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299

HYMNS and PRAYERS TO THE TRINITY.

I.

[We lift our hearts to Thee]

[_]

To the tune of—“Father, our hearts we lift.”

We lift our hearts to Thee,
Jehovah on Thy throne,
Co-equal, co-eternal three,
In will and nature one:
With all the sons of grace
We in Thy worship join,
Plurality of persons praise,
And Unity Divine.
The Father made of none
We bow our souls before,
And Christ His uncreated Son
With equal zeal adore:
Transcending human thought
Jehovah's self is He,
Incomprehensibly begot
From all eternity.
300

God, very God indeed
The Holy Ghost, we know,
From Son and Father did proceed,
And life on man bestow:
With Son and Father Him
Alike we glorify,
Jehovah, the true God, supreme
O'er all in earth and sky.
This glorious Trinity
We worship evermore:
None less, or greater of the three,
None after or afore:
The persons three are one;
And who by faith embrace,
We soon on His triumphant throne
Shall see Him face to face.

II.

[Lord of Hosts, we bow before Thee]

[_]

To—“Angels speak, let men give ear.”

Lord of Hosts, we bow before Thee
God made known Three in One,
One in Three adore Thee:
Far above our comprehending,
God of grace, Take the praise
Never, never ending.
Thee the bright harmonious choir
Three and One On Thy throne
Joyfully admire;
With triumphant acclamation
Night and day Thee we pay
Threefold adoration.
301

Glorious God, like them we bless Thee,
God most high Magnify,
Lord of all confess Thee;
Till we mount through Jesus' merit,
There to gaze, There to praise
Father, Son, and Spirit.

III.

[While the army above]

[_]

To—“Away with our fears!”

While the army above
Overwhelm'd by His love
The Trinity sings,
With their faces enwrapp'd in their shadowing wings;
Holy Father, we cry,
Holy Son we reply!
Holy Spirit of grace!
And extol the Three-One in a rapture of praise!
Many Gods we disclaim,
For the three are the same,
In a manner unknown
Three persons Divine inexpressibly one;
Who all homage demands
From the work of His hands,
Re-created to know,
And resemble his God manifested below.
Their omnipotent Lord
By angels adored
When their being began,
And in Eden extoll'd by the primitive man;
302

As it was, and as now
To the Triad we bow,
Men and angels shall fall,
And eternally praise the Creator of all.

IV.

[Three persons there are]

[_]

To—“All ye that pass by.”

Three persons there are
Their record who bear,
And Jehovah in heavenly places declare:
But in Father, and Son,
And Spirit made known,
The Witnesses three are essentially one.
Full credence we give,
And exult to believe
What our reason in vain would aspire to conceive:
Not against, but above
Our reason we prove
Three persons reveal'd in the essence of Love.
The Father alone
Very God will we own,
Very God will we worship the Spirit and Son:
Each person is He,
Whom believing we see,
And Jehovah adore in the wonderful three.
No distinction we find
Of will or of mind
In the Maker, Inspirer, and Friend of mankind;
But one God we proclaim
In nature and name
Indivisibly one, and for ever the same.
303

V.

[God distinct in persons three]

[_]

To—“Lamb of God, whose bleeding love.”

God distinct in persons three,
In various offices,
Father, Son, and Spirit, Thee
We faithfully confess:
Father, God, Jehovah, Lord
We call by names to each applied,
As by saints on earth adored,
By angels magnified.
Lord of Hosts, upon Thy throne,
Thy face the prophet view'd,
Praised a Trinity in One
Sublime, almighty God:
Still from every saint of Thine
Accept the adoration given,
Glorious majesty Divine,
Who fillest earth and heaven.

VI.

[Father, Son, and Spirit, hear]

[_]

To—“Hearts of stone, relent, relent!”

Father, Son, and Spirit, hear
Thy apostate creature's groan,
Languishing to find Thee near,
Worshipping a God unknown,
Light till in Thy light I see,
Know eternal life in Thee.
Creeds and books can nothing do,
Unaccompanied by grace;
Grace must form my soul anew,
Give me to discern Thy face,
Bring my faithful heart the power
God in persons three to' adore.
304

But Thou draw'st me after Thee,
But Thou dost my heart incline,
Helping its infirmity
Now to ask the grace Divine:
Now this unbelief remove,
Tell me now that Thou art love.
Father, manifest Thy Son,
Son, to me the Father show,
Holy Comforter, make known
The deep things of God below,
Sovereign, Triune God, impart
All Thy fulness to my heart.

VII.

[All hail, mysterious Trinity!]

[_]

To—“With pity, Lord, a sinner see.”

All hail, mysterious Trinity!
Every person of the three
In my salvation meets:
The Father draws me to the Son,
Accepts for Jesus' sake alone,
And all my sins forgets.
The Son His cleansing blood applies,
Breaks my heart, and bids me rise
A penitent forgiven:
The Holy Ghost His witness bears,
Numbers me with the royal heirs,
And gives a taste of heaven.
The Father multiplies my peace,
Jesus doth my faith increase,
And teaches me to pray;
305

The Spirit purifies my heart,
And makes me, Saviour, as Thou art,
And seals me to Thy day.
Thus, only thus I surely know
God was manifest below
The God of pardoning grace,
Whom saints in persons three admire,
Whom I with all that heavenly choir
World without end shall praise.

VIII.

[Worship and praise belong]

[_]

To—“Rejoice, the Lord is King.”

