
Thy prodigal in mercy spare,
And in Thy gracious arms embrace,
And kiss the sorrow from my face.

My every idol I resign,
By Thy afflicting love compell'd;
Jesu, the victory is Thine,
Hardly at last I yield, I yield
With every creature-good to part,
I give Thee all this worthless heart.

With solemn dread my life, my fame,
My friend I on Thy altar lay,
All human help, and hope disclaim,
And meekly wait the welcome day,
That shall my weary soul release,
And lull me in eternal peace.

O might I now Thy goodness taste,
And know the pardoning God is mine,
Calmly lament, and groan my last,
Into Thy hands my soul resign,
And plunge into the depths above,
The ocean of Thy heavenly love!

192

XL. THE SAME.

Hymn 12.

[Why should a living child of man]

Why should a living child of man
Beneath the scourge repine,
Or dare with impious grief to' arraign
The righteousness Divine?
Why should I murmur at my load,
And farther still rebel,
So lightly chasten'd by my God,
And not thrust down to hell?

What are the sorest plagues I bear
To those the damn'd sustain?
What is my temporal despair
To their eternal pain?
My sins demand their dreadful hire,
My sins for vengeance call,
And short of that infernal fire
'Tis grace and mercy all.

What though my soul with shame is fill'd,
My heart o'erwhelm'd with dread,
What though my tender joys are kill'd,
And every comfort fled;
What though my darling Isaac I
Am forced to offer up,
And live, when all my blessings die,
And drink the bitterest cup:

Shall I resent my slighted love,
Or mourn my murder'd fame,
Worthy the hate of all above,
And everlasting shame!

193

The loss of one weak, faithless friend,
Still, still shall I bemoan,
When God, whose favours never end,
May yet be all my own?

God of my life, to Thy decree
I humbly now submit,
Accept my punishment from Thee,
And tremble at Thy feet:
Whate'er Thy will inflicts I take,
Till all Thy plagues are past;
But while my soul I render back,
O give me peace at last.

XLI. THE SAME. THANKSGIVING TO GOD FOR HIS DISAPPOINTMENTS.

Hymn 13.

God of my life, how good, how wise
Thy judgments on my soul have been!
They were but mercies in disguise,
The painful remedies of sin:
How different now Thy ways appear,
Most merciful when most severe!

Since first the maze of life I trod,
Hast Thou not hedged about my way,
My worldly vain designs withstood,
And robb'd my passions of their prey,
Withheld the fuel from the fire,
And cross'd my every fond desire?

Trouble, and loss, and grief, and pain
Have crowded all my forty years;
I never could my wish obtain,
And own at last with joyful tears

194

The man whom God delights to bless,
He never curses with success.

How oft didst Thou my soul withhold,
And baffle my pursuit of fame,
And mortify my lust of gold,
And blast me in my surest aim,
Withdraw my animal delight,
And starve my grovelling appetite!

Thy goodness, obstinate to save,
Hath all my airy schemes o'erthrown,
My will Thou wouldst not let me have;
With blushing thankfulness I own
I envied oft the swine their meat,
But could not gain the husks to eat.

Thou wouldst not let Thy captive go,
Or leave me to my carnal will,
Thy love forbad my rest below,
Thy patient love pursued me still,
And forced me from my sin to part,
And tore the idol from my heart.

Joy of mine eyes, and more beloved
(Forgive me, gracious God!) than Thee,
Thy sudden stroke far off removed,
And stopp'd my vile idolatry,
And drove me from the idol's shrine,
And cast me at the feet Divine.

But can I now the loss lament,
Or murmur at Thy friendly blow?
Thy friendly blow my spirit hath rent,
From every seeming good below;
Thrice happy loss, which makes me see
My happiness is all in Thee.

195

How shall I bless Thy thwarting love,
So near in my temptation's hour!
It flew my ruin to remove,
It snatch'd me from my nature's power,
Broke off my grasp of creature good,
And plunged me in the' atoning blood.

See then at last I all resign,
I yield me up Thy lawful prey:
Take this poor, long-sought soul of mine,
And bear me in Thine arms away,
Whence I may never more remove,
Secure in Thy eternal love.

XLII. WRITTEN WHEN UNDER REPROACH.

O my Galilean King,
Can I glory in this shame?
Can I this dishonour bring,
As a suffering for Thy name?
Lord, Thou know'st, and Thou alone,
All our hearts to Thee are known.

Naked, and without disguise
In Thy sight my spirit stands:
Have I not from outward vice
Wash'd, in innocence, my hands,
From the great transgression free?
Lord, I dare appeal to Thee.

Inwardly like other men,
Wholly born in sin I am:
Only Thou didst still restrain
For the honour of Thy name;
Kept by Thine almighty grace,
Thee I render all the praise.

196

Nought have I whereof to boast,
Only sin to me belongs,
Scorn of the Philistine host,
Subject of the drunkard's songs,
Mark of Pharisaic zeal,
All the virtuous rage of hell.

Master, is it not for Thee?
If I suffer for Thy cause,
Bless the sacred infamy,
Crown the scandal of Thy cross,
Now the peaceful answer give,
Let me now Thy love receive.

Me if Thou hadst never sent,
Satan's strongest holds to' o'erthrow,
Would he thus his malice vent,
Stir up all his powers below,
Make me as his children black;
Would he his own kingdom shake?

Lord, my time is in Thy hand:
Judged in man's unrighteous day,
Let me in Thy judgment stand,
When the wicked melt away,
Vindicate Thy servant there,
Clear me at the last great bar!

XLIII. ANOTHER.

[Thou Man of Griefs, I fain would be]

Thou Man of Griefs, I fain would be
Perfectly conform'd to Thee:
Bestow the patient power,
The meekness of my injured Lamb,
And arm me for the fiery hour
Of suffering for Thy name.

197

Unknown to men, and meanly born,
Happy object of their scorn,
Content to live obscure,
And all things, but Thy favour, need,
And want, as my great Master poor,
A place to lay my head.

When call'd to testify Thy grace,
Set as adamant my face,
My steadfast heart prepare:
Rejected, and abhorr'd of men,
O might I all Thy burden bear,
And glory in Thy pain.

Such honour all Thy saints possess,
Sufferers for righteousness:
Such honour I have here;
But O! Thy righteousness I want,
I want to' endure till Thou appear,
And never, never faint.

Give me to triumph in Thy shame,
Branded with a madman's name,
A false, deceiving liar,
A winebibber, and glutton too,
I rise in sacred scandal higher,
And all Thy steps pursue.

The world that mock'd, and slander'd Thee,
Let them scorn and blacken me,
Pervert my good to evil,
(The lot my Lord did first receive,)
And falsely cry, he hath a devil,
And is not fit to live.

198

By bosom friends betray'd, forsook,
Let me to my Pattern look,
No human help desire,
But stand, secure without defence,
And force the heathen judge to' admire
My speechless innocence.

Let all in Satan's counsel join,
Jews and Gentiles both combine,
People and priests conspire
To drive me to my heavenly home,
And hoary Caiaphas require
The vile blasphemer's doom.

Happy, for ever happy I,
Sentenced on Thy cross to die!
But shall a sinner dare
Aspire to such a glorious grace?
Thou know'st I would Thy passion share,
And die to see Thy face.

I would for Thee my life resign,
Suffer in the strength Divine;
Through love's almighty power,
Would tread the path my Jesus trod,
And calmly meet the fiery hour,
Resisting unto blood.

Ah! let it not my Lord displease,
That I long for my release!
Thy mind to me be given,
Thy Spirit breathe within my heart,
And let my soul, by violence driven,
Into Thy arms depart.

199

Among the slaughter'd souls might I
Underneath the altar cry,
How long Thou True and Holy,
Dost Thou delay to' avenge our blood!
Come, Lord, and glorify us fully,
The martyr'd saints of God.

[DESIRING DEATH]

XLIV. DESIRING DEATH.

Hymn 1.

To languish for his native air,
Can the poor wandering exile cease?
The tired his wish of rest forbear?
The tortured help desiring ease?
The slave no more for freedom sigh?
Or I no longer pine to die?

As shipwreck'd mariners desire
With eager grasp to reach the shore,
As hirelings long to' obtain their hire,
And veterans wish their warfare o'er,
I languish from this earth to flee,
And gasp for immortality.

To heaven I lift my mournful eyes,
And all within me groans How long?
O were I landed in the skies!
The bitter loss, the cruel wrong
Should there no more my soul molest,
Or break my everlasting rest.

No faithless friend shall there be found
To mock me with his offers vain,
By deep ingratitude to wound,
To cause, and then upbraid my pain,
To leave me at my greatest need,
Or trample on my sinking head.

200

In that Jerusalem above,
No pain the happy spirit meets,
No sense of ill-requited love,
No sad complaining in their streets;
Crying, and curse, and death are o'er;
And there temptation is no more.

O could I break this fleshly fence,
Drop all my sorrows in the tomb,
On angels' wings remove from hence,
And fly this happy moment home,
Quit the dark house of mouldering clay,
And launch into eternal day!

XLV. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[O sorrowful soul]

O sorrowful soul,
Thy measure is full,
Thy cup it runs o'er,
On earth thou canst sorrow, and suffer no more.

My comfort is fled,
My joy is all dead,
Extinguish'd my hope,
And never again I on earth shall look up.

In patient distress
From the creature I cease,
Disdain the relief,
Which can neither remove, nor diminish my grief.

From the things that are seen,
From the children of men,
To the comforts I fly,
To the joys, and the pleasures that never shall die.

201

From the world I remove
To a city above,
Whose basis stands fast,
And long as the heavenly Founder shall last.

No mournful complaints
In a city of saints,
No evil, or sin,
No want, or temptation can ever break in.

No curse to annoy,
No death to destroy,
No trouble, or care,
No anguish, or sorrow, or crying is there.

The King of the place
Shall show me His face;
The rapturous sight
Shall fill me with pure and unfading delight.

O thrice-blessed hope!
Even now it lifts up
My soul to the skies,
And wipes for a moment the tears from my eyes.

The vale I look through
To the glory in view,
That eternal reward
For all, who endure to the end with their Lord.

For that heavenly prize
The cross I despise,
Till with life I lay down
The burden, through which I inherit the crown.

202

XLVI. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[Great Author of my being]

Great Author of my being,
Who seest mine inward care,
The ills of Thy decreeing
Enable me to bear;
The justice of Thy sentence
With meekest awe to own,
And spend in deep repentance
My last expiring groan.

The grief beyond expressing
To me, to me impart,
I ask this only blessing
An humble broken heart:
The spirit of contrition
O might I now receive,
For all my soul's ambition
Is worthily to grieve.

In sacred melancholy
I would through life abide,
And wail my days of folly,
My years of sin, and pride,
Far from the paths of pleasure,
Disdaining all relief,
Would count my mournful treasure,
And hug my hoard of grief.

Be this my constant care
From all delight to flee,
And suffer none to share
My sacred misery;

203

No succour, or compassion
Of feeble man I crave,
No earthly consolation,
Or refuge—but the grave.

The friend, whom once I wanted
To mitigate my woe,
Revoked as soon as granted,
I calmly now forego;
My latest strife is over,
The fleeting good to stay,
Nor would I, Lord, recover
Whom Thou hast snatch'd away.

Thou know'st my heart's desire
Is only to be gone,
And silently retire,
And live, and die alone:
No sweet companion near
To catch my latest sighs,
My dying words to hear,
Or close these weary eyes.

Only Thou God of power,
Thou God of love attend,
In that decisive hour,
When pain with life shall end:
Thou only bear my burden,
And help my last distress,
And give me back my pardon,
And bid me die in peace.

