 | Hymns and Sacred Lyrics |  |
241
SACRED LYRICS.
3. PART THE THIRD.
351.
[The Saviour weeps! behold the tear]
Christ weeping over Jerusalem.
Luke xix. 41
1
The Saviour weeps! behold the tear,In silence, falling to the ground!
Is there some dread convulsion near,
That must th' impenitent confound?
Its grandeur soon to be laid low,
He weeps for Salem's overthrow!
2
Jerusalem! Jerusalem!In all thy pomp and power array'd,
He sees thy boasted diadem
Rent from thy head, and prostrate laid;
Thy temple, famed of every land,
Uprooted by the Waster's hand!
3
He views, in his prophetic glance,Mourning and woe succeed to joy;
Armies, in long array, advance
The murderous city to destroy!
Memorial to the after age,
How men, with God, the warfare wage!
4
Was it, alone, for sculptured tower,For pinnacles, in pride austere,
Approaching to their final hour,
For which the Saviour shed the tear?
Far deeper ills his thought recalls
Than shatter'd turrets, crumbling walls.
5
The spoil, the ruin, last and worst,Before his cloudless vision spread!
He saw the spot, of heaven accurs'd!
Wrath resting on that people's head
Who heard his warnings with disdain,
Who had so many prophets slain!
244
6
The pitying voice his heart reveals!He cries, with Israel full in view,
“Even as a hen her brood conceals,
“How often had I gather'd you!
“But death you love, and truth you hate,
“And now, your house is desolate!”
7
He heard the imprecation dire,“On us, and ours, thine anger spend!”
He knew that hope must soon expire,
Vengeance in crushing weight descend!
The Besom of Destruction sweep!
And therefore did the Saviour weep!
352. Sweet Afflictions.
1
Sweet afflictions! now I own,You were blessings in disguise;
Grand enlighteners, you have thrown
Lustre o'er my darkest skies!
You have stripp'd, by clearer sight,
Life of all its gaudy dress,
And have brought me, with delight,
To the Fount of Blessedness!
2
Sweet afflictions! but for you,I had join'd the thoughtless train
Who the things of time pursue,
Boasting of its phantoms vain:
I had spurn'd the heavenly prize,
Spotless robe, and jasper seat,
For earth's vanities and lies,
For the husks that “swine do eat!”
3
Sweet afflictions! you, I know,God, my Father, sent in love,
245
For the world of joy above.
When I reach that bless'd abode,
Safe beyond the tear and sigh,
While I trace my mortal road,
Sweet afflictions! I shall cry.
353. The Midnight Storm.
1
This is the moment of mysterious power,When tempests though the air imperious, fly
And to extend the horrors of the hour,
Impenetrable darkness veils the sky!
2
Whilst trees, in mortal strife, augment the roar,Terrific, as their stately limbs they fan,
The tumult dies away, to rave the more,
In sounds that teach the littleness of man!
3
Still to increase the conflicts of the air,Thunders, heaven's concave, traverse in their might;
While lightnings, with their wide-extended glare,
Transform to instant day, the blackest night!
4
The God who thus his unseen hand can rear,And make the mightiest feel his mightier sway,
O, sinner! dread. The God of Nature, fear,
Whose faintest emblems, stars and storms convey!
354. The Pilgrim's Song.
1
Sons of sorrow and care,All pilgrims we are,
Pressing onward, and bound to the Canaan afar;
246
Both trouble and pain,
We must cheerfully bear, the crown to obtain.
2
Come, let us rejoice,With our heart and our voice,
Our master is God! and his service our choice;
His image we bear,
His Spirit we share,
And with gladness like ours, no joy can compare.
3
In our paths to and fro,Wherever we go,
To his cloud, and his pillar, our safety we owe;
But the gift, not denied,
Which exceeds all beside,
Is the gift of his Son, who on Calvary died!
4
When from earth we remove,The fruit of his love!
We shall dwell evermore in the mansions above!
This inheritance pure,
This portion is sure,
Which, when suns pass away, with himself shall endure.
5
With Immanuel our friend,While before him we bend,
We shall, with the angels, eternity spend!
In those regions of praise,
New songs we shall raise,
To the Lamb that was slain, and the Ancient of Days!
355. Triumph in Death.
1
Earth, retire! your power is o'er;Brighter regions I explore!
247
Time! detain me not from glory!
I ascend the heavenly steep
Where the angels vigils keep.
2
Hours, and days, and years recede!Yet awhile, and I am freed!
Safe escaped from pain and sorrow,
There remains a bright to-morrow!
On the sky of sapphire blaze,
I, ere long, shall ever gaze!
3
Nobler visions fill my sight!I, the uncreated light,
Soon shall view, with growing wonder,
While, beneath, the rolling thunder,
(Rending this material sphere,)
Shall proclaim the Judgment near!
4
With the pure and white-robed band,Own'd and honour'd, I shall stand!
To his Father's throne ascended,
By Seraphic hosts attended,
I, the Lamb that once was slain,
Shall behold, and with him reign!
5
Time! to join that glorious throng,Swifter roll your wheels along!
To enjoy that fair dominion,
Angels! lend your swiftest pinion!
Let my kindling soul advance
To the beatific trance!
356.
[Come, ye wanderers from the fold]
“Come and See.”
John i. 39.
1
Come, ye wanderers from the fold,Prodigals, in trespass, dead,
248
Treasured up in Christ your head:
All your pitying Lord requires,
In the greatest, and the least,
Is, repentance, with desires
To partake the Gospel Feast.
2
Come, ye Mammon-loving souls,See what shadows you pursue!
Time, his round impetuous rolls,
And your moments now are few!
See the grave impatient wait!
You, ere long, will find your loss,
(How unspeakable and great!)
If you sell your gold for dross.
3
Come, ye souls, by sin ensnared,Your forgiveness one ensures;
See the remedy prepared
For diseases such as yours:
Christ, the fallen to restore,
Calls you now to be his guest;
Only go, and sin no more,
Lest you lose the promis'd rest
4
Come, ye burden'd and forlorn,By afflictions made to sigh,
You are to a princedom born,
And your heritage is nigh!
See, by faith, the throne above!
And, thereon, the Lamb divine,
Through whose everlasting love,
You may on a rock recline!
5
Come, ye dying! see the land!Joyful view yon radiant gates!
There, archangels smiling stand!
There, your Lord, to hail you, waits!
249
What are nature's passing pains!
Streams of joy for ever flow
Where the Great Immanuel reigns!
357. Snow and Rain.
“For as the rain cometh down, and the snow, from heaven,
and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it
bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread
to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish
that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing where to I sent
it.” Isaiah 55. x. xi.
1
Has the Snow, and has the Rain,Wide commissions to fulfil;
Watering now the barren plain,
Cheering now the thirsty hill?
These are heralds, from above,
That in concert downward fly,
Sent on embassies of love
From the Father of the sky.
CHORUS.
All that live in earth or airHang on his paternal care!
2
Does the snow, and does the rain,(Clothing earth with colours bright,)
Life, in all its forms, sustain,
From Behemoth to the Mite?
Do the oaks,—the pines that tower,
And afar their shadows send,
With the plant, and humblest flower,
On these gifts of heaven depend?
CHORUS.
Barrenness and death would reignBut for genial snow and rain!
3
From the snow and rain proceedGifts that claim perpetual praise!
250
In his own ten thousand ways:
In his comprehensive sight,
Every flake and drop of rain
Fix'd effects must bring to light,
In a sure, but devious train!
CHORUS.
Having wrought their final end,Snow and rain to heaven ascend.
4
Image to instruct the wise!Emblem of the Word Divine,
Sent in mercy from the skies,
Truth to teach, with voice benign!
Here is peace, without alloy,
Star, that cheers the darkest night,
The commencing Spring of Joy,
Rolling toward the Infinite!
CHORUS.
This is rain, from realms on high,Sent, the soul to fructify!
5
By the Lord Omnipotent,(Heaven and earth directing still,)
Every Word, like rain, was sent
To perform his sovereign will.
Not a costly sentence there,
But an instrument has been,
Some, to warn of Satan's snare,
Some, from sin, the heart to wean.
CHORUS.
Guiding to a happier placeThe successive Heirs of Grace.
6
Each imperishable lineKindles with the blush of morn;
Sent to teach, and to refine,
Generations yet unborn!
251
'Till the destin'd hour arrive,
When the callous learn to feel,
When, to hope, the dead revive!
CHORUS.
Then the flood of light is seen,With no veil to intervene.
7
Have we heard the Gospel Sound?Let us love the tidings more!
But, if still in slumbers bound,
Lord! arouse us, we implore!
Not a Word, like snow and rain,
Shall at last return to thee,
'Till it make the crooked plain,
And accomplish thy decree!
CHORUS.
On our hearts, great Lord and Friend!Let thy Snow and Rain descend!
358. Thankfulness.
1
We thank thee, Lord of heaven and earth!Who hast preserved us from our birth;
Redeemed us oft from death and dread,
And with thy gifts our table spread.
2
The fabric of this earthly frameFirst from thy sovereign fiat came;
And, at thy word, the spangled sky
Proclaim'd thine own Infinity!
3
But though so high, the King of Kings!Thou dost behold the meanest things!
Now guide the spheres that round us roll,
And now support the contrite soul!
252
4
We thank thee for thy still small voice,Which oft has check'd our wayward choice;
For limbs preserved, for senses clear,
And for our friendships, doubly dear.
5
Thy Providence has been our stay,When other helps were far away;
Our constant guide, through every stage,
From infancy to riper age.
6
How shall we half our task fulfil!We thank thee for thy Mind and Will;
For present joys, and blessings past,
And for the hope of heaven at last.
7
With mercies in perpetual round,Should aught but thankfulness be found?
And those who pace a flowery road,
Forget the hand that all bestow'd?
8
On every side, below, above,All is stupendous power and love!
Alike, wheree'er we fix our eyes,
New thanks are claim'd, new wonders rise!
9
And shall we strangely turn awayTo cold and night, from warmth and day?
Ponder on ills, and waste, unwise,
Our moments in rebellious sighs?
10
Shall we, mid countless gifts beside,Behold some good, by heaven denied,
Nor let our grateful thanks prevail,
If, of the thousand, one should fail?
11
Oh! shall our tongues, in accents sweet,To God, no song of praise repeat;
253
For Christ, the One Great Sacrifice?
12
For benefits so rich and free,What shall we render, Lord! to thee?
Let us begin this theme sublime,
Which will survive the wreck of time.
360. The Flood.
1
When oppress'd by Satan's chain,Earth, to death devoted, stood;
Ere the voice that could restrain,
From his slumbers, roused the Flood.
Silence reigning through the air,
What a solemn pause was there!
CHORUS.
Like the sleeping leaves and reeds,That the thunder oft precedes.
2
Nature, in her fairest vest,Charmed the eye, and soothed the heart;
All around, from east to west,
Made the tear of rapture start:
Lovelier dyes, and fresher green,
In creation's face were seen.
CHORUS.
Take once more the lingering glance,Lo! Destruction's wheels advance!
3
Whilst the earth, in grace array'd,Scatter'd her voluptuous smile,
Man alone the curse display'd!
Every thought perverse and vile!
Sin he loved, whose fruit is woe;
Sin shall be his overthrow!
CHORUS.
Sinners oft at God rebel,On the verge of death and hell.
4
Now the Sovereign word has past!“Tempests! in your fury, sweep!”
“Whirlwinds! round, destruction cast!”
“Burst, ye fountains of the deep!”
View the torrents from the sky!
See the lawless lightnings fly!
256
CHORUS.
While his bow Jehovah bends,From one spot, the prayer ascends!
5
View the scoffers! fix'd! aghast!Midnight gathering in the air!
Mark that rock-upturning blast!
With that flood of fiery glare!
At heaven's frown, so dark! so dread!
Rocks and mountains hide their head!
CHORUS.
Earth, when God to wrath awakes,To her deepest centre shakes.
6
Sabler clouds invest the sky!Crowds, the wreck of life to save,
To the hills, bewilder'd, fly,
Follow'd by the foaming wave!
Tenderest sympathies are fled!
Nature in this hour is dead!
CHORUS.
Parents, on their struggling child,Gaze, unmoved, in horrors wild!
7
What shall screen yon vent'rous bark,'Mid the ocean's fearful swell;
For the winds the noblest mark,
On its ample form to dwell?
Blow, assailants! fiercer blow,
Strive to whelm your daring foe!
CHORUS.
Storms are harmless! lightnings, vain!What can move, if God sustain!
8
While around the bolts are hurl'd,Noah, calm in faith appears!
Moved not by a crashing world,
He restrains his rising fears!
257
He, to God, his refuge, flies!
CHORUS.
We may trust unchanging love,Here, as in the realms above!
9
Now the conflict is no more!Storms are hush'd! the winds subside!
Noah, and his sons, adore
God, their guardian and their guide!
See them raise memorial-stone,
While the world is all their own!
CHORUS.
Shall no wider ruin rise?Vaster tempests rend the skies?
10
Greater wreck shall earth beholdIn the great and final day!
When creation, waxing old,
Like a scroll, shall pass away!
Who shall then lift up his head
That has not to Jesus fled!
CHORUS.
O, Immanuel, let us fleeFor a refuge-tower, to thee!
361. Seen of Angels.
1
Angelic hosts, Messiah's advent hail'd,When he at Bethlehem's humble town was born!
When mercy pleaded, and o'er hell prevail'd,
Arch-angels usher'd in the blissful morn!
While in the manger, Christ, an infant, lay!
Around him crowd th' adoring sons of day!
2
When, in the Garden of Gethsemane,The drops of blood his conflicts hard betray'd,
258
To soothe the agony that on him prey'd;
No followers near, in his deserted state,
Faithful, on him, the loftiest Seraphs wait!
3
When in the silent tomb the Saviour lay,(The penalty a fallen world to save!)
Angels, resistless, roll'd the stone away,
And watch'd his glorious triumph o'er the grave!
Through all heaven's plains, admiring wonder ran,
To mark the love he bore for ruin'd man!
4
When earth at length has run her destin'd race,And the arch-angel's trump shall wake the dead!
When all shall stand before the Saviour's face,
And, 'mid the confluence grand, the book be spread!
Whate'er of joy or woe their mission be,
Angels shall minister to God's decree!
5
Then will the ransom'd hear, with bliss supreme,“Bless'd of my Father! welcome to the sky!
“You all shall drink of yonder crystal stream,
“While God shall wipe the tear from every eye!”
Rapt to new ecstasy, the concourse raise,
One vast ascription to Immanuel's praise!
362. Ascension of Christ.
1
Behold the Lord ascending high,No pomp, imposing, marks his flight;
He rises solemn to the sky,
Till clouds receive him from the sight!
Jehovah's justice satisfied,
Christ quits the world for which he died!
259
2
But, though no spectacle sublime,No meteor's glare, no trumpet's sound,
Denotes the Saviour's flight from time,
Acclaiming angels hover round:
The Seraph band, in glad accord,
Attend to heaven their risen Lord!
3
Oh! what a contrast to the hour,When he shall judge the quick and dead!
When, in his own, and Father's power,
He shall the final record spread;
Ten thousand angels in his train,
While all that sleep, shall rise again!
363. The Day of Judgment.
“Behold he cometh with clouds, and every eye shall see him!”
Rev. i. 7.
1
Lo! the Saviour comes to Judgment!His pavilion round is night.
Arrows, and the rolling thunder
Still precede him in his flight!
Darkness flies!—upon the tempest,
Now he rides in splendours bright!
2
Angels, and arch-angels lofty,Stedfast spirits, round him crowd!
At his look, the mightiest tremble!
At his sight, the heavens are bow'd!
“Lo! he cometh! rise, to Judgment!”
Through the earth, is heard aloud!
3
Wider spreads the fearful accent!“Dead! awake! to judgment come!”
From their lowly beds uprising,
From their long-forgotten tomb,
Countless myriads hear the summons,
And come forth to hear their doom!
260
4
'Mid the awful expectation,Sounds, bewailing, fill the air;
“Cover us, ye hills and mountains!
“Who the frown of heaven shall bear!”
Mountains heed not! Hills obey not!
Pledge, and prelude of despair!
5
Shall they 'scape?—all frantic! whither?Though on morn's swift wing they fly;
Rush to caverns! plunge in ocean!
All is naked to his eye!
Bound by adamantine fetters,
They must meet the Judgment nigh!
6
Those shall see the Lord descending,Him, whose sufferings were not mourn'd!
They shall look upon their Sovereign,
Whom, on earth, they pierced, and scorn'd!
Now exalted! now triumphant!
In his Father's Grace adorn'd!
7
There are others, not confounded;Calm in hope,—without amaze!
While through heaven the whirlwinds traverse,
Who on flaming worlds can gaze!
Looking to their near redemption,
And the Seraphs' song of praise.
8
Hear the judge proclaim their welcome;“You from future wrath are spared!
“Come, ye blessed of my Father!
“You his special love have shared!
“You are brought, through tribulation,
“To the kingdom long prepared!”
9
“Go, ye cursed! Go, ye cursed!”Others hear, and shuddering stand!
261
You are the rebellious band!”
From the heavenly Canaan banish'd!
From the pure, and promis'd land!
10
Now, at length, the consummation!(Working thus Jehovah's will!)
Rising slow,—behold the trumpet!
Heaven itself with dread to fill!
Still it rises!—now is raised!
Every voice and harp is still!
11
Blast on blast! with lightnings mingling!See yon pale expiring sun!
With the crash of thousand thunders,
Through all worlds the tidings run!—
Moments vanish!—Time is ended!
And Eternity begun!
364.
[Dread sentence! “After my decease!”]
“After my Decease.” 2 Peter i. 15.
1
Dread sentence! “After my decease!”It bears deep meaning to my heart!
Must soon this mortal journey cease,
And I, from earth, and all things part!
2
Soon from my breast must warmth retreat;This active frame from toil repose;
This busy pulse forbear to beat,
And the deep sleep my eye-lids close!
3
The place familiar, friend that cheer'd,Composing memory's choicest store;
The home, from earliest years endear'd,
Must each soon know my face no more!
4
Still higher thought! o'erpowering! vast!Do I possess a world within!
262
A new and endless state begin!
5
My soul, redeemed, return to God,The source of good, of bliss, of day;
Or make its long and last abode
With the rebellious cast-away!
6
Fountain of Mercy! God of Love!Through Him alone, the Prince of Peace,
Oh! may I dwell in heaven above
For ever, “after my decease!”
365. The Aged Christian.
1
Christian! swift thy days decline,Behold the setting sun!
Relax not thy might,
The goal is in sight,
Ere long and the race will be won.
2
The travellers who know at eveThey shall their homes survey,
Their spirits sustain
Through the wind and the rain,
And fear not the toils of the way.
3
A glorious rest for thee awaits,When life's short reign shall cease;
With joys ever new,
Thou the Saviour shalt view,
In the regions of permanent peace!
4
Let none of weariness complain,Whose hopes can reach the skies;
With prospects so fair,
Heed not trouble nor care,
But rejoicing press on to the prize.
263
366. Consolation in Sorrow.
1
Christians find rich consolation,Solid ground, on which to rest;
Trusting in the great salvation,
Not deserted, though opprest.
2
When they bow beneath affliction,Tempests threatening to o'erwhelm,
They have, still, the sweet conviction
That their Father guides the helm!
3
Though they feel the weight of sorrow,Tasting oft the cup of grief,
God, they know, can, on the morrow,
Wipe their tears, and send relief.
4
Lord! though we deserve thy chiding,On thy Son our souls we cast;
In his blood, alone, confiding
To obtain thy smile at last.
367. Christ the Second Adam.
1
When with sighs we look around us,Wide apostasy we see;
Evils, multiplied, confound us,
Traced to the forbidden tree:
Lord! mysterious are thy ways,
While we tremble, thee we praise.
2
Though in Adam all have perish'd,Sovereign Mercy we adore!
Hope in heaven may yet be cherish'd,
Christ is still the open door:
To the Second Adam, we,
Joyful, for deliverance, flee!
264
3
Great Redeemer! take possessionOf our hearts, both young and old!
Thou didst die for our transgression
When we had our birth-right sold:
Saviour, Advocate, and Friend!
Guide us safe till life shall end!
368. The Promised Rest.
1
God is good; his works declare it!Bow before him, great and small!
Who on earth, with vain contention,
Can withstand the Lord of all!
Devils fear him! Angels serve him!
Shall the feeble child of clay
Lift his arm against the Highest
Whom the hosts of heaven obey!
2
Oft his visits are of mercy,In the soft and breathing word;
Oft in judgment is his utterance,
When, in wrath, he will be heard!
Let us, as becomes the creature,
Stoop to his paternal sway;
Kiss the Son, lest he be angry,
And we perish by the way!
3
God, as with a voice of thunder,Bids us reverence and adore
Christ, the Advocate of sinners,
Priest and King, for evermore.
If, to him, we scorn submission,
And, as rebels, stand confess'd,
We shall not appear in Zion,
And obtain the Promis'd Rest!
265
369. The Mount of Olives.
1
In the silence of midnight, when all was repose,The future before him! the Saviour arose;
To the Mountain of Olives, while stars shone on high,
Alone, he retired to converse with the sky.
CHORUS.
Rejoice, heirs of glory! the ransom'd he sought!Compassion, spontaneous, then reign'd in his thought!
Toward Calvary, near him, he look'd undismay'd,
Where the debt, for redemption, was soon to be paid!
2
In that moment of stillness, no eye to behold,O'er his spirit, what surges, mysterious, roll'd!
Whilst the blood-drops of sweat, descended as rain,
The angels attend him, his strength to sustain!
CHORUS.
On the ocean of time, still borne to and fro,O, Immanuel! conduct us, wherever we go!
And when, with life's billows, no longer opprest,
May we find, in thy presence, the haven of rest!
3
Beneath him Gethsemane's garden appear'd!No pangs, drawing near, no terrors, he fear'd!
On the morrow, regardless of sufferings supreme,
He resolved, by one offering, mankind to redeem!
CHORUS.
How enough shall we thank our unchangeable Friend,Who loved us so much, and who loved to the end;
Who, alone, trod the wine-press, that we might survey
A path, like the sun, to the regions of day!
266
4
The scoffer, before him, distinctly he saw;The gospel arise on the wreck of the law;
The sponge, dipp'd in gall, with the thorns round his head!
The spear, and the nails, and the blood he must shed!
CHORUS.
The conflict is o'er! our salvation is sure!With the pillars of heaven, our crowns shall endure!
Come, let us ascribe, in the rapturous strain,
Praise, honour, and might, to the Lamb that was slain!
370.
[Behold yon house upon the shore]
“Be not deceived, God is not mocked, for
whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he
also reap.” Gal. vi. 7
(ADDRESSED TO ANTINOMIANS.)
1
Behold yon house upon the shore,Begirt with adamantine bands;
Unmov'd, while tempests round it roar,
Firm as the rock on which it stands,
Whose head, upborn, in strength sublime,
Defies the rudest blasts of time.
2
Emblem of their abiding state,The calm composure of their breast,
Who, (like heaven's everlasting gate,)
Upon the rock of ages rest;
The Word of God their prop and stay,
Though earth and sky were swept away!
3
The Saviour, to this house, comparesThe servant who performs his will;
Him who (mid wide declension) dares,
The precepts of his Lord fulfil;
267
And at the loftiest summit aims.
4
Let none with Satan league, and cry,“Our fallen natures cannot soar;
We must in abject bondage lie;
To strive, is failure to deplore:
The more on God for help we call,
The further from his grace we fall!”
