University of Virginia Library

1593.

[Nature attempts and hopes in vain]

Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, &c. —xxiv.26.

Nature attempts and hopes in vain
The' inevitable cross to shun,
That sacred path of grief and pain
Which led the Saviour to His throne,
To find a wider gate she tries,
A broader way to paradise.
Through sufferings our exalted Head
His height of glorious bliss attain'd,
Through sufferings all His members led,
His martyrs all, the summit gain'd,
Trusting in His and not their own
They echoed back His final groan.
Jesus, my trust is in Thy name,
For pardon, holiness, and heaven;
All merit I, but Thine, disclaim,
Thy cross, Thy crown are freely given;
And Thou, whose blood hath purged my guilt,
Shall save me when and as Thou wilt.