O for Thy Jesus' merit,
The forfeiture restore,
And land my fainting spirit
On yonder happy shore:

204

In safety waft me over,
And harbour in Thy breast,
And let me there recover
Mine everlasting rest.

XLVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[To the fountain of Thy blood]

To the fountain of Thy blood
With trembling haste I fly;
Wash me, O my pardoning God,
From crimes of deepest dye;
Purge my every crimson stain,
And give my burden'd conscience ease,
Turn me to my rest again,
And bid me die in peace.

None of all Thy gifts below
Do I, O Lord, desire,
Grant me but Thy love to know,
And quietly expire;
From my sin's, my body's chain
This weary wretched soul release;
Turn me, &c.

If Thou canst, the whole remit
Of what I feel, and fear,
Send me up out of the pit
Of temporal despair:
All the sad arrears of pain
Discharge by Thy own righteousness;
Turn me, &c.

Let the punishment suffice
I have already borne,
Wipe the sorrow from my eyes,
And bid me now return;

205

Me a wretched sinful man
Redeem from all my sinfulness:
Turn me, &c.

Weak, and coward as I am,
I dare no longer live:
Hide me from my grief, and shame,
And to Thyself receive:
Might I now the port obtain,
Might all these storms and sorrows cease!
Turn me, &c.

Plunge me in the purple tide
Of Thy atoning blood;
Take me, Lord, into Thy side,
And bring me pure to God:
If Thou hast not died in vain,
The purchase of Thy passion seize;
Turn me to my rest again,
And bid me die in peace.

XLVIII. THE SAME. AT LYING DOWN.

Hymn 5.

When shall I lay down my head
On my softest, earthen bed,
Have the rest I fain would have,
Sink into the quiet grave!

When shall I my haven find,
Leave my cares and griefs behind,
Gain the good for which I weep,
Close mine eyes in lasting sleep!

206

Might I now escape away,
Quit the tenement of clay,
Take my unsuspected flight,
Steal into the world of light.

Only this do I desire,
Change, and O! my soul require,
Come, my Lord, and Saviour come,
Now prepare, and take me home.

Now pronounce the welcome word,
Pardon, and receive me, Lord;
Now the hallowing blood apply,
Bid me lay me down, and die.

Work a sudden work of grace,
Cut it short in righteousness,
Liken'd to the saints in light,
Call me hence this happy night.

Save me now from all my fears,
Let me pour my latest tears,
Ere I see the' approaching morn,
Bid my spirit to God return;

Breathless leave this heavy clod,
Faint into the arms of God,
Glide in blissful dreams away,
Wake in everlasting day.

XLIX. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Thou wretched man of sorrow]

Thou wretched man of sorrow,
Whose eyes all day o'erflow,
Indulge thy grief, and borrow
The night for farther woe;

207

In ceaseless lamentation
Thy solemn moments spend,
And groan thy expectation,
That pain with life shall end.

Till then in fix'd despair
Of all relief I live,
My utmost burden bear,
And now retire to grieve;
To taste my only pleasure,
In secret sighs complain,
Augment my mournful treasure,
And aggravate my pain.

To pain and grief inured
I from the womb have been,
And all the rage endured,
And all the shame of sin,
Wander'd my forty years
Throughout the desert wide,
And in ten thousand fears
Ten thousand deaths have died.

Eternal death's sad sentence
I still, alas, receive;
With fruitless, vain repentance
For final mercy grieve:
The agony of temptation
I every moment feel,
As doom'd to desperation,
As rushing into hell.

My comforts all are blasted,
My Comforter is gone:
The joy which once I tasted,
O that I ne'er had known!

208

The gourd which soothed my anguish
Is wither'd o'er my head,
And faint with grief I languish
To sink among the dead.

From all I suffer here,
(If God my sins forgive,)
From all I feel, and fear,
I there redeem'd shall live:
No serpent to deceive me,
No sin to stain my thought,
No loss, or wrong to grieve me,
Where all things are forgot.

No heart-distracting passion
Is there to break my peace,
But joy without cessation,
And love without excess:
Of paradise secure,
I shall no longer mourn;
The bliss is full, and sure,
The rose without a thorn.

Safe on the happy shore,
My soul the storm defies,
Where pain afflicts no more,
And grief no longer cries:
In that celestial city
From all our toils we cease,
And lose our sighing pity
In universal bliss.

In hope of that salvation
I feel a moment's rest,
The calm of expectation
Has stole into my breast;

209

I weep at rescue near,
I struggle to be gone,
And joy is in the tear,
And God is in the groan!

Hear then Thy own petition,
And suddenly release,
And crown my sole ambition,
And let me die in peace:
Or lengthen out my care
To threescore years and ten,
But then in mercy spare,
But O! receive me then!

L. THE SAME. IN WEARINESS.

Hymn 7.

Worn out with long fatigue, and pain,
Let my feeble flesh complain,
Or fail beneath its load;
My spirit shall superior rise,
Regaining swift her native skies,
And sooner reach her God.

Too long this corruptible clay
Clouded the ethereal ray,
And press'd my spirit down;
A gainer now by every loss,
I find in weariness a cross
That lifts me to a crown.

Of pain I now advantage make,
Meekly bear it for His sake,
Who suffer'd death for me:
To suffer death for Him I wait,
And pain shall open wide the gate
Of immortality.

210

O blessed hope of lasting peace!
Let me lawfully decrease,
And sensibly decay:
Welcome whate'er my Lord ordain,
Disease, or weariness, or pain,
To hasten me away.

I come, with eager joy I come
To my everlasting home,
Where toil and sorrow end,
Where all my stores of grief shall fail,
And I no more in groans bewail
My poor departed friend.

In that Jerusalem above
All is harmony and love,
And joy without a sting:
The tears are banish'd from our eyes,
And not a single sigh can rise,
Where saints for ever sing.

O might I, from this dungeon freed,
Now lay down my weary head,
My mournful soul resign,
This moment meet the' appointed day,
And faint, and sink, and die away
Into the arms Divine.

LI. THE SAME.

Hymn 8.

[Jesu, help Thy fallen creature!]

Jesu, help Thy fallen creature!
Conqueror of the world Thou art,
Stronger than the fiend, and greater
Than this poor rebellious heart.

211

Power, I know, to Thee is given,
Power to sentence or release,
Power to shut, or open heaven;
Thou alone hast all the keys.

Open then, in great compassion,
Open mercy's door to me,
Out of mighty tribulation
Bring me forth Thy face to see;
O cut short my days of mourning,
Quickly to my rescue come,
Let me suddenly returning
Reach my everlasting home.

Hear me, Lord, myself bemoaning,
Banish'd from my native place,
Languishing for God, and groaning
To appear before Thy face:
From this bodily oppression
Set my earnest spirit free,
Give me now the full possession,
Let me now Thy glory see.

If Thou ever didst discover
To my faith the promised land,
Bid me now the stream pass over,
On that heavenly border stand,
Now surmount whate'er opposes,
Into Thine embraces fly;
Speak the word Thou spak'st to Moses,
Bid me get me up, and die.

212

LII. THE SAME.

Hymn 9.

[Weary world of sin, and anguish]

Weary world of sin, and anguish,
How I long from thee to fly!
Fainting for relief I languish,
Dying through desire to die:
O my life, my only treasure,
Let me cast it all behind,
Now fill up my mournful measure,
Now my heavenly Canaan find.

Never shipwreck'd mariner wanted
More to reach the distant shore,
Never wandering exile panted
For his native country more:
Hear my earnest supplication,
Thou who only canst release,
Show me now Thy full salvation,
Let me now depart in peace.

Hear me, Lord, my suit redouble,
Till the promise I obtain,
Cease from all my grief, and trouble,
Everlasting comfort gain:
Can it be to Thee displeasing
That I fain Thy face would see,
Eager for the mighty blessing,
All on fire to die for Thee?

Present with me in temptation,
Thou my troubled soul hast known,
All my sorrow, and vexation,
All my fear to Thee I own:

213

Lord, I would not live to grieve Thee,
Would not from Thy bosom stray;
Place me, where I cannot leave Thee,
Now transport my soul away.

LIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 10.

[O might the gracious Hand]

O might the gracious Hand
Which into being brought,
Transport me to that quiet land,
Where all things are forgot!
That land of settled rest,
Where fear, and grief is o'er,
And loss, and pain no more molest,
And sin torments no more.

This mountain load of care,
This bitterness of shame,
This memory—I shall lose it there,
With all I feel, and am:
In sweet oblivion drown'd
My sorrows all shall cease;
There only peace for me is found,
A sure eternal peace.

I dare not hope to see
My sufferings end below,
But wait the hour that sets me free
From life, and all its woe:
No gleam of joy shall steal
Into this wretched heart,
Till God His perfect love reveal,
And bid me hence depart.

214

Harden'd in just despair
I hug the destined cross,
The wound incurable I bear,
The' irreparable loss:
The pangs through which I groan
On earth shall never end,
For O! eternity alone
Can give me back my friend.

O happy, happy hope,
(My only hope of bliss,)
I, even I, shall there look up,
And see my troubles cease;
Beyond the cruel power
Of sin I there shall be,
I, even I, shall reach the shore
Of calm eternity.

Come then, my friendly foes,
With kindest violence come,
Fill up the measure of my woes,
Hasten my spirit home.
Let grief, and loss, and shame
With men and devils join,
To drive a wretch—without a name—
Into the arms Divine.

LIV. ON THE DEATH OF SAMUEL HITCHENS.

Hymn 11.

Again we lift our voice,
And shout our solemn joys!

215

Cause of highest rapture this,
Rapture that shall never fail,
See a soul escaped to bliss,
Keep the Christian festival!

Our friend is gone before
To that celestial shore!
He hath left his mates behind,
He hath all these storms outrode,
Found the rest we toil to find,
Landed in the arms of God.

And shall we mourn to see
Our fellow-prisoner free?
Free from doubts, and griefs, and fears,
In the haven of the skies!
Can we weep to see the tears
Wiped for ever from his eyes?

No, dear companion, no!
We gladly let thee go
From a suffering church beneath
To a reigning church above:
Thou hast more than conquer'd death,
Thou art crown'd with life, and love.

Thou in thy youthful prime
Hast leap'd the bounds of time;
Suddenly from earth released,
Lo! we now rejoice for thee,
Taken to an early rest,
Caught into eternity.

Thither we all repair,
That glorious bliss to share;

216

We shall see the welcome day,
We shall to the summons bow:
Come, Redeemer, come away,
Now prepare, and take us now!

LV. FOR ONE DEPARTING.

Hymn 12.

Happy soul, thy days are ended,
All thy mourning days below:
Go, by angel guards attended,
To the sight of Jesus go!
Waiting to receive thy spirit,
Lo! the Saviour stands above,
Shows the purchase of His merit,
Reaches out the crown of love.

Struggle through thy latest passion
To thy dear Redeemer's breast,
To His uttermost salvation,
To His everlasting rest:
For the joy He sets before thee,
Bear a momentary pain,
Die, to live the life of glory,
Suffer, with thy Lord to reign.

[ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND]

LVI. ON THE DEATH OF A FRIEND.

Hymn 13.

Farewell thou once a sinner,
My poor afflicted friend!
Thy Lord, thy faith's Beginner,
Is now its glorious End!

217

The Author of thy being
Hath summon'd thee away,
And faith is lost in seeing,
And night in endless day.

Thy days of pain and mourning,
Thy punishment is past,
And to thy God returning
Thy soul is saved at last:
Saved from a world of evils,
With Jesus Christ shut in,
Beyond the range of devils,
Beyond the reach of sin.

No more o'erwhelm'd with terrors,
Or rack'd with doubts thou art,
No more the' Almighty's arrows
Transfix thy bleeding heart:
No more thy wounded spirit
Faints under its full load,
Or cries, What man can bear it,
The heavy wrath of God!