Worship and praise belong
To God the Lord most high:
Who taught us the new song
His name we magnify,
The Trinity in One we bless,
The Unity in Three confess.
Not from our creeds alone
The doctrine we receive:
Jehovah three in one,
He gives us to believe,
The God of truth Himself imparts,
And writes His name upon our hearts.
His Son on us bestow'd
The Father hath reveal'd:
The Son His Father show'd
From mortal eye conceal'd;
The' indwelling Comforter attests
That One is Three, in faithful breasts.
306

Thrice holy God, in whom
We live, and move, and are,
To do Thy will we come,
Thy glory to declare,
By all our converse here to show
That God is manifest below.
Baptized into Thy name,
Mysterious One in Three,
Our souls and bodies claim
A sacrifice to Thee:
We only live our faith to prove
The faith which works by humble love.
O that our light may shine,
And all our lives express
The character Divine,
The real holiness!
Then, then receive us up to' adore
The Triune God for evermore.

IX.

[Fountain of Divine compassion]

[_]

To—“Jesus, show us Thy salvation.”

Fountain of Divine compassion,
Father of the ransom'd race,
Christ, our Saviour and salvation,
Spirit of consecrating grace;
See us prostrated before Thee;
Co-essential Three in One,
Glorious God, our souls adore Thee
High on Thine eternal throne.
While we in Thy name assemble,
Overshadow'd from above,
Let us at Thy presence tremble,
Holy, Triune God of love:
307

Father, Son, and Spirit, bless us,
Who the true Jehovah art:
Plenitude of God in Jesus,
Enter every contrite heart.
Challenge now Thine humble dwelling,
O Thou high and lofty One,
Thy own Deity revealing,
God in persons three come down:
Thou, the Witnesses in heaven,
Dost on earth Thy record bear:
Show us here our sins forgiven,
Show us all Thy glory there.

X.

[Triumph, happy soul, to whom]

[_]

To—“Happy Magdalene, to whom.”

Triumph, happy soul, to whom
God the heavenly secret tells,
Father, Son, and Spirit come,
One in Three Himself reveals!
What from man thou couldst not know,
Thou art truly taught of God,
When He doth the faith bestow,
Wash thee in thy Saviour's blood.
Fully certified thou art
By that sacred blood applied,
He who dwells within thy heart,
God, the great Jehovah died:
Now, and not till now thou know'st
(Mystery learnt by faith alone)
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
God in persons three is one.
308

God in persons three, appear
God to every troubled breast,
Show Thyself the Comforter,
Be the weary sinner's rest:
Stranger to Thy people's peace,
Burden'd with our sins we groan;
Come, that all our griefs may cease,
Take possession of Thy own.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Heal Thy creature's misery;
Thee, the pearl which Adam lost,
Give us to recover Thee,
Give us in pure love renew'd
Higher by our fall to rise,
Image of the Triune God,
House of One who fills the skies.

XI.

[Holy, holy, holy Lord]

[_]

To—“Hail the day that sees Him rise.”

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
God the Father, and the Word,
God the Comforter, receive
Blessing more than earth can give!
Mix'd with those beyond the sky,
Chanters to the Lord most high,
We our hearts and voices raise,
Echoing Thine eternal praise.
One inexplicably three,
Three in simplest Unity,
God, incline Thy gracious ear,
Us Thy lisping creatures hear:
309

Thee while dust and ashes sings,
Angels shrink within their wings,
Prostrate seraphim above
Breathe unutterable love.
Happy they, who never rest,
With Thy heavenly presence bless'd!
They the heights of glory see,
Sound the depths of Deity:
Fain with them our souls would vie,
Sink as low, and mount as high,
Fall o'erwhelm'd with love, or soar,
Shout, or silently adore.

XII.

[Praise to the glorious Cause of all]

[_]

To—“Hail, Jesus, hail, our great High-Priest.”

Praise to the glorious Cause of all
(Whom one in persons three we call)
Be by His every creature given!
Worship Divine to Him be paid,
Whose hands the whole creation made,
The Triune God of earth and heaven.
Each person, absolutely Lord,
Exists, by heaven and earth adored,
The God of Israel's faithful line;
Each person doth the essence claim,
The incommunicable name,
And all the attributes Divine.
Jehovah, ere the world begun,
In God the Father and the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost was found;
One self-existent Deity,
He reigns, when time no more shall be,
With everlasting glory crown'd.
310

XIII.

[Praise to the glorious Three in One]

[_]

To—“Sinners, rejoice, your peace is made.”

Praise to the glorious Three in One,
As was before the world begun,
As is by minds angelic paid,
By every saint His grace has made,
And shall eternally be given
By all in earth and all in heaven.
Shout to the great Jehovah's praise
Ye sons of glory and of grace,
One God in persons three adore,
The same in majesty and power,
His suffering and triumphant host
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

XIV.

[Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost]

[_]

To—“Jesus, we hang upon the word.”

Come, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Whom One all-perfect God we own,
Restorer of Thine image lost,
Thy various offices make known,
Display, our fallen souls to raise,
Thy whole economy of grace.
Jehovah in three persons, come,
And draw, and sprinkle us, and seal
Poor guilty, dying worms, in whom
Thou dost eternal life reveal,
The knowledge of Thyself bestow,
And all Thy glorious goodness show.
Soon as our pardon'd hearts believe
That Thou art pure essential love,
The proof we in ourselves receive
Of the Three Witnesses above,
311

Sure, as the saints around Thy throne,
That Father, Word, and Spirit are One.
O that we now in love renew'd
Might blameless in Thy sight appear,
Wake up in Thy similitude,
Stamp'd with the Triune character,
Flesh, spirit, soul to Thee resign,
And live and die entirely Thine!

XV.

