The Poetical Works of William Cowper (Benham)/Olney Hymns

XX. OLD TESTAMENT GOSPEL

 * Heb. 4:2


 * I SRAEL in ancient days
 * Not only had a view
 * Of Sinai in a blaze,
 * But learned the Gospel too;
 * The types and figures were a glass,
 * In which they saw a Saviour's face.


 * The paschal sacrifice
 * And blood-besprinkled door,
 * Seen with enlightened eyes,
 * And once applied with power,
 * Would teach the need of other blood,
 * To reconcile an angry God.


 * The Lamb, the Dove, set forth
 * His perfect innocence,
 * Whose blood of matchless worth
 * Should be the soul's defence;
 * For he who can for sin atone
 * Must have no failings of his own.


 * The scape-goat on his head
 * The people's trespass bore,
 * And to the desert led,
 * Was to be seen no more:
 * In him our Surety seemed to say,
 * "Behold, I bear your sins away."


 * Dipt in his fellow's blood,
 * The living bird went free;
 * The type, well understood,
 * Expressed the sinner's plea;
 * Described a guilty soul enlarged,
 * And by a Saviour's death discharged.


 * Jesus, I love to trace,
 * Throughout the sacred page,
 * The footsteps of thy grace,
 * The same in every age!
 * Oh grant that I may faithful be
 * To clearer light vouchsafed to me!

XXI. SARDIS

 * Rev. 3:1-6


 * "W RITE to Sardis," saith the Lord,
 * "And write what he declares,
 * He whose Spirit, and whose word,
 * Upholds the seven stars:--
 * All thy works and ways I search,
 * Find thy zeal and love decayed;
 * Thou art called a living church,
 * But thou art cold and dead.


 * "Watch, remember, seek, and strive,
 * Exert thy former pains;
 * Let thy timely care revive,
 * And strengthen what remains;
 * Cleanse thine heart, thy works amend,
 * Former times to mind recall,
 * Lest my sudden stroke descend,
 * And smite thee once for all.


 * "Yet I number now in thee
 * A few that are upright;
 * These my Father's face shall see,
 * And walk with me in white.
 * When in judgment I appear,
 * They for mine shall be confessed;
 * Let my faithful servants hear,--
 * And woe be to the rest!"

XXII. PRAYER FOR A BLESSING ON THE YOUNG

 * B ESTOW, dear Lord, upon our youth,
 * The gift of saving grace;
 * And let the seed of sacred truth
 * Fall in a fruitful place.


 * Grace is a plant, where'er it grows,
 * Of pure and heavenly root;
 * But fairest in the youngest shows,
 * And yields the sweetest fruit.


 * Ye careless ones, oh hear betimes
 * The voice of sovereign love!
 * Your youth is stained with many crimes,
 * But Mercy reigns above.


 * True, you are young, but there's a stone
 * Within the youngest breast;
 * Or half the crimes which you have done
 * Would rob you of your rest.


 * For you the public prayer is made;
 * Oh join the public prayer!
 * For you the secret tear is shed;
 * Oh shed yourselves a tear!


 * We pray that you may early prove
 * The Spirit's power to teach;
 * You cannot be too young to love
 * That Jesus whom we preach.

XXIII. PLEADING FOR AND WITH YOUTH

 * S IN has undone our wretched race;
 * But Jesus has restored,
 * And brought the sinner face to face
 * With his forgiving Lord.


 * This we repeat from year to year,
 * And press upon our youth;
 * Lord, give them an attentive ear,
 * Lord, save them by thy truth!


 * Blessings upon the rising race!
 * Make this a happy hour,
 * According to thy richest grace,
 * And thine Almighty power.


 * We feel for your unhappy state,
 * (May you regard it too,)
 * And would awhile ourselves forget
 * To pour out prayer for you.


 * We see, though you perceive it not,
 * The approaching awful doom;
 * Oh tremble at the solemn thought,
 * And flee the wrath to come!


 * Dear Saviour, let this new-born year
 * Spread an alarm abroad;
 * And cry in every careless ear,
 * "Prepare to meet thy God!"

XXIV. PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

 * G RACIOUS Lord, our children see,
 * By thy mercy we are free;
 * But shall these, alas! remain
 * Subjects still of Satan's reign?
 * Israel's young ones, when of old
 * Pharaoh threatened to withhold,
 * Then thy messenger said, "No;
 * Let the children also go!"


 * When the angel of the Lord,
 * Drawing forth his dreadful sword,
 * Slew with an avenging hand,
 * All the first-born of the land;
 * Then thy people's doors he passed,
 * Where the bloody sign was placed;
 * Hear us, now, upon our knees
 * Plead the blood of Christ for these!


 * Lord, we tremble, for we know
 * How the fierce malicious foe,
 * Wheeling round his watchful flight,
 * Keeps them ever in his sight:
 * Spread thy pinions, King of kings!
 * Hide them safe beneath thy wings;
 * Lest the ravenous bird of prey
 * Stoop, and bear the brood away.

XXV. JEHOVAH JESUS

 * My song shall bless the Lord of all,
 * My praise shall climb to his abode;
 * Thee, Saviour, by that name I call,
 * The great Supreme, the Mighty God.


 * Without beginning or decline,
 * Object of faith and not of sense;
 * Eternal ages saw him shine,
 * He shines eternal ages hence.


 * As much, when in the manger laid,
 * Almighty ruler of the sky,
 * As when the six days' work he made
 * Filled all the morning stars with joy.