The waves and storms of passion
Are all pass'd o'er thy head,
From trouble and temptation
Thou livest for ever freed:
No loss of friends shall grieve thee,
While all thy Eden share;
They cannot, cannot leave thee,
Thy kind companions there.

With those that went before thee,
The saints of ancient days,
Who shine in sacred story,
Thy soul hath found its place:

218

Acquainted with their sadness,
While in the weeping vale,
Thou sharest now their gladness,
And joys that never fail.

Thine earthly course is ended,
Thou hast obtain'd the prize,
Triumphantly ascended
To God in paradise:
From all thy care and sorrow
Thou art escaped to-day—
And I shall mount to-morrow,
And I shall soar away.

Jesus, my hope of glory,
I owe it to Thy grace,
That I shall soon adore Thee,
And see Thee face to face:
Fulfil my expectation,
And O! to take me home,
With all Thy great salvation,
This happy moment come!

LVII. ANOTHER.

Hymn 14.

[While angel choirs their harps employ]

While angel choirs their harps employ,
Strung with everlasting joy,
A stranger to receive,
Our joy with sorrow mix'd we find,
The widow'd friends he left behind,
And innocently grieve.

Stripp'd of her choicest blessing here,
Nature drops a blameless tear,
From all impatience kept:

219

Calm we bewail our friend removed,
As Jesus mourn'd for His beloved;
He died; and Jesus wept!

Our loss we solemnly deplore,
Not like men who hope no more
Their ravish'd friend to see,
Sure to o'ertake his parted soul,
In grief, in death, our hope is full
Of immortality.

Superior to ourselves we rise,
Struggle after to the skies,
And antedate the day,
When coming in the clouds we shall
The Judge of quick and dead with all
His glorious saints survey.

Amidst that bright ethereal train
We shall find our friend again,
Distinguish'd in the throng;
Our spirits shall his spirit know,
And sing with all we loved below
The Lamb's eternal song.

[ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS BEARD, WHO WAS IMPRESSED FOR A SOLDIER, AND DIED IN THE HOSPITAL AT NEWCASTLE.]

LVIII. ON THE DEATH OF THOMAS BEARD, WHO WAS IMPRESSED FOR A SOLDIER, AND DIED IN THE HOSPITAL AT NEWCASTLE.

Hymn 15.

Soldier of Christ, adieu!
Thy conflicts here are past,
Thy Lord hath brought thee through,
And given the crown at last:

220

Rejoice to wear the glorious prize,
Rejoice with God in paradise.

There all thy sufferings cease,
There all thy griefs are o'er,
The prisoner is at peace,
The mourner weeps no more;
From man's oppressive tyranny
Thou liv'st, thou liv'st for ever free.

Torn from thy friends below
In banishment severe,
A man of strife, and woe,
No more thou wanderest here,
Join'd to thy better friends above,
At rest in thy Redeemer's love.

No longer now constrain'd
With human fiends to dwell,
To see their evil pain'd,
Their blasphemies to feel:
Angels and saints thy comrades are,
And all adore the Saviour there.

Thou canst not there bemoan
Thy friends' or country's loss,
Through sore oppression groan,
Or faint beneath the cross;
The joy hath swallow'd up the pain,
And death is thy eternal gain.

What hath their malice done
Who hurried hence thy soul?
When half thy race was run,
They push'd thee to the goal,
Sent to the souls supremely blest,
And drove thee to thy earlier rest!

221

Thou out of great distress
To thy reward art past,
Triumphant happiness,
And joys that always last:
Thanks be to God, who set thee free,
And gave the final victory.

Thy victory we share,
Thy glorious joy we feel,
Parted in flesh we are,
But join'd in spirit still:
And still we on our brethren call
To praise the common Lord of all.

Not for your needless aid,
Not for your useless prayers,
(Jesus for us hath pray'd,
And all our burdens bears,)
Yet still on you we call, and cry,
Extol the Lord of earth and sky.

Thus let us still maintain
Our fellowship Divine,
And till we meet again
In Jesus' praises join,
Thus, till we all your raptures know,
Sing you above, and we below!

LIX. ANOTHER.

Hymn 16.

[All worship and love]

All worship and love
To the Father above,
Who hath summon'd another His glory to prove:
Who in pity and grace
Hath shorten'd his race,
And caught up a worm to the sight of His face.

222

Our friend is at rest
In a paradise blest,
Which sorrow, and Satan can never molest:
He hath shook off his clay,
He is wafted away,
And escaped to the regions of permanent day.

Thrice-happy remove
To a country above,
Where all are employ'd in the triumph of love!
We thitherward tend,
We too shall ascend,
And begin the enjoyment which never shall end.

For this do we mourn,
Till by angels upborne,
We again to our heavenly border return:
Caught up in the air
We soon shall be there,
And our happy, unfading inheritance share.

What joy shall abound,
When our brethren around
The throne of our glorious Redeemer are found!
When our comrades in pain
We embrace them again,
And in Jesus's bosom eternally reign.

With loving surprise
The whole company cries,
How strangely at last are we met in the skies!
What a wonder of grace
Transcending our praise,
That we should be seen in this holiest place!

223

Poor sinners below,
Acquainted with woe,
How heavily once with our load did we go!
In trials severe
How oft did we fear
We should never hold out, we should never come here!

Fellow-prisoners beneath,
Our sorrowful breath
We wasted in passionate wishes for death;
Our evils so rife,
So painful our strife,
And so long did it seem the sad moment of life!

That moment is past!
We are landed at last,
We are safely arrived, where our anchor was cast:
On Immanuel's land
With a numberless band,
Of cherubs and seraphs exulting we stand.

For a moment of pain
We on earth did sustain,
An eternal reward we in heaven obtain:
Who governs the skies
Hath banish'd our sighs,
And the Lamb He hath wiped all the tears from our eyes.

No uneasy alloy
Shall sully our joy,
While our harps in Immanuel's praise we employ;
Not a dissonant string
Shall be heard while we sing
With the chorus of angels, our Saviour and King.

224

Our Saviour we own
Who sits on the throne,
Salvation ascribe to the Father and Son!
We are saved by the Lamb!
Let all heaven proclaim,
Let all heaven bow down to the Wonderful Name.

Our Jesus surround
With majesty crown'd,
And Amen to our praises ye seraphim sound:
Lo! He shows us His face!
Ye seraphim gaze,
Or fall, and adore in the spirit of praise.

Thus, thus let us lie,
Till raised by His eye,
Hallelujah, again Hallelujah we cry!
Progressively move,
And in rapture improve,
And eternity spend to the praise of His love.

LX. ON THE DEATH OF ALEXANDER WHITE.

Hymn 17.

O what a soul-transporting sight
Mine eyes to-day have seen,
A spectacle of strange delight
To angels, and to men!
Nor human language can express,
Nor tongue of angels paint
The vast mysterious happiness
Of a departing saint!

225

See there, ye misbelieving race,
The wisdom from above!
Behold in that pale, smiling face
The power of Him we love.
How calmly through the mortal vale
He walks with Christ his Guide,
And treads down all the powers of hell,
And owns the Crucified!

Where is the king of terrors? where
The pomp of deadly pain?
A child of God his frowns can dare,
And all his darts disdain:
“The king of fears,” he greatly cries,
“Can never frighten me,
Who grasp through death the glorious prize
Of immortality.

“The life, which in my spirit dwells,
He never can destroy,
And all the pain my body feels
Is swallow'd up in joy.
Jesus doth all my burdens bear:
And gladly I commend
The objects of my latest care
To my eternal Friend.

“Whate'er ye ask, whate'er ye want,
My Lord shall richly give:
The blessing of a dying saint
On all your souls I leave.
Come, follow to that happy place,
Our Master's joy to see,
For O! in one short moment's space
Ye all shall rest with me.

226

“Rejoice, my friends, I go before,
To meet my happy doom,
And tell them on the heavenly shore,
Ye all are hastening home.
For me my Father's chariot waits,
I see the flaming steeds,
And lo! the everlasting gates
Lift up their pearly heads!

“The blessed messenger is sent
To lead me to the throne,
Above that starry firmament,
Above that glimmering sun.
The angel beckons me away
To fairer worlds on high:
And let me now the call obey,
And lay me down, and die.

“At this thrice welcome time of grace,
When God for me was born,
Made ready for His kind embrace,
My spirit shall return.
To-day I shall with rapture see
The Child to mortals given,
And kiss the' Incarnate Deity,
And keep the feast in heaven.

“Even now the earnest He reveals
Of my eternal rest,
The' immeasurable comfort swells
This weak transported breast:
My body fails, my soul wants air,
And gasps for its remove,
So much of heaven I cannot bear,
I am too full of love.”

227

Thrice happy soul! by special grace
So highly favour'd here,
To sound in death the Saviour's praise,
And breathe the Comforter:
On earth to' enjoy the blissful sight
To dying Stephen given,
And see his Lord enthroned in light,
And see his opening heaven.

That heavenly bliss, when language fails,
His every look displays,
And every smile divinely tells
The raptures of the place.
The glory, while he lays it down,
Shines through the sinking clay,
And lo! without a parting groan,
The soul ascends away!

Without a groan the Christian dies!
But not without a word:
On me, on me, he loudly cries,
To meet our common Lord.
He calls me by my worthless name,
My soul he beckons home:
And lo! in Jesus' hands I am,
And lo! I gladly come!

Witness my undissembled tears,
If here I wish to stay,
Or rather to shake off my fears,
And corruptible clay.
Witness the Searcher of my heart,
Whose absence I bemoan,
And pine, and languish to depart,
And struggle to be gone.

228

Lord, if Thou didst indeed inspire
Thy servant's dying breast,
And fill him with Thine own desire,
That I with Thee might rest;
Thine own desire in me fulfil,
Thy perfect love dispense,
And freely my backslidings heal,
And now transport me hence.

[HYMNS OF INTERCESSION]

LXI. HYMNS OF INTERCESSION.

Hymn 1.

Head of Thy church, whose Spirit fills,
And flows through every faithful soul,
Unites in mystic love, and seals
Them one, and simplifies the whole;

Less than the least of saints, I join
My littleness of faith to theirs;
O King of all, Thine ear incline,
Accept our much availing prayers.

Come, Lord, the glorious Spirit cries,
And souls beneath the altar groan;
Come, Lord, the bride on earth replies,
And perfect all our souls in one.

Pour out the promised gift on all,
Answer the universal Come,
The fulness of the gentiles call,
And take Thine ancient people home.

To Thee let all the nations flow,
Let all obey the gospel word,
Let all their bleeding Saviour know,
Fill'd with the glory of the Lord.

229

O for Thy truth and mercy sake,
The purchase of Thy passion claim,
Thine heritage the gentiles take,
And cause the world to know Thy name.

Thee, Lord, let every tongue confess,
Let every knee to Jesus bow:
O! all redeeming Prince of peace,
We long to see Thy kingdom now.

Hasten that kingdom of Thy grace,
And take us to our heavenly home,
And let us now behold Thy face:
Come, glorious God, to judgment come!

LXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[O Thou our Husband, Brother, Friend]

O Thou our Husband, Brother, Friend,
Behold a cloud of incense rise,
The prayers of saints to heaven ascend,
Grateful, unceasing sacrifice.

Regard our prayers for Sion's peace,
Shed in our hearts Thy love abroad;
Thy gifts abundantly increase,
Enlarge, and fill us all with God.

Before Thy sheep, great Shepherd, go,
And guide into Thy perfect will;
Cause us Thy hallow'd name to know,
The work of faith with power fulfil.

Help us to make our calling sure,
O! let us all be saints indeed,
And pure as God Himself is pure,
Conform'd in all things to our Head.