[God unsearchable, unknown]

[_]

To—“Jesus, dear departed Lord.”

God unsearchable, unknown,
Persons three, but essence one,
Thee I gladly would receive,
Would Thine oracles believe:
Searching them by night and day,
Here I for instruction stay,
Still I read and reason right,
Still require a clearer light.
Reason can no farther go,
Forced its own defect to show:
God incomprehensible
Only can Himself reveal:
Triune majesty Divine,
Thou into my darkness shine,
Now unfold the mystery,
Let there now be faith in me.

XVI.

[A real Unity]

[_]

To—“Spirit of truth, descend.”

A real Unity
Which heart can ne'er conceive
In the celestial three
His children all believe:
312

In essence, not in figure, one
The persons we adore,
Of God the Father, Spirit, Son,
And praise Him evermore.
Call'd by a common name
The sacred three we praise,
In will and power the same,
In majesty and grace;
Jehovah whom His hosts surround,
An ever warbling choir,
The God supreme in each is found,
The Deity entire.
Thrice holy God, admit
Poor worms of earth to join,
And at Thy mercy-seat
Extol the grace Divine,
The wisdom in a mystery
Of love unsearchable,
Till Thou receive us up to see
Thy face without a veil.

XVII.

[A thousand oracles Divine]

[_]

To—“Hail, holy, holy, holy Lord.”

A thousand oracles Divine
Their common beams unite,
That sinners may with angels join
To worship God aright;
To praise a Trinity adored
By all His host above,
And one thrice holy God and Lord
Through endless ages love.
313

Triumphant host! they never cease
To laud and magnify
The Triune God of holiness,
Whose glory fills the sky;
Whose glory to this earth extends,
While God Himself imparts,
And the whole Trinity descends
Into our faithful hearts.
By faith the upper choir we meet,
And challenge them to sing
Jehovah on His shining seat,
Our Maker, God, and King:
But God made flesh is wholly ours,
And asks a nobler strain,
The Father of celestial powers,
The Friend of earth-born man.
Ye seraphs nearest to the throne,
With rapturous amaze
On us, poor, ransom'd worms look down,
For heaven's superior praise:
The King whose glorious face ye see,
For us His crown resign'd;
That Fulness of the Deity,
He died for all mankind!

XVIII.

[The Witnesses in heaven adored]

[_]

To—“Sinners, obey the gospel-word.”

The Witnesses in heaven adored,
The Father, Holy Ghost, and Word,
One God with all His church we own,
In persons three for ever one.
314

But till our souls are born again,
We to the truth assent in vain,
By notions right ourselves deceive,
And only fancy we believe.
The Triune God we cannot know,
Unless He doth the faith bestow,
Faith which removes our mountain-load,
And brings us to a pardoning God:
Sure evidence of things unseen,
Which swallows up the gulf between,
The Light of Life Divine imparts,
And forms Jehovah in our hearts.
O that we all might thus believe,
The truth in humble love receive,
Author of faith our Saviour find
In God the Father of mankind;
In both the Holy Spirit know,
(Who doth where'er He listeth blow,)
And the whole Trinity receive
For ever in our hearts to live!

XIX.

[Thee, great tremendous Deity]

[_]

To—“O Love Divine, how sweet Thou art!”

Thee, great tremendous Deity,
Whom Three in One, and One in Three
I to the world proclaim,
Inspire with purity and peace,
And add me to Thy witnesses
By telling me Thy name.
315

Fix'd on the Athanasian mound,
I still require a firmer ground
My sinking faith to bear:
I want to feel my soul renew'd
In the similitude of God,
Jehovah's character.
My notions true are notions vain;
By them I cannot grace obtain,
Or saved from sin arise:
Knowledge acquired by books or creeds
My learn'd self-righteous pride it feeds;
'Tis love that edifies.
The truth I seemingly possess,
But hold it in unrighteousness
Without experience sure:
Whoe'er the holy God contains,
He must be purged from all his stains,
A vessel clean and pure.
Furnish'd with intellectual light,
In vain I speak of Thee aright,
While unreveal'd Thou art:
That only can suffice for me,
The whole mysterious Trinity
Inhabiting my heart.
Come then, Thou Triune God unknown,
Take full possession of Thine own,
And keep me ever Thine,
An heir of bliss, for glory seal'd,
A temple of the Lord, and fill'd
With all the life Divine.
316

XX.

[To God the great Jehovah]

[_]

To—“Head of Thy church triumphant.”

To God the great Jehovah
We render thanks and blessing,
His Unity
In persons three
With all His church confessing:
Three holy ones we worship
With endless adoration
Under the same
Mysterious name,
And sovereign appellation.
The same Divine perfection
Authority and merit
Counsel and mind
And power we find
In Father, Son, and Spirit;
To all the three ascribing
The same eternal essence,
Wisdom and grace,
And holiness,
And truth and omnipresence.
The undivided Godhead,
The Trinity united,
The Three in One
Doth all alone,
With His own work delighted:
The glorious Triune Author
Of every operation
With life supplies,
And sanctifies,
And leads us to salvation.
317

XXI.

[Omnipotent God, Eternal I am]

[_]

To—“Ye servants of God.”

Omnipotent God, Eternal I am,
We publish abroad Thy wonderful name,
We worship before Thee Who reignest alone,
And prostrate adore Thee, Three persons in one.
Jehovah entire In each we confess,
And gladly admire Thy mystical grace,
The persons agreeing To make and renew,
To give us our being, And ransom us too.
Begotten again, And born from above,
We join in the plan Of infinite love;
Son, Father, and Spirit Our Saviour we see,
And glory inherit Through faith in the three.
To Thee on the throne We lift up our voice,
In Father and Son, And Spirit rejoice,
With anticipation Of purest delight,
And all our salvation Enjoy in Thy sight.