5
Oh! mournful state of blackest guile!Are all our prayers, and efforts, vain?
Shall we at threat and promise smile,
And meet heaven's statutes with disdain?
The treach'rous steward we imitate,
And, in our hearts, our master hate!
6
What! with the deepest-dyed disgrace,Because perfection is denied,
Shall we despairing quit the race,
And brave, and hardier spirits chide?
On God's commands dare close our eyes,
And heedless spurn the proffer'd prize?
7
Is earth a wholly barren soil,Which fruits and flowers must ne'er array?
Is heaven so little worth our toil,
That from its joys we turn away?
Speak, prophets! martyrs! saints of old!
You, not, like these, your birth-right sold!
8
The man of God must lift his eyeAbove the mists of life's low vale!
While gazing stedfast at the sky,
He seeks the springs that cannot fail!
He strives, unmoved by toil and pain,
To please his Lord, and heaven obtain.
268
9
The man of God must leave behindThe loiterers, still to Mammon true;
No fleeting forms delight his mind;
He must eternal things pursue:
The joys, once loved, are past and gone,
He trims his lamp, and presses on.
10
There is a heritage at stake;Much to perform, and short the time;
We must from slumbers deep awake,
And up the steep, for safety, climb!
Bewail the days in folly spent,
And grasp at pleasures permanent.
11
Has the eternal source of goodBestow'd on man his mind and will?
Has Christ, (our offering!) shed his blood,
That we might Satan's laws fulfil?
Base subterfuge! Oh, thin disguise!
Refuge of blasphemy, and lies!
12
The Saviour came to cleanse from sin;To raise a people from the dead;
Unblamed without, and pure within;
Zealous the path of life to tread:
To love and praise their Maker here,
While hastening to a nobler sphere!
13
Though trusting to that blood alone,For sinners shed on Calvary,
When standing round Jehovah's throne,
Where all is mercy, full and free,
They must, like sons, obedient live!
They must their hearts to Jesus give!
14
Let all, who God profess to serve,Come out from men involved in night!
269
But keep the glorious end in sight!
Like their Great Master, though reviled,
Be holy, harmless, undefiled!
15
A broad, conspicuous mark, should restUpon the followers of their Lord!
They seek the things, above, and best,
And pause, and tremble at his word.
“Come, faithful servant!” may we hear
In that great day, so dread! so near!
371. Abraham's God.
1
The God of Abraham, may we know!Be this our great desire below!
While gladness in his heart prevail'd,
Abraham, the Saviour's advent hail'd:
May we adore the holy, wise, and just,
And make the Patriarch's hope our only trust!
2
In Abraham, faith triumphant reign'd,Faith, at all times, his heart maintain'd;
The God who had so oft appear'd,
By day and night, he own'd, and fear'd:
May we, henceforth, in Abraham's God confide,
And make his Son, his Word, our hope and guide!
372. The Seasons.
1
The deafening blasts of Winter now prevail;Their course, no more, the mountain streamlets hold;
One pall of snow conceals the hill and vale,
And all is dark, and desolate, and cold:
Let not the blasted heath our state portray,
And o'er us winter hold a sovereign sway.
270
2
Now Spring, in youth and beauty, charms the sight;The shivering winds have vanish'd like a dream;
Buds, bursting forth, the gazer's heart delight,
And soft and soothing flows the mountain stream;
O, may our hearts its spring-tide sweet enjoy!
Nor nipping frosts our buds of hope destroy!
3
Now Summer, in her gorgeous vest appears;The circling hours, with flowery wreaths are crown'd;
The warbling wood-notes charm the listener's ears,
And all is luxury of sight and sound;
May the bright sun-shine of the summer day
Emblem, through life, our own resplendent way!
4
And now, in plenitude of wealth and power,Autumn comes forth, rejoicing earth, to cheer;
Her fruits, around her, she delights to shower,
The vintage time that crowns the future year:
May we that richer harvest keep in sight,
And reap our fruit among the saints in light!
373.
[To man who would be wise]
“To the Law and to the Testimony.”
Isaiah viii. 20.
1
To man who would be wiseA thousand questions rise,
Too deep for reason to unfold;
But, to instruct us, Lord!
Within thy Holy Word,
All needful knowledge we behold:
2
Thy precepts teach the wayThat leads to endless day,
Through Him, our Advocate on high:
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How we may happy live,
And, in the full assurance, die.
3
Much that we learn below,Is learn'd with toil and woe,
And soon as trifles will appear;
But, what thy word bestows,
Still in importance grows,
And will, at death, be doubly dear.
4
Though knowledge must be good,This truth be understood,
Knowledge of Christ precedes it all;
So short on earth to stay,
We must improve our day,
For evening shadows soon will fall.
5
Preparing for our flight,Thy word be our delight;
Still looking to the promised land!
And when, at length, in peace,
Our pilgrimage shall cease,
Give us a place at thy right hand!
374. The Goodness of God.
1
God is bountiful and gracious;Mercy shines in all things round;
Watery worlds, with insects, share it,
Birds that fly, and beasts that bound!
Ocean wide, the earth and heaven,
Hang upon creation's friend!
But, to favour'd man is given
Gifts and mercies without end!
2
All their faculties and senses,To the Highest, mortals owe;
272
Which, in blessings, round us flow.
Day and night, the varying seasons,
All, a lasting tablet, raise,
And combine their thousand reasons,
Why our hearts should teem with praise.
3
But, O Lord! though oft offended;Though we have ourselves undone,
Thou hast all thy gifts transcended
In the gift of Christ, thy Son!
Here was goodness, full and flowing!
Thou thy matchless love didst show
To the guilty, by bestowing
Angels' bread, on man below!
375.
[Earth! no more my heart allure]
“My Departure is at Hand.” 2 Tim. iv. 6.
1
Earth! no more my heart allure,My departure is at hand!
Let me join the spirits pure!
Let me seek the promised land!
2
Traveller, on a journey bound;Sojourner alone, below,
I must leave the tinkling sound,
And each vain and gaudy show.
3
Were I cent'ries here to dwell,Where my soul so much admires,
I might feel my spirit swell
With a thousand bold desires;
4
But I check the passion fond;Waiting till my Lord appear,
I must wisely, look beyond
Life and time's contracted sphere.
273
5
I must make provision meetFor the new and nobler land!
Earth! I spurn thy poisons sweet,
My departure is at hand!
6
To the Lamb of God I fly!I, his favour, must secure,
Whether, then, I live or die,
My inheritance is sure!
376. Joy in Believing.
1
What pleasures so rare,What joy can compare
With those which the children of righteousness share!
Moon, planet, and star,
Things near, or afar,
All, present, or absent, their heritage are!
2
Our pleasures extendTo Abraham's Friend,
The first, and the last, the beginning and end!
To the angels allied,
Our God is our guide,
Who will, “in the mount,” for his children provide.
3
If storms have distress'd,Or losses depress'd,
We all are fast bound to the haven of rest!
There, felicities wait,
Unchanging, and great,
The end and reward of this mutable state!
4
Free from frailty and pain,With our Saviour to reign,
This prospect and hope should our spirits sustain!
274
Heaven soon will repay,
And our Pilgrimage end in the Regions of Day!
377. Evening Hymn.
1
Lord! now, in sleep, I rest my head;Till light again illume the skies;
Let angels watch around my bed,
To guard from danger and surprise;
And, should I wake once more, Almighty Friend!
Let my first thoughts, in prayer, to thee ascend!
2
O! may this emblem of the graveRemind me of a brighter morn;
When, if my Lord my soul should save,
That soul his triumphs will adorn;
“And join the countless multitude on high
Who praise the Lamb!”—throughout Eternity!
378.
[Father! who dost always hear]
“Men ought always to Pray.”
Luke xviii. 1.
1
Father! who dost always hear,At thy awful throne we bow;
May our hearts delight in prayer,
Love it more, and love it now!
2
Children, to their sires apply,When they want the favour given;
We, to thee, our Father, cry,
Thee, our Sire, who art in heaven!
3
Oft we pray that that might be,Which, if wiser, we should shun;
Let us, when we come to thee,
Say, O Lord! thy will be done!
275
4
Dost thou always hear our prayer?O, that we could always pray!
On our hearts petitions bear,
More by night, and more by day!
5
For inferior things we sigh,Earnest watch, and patient wait;
Let us seek the things on high,
With an ardour, half as great!
6
Thoughts, acceptance find with thee,The sincere, but silent, prayer;
Thou the inmost heart dost see,
And each strong aspiring there!
7
Grant thy Spirit, O, Most High!To assist us, and, the more,
Since, (with hours so fast that fly,)
Praying time will soon be o'er!
379. The Great Salvation.
1
Despair not, mourner, when you bear awayYour dearest object to the cypress shade!
There is a sanctity in holy clay,
And precious is the spot where it is laid!
The dead in Christ, of every tribe and nation,
Again shall rise, to hail the Great Salvation.
2
Whoe'er in Jesus sleep, in peace repose;God views them from his everlasting skies!
And when, at length, the last loud trumpet blows,
They shall to pure, and endless life arise!
Wherefore rejoice, in deepest tribulation,
Those, whom you mourn, shall see this Great Salvation!
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3
The wicked, who, on earth, and time, rely,And strive in vain to hold their treasures fast;
Who never raise to heaven the suppliant eye,
But live like fools, and, such, expire at last!
O, fearful thought! with life, a short probation,
They have no interest in this Great Salvation!
4
The ransom'd, with dissolving nature round,Trusting in God, omnipotent to save,
May cry, “Come Jesus! flames shall not confound!
“Where is thy sting, O Death! and thine, O Grave!
“I leave my tomb, mid holy exultation,
“With all the saints, to share the Great Salvation!
380. A Midnight Reflection.
1
A solemn silence fills the skies,The clouds their deepest shades unfold;
On meditation let me rise,
And with my soul communion hold.
2
Am I a sojourner on earth,Exposed to many a storm and strait!
Am I a pilgrim from my birth,
Fast passing to an endless state!
3
Is there a God who deigns to dwellWith heirs of frailty here below!
And is there, too, a heaven! a hell!
Eternal worlds of joy or woe!
4
Is life a tale, a flower of spring,That withers, while it charms the sight!
Compared to every fleeting thing,
A cloud, a vision of the night!
277
5
Do I this moment breathe the air,And stedfast feel my house of clay,
Yet, know that, from a world of care,
The next, I may be call'd away!
6
Have I, till now, disdain'd the voiceWhich Mercy sends me from on high;
And made terrestrial things my choice,
That vanish with the evening sky!
7
Have I my being's aim and endConfined to life's contracted stage!
Desired, than earth, no better friend,
Than time, no nobler heritage!
8
Almighty Father! grant thine aid,That I may from these dreams awake!
Till I have Christ my refuge made,
Oh! spare me for thy mercy's sake!
9
May I, the remnant of my days,Devote to righteousness and Thee!
And join, at length, the song of praise
With thy redeemed family!
381. Invitation to Saints and Sinners.
1
Our moments pass on,Scarce arrived, they are gone,
And leave not a trace;
And such soon will be, our name and our place!
Then, for pardon, to day,
Let us earnestly pray;
On Jesus rely;
To-morrow, the strongest may sicken and die.
2
To Christ, none applied,And was ever denied!
278
He freely bestows from his bountiful store:
He waits for the word,
“Have mercy, O Lord!”
The heart's warm desire
Will not be refused by our heavenly Sire.
3
And those who have knownHow precious to own
The Lord for their guide,
Their concerns, great and small, will to him confide:
Let them still watch and pray,
Nor faint by the way;
With a few sorrows more,
They will stand round the throne, and the Lamb will adore.
382. Short the Race.
1
How thorny the way to the regions on high,With such foes to oppose, half desponding we sigh;
Yet rich consolation
God still can bestow,
Who views with compassion
His children below.
2
Though hard is the strife, yet short is the race,And still to support us, he gives us his grace;
Hence, let us, in meekness,
Look ever above;
Though we are all weakness,
Our God is all love.
3
The prospect before us might angels delight;The dawn gently steals o'er the shadows of night;
279
In sapphire and gold!
Our spirits, adorning,
The Lamb to behold!
383. God our Refuge in Distress.
1
When none regard our earnest cry,And earthly cisterns all are dry;
When terrors on our souls have prey'd,
And those who pity cannot aid;
Then, Lord! we turn, (O, hear and bless!)
To thee our refuge in distress!
2
When hopes are blasted; prospects change;When foes revile, or friends are strange;
Amid vicissitudes and cares,
When earth a wintry aspect wears;
Then, (moving cause, and final end!)
Do thou thy voice, consoling, send.
3
When sickness on our vitals preys;When the pale cheek disease portrays;
And every day reveals some trace
Of nature's “dull, cold,” resting-place;
Then, O, our Father! may we find
Thy presence to sustain our mind!
4
And when our final foe appears;(Betray'd, too true! by silent tears;)
When, (death in sight!) our spirit turns
From time, and all its vain concerns!
When Jordan's stormy waves we see,
Then, may we find a friend in thee!
5
And at the last and awful day,When all things here have passed away!
280
And all are lost who are not thine!
With the redeem'd, of every land,
Let us before thy presence stand!
384. Invocation to Jesus.
1
Saviour! from heaven above,Regard thy servants' prayer!
Confiding in thy tender love,
O, make us still thy care!
Fast to the grave we tend;
Our moments soon will cease!
In earth, or heaven, no other friend
Can give our spirits peace!
2
Didst thou not bleed and dieTo save thy wandering sheep?
We all in fatal slumbers lie;
Arouse us from our sleep!
Ourselves we humbly cast,
Low, at thy sacred feet!
Before our day of grace be past,
Mercy! we, Lord! repeat!
3
Let not our foes prevail,Though sore and great they be!
Thy kind compassions cannot fail
That flow so full and free!
Saviour! subdue our sin!
In thee may we delight!
Let us, afresh, our race begin,
And keep the prize in sight!
385. Last Day of the Year.
1
Time impatient marches on;Lo! another year is gone!
281
Hear the voice of wisdom plead.
2
“Since so swift thy hours have past,“Mortal! think upon the last!
“Whether it alarm, or cheer,
“Fast thy end is drawing near!”
3
Youth and health no surety give,We are dying while we live;
Ere another day be fled,
We in dust may lay our head.
4
Victims, many, round we see;Thousands die, as strong as we:
All things admonitions bear,—
For a better world prepare!
5
Life is a tumultuous tide,On whose surface fast we glide;
Borne unceasing to the sea,
Boundless, of Eternity!
6
What is time! or months, or years?Like a mist, the whole appears!
And, at length, our lives will seem
But a short, and stormy dream!
7
Shall we see our moments fly,And in sins and slumbers lie?
Shall we view the realms of day,
Pass, unheeded, pass away?
8
Shall we lose our lofty birthIn the husks and chaff of earth?
Shall the Saviour cry in vain,
“Agonize with me to reign!”
282
9
O, our Father! wisdom give;Rouse us, teach us, how to live!
And, still pressing to the sky,
Oh! instruct us how to die!
386. First Day of the Year.
1
Lo! the morning clouds unfoldIn their train of gems and gold:
Time begins his race anew,
In the year which now we view.
2
What o'ercast, and dreary skies,Ere it closes, may arise!
We may not behold the sun,
When this year his course has run!
3
O'er the year which now has pastWe a look of sadness cast:
Oft, by subtle foes subdued,
We unhallow'd paths pursued.
4
Bound by a mysterious chain,Conscience often spake in vain:
We have not, our hearts confess,
Follow'd after righteousness.
5
Sins, that should our souls dismay,In omissions we survey:
Oh, how little have we shone
Like Immortals passing on!
6
What can soothe the pangs we feel;What our wounded spirits heal,
But the Sovereign Sacrifice
Where the sinner's charter lies!
283
7
Let our freedom now begin;Guard us, Lord! from self, and sin!
Though we all transgressors be,
We are still complete in thee.
8
Do we not desire to knowJoys, that from thy presence flow?
Have we not for refuge fled
To our Great and Glorious Head?
9
Soon will death our souls release;Soon the arduous conflict cease;
Till the victor's crown we gain,
Let thy grace within us reign.
10
May this year, (perhaps our last!)Be holier spent than was the past!
May we hence, like pilgrims true,
Keep our resting-place in view!
11
May eternal things appearWhat they will, when death is near!
And, henceforth, our feet be found
To the heavenly Canaan bound!
387. Watchfulness.
1
We all in hourly perils stand;Dangers prevail on every hand;
Around us, snares are spread:
On every form, we read,—“Beware!”
E'en lawful objects have their snare,
Which wisdom learns to dread.
2
O Lord, may we from dreams arise!In self-distrust our safety lies,
From feet, so prone to slide;
284
That strength is all derived from thee,
Who dost the humble guide.
3
May watchfulness alike be ours,Whene'er the heaven portentous lowers,
Or, cloudless be our sky:
Secure the most, when most we fear,
Be thou in perils ever near
To whom for help we fly.
4
Guard us from each enticing foe;Our spirits wean from all below;
The conflict soon will end:
Teach us to watch, with spirits meek,
Thy hand to view, thy grace to seek,
Our best, our only friend!
388. Faithfulness.
1
Fountain of good, below!Oh! draw us near to thee;
Whate'er we speak, wheree'er we go,
May we thy presence see:
Too prone, alas! to stray,
To leave our truest friend,
Preserve us in the narrow way,
Till we our journey end.
2
This world, a wilderness,Of old, our fathers found;
They felt their heavy burdens press,
While on to Canaan bound;
But they have gain'd the prize;
The weary pilgrim's rest;
They all have reach'd the upper skies;
And now with Christ are blest.
285
3
Our callings, high or low,Are both alike to thee:
We, faithfulness, alone must show,
Whate'er that calling be:
Be thou our God and guide!
Surround us with thy love!
And for our souls, at last, provide
A portion, bless'd, above!
389.
[What precious promises abound]
“Precious Promises.” 2 Peter, i. 4.
1
What precious promises aboundIn that bless'd book, which all should prize;
A mine, where countless gems are found,
And where the deepest wisdom lies!
2
If men with poverty contend,God's blessing is the greatest gain:
Our heavenly master is our friend,
And none shall serve him, and complain.
3
The good, design'd, may not proceedJust in the way we deem the best,
Yet Faith can see a Father lead,
And on his faithfulness can rest.
4
Do sorrows press the righteous down,While in their sojourn here below?
We read of an immortal crown,
And streams of joy that ever flow.
5
Do widows combat with distress?What precious words are those we see!
A Father to the fatherless,
And let the widow trust in me!
286
6
Does sickness on our vitals prey,And the weak frame in languor lie?
God can transform our night to day,
And, in the desert, springs supply.
7
Must death at length the victory gain,And we confess his sovereign power?
The strongest promises remain,
To soothe us in that trying hour!
8
Faint not! dismiss your faithless fear!Though others sink, with dread opprest,
Be not dismay'd, for I am near,
The Rock on which your souls may rest!
9
When passing Jordan's waters wide,The billow shall assault in vain!
My faith shall cheer, my hand shall guide,
My smiles your sinking heart sustain.
10
With such encouragements, to menWho truly in their Lord rejoice,
Let us, our three-score years and ten
Fulfil, without a murmuring voice!
11
These transitory conflicts o'er,In exile call'd no more to roam,
God and the Lamb shall we adore,
And saints and angels hail us home.
390. Prayer and Praise.
1
Heavenly Father! good and wise!Our help through all our days;
In the morning when we rise,
Attune our hearts to praise:
287
The Lord who bought us to adore,
While we pardon ask for sin,
And mercy still implore.
2
Thanks, for all thy goodness past,Our hearts are bound to give;
We are on thy bounty cast,
In whom we move and live;
Every hour the sum extends
Of heavenly blessings, great and new;
Oft unfaithful are our friends,
But thou art ever true.
3
Thou dost offer a retreat,Alike, by night and day;
Praise is comely, prayer is sweet,
O, teach us how to pray!
When our souls are drawn to thee,
We taste the joys of heaven below;
But, our chief felicity,
We all must die to know.
391. The Solemn Warning.
1
Pause and ponder, thoughtless sinner!Worlds could not repay thy loss!
How, at death, canst thou be winner,
Who hast sold thy all for dross!
Wisdom warns thee—
Flee for refuge to the cross!
2
Souls are worth no small endeavour!In thy breast a treasure lies,
Which, once lost, is lost for ever—
With the worm that never dies!
See thy danger!
From thy fatal slumbers, rise!
288
3
Ere too late, with deep contrition,Look beyond the bounds of time;
Warm'd by the supreme ambition,
To the throne eternal climb!
Fix thy vision
Stedfastly on worlds sublime!
4
Christ is waiting to befriend thee;Look upon thy ways, and mourn:
Angels at this hour attend thee
To behold the wanderer turn:
Fly to Jesus!
He will not the sinner spurn.
392.
[Wide is the field where folly reigns]
“O that they were Wise.” Deut. xxxii. 29.
1
Wide is the field where folly reigns,In forms of every shape and dye;
And many are the fatal chains
That drag immortals from the sky!
2
Some fain to heaven their hopes would send,But for the happier moment wait:
While some, to every theme attend
Save that of an eternal state!
3
Life's momentary pleasures vain;Wealth, honours, men untired pursue:
These o'er their heart a rule maintain
Which hides the future from their view!
4
The mariner, in pride, or sport,Bounds gaily o'er the billow vast;
Unmindful of that further port,
Where he, his anchor, soon must cast!
289
5
The merchant, with unsleeping cares,Where profit beckons, eager flies,
While he forgets the richer wares
Which God approves, and angels prize!
6
The man who pants for human praise,His idol, fame; his God, renown;
Builds, on the sands, that fools may gaze,
Which the first wave sends head-long down!
7
The soul, opprest with anguish, feelsHow poor the solace these convey;
And Fame its prostrate power reveals
When God the spirit calls away!
8
Death is the hour of solemn thought,When earth withdraws her dreams and toys;
Immortal beings, wisely taught,
Grasp at imperishable joys!
9
May we, rejecting Folly's voice,Burst each delusive fetter strong;
And make the things alone our choice,
Which to Eternity belong!
393. Resignation.
1
Tho' my path has been stormy, a wilderness drear,The day is declining, the shadows are near;
A little more patience, and I shall survey
The portals of peace, and the regions of day.
2
When the tempests of winter grow darker and higher,Still the husbandman sows, with hope to inspire;
With faith in the future, he learns to endure
Both the wind and the rain, since the harvest is sure.
290
3
Shall he trust the seasons, and Christians complainOf their moments of darkness, their sorrow, and pain,
When soon their worst woes they will cease to regret,
And the sun on them rise, which never will set?
4
Instruct me, Great Sovereign! to bow to thy will;Thy voice to regard, thy good pleasure fulfil;
And in the fit moment, which thou knowest best,
O, take me to dwell in thy haven of rest!
394. The Dying Pilgrim.
1
Long a pilgrim doom'd to roam,I am near my Father's home!
Riches, honours, nothing heeding,
Nature fair, so fast receding,
What should bind me to this clod,
When I am call'd to dwell with God!
2
Lo! my spirit breathes her vow;Christ, the Lamb, is precious now!
Choral songs far off I hear!
Cherubim with palms appear!
Why should I so love my clay,
When angels beckon me away!
3
Farewell, vain world! my friends, farewell!I go, 'mid nobler realms to dwell!
From earth, from bondage, free!
This, this is joy! heaven's portals shine!
I am my Lord's, and he is mine,
Throughout eternity!
291
[THE LORD'S PRAYER.]
