## HYMNS ON VARIOUS SUBJECTS. 1. Desiring to Praise God. [L. M.]

1 Almighty Author of my frame, To thee my vital powers belong; Thy praise (delightful, glorious theme!) Demands my heart, my life, my tongue. 2 My heart, my life, my tongue are thine: Oh be thy praise their blest employ! But may my song with angels join? Nor sacred awe forbid the joy?

## 3 Thy glories, the seraphic lyre On all its strings attempts in vain; Then how shall mortals dare aspire In thought, to try the unequal strain? 4 Yet the great Sovereign of the skies To mortals bends a gracious ear; Nor the mean tribute will despise, If offered with a heart sincere. 5 Great God, accept the humble praise, And guide my heart, and guide my tongue, While to thy name I trembling raise The grateful, though unworthy song. 2. Imploring Divine Influence. [L. M.]

1 My God, whene'er my longing heart The praiseful tribute would impart, In vain my tongue with feeble aim, Attempts the glories of thy name.

2 In vain my boldest thoughts arise, I sink to earth and lose the skies; Yet I may still thy grace implore, And low in dust thy name adore. 3 O let thy grace my heart inspire, And raise each languid weak desire, Thy grace, which condescends to meet The sinner prostrate at thy feet. 4 With humble fear let love unite, And mix devotion with delight; Then shall thy name be all my joy, Thy praise, my constant blest employ, 5 Thy name inspires the harps above With harmony, and praise, and love; That grace which tunes the immortal strings, Looks kindly down on mortal things. 6 O let thy grace guide every song, And fill my heart and tune my tongue; Then shall the strain harmonious flow, And heaven's sweet work begin below.

## (p. 4) 3. Meditating on Creation and Providence. [C. M.]

1 Lord, when my raptured thought surveys Creation's beauties o'er, All nature joins to teach thy praise, And bid my soul adore. 2 Where'er I turn my gazing eyes, Thy radiant footsteps shine; Ten thousand pleasing wonders rise, And speak their source divine. 3 The living tribes of countless forms, In earth and sea and air; The meanest flies, the smallest worms, Almighty power declare. 4 All rose to life at thy command, And wait their daily food From thy paternal, bounteous hand, Exhaustless spring of good!

5 The meads, arrayed in smiling greens With wholesome herbage crowned; The fields with corn, a richer scene, Spread thy full bounties round. 6 The fruitful tree, the blooming flower, In varied charms appear; Their varied charms display thy power, Thy goodness all declare. 7 The sun's productive quickening beams. The growing verdure spread; Refreshing rains and cooling streams His gentle influence aid. 8 The moon and stars his absent light Supply with borrowed rays, And deck the sable veil of night, And speak their Maker's praise. 9 Thy wisdom, power and goodness, Lord, In all thy works appear; And O let man thy praise record; Man, thy distinguished care.

10 From thee the breath of life he drew; That breath thy power maintains; Thy tender mercy ever new, His brittle frame sustains. 11 Yet nobler favours claim his praise,. Of reason's light possessed; By revelation's brighter rays Still more divinely blest. 12 Thy providence, his constant guard When threatening woes impend, Or will the impending dangers ward, Or timely succours lend, 13 On me that providence has shone With gentle smiling rays; O let my lips and life make known Thy goodness, and thy praise. 14 All bounteous Lord, thy grace impart; O teach me to improve Thy gifts with ever grateful heart, And crown them with thy love.

1 Come heavenly love, inspire my song With thy immortal flame, And teach my heart, and teach my tongue The Saviour's lovely name. 2 The Saviour! O what endless charms Dwell in the blissful sound! Its influence every fear disarms, And spreads sweet comfort round, 3 Here pardon, life, and joys divine In rich effusion flow, For guilty rebels lost in sin, And doomed to endless woe. 4 In our first parent's crime we fell; Our blood, our vital breath Deep tinged with all the seeds of ill, Sad heirs to sin and death,

5 Black o'er our wrath devoted heads Avenging justice frowned; While hell disclosed her deepest shades. And horrors rose around. 6 Wrapped in the gloom of dark despair, We helpless, hopeless lay: But sovereign mercy reached us there, And smiled despair away. 7 God's only Son, (stupendous grace!) Forsook his throne above; And swift to save our wretched race, He flew on wings of love. 8 The Almighty former of the sides Stooped to our vile abode; While angels viewed with wondering eyes, And hailed the incarnate God. 9 The God in heavenly strains they sung, Arrayed in human clay; Mysterious love! what angel tongue Thy wonders can display?

10 Mysterious love, in every scene, Through all his life appears: His spotless life exposed to pain, And miseries and tears. 11 What blessings on a thankless race, His bounteous hand bestowed? And from his tongue what wondrous grace; What rich instruction flowed? 12 The dumb, the deaf, the lame, the blind. Confessed his healing power; Disease and death their prey resigned, And grief complained no more. 13 Infernal legions trembling fled, Awed by his powerful word: And winds and seas his voice obeyed, And owned their sovereign Lord. 14 But man, vile man, his love abused, Blind to the noblest good; Blasphemed his power, his word refused, And fought his sacred blood.