 * Of all the crowns Jehovah bears,
 * Salvation is his dearest claim;
 * That gracious sound well pleased he hears,
 * And owns Emmanuel for his name.


 * A cheerful confidence I feel,
 * My well-placed hopes with joy I see;
 * My bosom glows with heavenly zeal,
 * To worship him who died for me.


 * As man, he pities my complaint,
 * His power and truth are all divine;
 * He will not fail, he cannot faint;
 * Salvation's sure, and must be mine.

XXVI. ON OPENING A PLACE FOR SOCIAL PRAYER

 * J ESUS ! where'er thy people meet,
 * There they behold thy mercy-seat;
 * Where'er they seek thee, thou art found,
 * And every place is hallowed ground.


 * For thou, within no walls confined,
 * Inhabitest the humble mind;
 * Such ever bring thee where they come,
 * And going, take thee to their home.


 * Dear Shepherd of thy chosen few!
 * Thy former mercies here renew;
 * Here to our waiting hearts proclaim
 * The sweetness of thy saving name.


 * Here may we prove the power of prayer,
 * To strengthen faith, and sweeten care;
 * To teach our fain desires to rise,
 * And bring all heaven before our eyes.


 * Behold, at thy commanding word
 * We stretch the curtain and the cord;
 * Come thou, and fill this wider space,
 * And bless us with a large increase.


 * Lord, we are few, but thou art near,
 * Nor short thine arm, nor deaf thine ear;
 * Oh rend the heavens, come quickly down,
 * And make a thousand hearts thine own.

XXVII. WELCOME TO THE TABLE

 * T HIS is the feast of heavenly wine,
 * And God invites to sup;
 * The juices of the living Vine
 * Were pressed to fill the cup.


 * Oh! bless the Savior, ye that eat,
 * With royal dainties fed;
 * Not heaven affords a costlier treat,
 * For Jesus is the bread.


 * The vile, the lost, he calls to them;
 * Ye trembling souls, appear!
 * The righteous in their own esteem
 * Have no acceptance here.


 * Approach, ye poor, nor dare refuse
 * The banquet spread for you;
 * Dear Saviour, this is welcome news,
 * Then I may venture too.


 * If guilt and sin afford a plea,
 * And may obtain a place,
 * Surely the Lord will welcome me,
 * And I shall see his face!

XXVIII. JESUS HASTENING TO SUFFER

 * T HE Saviour, what a noble flame
 * Was kindled in his breast,
 * When hasting to Jerusalem,
 * He marched before the rest!


 * Good will to men, and zeal for God,
 * His every thought engross;
 * He longs to be baptized with blood,
 * He pants to reach the cross!


 * With all his sufferings full in view,
 * And woes to us unknown,
 * Forth to the task his spirit flew;
 * 'Twas love that urged him on.


 * Lord, we return thee what we can:
 * Our hearts shall sound abroad
 * Salvation to the dying Man,
 * And to the rising God!


 * And while thy bleeding glories here
 * Engage our wondering eyes,
 * We learn our lighter cross to bear,
 * And hasten to the skies.

XXIX. EXHORTATION TO PRAYER

 * W HAT various hindrances we meet
 * In coming to a mercy-seat!
 * Yet who that knows the worth of prayer
 * But wishes to be often there?


 * Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,
 * Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw,
 * Gives exercise to faith and love,
 * Brings every blessing from above.


 * Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
 * Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
 * And Satan trembles when he sees
 * The weakest saint upon his knees.


 * While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
 * Success was found on Israel's side;
 * But when through weariness they failed,
 * That moment Amalek prevailed.


 * Have you no words? Ah! think again,
 * Words flow apace when you complain,
 * And fill your fellow-creature's ear
 * With the sad tale of all your care.


 * Were half the breath thus vainly spent
 * To Heaven in supplication sent,
 * Your cheerful song would oftener be,
 * "Hear what the Lord has done for me."

XXX. THE LIGHT AND GLORY OF THE WORD

 * T HE Spirit breathes upon the Word,
 * And brings the truth to sight;
 * Precepts and promises afford
 * A sanctifying light.


 * A glory gilds the sacred page,
 * Majestic like the sun;
 * It gives a light to every age,
 * It gives, but borrows none.


 * The hand that gave it still supplies
 * The gracious light and heat;
 * His truths upon the nations rise,
 * They rise, but never set.


 * Let everlasting thanks be thine,
 * For such a bright display,
 * As makes a world of darkness shine
 * With beams of heavenly day.


 * My soul rejoices to pursue
 * The steps of him I love,
 * Till glory break upon my view
 * In brighter worlds above.

XXXI. ON THE DEATH OF A MINISTER

 * H IS master taken from his head,
 * Elisha saw him go;
 * And in desponding accents said,
 * "Ah, what must Israel do?"


 * But he forgot the Lord, who lifts
 * The beggar to the throne;
 * Nor knew that all Elijah's gifts
 * Would soon be made his own.


 * What! when a Paul has run his course,
 * Or when Apollos dies,
 * Is Israel left without resource?
 * And have we no supplies?


 * Yes, while the dear Redeemer lives,
 * We have a boundless store,
 * And shall be fed with what he gives,
 * Who lives for evermore.

XXXII. THE SHINING LIGHT

 * M Y former hopes are fled,
 * My terror now begins;
 * I feel, alas! that I am dead
 * In trespasses and sins.