395. PART 1. “Our Father, which art in Heaven.”
1
May we call our God, “Our Father?”The eternal, wise, and just!
We approach his awful presence?
Sinners! children of the dust!
Be encouraged
In his mercy still to trust.
2
May we banish all our terrors,And to God for pardon cry?
May we raise our aspirations
To the everlasting sky;
And, 'mid glory,
Hope to enter, when we die?
3
Whence this privilege surpassing,Granted to our fallen race?
Whence this confident reliance
On complete and sovereign grace?
This assurance
To behold our Maker's face?
4
Heavenly Father! once offended,Now thy wrath is turn'd away!
Thou art reconciled to sinners!
One has stoop'd, our debt to pay!
Christ hath suffer'd,
And reveal'd the living way!
396. PART 2. “Hallowed be thy Name.”
1
In our world of sin and sorrow,Here, the wicked; there, the just;
292
But, the gold that will not rust,
He possesses,
Who has made God's name his trust.
2
In their sport shall mortals ventureTo prophane that Holy Name;
Heedless of their Maker's anger,
At whose word from dust they came!
Who upholdeth
Nature's universal frame!
3
All alike will need a shelterFrom the storm that soon will rise!
There are clouds of fearful omen,
(Gathering in the further skies!)
Mid the tempest,
In his Name our safety lies!
4
What below shall soothe our terrors,When his raging blasts descend?
If his name no shelter yield us;
If our God be not our friend?
Unavailing,
In dismay our hopes will end!
5
What, in death, shall grant us comfort,If his face Jehovah hide?
What in judgment shall support us,
When the book is open'd wide,
If no refuge,
God, our final judge, provide!
6
Spared by mercy, from this moment,May we all our sins bewail!
In our hearts, may solemn reverence
At the Name of God prevail,
In whose presence,
Seraphim their faces veil!
293
397. PART 3. “Thy Kingdom come.”
1
Mighty Lord! extend thine empire!Be the truth with triumph crown'd!
Let the lands that sit in darkness
Hear the glorious gospel's sound,
From our borders,
To the world's remotest bound!
2
By thine arm, eternal Father!Scatter far the shades of night!
Let the great Immanuel's kingdom
Open like the morning light,
And the future,
Realize our visions bright!
3
What are Satan's mightiest barriers,Which a breath of thine o'erthrows!
Shall the creature, in his phrensy,
The Creator's power oppose?
Him, whose lightning—
Ruin hurls upon his foes!
4
Come! too long to earth a stranger!Once again thy reign restore!
In thy strength, ride forth and conquer,
Still advancing, more and more,
Till the heathen
Shall the Lord Supreme adore!
5
On their cruel habitationsMay the dawn celestial break!
May they, from the sleep of ages,
To the blaze of day awake!
Spurn their idols,
And the Lord their portion make!
294
6
Nor, in breathings for thy kingdom,Would we banish from our prayer,
Men, renouncing home and kindred,
Tidings of the Cross to bear;
Ease disdaining,
Burning suns, and poisonous air!
7
Such, of high and noble daring,Venturing thus the truth to spread;
Bounteous Father! good and gracious,
On their path thy blessings shed!
And, in danger,
Cheer their heart, and shield their head!
8
Oh! what crowns await the faithful,When the storms of life shall cease!
Mansions fair, for every pilgrim,
Joys untold, that still increase;
Thought, exceeding!
Cloudless skies, and perfect peace!
9
If afflictions press us downward,While, as strangers, here we roam,
Comforts rich are in reversion,
When we reach our Father's home,
And, no longer
Cry, O Lord! thy Kingdom come!
398. PART 4. “Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven.”
1
God alone is King in Zion!On his high and holy hill,
Low adoring, loftiest angels
Wait around to do his will,
While hosannahs
The celestial mansions fill.
295
2
Man alone, through all creation,Dares his sovereign power disown;
Yet, through mercy full and flowing,
For our sins doth Christ atone!
Heavenly Father!
Turn to flesh our hearts of stone!
3
Days of glory lie before us;Thou hast promis'd, it shall be!
Like the sun, from night emerging,
Preludes of that day we see!
Bless'd Immanuel!
Let all people turn to thee!
4
Let the world thy will accomplish;Thee, to serve, is freedom true!
May the Turk, the Jew, the Heathen,
In thy name, all fulness view!
Spoil recover'd!
Let thy grace their hearts renew!
5
By thy might, Divine Redeemer!Rend hell's adamantine chain!
O'er each soul, through every kingdom,
Sway thy sceptre; live and reign!
Let the nations
Turn from all their idols vain!
6
Through our hour of short probation,Let thy will, O Lord, be done!
Time recedes, and death advances;
Ere our sands forbear to run,
Father! give us
Saving faith, in Christ, thy Son!
399. PART 5. “Give us this day our daily bread.”
1
Lord of life! upon thy bounty,Daily, we for bread depend!
296
Thou art an abiding friend!
Guard us hourly,
Till our mortal journies end.
2
Not to earthly bread confine us;Better bread than this we need!
Source supreme of every blessing!
For the bread of life we plead!
May our spirits
On this hidden manna feed!
3
We, too long, with fruitless labour,Have pursued the chaff of earth!
We the vain desire have cherish'd,
Heedless of our lofty birth!
Objects prizing,
Deem'd, by wisdom, nothing worth!
4
Bursting from our strong delusions,Now we joys superior seek:
In creation's face around us,
May we hear our Father speak;
And, obedient,
Listen with the spirit meek.
5
'Tis thy shower the earth that waters!'Tis thy sun that warms and cheers!
'Tis alone thy fruitful blessing,
That with mercy crowns our years!
Fount of goodness!
May we thank thee, through our tears!
6
But a clearer voice directs us;In thy word, thy will we see:
Here is light, all else is darkness,
May that light our guidance be!
In our journey,
Through life's wilderness to thee!
297
7
Here on earth, thy bread upholds us,But surpassing visions rise;
Bread of heaven we hope to feast on,
Through the one great sacrifice!
Safe in glory,
When the world in ruin lies.
400. PART 6. “Forgive us our Trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.”
1
We, O Lord! implore for giveness;Merit we have none to plead;
All with thee is free bestowment;
All, with us, is want and need:
For our wanderings
May a Saviour intercede!
2
How shall we, Great Fount of goodness!Half our debt, stupendous, pay?
Thou, when other refuge fail'd us,
Help on Christ didst freely lay;
Our forerunner,
Source, and pledge of endless day.
3
What obedience have we render'dFor this hope of joys divine?
What return, with heart devoted,
For a gift so vast as thine?
Grateful incense!
In life's dawn, or its decline?
4
Trespasses in youth committed,Shrink from thine inspection pure;
Trespasses, in riper manhood,
Leave us shelterless and poor;
Christ incarnate,
Safety can alone insure.
298
5
We have borne another's trespass,As to him we pardon show,
So for all our own transgressions,
Thy forgiveness, Lord! bestow!
More like Jesus,
Daily, hourly, may we grow.
6
God of love! extend thy mercy!Saviour! whom we once denied,
In thy blood, that precious fountain!
May we all alone confide;
And, hereafter,
See thee by thy Father's side!
401. PART 7. “Lead us not into temptation.”
1
Evil men, and evil spirits,Bent upon our harm, surround,
Yet, whatever be their malice,
They, by fetters, fast are bound:
Unseen angels
Our perpetual guard are found!
2
May we know our only refuge,When temptations, Lord! arise;
We are feeble, but, to cheer us,
In thy strength, our safety lies:
Fix our vision—
Steadfastly on yonder skies!
3
Trials tend, by thine appointment,To correct our thoughtless heart:
When temptation (like a torrent)
Overwhelms, thy grace impart!
Foes are harmless,
If the Lord be on our part.
299
4
Make us, of ourselves, distrustful,From the failures that are past;
On our God, with calm reliance,
May we all our burdens cast:
If we faint not,
Long the tempest will not last.
5
Though we wander now in darkness,Brighter suns and skies await;
When a few more clouds have gather'd,
We shall reach a happier state:
Saints invite us,
From heaven's everlasting gate.
402. PART 8. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power.”
1
Monarch of the wide creation!Thy directing hand we own:
Man may boast the sovereign empire,
But the power is thine alone!
Kingdoms vanish—
Thine is an eternal throne!
2
Mists involve our every prospect;Thou beholdest things afar,
And, obedient to thy purpose,
All things were, and all things are,
Since, rejoicing,
Sang, at first, the morning star.
3
Shall we dare arraign our Maker!Him, whose ways are deep, and high?
Shall our dim and feeble vision,
In Thy secret counsels pry?
Veil'd from mortals,—
Seen not by the seraph's eye?
300
4
Though, on all our fallen natures,Spirits, dark, their influence shower;
There is still, to stem the torrent,
Barrier firm, a rock, a tower:
Thine, O, Father!
Is the kingdom, and the power!
5
Be the empire wide of evil,By thy might, O Lord, o'erthrown!
Let thy Son, in strength resistless,
Tread his haughtiest rivals down,
And, for ever,
Guide the sceptre, wear the crown!
403. PART 9. “And the glory.”
1
Angels, give the loud ascriptionTo the Majesty on high!
And, in all their wide commissions,
Traversing the starry sky,
Sound his praises
Ever distant! ever nigh!
2
Let the boastful heirs of frailtyFrom their towering heights retire!
Let them give to God the glory,
And, (with prostrate hearts,) aspire
Self to humble,
And exalt the Almighty Sire!
3
At his mandate, if transgressionsHaste to a perpetual end;
If the powers of darkness tremble,
And the reign of truth extend;
To Jehovah
Let hosannahs loud ascend!
301
4
If our efforts have been honour'dBy the Lord, whom we adore;
If his face has smil'd upon us,
In our basket, and our store,
To his glory
Praise be offered evermore!
5
If, when time is fast retiring,And eternity is near;
If the hope of heaven, unfolding,
Our departing spirits cheer;
We shall glory
In the Lord, whom angels fear!
6
If, beyond the waves of Jordan,Join'd by every tongue and tribe,
God, in his eternal record,
Our unworthy names inscribe,
All the glory
We shall to the Lamb ascribe!
404. PART 10. “For ever.”
1
What a depth profound of meaningIn that word, for ever, lies!
Kindling thoughts of joy or sorrow,
As alternate scenes arise!
While, impatient,
Time on rapid pinion flies!
2
He who wets his nightly pillow,On the world's wide desert cast;
Trouble still succeeding trouble,
Wave on wave, and blast on blast,
Thinks, rejoicing,
They will not for ever last.
302
3
If, upon our cold horizon,Hope's seraphic form should break;
Resting on the Rock of Ages!
Which, nor flood, nor storm can shake;
Then, what transport
Does the word, for ever, wake!
4
But a darker doom is threaten'd!Ill that cannot know a cure;
Go, ye cursed! is the sentence,
From the ransom'd and the pure!
Who, for ever!
May Jehovah's wrath endure!
5
Yet, prepar'd for every pilgrim,Faith beholds a happier shore;
Fruits are there which gladden angels;
Joys, which ages must explore!
Still augmenting,
When the lapse of time is o'er!
6
What are scenes that glide before us,Like the blush of closing day?
Souls, sublimed from dross of nature,
Spurn the good that will not stay?
Earthly objects
Charm their hour, and pass away!
7
Let the word, the long for ever,Be with all our aims combin'd!
Streams that fail, and flowers that wither,
Suit not the immortal mind!
Ground, that shakes not,
Firm as heaven, our feet must find!
8
Through thy grace, Almighty Father!By thine influence, Heavenly Dove!
For thy sake, Divine Redeemer!
May we here be fill'd with love;
303
Serve thee in the world above!
405. PART 11. “Amen.”
1
Ere we utter, it is finish'd,And the last amen repeat;
Many steep and toilsome wanderings,
'Mid alternate cold and heat,
Through life's journey,
Still await our wandering feet!
2
Lessons, hard to be adopted,We must learn before we die,
And, “Amen” be oft repeated,
With the tear, and with the sigh,
To prepare us
For the glorious world on high!
3
Can we see our friends desert usFor religion's cause alone;
Can we, if possessions vanish,
Still our Father's goodness own?
Looking forward
Where afflictions are unknown?
4
Can we, if disease invade us,Pain or languor overtake,
Say, amen, and with the faithful,
Heaven alone our refuge make?
Brought the nearer
As our comforts us forsake?
5
If the hopes our hearts have cherish'd,Brighter than the summer's day,
God, in his unerring wisdom,
Like our gourds, should take away;
304
Then, amen! devoutly say?
6
And, when death at length approaches,(Whose precursors pass'd before,)
Are we then prepar'd to utter
The amen! and God adore?
Ever willing
What he wills, and nothing more?
7
Then, a glorious consummationWaits to make our joy complete!
When, (beholding Him who bought us,)
We surround the mercy seat,
And, the final,
Loud and long, amen! repeat!
406. Retrospection.
1
Sovereign Judge of heaven and earth,Thou hast fed me from my birth;
In the hours of infancy
I relied alone on thee,
Whose protecting shield the same,
Screen'd me when to youth I came.
2
When maturer years arrived,Death around me, I survived;
Crown'd with favours, ever new,
Still, in age, thy hand I view:
Like a stream, from day to day,
Thou hast led me all my way.
3
How have I, for gifts like these,Sought my bounteous Lord to please?
Hadst thou bent thy righteous bow,
Hadst thou let the wanderer go,
To reflection roused too late,
What had been my wretched state!
305
4
By concern for follies past,By the hope of heaven at last,
Let me from the tempter flee!
Give me strength to trust in thee!
In that Saviour to confide,
Who for me on Calvary died!
407. Come and Welcome.
1
Sinner! view the gospel feast,For the greatest and the least;
He who spreads the bounteous board,
Is our Saviour, and our Lord!
Hear him cry, to you and me,
Come and welcome! all is free!
All who seek to enter there,
May partake the ample fare.
2
Slaves and captives, bound by sin,Freely you may enter in!
Now the veil is cast aside,
Since the Lord of Glory died!
If at length you feel your need,
And the blood of sprinkling plead,
While the word of heaven endures,
All the promises are yours;
3
Whilst you bear the Saviour's name,Turn no more to sin and shame!
If, from nature, call'd by grace,
You are a peculiar race:
Let the cleansing power divine,
Still conspicuous in you shine;
And your lamp more bright appear,
As your end is drawing near.
306
408. Children of Isaac and Esau.
1
Children of Esau, as we read,Still hatred bear to Isaac's seed;
A different nature each contains,
Here, God presides,—there, Satan reigns!
2
Children of Esau, prone to err,Time, to eternity, prefer;
They grasp at shadows,—roam in night,
Nor seek the substance out of sight!
3
Children of Esau, him contemn,Ordain'd to wear the diadem;
They in his name no virtues see,
Nor to their Saviour bend the knee!
4
Children of Esau, from beneath,The atmosphere of Satan breathe;
Deceit they love, the truth they hate,
And prove themselves the reprobate!
5
They spurn the statute from above,The law of charity and love;
While they on malice, fraud, and guile,
Can look with the approving smile!
6
Children of Esau, here below,The union find of sin and woe;
But the unutterable doom,
Lies unreveal'd, beyond the tomb!
7
The sons of Esau, may we viewWith pity, and compassion true;
And strive, (while many a prayer we raise,)
To turn them from their evil ways!
8
In that bless'd world, where Christ is crown'd,No sons of Esau will be found!
307
With Isaac's sons, the sons of light!
409. The Back-slider.
1
Return, backsliding soul, return!Nor wander further from the fold!
Thy sad condition see and mourn;
Thou hast thyself to Satan sold;
But, though a captive, ransom see!
The Lord of Life shall set thee free.
2
Behold thy state, and see thy need,Wretched, and poor, and blind, thou art;
But there is one above to plead,
Who bears thee ever on his heart:
Still to the Saviour raise thine eye,
And, to that fount of mercy, fly!
3
To cease from prayer, thy foe would please,He whispers, “heaven forbears to hear;”
He dreads the sinner “on his knees,”
And trembles at the contrite tear!
But Christ will not the mourner spurn,
Return! backsliding soul, return!
4
Let past declensions make thee wise,And know, that none can stand alone!
To God direct thy fervent cries,
To turn, to flesh, the heart of stone!
To him, thy Lord, more faithful be,
Who intercedes, above, for thee.
410. The Aged Sinner.
1
What sight so sad on earthAs Age, of evil name?
The man, despising truth, and worth,
And glorying in his shame!
308
2
Virtue his presence dreads!Wherever he is found,
Disastrous influence he sheds
Alike, on all around!
3
In youth, he loved to stray;His manhood, none might bless;
And age, which should its fruit display,
With him, is barrenness!
4
He hastens to his doom,The grave, where him we leave:
No tear will fall upon his tomb!
And none but hirelings grieve!
5
But, Oh! the storm and blast!The terror, the amaze!
When he shall give account at last
For his unrighteous ways!
411. The Watch-Tower.
1
Pilgrims here are forced to combatWith the seen, and unseen powers;
Foes by night and day surround us,
But a mightier friend is ours.
2
He, who calls us to the warfare,Will conduct us safe and free:
Through our captain's sword and buckler,
We shall more than conquerors be.
3
But, like soldiers, firm and faithful,On our watch-tower we must stand;
Scorning not the least assailant,
Clad in armour, spear in hand.
309
4
If, in heedless hour we slumber,Enemies will vex us sore;
And the dart again remind us,
That our conflict is not o'er.
5
Friend of Sinners! O, our Leader!Give us courage, to the last!
When we combat with temptation,
Thy protection round us cast!
6
Soon the contest will be over;Soon will death our souls release:
In the world to which we hasten,
All is safety, all is peace!
412.
[“Will ye also go away?”]
“Will ye also go Away.” John vi. 67.
1
“Will ye also go away?”Did, on earth, the Saviour say—
To his followers, men of God,
Who the path to glory trod?
Who his wonders saw, and heard,
Day by day, his gracious word?
How should we the question hear!
How, ourselves, distrust and fear!
2
Lord! our only hope thou art;Let us not from thee depart!
We have treacherous foes within;
We have natures prone to sin;
Prone to grovel, not ascend;
Prone to leave our highest friend!
Set us from our bondage free!
Give us hearts to cleave to thee!
3
Follies oft our hearts beguile;We pursue the creature's smile;
310
Which should soar to things above;
Heavenly Father! Good and Wise,
Help our sluggish souls to rise!
While with quicken'd zeal we run,
Fix our hopes on Christ, thy Son!
413.
[On thy heart, O, sinner, hear!]
“I stand at the Door and knock.”
Rev. iii. 20.
1
On thy heart, O, sinner, hear!Thy Saviour casts his eye;
Still he seeks an entrance there;
Wilt thou thy Lord deny?
To the winning voice attend;
His spontaneous mercy own;
Open to so kind a friend!
He seeks thy good alone!
2
Shall he knock, and knock in vain,In providence severe?
In dismay, or racking pain,
Or death of object dear?
Heed the whisper, and obey!
To the only refuge, flee!
Now is the accepted day,
To-morrow—who may see!
3
Wilt thou, with the harden'd mind,Say to thy Lord, Depart!
Shall thy Saviour knock, and find
Some rival in thine heart?
Oh, if Christ in wrath should cry,
“Since he spurns the living bread,
I will leave him! let him die!
“His blood be on his head!”
4
Those, whose hearts are hard as rocks,And will not grace implore;
311
And open not the door;
Their confusion hastens fast!
Since they cast his words behind,
They will knock at heaven at last,
And there no entrance find!
414. Days of Darkness.
(Addressed to the Intemperate.)
1
Behold the wicked at their banquet;What sparkling goblets round them glow!
What dainties and o'erpowering grandeur!
Can yonder spirits taste of woe?
Whatever sea and earth afford,
Profuse, are piled upon their board.
2
While on the costliest viands feasting,They meditate some richer fare;
Amid the boisterous exultation,
Can such contend with secret care?
Boasting they cry, “Long life we see!
To morrow, as this day, shall be!”
3
'Mid health, and gaiety, and gladness;'Mid riches, that exhaustless seem,
What folly, (by delights encompass'd,)
About futurity to dream!
“Our God is pleasure!” they exclaim,
“And all, beside, is but a name!”
4
The sweetest joys are shortly over!The longest evening soon will close!
Stillness succeeds the loudest thunder,
When harrass'd nature seeks repose!
The siren's song will soon be past,
And musings sad arrive at last!
312
5
Can these be beings, onward passingTo worlds, beyond the starry sky!
Of every day and hour uncertain,
And born for immortality!
In perils from the passing shower,
And frail, and fleeting, as the flower!
6
Vain boasters! pause! howe'er reluctant,The soft and friendly whisper, hear!
Though long and prosperous be your summer,
Remember, winter's in the rear!
Delusion's reign will soon be gone!
The Days of Darkness hasten on!
7
The joys, which animate your spirit,Are suited, as they sink and rise,
To worlds, alone, estranged from sorrow,
But life has stern realities!
And many a sudden cloud may throw
The sablest hue o'er all below!
8
Ah! he whose heart so late was buoyant,(Spurning reflection with disdain!)
Has lost his air and voice commanding;
He lies upon a bed of pain!
His gay companions now are fled!
Revolting from the sick-man's bed!
9
He seeks support, oppress'd, and sinking!But that support he cannot find!
He looks around,—all cold and silent!
He looks within,—a barren mind!
He now revolves on days gone by,
All dreary as the midnight sky!
10
Are these the ill returns, disheartening,That Pleasure to her votaries makes!
313
Remorseless, every friend forsakes!
These are the cheerless blasts, unkind,
But darker days are still behind!
11
Sickness must terminate, unsparing,In weakness, and the hour of death!
The scoffer at the truth, this moment
Sustains the hard and labouring breath!
Compell'd, without one cheering gleam,
To plunge in the dark-rolling stream!
12
This is the moment, fraught with horrors!But darker day is drawing near!
The last dread morn! the day of judgment!
Then, reveller, where wilt thou appear!
Rack'd with unutterable woe,
Cast out from heaven, and God thy foe!
415.
[Sweet symphonies and concords float]
Spiritual Wickedness in high Places.
Eph. vi. 12.
1
Sweet symphonies and concords float,Borne upward from creation wide;
Man's is the one discordant note,
Where all is harmony beside.
2
And are there spirits, born to climb,Who with the clod inglorious lie?
Who spurn the brightest gem of time,
The hope of immortality!
3
With faculties, acute to learnTruths, endless, curious, or profound,
And who can only not discern
Omnipotence in aught around!—
4
'Mid arguments, like suns, array'd,Which deity to man recal;
314
Of Him, who framed and governs all;—
5
Who, full on Nature's lovely face,With brutish apathy can gaze;
Nor ever, to yon “Holy place,”
The eye of adoration raise!
6
The world, though vast, in endless round,Gives the same image to the view;
But Evil, by no limit bound,
Hath form and feature, ever new.
7
Are there a rude censorious host,Obtuse, contentious, slaves of sense,
Who, in their chains, of freedom boast,
And with obedience dare dispense!
8
Proud, domineering,—prone to strife,Lost in their labyrinth of lies,
Who lightly hold the Word of Life,
And heaven's eternal law despise?
9
Talk they of yon celestial land,Who spurn the good, nor evil fear!—
See, Lucifer his gates expand,
A multitude is drawing near!
10
Oh! are there hearts, in sable drest,Men, cheer'd not by the blush of morn;
The misanthrope within their breast,
With eyes that only look, to scorn?
11
Who hates his race, must hateful be,A Thing of Saturn wandering here;
This is a world of sympathy;
Back to thine own unsocial sphere!