230

Take the dear purchase of Thy blood;
Thy blood shall wash us white as snow,
Present us sanctified to God,
And perfected in love below.

That blood which cleanses from all sin,
That efficacious blood apply,
And wash, and make us throughly clean,
And change, and wholly sanctify.

From all iniquity redeem,
Cleanse by the water and the word,
And free from every touch of blame,
And make the servants as their Lord.

Wash out the deep, original stain,
And make us glorious all within,
No wrinkle on our souls remain,
No smallest spot of inbred sin.

Then, when the perfect life of love
The bride and all her children live,
Come down, and take us from above,
And to Thy heaven of heavens receive.

LXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[O most compassionate High-Priest]

O most compassionate High-Priest,
Full of all grace we know Thou art;
Faith puts its hands upon Thy breast,
And feels beneath Thy panting heart.

231

Thy panting heart for sinners bleeds;
Thy mercies and compassions move;
Thy groaning Spirit intercedes,
And yearn the bowels of Thy love.

Hear then the pleading Spirit's prayer,
(The Spirit's will to Thee is known,)
For all who now Thy sufferings share,
And still for full redemption groan.

Poor tempted souls, with tempests toss'd,
And strangers to a moment's peace;
Disconsolate, afflicted, lost,
Lost in an howling wilderness.

Torn with an endless war within,
Vex'd with the flesh and Spirit's strife,
And struggling in the toils of sin,
And agonizing into life.

O! let the prisoners' mournful cries
As incense in Thy sight appear!
Their humble wailings pierce the skies,
If haply they may feel Thee near.

The captive exiles make their moans,
From sin impatient to be free:
Call home, call home Thy banish'd ones!
Lead captive their captivity!

Show them the blood that bought their peace,
The anchor of their steadfast hope;
And bid their guilty terrors cease,
And bring the ransom'd prisoners up.

Out of the deep regard their cries,
The fallen raise, the mourners cheer;
O Sun of Righteousness, arise,
And scatter all their doubt, and fear!

232

Pity the day of feeble things:
O! gather every halting soul,
And drop salvation from Thy wings,
And make the contrite sinner whole.

Stand by them in the fiery hour,
Their feebleness of mind defend;
And in their weakness show Thy power,
And make them patient to the end.

O! satisfy their soul in drought;
Give them Thy saving health to see,
And let Thy mercy find them out;
And let Thy mercy reach to me.

Hast Thou the work of grace begun,
And brought them to the birth in vain?
O let Thy children see the sun!
Let all their souls be born again.

Relieve the souls whose cross we bear,
For whom Thy suffering members mourn;
Answer our faith's effectual prayer:
Bid every struggling child be born.

Hark, how Thy turtle-dove complains,
And see us weep for Sion's woe!
Pity Thy suffering people's pains;
Avenge us of our inbred foe.

Whom Thou hast bound, O Lord, expel,
And take his armour all away;
The man of sin, the child of hell,
The devil in our nature slay.

Him, and his works at once destroy,
The being of all sin erase,
And turn our mourning into joy,
And clothe us with the robes of praise.

233

Then, when our sufferings all are past,
O! let us pure and perfect be,
And gain our calling's prize at last,
For ever sanctified in Thee.

LXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Author of faith, we seek Thy face]

Author of faith, we seek Thy face,
For all who feel Thy work begun;
Confirm, and stablish them in grace,
And bring Thy feeblest children on.

Thou seest their wants Thou know'st their names:
Be mindful of Thy youngest care;
Be tender of Thy new-born lambs,
And gently in Thy bosom bear.

The lion roaring for his prey,
With ravening wolves on every side,
Watch over them to tear, and slay,
If found one moment from their Guide.

Satan his thousand arts essays,
His agents all their powers employ,
To blast the blooming work of grace,
The heavenly offspring to destroy.

Baffle the crooked serpent's skill,
And turn his sharpest dart aside;
Hide from their eyes the devilish ill,
O save them from the plague of pride.

The dreaming, visionary fiend
Unmask, and drag to open light,
And let his wild illusions end,
And chase him to eternal night.

234

In safety lead Thy little flock,
From hell, the world, and sin secure;
And set their feet upon the Rock,
And make in Thee their goings sure.

From idol loves, and vain desires,
O God, Thy little children keep,
And fill their hearts with holy fires,
And lull them in Thy arms to sleep.

There let them lie secure, and take
Their rest, and never thence remove,
Till in Thy likeness they awake,
The glorious likeness of Thy love.

LXV. THE SAME. FOR THE FALLEN.

Hymn 5.

Shepherd of Israel, hear
Our supplicating cry,
And gather in the souls sincere,
That from their brethren fly;
Scatter'd through devious ways
Collect Thy feeble flock,
And join by Thine atoning grace,
And hide them in the Rock.

Thou every simple heart
With pity dost behold:
Ah! bring again whom Satan's art
Hath sever'd from the fold;
The souls far off removed,
Whose burden still we bear,
Ah! give them back so dearly loved,
To faith's almighty prayer.

235

We steadfastly believe
Such power belongs to Thee,
Thou canst the lawful prey retrieve,
And set the captives free,
Canst bring the wanderers back,
So perfectly restore,
That Satan never more shall shake,
Shall never touch them more.

O wouldst Thou end the storm,
That keeps us still apart;
The thing impossible perform,
And make us of one heart,
One spirit, and one mind,
The same that was in Thee;
O might we all again be join'd
In perfect charity.

Jesu, at Thy command,
We know it shall be done:
Take the two sticks into Thy hand,
The two shall then be one;
One body, and one fold,
We then shall sweetly prove,
And live in Thee, like those of old,
The life of spotless love.

God of all power, and grace,
Set up Thy bloody sign,
And gather those, that seek Thy face,
And by Thy Spirit join:
Thy few remaining sheep
In Britain's pastures bred,
United to each other keep,
United to their Head.

236

The soul transforming word
In us, even us fulfil:
Join to Thyself, our common Lord,
And all Thy servants seal;
Confer the grace unknown,
The mystic charity:
As Thou art with Thy Father one,
Unite us all in Thee.

So shall the world believe
Our record, Lord, and Thine,
And Thee with thankful hearts receive
The Messenger Divine,
Sent from His throne above,
To Adam's offspring given,
To join, and perfect us in love,
And take us all to heaven.

[FOR A SICK FRIEND]

LXVI. THE SAME. FOR A SICK FRIEND.

Hymn 6.

See, Lord, with pity see
The object of Thy love,
And help his soul's infirmity,
And all his griefs remove,
Support the tottering clay
That weighs his spirit down,
And lead him through this thorny way
To that eternal crown.

Yet now in life detain
His soul for Sion's sake,
In mercy lift him up again,
And to his friends give back:

237

In answer to our cry,
Thy chosen servant raise,
And send him forth to testify
The gospel of Thy grace.

Regard Thy faithful ones,
Who all his burden bear,
And hear in us the earnest groans,
The Spirit's silent prayer;
The prayer that oft hath stay'd
The saints in their remove,
And in the vale their souls delay'd,
To' enhance their joy above.

According to Thy will
If now Thy Spirit prays,
The prayer of faith the sick shall heal,
And lengthen out his days:
Thou know'st the Spirit's mind
To us, O Lord, unknown;
But lo! we wait on Thee, resign'd,
Till all Thy will be done.

LXVII. ANOTHER.

Hymn 7.

[See, Lord, the object of Thy love]

See, Lord, the object of Thy love,
And O come quickly from above,
The blessing to impart,
Him to Thyself by faith unite,
And in large bloody letters write
Forgiveness on his heart.

Feeble, and languishing in pain,
He only longs Thy love to gain,
That medicine of the soul:

238

Jesus, Thy pardoning love reveal,
And give him now the balm to feel,
Which made our spirits whole.

Lo! in the arms of faith and prayer
To Thee his sin-sick soul we bear,
And place beneath Thine eye;
Pronounce the comfortable word,
And speak him now to health restored,
And freely justify.

Thou Son of Man, with equal ease
The body's and the soul's disease
Canst in a moment heal,
Canst from his bed of sickness raise,
And by Thine instantaneous grace
His present pardon seal.

But that the faithless world may know
Thou canst forgive our sins below,
Before we reach the skies,
The double miracle repeat,
Absolve the sinner at Thy feet,
And bid his body rise.

Body, and soul at once restore,
And bid him testify the power
That shows his sins forgiven;
Bid him by faith take up the bed,
On which Thy sacred limbs were laid,
And bear his cross to heaven.

239

LXVIII. THE SAME. FOR A BACKSLIDER IN DESPAIR.

Hymn 8.

See, Lord, with tenderest pity see
A wandering sheep, cut off from Thee,
And from Thy people driven,
A fallen soul that did run well;
Arrest her on the brink of hell,
And snatch her up to heaven.

Her to the throne of grace we bear,
And strive, in agony of prayer,
To tear her from the foe:
Break, Jesu, break the lion's teeth,
And pluck her from the toils of death,
And let the captive go.

Is she so near the burning lake,
That Thou no more canst bring her back,
Canst ransom her no more?
Nay, but Thou able art to save
A soul within the gaping grave,
And bid the deep restore.

Stir up, O Lord, Thine utmost power,
And pluck her in this gracious hour
Out of the fowler's snare,
Command the' accuser to depart,
And kill the worm that gnaws her heart,
The viper of despair.

For her the plaintive turtle moans,
For her the pleading Spirit groans,
And lo! Thy saints agree
Touching this thing, in faith to claim
A pardon, Jesus, in Thy name,
A pardon full and free.

240

Canst Thou reject Thy Spirit's cry?
Canst Thou Thy bride, Thyself deny?
Nay, but Thou shalt not rest,
No, never will we let Thee go,
Till she again Thy mercy know,
And sink upon Thy breast.

Extend Thine arms, and take her in,
A weary fugitive from sin,
To show Thy utmost power,
Now, Lord, from Satan's bond release,
And freely give her back her peace,
And bid her sin no more.

LXIX. THE SAME. FOR A BACKSLIDER.

Hymn 9.

Master, come, no more delay,
From Thine own no longer stay,
Whom Thou lov'st is sick of pride,
Sick for whom Thyself hast died.

See the soul whose fall we weep,
Come, and wake him out of sleep,
Lull'd in self-security,
Halting 'twixt the world and Thee.

Hear our faith's effectual prayer,
Snatch him from the fatal snare,
Now Thy ready help supply,
Come, before our brother die.

Ask, (Thyself hast said,) and have:
Save him then, in mercy save,
Grant the grace for him we claim,
Life we ask in Jesu's name.

241

Jesu, call to mind Thy word,
Give him to our faith restored,
Freely his backslidings heal,
On his heart his pardon seal.

Make him as the troubled sea,
Till he find his rest in Thee,
Bind, and then his soul release,
Bid him then depart in peace.

LXX. THE SAME. FOR THE WAVERING.

Hymn 10.

See, Lord, our wavering brethren see,
Ready to leave Thy church and Thee,
Beguiled by hellish art;
O save them, save them from the snare,
Watch o'er Thine own with jealous care,
And keep their feeble heart.

O do not quit Thy gracious hold,
Nor let them straggle from the fold
In danger's trying hour;
Thine arm in their behalf display,
Bear them on eagles' wings away
Beyond the tempter's power.

Why should a child of Thine give place
To Satan with his angel face?
Jesu, the cloud dispel,
Give them to see his specious lies,
And strip him of his fair disguise,
And all his depths reveal.

242

Apprize them of the ruin near,
Fill all their soul with sacred fear,
With wisdom from above
Their unsuspicious heart inspire;
Surround them as a wall of fire,
And wrap them in Thy love.