 * Ah, whither shall I fly?
 * I hear the thunder roar;
 * The law proclaims destruction nigh,
 * And vengeance at the door.


 * When I review my ways,
 * I dread impending doom:
 * But sure a friendly whisper says,
 * "Flee from the wrath to come."


 * I see, or think I see,
 * A glimmering from afar;
 * A beam of day, that shines for me,
 * To save me from despair.


 * Forerunner of the sun,
 * It marks the pilgrim's way;
 * I'll gaze upon it while I run,
 * And watch the rising day.

XXXIII. THE WAITING SOUL

 * B REATHE from the gentle south, O Lord,
 * And cheer me from the north;
 * Blow on the treasures of thy word,
 * And call the spices forth!


 * I wish, thou know'st, to be resigned,
 * And wait with patient hope;
 * But hope delayed fatigues the mind,
 * And drinks the spirit up.


 * Help me to reach the distant goal;
 * Confirm my feeble knee;
 * Pity the sickness of a soul
 * That faints for love of thee!


 * Cold as I feel this heart of mine,
 * Yet, since I feel it so,
 * It yields some hope of life divine
 * Within, however low:


 * I seem forsaken and alone,
 * I hear the lion roar;
 * And every door is shut but one,
 * And that is Mercy's door.


 * There, till the dear Deliverer come,
 * I'll wait with humble prayer;
 * And when he calls his exile home,
 * The Lord shall find him there.

XXXIV. SEEKING THE BELOVED

 * T O those who know the Lord I speak;
 * Is my Beloved near?
 * The Bridegroom of my soul I seek,
 * Oh! when will he appear?


 * Though once a man of grief and shame,
 * Yet now he fills a throne,
 * And bears the greatest, sweetest name
 * That earth or heaven has known.


 * Grace flies before, and love attends
 * His steps where'er he goes;
 * Though none can see him but his friends,
 * And they were once his foes.


 * He speaks;--obedient to his call
 * Our warm affections move:
 * Did he but shine alike on all,
 * Then all alike would love.


 * Then love in every heart would reign,
 * And war would cease to roar;
 * And cruel and bloodthirsty men
 * Would thirst for blood no more.


 * Such Jesus is, and such his grace;
 * Oh, may he shine on you!
 * And tell him, when you see his face,
 * I long to see him too.

XXXV. LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS

 * G OD moves in a mysterious way
 * His wonders to perform;
 * He plants his footsteps in the sea,
 * And rides upon the storm.


 * Deep in unfathomable mines
 * Of never-failing skill,
 * He treasures up his bright designs,
 * And works his sovereign will.


 * Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
 * The clouds ye so much dread
 * Are big with mercy, and shall break
 * In blessings on your head.


 * Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
 * But trust him for his grace;
 * Behind a frowning providence
 * He hides a smiling face.


 * His purposes will ripen fast,
 * Unfolding every hour;
 * The bud may have a bitter taste,
 * But sweet will be the flower.


 * Blind unbelief is sure to err,
 * And scan his work in vain:
 * God is his own interpreter,
 * And He will make it plain.

XXXVI. WELCOME CROSS

 * 'T IS my happiness below
 * Not to live without the cross,
 * But the Saviour's power to know,
 * Sanctifying every loss:


 * Trials must and will befall;
 * But with humble faith to see
 * Love inscribed upon them all,
 * This is happiness to me.


 * God in Israel sows the seeds
 * Of affliction, pain, and toil;
 * These spring up and choke the weeds
 * Which would else o'erspread the soil:


 * Trials make the promise sweet,
 * Trials give new life to prayer;
 * Trials bring me to his feet,
 * Lay me low, and keep me there.


 * Did I meet no trials here,
 * No chastisement by the way,
 * Might I not with reason fear
 * I should prove a castaway?


 * Bastards may escape the rod,
 * Sunk in earthly vain delight:
 * But the true-born child of God
 * Must not,--would not, if he might.

XXXVII. AFFLICTIONS SANCTIFIED BY THE WORD

 * O H, how I love thy holy word,
 * Thy gracious covenant, O Lord!
 * It guides me in the peaceful way;
 * I think upon it all the day.


 * What are the mines of shining wealth,
 * The strength of youth, the bloom of health!
 * What are all joys compared with those
 * Thine everlasting Word bestows!


 * Long unafflicted, undismayed,
 * In pleasure's path secure I strayed;
 * Thou madest me feel thy chastening rod,
 * And straight I turned unto my God.


 * What though it pierced my fainting heart,
 * I blessed thine hand that caused the smart;
 * It taught my tears awhile to flow,
 * But saved me from eternal woe.


 * Oh! hadst thou left me unchastised,
 * Thy precepts I had still despised;
 * And still the snare in secret laid
 * Had my unwary feet betrayed.


 * I love thee, therefore, O my God,
 * And breathe towards thy dear abode;
 * Where, in thy presence fully blest,
 * Thy chosen saints for ever rest.

XXXVIII. TEMPTATION

 * T HE billows swell, the winds are high,
 * Clouds overcast my wintry sky;
 * Out of the depths to thee I call,--
 * My fears are great, my strength is small.


 * O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
 * And guard and guide me through the storm;
 * Defend me from each threatening ill,
 * Control the waves,--say, "Peace! be still."


 * Amidst the roaring of the sea
 * My soul still hangs her hope on thee;
 * Thy constant love, thy faithful care,
 * Is all that saves me from despair.


