SHORT HYMNS ON SELECT PASSAGES OF THE Holy Scriptures.
JEREMIAH.
1272.
[Ah! Lord, with late regret I own]
My people have committed two evils, &c.
—ii. 13.
Ah! Lord, with late regret I own,
I have the double evil done,
Forsook the Spring of life and peace,
And toil'd for earthly happiness:
But what in them I sought with pain,
I could not from the creatures gain,
The cisterns which my folly hew'd
They would not hold one drop of good.
Now for my double sin I grieve,
Again the broken cisterns leave;
Again I after Thee would go,
And gasp Thy only love to know:
Fountain of true felicity,
Eternal God, spring up in me,
And fill'd with life, and love, and power,
My heart shall never wander more.
1273.
[The pains I have so long endured]
Hast thou not procured this unto thyself, &c.
—ii. 17.
The pains I have so long endured,
I have unto myself procured,
Myself I now confess and feel
Sole author of my total ill;
I left my Guide to happiness,
I lost the true internal peace,
Nor can my soul retrieve its rest,
Till lodged again in Jesu's breast.
1274.
[By my own backslidings I]
Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, &c.
—ii. 19.
By my own backslidings I
Terribly reproved have been,
Long, as at the point to die,
Groan'd—and added sin to sin:
Sin's reward in sin I gain,
Left its evil fruits to feel,
Fear, astonishment, and pain,
Late remorse, and present hell.
1275.
[Chasten'd thus, O Lord, I know]
Know therefore, and see, that it is an evil thing, &c.
—ii. 19.
Chasten'd thus, O Lord, I know,
By Thy judgments' light I see,
Sin is bitterness of woe,
Hell is to depart from Thee:
When from Thee I would withdraw,
Cast out of my heart Thy fear,
Then the worm began to gnaw,
Then the fire was kindled here.
1276.
[Yes, Thou didst my soul release]
For of old time I have broken thy yoke.
—ii. 20.
Yes, Thou didst my soul release,
(This fills up my guilt and pain,)
From the bands of wickedness,
From my old oppressor's chain!
Yes, my dear redeeming Lord,
Once I felt Thy gracious power,
Heard the sweet forgiving word
“Go in peace, and sin no more.”
Never more will I transgress,
Such was then my solemn vow;
Yet I quickly lost Thy grace,
Sliding back I know not how:
Farther still from God I roved,
Sunk in vile idolatry,
Every worldly thing I loved,
Clave to sin, and fled from Thee.
After all that I have done,
Favour may I yet obtain?
Wilt Thou own me for Thy son,
Take me to Thy arms again?
Ready to restore my peace
If Thou every moment art,
Now command my sin to cease,
Break, and now renew my heart.
1277.
[A maid cannot forget her dress]
Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride, &c.
—ii. 32.
A maid cannot forget her dress,
A bride her ornaments forego,
Yet must we, Lord, with shame confess,
Vainest of all Thy works below,
Call'd by Thy name, Thy people we
Have all our lives forgotten Thee!
O might we put Thine image on,
That robe of spotless love receive!
Clothed with the Spirit of Thy Son
We could not then our Father leave,
Nor couldst Thou from our mind depart,
For ever dwelling in our heart.
1278.
[The blood of innocents I bear]
In thy skirts is found the blood of innocents.
—ii. 34.
The blood of innocents I bear,
Of all to sin enticed by me,
Of souls an hoary murderer!
But lo, I to the city flee,
I plunge me in the fountain pure
Which purges my blood-guiltiness,
And bids me live with God secure,
And bids me die in perfect peace.
1279.
[Yes, from this instant now I will]
Wilt thou not from this time cry unto Me, &c.
—iii. 4, 5.
Yes, from this instant now I will
To my offended Father cry:
My base ingratitude I feel,
Vilest of all Thy children I,
Not worthy to be call'd Thy son,
Yet will I Thee my Father own.
Guide of my youth hast Thou not been,
And rescued me from passion's power,
Ten thousand times preserved from sin,
Nor let the greedy gulf devour?
And wilt Thou now Thy wrath retain,
Nor ever love Thy child again?
Ah, canst Thou find it in Thy heart
To give me up so long pursued!
Ah, canst Thou finally depart,
And leave Thy creature in his blood!
Leave me out of Thy presence cast,
To perish in my sins at last?
If Thou hast will'd me to return,
If weeping at Thy feet I fall,
The prodigal in justice spurn,
Or pity and forgive me all,
In answer to my Friend above,
In honour of His bleeding love.
1280.
[Be it according to Thy word]
Return, thou backsliding Israel, &c.
—iii. 12, 13.
Be it according to Thy word,
Merciful unto all, O Lord,
Be merciful to me:
Avert the wrath I deprecate,
Nor crush me with Thy judgments' weight,
Who would return to Thee.
Thy wrath shall not for ever last,
If pain'd at my pollutions pass'd
I groan to be made clean:
And lo, I now with grief confess
My inward parts are wickedness,
And all my life is sin.
I have mine idols multiplied,
Before the shrine of wrath and pride
With vile devotion fell;
Follow'd where'er the tempter led,
And by each beastly, devilish deed,
Debased my soul to hell.
My heart was harden'd from Thy fear,
Thy warning voice I would not hear,
But cast Thy words behind:
Yet for my Saviour's sake forgive;
And in Thy mercy's arms receive
Our whole apostate kind.
1281.
[The promise we for Israel plead]
Turn, O backsliding children, &c.
—iii. 14, 15.
The promise we for Israel plead:
O that the once-belovèd seed
Back to their Lord might come!
Now bid them look on Thee, and mourn;
Where'er dispersed, collect, and turn,
And bring Thy wanderers home.
To Jews the gospel-faith impart,
And pastors after Thine own heart,
Thine ancient flock to feed
With knowledge of the Crucified,
The God who by their malice died,
And suffer'd in their stead.
1282.
[Thou hast, O Lord, Thine Israel bless'd]
And it shall come to pass, when ye, &c.
—iii. 16.
Thou hast, O Lord, Thine Israel bless'd,
With Gentile proselytes increased;
The ark revered of old
Is now no longer named, or known,
The Jewish state and church are gone
Into the Christian fold.
Yet still we look for happier days,
When Adam's whole backslidden race
Shall be to Israel join'd:
Jesus, call forth Thy holy seed,
And haste throughout the earth to spread
The church of all mankind.
1283.
[But where Thou didst for ages dwell]
At that time they shall call Jerusalem, &c.
—iii. 17.
But where Thou didst for ages dwell,
Thy brighter majesty reveal,
And call the land Thine own:
In Jewry's land Thy house repair,
Set up the' imperial standard there,
And fix Thy favourite throne.
To Salem, as their central place,
Saviour, bring in the ransom'd race,
Thy glorious name to' adore,
Redeem'd from all iniquity,
In spirit and truth to worship Thee,
Till time shall be no more.
1284.
[The mingled tribes where'er they lie]
In those days the house of Judah shall walk, &c.
—iii. 18.
The mingled tribes where'er they lie,
Distinct to Thine all-seeing eye
They must Thy summons hear:
Hasten the day, when by Thy word
They all to their own land restored
Shall in our sight appear.
Judah and Israel's house incline
In one eternal league to join,
While both to Canaan come;
After their long captivity
Bid every soul regain in Thee
Its everlasting home.
1285.
[Who shall explain the mystery?]
But I said, How shall I put thee among, &c.
—iii. 19.
Who shall explain the mystery?
God asks Himself, how can it be?
Will such an harden'd race
Their stubborn unbelief let go,
Accept the land which I bestow,
And live the sons of grace?
Yes; for Thou wilt Thy Son reveal,
The' apostates with Thy Spirit fill,
And take their sins away;
They then shall Abba Father cry,
And Thee through Jesus glorify
In one eternal day.
1286.
[Thou know'st, and Thou, O God, hast shown]
Thou know'st, and Thou, O God, hast shown
The means a rebel to convert:
To make even me a pleasant son,
Thy Spirit breathe into my heart;
My heart He then shall certify
I am a child, with pardon bless'd,
And Thou wilt hear my new-born cry,
And lull me in Thine arms to rest.
1287.
[Turn again, ye faithless race]
Return, ye backsliding children, and I will, &c.
—iii. 22.
Turn again, ye faithless race,
Hasten to your Lord's embrace,
I will your backslidings heal,
Pardon on your conscience seal,
Take the sinful bent away,
Sin, and all its relics slay.
Lord, we answer to Thy call
Rising from our latest fall;
Thou our God and Saviour art,
Hear Thine echo from our heart,
Lo, we come, to be set free,
For Thyself we come to Thee.
1288.
[Man may swell with towering hope]
Truly in vain is salvation hoped for, &c.
—iii. 23.
Man may swell with towering hope,
Heap his hills and mountains up,
By his virtuous efforts vain
Holiness he cannot gain,
Cannot to perfection rise,
Save himself, or scale the skies.
But if Thou Thyself impart,
Thou our whole Salvation art,
Feel Thy saints of Thee possess'd,
Full Perfection—in their breast,
All our grace laid up we see,
All our heaven enjoy in Thee.
1289.
[I will, through grace I will]
If thou wilt return, return.
—iv. 1.
I will, through grace I will;
I do return to Thee:
Take, empty it, O Lord, and fill
My heart with purity:
For power I feebly pray;
Thy kingdom now restore,
To-day, while it is call'd to day,
And I shall sin no more.
1290.
[I cannot wash my heart]
O Jerusalem, wash thine heart, &c.
—iv. 14.
I cannot wash my heart,
But by believing Thee,
And waiting for Thy blood to' impart
The spotless purity:
While at Thy cross I lie,
Jesus, the grace bestow,
Now Thine all-cleansing blood apply,
And I am white as snow.
1291.
[Fain would I wash my soul from sin]
Wash thine heart, that thou mayest be saved, &c.
—iv. 14.
Fain would I wash my soul from sin,
In Jesu's wounded side,
From all the lusts that lodge within,
The spawn of self and pride.
I would be clean, Thou know'st I would,
Before I hence depart,
And feel the sprinkling of that blood
Which purifies the heart.
But what Thou didst for sinners shed,
Thou only canst apply,
And purge whom Thy own hands have made,
From crimes of deepest dye.
Thou wilt blot out the' engrafted stain,
My nature's filthiness;
Nor let one evil thought remain,
To violate my peace.
Enabled by Thy word, I rise
And wash my sins away;
Strong in the life Thy death supplies
I for salvation pray.
I pray, believing that Thy blood
Its full effect may have,
And bring me sanctified to God,
And to perfection save.
Selfish and vain desires in me
Shall never more reside,
When Thou, with all Thy purity,
Dost in my heart abide.
Thy uttermost salvation then
I in Thy presence prove;
The crown of righteousness obtain,
The heights and depths of love.
1292.
[Wash my own heart! It cannot be]
Wash my own heart! It cannot be,
Unless by coming unto Thee
The' atoning Lamb of God,
Unless Thou help me to draw nigh,
And purge my crimes of deepest dye
In Thy all-cleansing blood.
Thy blood can save from inbred sin
And make my leprous nature clean:
If Thou Thy Spirit impart,
Anger, concupiscence, and pride
Shall never with Thy Spirit reside,
Or lodge within my heart.
No evil thought shall there remain,
Pass through Thy temple, or profane
The place of Thy abode,
(Where all Thy glory is reveal'd,)
With the majestic presence fill'd
Of an indwelling God.
Come then, O Lord, into my heart,
That sin for ever may depart,
With every low desire;
That on the wings of faith and love
I may to those bless'd realms above
In every thought aspire.
O could I now in garments white
Ascend, and greet the sons of light
Who through Thy cross o'ercame,
Thy dazzling face with transport see,
And sing through all eternity
Salvation to the Lamb!
1293.
[Breathe into this foul heart of mine]
How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge, &c,
—iv. 14.
Breathe into this foul heart of mine,
Fill'd with purity Divine
I then, O Lord, shall be,
And not a single thought unclean,
And not the least remains of sin
Shall ever lodge in me.
1294.
[Father, I will, I do repent]
Be thou instructed, [Heb. corrected,] &c.
—vi. 8.
Father, I will, I do repent,
Humbly accept my punishment;
Ah, do not Thou the sinner leave,
Who chastening at Thy hands receive:
Instructed by Thy rod, I mourn,
Till Thou in pardoning love return,
And take the cause of grief away,
And with my soul for ever stay.
1295.
[Physicians of no price are they]
They have healed the hurt of the daughter, &c.
—vi. 14.
Physicians of no price are they
Thy people's hurt who slightly heal,
Who bid us Thy commands obey
Before Thy pardoning grace we feel,
Before we feel our soul's disease,
Who wrap us up in worldly peace.
No peace is for the wicked found;
We all are wickedness within,
Till Thou search out our spirit's wound,
And pour the balm of Gilead in,
The joy and love, the oil and wine,
And heal our souls with blood Divine.
1296.
[Ah, simple souls, who fondly dream]
Ah, simple souls, who fondly dream
Of instantaneous holiness!
Though pride and self extinguish'd seem,
While all within is joy and peace,
Ye soon shall own, with shame compell'd,
The' original wound was slightly heal'd.
It cannot heal your sloth, to say
“Ye need not suffer first, or grieve,
Ye need not fight so long, or pray,
But now, ye novices believe,
But now the crown of victory seize,
But now be perfect—if you please!”
It cannot heal your pride, to praise,
And part you from the grovelling crowd,
To set you up for fools to gaze
At the strange miniatures of God,
Sinners transform'd by fancy's power
To saints, and perfect in an hour!
Rather a thousand-fold increase
Your flatter'd vanity obtains,
While in perfection's glorious dress
The self-exalting nature reigns,
And all your grace so highly prized
Is only Antichrist disguised!
1297.
[Stand we in the good old way]
Stand ye in the ways, and see, &c.
—vi. 16.
Stand we in the good old way,
Who Christ by faith receive,
Heartily we must obey,
If truly we believe:
Other way can none declare
Than this from which we ne'er will move:
Saved by grace through faith we are,
Through faith that works by love.
Walking in this heavenly path
By saints and martyrs trod,
Freely justified by faith,
We now have peace with God;
Peace, unutterable peace!
The faithful feel it in their breast,
Then the rest of holiness,
And then the glorious rest!
1298.
[The men who slight Thy faithful word]
Trust ye not in lying words, saying, &c.
—vii. 4.
The men who slight Thy faithful word
In their own lies confide,
These are the temple of the Lord,
And heathens all beside!
The temple of the Lord are these,
The only church and true,
Who live in pomp, and wealth, and ease,
And Jesus never knew.
The temple of the Lord—they pull
Thy living temples down,
And cast out every gracious soul
That trembles at Thy frown:
The church—they from their pale expel
Whom Thou hast here forgiven;
And all the synagogue of hell
Are the sole heirs of heaven!
O wouldst Thou, Lord, reveal their sins,
And turn their joy to grief,
The world, the Christian world, convince
Of damning unbelief;
The formalists confound, convert,
And to Thy people join,
And break, and fill the broken heart
With confidence Divine!
1299.
[What wisdom can in sinners dwell]
Lo, they have rejected the word, &c.
—viii. 9.
What wisdom can in sinners dwell
Who care for neither heaven nor hell,
Refuse their Saviour to embrace,
And scoff the word of truth and grace?
Howe'er the world their prudence prize,
Unto their own damnation wise,
Their folly they too late shall know,
When mock'd by all the fiends below.
1300.
[The harvest of my joys is pass'd]
The harvest is past, the summer is ended, &c.
—viii. 20.
The harvest of my joys is pass'd,
The summer of my comforts fled,
Yet am I unredeem'd at last,
And sink unsaved among the dead,
If on the margin of the grave
Thou canst not in a moment save.
Destroy me not by Thy delay,
Delay is endless death to me:
But the last moment of my day
Is as a thousand years to Thee:
Come, Jesus, while my head I bow,
And show me Thy salvation now!
1301.
[The summer of my youth is pass'd]
The summer of my youth is pass'd,
The winter of old age is here;
Yet, O my God, unsaved at last,
Unchanged, unholy I appear:
I am not in Thine image found,
A mere, mere helpless sinner I,
A wretched cumberer of the ground,
Not fit to live, not fit to die.
Mercy as with my latest breath,
Mercy in Jesus I implore,
My Ransomer from sin and death,
Spirit of life, and love, and power.
Enter this desperate, dying heart,
A saint out of a sinner bring,
And saved, I then in peace depart,
And Jesu's praise for ever sing.
1302.
[Yes, there is, there is, my God]
Is there no balm in Gilead?
—viii. 22.
Yes, there is, there is, my God,
Balm, abundant balm in Thee,
Rivers of atoning blood,
Streams of living purity!
Pour the blood upon my soul,
Plunge me in the cleansing wave,
Close my wounds, and make me whole,
Show forth all Thy skill to save.
1303.
[I want the weeping prophet's heart]
Oh that my head were waters, and mine eyes, &c.
—ix. 1.
I want the weeping prophet's heart:
O might my Lord to me impart
That bleeding sympathy!
On me, Thou Man of Griefs, bestow
The spring of tears, the depth of woe,
The love that was in Thee.
I would our desolate Sion mourn
By vile intestine vipers torn,
By endless tempests toss'd,
A Babel of religious strife,
Buried in forms, whose power and life
Of godliness is lost.
Or if Thou hast a few restored,
Yet strangers to their bleeding Lord
The multitude remain,
Dead to a God they never knew,
People, and priests, and princes too
For these I would in secret grieve,
Their burden all day long receive,
For these incessant pray,
And many a mournful vigil keep,
Water my couch with tears, and weep
My pensive life away.
Only regard my dying cries,
And bid the ruin'd Church arise
Which more than life I love,
Call all her sons out of their grave,
And this whole house of Israel save
To sing Thy praise above.
1304.
[O that I could the desert find]
Oh that I had in the wilderness a lodging-place.
—ix. 2.
O that I could the desert find
Sequester'd from the faithless kind,
Forgotten and unknown
To earth's remotest corner flee,
And hid in calm obscurity,
Converse with God alone.
Lend me Thy wings, celestial Dove,
From earthly objects to remove,
Shut out the world of care,
Banish the creature from my sight,
And let me find my whole delight
In musing and in prayer.
But O! in vain the world I shun,
If out of sin I cannot run,
Or from myself depart,
If 'scaped from all external woe,
I carry still where'er I go,
This inbred enemy to rest,
That harasses my wretched breast,
Who shall expel him hence?
