University of Virginia Library


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THE TWENTY-FIFTH CHAPTER OF ISAIAH.

O Lord, Thou art my Lord, my God,
Throughout the world I will proclaim
And spread Thy wondrous works abroad,
And magnify Thy glorious name.
Great are Thy miracles of grace;
Thee always faithful to Thy word,
Almighty, and all-wise I praise,
The true, the everlasting Lord.
Thou hast made manifest Thy power,
Thou hast Thy great salvation shown,
And shook the heaven-invading tower,
And cast the mighty Babel down.
The city of confusion now
A nameless heap of ruins lies,
Sin never more shall lift its brow,
It never more shall threat the skies.
The strong shall therefore fear Thy name,
And tremble at Thy glorious might,
Their weakness own, and bear their shame,
And seek salvation in Thy right.
For Thou in his distress hast been
The needy sinner's strength and aid,
A refuge from the storm of sin,
A calm retreat, a cooling shade.
When all the rays of vengeance beat,
And fiercely smote his naked head,
Thy merits cool'd the scorching heat,
And all Thy Father's wrath allay'd.

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When Satan drove the furious blast,
And urged the law, and death, and hell,
Thou hid'st him, till the storm was past,
And gav'st him in Thy wounds to dwell.
Nigh to Thy wounds whoever draw
In Thee shall sure deliverance find,
A shelter from the fiery law,
A covert from the stormy wind.
Burden'd with guilt and misery,
Lost in a dry and barren place,
The soul that feebly gasps to Thee
Shall feel Thy sweet refreshing grace.
Thy grace, when conscience cries aloud,
Shall bid its guilty clamours cease,
Shall as the shadow of a cloud
Come down, and all the soul is peace.
Satan shall be at last brought low,
Despoil'd of all his dreadful power,
Jesus shall slay the inbred foe,
And sin shall never vex us more.
The Lord shall in this mountain spread
A table for the world His guest,
Accept mankind in Christ their Head,
And bid them to the gospel feast;
A feast prepared for all mankind,
A feast of marrow and fat things,
Of wines from earthy dregs refined,
Ambrosia for the King of kings;

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A feast where milk and honey flow,
A feast of never-failing meat,
Dainties surpassing all below,
And manna such as angels eat;
A feast of holy joy, and love,
Of pure delight, and perfect peace;
Begun on earth it ends above,
Consummated in heavenly bliss.
The world shall all His call obey;
Though now they lie in deepest night,
They soon shall see the gospel day,
Emerging into glorious light.
That covering o'er the people cast,
That veil o'er all the nations spread,
The Lord Himself shall rent at last,
And quite destroy in Christ their Head.
The Lord His glory shall display,
The veil of unbelief remove
And take it all in Christ away,
And manifest His perfect love.
Jesus again their life shall be,
Shall recompense their Eden's loss,
Swallow up death in victory,
The bleeding victory of His cross.
That living death, that sin which parts
Their souls from God, He shall destroy,
Dry up their tears, and cheer their hearts,
And turn their sorrow into joy.

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He shall by His renewing grace
Blot out the all-infecting sin,
(That dire reproach of human race,)
And make a world of sinners clean.
The Son shall make them free indeed,
The earth in righteousness renew,
And what His mouth in truth hath said
His own almighty arm shall do.
This is our God, (they then shall say
Who trust to be through Christ made clean,)
This is our God; we see His day,
And He shall save us from all sin.
Our Lord, for whom we long did wait,
Shall purge our every guilty stain,
Restore to our original state,
Nor let one spot of sin remain.
For in this holy mount shall rest
The great Jehovah's sovereign hand,
The power Divine in Christ exprest;
Who can the Power Divine withstand?
Jesus, to whom all power is given,
Shall all His strength for us employ;
Who cast the' accuser out of heaven
Shall him with all his works destroy.
Moab shall first be trodden down,
The child of hell, the serpent's seed,
Sin shall the arm of Jesus own,
And we on all its strength shall tread.

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Our sins as dunghill straw shall be,
Compell'd by Jesus to submit;
Satan with all his powers shall flee,
And then be bruised beneath our feet.
The Saviour shall spread forth His hands,
To take the weary sinners in,
To' o'erturn whate'er His course withstands,
And pull down the strongholds of sin.
He shall the pride of man abase,
Humble each vain aspiring boast,
Confound the captives of His grace,
And lay their honour in the dust.
The walls of sin shall be laid low,
The lofty citadel o'erthrown;
We all shall then His fulness know,
For ever perfected in One.