Thy love, that found the wandering sheep,
O! let it still in safety keep
The children of our prayer;
In answer to our faithful cry,
Preserve them, till they reach the sky,
And own Thy people there!

LXXI. THE SAME. FOR THE TEMPTED.

Hymn 11.

Meek, patient Son of God and man,
With us in our temptation stay;
Our fainting, feeble minds sustain,
And keep throughout the evil day;
The evil day of doubts, and fears,
And fightings, till Thy face appears.

We have not an high-priest in Thee,
Who cannot our afflictions feel;
The tempted soul's infirmity
With kind concern affects Thee still;
Touch'd with our every grief Thou art,
And bleeds for us Thy pitying heart.

For us, by men and fiends distress'd,
For us by various passions torn,
Who toil to enter into rest,
Who for Thy second coming mourn,

243

And fill Thy sacred sorrows up,
And drink Thine agonizing cup.

Companions to the Man of Woe,
O! let us still with Thee abide;
Tempted, alas! to let Thee go,
And start from the command aside,
By every wind of doctrine driven,
To seek a broader way to heaven.

Yes, Lord, with deepest shame we own
Our weariness of all Thy ways,
Our haste to throw Thy burden down,
Nor bear the hidings of Thy face,
Nor wait till Thou create us new,
And give the crown to conquest due.

We fear'd to wait Thy leisure, Lord,
Or make the crown through sufferings sure,
Nature the killing word abhorr'd,
Nor would we to the end endure,
But snatch a cheap fallacious peace,
And rest in fancied holiness.

Ah! do not let Thy sheep depart,
Wide scatter'd, in the cloudy day,
But cross the' angelic tempter's art,
But spoil the lion of his prey,
Nor let us from our hope remove,
Our gospel hope of perfect love.

Us, and our brethren in distress,
Patient within Thy kingdom keep,
Sure all Thy fulness to possess,
Our harvest in the end to reap,
Thy sinless nature to retrieve,
And glorious in Thine image live.

244

LXXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 12.

[Saviour, to Thee we humbly cry]

Saviour, to Thee we humbly cry:
The brethren we have lost restore,
Recall them by Thy pitying eye,
Retrieve them from the tempter's power,
By Thy victorious blood cast down,
Nor suffer him to take their crown.

Beguiled, alas, by Satan's art
We see them now far off removed,
The burden of our bleeding heart,
The souls whom once in Thee we loved,
Whom still we love with grief, and pain,
And weep for their return in vain.

In vain, till Thou the power bestow,
The double power of quickening grace,
And make the happy sinners know
Their tempter with his angel face,
Who leads them captive at his will,
Captive—but happy sinners still:

O wouldst Thou break the fatal snare
Of carnal self-security,
And let them feel the wrath they bear,
And let them groan their want of Thee,
Robb'd of their false pernicious peace,
Stripp'd of their fancied righteousness.

The men of careless lives, who deem
Thy righteousness accounted theirs,
Awake out of the soothing dream,
Alarm their souls with humble fears,
Thou jealous God, stir up Thy power,
And let them sleep in sin no more.

245

Long as the guilt of sin shall last,
Them in its misery detain,
Hold their licentious spirits fast,
Bind them with their own nature's chain,
Nor ever let the wanderers rest,
Till lodged again in Jesu's breast.

LXXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 13.

[Shepherd Divine, at whose command]

Shepherd Divine, at whose command
I seek the wandering souls of men,
Supported by Thy chastening hand,
To Thee I groan mine inmost pain,
To Thee pour out my sad complaint,
And sweetly on Thy bosom faint.

Thou only know'st the load I bear,
For every weak and wavering sheep:
For them I in Thy bowels care,
For them in secret places weep,
And tremble at their danger nigh,
And daily mourn, and daily die.

I mourn for those that did run well,
But now have left the narrow way;
Have lost their former love, and zeal,
And fainted in their evil day,
And weakly given to Satan place,
To Satan with his angel face.

Beguiled, alas, of their reward,
And baffled by his soothing lie,
Poor blinded souls, they call Thee Lord,
But all Thy kingly power deny,
Thy perfect power to root out sin,
And bring the heavenly nature in.

246

Removed from the sure gospel hope,
They vilely cast their shield away,
Their calling's glorious prize give up,
Down the smooth path of pleasure stray,
Blaspheme the grace they will not prove,
And spurn the pearl of perfect love.

Lull'd in imaginary peace,
Rich in a fancied faith they reign,
And fold their arms, and take their ease,
And settled on their lees again
All inward holiness disclaim,
Since Christ was meek, and chaste for them.

Thy righteousness to cloak their sin
They claim with lips and hearts impure,
Unchanged, unhallow'd, and unclean,
They fancy their salvation sure,
Wrapp'd up in fleshly liberty,
Happy in sin, but not in Thee.

Ah! wouldst Thou, Lord, once more awake
Their souls out of the dead repose,
Their Babel schemes in pieces shake,
And give them back the Spirit's throes,
The labour for substantial peace,
The strife for real righteousness.

My heart's desire, and prayer to Thee
Is, that they may be saved at last,
Though toss'd on error's stormy sea,
Late on the Rock of Ages cast,
In pieces let them dash their pride,
And sink—into the Crucified!

247

Who will not be by love constrain'd,
O bring them by Thy judgments back,
Regard the prayer of faith unfeign'd,
And save them for Thy mercy's sake;
Answer our labouring heart's desire,
And save them by affliction's fire.

LXXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 14.

[Ah! Lord, regard my endless woe]

Ah! Lord, regard my endless woe,
Remove at last the load I bear,
I will not, will not let Thee go,
Without an answer to my prayer,
But grieve, till Thou suppress my sighs,
And dry the fountains of my eyes.

Ceaseless I mourn my children lost,
The children whom Thy grace had given,
Or to and fro by Satan toss'd,
By every wind of doctrine driven,
Or hamper'd in the toils of hell—
Poor helpless souls, that did run well!

Part by their own inventions led,
Down the broad path of pleasure stray,
In Egypt hide their guilty head,
And happy by the fleshpots stay,
Indulge their sensual hearts' desires,
And mock at what Thy law requires.

Choked by the thorns of worldly care
Others give up their calling's prize,
No fruit unto perfection bear,
But bound in lust, or avarice,
Eternity for time forego,
And seek their base delight below.

248

Stumbling on shame's offensive rock,
Others have left the thorny road,
Thy people, and Thy cause forsook,
And prudently denied their God,
Secured an honourable name,
And lost their souls, to keep their fame.

How many to the' angelic foe
Have weakly fallen an easy prey,
And let their holy calling go,
And wander'd down a smoother way,
Charm'd by his Antinomian lore,
To watch, and pray, and strive no more!

Ah! Lord, the grievous havoc see,
Which Satan of Thy church hath made,
And set once more the prisoners free,
By pride into his toils betray'd,
Once more the keen conviction dart,
And break the self-deceiving heart.

O! for the honour of Thy name,
Release the slaves to evil sold,
Again with heavenly fire inflame
The souls whose love is waxen cold,
And fix, and stablish us in grace,
The monuments of Thy perfect praise.

LXXV. THE SAME

Hymn 15.

[Shepherd of souls, lay to Thine hand]

Shepherd of souls, lay to Thine hand,
And vindicate Thine injured cause,
The troublers of Thy flock withstand,
The foes, and haters of Thy cross,
Who cause Thy little ones to stray,
And lead them down an easier way.

249

Thy poor, oppress'd disciples, Lord,
In peril 'mongst false brethren see,
And O! Thy timely help afford
To us, that look for help in Thee,
Who hear'st the tempted soul's complaint,
And givest power to all that faint.

We beckon'd to our friends for aid,
Our partners in the other ship;
They came; our easy trust betray'd,
They came—to sink us in the deep,
Our vessel 'gainst their own to break,
And then to gather up the wreck.

Deceitful workers, in Thy name,
With guile they catch the simple heart;
The feeble followers of the Lamb
They make them from Thy paths depart;
Remove from their high calling's prize,
And rob them of their paradise.

Deceiving, and deceived, they glide
Down the smooth stream of carnal peace,
The gate through which they pass is wide,
And broad their path of righteousness,
No strife, no conflict, and no care,
No cross, or holiness is there.

Perfect at once, and pure, and clean,
Yet foul, imperfect, and impure,
They sin, and bless themselves in sin,
And boast of their salvation sure:
Saviour, the fond delusion show,
For O! they know not what they do.

250

Alas, for them, that will not know
The Lord abhors their sacrifice!
Who weak, unstable souls o'erthrow,
And on their brethren's ruin rise;
Offer Thee fraud, and robbery,
And fawn, and lie, and steal for Thee.

Forgive them, Lord, but O! restrain,
No longer let their guile proceed:
O might they their first love regain,
And simply in Thy statutes tread,
Their faith by their obedience prove,
And rise with us to perfect love.

[HYMNS FOR THE PERSECUTED]

LXXVI. HYMNS FOR THE PERSECUTED.

Hymn 1.

Jesu, the growing work is Thine,
And who shall hinder its success?
In vain the alien armies join,
Thy glorious gospel to suppress,
And vow, with Satan's aid, to' o'erthrow
The work Thy grace revives below.

The wary world, as Julian wise,
Wise with the wisdom from beneath,
Awhile its milder malice tries,
And lets these mad enthusiasts breathe,
Breathe to infect their purest air,
And spread the plague of virtue there.

Wondering the calm despisers stand,
And dream that they the respite give;
Restrain'd by Thine o'erruling hand,
They kindly suffer us to live,
Live, to defy their master's frown,
And turn his kingdom upside down.

251

Still the old Dragon bites his chain,
Not yet commission'd from on high;
Rage the fierce Pharisees in vain,
Away with them, the Zealots cry;
And hoary Caiaphas exclaims,
And Bonner dooms us to the flames.

But our great God, who reigns on high,
Shall laugh their haughty rage to scorn,
Scatter their evil with His eye,
Or to His praise their fierceness turn;
While all their efforts to remove
His church, shall stablish her in love.

Yes, Lord, Thy promise-word is true,
Our sacred hairs are number'd all;
Though earth, and hell our lives pursue,
Without Thy leave we cannot fall:
And if Thou slack the murderer's chain,
We suffer but with Thee to reign.

Our sufferings shall advance Thy cause,
And blunt the persecutor's sword,
Dispread the victory of Thy cross,
And glorify our conquering Lord;
Evil shall work for Sion's good:
Its seed is still the martyrs' blood.

LXXVII. THE SAME FOR THE BRETHREN AT WEDNESBURY.

Hymn 2.

Dear dying Lamb, for whom alone
We suffer pain, and shame, and loss,

252

Hear Thine afflicted people groan,
Crush'd by the burden of Thy cross,
And bear our fainting spirits up,
And bless the bitter, sacred cup.

Drunkards, and slaves of lewd excess,
Bad, lawless men, Thou know'st, we lived:
The world and we were then at peace,
No devil his own servants grieved,
Evil we did, but suffer'd none;
The world will always love its own.

But now we would Thy word obey,
And strive to' escape the wrath Divine,
Exposed to all, an helpless prey,
Bruised by our enemies, and Thine,
As sheep 'midst ravening wolves we lie,
And daily grieve, and daily die.

Smitten, we turn the other cheek,
Our ease, and name, and goods forego;
Help, or redress no longer seek
In any child of man below;
The powers Thou didst for us ordain,
For us they bear the sword in vain.

But wilt Thou not at last appear,
Into Thine hand the matter take?
We look for no protection here,
But Thee our only refuge make,
To Thee, O righteous Judge, appeal,
And wait Thine acceptable will.