315
12
And must the eye, opprest and sad,Behold still drearier sights around!
The harp in cypress wreaths be clad,
And sorrow breathe her deepest sound!
13
Are there blasphemers, bold to leadThe phalanx, from beneath imbued;
Advancing, with gigantic speed,
From dark to darker turpitude!
14
With all the martyr's zeal, who striveTheir impious poisons to dispense;
And hope the venom may survive,
When they, “like chaff,” are hurried hence!
15
What bleeding heart, or streaming eye,Shall grave their monumental stone;
Or, o'er their turf-grave, bending, cry,
“My guide! my brother! thou art gone!”
16
Crowds rather shall exclaim, (while riseCurses, uncurb'd, that must be given;)—
“You robb'd us of our richest prize,—
“Our trust in Goodness, God, and Heaven!”
17
There are disastrous spirits, vile,With thee, O Lord, who war proclaim;
Who at the brooding storm can smile,
And triumph in the scoffer's name!
18
The creatures of an hour, beguiled,Against Heaven's Monarch to rebel!
Unutterable folly wild,
As when apostate angels fell!
19
Should men, upheld by Satan's aid,To shake thine empire, schemes design;
316
In impotent revolt combine:
20
Thy word, which could at first create,In prodigal profusion fair,
Might hurl them to their pristine state,
And new and holier worlds prepare.
21
The rebel hosts may still increase,'Till they thy sweeping judgments see;
But never shall the faithful cease
To magnify and honour thee.
22
The first! (o'erwhelming thought!) the last!Who in eternity dost dwell!
The Self-existent Presence vast,
Pervading heaven, and earth, and hell!
23
The Friend! our faintest sigh who hears!With whom our soul communion holds!
Our hope, through Christ! when death appears,
And heaven her jasper gate unfolds.
24
Thy throne, O God! shall firm endure,And age to age thy praise rehearse;
Thine altar, is the spirit pure!
Thy temple, is the universe!
416. The Sabbath of Rest.
1
The sabbath of restNow dawns on our eyes;
The day ever bless'd
To the good and the wise:
We plead not our merit,
Compassion to gain,
Lord! grant us thy Spirit,
Our faith to sustain.
317
2
This day, free from care,(This proof of thy love!)
Our hearts should prepare
For the sabbath above!
No longer caressing
The world and its toys,
We seek the best blessing,
Heaven's permanent joys.
3
We offer thee praise,O, our Father and Friend!
Like a shadow our days
Fast pass to an end!
Instruct, by each warning,
That round us is spread,
To prepare for that morning
Which wakens the dead!
417. Be Serious.
1
Be serious! is th' impressive word,From every form around us heard!
But thoughtless man his way will keep,
And as he sows, his soul must reap!
2
Life is a serious thing,—its flight,Rapid, from morn, to noon, and night!
To find our outward man decay,
And know we soon must pass away!
3
To where? important thought! to where?Is it to joy, or to despair?
To bow with saints and spirits pure,
Or with the lost, heaven's frowns endure!
4
It claims deep seriousness, to thinkWe stand on time's momentous brink!
318
We shall, erelong, to death descend!
5
It is a serious thing to dwell,Absent from God! that absence, hell!
A serious thing our souls to save!
There is no laughter in the grave!
6
That hour of terrible dismay,The resurrection's solemn day!
Th' arch-angel's trump, that heaven will shake,
Shall not these serious thoughts awake?
7
Must we with all the dead appear;Must we th' unchanging sentence hear;
The awful accents, “Come!” or “Go!”
Preludes to endless joy or woe?
8
Such scenes expecting to arise,Let us be thoughtful, serious, wise!
And live like beings, still to be,
The Heirs of Immortality!
418. Invitation to Sinners.
1
Come, sinner! leave thy ways,Thou hast no joy therein;
Join in the Saviour's praise!
This hour the song begin!
He waits to melt thy heart of stone!
He longs the wandering sheep to own!
2
Worship thy God and King,Give him thy loudest breath;
His service leaves no sting,
But Satan's leads to death!
Thy pitying Lord invites and chides,
Fly to the refuge love provides!
319
3
Thou yet art out of hell,Confess the Saviour's name!
How terrible to dwell
With the devouring flame!
Banish'd from heaven, from joy, from day!
And be the hopeless cast-away!
4
Have pity on thy soul!Howe'er by sin depraved!
Come, wash and be made whole!
Come, trust, and be thou saved!
The vilest may in Christ confide!
For whom he bled, for whom he died!
5
To Jesus, cast thine eye!Thy hands imploring spread!
In faith, for mercy, cry!
And plead the blood he shed!
The bond and free, the halt and blind,
May fly to Christ and safety find!
419. Procrastination.
1
On vanities we fix our eyes,No form too low or vain;
For ever, meaning to be wise,
And yet we fools remain!
2
Not the same trifles all pursue,Each has his aim and end;
Like men of old, still, something new!
And thus our days we spend!
3
We all, in vessels frail, are boundDown an impetuous stream!
And yet, with all things fleeting round,
Of lengthen'd life we dream!
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4
Much time is lost, which, to restore,Exceeds an angel's power!
May we the seasons, yet before,
Improve, from hour to hour.
5
Time is the refuse thing on earth,With which our springs o'erflow!
Yet nothing here has half its worth,
As well the dying know.
6
Lord! give us grace, in faith to live,And Christ, thy Son, to own;
To hear his voice, and now to give
Our hearts to thee alone.
7
May we, without delay, arise;Receive the joyful sound;
And fly to that Great Sacrifice,
Where all our hope is found.
420. The Liar.
1
May I, O Lord! thy will perform!Still may my heart adhere to thee!
In every shape, and every form,
May falsehood from my spirit flee!
The purpose, veil'd from human view,
Is clearly to thy sight display'd:
Thou art a righteous God, and true!
Whose eye pervades the deepest shade!
2
Give me a conscience prone to chide,If ever from “the mark” I turn!
Whate'er will not thy search abide,
And man's inspection, may I spurn!
Thou lov'st integrity and truth,
But hat'st the liar and his lies:
The blot of age, the shame of youth,
Is falsehood in its fairest guise.
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3
Liars, thy solemn words declare,Shall have their portion in that lake,
Where souls must fire and brimstone bear,
And to the second death awake!
In me the love of truth create,
From Satan's slavish fetters free;
And may I more than ever hate
Each wandering of the heart from thee.
421.
[Saviour! to follow thee]
“If any Man serve me, let him follow me.”
John xii. 26.
1
Saviour! to follow thee,Is my supreme desire;
But, Oh! what heights I see,
To which I must aspire!
Prepare me, by transforming grace,
To run and win my heavenly race!
2
It is no easy taskTo follow thee, my Lord!
Thy better strength, I ask,
Encouraged by thy word!
O, visit me, with love divine,
And bow my stubborn will to thine!
3
Thou saw'st the crown before,Heaven's weight of glory near;
And, sinners to restore,
The Cross itself didst bear!
May I, too, press towards endless day,
Nor heed the thorns that strew my way!
4
The lowly heart was thine,That wrong and rudeness bore;
In meekness thou didst shine
Till thy last strife was o'er:
My Saviour! may I learn of thee,
Contention shun, and humble be!
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5
Thou didst forgive thy foes,The crimes of deepest dye!
Thou didst forget thy woes,
With full fruition nigh.
May I forgive, though hard it be,
And good return for ill, like thee!
6
Thou didst on Jordan gaze,Nor tremble at the sight;
Thou saw'st heaven's portals blaze,
Beyond these realms of night;
And now, where seraphs homage pay,
Thou dost the sovereign sceptre sway.
7
May I, like thee, ariseAbove this stormy state;
While striving for the prize,
May I with patience wait!
And when my last dread foe appear,
May Faith prevail, and Christ be dear!
422.
[Come, weary and sorrowful soul]
“Come, for all Things are now ready.”
Luke xiv. 17.
1
Come, weary and sorrowful soul,Attend to the voice from above;
Time's circles incessantly roll
Thy spirit, from earth, to remove:
Thou now art not far from thy home,
The end of the perilous strife;
The Saviour invites thee to come,
And taste of the River of Life!
2
Despise not the merciful sound,The feast, the acceptable day!
To-morrow too late may be found,
This moment the summons obey!
323
Free, to all, as the sun and the rain;
But those, who excuses repeat,
Shall knock, and no entrance obtain!
3
Thou hast trifled, O sinner! too long,With objects more precious than mines!
But the beam of compassion is strong,
And this moment refulgent it shines!
Christ calls on the starving around;
Unrestricted to bond or to free:
The condition, eternal, is found;
“Help, Lord! for my hope is in thee!”
4
To the sceptre of righteousness bow!Come! the banquet is open to-day!
Ten thousand, as wretched as thou,
Have not been sent empty away!
Come! sinner! the feast is prepared!
Partake of the bread and the wine!
And the oath of a God has declared,
That forgiveness, through Christ, shall be thine!
423. The Sabbath Morning.
1
With Christ for our friend,Come let us ascend,
And on our Creator, with reverence attend;
This one day in seven,
In mercy was given,
To detach us from earth, and prepare us for heaven!
2
With trouble and woe,We conflict below,
But felicity waits, in the world where we go!
No sorrow nor pain
Shall molest us again,
When we see and adore, the Lamb that was slain!
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3
Our Captain is heWho bled on the tree,
The ransom accepted, for you and for me!
While thus on our way,
To the regions of day!
Our homage let each to the Conqueror pay!
4
This day, ever bless'd!This season of rest,
Let us all give to duties, the choicest and best!
And find, as time rolls,
A retreat for our souls,
Surpass'd only there where the vision unfolds!
424. Pentecost.
1
On the day of Pentecost,Thousands their Lord obey'd;
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!
We now implore thine aid:
Thou, O Lord! all power dost own;
Turn to flesh our hearts of stone!
2
Fetters form'd of triple brass,Thy touch dissolved of old;
Bring the promised hour to pass!
Enlarge the Saviour's fold!
Let each people, tongue, and tribe,
Glory to the Lamb ascribe!
3
Souls estranged from thee, who spurnThe Great Immanuel's sway;
Thou, like streams, their hearts canst turn,
And make them truth obey:
In thine own appointed hour,
Visit them with grace, and power.
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4
Let barbarian, bond, and free,Before their Maker fall!
Let the loftiest bow to thee,
The Sovereign Lord of all!
Rend their fetters! break their chain!
In their spirits live, and reign!
5
Thou, who, at thy servants' voice,(While they for pardon plead,)
Mad'st the multitude rejoice,
From Satan's bondage freed,
Come! the miracle repeat!
Bring us to the mercy seat!
6
Let some humbler PentecostAmong us now appear!
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
O, make us see, and hear!
Hear our Lord, inviting, cry!
And behold redemption nigh!
425. Calvary.
1
To Calvary I go,The limits to explore
Of that stupendous woe,
Which Christ, for sinners, bore:
O, ever bless'd!
With thee to reign,
May I attain
The promis'd rest!
2
A thousand snares are spreadTo damp my ardent zeal,
But those which most I dread,
Within, alas! I feel:
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Till time shall end,
Almighty Friend!
Thy grace impart.
3
Thou Holy One, and just,Be thou my guard, and guide!
Let me myself distrust,
And in thy strength confide;
Oft bend my knee
Toward Zion's hill,
Confiding still
In Calvary.
427. Easter Hymn.
1
This is the hour, o'er death triumphant,When, like a conqueror, Christ arose!
We hail the bright and blissful morning
That, vanquish'd, saw our mighty foes!
We now behold the Living Way
From realms of night, to perfect day!
2
Hell could not check the tide of mercyThat hurried through Immanuel's veins!
Death could not hold the Lord of Glory!
He burst his bonds, and rent his chains!
And scatter'd, as he rose, the gloom
That, cloud-like, brooded o'er the tomb!
3
Oh! what events, august and fearful,On that mysterious moment hung!
Dimly perceived by flaming seraph,
And utter'd not by mortal tongue!
That hour heaven's gate was open'd wide,
And man's redemption ratified!
4
Then, with a sudden pang, intenser,Fear, through yon doleful regions spread;
While from the throne of the eternal
A clearer, softer, light was shed!
Arch-angels, loud “hosannahs” sing!
While cherubs strike their loftiest string!
5
Till now, uncertainty, portentous,O'er all the boundless future spread!
Our brightest moments, choicest blessings,
Just cheer'd us, and, like shadows, fled!
Through every vista, stern of mien,
To mar our pleasure, Death was seen!
6
Now, founded on a risen Saviour,Our views to boundless heights ascend:
329
Death, once our foe, is now our friend!
And o'er the grave, at evening close,
The star of hope a radiance throws!
7
May we, upon this joyful morning,That saw, victorious, Christ arise,
Prepare, afresh, to meet, rejoicing,
The Lord of Life, in yonder skies,
And, with the angels, evermore,
Worship the Lamb, and God adore!
428. Death of the Wicked Man.
1
Death comes to all, and now to one,Who has his course of folly run,
And gloried in his sin;
See, with what conflict he retires,
To fan the soul-consuming fires,
That lawless rage within!
2
What, in this searching hour of pain,Would he not freely give, to gain
The good-man's envied state!
In silent agony he weeps;
He sow'd the seed which now he reaps,
From slumber roused too late!
3
Where is the scoff, the laughter loud?Where now the look, self-centred, proud?
The boast, defying, where?
To dark despondency he sinks;
Confusion is the cup he drinks,
And his retreat, despair!
4
Advancing toward death's unknown shore,Alarm'd, he hears the waters roar,
In new, and harrowing sound;
330
Alone, no voice, no lamp to cheer,
But blackness all around!
5
Where are his bold companions fled?Can they no light upon him shed?
So long, his heart, who won?
They all are broken reeds! his eye
Rolls round in fearful agony,
With hell, on earth, begun!
6
Lord! ere our final hour draw near,May we the voice of wisdom hear,
And Christ, supremely prize!
In health, may we for death prepare,
And seek to dwell for ever there,
Where our best treasure lies!
429. Death of the Careless Walker.
1
Death comes to all, and now to oneWho oft has slept, and oft has run,
A weak, unequal pace;
Some enmity he felt to sin,
Some love to better things within,
A loiterer in his race.
2
But standing now on life's dread bound,With anxious eye he gazes round;
The heedless hour is o'er!
He shrinks from Jordan, but, alas!
He must the stormy waters pass,
And tread the further shore!
3
He feels, with keen and shuddering pangs,On what a thread his being hangs,
While bleak the tempest blows!
He needs the prop he cannot find,
The solace sweet, the whisper kind,
The peace that faith bestows!
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4
What, for assurance would he giveThat he might yet a season live,
Past follies to despise;—
That he might serve his God more true,
Nor sleep, as he was wont to do,
Regardless of his prize.
5
Death now appears with fearful glance!The sable clouds of doubt advance!
Hope gives her feeblest rays!
If ever faith its radiance shed,
The light was faint, the faith was “dead!”
And now, the debt he pays!
6
The tree is falling! Lo! his breathBespeaks the near approach of death!
His spirit now is free!
The world he quits, with sky o'ercast,
And leaves it doubtful, to the last,
Where his abode will be!
7
Lord! send thine influence to our heart!May we all act a wiser part,
Nor e'er thy precepts shun;
May we, in Christ, alone delight,
And, ere to time we close our sight,
Feel Heaven, on earth, begun.
430. Death of the Good Man.
1
Death comes to all, and now to oneWho has the Race of Wisdom run,
So soon to walk in white;
While others lived to eat, and dream,
In sailing down time's rapid stream,
He kept the end in sight.
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2
Of sorrow, he has borne his part,And often felt the burden'd heart,
And dropt the secret tear;
But care was lighten'd of its load,
By trusting in a faithful God,
The Friend, for ever near.
3
Physicians oft, that we might live,The nauseous draught, unsparing, give,
Or sweeten to allure;
And he, submissive, understood,
The Best Physician, wise and good,
Knew what alone would cure.
4
But now his pains and griefs are o'er,He, too, draws near to Jordan's shore,
Yet he the prospect hails;
Some conflict Nature still maintains,
But hope his sinking heart sustains,
And faith, at last, prevails.
5
The ground he feels is solid ground;Trust in his Lord, ere this, he found
Could lighten sorrow's chain;
And now he proves, when death is near,
His presence can support and cheer,
When earthly help is vain.
6
The things of time, he finds indeed,Desert him in his hour of need;
The best, an empty name!
Now wealth, and power, and honours bright,
Like shadows, vanish from his sight,
But Christ is still the same.
7
A servant, profitless, is he;His only hope is mercy free;
The Cross is now his stay;
333
He now the Blood of Sprinkling pleads,
And flies to Endless Day!
431. Morning Aspirations.
1
The night's dark shadows disappear,Once more the dawn is drawing near;
Let our first thoughts to God arise,
And pay the willing sacrifice.
2
The opening morn which now we see,May we devote, O Lord! to thee;
And, till the evening, like the sun,
Our cheerful round of duties run.
3
Oh! may the Christian shine this day,Alike in all we do and say:
From pride preserved, and every snare,
Let meekness be the robe we wear.
4
Till night once more her reign begin,Protect us, Lord! from every sin;
Upon our path thy blessing shed,
And give us still our daily bread.
5
Teach us how fast our moments fly;Let our ambition reach the sky!
Why should the world engross our heart,
So soon with all things here to part!
6
Like sands descending through the glass,Our hours, in quick succession, pass;
The last will come, and this may be
The threshold of eternity!
7
Yet faith the far-off glance can send;Death, to the righteous is a friend!
334
The crown will be the sooner won!
8
While these inferior scenes decay,May prospects of eternal day
Rise fresh, and fairer to our sight,
As morn succeeds the shades of night!
9
Oh! may we reach at length the shoreWhere spirits bless'd, their God adore;
And join, to Him who once was slain,
The Seraphim's immortal strain!
[THE BEATITUDES.]
432. Beatitude. 1. “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven.”
1
Are there blessings? are there curses?Both there are, and both will be!
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
Those, O Lord! who worship thee;
But the foes of the Redeemer,
Shall not God, in glory, see.
2
Pride is restless as the oceanThat in slumber breathes alarm;
Honours, scrupulous, exacting,
Fancying foes in every form;
Tumult, his commanding passion,
And his element, the storm!
3
Blessed are the poor in spirit;Their commotions long have ceas'd;
Striving not to be the greatest;
Satisfied to be the least.
Through the sovereign balm, contentment,
Theirs is a continual feast.
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4
What in them should wake the tempest?Though the world, inconstant, frown,
Safe, beyond these scenes of turmoil,
They behold a radiant crown!
Taught by wisdom, little heeding
Earth's possessions or renown.
5
Father! ever good and bounteous,On my heart, unceasing, shine!
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
May that blessing, Lord! be mine!
May I, in the darkest season,
On thy word, in hope, recline!
433. Beatitude. 2. “Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be comforted.”
1
Fears, perplexities, and mourning,Often we are call'd to know,
In our rough and stormy passage
Through this world of sin and woe;
But, the joys that wait the faithful,
Will a recompense bestow.
2
Christ, the hope of man, hath promisedTo the captive, friendless, bound,
His effectual consolations,
If, in ways of wisdom, found,
With redemption, everlasting,
Where the saints, the Lamb surround.
3
In that world of light and glory,We on angels' fare shall feed,
Where our pleasures, ever flowing,
From the fount of God proceed:
Joys, substantial and increasing,
Which reverse shall not succeed!
336
4
Let, no longer, Zion's TravellersHang the head, and heave the sigh,
Earth is theirs, and theirs is heaven!
Prospects vast before them lie
In reversion, stretching forward
To the throne of God, on high!
434. Beatitude. 3. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
1
The warrior twines his envied garlands;The conqueror proudly waves his bays;
Are these their honours amaranthine,
That Haste suspends his march, to gaze;
And crowds around, through air extending,
The shout of gratulation raise?
2
Alas! the crowns so hardly fought for,Are withered by the evening sun!
And those who wear them, like their laurels,
Have oft their race of glory run!
Then, what avail the loudest plaudits,
If they no higher prize have won!
3
The Meek are blessed! They inheritThe choicest favours earth can give;
A peaceful mind, the hope inspiring,
In heaven, for ever, soon to live!
This is their verdant wreath, unfading,
And this their high prerogative!
4
O, may the meek and gentle spiritWhich God approves, be our delight;
May we prepare our eagle pinion
To enter on our heaven-ward flight,
And bid adieu, like captives ransomed,
To bondage, and these realms of night.
337
435. Beatitude. 4. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled.”
1
All men for different objects hunger;Some, for the shadowy things below,
Which fade and perish with the using;
Nor will they earthly joys forego,
To muse on heaven, to walk with God,
And in his grace and favour grow!
2
Diversified as form and feature,All men for different objects thirst;
Few, for the things entailing blessings,
But most, for those pronounced accurst!
Desiring not Jehovah's smile,
The Mighty Being, best, and first!
3
Those who are roused from Nature's darkness,In truth and righteousness delight:
With choice, that none have yet repented,
They seek the country, “out of sight;”
And fix their vision, and their hopes
On God, and goodness infinite.
4
Eternal Father! Source of Blessings!Give us the wisdom from above!
The spirit, tuned to heaven's high harpings,
The heart endued with sacred love;
Then, in the way, and when thou wilt,
Our ripened souls from earth remove!
5
Death wears no terrors to the faithful;They saw their Lord depart before,
And, with a fix'd and full assurance,
Shrink not dismay'd from Jordan's shore:
With nobler aims, they idolize
The vanities of time no more.
338
436. Beatitude. 5. “Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.”
1
What so lovely as compassion,In a world of pain and woe?
Where the wants of feeble creatures
Meet our eyes, wheree'er we go?
Those, of God and man, are blessed,
Who the healing balm bestow.
2
Mercy is an angel's feature,First derived from worlds on high!
Mercy is the link that binds us
To the Father of the sky!
For this rich, this heavenly blessing,
Lo! we lift th' imploring eye!
3
Great, O Lord! is thy forbearance,And thy mercies, who can tell!
Through transgression, when our father
From his state primeval fell,
Thou didst pity, thou didst pardon,
And redeem from death and hell.
4
In our season of desertion,When no other help was found,
Thou didst send thy well-beloved,
To unloose the captive bound,
That, to penitents, “salvation!”
Might through earth and heaven resound.
5
Here was mercy, everlasting,Worthy of a God to show!
Here was love, in fulness flowing
From its source, to man below!
Still, let mercy, still compassion,
Plants of heaven, within us grow.
339
6
Full of blessings, God hath promis'd,(For our joy till time shall end,)
He who mercy shews, shall find it,
Through our Advocate and Friend,
In the solemn hour advancing,
When to judgment we ascend.
437. Beatitude. 6. “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.”
1
Barren are our hearts, by nature,Cold as ice, and hard as stone!
Sin we hate not, Satan dread not,
God, we neither love, nor own:
We desire not heaven's inspection,
But would rule and live alone.
2
Holy Father! by thy Spirit,Raise our natures, make them pure!
May we seek thy strength to aid us,
Riches true, that will endure!
Let an evil world no longer,
With its snares, our hearts allure.
3
May we, ever, Lord! rememberBlessed are the pure in heart!
Such shall see thy face, rejoicing,
And with angels share a part:
From thy presence, source of blessings!
They shall never more depart!
4
Shall we barter hopes immortal?Shall we let our birth-right go?
O, our Father! full of mercy,
To escape the world of woe,
Sovereign pardon, grace effectual,
For the sake of Christ bestow!
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438. Beatitude. 7. “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.”