XXII.

[O Father of mercies, attend]

[_]

To—“Ah, lovely appearance of death!”

O Father of mercies, attend,
And suffer a wretch to complain;
O Jesus, a sinner befriend,
Oppress'd with the weight of my chain;
O pitiful Spirit of Love!
The God whom I fain would adore,
Appear, and my burden remove,
Thy favour and image restore.
318

Thou hear'st the unspeakable groan
Which heaves in a sorrowful heart,
Till Thou, whom I never have known,
The blissful assurance impart,
The light of Thy countenance show,
With heavenly evidence shine,
And bid me in liberty go,
In peace, and affiance Divine.
Come then to Thy creature, and tell
The secret I cannot explore,
Thy riches of mercy reveal,
Thy love's inexhaustible store;
Three mystical persons in one,
The truth of Thy Godhead attest,
Jehovah, the Father, and Son,
And Spirit, abide in my breast.
While yet I am calling, appear
The end of my trouble and pain:
Assured of a Trinity here,
I rise from my ruins again;
I know my Redeemer, who gives
A sinner His glory to see,
And all the Divinity lives
Eternally present in me.

XXIII.

[The Deity Trine One Being we name]

[_]

To—“'Tis finish'd, 'tis done.”

The Deity Trine One Being we name,
Three persons Divine For ever the same,
One absolute nature In all we maintain,
One gracious Creator Of angels and men.
319

Jehovah is He Substantially love,
The mystical three Who witness above;
Who there His pure essence Displays and conceals;
Whose life-giving presence The universe fills.
Thrice Holy and High, Thy goodness and power
Like those in the sky We fain would adore:
Thy boundless compassion Each moment we prove,
And all our salvation Ascribe to Thy love.
O what shall we do To praise Thee aright?
To make us anew, Appear in our sight,
Discover Thy glory, Thy goodness proclaim,
And prostrate before Thee We worship Thy name.
Thy gifts are bestow'd On all the lost kind:
A merciful God In Thee when we find,
Most freely forgiving, Abundant in grace;
The living, the living We publish Thy praise.
Command us to rise Of pardon possess'd,
With love's paradise Unspeakably bless'd;
Thy forfeited favour Thine image restore,
And bid us for ever Rejoice, and adore.

XXIV.

[Hail, co-essential Three]

[_]

To—“Thanks be to God alone.”

Hail, co-essential Three
In mystic Unity!
Father, Son, and Spirit, hail,
God by heaven and earth adored,
God incomprehensible,
One supreme, almighty Lord.
320

Thou sittest on the throne
Plurality in one:
Saints behold Thine open face,
Bright, insufferably bright;
Angels tremble as they gaze,
Sink into a sea of light!
Ah, when shall we increase
Their heavenly ecstasies!
Chant, like them, the Lord most high,
Fall like them who dare not move,
Holy, holy, holy cry,
Breathe the praise of silent love!
Come, Father, in the Son,
And in the Spirit down,
Glorious, Triune majesty,
God through endless ages bless'd,
Make us meet Thy face to see,
Then receive us to Thy breast.

XXV.

[The great God ever-bless'd]

The great God ever-bless'd
In the Father confess'd
Is confess'd in the Spirit and Son:
His worshippers true,
We attribute His due
To three persons essentially one.
The philosopher vain
May adore a mere man;
Or invent a subordinate God:
Jehovah supreme
We acknowledge in Him
Who hath purchased our souls with His blood.
321

The most Holy and High
We alike glorify
And adore in the Spirit of love;
Who His Godhead reveals,
When our spirit He seals,
And prepares for a kingdom above.
Neither greater nor less
In the three we confess;
First, Second, and Third are the same:
All the persons we find
Everlastingly join'd
In the common, ineffable Name.
On Jehovah in all
We faithfully call,
And the Triad in Unity love;
He inspires us to vie
With our friends in the sky,
And heighten the triumph above.
We give glory to God
Who the grace has bestow'd
To confess, and to praise Him aright;
Singing on till we see
The one Essence in three,
And are lost in the rapturous sight.

XXVI.

[Thou unsearchable Three]

Thou unsearchable Three,
Whom I languish to see,
Attend to my suppliant groan:
Thou know'st my sad case,
With my lips I confess,
But adore a Jehovah unknown.
322

For redemption I call,
Immersed in my fall,
Overwhelm'd with a mountain of night:
Still unanswer'd I pray
For a pitiful ray
From the true inaccessible Light.
O Father, on me
(While I feel after Thee)
Let the light of Thy countenance shine
In Immanuel's face,
In the Spirit of grace,
In the fulness of mercy Divine.
Thou alone didst inspire
This impatient desire
Of a knowledge I cannot attain,
Till Thyself Thou reveal,
And I joyfully feel
I am born in Thy image again.
Nothing here can relieve
Till Thyself I retrieve
By a mystical birth from above:
Come Father, and Son,
With the Comforter down
In the likeness of heavenly love.
To enlighten and cheer
A lost sinner, appear,
Holy Triad, in glory arise,
In the person of Him
Who died to redeem,
And ensure me a place in the skies.
323

XXVII.