253

Thou wilt not shut Thy bowels up,
Or justice to the' oppress'd deny;
Thy mercy's ears Thou canst not stop
Against the mournful prisoners' cry,
Who ever make our humble moan,
And look for help to Thee alone.

Then help us meekly to sustain
The cross of man's oppressive power,
To slight the shame, endure the pain,
And calmly wait the welcome hour,
That brings the fiery chariot down,
And whirls us to our heavenly crown.

LXXVIII. THE SAME. FOR THE BRETHREN AT THE DEVIZES.

Hymn 3.

Jesus of Nazareth, look down
On those Thou call'st Thy flesh and bone,
Thy suffering members here:
Arise, in their defence arise,
And now, in all the heathen's eyes,
On Israel's part appear.

Thy weakest confessors defend,
And let them on Thyself depend
For help in their distress:
Support, confirm the feeble mind,
And keep them all on Thee reclined,
And keep in perfect peace.

254

Let none forsake the fold, and fly,
Let none through fear their Lord deny,
But stand the fiery hour,
The greatness of Thy mercy prove,
The truth of Thy redeeming love,
And all-sufficient power.

Let none unwarily give place
To Satan, with his angel face,
And yield their souls to sell,
To sell their conscience, and their God,
Or weary leave the narrow road,
And go for ease—to hell.

Still may they on the world look down,
Superior to its smile and frown,
Its threats and promises;
The tempter tread beneath their feet,
And Thee, where Satan keeps his seat,
In life, and death confess.

Now, Saviour, now their fears remove,
The sense of Thy redeeming love
Abundantly impart,
To all whose sacred love we feel;
The prayer of faith this moment seal
On every panting heart.

[FOR ONE IN PRISON]

LXXIX. THE SAME. FOR ONE IN PRISON.

Hymn 4.

O Saviour of sinners distress'd,
The sighs of Thy captive attend,
And succour, and set him at rest,
And ransom his soul to the end:

255

Our brother, whose burden we bear,
Whom into Thy hands we resign,
Preserve with Thy tenderest care,
And seal him eternally Thine.

Afflicted, and hated of men,
Of Thee, and Thy servants beloved,
We see him with pity and pain,
From all his companions removed:
Whom present in spirit we find,
Him absent in body we mourn,
And long to be perfectly join'd,
And pray for his happy return.

O Father, who hearest the prayer,
Presented in Jesus's name,
The peaceable answer declare,
Confirm'd in the blood of the Lamb;
We pray Thee, for Jesus's sake,
The prisoner of Jesus retrieve,
And give us His confessor back,
And all to Thy glory receive.

LXXX. ANOTHER.

Hymn 5.

[Hear, O Lord, the ceaseless prayer]

Hear, O Lord, the ceaseless prayer
The suffering members groan,
Lo! we all the burden bear,
And grieve the grief of one:
Pray we, Jesus, in Thy name,
Give him to Thy church restored,
Him whom now in faith we claim,
The prisoner of the Lord.

256

All together bound with him
We for deliverance cry:
Thou art mighty to redeem,
Thy help is ever nigh:
Who against Thy power can stand?
Jesu, Lord, the matter take
Into Thine almighty hand,
And send our brother back.

Now into his dungeon shine,
And sweeten his distress,
Fill his heart with love Divine,
And keep in perfect peace;
Let his mind on Thee be stay'd,
Lull him in Thy arms to rest,
Bid him lean his weary head
On his Redeemer's breast.

Keep him, till the' appointed hour
Thy glory to display,
Then put forth Thy kingly power,
And make an open way;
From his sins, and bonds release,
Stamp him with the stamp Divine,
Thou Thy lawful captive seize,
And seal him ever Thine.

LXXXI. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Hear, O Thou Strength of Israel, hear]

Hear, O Thou Strength of Israel, hear
Thy poor, afflicted people's cry,
From Satan, and his legions near,
To Thee our only Help we fly;
All human confidence resign,
Nor trust in any arm but Thine.

257

Not one of all the rich, or great,
Or noble, on our side is seen,
They shrink to bear Thy cross's weight,
They seek the praise that comes from men,
Thine honour sell, to save their own,
And leave us to our God alone.

Exposed we seem to Satan's will,
As sheep 'midst ravening wolves we lie,
Our foes have learnt the art to kill,
By legal wrong they doom to die
The faithful followers of our Lord,
And slay them as with Ammon's sword.

In haste to fill their measure up,
And bring Thy plague on all the race,
Their ears against Thy calls they stop,
Reject the gospel of Thy grace,
Slaughter against Thy people breathe,
And drag Thy messengers to death.

But wilt Thou not Thy cause maintain,
Thy helpless, injured people right?
Yes, Lord; our faith shall not be vain,
Our faith in Thy all-saving might
Shall bring the promised succours down,
And win the fight, and take the crown.

Thou wilt, we steadfastly believe,
Thy glorious arm at last display,
Out of the toils of hell retrieve,
And take us for Thy lawful prey,
Call home Thy flock to exile driven,
And lead us to Thy fold in heaven.

258

LXXXII. THE SAME.

Hymn 7.

[Rejoice, ye happy saints]

Rejoice, ye happy saints,
Who only Jesus know,
Whom vice and folly paints
As monsters here below,
Rejoice in the Divine applause,
The honour from above,
And glory in your Master's cross,
And triumph in His love.

Ye wise and pious few,
Whose names the world blaspheme,
They therefore know not you
Because they know not Him:
Strangers, approved of God alone,
To all their wrongs submit,
And let them spurn, and tread you down
As clay beneath their feet.

'Tis thus ye learn to be
True followers of the Lamb,
Who died upon the tree,
That ye might do the same;
With humble thankfulness receive
The scandal of the cross,
The grace not only to believe,
But suffer for His cause.

By fools accounted mad,
Of His reproach possess'd,
He bids your hearts be glad,
Your Lord declares you blest;

259

Exult in your despised estate,
Enjoy the token given,
For O! beyond conception great
Is your reward in heaven.

LXXXIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 8. John xvi. 1, 2, 3, 4.

[Master, we call Thy word to mind]

Master, we call Thy word to mind,
Thy truth and faithfulness we find
Our sure support, and stay:
The time is come, by Thee foretold,
Like sheep we are to slaughter sold,
And made to wolves a prey.

The world, who take Thy name in vain,
Afflict our shrinking flesh with pain,
Our feeble spirits grieve;
The Christian world with furious zeal,
Out of their synagogues expel,
And murmur that we live.

They load us with reproach, and shame,
As loathsome heretics disclaim,
And from Thine altars chase;
Assured they do Thee service good,
And merit much, who shed the blood
Of such a poisonous race.

Because our God they have not known,
Nor Thee His meek, pacific Son,
They all these evils do;
Born of the flesh with cruel scorn
They vex us of the Spirit born,
And would to death pursue.

260

In every place, in every age,
The restless persecutor's rage
Continues still the same;
Reform'd in show, refined in ill,
The heathen world is heathen still,
And Christian but in name.

Beneath their anger's utmost weight
We rise, we glory in their hate,
That token of Thy love;
Thou, Lord, hast said, It must be so,
And lo! through great distress we go
To greater joys above.

[HYMNS FOR THE WATCHNIGHT.]

LXXXIV. HYMNS FOR THE WATCHNIGHT.

Hymn 1.

Thou Judge of quick and dead,
Before whose bar severe
With holy joy, or guilty dread
We all shall soon appear;
Our caution'd souls prepare
For that tremendous day,
And fill us now with watchful care,
And stir us up to pray.

To pray, and wait the hour,
The awful hour unknown,
When robed in majesty, and power,
Thou shalt from heaven come down,
The' immortal Son of Man,
To judge the human race,
With all Thy Father's dazzling train,
With all Thy glorious grace.

261

To damp our earthly joys,
To' increase our gracious fears,
For ever let the archangel's voice
Be sounding in our ears,
The solemn midnight cry,
“Ye dead, the Judge is come,
Arise, and meet Him in the sky,
And meet your instant doom.”

O! may we thus be found
Obedient to his word,
Attentive to the trumpet's sound,
And looking for our Lord:
O! may we thus ensure
Our lot among the blest,
And watch a moment to secure
An everlasting rest.

LXXXV. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Ah, what a wretch am I!]

Ah, what a wretch am I!
I cannot watch one hour:
The roaring lion still is nigh,
And ready to devour:
A constant watch he keeps,
He eyes me night and day,
And never slumbers, never sleeps,
Lest he should lose his prey.

The world are always nigh,
And for my halting wait,
The Philistines in ambush lie,
On me to wreak their hate:

262

They watch my every turn,
They mark where'er I go,
Their malice not to sleep hath sworn
Till it hath kill'd their foe.

The Delilah within
Ready each moment stands
To give me up, fast bound by sin,
Into their cruel hands:
I slight my Saviour's aid,
Take my destroyer's part,
And still am falling, self-betray'd
By my own faithless heart.

How weak my heart and blind,
That I can think of ease,
Can comfort for a moment find
In such a state as this!
Can fold my arms to sleep,
Nor pain nor horror feel,
While sinking swift into the deep,
And dropping into hell.

Gracious Redeemer shake
This slumber from my soul,
Say to me now, Awake, awake,
And Christ shall make thee whole:
Lay to Thy mighty hand,
Alarm me in this hour,
And make me fully understand
The thunder of Thy power.

Give me on Thee to call,
Always to watch and pray,
Lest I into temptation fall,
And cast my shield away:

263

For each assault prepared,
And ready may I be,
For ever standing on my guard,
And looking up to Thee.

O! do Thou always warn
My soul of evil near,
When to the right or left I turn,
The Witness let me hear,
“Come back; this is the way:
Come back, and walk herein:”
O may I hearken, and obey,
And shun the paths of sin.

I would from every sin
As from a serpent fly,
Abhor to touch the thing unclean,
And rather choose to die.
I would, I would my last
This very moment breathe,
Would die, that I may never taste
Of sin, and second death.

Thou seest my feebleness,
Jesus, be Thou my power:
My help, and refuge in distress,
My fortress and my tower:
Cause me to trust in Thee,
Be Thou my sure abode,
My horn, and rock, and buckler be,
My Saviour, and my God.

Myself I cannot save,
Myself I cannot keep;
But strength in Thee I surely have,
Whose eyelids never sleep.

264

My soul to Thee alone
Now therefore I commend;
Thou, Jesus, having loved Thine own,
Shalt love me to the end.

LXXXVI. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[I, I am the man that have known]

I, I am the man that have known
Distress by the stroke of His rod:
And still through the anguish I groan,
And pine for the absence of God:
The happy in Jesus, may sleep:
But O! till in me He appears,
Be this my employment to weep,
And water my couch with my tears.

Or, rather, if any are nigh,
Forlorn, and afflicted like me,
All night let us lift up our cry,
And mourn His appearing to see,
(As watchmen expecting the morn)
Look out for the light of His face,
And wait for His mercy's return,
And long to recover His grace.

His grace to our souls did appear,
And brought us salvation from sin;
We felt our Immanuel here,
Restoring His kingdom within:
But O! we have lost him again,
His Spirit hath taken its flight,
Our joy, it is turn'd into pain,
Our day it is turn'd into night.

265

O what shall we do to retrieve
The love for a season bestow'd!
'Tis better to die than to live
Exiled from the presence of God:
With sorrow distracted, and doubt,
With palpable horror oppress'd,
The city we wander about,
And seek our repose in His breast.

Ye watchmen of Israel, declare
If ye our Beloved have seen,
And point to that Heavenly Fair,
Surpassing the children of men:
Our Lover and Lord from above,
Who only can quiet our pain,
Whom only we languish to love,
O where shall we find Him again!