1
The world, since Adam fell, is stormy,A “moral darkness” reigns around:
Injustice here provokes contention,
And there the shouts of warfare sound!
Fierce commotion! desolation!
Stretch'd to earth's remotest bound.
2
Some, who strive to stem the torrent,Concord prizing, forward stand:
With the meek and quiet spirit,
These proclaim their Lord's command,
“Peace pursuing, love each other
In the great fraternal band!”
3
If they mark a brother wrathful,(Wrath ascending from beneath!)
They dissension's fire augment not,
They the soothing whisper breathe;
Ever aiming, as befits them,
Discord's two-edg'd sword to sheathe!
4
If the world be toss'd with tumult,Sons of Peace, in peace delight:
They, for wrongs, return no evil,
But, for evil, good requite:
In their heaven-illumin'd spirits,
There is joy, and there is light!
5
Such are children of the highest,To their Father ever dear;
They shall reach the blissful regions
Where contentions disappear;
And, for ever, (full fruition!)
Banish'd are the sigh and tear.
341
439. Beatitude. 8. “Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”
1
Mourning for our fallen nature,Hear the great Redeemer bless
Those who injuries meekly suffer
For the cause of righteousness!
If reviled, and though in fetters,
May we ever God confess!
2
Lo! the demon, Persecution!Lights his torch, and rears his stake,
Dragging, from his quiet dwelling,
One, his cruel rage to slake!
Pitiless, his prey consuming!
For the Best of Being's sake!
3
See! the father, on his offspring,Fixing steadfastly his eyes!
See! the children, wild and weeping!
See! the wife, in frantic guise!
Heaven imploring! unavailing!
See! the flames, at length, arise!
4
Whence these horrors? Does a murdererHeaven's avenging hand confess?
He is but a patient sufferer
For the cause of righteousness!
And, expiring, like his Saviour,
His inhuman foes can bless!
5
What can shame and anguish stifle,But the martyr's feeling true?
What repress the force of Nature?
What the dread of death subdue?
But the vision, beatific!
Heaven unfolding to his view!
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6
Look beyond the hour of torture!See, his crown, the martyr wear!
Envy not the proud oppressor!
Though he now may laugh at fear,
Darkness gathers! brief the triumph!
His reward is drawing near!
440. Beatitude. 9. “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, &c.”
1
Are there blessings still recorded,To inspire us on our way?
Crowns unwithering, glorious mansions,
Regions of immortal day,
To receive us, everlasting!
When these heavens have passed away?
2
He, who rescued man from ruin,Hath a blessing left behind,
On their heads, who bear revilings,
Evil thoughts, and words unkind,
For adherence, meek, but steadfast,
To the Saviour of mankind.
3
View not, as a bitter portion,Burdens, you are called to bear!
Soon the ills, that now afflict you,
Less than nothing will appear,
When you enter, heirs of glory!
On the one eternal year!
4
Be exceeding glad and joyful;These are signs of future good!
Crowns, that fade not, wait the righteous,
(Through the Saviour's precious blood;)
To possess your weight of glory,
Fearless, enter Jordan's flood!
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5
Keener pangs than you have suffered,Righteous men endured of old!
Prophets, servants of the Highest,
Many a tale of sorrow told!
Short the conflict! now, for ever,
They, the face of God behold!
6
For your momentary anguish,Ages of delight await;
When you pass, with all the ransomed,
(Led by angels,) Zion's gate!
Former sorrows, once so grievous,
Will but swell your happier state.
7
Raise the head that now is drooping!With such prospects, bright, before,
An inheritance of glory!
Why upon the present pore?
Through Messiah, on the morrow,
You shall ever God adore!
441.
[Encompass'd by a world of sin]
“Your Redemption draweth nigh.”
Luke xxi. 28.
1
Encompass'd by a world of sin,Grief must prevail, and trouble reign,
And our deliverance will begin,
As we are freed from Satan's chain:
Those, who the Lord their refuge make,
Behind, a voice directing, hear;
They have a hope, which naught can shake,
For their redemption draweth near!
2
When every heart endures dismay,And sorrow leads to deeper cares;
When Hope resigns her colours gay,
And earth a wintry aspect wears:
344
Faith makes their prospects calm and clear;
They can rejoice, like ransomed kings,
For their redemption draweth near.
3
If riches act the treacherous part,Or friends, in hour extreme, forsake;
If, on some darling of our heart,
The canker-worm should havoc make:
While others, toss'd and comfortless,
'Gainst heaven, the hand rebellious rear;
Christians, composed in their distress,
Behold redemption drawing near!
4
And when they view their final foe;(Victor in every age and clime!)
When sickness, by advances slow,
Conducts them to the verge of time;
Their souls, with prospects bright, expand;
Through him, to contrite sinners dear,
They know, while angels round them stand,
That their redemption draweth near!
442. Our Saviour and King.
1
If food we possess,Our God we would bless,
The good to his bounty we owe;
Do we raiment command?
'Tis his merciful hand
That our cup makes with blessings o'erflow.
2
Yet a little, and weFrom our wants shall be free;
We haste to the regions of light;
With views so sublime,
Our moment of time,
Let us spend with salvation in sight.
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3
In the world where we haste,Better food we shall taste
Than earth's banquets, that sicken and cloy;
Better robes we shall wear,
Sweeter smiles we shall share,
When we enter the regions of joy!
4
Our voice we shall raiseTo Immanuel's praise,
While ascriptions triumphant we sing:
The day hastens fast,
When our crowns we shall cast
At the feet of our Saviour and King!
443.
[O thou afflicted mind]
“There remaineth therefore a Rest.”
Heb. iv. 9.
1
O thou afflicted mind,Toss'd, wave-like, to and fro;
There is a Rest behind,
The end of all thy woe:
Hope still in God!
Keep on thy way,
Thou'rt on the road
To endless day!
2
Thou must thy burden bear!At heavenly joys still aim!
This is a world of care;
Thy fathers found the same!
But there is rest
When time is o'er,
Among the bless'd
For evermore!
3
On Christ, thy life, depend,From Satan's bondage freed;
Look to the Sinner's Friend
For all thy soul can need.
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His fulness see!
And with the just
Thou soon shalt be!
444. Consolations under Persecution.
1
Though foes condemn, or friends revile,We will not heed, if Jesus smile;
If, for our Lord, we suffer loss,
It is our Crown! It is our Cross!
2
If we so dread the “strife of tongues,”How had we felt the martyrs' wrongs!
If words such anguish can awake,
How had we borne the martyrs' stake!
3
We need not fear the outward storm,If all within be calm and warm:
When we, resign'd, on Jesus rest,
Faith throws her sunshine o'er our breast.
4
In hour, however dark and drear,His favour can support and cheer!
Nor should our souls of aught complain,
If the sweet hope of heaven remain!
5
The God we serve, the Infinite!Has ends to answer,—out of sight!
The very path which so distrest,
May be the path which suits us best!
6
To bring our virtues into view,Faith to confirm, or pride subdue;
To wean us from the world we love,
And fix our hearts on things above!
7
In that bless'd book which is our guide,(Our solace 'mid this desert wide,)
347
Who wrongs endure for conscience' sake!
8
There, promises conspicuous shine,(On which the sorrowing may recline,)
That they, for Christ, who suffer here,
Shall in his courts at length appear.
9
No one, till time itself shall end,Who hath forsaken home, or friend,
Houses, or children, or the ease
Which doth luxurious nature please;
10
None shall these gifts, for Christ, forego,Who shall not find, e'en here below,
Pleasures, that more than compensate!
And, Oh! what crowns unfading wait!
11
Shall we deplore earth's shadows vain,So soon, with Christ, to live and reign?
This hope and object, be our care,
And all beside is light as air.
445.
[Soon in peace shall we repose!]
“The Judge standeth before the door.”
James v. 9.
1
Soon in peace shall we repose!Fast to the dust we tend!
Time is hastening to a close,
When all our cares will end!
Soon, the Judge will call us hence,
Search our reins, and try our heart!
We must soon be station'd whence
We shall not more depart!
2
Let us for that hour prepare,And count earth's smiles but dross;
Let us, like disciples, bear,
Gladly our shame and cross!
348
(With a few more sighs and pains,)
Will conduct us to his sight,
Where joy for ever reigns!
3
Sinner! view the proffer'd crown!Thy dread account is near!
Oh! if God at last should frown,
Where then wilt thou appear!
Though the Judge be at the door,
There is hope, for there is grace!
While thy folly thou deplore,
Make Christ thy hiding-place!
446.
[Come, let us rejoice]
“Rejoice in the Lord alway.” Phil. iv. 4.
1
Come, let us rejoiceIn our covenant head;
We are, by his voice,
Through the wilderness led.
Though we combat with sorrow,
And troubles increase,
We look for the morrow,
When all shall be peace.
2
When assaulted with pain,Must gladness prevail?
When we losses sustain,
Must reliance not fail?
Indulge, we must never,
The murmuring voice!
Not often, but ever,
Our hearts must rejoice!
3
Our Father, on high,Whom Seraphim praise,
Our wants will supply
To the end of our days:
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Lies boundless before!
We shall joy, without measure,
Possess evermore!
447. The Hour of Visitation.
1
Shall we, for the forms that perish,Hope indulge, and toil endure,
And no ardent longings cherish,
For the world of pleasure pure?
Shall we with our Maker trifle,
And endanger endless day?
Those, who their convictions stifle,
Wander from the narrow way.
2
God, the Father of our spirit,Oft, in still small voice, we hear!
If we would not woe inherit,
Let us tremble! let us fear!
In our hour of visitation,
Let us make our calling sure!
May we seek the great salvation,
And, by faith, our crown secure!
448. Look to Jesus.
1
Thou, O Lord! dost not disdain us,When to thee, our spirits tend;
And thy arm will still sustain us,
Till we reach our journey's end:
Thou hast freed our souls from bondage;
Faith commands, and we obey;
Only let us look to Jesus,
And our fetters fall away.
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2
Not deferring till the morrow,Jesus! may we look to thee!
Look in gladness, look in sorrow,
And our full redemption see!
With our souls to God confided,
How shall we our joy express
That a refuge is provided
For the children of distress!
3
What surpassing consolation!Death and hell have lost their sting!
Let us pass our brief probation,
Looking to our Heavenly King!
May thy blood be our ablution,
While we live, a fountain free!
And, before us,—dissolution,
Jesus! may we look to thee!
449. Christ the Sinner's trust.
1
Sinner! although thy crimes are great,Though all but hopeless is thy state,
And heaven has bent his bow;
There is a Balm in Gilead still,
Implore, that God would change thy will,
And a new heart bestow.
2
If thou in evil paths hast trod,And madly wander'd far from God,
Near to perdition's flood;
To Christ, the spotless Lamb, return!
He never will the vilest spurn,
Who pleads his pardoning blood.
3
When earthly comforts fade and die,To him, the Friend of Sinners, fly,
That Holy One, and just!
351
In sickness, sorrow, and in death,
Make Christ thy only trust!
450. Reliance on God.
1
Lord! to thee our eyes we turn,Thou wilt not the suppliant spurn;
Visit us, we humbly pray,
With thy blessing, day by day.
2
If, in ambush, danger lies,Or temptations should surprise,
Screen our heads, and succour yield
With thy providential shield!
3
If some sudden ill should throwO'er our hopes the veil of woe,
Calmly may our hearts depend
On our everlasting Friend.
4
Should we suffer grief, or pain,Still let faith our souls sustain:
He, in whom are all our springs,
Guides, and governs human things.
5
Should some sickness, some diseaseLeagued with death, upon us seize;
(In the thoughtless hour serene,
Such is working oft unseen!)
6
Let us, with the peaceful eye,View our home in yonder sky;
With our Saviour, ever bless'd!
Where the weary are at rest!
352
451. Life, a Race.
1
The life of man, on earth,Is one continuous race;
Our footsteps, from our birth,
No efforts may retrace:
Whether our crown be lost or won,
Noble, or mean, we forward run!
2
Now Honour's voice inspires,So little understood!
But this, at length, retires
Before some greater good!
Successive objects we pursue,
Restless, in search of idols new!
3
Now Riches charm our eyes,Whose pearls before us dance;
To gain each glittering prize,
Impatient, we advance:
Oh, that we might such toils endure,
To make our heaven, our calling, sure!
4
Now Pleasure is our goal,And, to the point, we press;
But man commands a soul,
And he that soul must dress
In heaven's immaculate array,
Through faith in Christ, the Living Way.
5
All these our grasp elude,Yet, while such zeal we show,
We are, ourselves, pursued
By a relentless foe:
Behind us, Death still hurries fast!
And he will overtake, at last!
6
Our Father! make us wise!Teach us the truest gain!
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Its pomp, its pageants, vain!
Our great ambition, may it be,
To follow Christ, and honour thee!
7
If we in wealth delight,What riches may compare
With those in regions bright,
Where happy spirits are?
With treasures in that world of joy,
Which moth and rust can not destroy!
8
And if our last dread foeThe victory must obtain,
What transport, him, to know,
Vanquish'd, and spoil'd, and slain:
To see our captain still precede,
On earth, to fight; in heaven, to plead!
9
To God and glory bound,Below, heaven's joys begin;
If faithful we are found,
We all the race shall win,
And, standing round the mercy seat,
Prostrate our crowns at Jesus' feet.
452. Ingratitude.
1
If we an ingrate e'er have known,Who ill requites the favour shown,
We all, with one consent, reveal
The anger which the generous feel!
2
Lord! deeper crimes than these we seeIn our ingratitude to thee!
We daily live upon thine aid,
Yet, how have we the debt repaid!
354
3
In all our comforts thee we view;Each hour we trace some blessing new;
From infancy, to riper years,
Thy providential care appears!
4
While many want a home, or friend,And with unnumber'd ills contend;
Some a frail tenement sustain,
Opprest with woe, or rack'd with pain;
5
A brighter sun has on us shone;Our trials, scarce arrived, were gone;
And, for a world so thorny found,
Our days have been with goodness crown'd!
6
[The hardest lot, whate'er arise,In gratitude, should banish sighs!
And the complaints we loudest raise,
Still terminate in prayer, and praise.
7
O, that the men, who cares endure,Would think, what balm remains to cure!
And, drop one passing tear, for those
Afflicted with acuter woes!]
8
Lord! fill our hearts with thankfulness;Let praise be more, complaint be less!
May we thy countless gifts recall,
And bless the hand that dealt them all.
453. Mercy
1
Lord! for help we come to thee,Set us, from our fetters, free!
Purify our inward part;
Take possession of our heart!
Make us for our folly grieve,
And, at death, our souls receive!
355
2
For these various gifts, so vast!At thy feet, ourselves we cast,
And, with deep contrition, plead
Christ, in this our hour of need!
Let thy mercy, Lord! awake
For thy Son, our Saviour's sake!
3
While the tears bedew our eye,Mercy! mercy! Lord, we cry!
When approaching Jordan's shore,
We, forgiveness, must implore;
And, to mercy, trust alone,
Standing round the judgment throne!
454. The Heavenly Prize.
1
Oft we talk of hallow'd things,Do we God indeed adore?
We confess the King of Kings,
Oh! to feel his presence more!
2
When we venture near thy throne,And before thee bow the knee,
'Tis the heart, O Lord! alone,
That acceptance finds with thee.
3
All alike thy pardon need;Prone from infancy to stray;
For this pardon, Lord! we plead;
Turn us empty not away!
4
Raise us from our sluggish framesTo pursue afresh our race!
Animate our hopes and aims
By thy soul-reviving grace!
5
May we with each idol partThat our progress would arrest!
356
And his love inspire our breast!
6
Our probation soon will end!As our days on earth decline,
O, our Advocate and Friend,
In us rule, and on us shine!
7
We have souls that must surviveYonder flame-devoted skies!
May we agonize and strive
To secure our heavenly prize!
455. Blessings sought of God.
1
Lo! before thy throne we bow,Bless us, Lord, and bless us now;
From corruption's bondage free,
May our spirits cleave to thee!
Give not honour, give not gold,
If thy blessing thou withhold!
2
Grant us, Lord, we humbly plead,Whatsoe'er we truly need;
Give us, with our daily bread,
Faith to trust what thou hast said:
Cheer us, guide us, bless and keep,
When we wake, and when we sleep.
3
Bless us with the soul sincere,Christ to love, and thee to fear;
Let our charities extend
To the world's remotest end;
And in men, of every hue,
May we friends, and brethren, view!
4
Bless us, from thy holy hill,With a reverence for thy will;
357
Grant us safety when we roam,
Grace returning with the day,
Tongues to praise, and hearts to pray!
5
Give us patience; make us wise;Bless us in the souls we prize;
Make us blessings; may we be
Own'd of Christ, and bless'd of thee!
Ever, like the glorious sun,
Shining in the race we run!
6
Higher blessings we implore;When our mortal strife is o'er,
Send thy angel convoy bright
To conduct us to thy sight!
Bless us in the world above
With thine everlasting love!
456.
[To-morrow! 'tis a fearful coast]
“Boast not thyself of to-morrow.”
Prov. xxvii. 1.
1
To-morrow! 'tis a fearful coast,In midnight wrapt, like heaven's decree!
To-morrow! who shall dare to boast
Of that which he may never see!
2
“Change!” is the short, but solemn line,Stamp'd, legible, on all below!
Our lives are shadows that decline,
And earth is vanity and woe!
3
The sentence, ere the rising sun,May summon us to worlds unknown!
The present moments, one by one,
Darkness beyond! are ours alone.
4
Lord! with eternity at hand,(Upon the verge of heaven, or hell!)
358
And, far from thee, contented dwell?
5
Grant us thy strength, to burst each chainThat would our hearts, enslave, surprise;
Nor longer let our souls disdain
The call that warns us to be wise.
6
Our souls are of ethereal birth!The track of heaven before us shines!
Time is a gem of priceless worth,
And every moment rich as mines!
7
Like midnight visions, come and gone,Our morrows soon away will flee;
Save one, a morrow hastening on,
A morrow we shall never see!
457. Prospect of Heaven.
1
Desponding soul! no more complain,Thou, with thy Lord, shalt live and reign,
And now the hour is nigh;
A few more troubles, toils, and cares,
And thou, the joy that seraph shares,
Shalt taste in yonder sky.
2
Thought hath not reach'd, nor heart conceived,E'en faith herself hath scarce believed,
The bliss, prepared, above,
For those who live like strangers here;
True servants, who Jehovah fear,
And Christ obey, and love.
3
Beyond the withering scenes of time,There is a heritage sublime,
To which the just aspire;
359
When all things here shall pass away,
Wrapp'd in devouring fire.
4
Then the new world its head shall rear,(Which solaced many a pilgrim here,)
When Satan's power shall fall;
When righteousness, the reign of grace!
Shall fill th' immeasurable space,
And God be all in all!
5
Freely redeem'd from death and hell,May we that grand assemblage swell,
Whose chorus, loud and long,
(While worshipping the great “I Am,)”
Ascribes salvation to the Lamb,
The theme of every song.
458. Return to God.
1
Led by every vagrant star,We have wander'd long and far;
Joys unstable, shadows vain,
We have sought, and call'd them gain;
Vanities, that foolish were,
Have, too often, been our snare;
We, our hearts, to these have given,
Not to God, and Christ, and Heaven,
2
To thy rest my soul return;All thy gilded idols spurn:
These are trifles light as air!
What can with thy soul compare!
What compensate for thy loss,
If thou sell thy gold for dross!—
Things of earth, that fade and die,
For the joys above the sky!
360
3
Raise to heaven thy heart and voice!Halt no longer in thy choice!
In thy Lord all fulness see!
Fly, O fly, to Calvary!
Make the Lamb of God thy Friend;
Trust him, serve him, to the end;
Then, when time has past away,
Thou shalt live in endless day.
459. The Complaining Christian.
1
Did I not hear thee, mourner! say,“My sorrows lengthen with the day!
“The meanest form that passes by,
“Feels more of happiness than I?”
2
Check this unhallow'd spirit vain!Pause, ere thy tongue again complain!
The eye, that drops th' incessant tear,
Forgets the heavenly mansion near.
3
Dost thou not trust, when life is o'er,To join the host who God adore?
I hear thee cry, by joy opprest,
“That hope alone inspires my breast.”
4
Would'st thou thy faith in heaven resign,In state to rule; in courts to shine?
“Ah, no!” thy shuddering heart replies,
“My portion lies in yonder skies.”
5
Would'st thou on earth for ever dwell,If boundless wealth thy hoards might swell?
“Ah, no!” thou say'st, “I spurn the clod!
“My life is hid with Christ in God!”
361
6
What! with such heritage on high,Dost thou indulge the murmuring sigh?
Thus rich in faith, canst thou complain
Of losses, griefs, bereavements, pain?
7
With joys so pure, with hopes so bright,Canst thou retire to gloom and night,
And pass life's momentary span,
Complaining of the lot of man?
8
Thou hast a treasure far too highFor crowns to barter, kings to buy!
And canst thou breathe thy discontent
At trials by thy Father sent?
9
If, by the tempter still betray'd,Think what thy bleeding Saviour paid
To build those mansions in the sky
Prepared for all, in Christ who die!
10
Look, vain complainer! look and seeThousands, less happy, envying thee!
Behold, while thou, on self dost pore,
The crowds around, afflicted more.
11
Be, to thyself, thy prospects true!The great, the proud, in pity view!
They have no wealth which will endure!
Thou art the rich, while they are poor!
460. Christ our Confidence.
1
Jesus! O thou Friend of Sinners!Smile upon us! give us grace!
We (the eldest,) are beginners
In the Christian's arduous race:
362
While, as strangers, here we roam;
Perfect, Lord! thy great salvation,
Ere thou call our spirits home.
2
From our thousand foes deliver;Rouse the languid! warm the cold!
Never may we wander, never,
From our heavenly Father's fold!
Art thou not the fount of blessing
Here, as in the world above?
Pour upon us, without ceasing,
All the treasures of thy love!
3
Let us not be faint and wearyIf thy sun delay to rise;
Though our mortal path be dreary,
'Tis the passage to the skies!
This the season is for sowing;
Harvest time will soon appear;
Pleasure, like a river, flowing,
Full fruition! now is near!
4
Lord! we yield to thy dominion,Under sin no longer sold;
Borne on faith's triumphant pinion,
May we hidden things behold:—
Dwell upon the wondrous story,
Of the Lamb that once was slain;
And, at length, with saints in glory,
Sing his praise, and with him reign!
461.
[When sinners, heedless, we behold]
“I have called thee.”
1 Samuel, xxviii. 15.
1
When sinners, heedless, we behold,To folly bound, to Satan sold,
Running the downward way;
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Hosannahs to their Lord should raise,
That they, his voice obey.
2
We once the paths of folly trod,But, looking to the Lamb of God,
Joy, peace, and pardon came:
We tremble at Jehovah's foe,
While gratitude to God we owe
That we are not the same!
3
An evil nature we possess;The seeds of all unrighteousness
Reign, half subdued, within;
And that resistless might alone,
Which changed, at first, our hearts of stone,
Restrains the power of sin.
4
The Lord, from slumber bade us rise;He truth presented to our eyes;
Endued us with his grace;
And he, who hath such wonders wrought,
At length, will give us, rapturous thought!
At his right hand, a place!
462. The Cross.
1
Was it, upon that awful morning,Our state eternal was secured!
Was it, to save our souls from ruin,
The Son of God the Cross endured!
Did he, for rebels, downward fly,
And stoop, for us, to bleed and die!
2
Lest rocks and mountains rise against us,Let each repeat, with bended knee,
What shall I render to my Saviour!