Answer, O Lord, by entering in,
Chase from my heart the man of sin,
Divine Omnipotence!
When all my unbelief is gone,
Then shall I dwell secure, alone
With Him that fills the skies;
Whose presence makes the secret place,
And opens in the wilderness
A constant paradise.
Come, Jesus, now Thy foe to' exclude,
Into the sacred solitude
My Spirit now receive;
And present in my happy breast,
My perfect peace, my heavenly rest,
My life eternal live.
1305.
[Let not the wise his wisdom boast]
Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, &c.
—ix. 23.
Let not the wise his wisdom boast,
The mighty glory in his might,
The rich in flattering riches trust
Which take their everlasting flight;
The rush of numerous years bears down
The most gigantic strength of man,
And where is all his wisdom gone,
When dust, he turns to dust again!
One only gift can justify
The boasting soul that knows his God;
When Jesus doth His blood apply,
I glory in His sprinkled blood.
The Lord my righteousness I praise,
I triumph in the love Divine,
The wisdom, wealth, and strength of grace,
In Christ, through endless ages mine.
1306.
[Father, if Thou must reprove]
O Lord, correct me, but with judgment, &c.
—x. 24.
Father, if Thou must reprove
For all that I have done,
Not in anger, but in love
Chastise Thine humbled son;
Use the rod, and not the sword,
Correct with kind severity,
Bring me not to nothing, Lord,
But bring me home to Thee.
1307.
[Tremble, ye families profane]
Pour out Thy fury upon the families, &c.
—x. 25.
Tremble, ye families profane,
Where the great God is not adored,
Who take the name of Christ in vain,
But do not invocate your Lord;
Regardless of His smile or frown,
Ye pull His heaviest judgments down.
Before the threaten'd curse takes place,
And sweeps your prayerless souls to hell,
Daily unite to' implore His grace,
Invite Him in your tents to dwell,
Let every house His worship show,
And every heart His presence know.
1308.
[Give glory to your God and Lord]
Give glory to the Lord your God, &c.
—xiii. 16.
Give glory to your God and Lord,
By casting all your sins away,
Warn'd by His Spirit and His word,
Sinners, repent, believe, obey,
Before He chase you from His sight,
And cover with Egyptian night.
Before ye lose your stumbling feet,
And on the dreary mountains fall,
Shrink from the dark unfathom'd pit,
On Jesu's name for mercy call,
Snatch, save us from the gulf beneath,
The horrors of eternal death.
1309.
[Can the Ethiop change his skin?]
Can the Ethiopian change his skin, &c.
—xiii. 23.
Can the Ethiop change his skin?
His spots the leopard lose?
Can a soul inured to sin
The paths of virtue choose?
Yes, my kind almighty Lord,
At Thy transforming word they may;
I at Thy transforming word
Repent, believe, obey.
1310.
[Can the dark Ethiop change his skin]
Can the dark Ethiop change his skin,
Leopard without his spots appear?
Then I from old habitual sin,
May live redeem'd, and blameless here
May do my Saviour's utmost will,
And all His righteous laws fulfil.
To sense and pride by nature prone,
In sense and pride by custom bred,
Beneath the double chain I groan,
And never, never can be freed,
Unless I find the liberty
In blood Divine pour'd out for me.
That blood the mighty deed can do,
Can nature unto grace convert,
Obliterate sins of deepest hue,
Change the foul colour of my heart,
From darkness turn me into light,
And wash the swarthy Ethiop white.
Soon as that efficacious blood
Applied by living faith I feel,
I feel my heart and life renew'd,
Wrought is the thing impossible;
Effaced are all my inbred stains,
And not one spot of sin remains.
1311.
[No: I would not hitherto]
Wilt thou not be made clean?
—xiii. 27.
No: I would not hitherto
With my uncleanness part,
Still complain'd of sin, nor knew
I hugg'd it in my heart;
I Thine hallowing will withstood:
Thou wast ready long ago;
Waitest now to' apply Thy blood,
And wash me white as snow.
1312.
[When I use the proffer'd power]
When I use the proffer'd power,
And to the Fountain fly,
Thou wilt in that self-same hour
Forgive, and sanctify;
Partly sanctify me then;
And if I at Thy cross abide,
Wash my inmost nature clean,
And take me to Thy side.
1313.
[Now, even now, I yield, I yield]
When shall it once be?
—xiii. 27.
Now, even now, I yield, I yield
With all my sins to part;
Jesus, speak my pardon seal'd,
And purify my heart,
Purge this love of sin away,
Then I into nothing fall,
Then I see the perfect day,
And Christ is all in all.
1314.
[Hope of Thy church and Saviour, hear!]
O the Hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof, &c.
—xiv. 8, 9.
Hope of Thy church and Saviour, hear!
In all our pass'd distresses near,
In all our faith's decays,
Why shouldst Thou at a distance stand,
Now as a stranger in the land,
And hide Thine angry face?
Or if Thy people to revive,
Thy Spirit doth for a season strive,
And visit us in love,
Why dost Thou vanish from our sight,
A guest that tarrieth but a night,
Impatient to remove?
Canst Thou at sin astonish'd be,
At Israel's incredulity,
And not know what to do?
Why should Omnipotence give place,
Or cease its miracles of grace
In such a land to show?
Yet in the midst of us Thou art,
Thou dost in many an humble heart
Thy gracious sway maintain,
Our candlestick is not removed;
Thy name is still by those approved
Who bear Thy name in vain.
Thee in our creeds we still confess,
Hold fast our form of godliness,
And search Thy written word:
Ah! do not, Lord, our nation leave,
Till with Thy Spirit we receive
A power to call Thee Lord.
Confirm in our degenerate days
And perfect Thine own work of grace
But now again begun,
Still with our favour'd nation stay,
Till every island flee away
Before Thine azure throne.
1315.
[Dreadful soul-o'erwhelming word!]
I am weary with repenting.
—xv. 6.
Dreadful soul-o'erwhelming word!
Have we wearied out the Lord?
Can the God of mercy be
Weary of forgiving me?
Are His last compassions spent,
Will He never more repent,
Never more my sins pass by,
Leave me to sin on, and die?
Justly may'st Thou give me up
Dying without peace or hope,
Righteous is my God, if Thou
Finally forsake me now:
But if He, the sinners' Friend,
He, whose mercies never end,
Prays that I may turn and live,
Father, Thou must still forgive!
1316.
[Ah! why am I left to complain]
Why is my pain perpetual, and my wound, &c.
—xv. 18.
Ah! why am I left to complain
In gloomy despair of relief?
No end of oppression and pain,
No respite, or ease of my grief!
To soothe my incurable wound
No friendly physician I see;
No balm is in Gilead found,
No promise of mercy for me.
In vain for redemption I look;
My hope in a Saviour unknown,
It passes away like a brook
Dried up in a moment and gone!
But God cannot finally fail;
The Fountain of life from above
Shall rise in the depth of the vale,
Shall flow with a current of love.
1317.
[Not all the mortal sons of grace]
The heart is desperately wicked.
—xvii. 9.
Not all the mortal sons of grace,
Not all the angels can
Correct his desperate wickedness,
Or mend the heart of man:
But Jesus in the perfect day
Creating power shall show,
Take the old heart of sin away,
And dwell within the new.
1318.
[With man this is impossible]
Who can know it? I the Lord.
—xvii. 9, 10.
With man this is impossible,
Himself aright to know,
God only can the depths reveal
Of our infernal woe:
Thou dost in purity delight,
Most holy, Lord, Thou art,
And yet Thou bear'st that hideous sight,
A naked, human heart.
1319.
[Omniscient God, to man declare]
Omniscient God, to man declare
His heart unsearchable,
And show us, as our souls can bear,
A glimpse of our own hell,
That glad out of our souls to run,
And take the blessing given,
We in Thy manifested Son
May find our present heaven.
1320.
[How often, Lord, have I believed]
The heart is deceitful above all things.
—xvii. 9.
How often, Lord, have I believed
Myself instead of Thee,
Ten thousand, thousand times deceived
By my credulity!
In every victory of grace
I thought the conflict o'er,
So strong my hill of holiness,
I can be moved no more.
But oh, how desperately proud
My wretched heart unknown,
Which told me “I am fill'd with God,
And all the work is done!”
It whisper'd, “I am saved from sin,
And need no farther care,
If now I feel it not within,
It is no longer there.”
Yet surely, Lord, I may expect
Thy promises fulfill'd,
Thine image stamp'd on Thine elect,
Thy truth and mercy seal'd:
Thou wilt in that appointed day
Thy Spirit's might employ,
Thrust out the foe, its relics slay,
And finally destroy.
Thy sanctifying word is sure;
Thy word concerning me
Shall make me free indeed, and pure
From all iniquity.
Then shall my heart no more deceive,
While by my Saviour known,
Whate'er I am to Thee I leave,
And trust to Thee alone.
1321.
[If Thou Thy healing power exert]
Heal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed.
—xvii. 14.
If Thou Thy healing power exert,
Before my soul and body part,
My soul to health restored
Shall happy in Thy favour live,
And perfected in love retrieve
The image of its Lord.
1322.
[Physician of the fallen race]
Physician of the fallen race,
Apply the medicine of Thy grace,
And while my heart believes Thy word
Raised from the death of sin I live,
Complete salvation I receive,
To perfect health, and love, and holiness restored.
1323.
[Good Lord, for Thy own goodness sake]
Save me, and I shall be saved.
—xvii. 14.
Good Lord, for Thy own goodness sake,
The sin out of my nature take,
And cleansed from all impurity,
And still besprinkled with Thy blood,
In real holiness renew'd
My soul shall humbly rise, a temple meet for Thee.
1324.
[Saviour, Thy balmy grace impart]
Saviour, Thy balmy grace impart,
Physician of the sin-sick heart;
Thou only canst its plague remove,
And heal me by Thy precious love.
A sinner, at the point to die,
I live, if Thou Thy blood apply;
To perfect sanity restored,
And one with my almighty Lord.
That health of soul I gasp to know,
Which only Jesus can bestow:
Jesus, Thy sovereign skill display,
And take this seed of sin away;
The' original infirmity,
O were it now expell'd by Thee
Who didst my every pain endure,
And die Thyself to' effect my cure.
The world with feeble saints agree,
In vain to urge, “It cannot be!
Sin must remain, howe'er expell'd
And heal'd; ye never will be heal'd!”
I trust my kind Physician's skill,
And saved according to Thy will
Shall live, a saint in love complete,
Shall die, a sinner at Thy feet.
1325.
[Heal me, O gracious Lord, for well]
Heal me, O gracious Lord, for well
Thou know'st myself I cannot heal,
All sin and weakness I:
But I shall be to health restored,
If Thou pronounce the sovereign word,
If Thou the balm apply.
Save, for myself I cannot save,
Thou know'st in me no help I have,
No tendency to good.
But if Thou my salvation art,
I shall be pure in life and heart,
And after God renew'd.
God over all, Thy power I own,
Thine energy of grace make known,
Thy love in me reveal;
Then shall I joyfully proclaim,
Jesus, Thy wonder-working name
Omnipotent to heal.
Then shall I my Physician praise,
Extol the God of pardoning grace,
Of peerless purity,
A monument of Thy saving love,
The truth of Thy perfection prove,
And live and die like Thee.
1326.
[Earth rejoice, the Lord hath raised]
Behold, the days come, that I will raise, &c.
—xxiii. 5.
Earth rejoice, the Lord hath raised
His own incarnate Son,
On the throne of David placed,
And on His heavenly throne,
Righteous Branch of Jesse's stem
Righteousness He doth maintain,
King of saints, He reigns in them,
And shall for ever reign.
1327.
[Judah now, the land of praise]
In His days Judah shall be saved, &c.
—xxiii. 6.
Judah now, the land of praise,
Is with His Spirit fill'd,
Inward Jews, the sons of grace,
Enjoy their pardon seal'd,
Long as Jesus rules the sky,
His people shall in safety dwell,
All the strength of sin defy,
And all the powers of hell.
Him in every age the same
We joyfully confess,
Justly glory in His name
The Lord our Righteousness!
Ours in righteousness bestow'd,
Ours in righteousness brought in,
Ours with all the life of God
For ever fix'd within.
1328.
[What is the chaff, the word of man]
What is the chaff to the wheat?
—xxiii. 28.
What is the chaff, the word of man,
When set against the wheat?
Can it a dying soul sustain,
Like that immortal meat?
Thy word, O God, with heavenly bread
The children doth supply,
And those who by Thy word are fed
Their souls shall never die.
1329.
[Jesus, Lord, our hearts inspire]
Is not My word like as a fire?
—xxiii. 29.
Jesus, Lord, our hearts inspire
With that true word of Thine,
Kindle now that heavenly fire
To brighten and refine,
Purify our faith like gold,
All the dross of sin remove,
Melt our spirits down, and mould
Into Thy perfect love.
1330.
[If Thou dost Thy gospel bless]
Is not My word like a hammer?
—xxiii. 29.
If Thou dost Thy gospel bless,
If Thou apply the word,
Then our broken hearts confess
The hammer of the Lord:
Fully, Lord, Thy hammer use,
Force the nations to submit,
Smite the rocks, and break, and bruise
The world beneath Thy feet.
1331.
[True and faithful as Thou art]
I will give them an heart to know Me, &c.
—xxiv. 7.
True and faithful as Thou art,
To all Thy church and me
Give the new believing heart
That knows and cleaves to Thee;
Freely our backslidings heal,
And by Thy balmy grace restored,
Grant that every soul may feel
“Thou art my pardoning Lord!”
Might we now with pure desire
Thine only love request,
Now with willing heart entire
Return to Christ our rest;
When we our whole heart resign,
Jesus, to be fill'd up with Thee,
Thou art ours, and we are Thine
Through all eternity.
1332.
[If grace doth more than sin abound]
Ye shall find Me, when ye shall search, &c.
—xxix. 13.
If grace doth more than sin abound,
If willing to be found Thou art,
Why have not I my Saviour found?
I sought Thee not with all my heart:
Ah, give me, Lord, the seeking grace,
The vehemence of an heart sincere,
And then display Thy smiling face,
And then my hallowing God appear.
1333.
[Great in evil is the day]
Alas, for that day is great, so that none, &c.
—xxx. 7.
Great in evil is the day
Which now I groan to feel,
While He doth my heart display,
Mine inbred sin reveal,
Lay the depths of Satan bare,
Extort the agonizing cry,
Save me sinking in despair,
Or I for ever die!
Pity in my last distress,
And leave me not alone,
In my utter feebleness
Thy perfect strength make known;
Bring me then out of the fire,
Thy face in holiness to see,
Seven times purified, entire,
And all complete in Thee.
1334.
[Hasten, Lord, the day of rest]
In that day I will break his yoke, &c.
—xxx. 8.
Hasten, Lord, the day of rest
From this indwelling sin,
Vindicate Thy church oppress'd,
And still enslaved within;
Burst our bonds, and let us go
From every thought of evil freed,
Pure in heart, and saints below,
And like our sinless Head.
1335.
[Sin that we may serve no more]
They shall serve the Lord their God, &c.
—xxx. 9.
Sin that we may serve no more,
Its last remains erase,
Fill our hearts with peace and power,
With Christ our righteousness;
Raise our David to the throne,
That every child of Adam may
Thee, and Thy co-equal Son,
World without end obey.
1336.
[God of truth, we wait on Thee]
Jacob shall return, and shall be in rest, &c.
—xxx. 10.
God of truth, we wait on Thee,
Whose arm shall bring us back:
Turn our long captivity
For Thy own mercy's sake,
Save Thy church in Babylon,
Who of Thy pardoning grace possess'd,
Still for full redemption groan,
And love's eternal rest.
By Thy Spirit's outstretch'd hand
Our captive souls release,
Bring us forth into the land
Where wars and fightings cease,
Swallow up our will in Thine,
Our fear and sin at once remove,
Sin by purity Divine,
And fear by perfect love.
1337.
[With me, Lord, I know, Thou art]
I am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee.
—xxx. 11.
With me, Lord, I know, Thou art,
And dost from sin restrain;
Keep'st the issues of my heart,
While pride and self remain:
Still I on Thy power rely,
Till wholly sanctified I am,
Fully saved to glorify
Mine utmost Saviour's name.
1338.
[No, Thou wilt not make an end]
Yet will I not make a full end of thee, &c.
—xxx. 11.
No, Thou wilt not make an end
Of me, but of my sin;
On Thy promise I depend
For purity within:
That I may partake the grace,
Thou still dost tenderly reprove;
Chasten'd from my earliest days
I bless my Father's love.
1339.
[On Thy word my soul is stay'd]
I will restore health unto thee, and I will, &c.
—xxx. 17.
On Thy word my soul is stay'd,
Thy word, O God, is sure:
Heal the wounds which sin has made,
Complete my spirit's cure;
That I may relapse no more,
Root out the seed of my disease,
Me to perfect health restore,
To perfect holiness.
1340.
[Who hath engaged my heart to' address]
Who is this that engaged his heart, &c.
—xxx. 21.
Who hath engaged my heart to' address
My Father's gracious throne?
Lord, if I use the power, the praise
I give to Thee alone:
My heart was first engaged by Thee;
And sure as Thou art near,
Thou wilt set up Thy throne in me,
And reign triumphant here.
1341.
[Is there a soul Thou dost not call]
I have loved thee with an everlasting love, &c.
—xxxi. 3.
Is there a soul Thou dost not call,
A heart Thou dost not, Lord, incline?
My Saviour, lifted up for all,
Thou wouldst with cords of love Divine
Draw every sinner to Thy breast:
O may I never more draw back,
But yield to be completely bless'd,
And all Thy proffer'd fulness take.
1342.
[Draw me, Saviour, from above]
Draw me, Saviour, from above,
Still to every sin inclined,
Bind me with the cords of love;
Love alone my soul can bind.
Stop its vile propensity,
Change its grovelling appetite,
Jesus, manifest to me,
Be Thyself my pure delight.
By Thy most mysterious pain,
By Thy bloody sweat, I pray,
By Thy dying love to man,
Take, O take my sins away;
By Thy supplicating cries,
Me out of myself remove,
Crucified before my eyes,
Force my heart its God to love.
1343.
[Too strong for this weak soul of mine]
The Lord hath ransomed Jacob, &c.
—xxxi. 11.