[Holy, holy, holy Lord]

Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Mysterious One in Three,
Must I perish unrestored,
Through ignorance of Thee?
Still a dying sinner spare,
Till Thou from all my sins release:
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And bid me die in peace.
In a dreary vale of woe
I long have lived in pain,
Follow'd on the Lord to know,
But follow'd on in vain:
Still, alas, I know not where
To find Thee whom my lips confess:
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And bid me die in peace.
Thou in mortal flesh reveal'd
Didst hear the beggar's cry,
Speak the felon's pardon seal'd
When at the point to die:
Thou didst on Thy body bear
The weight of my unrighteousness:
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And bid me die in peace.
Poor and blind, condemn'd and lost,
Thy ransom'd creature own;
Father, send the Holy Ghost,
And send in Him Thy Son,
324

By the' indwelling Comforter
Renew me in Thy holiness;
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And bid me die in peace.
Father, Son, and Spirit, descend
Into my panting heart,
All my sins and griefs to end,
Come tell me who Thou art;
Stamp me with Thy character
An heir of everlasting bliss;
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And bid me die in peace.
Give me to believe aright,
And then from earth remove,
Swallow up my faith in sight
My hope in heavenly love;
Thou who didst my place prepare,
Prepare my soul Thyself to see;
Triune God, regard my prayer,
And take me up to Thee.

XXVIII.

[Right notions have their slender use]

Right notions have their slender use,
But cannot a sound faith produce,
Or vital piety,
They cannot make the Godhead known,
Or manifest Jehovah one
In co-eternal three.
That virtue doth from Christ proceed,
That power which animates the dead
The Spirit of life exerts;
325

The Father His own Son reveals,
The Triune God His image seals
With pardon on our hearts.
A fond imagination vain,
A shadow floating in the brain
Which we for faith misdeem,
The mere result of nature's powers,
'Tis not a work of God, but ours,
'Tis all a waking dream.
The orthodox renown'd in fight,
Fierce champions for opinions right,
May reason's strength display:
Their Arian and Socinian foes,
And heresy's whole household knows
The truth as much as they.
The Truth that makes us free indeed,
We cannot learn it from our creed,
The Truth that sanctifies,
To bring us faith returns from heaven,
And Father, Son, and Spirit given
Conducts us to the skies.
Jesus the Truth, the Life, the Way,
Thou in me with Thy Father stay,
Thou with Thy Spirit descend,
I then shall know Thee as Thou art,
The God who never will depart,
My soul's eternal Friend.

XXIX.

[The Father freely justifies]

The Father freely justifies,
The Son His pardoning power asserts,
The Holy Ghost that blood applies
Which purifies believing hearts;
326

Yet God who sin forgives alone
In persons three is only one.
Thou Triune God of pardoning love,
On me Thy kind compassion show,
By faith begotten from above,
And call'd assuredly to know
The blessings by three persons given,
The peace of God, the pledge of heaven.
Jehovah come! Thyself reveal,
To save a soul so dearly bought,
The peace and joy unspeakable,
The love surpassing human thought;
Thrice holy God, to me impart,
With all Thou hast, and all Thou art.

XXX.

[Come Father, Son, and Holy Ghost]

Come Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Restorer of Thine image lost,
The flaming sword remove;
Teach me Thine image to regain,
And to my docile heart explain
The mystery of love.
I now perceive Thy love's design;
Thou didst again in council join,
Thy name to re-impress,
Anew Thy creature to create,
And raise me to my first estate
In perfect righteousness.
327

To execute Thy kind intent,
Jehovah from Jehovah sent
Left His eternal throne,
A Man of griefs, He stain'd the tree,
Saviour of all, He laid for me
The precious ransom down.
The Spirit purchased with His blood,
By Father and by Son bestow'd
Doth now in man reside;
For us He strongly intercedes,
Us into all Thy counsel leads
Our sure indwelling Guide.
Pardon He on our conscience seals,
Thy good and welcome will reveals
To save a world by grace:
He marks us for salvation's heirs,
And moulds and fashions, and prepares
To see Thine open face.
He sanctifies, without respect
Of high or low, His own elect,
Regenerate from above,
Into Thy glorious form converts,
And stamps Thine image on our hearts
In purity and love.
O wouldst Thou stamp it now on mine
The name and character Divine,
The holy One in Three!
Come, Father, Son, and Spirit, give
Thy love,—Thyself: and lo! I live
Imparadised in Thee.
328

XXXI.

[Mysterious God in persons three]

Mysterious God in persons three,
Stir up Thy judging power,
'Gainst formal crowds who bow the knee,
And only seem to' adore;
Who Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Presume for theirs to claim,
Their zeal and orthodoxy boast,
Yet never knew Thy name.
Full of themselves, with learned pride
Their talents they display,
And Thy true worshippers deride
That walk in Christ the Way,
That live by faith, the gift of God,
Confess Thee as Thou art,
And daily feel the sprinkled blood
Which purifies our heart.
Concerning this we now agree,
Petitioners for them;
Who neither know themselves, nor Thee,
The infidels condemn:
Convince them that their faith is vain,
A feeble, broken reed,
As standing in the words of men,
The letters of a creed.
Themselves they call the church of God,
And heretics despise:
But more contemptuously explode
The wisdom of the wise;
329

The heartfelt faith that works by love
They count a madman's dream,
And all Thy kingdom from above
With blindfold rage blaspheme.
Ah, Lord, in them the work begin,
Their confidence abase,
Drag out to light the hidden sin
Which poisons all our race:
Thy righteous wrath from heaven be shown,
And fill their souls with grief,
And make the unbelievers groan
To feel their unbelief.
Now their foundation false o'erturn
With every show of good,
And all the superstructure burn,
The stubble, hay, and wood:
Let them with just abhorrence cast
Their virtuous rags away,
And humbled to the dust at last
For pardoning mercy pray.
When stripp'd of all but sin they grieve
Their desperate state to see,
Spiritual understanding give,
And real faith in Thee:
Shut up in unbelief release,
Reveal their sin forgiven,
And bid them go in perfect peace,
Thy confessors to heaven.
330

XXXII.