For all the pangs he bore for me!
364
Which sought me in my low estate!
3
Through all our days, Eternal Father!Give us thy grace to live to thee!
May we, in Christ, our hope of glory!
All power behold! all fulness see!
Upon the Cross alone rely
For heaven and immortality!
[THE COMMANDMENTS.]
463. First Commandment. “Thou shalt have none other Gods but me.”
1
Multiplied are human idols!Satan's temples spread around!
But before no form, or creature,
Must our voice, imploring, sound;
We must worship
God alone, the great profound!
2
On his will, we hang for being;Through his power, each breath we draw;
All that is would instant vanish
Should he his support withdraw!
On Jehovah,
We must think with solemn awe!
3
He, the everlasting mountains,With a word, from nothing brought!
He, the countless stars of heaven,
In the silence of his thought!
Reverential!
May we fear him as we ought!
4
He, our souls, at first created;Clouds that float, and suns that glow!
365
He, the beauteous flowers that blow!
Wood and fountain,
Things above, and things below!
5
May we yield him adoration,When we rise, and ere we sleep!
May we, in our inmost spirits,
His commands delight to keep!
Soon, in glory,
The rewards of grace to reap!
464. Second Commandment. “Thou shalt not make to thyself any Graven Image,” &c.
1
To nothing in the heavens above us,Nothing on the earth beneath,
Must we, of our God forgetful,
Prayer, in faintest whisper, breathe,
Or, Jehovah
Will his glittering sword unsheath!
2
Prone we are to seek a refugeIn the forms that fade and rust;
Prone we are, with hearts deceitful,
In an arm of flesh to trust;
Not confiding
In th' Omnipotent and Just!
3
No work of man, no graven image,Hallow'd in our sight must be!
Things of heaven, and earth, and water,
At Jehovah's presence flee!
To the Highest
We alone must bend the knee!
4
We, ere this, have bow'd to creatures,Though no image, wood or stone;
366
Upon idols of our own!
From this moment
May we worship God alone!
5
Near may be commission'd angels,To conduct our souls away!
Let us, on our high probation,
Keep in view that solemn day!
And, each idol
In our hearts, relentless, slay!
465. Third Commandment. “Thou shalt not take the Name of the Lord thy God in vain,” &c.
1
Him, who rides upon heaven's circle,Whirlwinds his mysterious car;
Him, whose utterance is the thunder,
And whose arrows lightnings are;
Him, we worship,
Witness'd in his works afar!
2
Sun, and moon, and stars, unnumber'd,The eternal God proclaim!
He sustains the wheels of nature,
Through her universal frame!
Ever tremble
At Jehovah's awful name!
3
Fast the moment is advancing,When we all shall stand and hear,
Rich and poor, the final sentence!
Then the stoutest heart will fear!
And the righteous
With arch-angels bright appear!
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4
Is it an inferior blessingTo behold in God a friend?
Him, whose frown throws night before it!
And whose smiles the sun transcend!
On whose favour
We for every breath depend?
5
Daring mortal! learn to trembleAt the name of God, Most High!
Lest he in his anger smite thee,
And thy soul and body die!
Ever banish'd
From the mansions in the sky!
466. Fourth Commandment. “Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy,” &c.
1
God, in mercy to his creaturesHath a day of rest bestow'd!
Life, to some new state of being,
Is the rough and thorny road!
We are hastening
To a strange and last abode!
2
Many cares, and painful duties,Through our week-day hours prevail;
With eternity before us,
Let us bid the sabbath, hail!
Sacred moments!
Time is short! and life is frail!
3
All our days are fix'd and number'd,And for weighty ends were given!
May we evermore remember
To keep holy one in seven!
Fly from evil,
And prepare for death and heaven!
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4
While, by unseen foes surrounded,We deceitful hearts possess,
On this day, by God appointed,
May we all our sins confess,
And the Saviour,
Make our strength, and righteousness.
5
May we join our feeble praisesIn th' assembly God hath bless'd;
And begin delightful foretastes
Of the joys in heaven possest.
Blissful region!
Sabbath of eternal rest!
467. Fifth Commandment. “Honour thy Father and thy Mother,” &c.
1
If gratitude, the debt of justice,Be due to those who favours show;
What shall we render to our parents,
To whom ten thousand gifts we owe!
Children themselves,
The full amount can never know.
2
Do we desire to please our Maker,And hope on earth to sojourn long?
God hath commanded us to honour
Our parents, with affection strong,
Next after God,
To whom our highest thanks belong.
3
If children dread self-accusation,When, 'neath the turf, their parents lie;
Let them, while yet they may, unceasing,
In duty and affection vie!
Or death may soon
Provision for remorse supply!
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4
And, Oh! let parents love their children,Their body much, but more their soul;
Let them, as well becomes immortals,
Foster the good, the bad control,
And, names so dear,
Strive in heaven's record to enrol!
5
Let them a deeper feeling cherishTo fit them for an endless state,
Than to exalt, with anxious purpose,
Their rank amid the rich and great!
Oft, slippery paths,
Seen, in true colours, when too late!
6
Then, when this shadowy world is over,They all shall meet to part no more,
Safe in those realms, where weary pilgrims,
(Those passing now, or gone before,)
Shall, victory! shout,
And, with the ransom'd, God adore.
468. Sixth Commandment. “Thou shalt do no murder.”
1
Is it required to give the mandateAt which demoniacs might turn pale!
To charge a mortal, “Do no murder!”
Oh, fallen nature! worse than frail!
How might we sink
Should our internal foes prevail!
2
One murderer, on the verge of Eden,With brother's blood the green sward stain'd!
The lifted hand! the tie fraternal!
The pleading voice, his heart disdain'd!
Dread penalty!
Jehovah's vengeance Cain sustained.
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3
There oft exists the murderous spirit,Where never purple tide doth flow!
Revengeful thought, the imprecation,
The wish that harm our foes might know,
These ever spring
From the distemper'd world below!
4
Father! with passions so disorder'd,With wrath so prone to rise within,
Bestow thine influence, to restrain us,
Lest anger turn to deadly sin!
To curb our hearts,
Let us this hour, by prayer, begin.
5
May we display, to all around us,The gentle spirit, good, and kind!
The soul that can return, spontaneous,
The soothing word, for words unkind:
Grant us thy strength
To discipline, for heaven, our mind!
469. Seventh Commandment. “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”
1
In gifts of mercy without number,The treasury of heaven abounds:
The proof of watchful care paternal,
Wheree'er we fix our gaze, surrounds:
One blessing chief
With gladness man's condition crowns.
2
The God who guides and governs all things,Views marriage with th' approving eye;
The beings who would burst asunder
Its hallow'd and endearing tie,
Must never look
For portion with the saints on high.
371
3
Th' Almighty, for such dark delinquents,In anger, hath prepared a state:
His curse, more terrible than lightning,
Will follow, with o'erwhelming fate,
Adulterers vile,
And, on them, close hell's flaming gate!
4
For that eternal world before us,We must our wayward hearts prepare,
Remembering, as a solemn warning,
None but the pure shall enter there;
Repentant souls
Who all the wedding garment wear.
5
Save us, O Lord, from each temptation!Give us desires that tend to thee!
And wash us in that blessed fountain,
Prepared for sin on Calvary!
Which, through heaven's grace,
From every taint the soul can free.
470. Eighth Commandment. “Thou shalt not steal.”
1
Are there some shapes, resembling human,(Compounded of inferior dust!)
So heedless of their Maker's anger,
As to perform the deed unjust?
To wrong! to steal!
Whom foes despise, and friends distrust!
2
A sight so abject claims our pity;Immortal Beings, sunk so low!
They dare not view the stars above them!
They, in their fields, tares only sow!
Headlong they sink,
Self-sacrificed, to endless woe.
372
3
The Lord hath said, whom angels worship,Thou shalt not steal! thou shalt not slay!
Yet men, with hearts beguiled by Satan,
Venture that God to disobey:
Who steals, would kill;
Crimes thicken in the downward way!
4
Lord! fill us with the upright spirit,That can each sordid thought despise!
May none desire to wrong another,
Nor steal, for aught below the skies!
To give account,
We, at the Judgment day, must rise!
5
Let us not sell our soul! that jewel!Which worlds in vain might strive to buy!
The good for which that pearl we offer,
Will soon, as dust, before us lie!
The soul once lost,
Is lost to all eternity!
471. Ninth Commandment. “Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
1
Truth shines in yonder world of glory,(Faint emblem'd by the radiant star,)
The Lord of truth is King in Zion,
And all but truth must stand afar
From that bless'd world,
Where God and happy spirits are.
2
Shall we, unmindful of our Maker,False witness 'gainst our neighbour bear?
Whom God and nature teach to cherish,
And never to oppress, but spare:
May we henceforth
From falsehood flee, and wrath forbear!
373
3
The days of darkness fast are hastening,When sympathy our hearts will need;
This we shall find, if truth and kindness
Ourselves have shown, in word and deed:
Discord and lies
From hell, their secret source, proceed.
4
If we, ere this, have wrong'd our neighbour,Now may we juster ways pursue;
And if our neighbour be transgressor,
Let us, by love, his wrath subdue;
May we look on,
And keep eternal things in view.
5
Death, healer of a thousand breaches,May now, with silent step, be near;
Let us no longer wrong our neighbour,
But live in concord, truth revere,
And, at the last,
May we in robes of white appear!
472. Tenth Commandment. “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house,” &c.
1
The Lord, in his unerring counsels,Denies his blessings, or bestows:
His plans, ordain'd for countless ages,
In darkness veil'd! what seraph knows?
Yet all is right;
From him alone perfection flows.
2
He owns, who deals our earthly portion,The cattle on a thousand hills;
The elements to him are subject!
The whirlwind his design fulfils!
374
He rules the blast, the storm he stills!
3
Sinners can nothing claim from heaven;All is his gift, desert is none:
We have our highest Friend forsaken,
And, by our deeds, ourselves undone;
Yet light appears,
We have a hope through Christ his Son!
4
Clothed with unutterable meannessThe covetous comes creeping forth!
His envious eye he casts around him,
And thinks for him the teeming earth
Gives forth its sweets,
Offering to his superior worth.
5
Whate'er he sees, no rights regarding,He would possess, “in mountain mass;”
And now his neighbour's house he covets,
And now his wife, his ox, his ass!
Remembering not,
The bound which God forbids to pass.
6
This is the mandate of Jehovah,(Oh whom with awe arch-angels gaze!)
Nothing, whate'er, that is thy neighbour's,
Thy covetous regard shall raise:
All gifts are mine,
And dark, though righteous, are my ways.
7
Father! may each desire unruly,Our souls with holy ardour shun!
May we restrain our wants, and covet,
Alone — resemblance to thy Son!
Learning to say
Give, or withhold, — Thy Will be done!
375
473. Christ our Confidence.
1
Lord of life! we shame inherit;We are bound who once were free;
We have neither praise nor merit,
All our hope is placed in thee;
Oft on reeds have we depended,
Through a vain and treacherous heart;
Yet hast thou our souls befriended,
Saviour! still thine aid impart!
2
We, too oft, have found our weakness,Lord, we covet strength divine;
May we grow in love and meekness,
Let thine image in us shine;
Wean our spirits from the creature,
All below is little worth;
Fix them on the Great Creator,
And on thee, the Hope of Earth.
3
Saviour! by thy blood and passion,With thy favour, full and free,
View us with thine own compassion,
Tenderness belongs to thee;
Let us not augment the banish'd!
On our hearts thy grace distil;
And, when earth and time have vanish'd,
Take us to thy holy hill!
474. Troublous Times.
1
When wars and rumours, fraught with fear,Upon the heart, foreboding, prey;
One thought the Christian still may cheer,
God holds the universal sway!
376
2
Conflicting billows round may reign,Yet these subserve his sovereign will;
He can the fetter'd storm unchain,
Or say to tempests, “Peace! be still!”
3
Our Father! in each threatening hour,May we with joy approach thy throne;
Is not thy goodness like thy power,
Where infinite is all thine own?
4
Shall man, the fleeting and the vain,With worms his brethren, dust his bed,
Thy ways, with impious pride, arraign,
And trace the path which thou shouldst tread!
5
Faith can o'er every foe succeed,And still illume the darkest day:
With God to hear, and Christ to plead,
What should our steadfast souls dismay?
6
Teach us, when tumult round prevails,To doubt thy guiding hand no more,
And, where our feeble vision fails,
To see thee, trust thee, and adore!
475. The Goal in Sight.
1
Should the christian, death bewail,Freed from his oppressive chains;
With a body vile and frail,
That the ceaseless strife maintains?
Wherefore should our heaven-bound spirits
Thus, at distance, love to roam,
When we trust a Saviour's merits,
Who invites his children home.
377
2
When we feel the stormy blast,And affliction's waves increase,
We our eager eyes should cast
Toward the realms of perfect peace:
Anxious fears, that once distress'd us,
Disappointments, aches, and pains,
These will never more molest us
In the world where Jesus reigns.
3
Let us check our rising sighs;Let the trembling heart be strong;
There are treasures in the skies,
Which to us, and ours, belong:
Since our watchful Shepherd sought us,
As we wander'd from his fold,
We shall, through the Lamb that bought us,
Soon a better world behold!
4
When their resting-place is near,Earthly racers faster flee;
Shall we now relax and fear,
When our heavenly goal we see?
Why should doubt and dread assail us,
With our fullest ransom paid?
Saints and angels wait to hail us,
With a crown that will not fade.
476. The Duty of Forgiveness.
1
God is constantly bestowingCountless blessings on our head;
He, with mercy, full and flowing,
Gives us all our daily bread.
2
Hopes, from him, our hearts expanding,Like a river, still increase:
378
Love as brethren, dwell in peace!
3
As we trust a Saviour's merit,And in heaven aspire to live,
Grant us, Lord! the quiet spirit,
Hearts that injuries can forgive.
4
Sins of ours, beyond recounting,At the feet of Christ we lay;
What the virtues of that fountain
Which the whole can wash away!
5
Shall we anger's deep defilementCherish, in despite of heaven?
Shall we spurn at reconcilement
Who so oft have been forgiven?
6
Shall we, brethren, young, or hoary,Hope to meet in yonder fold;
Yet, while travelling on to glory,
With them no communion hold?
7
If offence, that folly gave us,Should our faith and patience try;
Like our Lord, who died to save us,
Let us meekly pass it by.
8
What, our solemn obligation,If true grace our hearts renew,
While we seek our own salvation
To forgive our brother too!
477. Wisdom taught by all Things.
1
Who the course of time shall stay?Stream that earnest passes on;
Still impatient in its way,
Ever coming, never gone!
379
Lesson learn from all around.
2
Does the oak, for empire made,Prostrate on the ground appear?
Will the thorn ere long be laid?
Time subverting all things here!
Lord! prepare me for the day,
When I nature's debt must pay!
3
Now the great and mighty treadHonour's path, and close their eyes;
Now, the beggar bows his head;
Now the fool, and now the wise!
May I make my calling sure!
Give me wealth that will endure!
4
Lords are dust! and kings are clay!Now they shine, and now they die!
Honours, riches, pass away
Like the stream that hurries by!
Shall I seek the things of earth,
And forget my lofty birth?
5
Coveting no pomp or show,Nor man's praises to obtain;
May I, like my Saviour, grow,
And hereafter with him reign!
Other choice may grief afford,
This will never be deplor'd!
478. Song of Praise to the Saviour.
1
Lo! for man the Saviour died!Let our praises reach the sky;
As we lay in ruin wide,
He beheld, with pitying eye:
380
He redeemed the captive, bound.
2
Who shall speak the boundless worthOf our Everlasting Friend?
Let the song begin on earth;
Which, in heaven, will never end!
Glory, praise, and power divine,
Saviour of the world, be thine!
3
While adoring angels gazeOn the Lamb that once was slain;
Seraphs offer ceaseless praise
In the loud and lofty strain!
Now, released from death and hell,
Let our tongues the chorus swell!
4
Bless'd Immanuel! let us see,(While our hearts with joy o'erflow,)
All thy Father's grace in thee!
Tread thy steps, and like thee grow,
And, at length, with nobler love,
Join the song of praise above.
479. Life a River.
1
Mark the river, at its birth,When it leaves the mountain's side;
See it, gently stealing forth,
Downward to the valley glide;
Gathering strength, as on it goes,
'Till a torrent wide it flows.
2
Now, impelled by mighty force,On, it speeds, from thraldom free:
Nothing may resist its course,
Till it mingles with the sea:
Having raged its little day,
In that gulf it dies away.
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3
Image of the birth of man!View him now an infant mild,
Gifted with the narrowest span:
Who, contemplating the child,
Would suspect, as he beholds,
What that feeble casket holds.
4
Like a slender stream, at first,See him, weak, yet onward glide!
Now impatient, view him burst
Up to man, in power and pride,
Oft by storm and tempest tost,
'Till in death's dark ocean lost!
5
Here the semblance faint must cease!Man, though sunk to mortal eye,
Will emerge, and still increase,
Being of a nobler sky!
Life conducts us to the gate
Leading to an endless state.
6
Let us pass our sojourn here,With an undiverted gaze
Fix'd upon that loftier sphere,
When, (expiring in a blaze,)
Earth shall vanish, time, and sin,
And Eternity begin!
480.
[All events, or dark, or bright]
“All Things work together for good, to
them that love God.” Rom. viii. 28.
1
All events, or dark, or bright,Lord! are naked in thy sight:
Howsoe'er the world appear,
Chance has no dominion here:
All things, rightly understood,
Work together for our good.
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2
“What! can crosses ever prove“Tokens of my Father's love?
“Can bereavements, care, and pain,
“Tend to my immortal gain?
“Can the trials I lament,
“Be, by God, in mercy, sent?”
3
Pause a little! patient be!Thou, ere long, shalt clearer see!
Sorrows, now, that dim thine eye,
Soon will cease to wake the sigh:
Let thy troubled spirit rest,
All is working for the best.
4
We, like children in their play,Have our wills, and want our way,
And, if thwarted, cry in wrath,
“Why do thorns molest my path?
“Some exult, and others shine,
“But affliction's cup is mine!”
5
Wait a little! view the end!They have no Almighty Friend
Whom they ever seek, or prize!
In this world their treasure lies!
But for sorrow's chastening rod
Thou hadst now been far from God.
6
Cease repining, thoughtless heart!Where dost thou desire thy part?
Here to revel, soon to die,
Or to dwell with Christ on high?
Would'st thou reign in yonder sphere,
Or desire thy portion here?
7
The reply thou may'st withhold:Thou belong'st to Jesus' fold;
383
He conducts through all their way:
Let them not their Shepherd chide,
He is still their Friend, and Guide.
8
Mourning soul! dismiss thy fears,Check thy sorrows, dry thy tears:
Trust the unseen hand, and bear
All thy momentary care.
Soon the light of heaven will throw
Lustre o'er thy path below!
481. Rejoice.
1
Rejoice in thy covenant head,Desponding and sorrowful soul!
Let hope o'er thee radiance shed,
And the reed that was bruised be whole!
Thou hast an inheritance sure,
Reserved in the regions of day!
A crown, thát still bright will endure,
When time shall have vanish'd away!
2
The present is bondage to thee,With freedom a little delay'd;
Yet still, though a captive thou be,
Thy debt and thy ransom are paid;
Sustain then life's wintry blast,
Passing on, like a cloud of the sky;
While thou mournest, the tempest is past,
And redemption eternal is nigh!
3
From the dust, no afflictions can spring;In measure, and weight, they unfold;
Let us all, as the sons of a king,
Resemble the righteous of old:
Our fathers have banish'd their fears,
They look back, and exult in their choice,
And we soon shall dry up our tears,
And in glory for ever rejoice!
384
482. Sabbath Morning.
1
Enough of time has past away,For highest end and purpose given;
We hail the morning of this day,
To raise our thoughts from earth to heaven.
Incline us, Lord! to look to thee,
And in thy Son all fulness see!
2
Thou art our true and rightful King,Whose goodness, and whose power we own;
Wean us from every finite thing,
And fix our hopes on thee alone!
Upon thy mercy we depend,
With one to plead, the Sinner's Friend!
3
Let thoughts of Christ within us raiseO'erflowing gratitude and love;
Our loftiest thanks, our highest praise,
We waft thee to thy throne above!
The breathings of the heart, to thee,
Are sweet as angels' melody!
4
Thee, heavenly Father! we adore!Regard us still, thou Prince of Peace
Probation-time will soon be o'er,
And means of grace, for ever cease!
Henceforward, may we fix our eye
Upon the mansions in the sky!
483.
[Life, with all its toils and cares]
The Journey of Life. Gen. xlvii. 8. 9.
1
Life, with all its toils and cares,To a journey semblance bears:
Whether earthly traveller found,
Or to heaven our steps are bound,
385
Which important truths may teach.
2
When we have our home resign'd,Crosses we expect to find;
Here the house, and there the tent,
No condition permanent:
Called, vicissitudes to bear;
Such we know is traveller's fare.
3
If the hospitable voice,Sometimes makes our hearts rejoice;
We must still our way pursue,
We a journey have in view:
Social joys, however sweet,
Must not stay our earnest feet.
4
If our path through danger lies,If the inconvenience rise,
If our inn, both rude and bare,
Soften not the brow of care,
Hope must not desert our breast,
'Tis a resting-place at best.
5
Images of child and friend,Cheer us, at our journey's end;
Pleasures rich, for sorrows past,
Will reward us, at the last:
Why on gloomy moments pore
With a year of joy before?
6
Emblem this, our hearts reply,Of our journey to the sky:
Toils to press, and fears to scare,
Like our fathers, we must bear;
Wind and tempest, hail and rain,
Sometimes grief, and sometimes pain.
386
7
Many a name, to Jesus dear,Travels long in darkness here;
Many a saint must watch and weep,
Ere the destin'd hour to reap;
Made in bitterness to roam,
Ere he shout his harvest-home.
8
But if, haply, we should findProsperous suns, and seasons kind;
Joys from infancy to age;
These must not our hearts engage;
Bound to a celestial sphere,
Nothing must detain us here.
9
Our delights can not be few,When we keep the end in view:
Trials, in their utmost power,
Wear and vex us but an hour:
Though fatigue we now deplore,
There is rest enough in store!
10
All the troubles of the way,Heaven at last will well repay:
We shall soon forget our woe,
In the world to which we go;
And, with all our journeyings o'er,
Praise the Lamb, and God adore.
485.
[In all the social ties of life]
“One Thing is needful.”
Luke x. 42.
1
In all the social ties of life,Needful it is to bear our part;
388
Sometimes to feel the ruffled heart;
Our one thing needful, then will be
Anger to keep in due degree!
2
Needful it is, to mix with those,(Where duty calls) of evil name;
Who are, to God, and goodness, foes,
And madly glory in their shame;
Then, will our needful lesson be,
Danger, in lawful things, to see.
3
Sometimes our very joys combineOur hopes to dim, our hearts enslave;
As wealth augments, we grow supine,
Nor own the bounteous hand that gave;
Then will it doubly needful be
The vanity of time to see!
4
Sometimes our sympathetic stringIs moved to a discordant sound;
Our mourn'd corruptions seem to spring,
Not from ourselves, but those around;
Then, will our one thing needful be,
By prayer, to gain the victory!
5
Sometimes the shafts of Satan fly;Assurance sinks, and doubts arise;
The world forbears in guilt to lie,
And we, forbidden objects prize;
Oh! then, our needful thing will be,
Sin, in its native hues, to see.