Too strong for this weak soul of mine
Satan, the world, and sin, I own,
But trust, O Lord, that love of Thine,
Which laid Thy life a ransom down;
My soul by love's victorious power
Thou wilt to perfect liberty,
To perfect holiness restore,
Only because Thou diedst for me.
1344.
[Sing, ye happy souls, that press]
They shall come and sing in the height of Zion, &c.
—xxxi. 12.
Sing, ye happy souls, that press
Toward the height of holiness,
Praise Him whom in part ye know,
Freely to His goodness flow,
All His promises receive,
All the grace He hath to give.
Jointly, Lord, we come to Thee,
All in one request agree,
Feed us with the living Bread,
With Thyself our spirits feed,
Give the unction from above,
Oil of joy, and wine of love.
1345.
[For Thy truth and mercy's sake]
And their soul shall be as a watered garden, &c.
—xxxi. 12.
For Thy truth and mercy's sake,
As a water'd garden make
Every soul that gasps for God,
With Thine holiest love o'erflow'd,
Till by just degrees we rise
Thy terrestrial paradise.
When from Thee we cannot turn,
Then we never more shall mourn,
Quite recover'd from our fall,
Shall not sin or grieve at all,
Then we pray, give thanks, adore,
Sing, and triumph evermore.
1346.
[Pleading now Thy faithful word]
I will satiate the soul of the priests, &c.
—xxxi. 14.
Pleading now Thy faithful word,
Let the priests enjoy their Lord,
Satiate every hungering soul,
Bid Thy people's joy be full,
Fill'd with all Thy sanctity,
Bid us lose ourselves in Thee.
1347.
[I take Thee at Thy word]
There is hope in thine end.
—xxxi. 17.
I take Thee at Thy word:
Let it accomplish'd be:
According to Thy promise, Lord,
In death remember me!
O seal it on my heart;
And when I life resign,
My hope if in my end Thou art,
Thou art for ever mine.
1348.
[Hast Thou not heard my sad complaint?]
I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning, &c.
—xxxi. 18.
Hast Thou not heard my sad complaint?
Do I not still myself bemoan?
With all Thy chastisements I want
Thy grace, to break my heart of stone:
Till Thou my stony heart hast broke,
Rebellious in distress and pain,
I struggle to throw off Thy yoke,
I kick against the pricks in vain.
If Thou my stubbornness convert,
Converted I shall truly be,
For Thou the great Jehovah art,
My Lord, my God, who died for me:
Rent by that final groan Divine,
The rocky mountains must remove,
And hearts inflexible as mine
Bow down to Thy expiring love.
1349.
[Throughout my fallen soul I feel]
Turn Thou me, and I shall be turned.
—xxxi. 18.
Throughout my fallen soul I feel
Repentance is impossible;
Till Thou the rock hast rent,
And changed to flesh the heart of stone,
Like Satan in his chains, I groan,
But never can repent.
1350.
[Show Thy converting grace on me]
Show Thy converting grace on me,
And truly turn'd I then shall be,
My soul to perfect health restore
And then I shall relapse no more,
But Thee my utmost Saviour own,
And live and die for God alone.
Faith to be heal'd Thou know'st I have,
Acknowledging Thy power to save,
Thy will to speak the leper clean,
Thy promise to extirpate sin;
And lo! I only live to prove
The truth of Thy almighty love.
Ah wouldst Thou, Lord, my soul inspire
With spiritual, intense desire,
With hatred of iniquity,
With love of righteousness, and Thee,
And make me, Saviour, as Thou art
Lowly, and meek, and pure in heart.
When in Thine image I awake
I must Thy happiness partake,
Possessor of Thy heavenly mind
Rest to my weary soul I find,
Receive the earnest in my breast,
And glide to everlasting rest.
1351.
[Turn'd by Thy Son's victorious blood]
Surely after that I was turned, I repented.
—xxxi. 19.
Turn'd by Thy Son's victorious blood,
Father, I now at last repent,
Instructed by Thy mercy's rod
With shame accept my punishment;
Smiting on this unworthy breast
To lift mine eyes I scarcely dare,
Myself I loathe, abhor, detest,
And faint my youth's reproach to bear.
1352.
[Father, for Jesu's sake alone]
Is Ephraim My dear son? &c.
—xxxi. 20.
Father, for Jesu's sake alone,
Tell me that Thou art reconciled,
And own a rebel for Thy son,
Thy son beloved, Thy pleasant child;
Thy justice spake the' afflicting word;
But now with yearning pity see,
With bowels of compassion stirr'd,
And still for good remember me.
Mercy I ask in Jesu's name,
(Who bought the grace for all mankind,)
Forgiveness through His blood I claim,
Forgiveness through His blood I find:
For mercy and redeeming grace
Still on my Saviour I depend,
Till in His strength I win the race,
And through His wounds to heaven ascend.
1353.
[When He did our flesh assume]
A woman shall compass a man.
—xxxi. 22.
When He did our flesh assume,
That everlasting Man,
Mary held Him in her womb
Whom heaven could not contain!
Who the mystery can believe?
Incomprehensible Thou art;
Yet we still by faith conceive,
And bear Thee in our heart.
1354.
[That blessed law of Thine]
I will write My law in their hearts.
—xxxi. 33.
That blessed law of Thine,
Jesus, to me impart,
Thy Spirit's law of life Divine,
O write it in my heart;
Implant it deep within,
Whence it may ne'er remove,
The law of liberty from sin,
The perfect law of love.
Thy nature be my law,
Thy spotless sanctity,
And sweetly every moment draw
My happy soul to Thee:
Soul of my soul remain;
Who didst for all fulfil,
In me, O Lord, fulfil again
Thy heavenly Father's will.
1355.
[Essence incomprehensible]
They shall all know Me.
—xxxi. 34.
Essence incomprehensible,
Jehovah, who can know,
Who was, and is, and comes to dwell
With all His saints below!
Then the whole world shall be restored
And bow to Jesu's name,
Fill'd with the knowledge of the Lord,
The infinite I AM.
1356.
[Not from the greatest to the least]
They shall all know Me, from the least, &c.
—xxxi. 34.
Not from the greatest to the least
The saving word shall move,
The poor are chosen first, and bless'd
With Thine enriching love:
Now let Thy knowledge upwards spread,
Till all their Lord embrace,
Through faith from sin for ever freed,
For ever saved by grace.
1357.
[But long as I my sins repeat]
I will remember their sin no more.
—xxxi. 34.
But long as I my sins repeat,
My sins Thou never canst forget,
But while I persevere in ill,
My crimes Thou must remember still;
Lord, that Thy promise may take place,
Evil out of my heart erase;
I then shall in Thy grace abide,
Fully, for ever justified.
1358.
[No, they cry, it cannot be!]
I will give them one heart, and one way, &c.
—xxxii. 39.
No, they cry, it cannot be!
Christians never will agree!
All the world Thy word deny,
Yet we on the truth rely,
Sure, in that appointed day,
Thou wilt give us all one way,
Show us each to other join'd,
One in heart, and one in mind.
Hasten then the general peace,
Bid Thy people's discord cease,
All united in Thy name,
Let us think, and speak the same:
Then the world shall know and own
God Himself hath made us one,
Thee their Lord with us embrace,
Sing Thine everlasting praise.
1359.
[That covenant of eternal grace]
I will make an everlasting covenant, &c.
—xxxii. 40.
That covenant of eternal grace
When wilt Thou make with me?
My heart I open to embrace
The God of purity:
Now let me feel Thy Spirit brought in,
And when in me Thou art,
Feel it impossible to sin,
Impossible to part.
In proof, Thou wilt not cease to love,
But still Thy servant bless,
This inbred stumbling-block remove
By perfect holiness:
I know the covenant is sure,
Seal'd with Thy Spirit's seal,
And in me, when my heart is pure,
Thou wilt for ever dwell.
1360.
[Physician of the sin-sick race]
I will bring it health and cure, &c.
—xxxiii. 6.
Physician of the sin-sick race,
Come with Thy plenitude of grace
To this poor dying soul.
The oil and wine of grace pour in,
And heal the desperate wounds of sin,
And make my spirit whole.
Ah, give me, Lord, in. Thee to find
The spirit of an healthful mind,
The kingdom from above,
Thine utmost truth in me reveal,
Mine unbelief and misery heal
By perfect peace and love.
Thy presence doth my bliss ensure,
Thy presence is my nature's cure;
The truth, the peace Thou art,
And Thee possessing, I possess
Life, everlasting righteousness,
Perfection in my heart.
1361.
[Who truly know His name]
This is the name wherewith she shall, &c.
—xxxiii. 16.
Who truly know His name
In righteousness restored,
Partakers of His grace they claim
The title of their Lord,
His shining character
Throughout their lives express,
And all His superscription bear
In perfect holiness.
1362.
[The thing my God doth hate]
Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate.
—xliv. 4.
The thing my God doth hate
That I no more may do,
Thy creature, Lord, again create,
And all my soul renew;
My soul shall then, like Thine,
Abhor the thing unclean,
And sanctified by love Divine,
For ever cease from sin.
1363.
[O Thou faithful God of love]
Leave thy fatherless children, I will preserve, &c.
—xlix. 11.
O Thou faithful God of love,
Gladly I Thy promise plead,
Waiting for my last remove,
Hastening to the happy dead,
Lo, I cast on Thee my care,
Breathe my latest breath in prayer.
Trusting in Thy word alone,
I to Thee my children leave;
Call my little ones Thine own,
Give them, all Thy blessings give,
Keep them while on earth they breathe,
Save their souls from endless death.
Whom I to Thy grace commend
Into Thine embraces take,
Be her sure immortal Friend,
Save her for my Saviour's sake;
Free from sin, from sorrow free,
Let my widow trust in Thee.
Father of the fatherless,
Husband of the widow prove;
Me and mine persist to bless,
Tell me, we shall meet above,
Seal the promise on my heart,
Bid me then in peace depart
1364.
[Come, let us use the grace Divine]
Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord, &c.
—l. 5.
Come, let us use the grace Divine,
And all with one accord
In a perpetual covenant join
Ourselves to Christ our Lord,
Give ourselves up through Jesu's power
His name to glorify,
And promise in this sacred hour
For God to live, and die.
The covenant we this moment make
Be ever kept in mind!
We will no more our God forsake,
Or cast His words behind;
We never will throw off His fear,
Who hears our solemn vow:
And if Thou art well-pleased to hear,
Come down, and meet us now!
Thee, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Let all our hearts receive,
Present with Thy celestial host
The peaceful answer give;
To each the covenant-blood apply
Which takes our sins away,
And register our names on high,
And keep us to that day!
1365.
[Then Thou wilt pardon me]
I will pardon them whom I reserve.
—l. 20.
Then Thou wilt pardon me,
Reserved for this alone
That I may Thy salvation see,
And know the God unknown;
Thou wilt Thy blood apply,
I shall be soon forgiven,
Kept out of hell so long, that I
May reign with Thee in heaven.
1366.
[Saviour-God, Thine Israel here]
The children of Israel were oppressed, &c.
—l. 33, 34.
Saviour-God, Thine Israel here
For ages hath remain'd
Bound in chains of guilty fear,
In Babylon detain'd,
Slaves to serve our lords compell'd:
The world, and our infernal foe,
Fast in sin's dark dungeon held,
And would not let us go.
But, O Lord of hosts, in Thee
We a Redeemer have,
Strong to set Thy people free,
Omnipotent to save:
Rise, and throughly plead our cause,
From all iniquity release,
Claim the purchase of Thy cross,
And bid us go in peace.
Break this Babylonish yoke,
And now redeem the' oppress'd,
Jesus, to Thy wounds we look
For liberty and rest:
Rest from sin that we may know,
Assure us of our sins forgiven,
Then the perfect love bestow,
And then the rest of heaven.
LAMENTATIONS.
1367.
[Oft have I unconcern'd pass'd by]
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by?
—i. 12.
Oft have I unconcern'd pass'd by,
Nor stopp'd on Calvary,
So small a thing, that Thou shouldst die,
Or nothing, Lord, to me!
But now I see, the bleeding cross
Is all in all to man,
To me Thy death is life, Thy loss
Is mine eternal gain.
1368.
[Lord, we with awful thanks confess]
Behold, and see if there be any sorrow, &c.
—i. 12.
Lord, we with awful thanks confess,
No sufferings could with Thine compare;
Thy Godhead did not make them less,
It only strengthen'd Thee to bear:
But through Thy mortal agony
What blessings are to sinners given!
The pains of hell gat hold on Thee,
That we might seize the joys of heaven.
1369.
[We should have been doom'd With devils to dwell]
It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not, &c.
—iii. 22.
We
should have been doom'd With devils to dwell,
But are not consumed, But are not in hell!
'Twixt us and the sentence Our Advocate stood,
And gave us repentance, And pleaded His blood.
Unworthy to live, Our Saviour we own,
Ascribe our reprieve To mercy alone;
The boundless compassion Of Jesus we praise,
And all our salvation Expect from His grace.
1370.
[His mercies in Jesus renew'd]
The Lord's mercies are new every morning.
—iii. 22, 23.
His mercies in Jesus renew'd
Each morning I wake to adore,
A fountain of infinite good,
A sea without bottom or shore!
My Lord inexpressibly kind,
O when shall I thank Him above,
To Jesus eternally join'd,
Absorb'd in the depths of His love!
1371.
[Jesus, if mine Thou art]
The Lord is my portion, therefore will I hope in Him.
—iii. 24.
Jesus, if mine Thou art,
Mine heritage is sure,
And must, though friends and life depart,
Unchangeable endure;
If on Thy constant love
I can till death rely,
My portion upon earth shall prove
My portion in the sky.
1372.
[Thee I seek, my pardoning Lord]
The Lord is good unto them that wait, &c.
—iii. 25.
Thee I seek, my pardoning Lord,
Waits my longing soul for Thee:
O be mindful of Thy word,
O be merciful to me,
On my heart Thy goodness seal,
Bid me in Thine image rise,
Mounted on Thy holy hill,
Ravish'd thence to paradise.
1373.
[Still I long for His returning]
It is good that a man should both hope, &c.
—iii. 26.
Still I long for His returning,
Languish till His face appears,
Taste the blessedness of mourning,
Melted into gracious tears;
Still in quiet expectation,
Calmly for my Lord I grieve,
Sure at last, the great salvation,
Sure, the Saviour to receive.
1374.
[Good, I feel it is, for me]
It is good for a man that he bear, &c.
—iii. 27–29.
Good, I feel it is, for me,
Chasten'd in my youth to be,
By my heavenly Father's care
Pain and sorrow's yoke to bear:
Thus I gain my heart's desire,
From an evil world retire,
Hide me in the secret shade,
Live, as free among the dead.
Let the world in eager chase
Pant for pleasure, power, or praise,
Silent and alone I sit,
Fall by turns at Jesu's feet,
Lay my mouth as in the dust,
Find Him merciful and just,
Joyful in affliction prove
All His ways are truth and love!
1375.
[Long an outcast from my Lord]
The Lord will not cast off for ever.
—iii. 31.
Long an outcast from my Lord,
A deep revolter I
On Thy never-failing word
In darkness will rely;
Till Thy favour I retrieve
The promise to myself I take,
Me Thou wilt not always grieve,
Thou wilt not quite forsake.
1376.
[For the hiding of Thy face]
But though He cause grief, yet will He have, &c.
—iii. 32.
For the hiding of Thy face
If longer still I mourn,
In the riches of Thy grace
Thou wilt at last return;
I my Lord again shall see,
Thy multitude of mercies prove,
Lose my sin and misery
In depths of dying love.
1377.
[Slowly doth Thine anger rise]
He doth not afflict willingly nor grieve, &c.
—iii. 33.
Slowly doth Thine anger rise
To give Thy creature pain,
Forced to trouble and chastise
A rebel child of man;
But Thy mercy flies apace
A mourner's pardon to restore,
Wipes the sorrow from my face,
And bids me sin no more.
1378.
[Why should a sinful man complain]
Wherefore doth a living man complain, &c.
—iii. 39.
Why should a sinful man complain,
Indulged with a reprieve,
Guilty of death and endless pain,
Yet suffer'd still to live!
I dare not murmur at the rod,
Whate'er on earth I feel,
But praise the mercies of my God,
Which keep me out of hell.
Conscious of what my sins demand,
I bow to my distress,
Adore a Father's gentle hand,
Whose chastisements are grace:
And if I answer the intent
Of His afflicting love,
I'll praise Him for my punishment
In endless songs above.
1379.
[Father, I now my sin confess]
The crown is fallen from our head, &c.
—v. 16.
Father, I now my sin confess,
The cause of all my sad distress
Compell'd alas to know;
Spoil'd of my crown by sin I am;
It turns my glory into shame
And everlasting woe.
I feel the meaning of this pain,
To Thee against myself complain,
My own destroyer I:
Unless Thou take my sin away,
Unless my bosom-foe Thou slay,
I faint, despair, and die.
O may Thy sweet implanted love
This root of bitterness remove,
This carnal mind destroy;
Renew'd in perfect righteousness
My soul shall then be life and peace
And pure eternal joy.
EZEKIEL.
1380.
[O God most merciful and true]
I will establish My covenant with thee, &c.
—xvi. 62, 63.
O God most merciful and true,
Thy nature to my soul impart,
'Stablish with me the covenant new,
And write perfection on my heart,
To real holiness restored
O let me gain my Saviour's mind,
And in the knowledge of my Lord
Fulness of life eternal find.
Remember, Lord, my sins no more,
That them I may no more forget,
But sunk in guiltless shame adore,
In speechless wonder at Thy feet:
O'erwhelm'd with Thy stupendous grace
I shall not in Thy presence move,
But breathe unutterable praise,
And rapturous awe, and silent love.
Then every murmuring thought and vain
Expires, in sweet confusion lost,
I cannot of my cross complain,
I cannot of my goodness boast;
Pardon'd for all that I have done
My mouth as in the dust I hide,
And glory give to God alone,
My God for ever pacified.
1381.
[How can I my own heart renew?]
Make you a new heart.
—xviii. 31.
How can I my own heart renew?
The word confers the power to do:
The word I now embrace,
I yield to be renew'd by Thee,
Accepting first the pardon free,
And then the perfect grace.
1382.
[A death devoted race]
Why will ye die?
—xviii. 31.
A death devoted race
If Thou hast pass'd us by;
Excluded from Thy heavenly grace,
We must for ever die:
But not by Thy decree;
(Who freely wouldst forgive;)
We perish, Lord, in spite of Thee,
Because we will not live.