[Jesus, Thy precious passion]

Jesus, Thy precious passion
For us obtain'd the grace,
Which brings assured salvation
To all our ransom'd race:
Again on rebels smiling,
And to Himself we see
The Father reconciling
A sinful world in Thee.
The testifying Spirit
Thy Deity asserts,
Imputes Thy righteous merit,
And plants it in our hearts;
He takes of Thine, and shows us
The pure atoning blood;
And then the stream o'erflows us,
And bears our souls to God.
By faith Divine perceiving
The hidden mystery,
With strong affection cleaving
To God in persons three,
One undivided nature
We now in three attest,
And in our New-Creator
His happy children rest.
Infallibly assured
The heavenly three are one,
We taste the bliss procured
By Thy expiring groan:
331

We soon o'er death victorious
Shall all Thy joy receive,
And in our bodies glorious
Thy life eternal live.

XXXIII.

[How empty our external boast]

How empty our external boast,
Who the true God adore
In Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Nor know His gracious power:
Strangers to vital piety,
If sunk in sin we lie,
The truth which hath not made us free,
Our careless lives deny.
Our faith is but a shadow vain,
Unless it works by love,
And saved from sin, and born again
We seek the things above:
Unless we have the sacred Trine
Into our hearts received,
And I can call each person mine,
I have not yet believed.
God inaccessible, unknown,
If through Thy precious grace
Convinced of unbelief I groan
To see Thy smiling face:
The veil of unbelief remove,
The sins I now confess,
And give my new-born soul to prove
The power of godliness.
332

Thee that I may my Father know,
A grain of faith impart,
The Spirit of Thy Son bestow
To witness in my heart;
That Thou in Christ art reconciled,
My conscience certify,
And then Thy dear adopted child,
I Abba Father cry.
Son of the living God, appear,
And tell me Thou art He,
Jehovah manifested here
In frail humanity:
Author of faith, Thou only know'st
The Father to reveal;
And breathed by Thee, the Holy Ghost
Doth in Thy people dwell.
Thou Lamb of God, who bear'st away
The universal sin,
Thy sin-forgiving power display,
And touch a leper clean:
The gracious mystery make known,
Apply the' atoning blood,
And vanquish'd by Thy cross, I own
Thou art my Lord, my God.
Spirit of faith, my soul convince
Of Jesu's righteousness,
Which hides, and swallows up my sins,
And bids my sorrows cease:
The God supreme, in heaven adored,
Who did my sorrows bear,
Enable me to call Him Lord,
And all His power declare.
333

What though the sinners' chief I am,
If Thou pronounce me free,
I stand absolved in Jesus' name,
And justified by Thee:
The Pledge, the Witness, and the Seal,
If Thou my Portion art,
I find, and every moment feel
The Triad in my heart.

XXXIV.

[Faith, though rational, is founded]

Faith, though rational, is founded
Not on man, but God alone,
On the great Jehovah grounded,
Persons three in essence one:
Who aright his Lord confesses,
Unremovable he stands,
Fix'd on an eternal basis,
'Stablish'd with almighty hands.
Not on vain imaginations
Do we, Lord, for proof depend;
Not on fancied inspirations,
When Thou dost Thy Spirit send:
Unenlighten'd reason leaves us
Nought to build our faith upon:
Evidence Thy Spirit gives us
Brighter than the mid-day sun.
Slighting nature's every feeling,
We on grace alone rely:
God in us His Son revealing
Makes us Abba Father cry:
334

When we find the hidden treasure,
Christ discover'd from above,
Then our souls perceive the pleasure,
Impulse sweet of Jesus' love.
O that all our blind gainsayers
Might the loving impulse feel!
Triune God, regard our prayers,
Thou in them Thyself reveal,
By the Spirit's demonstration
Teach their hearts the mystery,
Show to each the great salvation,
Tell him—I have pardon'd thee!

XXXV.

[Bowels of Divine compassion]

Bowels of Divine compassion,
Love reveal'd in persons three,
God of grace and consolation,
Manifest Thyself to me:
Conscious of my blood-bought pardon,
Let me in Thine image rise:
Make my soul a water'd garden,
Give me back my paradise.
Make Thy goodness pass before me,
Glorious God Thyself proclaim,
To my first estate restore me,
Re-impress'd with Thy new name,
In the likeness of my Maker
Re-begotten from above,
Of Thy holiness partaker,
Fill'd with all the life of love.
335

XXXVI.

[Father, to Thy protection]

Father, to Thy protection
From fiends and men I fly,
And rest in Thy affection,
When passion's storm runs high,
Beneath my soul, defended
From all invading harms,
Thy mercy hath extended
Its everlasting arms.
Jesus, Jehovah's Power,
Thy promised help I claim,
And run into the tower
Of Thine almighty name:
Impregnable the City
Which hides my life above;
My refuge is Thy pity,
My safety is Thy love.
Spirit of consolation
And all-sufficient grace,
In every strong temptation
Thou shalt a standard raise
Against my foe infernal,
And show me on the tree
The dying God eternal
Whose blood hath ransom'd me.
By faith I now inherit
Both strength and righteousness,
In Father, Son, and Spirit,
The God whom I confess:
336

Whate'er I ask, desiring,
I have; I surely have
The Three in One conspiring
This dear-bought soul to save.

XXXVII.

[Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
Saved by Thee, Happy we
Shall Thy throne inherit:
Here our heavenly banquet tasting,
In Thy love Joys we prove
Ever, ever lasting.
Rapturous anticipation!
Who believe We receive
Sensible salvation;
Silent bliss and full of glory,
In Thine eye While we lie
Prostrated before Thee.
Manna spiritual and hidden,
Perfect peace We possess,
Our recover'd Eden:
Till we find the fulness given
In that sight, Mercy's height,
Love's sublimest heaven!

XXXVIII.

[In majesty one, In glory the same]

In majesty one, In glory the same
The Father and Son And Spirit we name;
One nature and essence In three we assert,
Whose personal presence Is fix'd in our heart.
The Trinity we Alone can attest,
Who carry the three And one in our breast;
337

Who seal'd by His Spirit And wash'd with His blood,
In Jesus inherit The fulness of God.

XXXIX.

[Wisdom, and praise, and glory be]

Wisdom, and praise, and glory be
To God alone in persons three,
Who to His church the truth imparts,
And seals it on our happy hearts.
The Lord of Hosts, the Lord most high,
The Triune God we magnify,
With all His prostrate hosts adore,
And love, and praise Him evermore.

XL.

[Father, Son, and Holy Spirit]

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
One stupendous God in three,
Make us meet Thy joy to' inherit,
Thee without a veil to see,
Wise to fathom
All the depths of Deity.
Father, kindly draw, and give us
To Thy consubstantial Son;
Son of God, with smiles receive us,
Shine, and make Thy nature known;
Glorious Spirit,
Be our heaven on earth begun.
Thou to Thine apostate creature
Only canst Thyself reveal;
Stronger than our heart and greater,
Triune God, the secret tell:
Come, Jehovah,
God in man for ever dwell.
338

XLI.

[We God the Father praise]

We God the Father praise,
We God the Son adore,
The Spirit of holiness
In majesty and power
Equal to both we magnify,
And Holy, holy, holy cry!
He hath to us made known
The awful mystery,
The Trinity in one,
And Unity in three,
And taught the ransom'd sons of men
What angels never could explain.
Beyond our utmost thought,
And reason's proudest flight,
We comprehend Him not,
Nor grasp the Infinite,
But worship in the mystic three
One God to all eternity.

XLII.

[The sacred three conspire]

The sacred three conspire
In love to fallen man,
To' exalt the creature higher,
And turn his loss to gain:
Still in the new creation
The persons all agree,
Joint causes of salvation,
To raise and perfect me.
The Father's grace allures me,
And to my Saviour gives;
The Saviour's blood assures me,
That God His child receives:
339

The Comforter bears witness
That I am truly His,
And brings my soul its fitness
For everlasting bliss.
The Father, Son, and Spirit
Himself to me makes known,
And I in Him inherit
One God, for ever One:
Jehovah's purest essence
My raptured spirit seals;
And all His blissful presence
In all His people dwells.

XLIII.

[The Father, Son, and Spirit praise]

The Father, Son, and Spirit praise,
Restorer of our ruin'd race,
One God eternally adored,
One merciful, almighty Lord!
Hark! He whispers from above;
Tells our hearts, that God is love!
The Triune God is found below,
Whom only loving hearts can know,
In every person of the three
Resides the whole Divinity:
God, to me Thy house of clay
Come, and here for ever stay.

XLIV.

[Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost]

Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Inexplicably one and three,
As worshipp'd by the heavenly host,
Thy church on earth we worship Thee,
340

Three unconfounded persons own,
One undivided God proclaim,
In essence, substance, nature one
Through all eternity the same.
One person of the Sire we praise,
Another of the Son adore,
Another of the Spirit confess,
Equal in majesty and power:
To each the glory appertains,
The Godhead of the three is one,
And one supreme Jehovah reigns
High on His everlasting throne.
The Father, Son, and Spirit of love
One uncreated God we hail,
Not fully known by saints above,
To us incomprehensible:
The Father, Son, and Spirit of grace,
All-wise, almighty, and most high,
One true eternal God we bless,
And spread His fame through earth and sky.
The Father is both God and Lord,
Both God and Lord is Christ the Son,
The Holy Ghost, the glorious Third
Both God and Lord His people own;
Both God and Lord, who Him believe,
Each person by Himself we name,
Yet not three Gods or Lords receive,
But one essentially the same.
341

XLV.

[Father full of soft compassion]

Father full of soft compassion,
If to all Thy bowels move,
Grant to me the consolation,
Sweet assurance of Thy love,
Shed it in my heart abroad,
Show Thyself a pardoning God.
For Thy nature's sake forgive me,
God in Jesus reconciled,
A poor prodigal receive me
As Thine own adopted child,
In Thy mercy's arms embrace,
Kiss the sorrow from my face.
Though my sins reach up to heaven,
Higher still Thy mercies rise;
Infinite my sins forgiven:
How shall I Thy goodness prize?
Let me all Thy goodness prove,
Let me infinitely love.

XLVI.

[Thy Divinity's adorer]

Thy Divinity's adorer,
Thee that I may truly know,
Jesus, be my soul's restorer,
Bleeding Lamb, appear below,
God expiring on the tree,
Love, be manifest in me.
Sharer of Thy dereliction,
Joining in Thy plaintive cry,
Pain'd with Thy extreme affliction
Let my broken heart reply,
O let all within me moan,
Echo back Thy dying groan!
342

Here would I maintain my station,
Never from the cross remove,
Till I in my last temptation
Pay Thee back Thy dearest love,
Faint into Thy arms away,
Die into immortal day.

XLVII.