6
One thing is chiefly needful here,The smile of God, our highest friend!
Which, thrice more needful will appear,
When earth and moments ebb and end!
As time withdraws, we all shall see
One thing, alone, will needful be!
389
7
Then, on a Saviour to recline,Retiring from a world of woe;
To feel his cheering presence shine,
Is heaven commencing here below!
To fit us for eternity,
Faith will the one thing needful be!
486.
[Bless the Lord! exalt your voices!]
“God is Love.”
1 John vi. 8.
1
Bless the Lord! exalt your voices!God is love, our Friend and Guide!
God, who all things round created,
Teeming earth, and ocean wide!
2
View, with awe, the spangled concaye;Gems, that stud heaven's outer-gate;
With delight our hearts expanding,
God is good, as well as great.
3
To his power we owe our being;On his word for life we trust;
He withdraws his hand upholding,
And we sink again to dust.
4
Praise the Lord, each tongue and people,Spreading to the farthest shore;
He is love, both stream and fountain,
He, the God whom we adore!
5
But, though light to all his servants,O'er his unrelenting foes,
He is still a cloudy pillar,
That Egyptian darkness throws.
6
God is love, his gifts declare it,Varying, as our moments run;
390
Is the gift of Christ his Son!
7
O, our Saviour, once incarnate,When we leave this house of clay,
May thy watchful angels bear us
To the realms of perfect day!
[PSALMS IN PECULIAR METERS.]
487. Supplication for pardon, through Christ.
1
Lord! from thee we long have stray'd,To return, vouchsafe thine aid;
Fain would we contrition feel,
Heavenly Father, look, and heal!
2
Mercy grant, and grace bestow,While we sojourn here below;
May we to thy fold belong,
We are weak, but thou art strong.
3
Death is hastening toward us fast,And this day may prove our last;
'Till to righteousness we wake,
Spare us for thy mercy's sake.
4
None but thou our souls can save,None can praise thee in the grave;
Let us then renewed be,
Die to sin, and live to thee.
5
Ere our work on earth be done,Let us fly to Christ, thy Son;
And, beyond this world of pain,
See his face, and with him reign.
391
488. The Righteous alone secure.
1
Lord! in thee is all our trust,Fountain, whence our mercies flow!
May we ever, with the just,
Dwell above, and live below.
2
When our foes their shafts prepare,And in secret aim the dart;
Screen us from their fatal snare,
Thou, O God! our refuge art.
3
Thou, from thine eternal throne,Governest the sons of men;
Help must come from thee alone,
Through our three score years and ten.
4
All the righteous, thou dost love,Who, to thee, for pardon cry:
Nothing shall their footsteps move,
Who on heavenly aid rely?
5
But thy foes will ruin see!On the wicked thou wilt rain
Fire, and wrath, and agony,
Vengeance, and thy fierce disdain.
6
Sinners! tremble at your way!Lest the Lord in wrath should chide!
Seek your Saviour while you may,
And his anger turn aside.
392
489. Falsehood and Vanity reproved.
1
Stretch out thy mighty arm,O God! thy power display;
Thy raging foes disarm,
And let them own thy sway:
The nations round from thee depart,
With flattering lip, but faithless heart.
2
Thou, Lord! dost flatterers hate,With all who deal in lies;
The heart, with pride elate,
Is noticed by thine eyes;
O keep us humble, make us free
From falsehood, and from vanity.
3
Thy statutes, Lord! are pure,And upright hearts delight:
Thy judgments shall endure,
For they are just and right.
Our souls, from every bondage free,
And let us cleave to Christ and Thee!
490. “I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.”
1
I would not always dwellWith sorrow, sin, and woe;
Nor yet my birth-right sell
For vanities below:
I shall be satisfied alone,
When I appear before thy throne.
2
My spirit pants and sighsTo run a nobler race:
393
To reach my native place;
My Father's house, to part no more,
And, with the saints, the Lamb adore!
3
Here imperfection reigns;I feel the load within;
How hard to rend the chains
Of Satan, and of sin:
My holiest days the cause supply
To smite the breast, and heave the sigh!
4
I long, O Lord! to seeThy face in righteousness!
To be from frailty free,
Clothed in a perfect dress!
Accepted for my Saviour's sake,
And in his likeness to awake!
491. “The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.”
1
They that fear the Lord on highFind a helper ever nigh!
God supports them with his hand;
Watchful angels near them stand!
2
While to heaven our feet are bound,Evil spirits hover round;
Enemies, by night and day,
Strive to make our souls their prey!
3
With such foes, so strong and bold,How can we the conflict hold?
Lord! do thou our heads defend!
Give us strength, and succour send!
394
4
All our enemies confound!Let thy angels still surround!
Prone to fall, our refuge be!
May our faith be strong in thee!
5
O, our Omnipresent Friend!Guide us, guard us, to the end!
And, at death, for Jesus' sake,
To thyself our spirits take!
492. Pilgrims encouraged to trust in God.
1
Weary pilgrim! dry thy tear!Thou art bound to endless day!
Thou shalt find thy Father near
To conduct thee on thy way!
2
Let us hear the psaltery's voice,With the timbrel in our hand;
Wherefore should we not rejoice
As we march to Canaan's land?
3
Gently tune the psalm around;Let the harp inspire our breast;
Blow the trumpet! let it sound
From north to south, from east to west!
4
Let the sinner hang his head,And in sullen darkness lie!
Mists and shadows round him spread
While he views a frowning sky!
5
But, let all the sons of day,Who their great Redeemer love,
Gladness in their face display,
For their Father dwells above!
395
6
Sing aloud to God our strength;To a better world we go!
Let us not bewail the length
Of our pilgrimage below!
493. “Wilt thou not revive us?”
1
The spring of consolation fails;A coldness in our heart prevails,
The evening time is near;
The joys, which once we felt, subside,
And if we swim, we only glide,
Borne, passive, on the moving tide,
And love is lost in fear.
2
But though we faint, we cannot yield;The soldier must not quit the field,
Nor slumber in the fight;
Although we droop, or little grow,
Whither, for succour, can we go?
God only can new life bestow,
And turn, to day, our night.
3
Father of mercies! grace supply!To thee, with all our wants, we fly!
May we from dreams awake!
The heart, renew'd within, create!
Still, on our Saviour, may we wait,
Look earnest on to Zion's gate,
And Christ, our refuge make!
396
494. “The Lord reigneth, let the Earth rejoice.”
1
When wars and strifes appear,—The Temple, men, prophane;
This thought should calm, and cheer,
Omnipotence doth reign!
The Lord upon the whirlwind rides,
And he the wheels of nature guides.
2
Though foes may raise their voice,Yet, God their power restrains;
Then let the earth rejoice,
The Lord of Glory reigns!
The storm that sweeps, the sun that shines,
Alike completes his vast designs.
3
Let faith, by night and day,Our sinking hearts sustain;
Our God all worlds obey,
The Lord alone doth reign!
He makes the wrath of man fulfil
The secret purpose of his will.
4
If God doth ever reign,Alike o'er friend and foe,
Why should our hearts complain
Of any want below?
The God that rules both earth and sky,
Will every needful good supply.
5
O, for a child-like mindTo ask, and humbly wait!
I hence would be resign'd,
And learn, in every state,
To cast my burthen on the Lord,
And trust his promise, prize his word.
397
495. The Wicked and the Just noticed of God.
1
The Lord, in heaven's effulgent light,Hears seraphim proclaim his praise;
Before him fly the clouds of night,
And all is naked to his gaze:
Whatever earth, or heaven, unfolds,
His power supports, his eye beholds.
2
He sees the righteous man pursueLife's rugged road, with tranquil joy;
His eye surveys the wicked too,
And he will soon their hopes destroy:
The world its gifts may on them shower,
But their's the triumph of an hour.
3
Ere long, and all their dreams will end;Portentous clouds their sky o'ercast;
Fain would they death's advance suspend,
But the dread conflict hastens fast:
And what shall breathe the solace sweet,
When hope provides no last retreat!
4
The world in false attire is dress'd,Delusive, leading men astray:
The vilest things appear the best
To those who will not heaven obey:
But, at the hour of death, we view
Things in their form, and colour, true.
5
O Lord! before it be too late;Before our fleeting life shall end;
May we, with faith and patience, wait
On thee, our Father, and our Friend;
May we to Christ, our refuge, flee,
And, more than ever, live to thee!
398
496. God's dealings described and extolled.
1
Give thanks unto the Lord, ye nations round,From whom alone your countless blessings flow;
His goodness is a sea that knows no bound,
His reign is vast, beyond what man can know;
Let all who love the Lord declare his might,
And walk in awe of him, whose power is infinite.
2
When the whole world from him had gone astray,And clouds and darkness veil'd the human mind;
When each had found his own polluted way,
And every ear was deaf, and eye was blind;
Though sunk in sin, the Lord our fathers sought,
And, to defend from harm, wonders unnumber'd wrought.
3
When Israel's hope upon the patriarch's headRested alone, beneath the spacious skies;
God, with that voice which wakes the sleeping dead,
From faithful Abraham, bade our tribes arise;
Progenitor of prophets, priests, and kings,
Appointed such by him, who rules all mortal things.
4
Though Joseph, by his cruel brethren sold,Was sent to slavery in a foreign land,
He fear'd the Lord his fathers fear'd of old,
And he was rais'd, by God's mysterious hand,
To save, from famine and disastrous days,
The race, ordain'd of heaven, to teach the world to praise.
5
And when, in after years, 'mid sore distress,Israel implored the Lord, with purpose true;
He brought them safely through the wilderness,
And, in deep waters, Pharoah's host o'erthrew;
He guided, though unseen, their doubtful feet,
Water he gave to drink, he gave them bread to eat.
6
They wander'd in a solitary way,And sigh'd again for Egypt's vain repose;
399
On every hand they fear'd o'erwhelming foes;
Remembering not that he, who brought them there,
Could guard from every dart, and screen from every snare.
7
And when they saw not heaven's presiding hand,And murmur'd at the way in which they went,
Hunger and thirst, a fierce devouring band,
To scourge them, for their many crimes, were sent;
But when, once more, they sought the Lord supreme,
Again he gave them food, he sent the grateful stream.
8
O that the sons of men, with one accord,Who every hour his benefits partake,
Would shun their evil ways, and serve the Lord,
And his most holy name their refuge make;
Jehovah then once more would show his face,
And on their hearts confer his pure and heavenly grace.
9
He satisfies the souls that would arise,And on the Lord with meek submission wait;
Who would forsake the earth's low vanities,
And live like those who seek a better state;
He on such souls will every good bestow,
And grant their spirits peace, while wandering here below.
10
You, who in darkness sit, and look around,To see the light of day, yet look in vain;
Who in the gloomy shades of death are found,
And bend beneath affliction's heavy chain;
Still, undismay'd, direct to heaven your eye!
And know that all is sent to cleanse and purify!
11
Because our sires rebell'd against their God,And dared despise the laws which he ordain'd;
Because they in the paths forbidden trod,
And impious war against the Lord maintain'd,
He left them to contend with toil and care,
And there was none to help; wretched and poor they were.
12
Then, to their fathers' God again they cried;From morn to night their mournful sighs arose;
400
He had compassion on their many woes;
He fill'd with joy their eyes, and rais'd their hands;
He cheer'd their sinking hearts; he brake their iron bands.
13
The sons of darkness, who would fain destroyThe hope of Israel, in one fatal hour,
In vain attempt our footsteps to annoy;
They all are bound by God's almighty power;
Iron, and brazen gates, he breaks in twain;
He foils their dark designs; he makes their counsels vain.
14
Sinners, unceasing, bear Jehovah's frowns;Afflictions follow them wheree'er they go;
Iniquity each nobler prospect drowns,
And they are toss'd with care, and bent with woe;
They never look beyond this lower earth;
They never cast an eye at their celestial birth.
15
They live as though this life would ever last,And flowers, unwithering, crown their lofty head;
Rather than like the men who hasten fast
To the cold regions of the silent dead;
Who here are for a stormy moment thrown,
And then are borne away, to scenes and worlds unknown.
16
But when they own the error of their way,And, earnest, to the Lord, for mercy cry;
Though they from youth to age have gone astray,
And loved, and follow'd, only vanity;
He will not turn aside when they complain;
He never heard the cry of penitence in vain.
17
O, who can tell, how merciful and great,The Lord, who form'd at first, and guards us still;
Who stoops to view us in our low estate,
And gently strives to change our wayward will;
O, that his praise might all their hearts engage
Who bound with sportive youth, or creep with tottering age.
18
The ven'trous men who cross the ocean wide;Who o'er the waste of waters sail alone;
401
Nor sound, but of the winds that round them moan;
These, in the mighty deep, behold his hand,
Who made both heaven and earth, who rules both sea and land.
19
For he commands, and forth the stormy wind,Arising, sweeps the mountain-moving wave;
They cast their eyes before, they look behind,
But all around the foam-tipp'd billows rave;
And now, to heaven upborn, they labouring breathe;
Now to the depths they sink, gazing on death beneath.
20
Then, to the Lord, th' imploring look they cast,While waves o'er waves in deafening conflict roll;
When, with a word, he stills the raging blast,
And calms th' impetuous surges of their soul;
He speaks, and, lo! the tempest takes its flight,
And all again is calm, calm as the stars of night.
21
O that the men who hourly thus surveyThe goodness and the power of God, most high!
Would walk through life, like children of the day,
Whose chief concern is, to prepare to die;
Striving to please that God, while here below,
Whose smile is endless joy; whose frown, eternal woe.
497. God seen in Nature, but most in Grace
1
Wheree'er thy people raise,O Lord! the song to thee,
Will I Jehovah praise,
And bend the suppliant knee;
Thy choicest smiles wilt thou display,
Where men unite to praise and pray.
2
Thou didst the earth create,With endless wonders fraught!
402
Beyond our highest thought:
And those, whose hearts are tuned aright,
Will in thy works, O Lord! delight.
3
If, since the world began,Each form thy power displays,
Why should unthankful man,
Withhold the voice of praise?
Why view thy greatness, and thy love;
Nor lift his views to heaven above?
4
We, all, in nature's face,Behold the hand divine;
Yet, in redeeming grace,
Thou dost more glorious shine:
Thy power doth there our thought transcend,
But here we see th' Almighty Friend!
498. God entitled to Praise.
1
Ye servants of the Lord,Exalt your Maker's name;
Let all, with one accord,
His matchless power proclaim:
May we pursue the narrow way,
And, with the heart, our God obey!
2
Let all who with delightBehold the sun appear,
Or when he sets in night,
The Lord, Jehovah, fear;
For great his might, and he is high,
Above the world, above the sky.
3
While heaven and earth endure,Praise him in anthems loud;
403
He putteth down the proud:
Himself he humbleth to survey
The bright adoring sons of day.
4
O, come and spread abroad,To all the nations round,
The greatness of our God,
With strength and glory crown'd:
Praise Him, the source of light and love,
Responsive to the saints above!
499. The Head Stone of the Corner
1
We, thy path, O Lord! would mark,And adore thee, while we gaze!
But, inscrutable and dark
Are alike thy works, and ways!
In the trackless waters, wide,
Thou dost all thy footsteps hide!
2
Though the builders, in their pride,Would thy sovereign choice disown;
Though they sought to cast aside
Thy elect and precious stone;
In thy temple, vast and grand,
This, the Corner-Stone, shall stand!
3
Steadfast, as the throne on high,Shall that building still be found!
There may we hosannahs cry,
And by Christ himself be crown'd!
Never more to leave the place
Where the Lord reveals his face!
4
Blessed Saviour! thy commandsWe will make our guide alone;
404
Thou shalt be the Corner-Stone!
While the ransom'd throng, — to thee
Grace ascribe, and victory!
500. “I have seen an end of all Perfection.”
1
O perfection! mid our dreams,Thou in spotless robe dost shine;
Round thy brow the moon's pale beams
Form a lambent crown divine,
But thy varied colours gay,
With the morning fly away!
2
Often, men, with aspect meek,Who some trials nobly bore,
Seem to promise what we seek,
But, the closer we explore,
We perceive, with traces clear,
That perfection dwells not here.
3
We, the hallow'd form who love,And invoke her oft in vain,
(Spirit of the bless'd above!)
In our hearts to live and reign,
Find, alas! though call we may,
She will not the voice obey!
4
Proving, as we do, too well,That through us the poison flows;
Charity must in us dwell,
Sweetest plant in heaven that blows!
When we feel our spirits bound,
We must pity slaves around.
5
But, though we the mark surveyStill receding from our eyes;
405
Pressing forward to the prize:
With a heart that will not bend,
Striving, praying, to the end.
6
They who love perfection here,Shall, ere long, perfection find;
We shall soon, without a tear,
Frailty's garment leave behind,
And, with ecstacies unknown,
Perfect stand before the throne!
502. The Eyes of all wait upon Thee.
1
Bounteous Father! all creationRaise to thee the suppliant eye:
Every people, tongue, and nation,
On thy liberal hand rely.
2
Birds, that wheel in rapid motion;Insects, countless, without end;
Beast of field, and fish of ocean,
Look to thee, their common friend!
3
Thou hast riches, undiminish'd,Though thine aid all worlds implore;
Ever varied, still replenish'd,
From thine own exhaustless store!
4
On thy gifts have we been feeding,From our birth, in rich supplies;
407
In the Saviour's advent lies!
5
Finite blessings claim our praises,(Shown to creatures who rebel!)
But our heavenly prospect raises
Thanks too vast for tongue to tell!
503. Animate and inanimate things required to praise God.
1
Thou glorious orb of light!Shout thy Creator's praise!
Ye starry hosts of night,
Your songs of triumph raise!
The Lord doth power supreme maintain,
And still, through endless years, shall reign.
2
Ye waters of the deep,That lift your heads on high;
Ye stormy winds that sweep,
Impetuous, through the sky;
Praise him who form'd you with a word!
Of all that is, the sovereign Lord!
3
The raging wave he stills;The tumults of the air!
Ye everlasting hills,
Jehovah's might declare!
For great and glorious are his ways,
And he demands our noblest praise!
4
Let those who empires sway,His praises ever sing;
Let young and old obey
The Great, th' Eternal King!
Our God the angelic choir sustains,
And he the hosts of darkness chains.
408
5
Ye ministers of light,Who hear your Maker's voice;
Ye angels, pure, and bright,
In God alone rejoice:
His word your happiness secures,
While power prevails, and heaven endures!
6
Ye saints, who Zion love,Bid every care be gone;
To nobler worlds above
You all are hastening on:
A bright and everlasting day
Will soon your earthly toils repay.
[THE PARABLES.]
504. Parable 1. The One Talent. Mat. xxv. 15.
1
Some boasting more, none having less,One Talent, we at least possess;
What numbers, when their race is run,
Would fain exchange their ten for one!
2
Whereever one poor talent lies,T'improve it well, is to be wise!
Hereafter he will be most bless'd
Who spends his ten, or one, the best!
3
If God one talent gives alone,Let us be thankful for that one!
And, so the end of all things view!
As, by its use, to make it two!
4
Small gifts may good for ill repay!One talent is enough to pray!
To love our neighbour, and fulfil,
In thousand ways, our Maker's will!
409
5
One talent can, with kindly voice,Bid suffering faith in God rejoice;
A sigh can give, a mite bestow,
In sympathy for human woe!
6
A race, not easy, lies before,For wise, and simple, rich, and poor!
If well we run, though men despise,
One talent will secure the prize!
7
One talent may our thoughts employOn sacred themes, and heavenly joy,
Although ten talents cannot tell
What 'tis with Christ, and saints, to dwell!
8
One well-spent talent will supplyA crown of glory when we die,
And give us, through redeeming grace,
At God's right hand, a name, and place!
9
Let those who but one talent own,Preserve the humbler mien and tone,
And not, by vain aspirings, strive
To equal him, possessing five.
10
One talent none must dare to hide,And sleep, through sloth, or yield, through pride,
And think, that, with a gift so small,
He need not aim to run at all!
11
One talent, wisely spent, at last,O'er brightest parts, may shadow cast!
And he the best maintains his post,
Who loves and serves his Saviour most!
410
12
Soon the great question here will rest,Whose talents were employ'd the best?
When from this earthly state removed,
Not, who had ten, but one, improved?
505. Parable 2. The Five and Ten Talents. Matt. xxv.
1
If on one talent there await,Unnumber'd obligations great,
On those, what solemn duties press,
Who talents, five, or ten, possess!
2
Since time his busy course began,What impulse guides and governs man?
Where does earth's master-spring reside?
In talent, well, or ill, applied!
3
Oh, stewards! to whom such wealth pertains,How are you bound by Satan's chains,
If you, who should instruct and guide,
Your many talents, waste, or hide!
4
With hour retributive so near,How can you check the rising fear;
Nor think, 'mid barrenness and blast,
Upon your dark account at last!
5
No sight demands so deep a sigh,As splendid gifts that buried lie,
Save that, which shows an equal mind
To Satan, and to sin, consign'd!
6
Think, wanderers in forbidden ways!How fast you spend life's precious days!
Hours squander'd, which no care or pain,
Compunctious, can again regain!
411
7
Your profitless pursuits review!Behold the world you hasten to!
Think how that influence you destroy,
Which wisdom might for good employ!
8
But, haply, you the future dare,And sit upon the scorner's chair!
More sad, and piteous, is your state!
Soon to be roused, but roused too late!
9
Can you each stern foreboding brave?Still, undismay'd, survey the grave?
Renounce your birth-right, and your crown,
And, with your brute compeers, lie down?
10
But if, dread thought! if, what you fear,A world, hereafter, should appear!
If God, o'er rebels, should prevail!
And your last trust and refuge fail!
11
Where will you flee! what other friendHeaven's falling judgments can suspend?
The Saviour, who could aid bestow,
You, by revolt, have made your foe!
12
How strange, how direful, is the state!When men, the life immortal, hate!
And, from the hope, consolement draw,
That death, no genial sun will thaw!
13
Talent, and power, we wield, and view,In all we say! in all we do!
In health, and wealth, we talents trace!
In time, and in the means of grace!
14
And, seeing life is but a span,And flowers, and frailty, emblem man!
Since, ere we pass one fleeting day,
Our talents may be swept away;
412
15
Almighty Father! good as great!To thee we look! on thee we wait!
Our talents, one, or ten, may we
Henceforward, consecrate to thee!
506. Parable 3. Of the Labourers. Matt. xxv.
1
A husbandman, at dawn of day,Men, thus address'd, who idling stray;
“Go, seek my vineyard, and, at eve,
“Each one, a penny shall receive.”
2
At noon, while sultry suns oppress,Others he hired, his vines to dress,
And, at the setting of the sun,
He gave the same to every one.
3
The first men hired, thus, murmuring, cry,“Justice hath sought her native sky:
“We all have borne, without dismay,
“The heat, and burden of the day.”
4
Meekly, the husbandman replied,“Why thus my generous purpose chide?
“That which I promis'd, I fulfil!
“I exercise a sovereign will!”
5
Let none indulge the angry thoughtWho, in the vineyard, long have wrought,
If others, later hired, should find
The same reward from master kind!
6
Let not the Jew indignant feel,If the same Balm should Gentiles heal!
Nor let the longest labourer sigh,
When men, at eve, for mercy cry!
413
7
Though small the joy, the danger great,Th' eleventh hour is not too late!
Come, at the last, though hard the strife,
For hope expires not, but with life!
507. Parable 4. Of the Householder. Matt. xiii.
1
Th' apostles, and the prophets, toldOf things important, new and old;
Wise householders! may we, the same,
First learn, and then the truth proclaim.