 * Dangers of every shape and name
 * Attend the followers of the Lamb,
 * Who leave the world's deceitful shore,
 * And leave it to return no more.


 * Though tempest-tost and half a wreck,
 * My Saviour through the floods I seek;
 * Let neither winds nor stormy main
 * Force back my shattered bark again.

XXXIX. LOOKING UPWARDS IN A STORM

 * G OD of my life, to thee I call,
 * Afflicted at thy feet I fall;
 * When the great water-floods prevail,
 * Leave not my trembling heart to fail!


 * Friend of the friendless and the faint,
 * Where should I lodge my deep complaint?
 * Where but with thee, whose open door
 * Invites the helpless and the poor!


 * Did ever mourner plead with thee,
 * And thou refuse that mourner's plea?
 * Does not the word still fixed remain,
 * That none shall seek thy face in vain?


 * That were a grief I could not bear,
 * Didst thou not hear and answer prayer;
 * But a prayer-hearing, answering God
 * Supports me under every load.


 * Fair is the lot that's cast for me;
 * I have an Advocate with thee;
 * They whom the world caresses most
 * Have no such privilege to boast.


 * Poor though I am, despised, forgot,
 * Yet God, my God, forgets me not:
 * And he is safe, and must succeed,
 * For whom the Lord vouchsafes to plead.

XL. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

 * M Y soul is sad, and much dismayed;
 * See, Lord, what legions of my foes
 * With fierce Apollyon at their head,
 * My heavenly pilgrimage oppose!


 * See, from the ever-burning lake,
 * How like a smoky cloud they rise!
 * With horrid blasts my soul they shake,
 * With storms of blasphemies and lies.


 * Their fiery arrows reach the mark,
 * My throbbing heart with anguish tear;
 * Each lights upon a kindred spark,
 * And finds abundant fuel there.


 * I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord;
 * Oh! I would drive it from my breast,
 * With thy own sharp two-edged sword,
 * Far as the east is from the west.


 * Come, then, and chase the cruel host,
 * Heal the deep wounds I have received!
 * Nor let the powers of darkness boast
 * That I am foiled, and thou art grieved!

XLI. PEACE AFTER A STORM

 * W HEN darkness long has veiled my mind,
 * And smiling day once more appears,
 * Then, my Redeemer, then I find
 * The folly of my doubts and fears.


 * Straight I upbraid my wandering heart,
 * And blush that I should ever be
 * Thus prone to act so base a part,
 * Or harbour one hard thought of thee.


 * Oh! let me then at length be taught
 * What I am still so slow to learn;
 * That God is Love, and changes not,
 * Nor knows the shadow of a turn.


 * Sweet truth, and easy to repeat!
 * But when my faith is sharply tried,
 * I find myself a learner yet,
 * Unskilful, weak, and apt to slide.


 * But, O my Lord, one look from thee
 * Subdues the disobedient will,
 * Drives doubt and discontent away,
 * And thy rebellious worm is still.


 * Thou art as ready to forgive
 * As I am ready to repine;
 * Thou, therefore, all the praise receive;
 * Be shame and self-abhorrence mine.

XLII. MOURNING AND LONGING

 * T HE Saviour hides his face!
 * My spirit thirsts to prove
 * Renewed supplies of pardoning grace,
 * And never-fading love.


 * The favoured souls who know
 * What glories shine in him,
 * Pant for his presence as the roe
 * Pants for the living stream.


 * What trifles tease me now!
 * They swarm like summer flies;
 * They cleave to everything I do,
 * And swim before my eyes.


 * How dull the Sabbath day
 * Without the Sabbath's Lord!
 * How toilsome then to sing and pray,
 * And wait upon the word!


 * Of all the truths I hear,
 * How few delight my taste!
 * I glean a berry here and there,
 * But mourn the vintage past.


 * Yet let me (as I ought)
 * Still hope to be supplied;
 * No pleasure else is worth a thought,
 * Nor shall I be denied.


 * Though I am but a worm,
 * Unworthy of his care,
 * The Lord will my desire perform,
 * And grant me all my prayer.

XLIII. SELF-ACQUAINTANCE

 * D EAR Lord! accept a sinful heart,
 * Which of itself complains,
 * And mourns, with much and frequent smart,
 * The evil it contains.


 * There fiery seeds of anger lurk,
 * Which often hurt my frame;
 * And wait but for the tempter's work
 * To fan them to a flame.


 * Legality holds out a bribe
 * To purchase life from thee;
 * And Discontent would fain prescribe
 * How thou shalt deal with me.


 * While Unbelief withstands thy grace,
 * And puts the mercy by;
 * Presumption, with a brow of brass,
 * Says, "Give me, or I die!"


 * How eager are my thoughts to roam
 * In quest of what they love!
 * But ah! when Duty calls them home,
 * How heavily they move!


 * Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour's blood,
 * Transform me by thy power,
 * And make me thy beloved abode,
 * And let me roam no more.

XLIV. PRAYER FOR PATIENCE

 * L ORD, who hast suffered all for me,
 * My peace and pardon to procure,
 * The lighter cross I bear for thee
 * Help me with patience to endure.


 * The storm of loud repining hush;
 * I would in humble silence mourn;
 * Why should the unburnt, though burning bush,
 * Be angry as the crackling thorn?


 * Man should not faint at thy rebuke,
 * Like Joshua falling on his face,
 * When the cursed thing that Achan took
 * Brought Israel into just disgrace.


