370.
[Behold yon house upon the shore]
“Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap.” Gal. vi. 7
(ADDRESSED TO ANTINOMIANS.)
1
Behold yon house upon the shore,
Begirt with adamantine bands;
Unmov'd, while tempests round it roar,
Firm as the rock on which it stands,
Whose head, upborn, in strength sublime,
Defies the rudest blasts of time.
2
Emblem of their abiding state,
The calm composure of their breast,
Who, (like heaven's everlasting gate,)
Upon the rock of ages rest;
The Word of God their prop and stay,
Though earth and sky were swept away!
3
The Saviour, to this house, compares
The servant who performs his will;
Him who (mid wide declension) dares,
The precepts of his Lord fulfil;
Who, upward toiling, sloth disclaims,
And at the loftiest summit aims.
4
Let none with Satan league, and cry,
“Our fallen natures cannot soar;
We must in abject bondage lie;
To strive, is failure to deplore:
The more on God for help we call,
The further from his grace we fall!”
5
Oh! mournful state of blackest guile!
Are all our prayers, and efforts, vain?
Shall we at threat and promise smile,
And meet heaven's statutes with disdain?
The treach'rous steward we imitate,
And, in our hearts, our master hate!
6
What! with the deepest-dyed disgrace,
Because perfection is denied,
Shall we despairing quit the race,
And brave, and hardier spirits chide?
On God's commands dare close our eyes,
And heedless spurn the proffer'd prize?
7
Is earth a wholly barren soil,
Which fruits and flowers must ne'er array?
Is heaven so little worth our toil,
That from its joys we turn away?
Speak, prophets! martyrs! saints of old!
You, not, like these, your birth-right sold!
8
The man of God must lift his eye
Above the mists of life's low vale!
While gazing stedfast at the sky,
He seeks the springs that cannot fail!
He strives, unmoved by toil and pain,
To please his Lord, and heaven obtain.
9
The man of God must leave behind
The loiterers, still to Mammon true;
No fleeting forms delight his mind;
He must eternal things pursue:
The joys, once loved, are past and gone,
He trims his lamp, and presses on.
10
There is a heritage at stake;
Much to perform, and short the time;
We must from slumbers deep awake,
And up the steep, for safety, climb!
Bewail the days in folly spent,
And grasp at pleasures permanent.
11
Has the eternal source of good
Bestow'd on man his mind and will?
Has Christ, (our offering!) shed his blood,
That we might Satan's laws fulfil?
Base subterfuge! Oh, thin disguise!
Refuge of blasphemy, and lies!
12
The Saviour came to cleanse from sin;
To raise a people from the dead;
Unblamed without, and pure within;
Zealous the path of life to tread:
To love and praise their Maker here,
While hastening to a nobler sphere!
13
Though trusting to that blood alone,
For sinners shed on Calvary,
When standing round Jehovah's throne,
Where all is mercy, full and free,
They must, like sons, obedient live!
They must their hearts to Jesus give!
14
Let all, who God profess to serve,
Come out from men involved in night!
Though others stray, they must not swerve,
But keep the glorious end in sight!
Like their Great Master, though reviled,
Be holy, harmless, undefiled!
15
A broad, conspicuous mark, should rest
Upon the followers of their Lord!
They seek the things, above, and best,
And pause, and tremble at his word.
“Come, faithful servant!” may we hear
In that great day, so dread! so near!