Yet, O most patient Lord,
Suffice the season pass'd:
We hear the kind inviting word,
And turn to Thee at last,
The benefit embrace
To all so freely given,
And choose in Christ the life of grace,
The glorious life of heaven.
1383.
[God, whose mercies never end]
I will set up one Shepherd over them, &c.
—xxxiv. 23.
God, whose mercies never end,
Thy gracious promise keep,
Raise the Shepherd up, and send
To seek the wandering sheep,
A lost race to save and feed
When in one fold together join'd,
Join'd in spirit to our Head
The Shepherd of mankind.
The true heavenly David give,
The just and loving One,
After Thine own heart, to live,
And fix in us His throne:
When on every soul bestow'd,
He comes, and saves us from our sins,
Father, then Thou art our God,
And Jesus is our Prince.
1384.
[God in Christ, appear; and seal]
I will make with them a covenant of peace, &c.
—xxxiv. 25.
God in Christ, appear; and seal
Thy covenant of peace,
With us in the desert dwell,
And evil beasts shall cease,
Lions shall no more devour,
Nor wolves infest Thy quiet sheep,
None shall dare approach the bower
Where in Thy arms we sleep.
1385.
[Us who climb Thy holy hill]
I will make them and the places round, &c.
—xxxiv. 26.
Us who climb Thy holy hill
A general blessing make,
Let the world our influence feel,
Our gospel-grace partake;
Grace to help in time of need
Pour out on sinners from above,
All Thy Spirit's fulness shed
In showers of heavenly love.
1386.
[Make our earthly souls a field]
The tree of the field shall yield her fruit, &c.
—xxxiv. 27.
Make our earthly souls a field
Which God delights to bless,
Let us in due season yield
The fruits of righteousness;
Make us trees of paradise
Which more and more Thy praise may show,
Deeper sink, and higher rise,
And to perfection grow.
Let us by our lives declare
The holy Root within,
Trees that cannot evil bear,
And saints that cannot sin,
Pillars that go out no more,
Elect of our election sure,
Safe, when all the struggle's o'er,
And pure as God is pure.
1387.
[Jesus, bid the chains be broke]
They shall know that I am the Lord, &c.
—xxxiv. 27.
Jesus, bid the chains be broke
Which hold us bound within,
By Thy Spirit destroy the yoke,
The heart-oppressing sin,
To full liberty restored,
Renew'd in all our ransom'd powers
Then we know Thou art the Lord
Through endless ages ours.
1388.
[Take this stumbling-block away]
They shall no more be a prey to the heathen, &c.
—xxxiv. 28.
Take this stumbling-block away,
That we may safely dwell,
Fall no more an helpless prey
To sin, the world, and hell:
Sin and fear at once shall cease,
If Thou our unbelief remove,
Then we live in perfect peace,
Who live in perfect love.
1389.
[Christ, whose glory fills the skies]
I will raise up for them a Plant, &c.
—xxxiv. 29, 30.
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
That famous Plant Thou art!
Tree of life eternal, rise
In every longing heart:
Bid us find the food in Thee,
For which our deathless spirits pine,
Fed with immortality,
And fill'd with love Divine.
Long we have our burden borne,
Our own unstableness,
Object of the heathen's scorn,
Who mock'd our scanty grace:
Jesus, our reproach remove,
Let sin no more Thy people shame,
Show us rooted in Thy love
Through life and death the same.
In Thy sinless people show
Thy power and constancy,
Give us thus to feel and know
Our fellowship with Thee,
Give us all Thy mind to' express,
And blameless in our Lord to' abide,
Transcripts of Thy holiness,
Thy fair, unspotted bride!
1390.
[Can God remove the stone within]
I will take away the stony heart, &c.
—xxxvi. 26.
Can God remove the stone within,
Myself out of myself remove,
And make me sensible of sin,
And make me sensible of love?
Omnipotent, my Saviour can,
All-gracious, Thou art willing too,
To change the stubborn heart of man,
To form even me a creature new.
1391.
[Let me, according to Thy word]
I will give you an heart of flesh.
—xxxvi. 26.
Let me, according to Thy word,
A tender, contrite heart receive,
Which bleeds for having grieved its Lord,
And never can itself forgive,
A heart Thy joys and griefs to feel,
A heart which cannot faithless prove,
A heart, where Christ alone may dwell,
All praise, all meekness, and all love!
1392.
[Good is the saying of my Lord]
I the Lord have spoken it, and I will do it.
—xxxvi. 36.
Good is the saying of my Lord;
I trust Thy sanctifying word,
To every pardon'd sinner sure:
The Holy Ghost, the water clean
Shall surely make me pure within,
From all my sins and idols pure:
Thou wilt what Thou hast spoken, do,
My nature change, my heart renew,
And breathe Thy Spirit into my breast;
I then shall always faithful prove,
Fulfil Thy law of perfect love,
And one with God for ever rest.
1393.
[Humbly I do inquire of Thee]
I will yet for this be enquired of, &c.
—xxxvi. 37.
Humbly I do inquire of Thee,
Wilt Thou, O Lord, restore
Thy kingdom at this time to me,
And bid me sin no more?
I know Thou wilt the power impart,
For which in faith I pray,
And I shall then be pure in heart,
And see the perfect day.
1394.
[Caught by the' almighty Hand]
The hand of the Lord was upon me, &c.
—xxxvii. 1, 2.
Caught by the' almighty Hand,
That Spirit of the Lord,
Carried beyond myself I stand,
A witness of His word;
I see the book unseal'd,
Least of the prophets' sons,
I mark Ezekiel's valley fill'd
With visionary bones!
Many they are and dry,
Spread through the open vale,
Millions of lifeless souls they lie
Within the Christian pale:
I pass the churches through,
The scatter'd bones I see,
And Christendom appears in view
An hideous Calvary.
1395.
[Can these dry bones perceive]
And He said unto me, Son of man, &c.
—xxxvii. 3, 4.
Can these dry bones perceive
The quickening power of grace,
Or Christian infidels retrieve
The life of righteousness?
All-good, almighty Lord,
Thou know'st Thine own design,
The virtue of Thine own great word,
The energy Divine.
Now for Thy mercy's sake
Let Thy great word proceed,
Dispensed by whom Thou wilt, to wake
The spiritually dead;
Send forth to prophesy
Thy chosen messenger,
And Thou the gospel-word apply,
And force the world to hear.
1396.
[Hear ye dry bones, and feel]
O ye dry bones, hear the word, &c.
—xxxvii. 4, 5.
Hear ye dry bones, and feel
The word of truth and grace:
I will in you Myself reveal,
I will your spirits raise;
(Jehovah speaks the word,)
The promise is for you,
Ye shall be gradually restored,
And fashion'd all anew:
Cover'd with flesh and skin
Ye shall your Saviour know,
And find the breath of life within,
Which I on all bestow:
The joyful news receive,
The grace to sinners given,
The knowledge of your Lord, and live
The sinless life of heaven.
1397.
[Lord, while at Thy command]
As I prophesied, there was a noise, &c.
—xxxvii. 7, 8.
Lord, while at Thy command
Thy servants prophesy,
O let it spread through every land,
The sound of Jesus nigh!
The dead professors shake,
Before Thy life they breathe,
Dispose their senseless souls to wake
Out of the sleep of death:
Let every answering bone
By secret instinct move,
With sinews clothed, the flesh put on,
And then the skin above!
The form of godliness,
And then the virtue give,
Inspire them with Thy Spirit of grace,
And bid the body live.
1398.
[Come, O Thou Breath Divine]
Come from the four winds, O breath, &c.
—xxxvii. 9, 10.
Come, O Thou Breath Divine,
From every quarter blow,
And whom Thou didst together join,
On them Thine influence show;
Thy wonder-working power
Be here again display'd,
And now to sudden life restore
The long-forgotten dead.
Inspired at God's command
By Thee, the Spirit of grace,
Let the whole house of Israel stand
And their Restorer praise,
Host of the living God
Throughout the earth declare
The heavenly Gift on all bestow'd,
The' indwelling Comforter.
1399.
[Messiah, full of grace]
These bones are the whole house, &c.
—xxxvii. 11, 12.
Messiah, full of grace,
Redeem'd by Thee we plead
Thy promise made to Abraham's race,
To souls for ages dead:
Their bones as quite dried up
Throughout our vale appear,
Cut off and lost their last faint hope
To see Thy kingdom here.
Open their graves, and bring
The outcasts forth, to own
Thou art the Lord, their God and King,
Their true Anointed One:
To save the race forlorn
Thy glorious arm display,
And show the world a nation born,
A nation in a day!
1400.
[Thy Deity to prove]
Ye shall know that I am the Lord, &c.
—xxxvii. 13, 14.
Thy Deity to prove
By signs infallible,
O let the Spirit of Thy love
In ancient Israel dwell!
To life eternal raised
They then shall understand
Who saved, and brought them back, and placed
In their own happy land.
O that they now restored
Might all with us confess
Thee, Jesus, Thee, their heavenly Lord,
The God of truth and grace;
With us Thy glory spread,
And praise, till time shall end,
The Friend of Abraham, and his seed,
The world's eternal Friend.
1401.
[Who can reconcile and make]
They shall become one in Thine hand.
—xxxvii. 17.
Who can reconcile and make
The Christians of one mind?
Both the sticks if Jesus take,
They in His hands are join'd:
Lord, Thy promise we believe,
Thou wilt perform the grace foretold,
All our jarring sects receive,
And blend us in one fold.
1402.
[ISRAEL'S, Judah's tribes command]
I will gather the children of Israel, &c.
—xxxvii. 21, 22.
ISRAEL'S
, Judah's tribes command
To flock from every side,
All unite, and to the land
Of their forefathers guide:
All Thy saints bring in alone,
And let us Thee alone adore,
Join'd, and perfected in one,
And never parted more.
1403.
[While Thou dost our souls restore]
Neither shall they defile themselves, &c.
—xxxvii. 23.
While Thou dost our souls restore
To their unsinning state,
Give us evil to abhor,
And every idol hate;
Nature's filthiness remove,
Filthiness of self and pride,
Only Thee that we may love,
And pure till death abide.
1404.
[Saviour, cleanse us from all sin]
I will save and cleanse them, &c.
—xxxvii. 23.
Saviour, cleanse us from all sin,
And thus Thy people make,
Wholly Thine, when pure within
Thy nature we partake;
Then our God Thou fully art,
When Father, Son, and Spirit reveal'd
Dwell within the sinless heart,
And speak the promise seal'd.
1405.
[Father, now to Israel raise]
David My Servant shall be king over, &c.
—xxxvii. 24.
Father, now to Israel raise
Thy Servant and Thy Son,
Christ our heavenly David place
On His terrestrial throne:
Found of Christ, the Shepherd good,
Let every wandering sinner find
Him, who ransom'd with His blood
The souls of all mankind.
1406.
[Harkening to their Shepherd's voice]
They shall walk in My judgments, &c.
—xxxvii. 24.
Harkening to their Shepherd's voice,
O let Thy happy sheep
Follow Jesus, and rejoice
Thy righteous laws to keep,
Never from Thy statutes stray,
But swiftly to perfection move,
Thee with all their powers obey,
With all their passions love.
1407.
[When the house of Jacob's sons]
They shall dwell in the land, &c.
—xxxvii. 25.
When the house of Jacob's sons
Their Canaan repossess,
Shall not all Thy chosen ones
Abide in perfect peace?
Trusting in the literal word,
We look for Christ on earth again:
Come, our everlasting Lord,
With all Thy saints to reign.
1408.
[Father, in our hearts reveal]
I will make a covenant of peace, &c.
—xxxvii. 26.
Father, in our hearts reveal
The depths of love unknown,
'Stablish with Thy church, and seal
The covenant in Thy Son,
Covenant of perpetual peace,
Peace inviolably sure,
Pure, inherent righteousness,
Which always shall endure.
1409.
[Planted in the land of rest]
I will place them, and multiply them, &c.
—xxxvii. 26.
Planted in the land of rest
Our number, Lord, complete,
Bless us still, with pardon bless'd,
And make for glory meet:
O might Christ, that holiest Place
Where all Thy fulness doth reside,
In His church with all His grace
Eternally abide!
1410.
[Might He now exalted be]
My tabernacle shall be with them, &c.
—xxxvii. 27.
Might He now exalted be
In all the heathen's view,
Christ the heavenly Sanctuary,
The Tabernacle true!
Us Thy favourite people make,
From whom Thou never wilt depart,
Father, Son, and Spirit, take
Possession of our heart.
1411.
[Thus, O Lord, the world convince]
And the heathen shall know that I, &c.
—xxxvii. 28.
Thus, O Lord, the world convince,
That by Thy hallowing grace
Thou hast saved us from our sins
Thy chosen witnesses:
Thus let all the heathen know
By feeling what Thy people feel,
“Dwells the Triune God below,
And shall for ever dwell!”
1412.
[Lord over all, Thy Spirit pour]
Neither will I hide My face any more, &c.
—xxxix. 29.
Lord over all, Thy Spirit pour,
In that full everlasting shower,
On every child of Adam's race!
Then all our agonies are o'er,
And never wilt Thou chide us more,
Or from Thy church conceal Thy face:
Then wilt Thou on Thy throne appear,
Triumphant with Thine ancients here,
While various crowns Thy brow adorn:
Then shall the saints Thy glory see,
Till time commence eternity,
And all with Thee to heaven return.
DANIEL.
1413.
[Jesus, fix Thy kingdom here!]
The stone that smote the image became, &c.
—ii. 35.
Jesus, fix Thy kingdom here!
Thy kingdom is the stone,
Sent from heaven in man to' appear,
And stand on earth alone:
Let it now the image smite,
Break the iron and the clay,
Conquer (not by power or might)
And force the world to' obey.
By this stone to powder ground
The kingdoms all shall be;
Then their place no more is found,
When earth submits to Thee:
Let Thy kingdom now prevail,
All opposing power disperse,
To a boundless mountain swell,
And fill the universe.
1414.
[God of heaven, appear below]
In the days of these kings shall the God, &c.
—ii. 44.
God of heaven, appear below,
And let Thy kingdom come,
All these worldly powers o'erthrow,
And scatter, and consume!
Let the last on earth take place,
Never, never to decline,
Founded in perpetual grace,
The monarchy Divine.
Lord, as taught by Thee, we pray
That sin and death may end:
In the great millennial day
With all Thy saints descend:
Now display'd with glorious power
Let that final empire rise,
Stand, when time shall be no more,
Eternal in the skies.
1415.
[O for the faith in Jesu's name]
O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful, &c.
—iii. 16.
O for the faith in Jesu's name
Which tyrants can despise,
Which triumphs o'er the threatening flame,
And all its rage defies;
Calmly replies with resolute scorn
To furious cruelty,
“My body tear, or rack, or burn,
Ye cannot injure me.”
1416.
[Let the horrific king appear]
Our God whom we serve is able, &c.
—iii. 17.
Let the horrific king appear
And all his terrors show,
True Israelites disdain to fear
A stingless, baffled foe:
Though seven-times hotter than before
The torturing fires increase,
The Lord our God whom we adore
Can save His witnesses.
1417.
[Let earth and hell their powers employ]
And He will deliver us out of thine hand, &c.
—iii. 17.
Let earth and hell their powers employ,
A sure defence we have,
They are not nearer to destroy,
Than Jesus is to save:
And if it serve Thy glory, Thou
Shalt pluck us from the flame,
Our God in ages past, and now,
And evermore the same.
1418.
[But if Thou wilt not save us here]
But if not, we will not serve thy gods, &c.
—iii. 18.
But if Thou wilt not save us here
From the tormentor's power,
Faithful to death we persevere,
And meet the fiery hour:
We will not bow our heart or knee,
And live to idols join'd,
Assured the life we lose for Thee
In paradise to find.
1419.
[Behold the miracle renew'd!]
Lo, I see four men loose, walking, &c.
—iii. 25.
Behold the miracle renew'd!
Whom faith Divine inspires,
We walk with Christ the Son of God,
And praise Him in the fires:
Kept by His presence and His name,
Who earth and hell subdued,
We quench the violence of the flame
Through our Redeemer's blood.
Tempted, and persecuted here,
Afflicted and distress'd,
With steadfast faith we persevere,
And stand the fiery test:
The fire shall all our bands consume,
And in the furnace tried,
Out of the flames we soon shall come
Unhurt and purified.
1420.
[And dost thou not thyself suspect]
Is not this great Babylon, that I have built?
—iv. 30.
And dost thou not thyself suspect,
Vain founder of the rising sect,
Or thine own language see?
“Is not this Babylon the great,
'Stablish'd in her sublime estate,
Built up to heaven—by me!”
The plan, and finish'd discipline,
The' exact economy is mine,
The whole, internal frame:
These monuments of my toil and thought
Now to perfection's summit brought
Immortalize my name.
1421.
[Throughout my fallen soul I feel]
Those that walk in pride He is able to abase.
—iv. 37.
Throughout my fallen soul I feel
The strength of pride invincible;
But Thou, the' almighty God of grace,
Canst proud aspiring worms abase:
All things are possible to Thee,
Display Thy humbling power on me,
And for His sake, to me impart
My Saviour's lowliness of heart.
1422.
[What hath this wretched world to give]
Let thy gifts be to thyself, and give thy rewards, &c.
—v. 17.
What hath this wretched world to give
Which Christians can with joy receive?
Its goods for a short moment stay,
And pass insensibly away:
I seek a permanent reward;
The favour of my glorious Lord,
The gift unspeakable be mine,
And all the heaven of love Divine.
1423.
[Sinner secure, the writing see!]
Mene, mene, tekel, upharsin.
—v. 25.
Sinner secure, the writing see!
Death, judgment, hell it speaks to thee:
The number of thy days
Is finish'd in a moment here,
With horror then thou must appear
Before thy Judge's face.
Weigh'd in the scale, thou wanting art,
And when thy soul and body part,
Thy guilty spirit flies
From earth, with kindred fiends to dwell,
Condemn'd the second death to feel,
The death that never dies.
1424.
[On me the wisdom pure bestow]
We shall not find any occasion, &c.
—vi. 5.
On me the wisdom pure bestow,
To walk unblamable with Thee,
To stop the mouth of every foe
Whose evil eye is fix'd on me:
O may I none occasion give,
But by my firm resolve to pray,
Thy constant worshipper to live,
And rather die than disobey.