 * Perhaps some golden wedge suppressed,
 * Some secret sin offends my God;
 * Perhaps that Babylonish vest,
 * Self-righteousness, provokes the rod.


 * Ah! were I buffeted all day,
 * Mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit upon,
 * I yet should have no right to say,
 * My great distress is mine alone.


 * Let me not angrily declare
 * No pain was ever sharp like mine,
 * Nor murmur at the cross I bear,
 * But rather weep, remembering thine.

XLV. SUBMISSION

 * O L ORD, my best desire fulfil,
 * And help me to resign
 * Life, health, and comfort to thy will,
 * And make thy pleasure mine.


 * Why should I shrink at thy command,
 * Whose love forbids my fears?
 * Or tremble at the gracious hand
 * That wipes away my tears?


 * No, rather let me freely yield
 * What most I prize to thee;
 * Who never hast a good withheld,
 * Or wilt withhold, from me.


 * Thy favor, all my journey through,
 * Thou art engaged to grant;
 * What else I want, or think I do,
 * 'Tis better still to want.


 * Wisdom and mercy guide my way,
 * Shall I resist them both?
 * A poor blind creature of a day,
 * And crushed before the moth!


 * But ah! my inward spirit cries,
 * Still bind me to thy sway;
 * Else the next cloud that veils the skies
 * Drives all these thoughts away.

XLVI. THE HAPPY CHANGE

 * H OW blessed thy creature is, O God,
 * When, with a single eye,
 * He views the lustre of thy word,
 * The dayspring from on high!


 * Through all the storms that veil the skies
 * And frown on earthly things,
 * The Sun of Righteousness he eyes,
 * With healing on his wings.


 * Struck by that light, the human heart,
 * A barren soil no more,
 * Sends the sweet smell of grace abroad,
 * Where serpents lurked before.


 * The soul, a dreary province once
 * Of Satan's dark domain,
 * Feels a new empire formed within,
 * And owns a heavenly reign.


 * The glorious orb whose golden beams
 * The fruitful year control,
 * Since first, obedient to thy word,
 * He started from the goal,


 * Has cheered the nations with the joys
 * His orient rays impart;
 * But, Jesus, 'tis thy light alone
 * Can shine upon the heart.

XLVII. RETIREMENT

 * F AR from the world, O Lord, I flee,
 * From strife and tumult far;
 * From scenes where Satan wages still
 * His most successful war.


 * The calm retreat, the silent shade,
 * With prayer and praise agree;
 * And seem by thy sweet bounty made
 * For those who follow thee.


 * There, if thy Spirit touch the soul,
 * And grace her mean abode,
 * Oh! with what peace, and joy, and love,
 * She communes with her God!


 * There like the nightingale she pours
 * Her solitary lays;
 * Nor asks a witness of her song,
 * Nor thirsts for human praise.


 * Author and guardian of my life,
 * Sweet source of light divine,
 * And-all harmonious names in one--
 * My Saviour! thou art mine!


 * What thanks I owe thee, and what love,
 * A boundless, endless store,
 * Shall echo through the realms above,
 * When time shall be no more.

XLVIII. THE HIDDEN LIFE

 * T O tell the Saviour all my wants,
 * How pleasing is the task!
 * Nor less to praise him when he grants
 * Beyond what I can ask.


 * My labouring spirit vainly seeks
 * To tell but half the joy;
 * With how much tenderness he speaks,
 * And helps me to reply.


 * Nor were it wise, nor should I choose,
 * Such secrets to declare;
 * Like precious wines their taste they lose,
 * Exposed to open air.


 * But this with boldness I proclaim,
 * Nor care if thousands hear,
 * Sweet is the ointment of his name,
 * Not life is half so dear.


 * And can you frown, my former friends,
 * Who knew what once I was;
 * And blame the song that thus commends
 * The Man who bore the cross?


 * Trust me, I draw the likeness true,
 * And not as fancy paints;
 * Such honour may he give to you,
 * For such have all his saints.

XLIX. JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING

 * S OMETIMES a light surprises
 * The Christian while he sings;
 * It is the Lord who rises
 * With healing in his wings:
 * When comforts are declining,
 * He grants the soul again
 * A season of clear shining,
 * To cheer it after rain.


 * In holy contemplation,
 * We sweetly then pursue
 * The theme of God's salvation,
 * And find it ever new:
 * Set free from present sorrow,
 * We cheerfully can say,
 * E'en let the unknown to-morrow
 * Bring with it what it may!


 * It can bring with it nothing
 * But he will bear us through;
 * Who gives the lilies clothing
 * Will clothe his people too;
 * Beneath the spreading heavens
 * No creature but is fed;
 * And he who feeds the ravens
 * Will give his children bread.


 * Though vine nor fig-tree neither
 * Their wonted fruit shall bear,
 * Though all the field should wither,
 * Nor flocks nor herds be there:
 * Yet God the same abiding,
 * His praise shall tune my voice;
 * For, while in him confiding,
 * I cannot but rejoice.

L. TRUE PLEASURES

 * L ORD, my soul with pleasure springs
 * When Jesus' name I hear;
 * And when God the Spirit brings
 * The word of promise near:
 * Beauties too, in holiness,
 * Still delighted I perceive;
 * Nor have words that can express
 * The joys thy precepts give.