The joy, and desire of our eyes,
The end of our sorrow and woe,
Our hope, and our heavenly prize,
Our height of ambition below;
Once more if He show us His face,
He never again shall depart,
Detain'd in our closest embrace,
Eternally held in our heart.

LXXXVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[O Jesus, the Rest]

O Jesus, the Rest
Of spirits distress'd,
In whom all the children of men may be blest,
The blessing design'd
For the whole of mankind,
Give us in the love of Thy Spirit to find.

266

For this do we keep
A sad vigil, and weep,
The fruit of our tears that in joy we may reap;
While sent from above
The comfort we prove,
The unspeakable gift of Thy ransoming love.

Our brethren we see
By mercy set free,
They have found the abundant redemption in Thee.
Thy tenders of grace
They gladly embrace,
And tell of Thy goodness, and live to Thy praise.

But still we remain
In bondage and pain,
Unable to bear, or to shake off our chain;
In the furnace we cry,
Come, Lord, from the sky,
Make haste to our help, or in Egypt we die.

O Jesus, appear
Thy mourners to cheer,
Our grief to assuage, and to banish our fear:
Thy prisoners release,
Vouchsafe us Thy peace,
And our troubles and sins in a moment shall cease.

That moment be now;
The petition allow,
Our present Redeemer, and Comforter Thou,
The freedom from sin,
The' atonement bring in,
And sprinkle our conscience, and bid us be clean.

267

Thy blessing of grace
Now let it take place,
The dew of Thy mercy descend on our race;
Thy Spirit, O God,
Pour out on the crowd,
And water us all with a shower of Thy blood!

LXXXVIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Father of mercies, hear!]

Father of mercies, hear!
Who didst of old send down
An heavenly messenger,
With tidings of Thy Son:
Shepherds, who watch'd their flocks by night,
They first believed the word,
And sang, o'erwhelm'd with heavenly light,
The birth of Christ, the Lord.

To men of simple heart
The Saviour still reveal,
The welcome news impart
Of joy unspeakable;
To us, who here our stations keep,
To us a Child be given,
Who wait to find, while others sleep,
The Lord of earth and heaven.

With pure celestial day
Our ravish'd souls surround,
Or let the heavenly ray
Within our hearts be found:
Let all Thy ransom'd sons of grace
The' angelic army join,
And chant in ceaseless songs of praise
The Majesty Divine.

268

Glory to God above
For His redeeming plan,
And peace on earth, and love
Benevolent to man:
We justly own the glory His,
With heaven's acclaiming powers;
For O! the benefit and bliss
Is all for ever ours!

LXXXIX. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Jesus, my Master, and my Lord]

Jesus, my Master, and my Lord,
I would Thy will obey,
Humbly receive Thy warning word,
And always watch, and pray.
My constant need of watchful prayer
I daily see, and feel,
To keep me safe from every snare
Of sin, and earth, and hell.

Into a world of ruffians sent,
I walk on hostile ground,
Wild human beasts, on slaughter bent,
And ravening wolves surround.
The lion seeks my soul to slay,
In some unguarded hour,
And waits to tear his sleeping prey,
And watches to devour.

But worse than all my foes, I find
The enemy within,
The evil heart, the carnal mind,
My own insidious sin:

269

My nature every moment waits
To render me secure,
And all my paths with ease besets,
To make my ruin sure.

But Thou hast given a loud alarm,
And Thou shalt still prepare
My soul for all assaults, and arm
With never ceasing prayer.
Thou wilt not suffer me to sleep,
Who on Thy love depend,
But still Thy faithful servant keep,
And save me to the end.

XC. THE SAME.

Hymn 7.

[Jesus, bestow the power]

Jesus, bestow the power,
Who gavest the command:
Unwearied on Thyself, my tower,
Enable me to stand;
Cheerful to undergo
Whole nights of sweet distress,
And watch against my threefold foe,
Till all my conflicts cease.

Bid me of men beware,
And to my ways take heed,
Discern their every secret snare,
And circumspectly tread.
O might I calmly wait
Thy succours from above,
And stand against their open hate,
And well-dissembled love.

270

My spirit, Lord, alarm,
When men and devils join,
Against the wiles of Satan, arm
In panoply Divine.
O may I fix my face
His onsets to repel,
Quench all his fiery darts, and chase
The fiend to his own hell.

But above all afraid
Of my own bosom foe,
Still let me sue to Thee for aid,
To Thee my weakness show,
Hang on Thine arm alone
With self-mistrusting care,
And deeply in the Spirit groan
The never-ceasing prayer.

Give me a sober mind,
A quick-discerning eye
The first approach of sin to find,
And all occasions fly.
Still may I cleave to Thee,
And never more depart,
But watch with godly jealousy
Over my evil heart.

Thus let me pass my days
Of sojourning beneath,
And languish to conclude my race,
And render up my breath,
In humble love and fear,
Thine image to regain,
And see Thee in the clouds appear,
And rise with Thee to reign.

271

XCI. THE SAME.

Hymn 8.

[Hark, how the watchmen cry!]

Hark, how the watchmen cry!
Attend the trumpet's sound,
Stand to your arms; the foe is nigh,
The powers of hell surround:
Who bow to Christ's command
Your arms and hearts prepare;
The day of battle is at hand,
Go forth to glorious war.

See on the mountain's top
The ensign of your God,
In Jesu's name I lift it up,
All stain'd with hallow'd blood:
His standard-bearer I
To all the nations call,
Let all to Jesu's cross draw nigh;
He bore the cross for all.

Ye who His call obey,
Behold the banner spread
To cover in the evil day
His faithful soldier's head:
Be strong in Jesu's might;
The panoply Divine
Put on, beneath this standard fight,
And conquer in this sign.

Go up, with Christ, your Head,
Your Captain's footsteps see,
Follow your Captain, and be led
To certain victory:

272

All power to Him is given,
He ever reigns the same,
Salvation, happiness, and heaven
Are all in Jesu's name.

Ye now have took the field,
And fearlessly march on,
Fight the good fight, hold fast your shield,
Till Satan is cast down.
Cast down he soon shall be,
He shall, he shall submit,
Compell'd with all his host to flee
Or bruised beneath your feet.

Only have faith in God,
In faith your foes assail,
Not wrestling against flesh and blood,
But all the powers of hell:
From thrones of glory driven,
By flaming vengeance hurl'd,
They throng the air, and darken heaven,
And rule the lower world.

Angels your march oppose,
Who still in strength excel,
Your secret, sworn, eternal foes,
Countless, invisible;
With rage that never ends,
Their hellish arts they try,
Legions of dire malicious fiends,
And spirits enthroned on high.

On earth the' usurpers reign,
Exert their baleful power,
O'er the poor fallen sons of men
They tyrannize their hour.

273

But shall believers fear?
But shall believers fly?
Or see the bloody cross appear,
And all their powers defy?

Jesu's tremendous name,
Puts all our foes to flight!
Jesus the meek, the angry Lamb
A lion is in fight:
By all hell's host withstood,
We all hell's host o'erthrow,
And conquering them through Jesu's blood,
We still to conquer go.

Our Captain leads us on,
He beckons from the skies,
He reaches out a starry crown,
And bids us take the prize;
“Be faithful unto death,
Partake My victory,
And thou shalt wear this glorious wreath,
And thou shalt reign with Me.”

'Tis thus the righteous Lord
To every soldier saith,
Eternal life is the reward
Of all-victorious faith:
Who conquer in His might
The victor's meed receive,
And claim a kingdom in His right,
Which God is bound to give.

But let us all abide
Throughout the glorious war,
Till every soul is sanctified,
And more than conqueror;

274

Till every perfect one
To heavenly joys remove,
And sit with Jesus on His throne
Of everlasting love.

XCII. THE SAME.

Hymn 9.

[Captain, God of our salvation]

Captain, God of our salvation,
Night and day
Will we pay
Thee our adoration:
All day long our lips confess Thee,
All the night
Our delight
Is in songs to bless Thee.

Whom Thy dying love o'erpowers,
Lost in Thee
Happy we
Never count the hours:
Love, our one delightful lesson,
Love and joy
Still employ
Every gracious season.

Rivals of the heavenly choir,
Lo! we rise
To the skies,
Higher still, and higher:
There we have our conversation,
Talk with God,
Him whose blood
Purchased our salvation.

275

We like all Thy host adore Thee:
Restless they
Night and day
Render Thee the glory.
Author of our every blessing,
God of grace,
Thee we praise
Never, never ceasing.

This be here our whole employment,
Till we claim,
Through Thy name,
All Thy love's enjoyment;
Till we drink the crystal river,
Drink and sing
To our King,
Sing and shout for ever.

XCIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 10.

[Jesus, God of our salvation]

Jesus, God of our salvation,
Give us eyes Thyself to see,
Waiting for Thy consolation,
Longing to believe on Thee:
Now vouchsafe the sacred power,
Now the faith Divine impart,
Meet us at this solemn hour,
Shine in every drooping heart.

Anna-like within the temple,
Simeon-like we meekly stay;
Daily with Thy saints assemble,
Nightly for Thy coming pray:

276

While our souls are bow'd before Thee,
While we humbly sue for grace,
Come, Thy people's Light and Glory,
Show to all Thy heavenly face.

If to us Thy sacred Spirit
Hath the future grace reveal'd,
Let us by Thy righteous merit
Now receive our pardon seal'd;
To eternal life appointed,
Let us Thy salvation see,
Now behold the Lord's Anointed,
Now obtain our heaven in Thee.

XCIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 11.

[Jesus, guard Thy gather'd sheep]

Jesus, guard Thy gather'd sheep,
Who Thy voice begin to know,
Day and night in safety keep,
Help us after Thee to go:
Eyeing Thee with fix'd regard,
By Thy word and Spirit led,
Walk we in the works prepared,
Close in all Thy footsteps tread.

In Thy pilgrimage with men,
(Objects of Thy constant care,)
Thou didst all their griefs sustain,
Labouring, watching unto prayer:
Thou whole nights in prayer didst spend
On the mount for us employ'd,
Prompt the helpless to defend,
Prevalent with man and God.

277

By no private wants compell'd,
Only love inspired Thy breast,
Love Thy steady hands upheld,
Love enforced the kind request:
And shall we refuse to join,
We who all the good receive,
Reap the fruit of toil Divine,
By the prayer of Jesus live!

Nay, but in Thy strength we rise,
Nightly to the mountain go,
Breathe our wishes to the skies,
For the sleeping crowd below;
Pray, my watchful brethren, pray,
Full of wants, and sins, and fears,
Wrestle till the break of day,
Till the saving grace appears.

Jesus, hear our midnight cry,
Execute Thy love's design,
Bring Thy great salvation nigh,
Claim a ransom'd world for Thine,
Take the purchase of Thy blood,
(Blood that speaks our sins forgiven,)
Let it bring us near to God,
Let it pray us up to heaven!

XCV. THE SAME.

Hymn 12.

[To Thee, the true eternal Light]

To Thee, the true eternal Light,
At this awful noon of night,
Our longing souls ascend;
For Thee we watch, for Thee we pray,
And hasten to the joyful day
When all our toils shall end.

278

The joyful day we soon shall see,
With no sad obscurity
Attended, or pursued;
No dark eclipse shall intervene,
Nor gloomy grief pollute the scene,
Or stain the day of God.

The day of God shall then be ours,
Number'd with the angel-powers,
And souls on earth forgiven,
We in the New Jerusalem
Shall all our happy mansions claim,
The citizens of heaven.

We all shall see the golden blaze
Of that high and lofty place,
And breathe the purpled air:
It needs nor sun, nor candle's light,
Divinely fair, Divinely bright,
For Christ the Lamb is there.

By faith we now the veil look through,
Now a glimpse of glory view,
And bless the opening ray;
Far, far above all height we soar,
The depths of Deity to' explore
In everlasting day.