2
Things, new and old, pervade that bookIn which the wise will often look:
Eternal truths adorn its page,
T' instruct, and warn, from age to age.
3
The things of old, distinct we see,But, greater things ere long will be;
Things to dismay, or cheer our heart,
In which we all must bear a part.
4
That will be new, our last complaint,When strength, and breath, will fail, and faint,
And we shall, anxious, look around
For solace, and for solid ground.
5
Death, too, is new; O, may we meetHis aspect, with composure sweet!
Nor tremble at the rolling flood,
Confiding in a Saviour's blood.
6
In a new world we soon shall move!The world of spirits, strange will prove!
But friends are there, from time releas'd,
And there is Christ, our Great High Priest!
414
7
[How many to that state belong,With whom we communed oft and long!
The hope of meeting whom again,
Robs even death of half its pain.]
8
The day of judgment will be new,That solemn day we all must view!
Then may we hear the judge declare,
“Come, blessed! hence, my image bear!”
9
With such new scenes, advancing fast,So near, so certain, and so vast!
How should we stretch our ardent sight,
From Finite, to the Infinite!
10
Through all our days, which few may be!Let us, O Father! cleave to thee!
May we belong to Jesus' fold,
And the New Heaven, at length, behold!
508. Parable 5. Part 1. Of the Net cast into the Sea, emblematical of the End of the World. Matt. xiii.
1
The fishermen, upon the strand,Dragging their nets, with fish, to land,
Who keep the good, from day to day,
And heedless cast the bad away:
2
Emblem that awful scrutiny,Approaching fast, which all will see,
When Christ, in whom the righteous trust,
Shall sever sinners from the just.
415
509. [Parable 5.] Part the Second. The End of the World.
1
To meet their Judge, to hear their doom,From the deep slumbers of the tomb,
The countless generations past
Wake, at the angel's “trumpet blast!”
2
Behold the ransom'd lift their head,The world in flames around them spread;
While, as a scroll, upon that day,
The elements dissolve away!
3
Yet they, unmoved, behold the scene,In hope composed, in faith serene,
Assured, 'mid crowds aghast with fear,
That their redemption draweth near.
4
The scoffer, hence, will scoff no more!The sinner's triumph now is o'er!
Heaven's thunders, rolling through the air,
Their hearts, for fiercer wrath, prepare!
5
Arising from their narrow bed,No wings, protecting angels spread!
On nature's wreck, as round they gaze,
Th' undying worm upon them preys!
6
Is there no hope?—no lofty tower,To cheer, and shield them, in this hour?
He, who alone could soothe and save,
To judgment calls them from the grave!
7
While the redeem'd in God rejoice,The wicked hear their Sovereign's voice
Cry, “Go, ye cursed!” who shall say
How dread, to be the Castaway!
416
8
Sinner! while yet thou breath'st the air,To meet thy angry Judge, prepare!
To the one only refuge fly!
And on a Saviour's blood rely!
510. Parable 6. Of the goodly Pearl. Matt. xiii.
1
Is there, immured in sea or earth,One precious pearl, of boundless worth,
Greater than man hath bought or sold,
The pearl, of value yet untold?
2
My heart replies, “That pearl be mine;“Let others seek to rule, and shine,
“I covet not the monarch's throne,
“If I can call that pearl my own!”
3
The merchant bears both heat and blastTo find the goodly pearl, at last;
And now, with gladness in his eyes,
He sells his all, to grasp the prize!
4
Shall merchants, at a sight so low,Feel, with delight, their hearts o'erflow,
And we, who richer pearl possess,
Feel humbler joy, and transport less?
5
We will not shrink from care or pain,With God to dwell, with Christ to reign!
Can any thing, too great, be given,
To gain our Crown, secure our Heaven?
6
For such a pearl, shall we withholdWhatever yet was bought with gold?
417
Material treasure?—creature fame?
7
If, gracious Saviour! ere we die,Thou give thyself, and dross deny,
With such a pearl, such hopes divine,
All other pearls we may resign!
511. Parable 7. The grain of Mustard Seed. Matt. xiii.
1
The grain of mustard seed is sownSmall, and despised: by means unknown,
It rises now, and branches throws,
In which the birds of heaven repose.
2
An emblem of the seed of grace!At first, its progress scarce we trace,
Till, to prepare for flowers and fruits,
It spreads its limbs, and strikes its roots.
3
O, may our hearts this grace display,Water'd, and growing, day by day!
May the immortal germ survive
Whate'er would harm, and in us thrive!
4
It must be planted here below,And here its earliest buds must blow,
Still watch'd by heaven's unsleeping eye,
Or it will soon decline, and die!
5
Though now, of tenderest hue and form,It shall withstand the roughest storm,
And bear, beyond this world of strife,
Its fruit to everlasting life!
418
512. Parable 8. The Seed sown. Matt. xiii.
1
Lord! the seed which thou dost sow,Feed with dews, and let it grow!
May it bear, in young and old,
Fifty, and a hundred fold!
2
Let us not the seed display,Lost and scatter'd by the way!
Never let it, Lord! be found
Wither'd on the stony ground!
3
Tares, too oft, obstruct the seed;Now the thorn, and now the weed;
Cares, consuming, riches vain,
Choke the word, and prove its bane.
4
In our field, (our hearts of stone,)Precious seed has oft been sown;
Harvest time is drawing near;
Where does now the fruit appear?
5
Let the seed which thou dost sow,Take deep root, and upward grow;
And, unmoved by storm or blast,
Prove the tree of life, at last!
513. Parable 9. The ten Lepers. Luke 12.
1
Ten helpless lepers once were boundBy sorrow's hard, and heaviest chain;
In their dismay, the Saviour found,
And freely cured them of their pain:
Of all the ten, one, only one,
Return'd to own what Christ had done!
419
2
“O black ingratitude!” But, stay!Can we, who thus indignant chide,
More fervent thankfulness display
To God, our constant friend, and guide?
From infancy have we been bless'd,
Yet, how have we our thanks express'd!
3
Our food, while thousands pine forlorn,Has sprung from heaven's benign supplies;
Our health, returning with the morn,
With all life's fond, and social ties:
These gifts, with countless more, we owe
To him, from whom all comforts flow!
4
Have we, like this ungrateful band,Refused his goodness to adore?
To own the kind and liberal hand
That fed us from his bounteous store?
Those, who our hearts with anger fill,
Resemble us, more thankless still!
5
But Oh! if we in gifts rejoice,Which will survive the world around;
If we have heard the still-small-voice,
The note of praise should ever sound!
Saviour! for benefits so great,
To thee, our hearts, we consecrate!
514. Parable 10. Of the Tares and Wheat. Matt. xiii.
1
Hast thou, Lord! within our heart,Sown good seed? we trust thou hast!
Still thy fostering care impart!
Screen it from the cutting blast!
From whate'er might prove its bane,
Scorching sun, or drenching rain!
420
2
But we feel, and sigh to own,That our joy is not complete;
That our enemy hath sown
Tares, that mingle with the wheat!
Let not seed which thou hast sown,
By the tares be overgrown!
3
Visit us with favour free,Refuge in the time of need!
Lord! we look alone to thee
To restrain the evil seed!
In temptation's trying hour,
Shield us by thy mighty power!
4
Here, O Lord! thy word declares,Though thy grace the wheat may sow,
Adversaries set their tares,
And together both will grow;
But the sifting-time is near!
Soon the reapers will appear!
5
Where will sinners then retreat,When, from heaven, the judge descends
To divide the chaff from wheat,
And distinguish foes from friends?
They will view the lightnings fly,
And, in vain, on mountains cry!
6
When the heavens shall melt away,Mid the whirlwind, fire, and blast,
May we meet that fearful day,
With our trust, on Jesus, cast!
Still, with flames from east to west,
On the Rock of Ages rest!
421
515. Parable 11. Of the Leaven. Matt xiii.
1
In every form around,The wise may hear a friend!
A little leaven is found
Its virtues to extend:
E'en leaven, to all who truth obey,
Important lessons may convey!
2
The leaven we thus behold,Spreading its influence wide,
Should warm our spirits cold,
And us, as loiterers, chide:
If earthly leaven we active see,
What should the heavenly leaven be!
3
If one fair gleam withinDisclose our natural state;
Convince the soul of sin,
And teach, that sin to hate;
It is a leaven, a light divine,
Which will, through endless ages, shine!
4
Before we hence depart,May we true wisdom choose!
O, Lord! in every heart,
The leaven of grace infuse!
This will prepare us, ere we die,
For heaven, and all the joys on high.
516. Parable 12. The Prodigal's Return. Luke xv.
1
With hunger press'd, and toss'd with pain,The prodigal repents too late;
Wheree'er he goes, he wears a chain,
The memory of his fallen state:
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“I to my father's house will go!”
2
While yet far distant from his home,The father, joyful, sees his child!
He hastes! he cries,—“No longer roam!
“My son! my son!” in accents mild;
“Though thou hast wander'd far, and long,
“My wrath is weak, my love is strong!”
3
“Father! my crimes deserve thine ire!”The son, with faltering voice replies,
“I am not worthy”—See the sire
Fall on his neck, 'mid tears and sighs!
Silence, impressive, marks the air!
Unutterable thoughts are there!
4
And shall not God the welcome giveTo the lost sheep that back return?
Shall, in the Highest, anger live,
While mortals with compassion yearn?
The Lord, both pitiful and kind,
Will cast his children's sins behind!
5
Come, sinner! wretched as thou art,Thy heavenly Father waits to greet!
Thou hast a place within his heart!
He sits upon a mercy seat!
With such an Advocate to plead!
Trust him, in this thy hour of need!
6
Who, that to Christ for pardon came,Was e'er rejected! Come and try!
There is deliverance in his name!
Why wilt thou, wretched sinner, die!
Call on the Saviour! Blood divine
Hath wash'd out deeper stains than thine!
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517. Parable 13. Of the Treasure hid in a Field. Matt. xiii. 44.
1
Preeminent, one treasure shines,Yielding no transitory joy;
Richer than India's choicest mines,
Which moth and rust cannot destroy!
2
It is that word of promise pure;That hallow'd book! in which are found
Wealth, that for ever will endure,
And hopes, that hell shall not confound!
3
The man who earthly treasure finds,O'erpower'd by wonder and surprise,
Himself, to boundless joy, resigns,
And buys the field wherein it lies!
4
Oh! if we have secured indeed,Amid this world of toil and strife,
The streams, that from on high proceed,
The bread of everlasting life!
5
If we have learn'd to say, sincere,My Saviour! I in thee confide!
This is that pearl, that treasure, rare,
For which we barter all beside.
6
Let us not cast the longing eyeAt earth's too fair, but fleeting flowers!
Why should our hearts for shadows sigh,
When Heaven is near, and Christ is ours!
7
Help us, O Lord! to make that choice,That wealth to prize, that treasure love,
In which, at death, we shall rejoice,
Borne with us to the world above!
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518. Parable 14. Of the Ten Virgins. Matt. xxv.
1
Ten virgins, at the city gate,While fast the dews of evening fall,
To meet the coming bridegroom, wait,
And now deep sleep o'erpowers them all!
2
While each her vigilance suspends,And yields to slumber, soft, and sweet,
Behold! the startling cry ascends,
“The bridegroom comes! Go forth to meet!”
3
Five virgins of the ten were wise,And five, the name of folly bore!
The wise, with self-reproach, arise,
And trim their lamps, with oil in store!
4
The foolish, in amaze, thus plead,“This is the hour that tries the friend!
“Our lamps are out, and oil we need,
“Regard our prayer! Oh! give, or lend!”
5
“Not so,” the wiser answer make,“With none to spare, we must deny;
“Lest you the bridegroom's anger wake,
“Hasten, without delay, and buy!”
6
The foolish, with the bridegroom near,Inquire for oil, with dread increas'd;
He comes; he calls: the wise appear,
And enter to the marriage feast.
7
The door is shut! What noise is there?Tumult extending more and more!
The knock is heard! the earnest prayer!
“Open, O Lord! thy friends implore!”
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8
The bridegroom gives the answer dread,“You in this banquet have no part;
“Your time is past! your hour is fled!
“Strangers! I know you not! Depart!”
9
What import deep, those words contain!Heard through all worlds, “The door is shut!”
What unimagin'd pangs and pain,
In that repulse, “I know you not!”
10
At midnight, should the shout be heard,“Prepare your lamps! your wedding dress!
“Go, instant, forth to meet your Lord!”
When we, nor robe, nor oil, possess!
11
Oh! should our final foe appearWhen we in heedless slumbers lie!
Death, and eternity, draw near,
And clouds, and darkness, veil our sky!
12
To be, like chaff, expell'd from earth!Doom'd to desertion and despair!
To hear, “I know you not! go forth,
The anger of a God to bear!”
13
Father! most merciful! we pleadThe blood which Christ, thy Son, hath shed!
Oh! hear us in our hour of need!
To thine own refuge we have fled!
14
May all our lamps be trimm'd, and shine,While we await the bridegroom's cry;
Grace in our hearts, that oil divine!
Which, whoso hath, shall never die!
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519. Parable 15. Dives and Lazarus. Luke, xvi.
1
Dives, behold, in lordly state,Ruling, with half a monarch's sway;
Obsequious menials round him wait;
His looks regard, his nod obey:
Before him sportive dancers glide,
And all is dazzling pomp and pride!
2
Hark! music gives her airy joys!The dulcet airs attention chain!
Now the bold timbrel's deafening noise
Yields to the harp's inspiring strain:
And now a hundred voices raise
The chorus loud to Dives' praise!
3
The feast begins! Behold the board!What luxury! profusion! waste!
Sea, earth, and heaven, their gifts afford
To pamper and provoke the taste:
The sparkling wine, the song is there,
While Laughter, reeling, scoffs at Care!
4
A Guest, unbidden, opes the door!I know him by his spectre form!
'Tis Death! Ah! where is now the roar?
The lyre is still, and hush'd the storm!
Th' imperious Stranger Dives calls!
See! from his seat, he, lifeless, falls!
5
At Dives' gate a beggar lies,Cover'd with sores, and toss'd with pain;
There is no ear to heed his cries!
He asks for crumbs, but asks in vain!
The very dogs compassion feel,
And lick the wounds they cannot heal.
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6
Death comes to him; his cares are o'er!And now the difference plain appears;
Lazarus his weight of suffering bore,
While traversing this vale of tears;
But it was brief, and he could say,
“My Father! I thy will obey!”
7
Is this the end of both? ah! no;Lazarus the angels have convey'd
To yonder skies, from want, and woe,
And him, with spotless robe, array'd!
The joys of heaven will well repay
The sorrows of his mortal day!
8
Where now is Dives? see him borneDown to his tomb, with gorgeous show!
The crowd of hirelings, paid to mourn,
But ill conceal their hollow woe!
The heralds all his greatness tell,
While Dives lifts his eyes from hell!
9
He sees the beggar, whom he scorn'd,In Abraham's bosom,—God, his friend!
With palms, and sun-like vest, adorn'd,
Eternity in heaven to spend!
While he contends with pangs untold,
Excluded from the Saviour's fold!
10
Dives, tormented, thus address'dAbraham;—“O Father! pity me!
“Send Lazarus, from among the bless'd,
“With water, though one drop it be!
“And, o'er that glimpse of spirits bright,
“Oh! cast the veil of deepest night!”
11
Abraham replies; “Son! bear in mind,“On earth, to every luxury known,
“Thy heart to Mammon was resign'd,
“While Lazarus evil call'd his own;
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“And thou, the fruit of sin must bear:”
12
“Besides all this, 'tween us and you,“A gulf, impassable, extends;
“Though each, may each, from distance, view,
“All intercourse, with seeing, ends:
“And still, at sight of Heaven, must rise,
“Remorse! the worm that never dies!”
13
Dives implores,—“The warning voice,“O, Abraham! to the earth, convey,
“Lest my seven brethren make my choice,
“And feel the pangs that on me prey!
“One admonition from the grave,
“Their hearts might move, their souls might save!”
14
Abraham replies; “They only seek“Time's momentary pleasures vain;
“Moses, and all the prophets, speak,
“And yet they hear them with disdain!
“Those who despise what they have said
“Would spurn the message from the dead!”
520. Madness of Atheism.
1
Men, who the downward path have trod,Rejoicing, cry,—“There is no God!”
While evil thoughts their heart deceive,
First they desire, and then believe.
2
What eye, reflecting, can surveyThe opening morn, the closing day,
The hill, the vale, the wood, the stream,
And still of chance, with Atheists, dream!
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3
Who can behold, through countless years,Th' harmonious circuit of the spheres;
The “mind of man,” that depth profound!
The seasons, in perpetual round:
4
What heart can hear the midnight storm;View life, in ever-varying form;
Regard the curious human frame,
And, wondering, not, “A God!” exclaim!
5
Who shall the rising sun behold,Encircled with his robes of gold;
Who, ponder on the stars of night,
Nor own the One Great Infinite!
6
Who shall regard fair nature's face,Replete with beauty, order, grace,
And talk, while Folly waves her rod,
Of accident, the Atheist's God!
7
[We much have view'd, and long have lived,And lessons from our sires received,
Yet who has seen, in “atom dance!”
One grand achievement made by chance!]
8
If, truth, preeminent, there be,Which all, but brutes, must feel and see,
It is, that there is, unconfined,
One vast, and all-presiding Mind!
9
O, may that God whose work we are;Whose voice directs the rolling star,
Be ever near, to guide, and love,
And fit us for the world above!
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521. The Book of God.
1
Fools may the Book of God disdain,Who, fealty to their Lord, disown,
But what they scorn, shall still remain
Firm as heaven's everlasting throne.
2
The Book of God, like Zion's hill,Has borne th' assaults of many a storm;
And it shall brave assailants still,
Of every name! in every form!
3
That Book, O Father! which thy foesHave never yet been taught to bless,
On us, transcendent joy bestows,
And fills our hearts with thankfulness!
4
When prosperous suns on sinners shine,The world a robe, deceptive, wears;
But when their heads with age decline,
The nakedness of earth appears!
5
Imperial sway will not avail!Wealth's gaudiest show, nor honour's breath!
These, in the times most needed, fail—
The hour of sickness, and of death!
6
But ere that final day arrive,In musings sad, when tumults cease,
The shuddering doubt will oft revive
To dash their chalice; mar their peace!
7
With all their confidence, and pride,The trembling of the ground they feel!
The more their fears they strive to hide,
Mis givings, darker, o'er them steal!
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8
They cannot look upon the sky;The ocean billows as they roll;
The starry firmament, and cry—
“There is no God who form'd the whole!”
9
And if there be one Lord supreme,Pure, hallowed, holy, well they know,
With crimes like theirs, (no idle dream!)
He must, all-seeing, be their foe!
10
How dread, to meet distrust, at last!Too late, their injured souls, to save!
To see their hour, their harvest past,
And feel no hope beyond the grave!
11
How peaceful is the christian's state!No storms and tempests shake his mind:
Confiding in heaven's Ruler Great,
What God appoints, he bears, resign'd;
12
If troubles press, a Father's handHe owns, and checks the starting tear;
The power who governs sea and land,
He knows, is ever kind, and near.
13
Religion is his grand concern!He, in his Bible, meets his Lord!
He reverences what others spurn,
And, in it, finds his rich reward!
14
He marks perpetual change around,No form impress'd not by decay!
Immortal beings—onward bound!
Their sojourn here, one stormy day!
15
He longs to learn what prospects wideWill rise, when he from time recedes,
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When, in the Book of God, he reads!
16
Traced with a sun-beam, there he sees,How he, his wanderings may retrieve;
And that, the God of heaven to please,
He must, in Christ, his Son, believe!
17
There, he is taught, the world, how vain!And that this life is but a span!
There, he perceives his duties plain;
All that he owes to God, and man!
18
There, he alone beholds the lightThat, o'er the future, radiance throws;
That beam which clothes in colours bright,
The glorious realm to which he goes!
19
There, he is taught the value trueOf what the finite can bestow;
And that, in an Immortal's view,
Meanness is stamp'd on all below!
20
There, he has learn'd the Sovereign Good!That man, to man, is bound by ties
Of kindliness and brotherhood,
And, that our object is, the Skies!
21
There, we the solemn truth derive,That we undying souls possess,
Which must these transient scenes survive,
In misery, or blessedness!
22
There, the sole antidote is found,When we to death our heads resign;
Trust in the Saviour! who is crown'd
With might, and majesty divine!
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23
May, to our hearts, that holy page,The Book of God, a solace yield,
When toiling o'er life's rugged stage,
And, (conquerors!) when we quit the field!
24
He who would shake our faith in God,The sanctions of his Word impair,
Travels, himself, to hell, the road,
And strives that we should meet him there!
25
Thrice blessed book! our hope! our stay!The antidote for human woe!
Thou canst convert our night to day,
And art our only lamp below!
26
The Bible! may its light extendTo every nation, tongue, and tribe!
Till all who live the knee shall bend,
And glory to the Lamb ascribe!
524. Pleasures of Religion.
1
Is it a heart-felt pleasure high,Mid trackless waste, and burning sky,
To reach a calm retreat;
A shelter, with the evening near,
The shade to cool, the well to cheer,
And friendship's accents sweet?
2
Is it a joy of soothing kind,When, leaving winds and waves behind,
The seaman homeward flies;
When first he views his native shore,
His haven now, and now the door,
Where all his treasure lies?
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3
These are delights that touch the soul,Yet on the choicest moments roll,
And soon, alas! they cease;
But there's an heritage sublime
Beyond this little span of time,
A world of perfect peace!
4
The fairest vision, here below,Is fleeting, as the winter's snow;
A transitory guest;
But, Oh! what realms are those, refined,
Commensurate alone with mind,
Where all, with God, are bless'd!
5
Teach me to seek, Almighty Friend!Delights, alone, that will not end;
The balm of Eden's gale;
Where, worshipping the Great, “I Am,”
With all the Followers of the Lamb,
Love, joy, and praise prevail!
6
A glimpse of this transporting scene,O'erwhelms, in night, earth's objects mean,
That charm the heedless throng;
And makes the soul, impatient wait
Her entrance on a nobler state,
To join in Gabriel's song!
7
A few declining suns, and IShall rise above this nether sky,
Heaven's portals bright I see!
Come, bless'd Immanuel! bear away
My spirit from its clog of clay,
And let me dwell with thee!
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525. The Christian's Farewell to Earth. (1827.)
1
Heaven's gleams, before me darting,Proclaim my race is o'er!
I view the world departing,
Nor seek its shadows more!
Haste on, celestial vision!
Time! more impetuous fly,
That I may leave my prison,
And soar to realms on high!
2
Farewell, my house, delighting,For you no more I grieve!
A nobler house, inviting,
Stands ready to receive!
Farewell, my earthly treasures!
I can resign e'en you!
In sight of endless pleasures,
I bid you all adieu!
3
Farewell, my pain and sorrow,Attendants on my clay!
My soul, upon the morrow,
Shall enter perfect day!
You bow'd to earth my spirit,
And made the mourner sigh,
But I shall soon inherit
A mansion in the sky.
4
Farewell to earthly praises,No longer you allure!
Heaven now my longing raises,
With praise that will endure!
Farewell, my reputation,
A bubble and a dream!
I covet now salvation,
With God, the Good Supreme!
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5
Farewell, my imperfection!That often caused the tear;
With soul, of fair complexion,
I drop my frailty here!
I seek the new creation!
My Advocate and Friend!
I go, with Christ my portion,
Eternity to spend!
END OF PART THE THIRD.
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