 * Clothed in sanctity and grace,
 * How sweet it is to see
 * Those who love thee as they pass,
 * Or when they wait on thee!
 * Pleasant too, to sit and tell
 * What we owe to love divine;
 * Till our bosoms grateful swell,
 * And eyes begin to shine.


 * Those the comforts I possess,
 * Which God shall still increase,
 * All his ways are pleasantness,
 * And all his paths are peace.
 * Nothing Jesus did or spoke,
 * Henceforth let me ever slight;
 * For I love his easy yoke,
 * And find his burden light.

LI. THE CHRISTIAN

 * H ONOUR and happiness unite
 * To make the Christian's name a praise;
 * How fair the scene, how clear the light,
 * That fills the remnant of his days!


 * A kingly character he bears,
 * No change his priestly office knows;
 * Unfading is the crown he wears,
 * His joys can never reach a close.


 * Adorned with glory from on high,
 * Salvation shines upon his face;
 * His robe is of the ethereal dye,
 * His steps are dignity and grace.


 * Inferior honours he disdains,
 * Nor stoops to take applause from earth;
 * The King of kings himself maintains
 * The expenses of his heavenly birth.


 * The noblest creature seen below,
 * Ordained to fill a throne above;
 * God gives him all he can bestow,
 * His kingdom of eternal love!


 * My soul is ravished at the thought!
 * Methinks from earth I see him rise!
 * Angels congratulate his lot,
 * And shout him welcome to the skies!

LII. LIVELY HOPE AND GRACIOUS FEAR

 * I WAS a grovelling creature once,
 * And basely cleaved to earth;
 * I wanted spirit to renounce
 * The clod that gave me birth.


 * But God has breathed upon a worm,
 * And sent me from above
 * Wings such as clothe an angel's form,
 * The wings of joy and love.


 * With these to Pisgah's top I fly,
 * And there delighted stand,
 * To view beneath a shining sky
 * The spacious promised land.


 * The Lord of all the vast domain
 * Has promised it to me,
 * The length and breadth of all the plain
 * As far as faith can see.


 * How glorious is my privilege!
 * To thee for help I call;
 * I stand upon a mountain's edge,
 * Oh save me, lest I fall!


 * Though much exalted in the Lord,
 * My strength is not my own;
 * Then let me tremble at his word,
 * And none shall cast me down.

LIII. FOR THE POOR

 * W HEN Hagar found the bottle spent,
 * And wept o'er Ishmael,
 * A message from the Lord was sent
 * To guide her to a well.


 * Should not Elijah's cake and cruse
 * Convince us at this day,
 * A gracious God will not refuse
 * Provisions by the way?


 * His saints and servants shall be fed,
 * The promise is secure;
 * "Bread shall be given them," as he said,
 * "Their water shall be sure."


 * Repasts far richer they shall prove,
 * Than all earth's dainties are;
 * 'Tis sweet to taste a Saviour's love,
 * Though in the meanest fare.


 * To Jesus then your trouble bring,
 * Nor murmur at your lot;
 * While you are poor and He is King,
 * You shall not be forgot.

LIV. MY SOUL THIRSTETH FOR GOD

 * I THIRST, but not as once I did,
 * The vain delights of earth to share;
 * Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid
 * That I should seek my pleasures there.


 * It was the sight of thy dear cross
 * First wean’d my soul from earthly things;
 * And taught me to esteem as dross
 * The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.


 * I want that grace that springs from thee,
 * That quickens all things where it flows,
 * And makes a wretched thorn like me
 * Bloom as the myrtle or the rose.


 * Dear fountain of delight unknown!
 * No longer sink below the brim;
 * But over flow, and pour me down
 * A living and life-giving stream!


 * For sure, of all the plants that share
 * The notice of thy Father’s eye,
 * None proves less grateful to his care,
 * Or yields him meaner fruit than I.

LV. LOVE CONSTRAINING TO OBEDIENCE

 * N O strength of nature can suffice
 * To serve the Lord aright:
 * And what she has she misapplies,
 * For want of clearer light.


 * How long beneath the law I lay
 * In bondage and distress!
 * I toil’d the precept to obey,
 * But toil’d without success.


 * Then, to abstain from outward sin
 * Was more than I could do;
 * Now, if I feel its power within,
 * I feel I hate it too.


 * Then, all my servile works were done
 * A righteousness to raise;
 * Now, freely chosen in the Son,
 * I freely choose his ways.


 * "What shall I do," was then the word,
 * "That I may worthier grow?"
 * "What shall I render to the Lord?"
 * Is my inquiry now.


 * To see the law by Christ fulfill’d,
 * And hear his pardoning voice,
 * Changes a slave into a child,
 * And duty into choice.

LVI. THE HEART HEALED AND CHANGED BY MERCY

 * S IN enslaved me many years,
 * And led me bound and blind;
 * Till at length a thousand fears
 * Came swarming o'er my mind.
 * "Where," said I, in deep distress,
 * "Will these sinful pleasures end?
 * How shall I secure my peace,
 * And make the Lord my friend?"


 * Friends and ministers said much
 * The Gospel to enforce;
 * But my blindness still was such,
 * I chose a legal course:
 * Much I fasted, watched and strove,
 * Scarce would show my face abroad,
 * Feared almost to speak or move,
 * A stranger still to God.


 * Thus afraid to trust his grace,
 * Long time did I rebel;
 * Till despairing of my case,
 * Down at his feet I fell:
 * Then my stubborn heart he broke,
 * And subdued me to his sway;
 * By a simple word he spoke,
 * "Thy sins are done away."