1425.
[Thus, Lord, throughout my life would I]
When Daniel knew that the writing, &c.
—vi. 10.
Thus, Lord, throughout my life would I
At stated times Thy grace implore,
At morning, noon, and night, draw nigh
Thy throne, to worship and adore,
For mercy every moment pray,
And never from Thy praises cease,
But glide insensibly away
To raptures of eternal bliss.
1426.
[Let the infernal lion roar]
Let the infernal lion roar,
I still approach Thy throne of grace,
Daily present, as heretofore,
My sacrifice of prayer and praise:
Before my God by Satan's host
Found on my knees might I but be,
I'd glory, that my life it cost,
And die from man, to live with Thee.
1427.
[My soul is among lions still]
Is thy God, whom thou servest, able to deliver, &c.
—vi. 20.
My soul is among lions still,
But a good God I have
Who saves me from their mouth, and will
Me to the utmost save:
I sing His wonder-working grace,
And call the world to join,
Let all the name of Jesus praise,
The power of love Divine.
1428.
[That kingdom of the saints below]
The saints of the Most High shall take, &c.
—vii. 18.
That kingdom of the saints below
To all believers given,
It is not of this world, we know,
But comes with Christ from heaven.
We for no earthly grandeur wait,
No outward wealth or power,
But trust to reign, when pomp, and state,
And pride shall be no more.
That kingdom of the Lord most high
His people shall receive,
And, long before we reach the sky,
With Christ triumphant live:
And I shall reign on earth, possess'd
Of glory in my heart,
For ever, and for ever bless'd
With all Thou hast, and art.
1429.
[Holiness of Holinesses]
To anoint the Most-Holy [Heb. Holiness of Holinesses].
—ix. 24.
Holiness of Holinesses,
On a sinful world bestow'd,
Jesus, all the nations blesses,
Consecrates our souls to God:
Yes, Thou art for us anointed,
That we may Thy unction know,
Priests and kings to God appointed,
Throughly sanctified below.
1430.
[Dismiss'd I calmly go my way]
Go thy way till the end be: for thou shalt rest, &c.
—xii. 13.
Dismiss'd I calmly go my way
Which leads me to the tomb,
And rest in hope of that great day
When my Desire shall come:
Happy, with those that first arise,
Might I my lot obtain,
When Christ descending from the skies
Begins His glorious reign.
An end of all these earthly things
Shall I not wake to see?
And wilt not Thou, O King of kings,
Appoint a throne for me?
I lay me down at Thy command,
But soon to life restored,
I trust on the new earth to stand
Before my heavenly Lord.
HOSEA.
1431.
[Sing to the God of faithful love!]
I will allure her, and bring her into, &c.
—ii. 14.
Sing to the God of faithful love!
His goodness and His truth we prove,
Allured into the wilderness;
Beneath the long-incumbent cloud,
We praise the two-fold gift of God,
The joyous, and the patient grace.
Who to His people came unsought,
He hath into the desert brought,
And fenced us round with sacred thorn,
Reproved our unbelieving haste,
And given our humbled souls to taste
The blessedness of all that mourn.
1432.
[Allured into the desert]
Allured into the desert
Of trouble and temptation,
Again we hear
The Comforter,
The God of our salvation:
The door of hope is open'd
Even in the depth of sadness,
His pardoning voice
Restores our joys,
And fills our heart with gladness.
Even here He bids us triumph
In His experienced favour,
As in the days
Of infant grace,
When first we found our Saviour;
Out of the iron furnace
As when by Pharaoh driven,
In haste we came,
And hymn'd the Name
That spake our sins forgiven.
1433.
[Here in the depth of sweet distress]
I will give her her vineyards from thence, &c.
—ii. 15.
Here in the depth of sweet distress
Again our vineyards we possess,
And drink the dead-reviving wine:
He lifts our drooping spirits up,
Gives us an open door of hope,
And cheers with confidence Divine.
Again the hidden God appears,
He scatters all our gloomy fears,
The joy of conscious faith imparts,
He gives us back our former love,
Restores the kingdom from above,
And stamps forgiveness on our hearts.
1434.
[We sing as in those earliest days]
She shall sing there, as in the days, &c.
—ii. 15.
We sing as in those earliest days,
That rapturous infancy of grace,
When first we felt the sprinkled blood,
Exulting out of Egypt came,
And shouting our Redeemer's name,
Triumphant pass'd the parted flood:
Jesus the Lord again we sing,
Who did to us salvation bring,
And now repeats our sins forgiven;
We now His glorious Spirit breathe,
Tread down the fear of hell and death,
And live on earth the life of heaven.
1435.
[The Name we still acknowledge]
The Name we still acknowledge
That burst our bonds in sunder,
And loudly sing
Our conquering King
In songs of joy and wonder:
In every day's deliverance
Our Jesus we discover;
'Tis He, 'tis He!
That smote the sea,
And led us safely over.
In sin's and Satan's onsets
He still our souls secures,
Our guardian God
Looks through the cloud,
And blasts our fierce pursuers:
He fights His people's battles
Omnipotently glorious,
He fights alone,
And makes His own
O'er earth and hell victorious.
Partakers of His triumph
In vehement expectation
We now stand still
To prove His will,
And see His great salvation;
With violent faith and patience
To seize the kingdom given,
The purchased rest
In Jesu's breast,
The' inheritance of heaven.
1436.
[My heart doth oft to idols cleave]
Ephraim is joined to idols: let him alone.
—iv. 17.
My heart doth oft to idols cleave,
(With shame, O God, I own,)
Yet do not Thou the sinner leave,
Yet let me not alone:
Rather Thy froward child reprove,
Till with my sins I part,
Withdraw from earthly things my love,
And give Thee all my heart.
1437.
[Retired into His secret place]
I will go and return to My place, till they, &c.
—v. 15.
Retired into His secret place
My absent Saviour I bemoan;
Forced by my sin, Thou hid'st Thy face:
My sin the mournful cause I own:
From saints if Thou withdraw Thy light,
Their faith to try, their grace to' improve,
Yet sin alone brought back my night,
And robb'd me of Thy pardoning love.
1438.
[The promise of my chastening God]
In their affliction they will seek Me early.
—v. 15.
The promise of my chastening God
I humbled in the dust receive,
Respire beneath my sinful load,
In hope Thou wilt again forgive,
Return my evil to remove,
My sole desire to satisfy,
And let me taste once more Thy love,
Once more behold Thy face, and die.
1439.
[Come, let us to the Lord return]
Come, and let us return unto the Lord, &c.
—vi. 1.
Come, let us to the Lord return,
Who now beneath His judgments droop:
Torn by His anger if we mourn,
His healing love will bind us up:
Who raised our Surety from the dead,
Our twice-dead souls will quickly raise
To walk before our God, and lead
The sinless life of perfect grace.
1440.
[I follow on to know]
Then shall we know, if we follow on to know, &c.
—vi. 3.
I follow on to know,
I never will turn back,
Till Thou on me Thy grace bestow
For Thy own promise sake:
And I shall feel Thy blood,
And I shall holy be,
And I shall find, my Lord, my God,
Eternal life in Thee.
1441.
[What canst Thou do to me, whose good]
O Ephraim, what shall I do unto thee?
—vi. 4.
What
canst Thou do to me, whose good
Is transient, as a morning cloud?
To me stability impart,
And fix Thy goodness in my heart.
1442.
[Where is my power to watch and pray]
Your goodness is as a morning cloud.
—vi. 4.
Where is my power to watch and pray,
And live for God alone?
The morning cloud is pass'd away,
And all my goodness gone:
I sink again, to idols join'd,
And let my God depart;
And not one good desire I find,
In this poor, desperate heart.
What can I do but lay me down,
In darkness, sin, and shame?
Beneath my Saviour's angry frown,
Beneath His feet I am:
Left to myself, I never more
One good desire shall feel,
Unless the sinner He restore,
And save, because He will.
But if for me His bowels plead,
My soul He yet shall raise—
The fulness of His power to spread,
The freeness of His grace.
Fix'd by the presence of His love,
The morning cloud shall stay,
Or only pass away to' improve
Into the perfect day.
1443.
[Loved for a time, they might have been]
I will love them no more.
—ix. 15.
Loved for a time, they might have been
For ever loved by Thee:
Nothing can separate but sin
Betwixt my God and me:
From sin, from wilful sin alone,
Saviour, my soul defend,
And Thou who freely lov'st Thine own,
Shalt love me to the end.
1444.
[Jesus, who disdain'st a part]
Their heart is divided.
—x. 2.
Jesus, who disdain'st a part,
Take my undivided heart;
Take what I can never give,
Till Thy Spirit I receive:
But possess'd of love Divine
Thine I am, for ever Thine.
1445.
[“How shall I give thee up?”]
How shall I give thee up?
—xi. 8.
“How shall I give thee up?”
Thy mercy cannot tell,
It doth the hand of justice stop,
It keeps me out of hell:
Thine anger moves so slow,
Thy grace so swift doth move!
And mercy will not let me go,
Till I am safe above.
1446.
[Struggling for mastery within]
He took his brother by the heel in the womb.
—xii. 3.
Struggling for mastery within
Nature and grace I feel;
But grace arrests my bosom-sin,
And grasps his brother's heel:
The younger still his sway maintains,
And treads the elder down,
Till grace the heavenly birthright gains
With an immortal crown.
1447.
[On me that wrestling power bestow]
By his strength he had power with God.
—xii. 3.
On me that wrestling power bestow
Which will not let the' Almighty go,
Power to pray on, and never rest,
Till, with Thy heavenly nature bless'd,
I know Thee, Saviour, who Thou art,
And bear Thine image on my heart.
1448.
[Angel of covenanted grace]
He had power over the angel, and prevailed, &c.
—xii. 4.
Angel of covenanted grace,
The least of Jacob's praying race,
To Thee, to Thee, for help I cry:
Thou seest my supplicating tears,
Thou hear'st the clamour of my fears,
While Esau and his host are nigh.
Jesus, Thy gracious nature tell,
Thy saving name in me reveal,
The torturing passion to remove,
To' expel what now Thou dost control,
Thy nature speak into my soul,
Thy favourite name of perfect love.
1449.
[Whom Jacob once in Bethel found]
He found Him in Bethel, and there he spake, &c.
—xii. 4.
Whom
Jacob once in Bethel found,
We too have found the Lord,
Have heard His voice of mercy sound,
His reconciling word;
Where first we felt the sprinkled blood,
And saw our sins forgiven,
This is, we cried, the house of God,
This is the gate of heaven!
1450.
[While Jacob for a wife doth wait]
Israel served for a wife.
—xii. 12.
While
Jacob for a wife doth wait,
A length of servile years
(His love to Rachel is so great)
As a few days appears:
And shall I think it long to stay,
Or wish my labours pass'd?
A thousand years are but a day,
If Christ be mine at last.
1451.
[Self-destroy'd for help I pray]
Thou hast destroyed thyself, but in Me, &c.
—xiii. 9.
Self-destroy'd for help I pray:
Help me, Saviour, from above,
Help me to believe, obey,
Help me to repent, and love,
Help to keep the graces given,
Help me quite from hell to heaven.
1452.
[On earth I ask no more]
I will be thy King.
—xiii. 10.
On earth I ask no more
Than to be ruled by Thee:
Thy kingdom, Lord, restore,
Set up Thy throne in me,
Then shall I own with those above
Omnipotence is lost in love.
1453.
[Can the bands of death detain]
I will ransom them from the power of the grave.
—xiii. 14.
Can the bands of death detain
One from sin by Jesus freed?
Surely I shall live again,
Feel the voice that wakes the dead,
Rise triumphant o'er the tomb,
See my heavenly Saviour come.
1454.
[More than for ease in mortal pain]
Take away all iniquity.
—xiv. 2.
More than for ease in mortal pain,
For purity I pray:
Let all Thy plagues on me remain,
But take my sins away:
My sins, even all my sins remove;
I nothing else desire;
O let me taste Thy perfect love,
And at Thy feet expire.
1455.
[Jesus, all-redeeming Lamb]
Jesus, all-redeeming Lamb,
Thine, yet still unsaved I am,
Monster of iniquity,
Bring a world of sin to Thee.
If Thou canst so greatly save,
If Thou wilt Thy purchase have,
If almighty Love Thou art,
Take away this bestial heart.
Vanity, concupiscence,
I can never banish hence,
Never can myself expel,
Loathe the sins I love so well.
Carnal and corrupt in mind,
If a good desire I find,
Lord, it flows from Thee alone;
Answer, and accept Thine own.
Now inclined by Thee, I pray
Take the bestial heart away;
Far out of my soul remove
All that bars Thy purer love:
More than conquer it in me,
Quite destroy the enmity;
Root it out, this love of sin,
Bring Thy heavenly nature in.
If Thy time be fully come,
Now this Antichrist consume;
Finish the transgression now,
Saviour to the utmost Thou,
Everlasting righteousness,
Thou my hallow'd soul possess;
Peace and power, and purity,
Christ, be all in all to me.
1456.
[The cause of this perpetual pain]
The cause of this perpetual pain,
Jesus, the inbred sin remove,
Peace for a dying soul ordain,
And save me by Thy purest love.
Then, or whene'er Thou wilt release
My soul in all Thy mind renew'd—
Created in true holiness
One spirit with my hallowing God.
But canst Thou take it all away?
But can I trust almighty Love
The root to kill, the remnant slay,
The sinful nature to remove?
Jesus, I steadfastly believe
The saving power of God Thou art;
And wilt His perfect Image give,
Thyself, into my sinless heart.
O wouldst Thou now Thy presence show,
Thy nature in my heart reveal,
And thus destroy the' indwelling foe,
And me out of myself expel.
Thy presence finishes my sin,
Thy presence makes an end of me;
Come in, Thou holy God, come in,
And I shall all be lost in Thee.
1457.
[As taught by Thee, O God, I pray]
As taught by Thee, O God, I pray,
Take all iniquity away,
Thou utmost Saviour of mankind,
Nor leave the least remains behind.
The guilt and power of sin remove,
The worldly, and the creature love,
The easily besetting sin,
The passion dominant within:
The lusting flesh, the carnal mind
To ill continually inclined,
The' original depravity
Which never can submit to Thee.
Thy Spirit's energy exert,
To circumcise and cleanse my heart
From wrath, concupiscence, and pride,
That Thou may'st in Thy house abide.
Thy Spirit, Lord, can sin subdue,
Can utterly extirpate too,
His more than conquering power employ,
And root and branch the foe destroy.
Then Jesus, then, the good bestow,
Which none but the receivers know;
The constant joy, the perfect peace,
The everlasting righteousness,
The patient, meek, and heavenly mind,
The lowly heart, the will resign'd,
The primitive simplicity,
The true eternal life in Thee.
All the good things which now I claim,
And ask the Father in Thy name,
The gifts for men received above,
O give me more than all in Love.
The gift unspeakable confer,
The Holy Ghost, the Comforter,
With Thee, and with Thy Father one,
God over all, and Good alone.
Thou art the thing my soul requires
To fill my infinite desires,
Infinite Good, Thyself impart
With all Thou hast, and all Thou art!
1458.
[How am I heal'd, if still again]
I will heal their backsliding.
—xiv. 4.
How am I heal'd, if still again
I must relapse with grief and pain
Into my old disease?
If Christ, with all His power and love,
Can never perfectly remove
My desperate wickedness?
But, Lord, I trust, Thy gracious skill
Shall throughly my backslidings heal,
My sinfulness of soul,
Destroy the bent to sin in me,
Cure my original malady,
And make, and keep me whole.
1459.
[O that His wrath were turn'd aside]
O that His wrath were turn'd aside,
O could I know Him pacified,
Again with pardon bless'd.
How gladly should I then resign
My soul into the hands Divine,
And trust Him for the rest.
Jesus, my sprinkled heart assure,
Thou didst my life by death procure,
Didst buy the sinner's peace,
That I to sin entirely dead
From every thought of evil freed,
Might live to righteousness.
Now in the sense of cancell'd sin,
Thy sanctifying work begin,
Pour in the balm of grace.
My wounds bind up, my peace restore,
And saved by Thee, I sin no more,
But walk in all Thy ways.
JOEL.
1460.
[The word is unaccomplish'd still]
I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh.
—ii. 28.
The word is unaccomplish'd still:
In honour of Thy Son,
Father, the mystery fulfil,
And send the Promise down;
That Spirit of universal grace,
That Spirit of glory pour,
And deluge all our ransom'd race
With one eternal shower.
1461.
[Let the God of truth and love]
I will show wonders in the heavens, &c.
—ii. 30, 31.
Let the God of truth and love
His mighty wonders show,
Wonders in the heavens above,
And signs in earth below,
Every Antichrist consume,
And all His glorious power display:
Then Jehovah's day shall come,
The final judgment-day!
1462.
[Jesus, Thee in faith we claim]
Whosoever shall call on the name, &c.
—ii. 32.
Jesus, Thee in faith we claim
Our gracious Lord and just,
Invocate Thy saving name,
And for deliverance trust:
Safety is on Sion's hill,
Thy praying church remains secure,
All who know and do Thy will
Shall evermore endure.
1463.
[Awake, thou guilty world, awake]
Let the heathen be wakened, and come up,&c.
—iii. 12.
Awake, thou guilty world, awake,
Whom God doth by His judgments shake,
And to the dread tribunal come!
Jesus on earth erects His seat,
And cites you here your doom to meet,
Type of your everlasting doom!
Avenger of His slighted laws,
His gospel and His people's cause,
In righteous wrath implacable
The Lord with sword and fire shall plead,
Throughout the world destruction spread,
And sweep His slaughter'd foes to hell.
1464.
[Ye angels, put the sickle in]
Put ye in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe, &c.
—iii. 13.
Ye angels, put the sickle in,
The world is now mature in sin,
The press is full, the fats o'erflow:
The Lord's decisive day is near,
And countless multitudes appear
Before His judgment-seat below:
The sun shall set in endless night,
The moon and stars withdraw their light,
The shatter'd earth's foundation groan,
The ruin'd heavens His wrath shall feel,
And nature's last convulsions tell
That Israel's Strength remains alone!
1465.
[Lion of Judah's tribe, draw near]
The Lord shall roar out of Zion, &c.
—iii. 16, 17.