[Kindler of seraphic fire]

Kindler of seraphic fire
Glowing in Thy hosts above,
Giver of the pure desire,
Spirit of celestial love,
Heavenly love to us impart,
Comfort every drooping heart.
If Thou hast a token given,
If our want of love we feel,
Bless us with that taste of heaven,
Pardon on our conscience seal;
Then with cordial charity,
Gracious God, we cleave to Thee.
Then, because Thou first hast loved,
We shall love our God again,
Happy, till from earth removed,
Joy consummate we obtain,
Dazzled with the glorious sight,
Lost in an abyss of light.

XLVIII.

[Triune God, the New-Creator]

Triune God, the New-Creator
Of our fallen souls appear,
O communicate Thy nature,
Raise us to Thy image here,
343

In true holiness renew'd,
Spotless portraitures of God.
By a bless'd anticipation
Of Thy perfect righteousness,
Qualify us for salvation
Vessels of celestial grace,
Meet by love and purity
God without a veil to see.
Then cut short our days of mourning,
Then our ready souls receive,
Call us up with songs returning
In Thy blissful sight to live,
Live, and praise Thee on the throne,
God in three for ever one.

XLIX.

[Who God in Christ discover]

Who God in Christ discover
By His own Spirit's power,
And love our heavenly Lover,
And One in Three adore,
The secret hid from ages,
Having our Saviour's mind,
We in the sacred pages
And we alone can find.
Assenting to the letter
A sinner nothing gains:
It cannot free the debtor,
Or break the prisoner's chains;
The truest, soundest notion
Can never guilt remove,
Or give that heart-devotion
Which flows from humble love.
344

Thou God who sin forgivest,
To Thee if sinners turn,
And in Thine arms receivest
When after Thee we mourn;
Thy gospel's controversy
Against the men maintain
Who spurn Thy pardoning mercy,
And bear Thy name in vain.
The world of misbelievers
Thou only canst convince,
Orthodox self-deceivers
Shut up in all their sins:
Darkness for light mistaking
And light for darkness, they
O'erlook the one thing lacking,
Or scornfully gainsay.
Our faith, imagination,
Our hope they count a lie,
The present, sure salvation,
The heartfelt love deny;
The witness of that Spirit,
The antepast, and seal,
And His imputed merit
Who saves us all from hell.
Their shadowy faith embracing,
A creature of their own,
Thee with their sins confessing
They bow to three in one;
Assured they only know Thee,
With sin they will not part,
Or render that they owe Thee,
An undivided heart.
345

Stir up Thy saving power,
Mysterious One in Three,
Nor let the pit devour
The souls redeem'd by Thee:
Convince of their delusion
The enemies of grace,
And clothe them with confusion,
That they may seek Thy face.
Beneath their burden groaning
When after Thee they cry,
Their unbelief bemoaning
As at the point to die,
From guilt and condemnation
Thy penitents to clear,
The God of their salvation,
The Triune God appear.

L.

[Triune God of pardoning love]

Triune God of pardoning love,
Thy Divine economy
All our thankful hearts approve,
Thee adore in persons three;
Each our cancell'd sin reveals,
Each confirms the babes forgiven,
Each the heirs of glory seals,
Each conducts our souls to heaven.
Holy, holy, holy Lord,
Favour'd with a taste of grace,
Us Thou hast in part restored;
Us Thy mercy's arms embrace:
346

Never wilt Thou let us go,
Till the length and breadth we prove,
Till the height and depth we know,
All the depth of humble love.
Love our real holiness,
Love our spotless character,
Love is liberty and peace,
Pardon, and perfection here:
Less than this cannot suffice;
Love be Thou our all in all;
Then we in Thine image rise,
Then we into nothing fall.

LI.

[To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost]

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
Our thanks and hearts we give:
We now are found who once were lost,
And dead, again we live.
We live to praise and magnify
The glorious Three and One,
In songs of joyful love to vie
With angels round His throne.
More highly favour'd we than those
Who never sinn'd or fell:
The Triune God hath saved His foes,
And pluck'd us out of hell:
We grow in grace, abound in hope,
His prodigals forgiven;
And when our faith is quite fill'd up,
He takes us all to heaven.
347

LII.

[Great Triune God, whose ruling power]

Great Triune God, whose ruling power
Must prevalent o'er all appear,
Hasten the destined day and hour
Establishing Thy kingdom here:
Sublime on Thy millennial throne,
Thee all Thy saints expect to see,
While every tongue, like ours, shall own
Jehovah one in persons three.
Stretch out Thine arm, almighty King,
Thine own omnipotence assume,
The first and last dominion bring,
To reign before Thine ancients come:
O might we at the time foretold
See all things to Thyself subdued,
And every prostrate soul behold
Adorers of the Triune God.
In answer to the chosen race,
Who ceaseless for Thy coming cry,
Shorten the last vindictive days,
And let the trump proclaim Thee nigh:
Return, Thou once a Man of woe,
Distinguish'd by the crimson sign,
And in Thy dazzling person show
The glorious plenitude Divine.
That wandering star who blazed and fell,
And poison'd many a crystal stream,
That bitter first-born child of hell
No more permit him to blaspheme:
348

Root out Thine Unitarian foe,
Nor longer let his place be found,
The crescent by the cross o'erthrow,
And loose the world in darkness bound.
It must be so: the day is near,
The far-spent night will quickly end,
And every eye discern Thee here,
And saints perceive their King descend:
When all are put beneath Thy feet,
And death the latest foe is slain,
Then I shall mount Thy azure seat,
Then I shall in Thy presence reign!
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