LVII. HATRED OF SIN

 * H OLY Lord God! I love thy truth,
 * Nor dare thy least commandment slight;
 * Yet pierced by sin, the serpent's tooth,
 * I mourn the anguish of the bite.


 * But though the poison lurks within,
 * Hope bids me still with patience wait;
 * Till death shall set me free from sin,
 * Free from the only thing I hate.


 * Had I a throne above the rest,
 * Where angels and archangels dwell,
 * One sin, unslain, within my breast,
 * Would make that heaven as dark as hell.


 * The prisoner sent to breathe fresh air,
 * And blessed with liberty again,
 * Would mourn were he condemned to wear
 * One link of all his former chain.


 * But, oh! no foe invades the bliss,
 * When glory crowns the Christian's head;
 * One view of Jesus as he is
 * Will strike all sin for ever dead.

LVIII. THE NEW CONVERT

 * T HE new-born child of Gospel grace,
 * Like some fair tree when summer's nigh,
 * Beneath Emmanuel's shining face
 * Lifts up his blooming branch on high.


 * No fears he feels, he sees no foes,
 * No conflict yet his faith employs,
 * Nor has he learnt to whom he owes
 * The strength and peace his soul enjoys.


 * But sin soon darts its cruel sting,
 * And comforts sinking day by day,
 * What seemed his own, a self-fed spring,
 * Proves but a brook that glides away.


 * When Gideon armed his numerous host,
 * The Lord soon made his numbers less;
 * And said, "Lest Israel vainly boast,
 * 'My arm procured me this success.'"


 * Thus will he bring our spirits down,
 * And draw our ebbing comforts low,
 * That saved by grace, but not our own,
 * We may not claim the praise we owe.

LIX. TRUE AND FALSE COMFORTS

 * O G OD, whose favourable eye
 * The sin-sick soul revives,
 * Holy and heavenly is the joy
 * Thy shining presence gives.


 * Not such as hypocrites suppose,
 * Who with a graceless heart
 * Taste not of thee, but drink a dose
 * Prepared by Satan's art.


 * Intoxicating joys are theirs,
 * Who while they boast their light,
 * And seem to soar above the stats,
 * Are plunging into night.


 * Lulled in a soft and fatal sleep,
 * They sin and yet rejoice;
 * Were they indeed the Saviour's sheep,
 * Would they not hear his voice?


 * Be mine the comforts that reclaim
 * The soul from Satan's power;
 * That make me blush for what I am,
 * And hate my sin the more.


 * 'Tis joy enough, my All in All,
 * At thy dear feet to lie;
 * Thou wilt not let me lower fall,
 * And none can higher fly.

LX. A LIVING AND A DEAD FAITH

 * T HE Lord receives his highest praise
 * From humble minds and hearts sincere;
 * While all the loud professor says
 * Offends the righteous Judge's ear.


 * To walk as children of the day,
 * To mark the precepts' holy light,
 * To wage the warfare, watch, and pray,
 * Show who are pleasing in his sight.


 * Not words alone it cost the Lord
 * To purchase pardon for his own;
 * Nor will a soul by grace restored
 * Return the Saviour words alone.


 * With golden bells, the priestly vest,
 * And rich pomegranates bordered round,
 * The need of holiness expressed,
 * And called for fruit as well as sound.


 * Easy indeed it were to reach
 * A mansion in the courts above,
 * If swelling words and fluent speech
 * Might serve instead of faith and love.


 * But none shall gain the blissful place,
 * Or God's unclouded glory see,
 * Who talks of free and sovereign grace,
 * Unless that grace has made him free!

LXI. ABUSE OF THE GOSPEL

 * T OO many, Lord, abuse thy grace
 * In this licentious day,
 * And while they boast they see thy face
 * They turn their own away.


 * Thy book displays a gracious light
 * That can the blind restore;
 * But these are dazzled by the sight,
 * And blinded still the more.


 * The pardon such presume upon,
 * They do not beg, but steal;
 * And when they plead it at thy throne,
 * Oh! where's the Spirit's seal?


 * Was it for this, ye lawless tribe,
 * The dear Redeemer bled?
 * Is this the grace the saints imbibe
 * From Christ the living head?


 * Ah, Lord, we know thy chosen few
 * Are fed with heavenly fare;
 * But these,—the wretched husks they chew
 * Proclaim them what they are.


 * The liberty our hearts implore
 * Is not to live in sin;
 * But still to wait at Wisdom's door,
 * Till Mercy calls us in.

LXII. THE NARROW WAY

 * W HAT thousands never knew the road!
 * What thousands hate it when 'tis known!
 * None but the chosen tribes of God
 * Will seek or choose it for their own.


 * A thousand ways in ruin end,
 * One only leads to joys on high;
 * By that my willing steps ascend,
 * Pleased with a journey to the sky.


 * No more I ask or hope to find
 * Delight or happiness below;
 * Sorrow may well possess the mind
 * That feeds where thorns and thistles grow.


 * The joy that fades is not for me,
 * I seek immortal joys above;
 * There glory without end shall be
 * The bright reward of faith and love.


 * Cleave to the world, ye sordid worms,
 * Contented lick your native dust!
 * But God shall fight with all his storms
 * Against the idol of your trust.