XCVI. THE SAME.

Hymn 13.

[How happy, gracious Lord! are we]

How happy, gracious Lord! are we,
Divinely drawn to follow Thee,
Whose hours divided are
Betwixt the mount and multitude:
Our day is spent in doing good,
Our night in praise and prayer.

279

With us no melancholy void,
No period lingers unemploy'd,
Or unimproved below:
Our weariness of life is gone,
Who live to serve our God alone,
And only Thee to know.

The winter's night, and summer's day,
Glide imperceptibly away,
Too short to sing Thy praise:
Too few we find the happy hours,
And haste to join those heavenly powers,
In everlasting lays.

With all who chant Thy name on high,
And, “Holy, holy, holy,” cry,
(A bright harmonious throng!)
We long Thy praises to repeat,
And restless sing, around Thy seat,
The new, eternal song.

XCVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 14.

[Meet and right it is to sing]

Meet and right it is to sing
At every time and place,
Glory to our heavenly King,
The God of truth and grace:
Join we then with sweet accord,
All in one thanksgiving join,
Holy, holy, holy, Lord,
Eternal praise be Thine!

Thee the first-born sons of light
In choral symphonies
Praise by day, day without night,
And never, never cease:

280

Angels, and archangels all
Sing the mystic Three in One,
Sing, and stop, and gaze, and fall
O'erwhelm'd before Thy throne.

Vying with that happy choir
Who chant Thy praise above,
We on eagles' wings aspire,
The wings of faith and love:
Thee they sing with glory crown'd,
We extol the slaughter'd Lamb,
Lower if our voices sound,
Our subject is the same.

Father, God, Thy love we praise,
Which gave Thy Son to die,
Jesus full of truth and grace
Alike we glorify;
Spirit, Comforter Divine,
Praise by all to Thee be given,
Till we in full chorus join,
And earth is turn'd to heaven.

XCVIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 15.

[Join all ye ransom'd sons of grace]

Join all ye ransom'd sons of grace,
The holy joy prolong,
And shout to the Redeemer's praise
A solemn midnight song.

Blessing, and thanks, and love, and might
Be to our Jesus given,
Who turns our darkness into light,
Who turns our hell to heaven.

281

Thither our faithful souls He leads,
Thither He bids us rise;
With crowns of joy upon our heads,
To meet Him in the skies.

To seal the universal doom,
The skies He soon shall bow—
But if Thou must at midnight come,
O let us meet Thee now!

XCIX. THE SAME.

Hymn 16.

[Call aloud on Jesu's name]

Call aloud on Jesu's name,
Watchmen of Jerusalem,
Ye, that by our Lord's command
On her ruin'd rampart stand;
Day and night your care express,
Never, never hold your peace,
For a gracious answer cry,
Urge, and force Him to reply.

Well maintain the post assign'd,
Put your faithful God in mind,
Instantly the promise plead,
Till the word of grace proceed,
Never suffer Him to rest,
Till He answer your request,
Till our Sion He repair,
Fix His constant presence there.

Set for this if, Lord, I am,
Let me now the promise claim,
Let my faithful brethren join,
All remembrancers Divine;

282

All who Sion's burden bear,
Join ye in the fervent prayer,
Till His utmost truth we prove,
Edified in perfect love.

Jesus, Head, and Lord of all,
Answer to our midnight call,
Our Jerusalem repair,
Build again Thy house of prayer,
Now Thy ancient wonders show,
Raise a glorious church below,
Sion from her ruins raise,
Spread throughout the earth her praise.

Spread throughout the earth Thine own,
Fully by Thy people known;
Let us with Thy lustre shine,
Pillars in the dome Divine,
Master of the building art,
'Stablish every faithful heart,
Finish Thy great work of grace,
Perfect us in holiness.

C. THE SAME. INNOCENT DIVERSIONS.

Hymn 17.

Come let us anew
Our pleasures pursue:
For Christian delight
The day is too short; let us borrow the night.
In sanctified joy
Each moment employ,
To Jesus's praise,
And spend, and be spent in the triumph of grace.

283

The slaves of excess,
Their senses to please
Whole nights can bestow,
And on in a circle of riot they go:
Poor prodigals, they
The night into day
By revellings turn,
And all the restraints of sobriety scorn.

The drunkards proclaim
At midnight their shame,
Their sacrifice bring,
And loud to the praise of their master they sing.
The hellish desires
Which Satan inspires,
In sonnets they breathe,
And shouting descend to the mansions of death.

The civiller crowd,
In theatres proud,
Acknowledge his power,
And Satan in nightly assemblies adore:
To the masque and the ball
They fly at his call;
Or in pleasures excel,
And chant in a grove to the harpers of hell.

And shall we not sing
Our Master and King
While men are at rest,
With Jesus admitted at midnight to feast?
Here only we may
With innocence stay,
The' enjoyment improve,
And abide at the banquet of Jesus's love.

284

In Him is bestow'd
The spiritual food,
The manna Divine,
And Jesus's love is far better than wine:
With joy we receive
The blessing, and give
By day and by night
All thanks to the Source of our endless delight.

Our concert of praise
To Jesus we raise,
And all the night long
Continue the new evangelical song:
We dance to the fame
Of Jesus's name,
The joy it imparts
Is heaven begun in our musical hearts.

Thus, thus we bestow
Our moments below,
And singing remove,
With all the redeem'd to the Sion above:
There, there shall we stand
With our harps in our hand,
Interrupted no more,
And eternally sing, and rejoice, and adore.

CI. THE SAME.

Hymn 18.

[Ye virgin souls arise]

Ye virgin souls arise,
With all the dead awake,
Unto salvation wise,
Oil in your vessels take,
Upstarting at the midnight cry,
Behold the Heavenly Bridegroom nigh.

285

He comes, He comes to call
The nations to His bar,
And raise to glory all
Who fit for glory are;
Made ready for your full reward,
Go forth with joy to meet your Lord.

Go meet Him in the sky
Your everlasting Friend,
Your Head to glorify
With all His saints ascend,
Ye pure in heart, obtain the grace
To see without a veil His face.

Ye that have here received
The unction from above,
And in His Spirit lived
Obedient to His love,
Jesus shall claim you for His bride:
Rejoice with all the sanctified.

Rejoice in glorious hope
Of that great day unknown,
When all shall be caught up
And stand before His throne,
Call'd to partake the marriage feast,
And lean on our Immanuel's breast.

The everlasting doors
Shall soon the saints receive,
Above those angel powers
In glorious joy to live:
Far from a world of grief, and sin,
With God eternally shut in.

286

Then let us wait to hear
The trumpet's welcome sound,
To see our Lord appear
Watching let us be found;
When Jesus doth the heavens bow,
Be found—as Lord Thou find'st us now.

CII. THE SAME.

Hymn 19. [Revelation iv.]

[Sinners look up, by grace forgiven]

Sinners look up, by grace forgiven,
Behold an open door in heaven;
Attend, ye souls in Jesus found,
The Saviour's voice, the trumpet's sound.
Hither come up, He cries, and see
The secrets of eternity.

Rise, in the Spirit's rapture, rise
To yon bright throne above the skies;
To Him who sits sublime thereon,
In colour like a sardine stone,
And scatters, as the jasper's rays,
The glories of His dreadful face.

Tremble; yet O! with love draw near,
The showery bow forbids your fear,
The throne it quite encircles round,
(And grace on every side is found,)
In colour like an emerald seen,
Delightful, and eternal green.

Turn as He will, the eyes Divine
Must ever meet that sacred sign,
Sign of His covenanted grace,
Confirm'd to all our ransom'd race,
Who sing the great Redeemer's love,
Triumphant with that host above.

287

Near the Most High, on either hand
Behold a venerable band!
Twenty-and-four on seats behold!
Enrobed in white, and crown'd with gold,
With Jesu's joy supremely blest,
Enthroned in everlasting rest!

God over all His state maintains,
And high amidst His ancients reigns,
Voices are heard, and thunders roar,
And loud proclaim His awful power,
And waving flames of lightning shine,
Thick flashing from the throne Divine.

Burning before the Sovereign Sire
Are seven lamps of living fire,
His ministerial spirits they,
Who ever in His presence stay,
The purest essences above,
The brightest flames of heavenly love.

Fronting the throne a crystal sea
Rolls on its perfect purity,
Laver of sanctifying grace,
It justly holds the middle space,
For none approach the holy God,
Till throughly wash'd in Jesu's blood.

Between the saints, and Holy One,
Around His seat, and placed thereon,
Four emblematic creatures shine,
Replete with eyes and powers Divine,
And all the various virtues show
Of Jesu's ministers below.

288

The lion bold their heart displays,
The labouring ox their strength of grace,
The man their mind discreet humane,
The eagle doth their speed explain,
Wherewith they soar aloft, to gaze
On the bright Sun of Righteousness!

Spangled with eyes before, behind,
(Fit emblem of a watchful mind,)
The six-wing'd messengers appear,
And full of inward eyes severe,
Themselves with strictest search to scan,
Till modell'd by the perfect plan.

God they extol above the sky,
And Holy, holy, holy cry,
Who was, and is, and still shall be
In essence One, in persons Three,
By all incessantly adored,
Omnipotent, eternal Lord.

Soon as in hymns the mystic four
The everlasting God adore,
The elders prostrate at His seat
His glorious attributes repeat,
The Source of all their blessings own,
And cast their crowns before His throne.

Honour, and might, and majesty,
Who gavest all that is to be,
Thou, Lord, art worthy to receive:
And lo! for this in heaven we live,
With all Thy creatures to commend
Our Source, Support, and glorious End!

University of Virginia Library

I. PART I.

[THE TRIAL OF FAITH]

I. THE TRIAL OF FAITH.

Hymn 1.

II. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Jesu, Thy record I receive]

III. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[Come then, my Jesu, from above]

IV. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Yes, Thou dear lamb-like Son of God]

V. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Still let me on my Pattern gaze]

VI. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Saviour of all, what hast Thou done]

VII. THE SAME.

Hymn 7.

[And did my Lord on earth endure]

VIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 8.

[It must be so; Thou say'st it must]

IX. THE SAME.

Hymn 9.

[Jesu, Thy legacy I take]

X. THE SAME.

Hymn 10.

[How long, Thou suffering Son of God]

XI. THE SAME.

Hymn 11.

[Help, gracious Lord, the time is come]

XII. THE INWARD CROSS.

XIII. ANOTHER.

[Master, I own Thy lawful claim]

XIV. ANOTHER.

[O this agony of grief]

XV. ANOTHER.

[O my only Ease in pain]

XVI. THE LAST WISH.

XVII.

[Rock of everlasting love]

XVIII.

[Thee, Jesus, full of truth and grace]

XIX. FOR THE BROTHERHOOD.

XX. ANOTHER.

[Thou God of love, and truth, and power]

XXI. ANOTHER.

[Still, Lord, we ask, and urge Thee still]

XXII.

[Come on, my partners in distress]

[DESIRING TO PRAY]

XXIII. DESIRING TO PRAY.

Hymn 1.

XXIV. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Jesu, full of grace for me]

XXV. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.

[O Thou Father of compassions]

XXVI. THE SAME.

Hymn 4.

[Jesu, Thou sovereign Lord of all]

XXVII. THE SAME.

Hymn 5.

[Shepherd Divine, our want relieve]

XXVIII. THE SAME.

Hymn 6.

[Come, ye followers of the Lord]

[ON THE LOSS OF HIS FRIENDS]

XXIX. ON THE LOSS OF HIS FRIENDS.

Hymn 1.

XXX. THE SAME.

Hymn 2.

[Glory to the awful God!]

XXXI. THE SAME.

Hymn 3.