Lion of Judah's tribe, draw near,
Let all mankind Thy roarings hear,
Let all mankind revere Thy power;
Utter Thy voice, almighty Lord,
Pronounce the desolating word,
And thunder from Thy heavenly tower!
Crown Thy impatient people's hope,
And fill our faith and knowledge up,
The kingdom to Thy saints restore;
And when Thy church is fill'd with Thee,
Pure holiness Thy church shall be,
And sin shall never enter more.
1466.
[Welcome the bright millennial day]
In that day, the mountains shall drop down, &c.
—iii. 18.
Welcome the bright millennial day
When former things are pass'd away,
When earth in righteousness renew'd,
Blooms as at the beginning good!
Wine from the mountain-tops distils,
And milky currents from the hills,
Rivers of living water rise,
Pure as their Fountain in the skies.
Forth-issuing from Jehovah's throne
Sent by the Father and the Son,
The Holy Ghost His fulness pours
In glorious, everlasting showers;
The King of saints resides below,
His Spirit doth our vale o'erflow,
Brings back the garden of the Lord,
And shows us paradise restored.
1467.
[Faithful, and true, for this we wait]
Judah shall dwell for ever, and Jerusalem, &c.
—iii. 20, 21.
Faithful, and true, for this we wait,
The glories of our first estate
With all Thy latest church to prove;
Purge out our old congenial stains,
Expel the' engrafted sin's remains
By perfect purity and love.
Sion shall then in safety dwell,
Fulness of joy that cannot fail
Possessing, and of Thee possess'd;
Thy spotless bride completely fair
Shall then Thy glorious image bear,
And live with God, for ever bless'd.
AMOS.
1468.
[That ground of fellowship with God]
Can two walk together, except they be agreed?
—iii. 3.
That ground of fellowship with God
O that I could possess,
Brought near through the atoning blood,
And reconciled by grace!
O might my heart with Thine agree,
Pursue Thy glorious end,
Then should I walk to heaven with Thee
Mine everlasting Friend.
1469.
[The lion roars, before he tears]
The lion hath roared, who will not fear?
—iii. 8.
The lion roars, before he tears,
The Lord in wrath and mercy great
Threatens before He strikes; but spares
A sinner prostrate at His feet:
Then let us fall with conscious fear,
And when we faint beneath our load,
Our contrite hearts a voice shall hear,
“The Lion is the Lamb of God!”
1470.
[Stricken for mine iniquity]
Yet have ye not returned unto Me.
—iv. 11.
Stricken for mine iniquity,
Forced by a thousand strokes to mourn,
Yet have I not return'd to Thee:
To Thee I never shall return,
Till Jesus from the cross reprove,
And melt me down by dying love.
1471.
[To meet my God]
Prepare to meet thy God.
—iv. 12.
To meet my God
Arm'd with His rod
O how shall I prepare?
Prostrate, wallowing in my blood
I pray the Judge to spare.
But if Thou let
Me kiss Thy feet,
And mind Thee of Thy passion,
Then I in my Judge shall meet
The God of my salvation.
1472.
[Seeking in Christ Thy face]
Seek ye Me, and ye shall live.
—v. 4.
Seeking in Christ Thy face,
We found the life of grace;
Pardon'd now, by faith we live,
Till we fuller life attain,
Till Thine image we retrieve;
Then the life of heaven we gain.
1473.
[Of my transgressions numberless]
I know your manifold transgressions, &c.
—v. 12.
Of my transgressions numberless
The measure, Lord, runs o'er,
But where iniquities increase,
Thy grace increases more:
My mighty sins to Thee are known;
But mightier still is He
Who laid His life a ransom down,
Who pleads His death for me.
1474.
[Glory and thanks to Thee we give]
I will send a famine in the land, &c.
—viii. 11.
Glory and thanks to Thee we give,
Our dear redeeming Lord,
Who dost at last our want relieve,
Our hunger for the word!
But multiply the children's bread,
But give Thy word success,
Till every famish'd soul is fed,
Is feasted, with Thy grace.
1475.
[Still the prophetic curse takes place]
I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, &c.
—ix. 9.
Still the prophetic curse takes place:
We see the once-peculiar race
Like sifted chaff dispersed and driven
Through every nation under heaven!
But lo, we now the promise plead
For every Israelite indeed:
And when the nation owns Thy call,
Thy mercy, Lord, shall save them all.
1476.
[Jesus, as in the ancient days]
In that day will I raise up the tabernacle, &c.
—ix. 11, 12.
Jesus, as in the ancient days,
Return, Thy ruinous house to raise,
Its breaches close, its walls repair:
The men into Thy church receive,
The Christians, who as heathens live,
Dishonouring the great name they bear.
Thou who hast purchased them of old,
Take all the world into Thy fold,
And in one pure religion join,
That every soul its Lord may bless,
And every tongue with joy confess
The saving work of grace Divine.
OBADIAH.
1477.
[Deliverance is on Sion's hill]
Upon mount Zion shall be deliverance.
—17.
Deliverance is on Sion's hill,
The gift of Sion's King;
His grace doth with His Spirit's seal
To us the pardon bring:
Still let us to the mountain fly,
Which never can remove,
And safe in life and death rely
On Jesu's dying love.
1478.
[Saved from the guilt and power of sin]
There shall be holiness.
—17.
Saved from the guilt and power of sin
By their atoning God,
His people shall be pure within
Through Jesu's hallowing blood;
The church, a mount of holiness
Shall in His image rise,
And perfected in love, possess
Their portion in the skies.
1479.
[The elder serves the younger now]
The house of Jacob shall possess their possessions.
—17.
The elder serves the younger now:
We who so long to sin did bow,
Its power defy, its yoke disdain:
The praying church, the wrestling seed,
On our old tyrant-lusts we tread,
And lords of all our passions reign:
In patience we our souls possess,
And Jacob's house is fill'd with peace,
A peace which none can take away;
All things we have, of Christ possess'd,
And Jesus in our faithful breast
Maintains His everlasting sway.
1480.
[Jesus, Thy people's hearts inflame]
The house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house, &c.
—18.
Jesus, Thy people's hearts inflame,
The Spirit of faith in Thy great name
Let it a Spirit of burning prove,
Destroy whom it doth now o'erpower,
And kindling on our lusts devour
The stubble of our creature-love.
O that Thy heavenly fire within
Might now consume the man of sin,
Till none of Esau's house remain!
The word Thy sacred lips hath pass'd,
Thou must destroy Thy foes at last,
And Lord of all for ever reign.
1481.
[Instruments of our salvation]
Saviours shall come up on mount Zion, &c.
—21.
Instruments of our salvation,
Jesus, let Thy servants come,
Publishing to every nation
Peace by Thee, with Esau's doom:
Antichrist must fall before Thee,
(Let Thy messengers proclaim,)
Then the world shall all adore Thee,
All extol Thy glorious name.
1482.
[The kingdom of grace Shall soon be restored]
The kingdom shall be the Lord's.
—21.
The kingdom of grace Shall soon be restored,
And all the lost race Bow down to our Lord;
Our Lord shall inherit His Israel again,
And Jesus's Spirit Eternally reign.
JONAH.
1483.
[Then only, when by sore distress]
Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God.
—ii. 1.
Then only, when by sore distress
Compell'd, I seek in God relief,
O'erwhelm'd with floods of wickedness,
And swallow'd up in gulfs of grief;
Out of the deep my mournful prayer
Directing to the throne Divine,
And hoping against hope, I dare
In hell to call the Saviour mine.
1484.
[Though now out of Thy presence driven]
I am cast out of Thy sight; yet I will look, &c.
—ii. 4.
Though now out of Thy presence driven,
I will not quit my hope of heaven,
My hope, O God, of Thee:
I turn me to the holiest Place,
I look to Christ for pardoning grace,
I plead His death for me.
1485.
[Even now my tempted spirit faints]
When my soul fainted within me, &c.
—ii. 7.
Even now my tempted spirit faints,
But calls Thy days of flesh to mind:
Remember Thou Thine own complaints,
And let my prayer acceptance find;
Jesus, my tears, and feeble cries
Unite and mingle with Thine own,
So shall my wailing pierce the skies,
And bring the Spirit from Thy throne.
1486.
[Salvation is the work of God]
Salvation is of the Lord.
—ii. 9.
Salvation is the work of God,
A work entirely Thine,
Who bought'st our pardon with Thy blood,
Thy precious blood Divine:
Whose blood applied the pardon brings,
And wholly sanctifies,
And speaks above the better things,
And speaks us to the skies.
1487.
[Him dead and buried we confess]
The fish vomited out Jonah upon the dry land.
—ii. 10.
Him dead and buried we confess,
The storm our sins had raised to' appease,
Three days and nights for us confined:
But lo, emerging from the grave,
He comes, a ransom'd world to save,
He preaches life to all mankind!
O that we all His words might hear,
A Greater far than Jonah fear,
And live, and die at His command!
Then shall the grave its prey restore,
Raised by His resurrection's power,
And cast us on the heavenly land.
1488.
[Our joy in a created good]
Jonah was exceeding glad of the gourd.
—iv. 6.
Our joy in a created good
How soon it fades away,
Fades (at the morning hour bestow'd)
Before the noon of day:
Joy by its violent excess
To certain ruin tends,
And all our rapturous happiness
In hasty sorrow ends.
1489.
[In vain doth earthly bliss afford]
The gourd withered.
—iv. 7.
In vain doth earthly bliss afford
A momentary shade;
It rises like the prophet's gourd,
And withers o'er my head:
But of my Saviour's love possess'd
No more for earth I pine,
Secure of everlasting rest
Beneath the heavenly Vine.
1490.
[Lord, I revoke my hasty prayer]
Jonah fainted, and wished in himself to die, &c.
—iv. 8.
Lord, I revoke my hasty prayer;
No more in peevishness of grief
I faint, the fiery test to bear,
Or summon death to my relief:
Better for me to live, if Thou
My tempted soul with strength supply,
And then my hoary head to bow,
And perfected through sufferings, die.
MICAH.
1491.
[Shall man to God a method show]
Is the Spirit of the Lord straitened?
—ii. 7.
Shall man to God a method show,
Or teach the Spirit how to blow?
He passes all our fancied bounds,
Our systems, plans, and rules confounds,
Our marks, and states, in vain defined
By the blind leaders of the blind;
Who all at last with shame shall own
The' unerring Guide was Christ alone.
1492.
[Determined I am Through Jesus's grace]
We will walk in the name of the Lord, &c.
—iv. 5.
Determined I am Through Jesus's grace,
To walk in His name, To walk in His ways,
With constant endeavour To practise His word,
And own Him for ever My God and my Lord.
1493.
[Thou universal Saviour, come]
In that day will I assemble her that halteth, &c.
—iv. 6, 7.
Thou universal Saviour, come,
To call both Jews and Gentiles home,
Thine ancient flock to exile driven,
With every nation under heaven;
A world of halting souls distress'd
Assemble to the gospel-feast,
And then in every heart of man,
Great King of saints, for ever reign.
1494.
[Jesus, the church is our strong-hold]
And thou, O tower of the flock, &c.
—iv. 8.
Jesus, the church is our strong-hold,
The tower which Thou hast made Thy fold,
And lo, Thy promise we embrace,
Expect the image of our Lord,
Thy kingdom to our souls restored
In all the majesty of grace:
The wide, original domain
By Adam forfeited, again
Shall to Thy spotless church be given;
And we whom Thou dost call Thine own,
Shall take our seats around Thy throne,
Lords of the new-made earth and heaven.
1495.
[Jesus, Lord, assume Thy right]
Out of thee shall He come forth, &c.
—v. 2.
Jesus, Lord, assume Thy right,
And Israel's Ruler be,
God of God, and Light of Light,
From all eternity,
By Thy matchless power subdued,
Let all Thy glorious Godhead own,
'Stablish on our earth renew'd
Thine everlasting throne.
1496.
[Father, Thy kind design explain]
Hear ye the rod, and who hath appointed it.
—vi. 9.
Father, Thy kind design explain
In every scourge and cross,
What is the meaning of this pain,
This trouble, or this loss?
O might my heart distinctly hear
The language of the rod,
Answer Thy will, and always fear,
And always love my God.
1497.
[I hear, the rod I hear]
I hear, the rod I hear
Which takes my strength away!
It tells me, my release is near,
It bids me always pray:
With Thine appointment, Lord,
I cheerfully comply,
And listen for that kindest word
“Go, get thee up, and die.”
1498.
[Lord, I look for Thy salvation]
I will look unto the Lord; I will wait, &c.
—vii. 7.
Lord, I look for Thy salvation,
For Thyself I look to Thee:
Hear my earnest supplication,
Manifest Thy love in me:
Praying on, and never ceasing
I Thine utmost word shall prove,
Bless'd with all the gospel-blessing,
Fully saved in perfect love.
1499.
[Forbear, my foe, thy triumph vain]
Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy, &c.
—vii. 8.
Forbear, my foe, thy triumph vain:
Shouldst thou again my soul surprise,
I shall by all my losses gain,
And stronger from my falls arise;
And though I may in darkness mourn,
As banish'd from my Father's sight,
I soon shall see my Lord return
In glorious everlasting light.
1500.
[Scourged for my sin, the frown of God]
I will bear the indignation of the Lord, &c.
—vii. 9.
Scourged for my sin, the frown of God
In patient silence I abide,
Till Jesus pleads for me His blood,
And turns His Father's wrath aside:
He then shall finish my distress,
Our common foes for ever slay,
And show my heart His righteousness,
And bring me to the perfect day.
1501.
[Jesus, who is a God like Thee!]
Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth, &c.
—vii. 18.
Jesus, who is a God like Thee!
The God of pardoning grace
Will not impute iniquity
To the believing race:
He passes all our follies by,
And all our sins forgives,
His wrath doth in a moment die,
His love for ever lives.
1502.
[Saviour, while after Thee we mourn]
He will turn again, He will have compassion, &c.
—vii. 19.
Saviour, while after Thee we mourn,
Thou wilt compassion show,
In mercy to our souls return,
And all our sins subdue;
Thou wilt our utmost Saviour be,
Remove our inbred load,
And cast it all into the sea
Of Thine all-cleansing blood.
1503.
[God of eternal truth and grace]
Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, &c.
—vii. 20.
God of eternal truth and grace,
Thy faithful promise seal,
Thy word, Thy oath to Abraham's race
In us, even us fulfil:
Let us to perfect love restored
Thine image here retrieve,
And in the presence of our Lord
The life of angels live.
NAHUM.
1504.
[We run in distress To Jesus our tower]
The Lord is good, a strong hold in the day, &c.
—i. 7.
We run in distress To Jesus our tower,
And trust in His grace, His truth, and His power:
The weakest believer He knows and approves,
And saves us for ever Whom freely He loves.
1505.
[I trust Thy promise, Lord, to break]
Now will I break his yoke from off thee, &c.
—i. 13.
I trust Thy promise, Lord, to break
The' Assyrian's yoke from off my neck;
My great Redeemer Thou
Wilt burst the bonds of inbred sin;
But haste to show Thyself within,
But bring the freedom now!
1506.
[Sinners, with joy look up!]
Behold upon the mountains the feet of him, &c.
—i. 15.
Sinners, with joy look up!
The herald's feet appear,
He comes from Zion's sacred top,
A gospel-messenger!
Good news he publishes
Of all mankind forgiven,
Salvation sent from God, and peace
Restored 'twixt earth and heaven.
Peace from above reveal'd,
Which never shall depart,
Peace by the Spirit's signet seal'd
On every faithful heart;
The end of war and sin
In Christ your peace obtain:
And when His kingdom reigns within,
It shall for ever reign.
1507.
[Let Judah's joyous house]
O Judah, keep thy solemn feasts, &c.
—i. 15.
Let
Judah's joyous house
With full salvation bless'd
In perfect love perform their vows,
And keep the gospel-feast:
Your God, ye holy few,
In spirit and truth adore:
The wicked shall no more pass through,
Shall waste your souls no more:
The wicked one is slain,
Is utterly destroy'd,
When Jesus in your hearts doth reign,
And fill the boundless void:
He roots out inbred sin,
He shows His royal bride
From every spot and wrinkle clean,
And wholly sanctified.
HABAKKUK.
1508.
[How long shall I languish and moan]
O Lord, how long shall I cry, and Thou, &c.
—i. 2.
How long shall I languish and moan,
How long of oppression complain,
In sorrow and heaviness groan,
And cry for a Saviour in vain?
To save me from sin and from fear
Both able, and willing Thou art;
O bring the deliverance near,
And whisper it into my heart.
1509.
[By faith I set me on the tower]
I will stand upon my watch, and set, &c.
—ii. 1.
By faith I set me on the tower,
And watch the answer of my prayer:
Hasten, O Lord, the joyful hour,
And all Thy name in me declare;
O tell me now that love Thou art,
Speak to my troubled conscience peace,
Speak power into my feeble heart,
And life, and perfect holiness.
1510.
[By faith I Babel's fall foresee]
The vision is yet for an appointed time, &c.
—ii. 3.
By faith I Babel's fall foresee,
The Babel of indwelling sin:
I know the promise is for me,
And wait the' accomplishment within:
Thy word in that appointed day
Faithful and true we all shall prove,
And seeming slow, Thou wilt not stay,
But come, and perfect us in love.
1511.
[By faith accounted just]
The just shall live by his faith.
—ii. 4.
By faith accounted just,
By faith to God we live,
With patience wait His time, and trust
His fulness to receive;
That finish'd holiness
We must at last obtain:
And faith shall then in vision cease,
And love triumphant reign.
1512.
[Come, the Lord our righteousness]
The earth shall be filled with the knowledge, &c.
—ii. 14.
Come, the Lord our righteousness,
Jehovah, from above,
Ocean of unbounded grace,
Of glorious life and love;
Love immensely deep and wide,
Without a bottom or a shore!
Never shall that sea be dried,
When time shall be no more.
1513.
[Father of everlasting grace]
O Lord, revive Thy work in the midst, &c.
—iii. 2.
Father of everlasting grace,
Revive Thy work of righteousness,
Even in these dregs of time make known
Thy truth and mercy in Thy Son;
O call His precious death to mind,
That ransom paid for all mankind,
Thine anger with our sins remove,
And show the world Thy pardoning love.
1514.
[Thine anger at what I have done]
In wrath remember mercy.
—iii. 2.
Thine anger at what I have done,
O Father, I mournfully bear,
But look to Thine innocent Son,
Who ever intreats Thee to spare!