LXIII. DEPENDENCE

 * T O keep the lamp alive,
 * With oil we fill the bowl;
 * 'Tis water makes the willow thrive,
 * And grace that feeds the soul.


 * The Lord's unsparing hand
 * Supplies the living stream;
 * It is not at our own command,
 * But still derived from him.


 * Beware of Peter's word,
 * Nor confidently say,
 * "I never will deny thee, Lord,"—
 * But,—"Grant I never may."


 * Man's wisdom is to seek
 * His strength in God alone;
 * And even an angel would be weak
 * Who trusted in his own.


 * Retreat beneath his wings,
 * And in his grace confide!
 * This more exalts the King of kings
 * Than all your works beside.


 * In Jesus is our store,
 * Grace issues from his throne;
 * Whoever says, "I want no more,"
 * Confesses he has none.

LXIV. NOT OF WORKS

 * G RACE, triumphant in the throne
 * Scorns a rival, reigns alone;
 * Come and bow beneath her sway,
 * Cast your idol works away!
 * Works of man, when made his plea,
 * Never shall accepted be;
 * Fruits of pride (vain-glorious worm!)
 * Are the best he can perform.


 * Self, the god his soul adores,
 * Influences all his powers;
 * Jesus is a slighted name,
 * Self-advancement all his aim:
 * But when God the Judge shall come
 * To pronounce the final doom,
 * Then for rocks and hills to hide
 * All his works and all his pride!


 * Still the boasting heart replies,
 * "What! the worthy and the wise,
 * Friends to temperance and peace,
 * Have not these a righteousness?"
 * Banish every vain pretence
 * Built on human excellence;
 * Perish everything in man,
 * But the grace that never can.

LXV. PRAISE FOR FAITH

 * O F all the gifts thine hand bestows,
 * Thou Giver of all good!
 * Not heaven itself a richer knows
 * Than my Redeemer's blood.


 * Faith too, the blood-receiving grace,
 * From the same hand we gain;
 * Else, sweetly as it suits our case,
 * That gift had been in vain.


 * Till thou thy teaching power apply,
 * Our hearts refuse to see,
 * And weak, as a distempered eye,
 * Shut out the view of thee.


 * Blind to the merits of thy Son,
 * What misery we endure!
 * Yet fly that hand from which alone
 * We could expect a cure.


 * We praise thee, and would praise thee more,
 * To thee our all we owe;
 * The precious Saviour, and the power
 * That makes him precious too.

LXVI. GRACE AND PROVIDENCE

 * A LMIGHTY King! whose wondrous hand
 * Supports the weight of sea and land;
 * Whose grace is such a boundless store,
 * No heart shall break that sighs for more.


 * Thy providence supplies my food,
 * And 'tis thy blessing makes it good;
 * My soul is nourished by thy word:
 * Let soul and body praise the Lord!


 * My streams of outward comfort came
 * From him who built this earthly fraime;
 * Whate'er I want his bounty gives,
 * By whom my soul for ever lives.


 * Either his hand preserves fronm pain,
 * Or, if I feel it, heals again;
 * From Satan's malice shields my breast,
 * Or overrules it for the best.


 * Forgive the song that falls so low
 * Beneath the gratitude I owe!
 * It means thy praise, however poor,
 * An angel's song can do no more.

LXVII. I WILL PRAISE THE LORD AT ALL TIMES

 * W INTER has a joy for me,
 * While the Saviour's charms I read,
 * Lowly, meek, from blemish free,
 * In the snowdrop's pensive head.


 * Spring returns, and brings along
 * Life-invigorating suns:
 * Hark! the turtle's plaintive song
 * Seems to speak his dying groans!


 * Summer has a thousand charms,
 * All expressive of his worth;
 * 'Tis his sun that lights and warms,
 * His the air that cools the earth.


 * What! has Autumn left to say
 * Nothing of a Savior's grace?
 * Yes, the beams of milder day
 * Tell me of his smiling face.


 * Light appears with early dawn,
 * While the sun makes haste to rise;
 * See his bleeding beauties drawn
 * On the blushes of the skies.


 * Evening with a silent pace,
 * Slowly moving in the west,
 * Shows an emblem of his grace,
 * Points to an eternal rest.

LXVIII. LONGING TO BE WITH CHRIST

 * T O Jesus, the Crown of my Hope,
 * My soul is in haste to be gone;
 * Oh bear me, ye cherubim, up,
 * And waft me away me away to his throne!


 * My Saviour, whom absent I love,
 * Whom, not having seen, I adore;
 * Whose name is exalted above
 * All glory, dominion, and power;


 * Dissolve thou these bonds, that detain
 * My soul from her portion in thee,
 * Ah! strike off this adamant chain,
 * And make me eternally free.


 * When that happy era begins,
 * When arrayed in thy glories I shine,
 * Nor to grieve any more, by my sins,
 * The bosom on which I recline;


 * O then shall the veil be removed,
 * And round me thy brightness be poured,
 * I shall meet Him whom absent I loved,
 * Shall see him whom unseen I adored.


 * And then, never more shall the fears,
 * The trials, temptations, and woes,
 * Which darken this valley of tears,
 * Intrude on my blissfull repose.


 * Or, if yet remembered above,
 * Remembrance no sadness shall raise,
 * They will be but new signs of they love,
 * New themes for my wonder and praise.


 * Thus the strokes which from sin and from pain
 * Shall set me eternally free,
 * Will but strengthen and rivet the chain
 * Which binds me, my Saviour! to thee.