Be mindful of Jesus, and me:
Thy mercy He suffer'd to buy,
And what He procured on the tree,
For me He demands in the sky.
1515.
[My strength when Thou, O Jesus, art]
The Lord God is my strength, and He will, &c.
—iii. 19.
My strength when Thou, O Jesus, art,
My soul though halt and lame,
Runs swiftly, as the bounding hart,
Exulting in Thy name;
Beyond the reach of sin, above
The world, I then ascend,
Walk in the mount of holiest love,
And talk with God my Friend!
ZEPHANIAH.
1516.
[Ye that do your Master's will]
Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, &c.
—ii. 3.
Ye that do your Master's will,
Meek in heart, be meeker still,
Righteous, still yourselves confess
Seekers after righteousness;
Gracious souls, in grace abound,
Seek the Lord whom ye have found,
Follow on, nor slack your pace,
Till ye see His glorious face.
1517.
[Warn'd of that vindictive day]
It may be ye shall be hid in the day, &c.
—ii. 3.
Warn'd of that vindictive day,
You who now your Lord obey,
To your dear Redeemer true,
Shall He not distinguish you?
Yes; He can, He will redeem
Every soul that looks to Him,
Hide, who on His truth rely,
Under, or above the sky.
1518.
[The precious promise made to all]
All the isles of the heathen shall worship Him.
—ii. 11.
The precious promise made to all,
For Britain's isle we claim;
O that we on Thy name may call,
And magnify Thy name!
Preserve a people in our land
To make Thy goodness known,
And worship, while the world shall stand,
The glorious Three in One.
1519.
[Tremendous Lord, Thy voice we hear]
Wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, &c.
—iii. 8.
Tremendous Lord, Thy voice we hear,
“In glorious majesty severe,
In anger great, I soon will rise!
Vengeance on that appointed day
Shall fiercely claim its destined prey,
And seize the victims of the skies.
I will Mine indignation pour,
On all the' assembled kingdoms shower
The vials of My jealous ire;
My wrath shall to the utmost come,
The whole devoted earth consume,
And burn My foes with quenchless fire.”
1520.
[On Thee, great God, we still attend]
Then will I turn to the people a pure language, &c.
—iii. 9.
On Thee, great God, we still attend,
Till judgment shall in mercy end,
And wrath in universal grace:
The promise to Thy church is sure,
Our hearts, and lives, and language pure
Shall speak our new-Creator's praise.
Then every soul his Lord shall know,
And every spotless saint below
Perform Thy will, like those above;
We all shall think, and speak the same,
And serve our God, and praise Thy name
With perfect harmony and love.
1521.
[O God of all-redeeming grace]
From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia, &c.
—iii. 10.
O God of all-redeeming grace,
Hasten those latest, happiest days,
When Thy dispersed shall be brought home:
Obedient to the gospel-word
O let the people of our Lord
From earth's remotest corners come!
With humble prayers and contrite sighs,
A well-accepted sacrifice,
To Thee their souls and bodies give,
Thy perfect will rejoice to prove,
And live the life of holy love,
And only for Thy glory live!
1522.
[Then, then the' intestine war is o'er]
In that day shalt thou not be ashamed, &c.
—iii. 11, 12.
Then, then the' intestine war is o'er,
And guilty shame confounds no more,
When Thou hast rooted out our pride:
With vain complacency in grace
No more we boast our holiness,
Or in our “sinless state” confide.
Out of the deep of poverty
Saviour, we give the praise to Thee,
Thee only good, and wise, and just;
Our utter nothingness we own,
Exalt our righteous Lord alone,
And in His name for ever trust.
1523.
[Jesus, my vehement spirit pants]
The remnant of Israel shall not do iniquity, &c.
—iii. 13.
Jesus, my vehement spirit pants
To join the fellowship of saints,
The simple Israelites indeed,
Who nor in act, nor word transgress,
Preserved in purity and peace,
From guile and sin for ever freed.
With these may I my lot receive,
And by the silent waters live,
And on the hidden manna feast,
With these in pastures green lie down,
Assured that none shall take my crown,
Or break mine everlasting rest.
1524.
[Zion, be glad, rejoice, and sing]
Sing, O daughter of Zion. The Lord, &c.
—iii. 14, 15.
Zion, be glad, rejoice, and sing,
And shout the' anticipated joy,
The Lord shall bruise thy foe, thy King
Shall cast him out and say “Destroy;”
Shall all thy plagues and sins remove;
And when He reigns alone in thee,
High on His throne of perfect love,
Evil thou never more shalt see.
Thy hands shall never more hang down,
Jehovah bids thy fears depart;
Jehovah is thy shield and sun,
Fix'd in the centre of thy heart:
Diffusing thence His heat and light
He bids thee all His nature prove,
And comprehend the depth and height,
And length and breadth of Jesu's love.
1525.
[Thy gracious Lord shall soon for thee]
He will save, He will rejoice over thee, &c.
—iii. 17.
Thy gracious Lord shall soon for thee
His whole omnipotence employ,
Delight in thy prosperity,
And condescend to sing for joy:
Thy God well pleased and satisfied
Shall view His image in thy breast,
Shall glory o'er His spotless bride,
And in His love for ever rest.
1526.
[Head of Thy church, for Thee we look]
I will gather them that are sorrowful, &c.
—iii. 18.
Head of Thy church, for Thee we look
Her long captivity to turn,
Whose solemn feasts despised, forsook,
Whose desolate estate we mourn:
With sorrow her reproach we bear,
But plead the sure, prophetic word,
And wait, in answer of our prayer,
To see Jerusalem restored.
1527.
[Gather the nations in that day]
Behold, at that time I will undo all, &c.
—iii. 19.
Gather the nations in that day,
Thy once-distinguish'd flock bring in:
Our old oppressive tyrants slay,
With all the brood of inbred sin;
Our weak, degenerate souls forgive;
Where'er we have been put to shame,
Thy people's dignity retrieve,
And vindicate the Christian name.
1528.
[Collected, perfected in one]
At that time will I bring you again, &c.
—iii. 20.
Collected, perfected in one,
Jesus, Thy sinless people show,
And through the wondering world make known
Thy glorious, spotless church below:
O might I on her glories gaze!
Her glories all to me be given,
When God vouchsafes to sound her praise,
And spread her fame through earth and heaven.
HAGGAI.
1529.
[O may I call my ways to mind]
Consider your ways.
—i. 7.
O may I call my ways to mind,
My past unfaithfulness,
And, when by Thee afflicted, find
The cause of my distress!
O may I for Thine absence mourn,
Till Thou my guilt remove,
And fill my heart by Thy return
With perfect peace and love!
1530.
[Great Builder of Thy church, appear]
Be strong, O Zerubbabel; . . . and be strong, &c.
—ii. 4.
Great Builder of Thy church, appear,
And stir up instruments to rear
An house which Thou may'st own for Thine;
Rulers, and priests, and people raise,
And strengthen by Thy promised grace
To labour in the work Divine:
The Spirit that our deliverance wrought,
Us out of Babel's bondage brought,
Continue to Thy servants still;
What Thou hast now begun, complete,
And shining from the mercy-seat
Thine house with all Thy glory fill.
1531.
[Jesus, come, the world's Desire]
The Desire of all nations shall come.
—ii. 7.
Jesus, come, the world's Desire,
Still our hearts their Lord require,
Thee, who didst on earth appear
A poor unknown sojourner:
Come, no more a man of woe,
Come, and all Thy grandeur show,
King of kings, appear again,
Glorious with Thine ancients reign.
1532.
[Author of faith, the grace impart]
From this day will I bless you.
—ii. 19.
Author of faith, the grace impart,
The sure foundation lay,
By sprinkling with Thy blood my heart,
And bless me from this day;
Bless me with faith, and faith's increase,
With hope and purest love,
With true, consummate holiness,
And with a throne above.
1533.
[To bless me, Lord, this day begin]
To bless me, Lord, this day begin
To turn my heart against its sin
By penitential grace:
My heart with godly grief inspire,
With sacred fear, and strong desire
To see Thy smiling face.
The evangelic blessing give
When humbled at Thy feet I grieve
Beneath my guilty load;
The knowledge of Thyself reveal'd,
My pardon and salvation seal'd
By Thy atoning blood.
When Thee in part I truly know,
Bid me in peace and safety go,
With every blessing bless'd;
With love and holiness complete,
My Saviour in the clouds to meet
My soul's eternal rest.
When raised out of the dust I stand
Placed with the sheep at Thy right hand
The final blessing give,
The palm, the glory, and the crown,
And bid me at Thy side sit down
In all Thy joy to live.
1534.
[Lord of Hosts, almighty Lord]
I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms.
—ii. 22.
Lord of Hosts, almighty Lord
Of men and angels come,
Sweep the earth with fire and sword,
To make Thy kingdom room,
Every other throne o'erthrow,
That Thine only may remain,
Reign Thy thousand years below,
And then for ever reign.
ZECHARIAH.
1535.
[Lord of Hosts, from Thee we take]
Thus saith the Lord of hosts; Turn ye, &c.
—i. 3.
Lord of Hosts, from Thee we take
The power to pray, and mourn,
We our sins confess, forsake,
And thus to God we turn:
Turn to us in pardoning grace,
Turn in blessings from above,
All the life of holiness,
And all the heaven of love.
1536.
[Let Thy church in danger prove]
I will be unto her a wall of fire round about, &c.
—ii. 5.
Let Thy church in danger prove
That Thou, O Lord, art nigher,
Compass'd by almighty love
As by a wall of fire;
Fill us with Thy majesty,
And let Thy presence cast out sin:
Zion then shall holy be,
And glorious all within.
1537.
[Jesus on the celestial hill]
He that toucheth you toucheth the apple of His eye.
—ii. 8.
Jesus on the celestial hill
Doth for His people care,
Doth suffer in His members still,
And all our sorrows bear:
If crush'd on earth the foot complain,
Feeling the injury
The Head above cries out in pain,
“Thou persecutest Me.”
1538.
[Sing with joyful acclamation]
Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion, &c.
—ii. 10.
Sing with joyful acclamation,
Zion's ransom'd daughter sing;
You I make Mine habitation,
Unto you My kingdom bring,
Reign within you,
Reign the saints' eternal King.
1539.
[Rising out of Thy holy place]
The Lord shall inherit Judah His portion, &c.
—ii. 12, 13.
Rising out of Thy holy place,
Almighty Lord, appear,
To choose again Thy chosen race,
To claim Thy portion here;
Brought back into the promised land
Thine ancient flock restore,
That all mankind may see Thy hand,
And silently adore!
1540.
[By a miracle of grace]
Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?
—iii. 2.
By a miracle of grace
My soul redeem'd hath been,
In the furnace of distress,
And in the fire of sin:
Rescued every day I am,
I prove the God of Israel mine,
Pluck'd out of the hellish flame,
And quench'd with blood Divine!
1541.
[Jesus, Angel of the Lord]
Take away the filthy garments from him.
—iii. 4.
Jesus, Angel of the Lord,
I stand before Thy face,
Foul, and by myself abhorr'd,
I humbly sue for grace;
Take these filthy rags away,
My guilt, and inbred sin remove,
In Thy righteousness array,
And crown me with Thy love.
1542.
[Thou hast, O God, the work begun]
Behold, I will bring forth My Servant the BRANCH.
—iii. 8.
Thou hast, O God, the work begun,
Brought forth Thy Servant and Thy Son,
The Branch from Jesse's root:
But bring Him forth again in me;
And let the Branch become a tree,
And fill the world with fruit.
1543.
[Not by our best endeavours vain]
Not by might, nor by power, but My Spirit, &c.
—iv. 6.
Not by our best endeavours vain,
Not by the strength of nature's will,
Shall we that great salvation gain,
And all Thy righteous law fulfil:
But strengthen'd by Thy Spirit's might,
We shall Thine utmost counsel prove,
And humbly walk with Christ in white,
Unblamable in spotless love.
1544.
[Live without sin! It cannot be!]
Who art thou, O great mountain? &c.
—iv. 7.
Live without sin! It cannot be!
This the enormous mountain stands,
The grand impossibility,
The hindrance to our Lord's commands!
But when the God of perfect love,
To build His church, appears again,
The' enormous mountain shall remove,
And sink, and flow into a plain.
By faith we see our Lord descend,
And every obstacle give place:
He comes, He comes, our sin to end,
With all the' omnipotence of grace!
He comes, He comes, His house to build,
He bids the inbred bar depart:
And tempted then, we cannot yield,
We cannot sin, when pure in heart.
1545.
[Pardon'd through Jesu's grace alone]
He shall bring forth the Head-stone thereof, &c.
—iv. 7.
Pardon'd through Jesu's grace alone,
The one Foundation laid I see,
And trust, the Head the crowning stone
Shall be at last brought forth in me:
And all who dare expect the grace,
Through holiness for glory meet
Shall soon with joyful shouts confess
Jehovah's work is all complete.
1546.
[Jesus, by Thine almighty hands]
The hands of Zerubbabel have laid, &c.
—iv. 9.
Jesus, by Thine almighty hands
The church's sure foundation stands
Deep-laid in every humble heart:
Thou art our Saviour and our Prince,
Who giv'st the sense of pardon'd sins,
The Author of our faith Thou art.
Thou, Lord, its Finisher shalt be;
The sacred house begun by Thee,
Shall soon to full perfection rise:
Thou wilt fulfil Thy people's hope,
And build Thy living temples up,
By holiest love to reach the skies.
1547.
[Of small imperfect things the day]
Who hath despised the day of small things?
—iv. 10.
Of small imperfect things the day
'T is now alas, with me,
Who just begin for grace to pray,
And follow after Thee:
Yet wilt Thou not, O Lord, despise,
But help my weakness on,
Till I in all Thine image rise,
And love my God alone.
1548.
[The first faint spark of good desire]
The first faint spark of good desire
Which feebly would to heaven aspire
Its kindler God will not despise;
The spark into a flame shall spread;
And bless'd by Him the smallest seed
Of faith into a tree shall rise:
This dawn of grace, this glimmering ray
Shall shine into the perfect day,
For faithful Thou, my Saviour art;
And I who tremble at Thy word
Shall find my paradise restored,
Shall love my God with all my heart.
1549.
[Great Founder of Thy church, in Thee]
They shall see the plummet in the hand, &c.
—iv. 10.
Great Founder of Thy church, in Thee
Our true Zerubbabel we see;
We see the plummet in Thy hand:
To Thee the Spirit, one and seven,
In various gifts and graces given,
Subdues the world to Thy command.
Jehovah's eyes, with Thee they are:
Thy wise and providential care,
Which doth the universe sustain,
Is chiefly for Thy saints employ'd,
Till all Thy saints are lost in God,
And thus their full perfection gain.
1550.
[Thy church, O God, shall find fulfill'd]
The Man whose name is The BRANCH, &c.
—vi. 12.
Thy church, O God, shall find fulfill'd
Thy sure prophetic word,
The Branch, the Man Divine, shall build
The temple of the Lord:
The temple of the Lord are these
Who still in Christ abide,
Till raised to perfect righteousness,
And wholly sanctified.
1551.
[Saviour, Thou didst the glory bear]
He shall bear the glory.
—vi. 13.
Saviour, Thou didst the glory bear
Even on the shameful tree,
Triumphant in Thy dying care,
Thy bleeding love for me:
Most glorious was my Lord below,
When in His garments dyed;
Not heaven itself a sight could show
Like Jesus crucified!
1552.
[Almighty Lord of earth and skies]
Almighty Lord of earth and skies,
The government receive;
The burden on Thy shoulder lies
Who dost for ever live;
Thy Father's house, its royal state,
And dignity unknown,
And all its gracious glorious weight
Is hung on Thee alone.
1553.
[The Lord is King, let earth be glad!]
The Lord is King, let earth be glad!
Jesus, the power is Thine,
Possess'd of Thy reward, and clad
With majesty Divine;
Thy Father's heavenly joy to share
Thou dost with God sit down,
And all the weight of glory bear
In Thine eternal crown.
1554.
[The Lord unto my Lord hath said]
He shall sit and rule upon His throne, &c.
—vi. 13.
The Lord unto my Lord hath said,
Sit Thou at My right hand!
For earth and heaven are subject made
To Jesus's command:
A King Thou rulest on Thy throne,
A Priest for me Thou art,
And spread'st Thy power and peace unknown
Thy kingdom in my heart.
1555.
[Thee Prince and Saviour we adore]
The counsel of peace shall be between them both.
—vi. 13.
Thee Prince and Saviour we adore
In both Thine offices,
Thy priestly and Thy kingly power
Conspire to seal our peace;
Thy blood hath bought, Thy grace maintains
Our blessings from above,
And where Thy praying Spirit reigns,
He fills a throne of love.
1556.
[Hosannah to the Son]
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion, &c.
—ix. 9.
Hosannah to the Son
Of David on His throne!
Lo! He comes, our Lord and King,
Comes to fix His kingdom here;
Let His church rejoice and sing,
Shout our great Redeemer near!
1557.
[Jesus, Thy name we bless]
He is just, and having salvation; lowly, &c.
—ix. 9.
Jesus, Thy name we bless,
Thou art my righteousness,
Thou our great Salvation art,
Grace is all laid up in Thee;
Lowly Thou, and meek in heart,
Meeken, Lord, and humble me.
1558.
[Come, Lord, to all, far off and near]
He shall speak peace unto the heathen, &c.
—ix. 10.
Come, Lord, to all, far off and near,
Command the heathen world to hear,
Baptized or unbaptized, Thy voice;
The gospel of Thy kingdom spread,
Bid every soul Thy hands have made
In Thy redeeming love rejoice:
Thy kingdom of internal peace
Shall make our wars and fightings cease,
That rapturous sense of sin forgiven
Spoken by Thee to every heart
Shall bid our enmity depart,
And turn our new-made earth to heaven.
1559.
[Out of the pit of sin I cry]
By the blood of thy covenant I have sent, &c.
—ix. 11.
Out of the pit of sin I cry,
Sinking into the pit of hell,
Till Thou that covenant-blood apply,
And bid my heart the comfort feel:
Speak, Father, speak the gracious word,
Which makes the dying sinner live,
Send forth the prisoner of the Lord,
And now for Jesu's sake forgive.
1560.
[In hope of perfect liberty]
Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners, &c.
—ix. 12.
In hope of perfect liberty,
Our City of defence, to Thee,
Jesus, by faith we fly;
The double benefit impart,
Pardon, and purity of heart,
And take us to the sky.
1561.
[How great Thy beauty who can tell]
How great is His goodness, and how great, &c.
—ix. 17.
How great Thy beauty who can tell,
Or all Thy loveliness explore!
Their face the dazzled seraphs veil,
And prostrate at Thy throne adore:
Thy goodness all their thoughts transcends:
But man, his God's supreme delight,
Fill'd with Thy love, he comprehends
The length, and breadth, and depth, and height!
1562.
[Who is the idol shepherd? who]
Woe to the idol shepherd that leaveth the flock! &c.
—xi. 17.
Who is the idol shepherd? who
The slighted flock of Jesus leaves?
The man that steals his Saviour's due
And human praise with joy receives:
The charge of souls he undertakes;
But when the streams of trouble rise,
He sees the wolf, the sheep forsakes,
And basely as an hireling flies.
Justice Divine with sharpest sword,
His arm and his right eye shall smite;
(Hear this, ye traitors to your Lord;)
Bereave him of his power and light:
Soon as the threaten'd curse takes place
The wretch receives his instant doom;
Wither'd is all his strength of grace,
And all his light is hellish gloom.
Lord, help me that I never may
My gracious power and knowledge lose;
But meekly with Thy people stay,
Their burden bear, their praise refuse.
Till clearly Thee, my faithful eye
Thy perfect will with transport sees,
And strong my arm to force the sky,
And grasp the crown of righteousness.
1563.
[The men in tents who meanly live]
The Lord shall save the tents of Judah first.
—xii. 7.
The men in tents who meanly live,
The vilest and the worst
Hear the glad tidings, and receive
The great salvation first:
The tents are saved, and fill'd with peace,
The poor on Christ are cast:
But visit, Lord, the palaces,
But save the rich at last.
1564.
[Feeblest of all Thy people, I]
He that is feeble among them at that day, &c.
—xii. 8.
Feeblest of all Thy people, I
Experience Thine accomplish'd word,
Out of the deep, like David, cry,
Or sing, and triumph in my Lord;
Exulting in the strength of grace,
His joy, and blessedness I prove,
Or troubled that Thou hid'st Thy face,
I languish for Thy constant love.
1565.
[Jesus, what grace dost Thou bestow]
The house of David shall be as God, &c.
—xii. 8.
Jesus, what grace dost Thou bestow
Upon Thy church, Thy family!
Their sins forgiven the children know,
The fathers all resemble Thee:
The Angel of the Lord Thou art,
And we shall in Thine image shine,
Created after Thine own heart,
Sinless, angelical, Divine!
1566.
[Now let Thy word take place]
I will pour upon the house of David, &c.
—xii. 10.
Now let Thy word take place
In every gift and grace,
Father, let Thy Spirit's stream
Make the wilderness a pool,
Pour'd on our Jerusalem,
Pour'd into my gasping soul!
1567.
[On me, even me, confer]
They shall look upon Me whom they have pierced.
—xii. 10.
On me, even me, confer
That Spirit of faith and prayer;
Give me eyes, my Lord, my God,
Him whom I have pierced to see
Bearing all my sinful load,
Pouring out His blood for me!
1568.
[Who see, must surely feel]
They shall mourn for Him.
—xii. 10.
Who see, must surely feel
That piteous spectacle!
Stone to flesh the sight doth turn!
Yes, I share Thy dying smart,
Now I look on Thee and mourn,
Now I give Thee all my heart.
1569.
[Hail all-redeeming Lord!]
Hail all-redeeming Lord!
In honour of Thy word,
Thou wilt every soul receive;
Every soul Thy murderer was:
Jews themselves shall look, and grieve,
Vanquish'd by Thy bleeding cross.
Who first their hands imbrued
In Thy most sacred blood,
Turn'd at last they all shall be,
Thee descending from above,
Thee, the true Messiah see,
See, and weep, believe, and love.
1570.
[By faith I to the fountain fly]
In that day there shall be a fountain opened, &c.
—xiii. 1.
By faith I to the fountain fly,
Open'd for all mankind and me,
To purge my sins of deepest dye,
My life, and heart's impurity:
From Christ, the smitten Rock, it flows:
The purple and the crystal stream
Pardon and holiness bestows:
And both I gain through faith in Him.
1571.
[What are these wounds, so deep, so wide]
What are these wounds in Thine hands? &c.
—xiii. 6.
What are these wounds, so deep, so wide,
That in Thy sacred hands appear?
By My own nation crucified,
By My own friends I suffer here:
My household foes, who bear My name,
Have nail'd Me to this shameful tree;
And every day I wounded am,
Thou poor, backsliding soul,—by thee!
1572.
[Lo! the sin-avenging Lord]
Awake, O sword, against the Man, &c.
—xiii. 7.
Lo! the sin-avenging Lord,
That sin may be forgiven,
Wakes, and turns His righteous sword
Against the Man from heaven!
Equal to the Lord Most High
See the Filial Deity,
See the great Jehovah die,
To purchase life for me!
1573.
[Smitten the Shepherd was]
Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep, &c.
—xiii. 7.
Smitten the Shepherd was,
Dispersed the frighted sheep:
But gather'd now beneath His cross
He doth His people keep;
From Him, whose hand doth hold,
We shall no more be driven,
For when His bosom is our fold,
We rest secure in heaven.
1574.
[Dreadful, pride-chastising word]
It shall come to pass, that in all the land, &c.
—xiii. 8.
Dreadful, pride-chastising word
Of surest prophecy!
“Two in three that call Thee Lord,
Shall be cut off and die.”
Who should then of grace presume?
Father, in Thine hands I am,
Save me from the' apostate's doom,
I ask in Jesu's name.
1575.
[Need I then, my God, despair]
But the third shall be left therein.
—xiii. 8.
Need I then, my God, despair
Thy favour to retain?
Lost if two in three there are,
The third shall still remain:
Of the third distinguish'd part
That I may live for ever one,
Stamp Thine image on my heart,
And join me to Thy Son.
1576.
[Tried is every faithful man]
I will bring the third part through the fire, &c.
—xiii. 9.
Tried is every faithful man,
As gold and silver tried,
Purged by grief, and purged by pain,
And seven times purified:
All who stand the fiery test,
Receive Thine image from above,
Bear Thy favourite name impress'd,
Thy favourite name of Love.
1577.
[Brought into the fire I am]
Brought into the fire I am,
And Thou wilt bring me through,
I shall call upon Thy name
With all the creatures new,
I shall prove Thine utmost word,
Brighten'd with Thy glory shine,
Claim'd by Thee, shall claim my Lord
Through endless ages mine.
1578.
[Brought into the fire, Thy wonderful power]
Brought into the fire, Thy wonderful power
Unburn'd we admire, Unhurt we adore:
Brought through our temptation We shortly shall prove
Thine utmost salvation, Thy perfecting love.
1579.
[Through our fiery trial, Lord]
They shall call on My name, and I will hear them.
—xiii. 9.
Through our fiery trial, Lord,
The tempted remnant bring,
That we may Thy name record,
Thy praise incessant sing,
With Thy glorious Spirit fill'd;
And when the Comforter is given,
Every prayer shall then be seal'd,
And every hymn be heaven.
1580.
[Whom wilt Thou Thy people call]
I will say, It is My people, &c.
—xiii. 9.
Whom wilt Thou Thy people call
But sinners saved from sin,
Pure in heart, and righteous all,
And glorified within!
These brought through the purging flame
Moulded in the form Divine,
Perfected in one shall claim
“My God, for ever mine.”
1581.
[Come, my God, Jehovah, come]
The Lord my God shall come, and all, &c.
—xiv. 5.
Come, my God, Jehovah, come,
With all Thy saints appear:
Antichrist expects his doom,
And we Thy kingdom here:
Us, who for Thy kingdom pray,
Us, who for Thy coming groan,
O remember in that day,
And seat us on Thy throne.
1582.
[Thee, Jesus, Lord of lords we know]
The Lord shall be king over all the earth.
—xiv. 9.
Thee, Jesus, Lord of lords we know;
The kingdoms of the earth are Thine;
Hasten to' erect Thy throne below,
That last great monarchy Divine;
With earnest faith Thy people wait
To see Thee of Thy right possess'd,
The sole, immortal Potentate,
God over all for ever bless'd!
1583.
[Thy glorious power, O Christ, employ]
In that day shall there be one Lord, &c.
—xiv. 9.
Thy glorious power, O Christ, employ,
To' unite the world beneath Thy sway;
Our idols utterly destroy,
Those other lords for ever slay;
Thy Spirit of harmony and peace
To every child of man be given,
And all shall then Thy name confess,
The name that fills both earth and heaven.
1584.
[Meanest vessel of Thy grace]
Every pot in Jerusalem shall be holiness, &c.
—xiv. 21.
Meanest vessel of Thy grace,
Jesus, unto me impart
True substantial holiness;
Come, and make me pure in heart,
Witness of Thy hallowing word,
Full of purity Divine,
All devoted to the Lord,
Body, soul, and spirit Thine.
1585.
[Hasten, Lord, the promised day]
In that day there shall be no more, &c.
—xiv. 21.
Hasten, Lord, the promised day
Of Thy redeeming power;
Thy victorious arm display,
And sin shall be no more:
Stands Thy word for ever sure,
Thy church must all be saints indeed,
Every member shall be pure,
Completely like the Head.
MALACHI.
1586.
[Oft have I offer'd up the blind]
Ye offer the blind for sacrifice, &c.
—i. 8, 13.
Oft have I offer'd up the blind
In sacrifice to Thee,
My foolish ignorance of mind,
My zealous bigotry:
When languid to Thy house I came
To act a formal part,
I sacrificed the sick and lame,
My lips without my heart.
Asunder sawn with anxious thought,
With soul-tormenting care,
In prayer to Thee the torn I brought,
In vain distracted prayer:
But that my vows at last may be
Accepted at Thy throne,
I now present them all to Thee
Through Thine atoning Son.
1587.
[The Name be known from east to west]
From the rising of the sun even unto the going, &c.
—i. 11.
The Name be known from east to west,
The truth, and power, and love confess'd
Of Christ, our great exalted Lord!
Jesus, we long Thy day to see,
To hail Thy sovereign Majesty
By all the heathen world adored.
The only God supreme Thou art;
To Thee may every praying heart
Present itself an offering pure,
And let our whole converted race,
Who taste Thy love, and sing Thy praise,
To all eternity endure.
1588.
[Jehovah to His temple came]
The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come, &c.
—iii. 1.
Jehovah to His temple came,
When in our flesh the Holy Child
Appear'd, and Jesus was His name,
And God and man were reconciled.
Jesus shall to His house again,
To every seeking sinner come;
And when His Spirit we obtain,
Our hearts are His eternal home.
1589.
[In wondrous condescension]
In wondrous condescension,
For Thy own promise sake,
My heart to be Thy mansion,
Great God, in mercy take:
Suddenly to Thy temple,
My Lord and Saviour come,
And make the poor and simple
Thy everlasting home.
I wait for Thy appearing,
Thou holy God unknown,
A beggar persevering
I seek Thyself alone,
More than Thy consolations
Thy precious self require,
To recompense my patience
With all I can desire.
Angel and Mediator
Of covenanted grace,
I would Thy purest nature
With all my soul embrace,
The true transporting pleasure,
In Thy enjoyment prove,—
The most unbounded measure
Of beatific love.
1590.
[Angel of covenanted grace]
The Messenger of the covenant, whom, &c.
—iii. 1.
Angel of covenanted grace,
Come to this longing soul of mine!
Thy presence makes the holiest place,
Thy coming consecrates the shrine:
As lightning let Thy coming be,
To all who bear Thy word in mind,
And who their Eden seek in Thee,
In Thee let them their Eden find.
1591.
[Who may His day abide]
Who may abide the day of His coming? &c.
—iii. 2.
Who may His day abide,
Or stand by Jesus tried?
He whose sin the flames consume;
Glad to be by fire refined,
He shall from the furnace come,
Leave his inbred dross behind.
1592.
[That soap from inward sin]
He is like a refiner's fire, and like fullers' soap.
—iii. 2.
That soap from inward sin
Shall wash our nature clean,
Wash out all our spots and stains,
(If we to the end endure)
Purge the' original remains,
Make us pure as God is pure.
1593.
[Come then the purging flame]
He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.
—iii. 3.
Come then the purging flame,
The power of Jesu's name!
Jesus, with Thy blood appear,
Blood that washes white as snow,
Purify a people here,
Sinless make Thy church below.
1594.
[Father, make good Thy word of grace]
He shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge, &c.
—iii. 3.
Father, make good Thy word of grace,
And purify the priestly race
Who minister in things divine,
Out of their hearts the dross remove,
Their worldly care, and worldly love;
As silver and as gold refine.
So shall their pure oblations please,
While clothed with Jesu's righteousness
They bring their offering to the throne,
Present the virgin pure and clean,
The church redeem'd from inbred sin,
The spotless consort of Thy Son.
1595.
[Then, Jesus, then, when seven times tried]
Then shall the offering of Judah, &c.
—iii. 4.
Then, Jesus, then, when seven times tried,
Thy people saved and sanctified
Thy glorious character shall bear!
A chosen race of priests and kings,
Each his accepted offering brings,
The incense pure of praise and prayer.
Returns the age of golden days,
The vigorous energy of grace,
That in Thine ancient servants shone;
While God with constant smiles approves
The souls whom join'd to Thee He loves,
For ever perfected in one.
1596.
[Lord, with joyful lips and heart]
I am the Lord, I change not; therefore, &c.
—iii. 6.
Lord, with joyful lips and heart
We own Thee gracious still;
Love, and only love Thou art,
And love unchangeable:
Wherefore unconsumed, we give
To Thee the glory of Thy grace,
Monuments eternal live
Of Thine eternal praise.
1597.
[Jesus, united by Thy fear]
Then they that feared the Lord spake, &c.
—iii. 16.
Jesus, united by Thy fear,
The promised grace we claim,
Who commune of Thy kingdom here,
And dwell upon Thy name:
Thou hearken'st now to every word,
Thou dost Thine ear incline,
And hear'st the heart that sighs, “My Lord,
I would be only Thine!”
1598.
[Present in our assemblies we]
A book of remembrance was written before Him.
—iii. 16.
Present in our assemblies we
An hidden God adore,
Lamenting, till Thy face we see,
And trembling at Thy power:
Thou know'st our wants, Thou read'st our fears,
Who languish for Thy love,
And all our sad complaints and tears
Are register'd above.
1599.
[According to Thy faithful word]
They shall be Mine, saith the Lord of Hosts, &c.
—iii. 17.
According to Thy faithful word
It then shall surely be,
Thou wilt remember us, O Lord,
Who now remember Thee;
To seek, and challenge us for Thine,
Thou wilt from heaven come down,
And we around Thy head shall shine,
As jewels of Thy crown.
1600.
[In tenderest pity to Thine own]
I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son, &c.
—iii. 17.
In tenderest pity to Thine own,
Thou dost Thy wrath forbear;
Thine every servant is a son
Whom Thou delight'st to spare:
And while our hearts are bow'd to Thee,
Thine easy yoke we prove,
And own it perfect liberty
To serve the God we love.
1601.
[In the discriminating day]
Then shall ye return, and discern between, &c.
—iii. 18.
In the discriminating day
They shall Thy justice find
That loved Thine easy yoke, and they
That cast Thy words behind;
Who served their God and who defied,
Shall all the difference feel,
A difference how immensely wide!
As wide as heaven from hell!
1602.
[Lo! it comes, Jehovah's day]
Behold, the day cometh, that shall burn, &c.
—iv. 1.
Lo! it comes, Jehovah's day
Of flaming vengeance comes,
Seizes on its ready prey,
And all the proud consumes,
Root and branch the wicked burns,
Fit fuel for Thy righteous ire!
Then Thy wrath enkindled turns
To everlasting fire.
1603.
[Happy they, who humbly dread]
Unto you that fear My name shall the Sun, &c.
—iv. 2.
Happy they, who humbly dread
The glorious King of kings:
He on them His beams shall shed,
And cherish with His wings;
Christ, the Sun of righteousness,
On them shall rise, to set no more,
All the sin-sick sons of grace
To health, and heaven restore.
1604.
[Sun of righteousness, arise]
Sun of righteousness, arise,
My trembling heart to cheer,
Thou whose glory fills the skies,
Be manifested here;
Chase the darkness of my mind,
All my unbelief remove,
Heal my soul diseased and blind
By heavenly light and love.
1605.
[I bow to God in Jesu's name]
I bow to God in Jesu's name,
I tremble at His word,
Yet O! I still in darkness am,
Nor know my pardoning Lord:
My soul is sick of every sin,
Is all infirmity,
There is no holiness within,
There is no health in me.
Arise, Thou Sun of righteousness,
Extend Thy healing wings;
And bring into my soul the grace
That sure salvation brings.
My sins and sicknesses depart
If Thou in me appear;
And when I find Thee in my heart,
I find Perfection here.
1606.
[Expecting, Lord, Thine awful day]
Remember ye the law of Moses My servant.
—iv. 4.
Expecting, Lord, Thine awful day,
We bow to Thy command;
Till heaven and earth shall pass away,
Thy holy law shall stand:
Still will we bear it in our mind,
Till all from earth remove,
With angels and archangels join'd
To serve our God above.
1607.
[Once He in the Baptist came]
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet, &c.
—iv. 5.
Once He in the Baptist came,
And virtue's paths restored,
Pointed sinners to the Lamb,
Forerunner of his Lord:
Sent again from paradise,
Elijah shall the tidings bring,
“Jesus comes! ye saints, arise,
And meet your heavenly King!”
1608.
[Previous to the dreadful day]
Previous to the dreadful day
Which shall Thy foes consume,
Jesus, to prepare Thy way,
Let the last prophet come;
When the seventh trumpet's sound
Proclaims the grand sabbatic year,
Come Thyself, with glory crown'd,
And reign triumphant here.
1609.
[Yes; we know, our Lord will come]
Lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
—iv. 6.
Yes; we know, our Lord will come,
Smite the Antichrist of Rome,
All His plagues and judgments pour,
Earth accursed with fire devour!
But the curse shall soon remove,
But the' incarnate God of love
Sitting on His throne shall show
Earth renew'd is heaven below.
END OF “SHORT HYMNS ON SELECT PASSAGES” OF THE OLD TESTAMENT.