15 Still his unwearied love pursued Salvation's glorious plan; And firm the approaching horrors viewed Deserved by guilty man, 16 What pain, what soul-oppressing pain, The great Redeemer bore; While bloody sweat, like drops of rain, Distilled from every pore! 17 And ere the dreadful storm descends Full on his guiltless head, See him by his familiar friends Deserted and betrayed! 18 While ruffian bands the Lord surround, Relentless, murderous foes; Meek, as a lamb for slaughter bound, The patient sufferer goes. 19 Arraigned at Pilate's impious bar, (Unparalleled disgrace!) See spotless innocence appear In guilt's detested place!

20 When perjury fails to stain his name, The mob's envenomed breath Extorts his sentence, public shame And painful lingering death. 21 Patient, the cruel scourge he bore: The innocent, the kind! Then to the rabble's lawless power And rudest taunts consigned. 22 With thorns they crown that awful brow. Whose frown can make the globe; And on their king in scorn be flow The reed and purple robe. 23 Ah! see the fatal cross appears, Heart-wounding, dreadful scene! His sacred flesh rude iron tears, With agonizing pain. 24 Exposed with thieves to public view— Could nature bear the sight? The blushing sun his beams withdrew, And wrapped the globe in night

25 Then, Oh! what loads of wrath unknown The glorious sufferer felt; For crimes unnumbered to atone, To expiate mortal guilt? 26 The Father's blissful smile withdrawn, In that tremendous hour; Yet still the God sustained the man With his almighty power. 27 Tis finished! now aloud he cries, No more the law requires; And now, (amazing sacrifice!) The Lord of life expires. 28 Earth's firm foundation felt the shock. With universal dread; Trembled the mountain, rent the rock, And waked the sleeping dead! 29 Now breathless in the silent tomb, His sacred body lies; Thither his loved disciples come, With sorrow-streaming eyes.

30 But see, the promised morn appear! Their joy revives again; The Saviour lives; adieu to fear, To every anxious pain. 31 His kindest words their doubts remove, Confirm their wavering faith; He bids them teach the world his love, Salvation by his death. 32 Triumphant he ascends on high, The glorious work complete; Sin, death, and hell, low vanquished lie Beneath his awful feet, 33 There with eternal glory crowned, The Lord, the conqueror reigns; His praise the heavenly choirs resound In their immortal strains. 34 Amid the splendours of his throne, Unchanging love appears; The names he purchased for his own, Still on his heart be bears.

35 Still with prevailing power he pleads Their cause for whom he died; His Spirit's sacred influence sheds, Their comforter and guide. 36 For them, reserves a radiant crown, Bought with his dying blood; And worlds of light, and joys unknown, Forever near their God. 37 O the rich depths of love divine! Of bliss, a boundless store: Dear Saviour, let me call thee mine: I cannot wish for more. 38 I yield to thy dear conquering arms I yield my captive soul: O let thy all-subduing charms My inmost powers control! 39 On thee alone my hope relies; Beneath thy cross I fall, My Lord, my life, my sacrifice, My Saviour, and my all.

## (p. 15) 5. The Great Physician. [L. M.] Luke 6:19.

1 Ye mourning sinners, here disclose You deep complaints, your various woes, Approach, tis Jesus, he can heal The pains which mourning sinners feel, 2 To eyes long closed in mental night, Strangers to all the joys of light, His word imparts a blissful ray: Sweet morning or celestial day! 3 Ye helpless lame, lift up your eyes, The Lord, the Saviour bids you rise; New life and strength his voice conveys, And plaintive groans are changed for praise, 4 Nor shall the leper, hopeless lie Beneath the Great Physician's eye; Sin's deepest power his word controls, That fatal leprosy of souls,

5 That hand divine, which can assuage The burning fever's restless rage; That hand, omnipotent and kind, Can cool the fever of the mind. 6 When freezing palsy chills the veins, And pale, cold death, already reigns, He speaks; the vital powers revive: He speaks, and dying sinners live. 7 Dear Lord, we wait thy healing hand; Diseases fly at thy command; O let thy sovereign touch impart Life, strength, and health to every heart! 8 Then shall the sick, the blind, the lame. Adore their Great Physician's name; Then dying souls shall bless their God, And spread thy wondrous praise abroad.

## (p. 17) 6. Longing Souls Invited to the Gospel Feast. [C. M.]

Luke 14:22.

1 Ye wretched, hungry, starving poor, Behold a royal feast! Where mercy spreads her bounteous store, For every humble guest. 2 See, Jesus stands with open arms; He calls, he bids you come: Guilt holds you back, and fear alarms; But see, there yet is room. 3 Room in the Saviour's bleeding heart: There love and pity meet; Nor will he bid the soul depart, That trembles at his feet. 4 In him, the father reconciled Invites your souls to come; The rebel shall be called a child, And kindly welcomed home.

## 5 O come, and with his children taste The blessings of his love; While hope attends the sweet repast, Of nobler joys above, 6 There, with united heart and voice, Before the eternal throne, Ten thousand thousand souls rejoice, In ecstasies unknown. 7 And yet ten thousand thousand more, Are welcome still to come: Ye longing souls the grace adore; Approach, there yet is room. 7. Light and Deliverance. [C. M.]

1 The weary traveller, lost in night, Breathes many a longing sigh, And marks the welcome dawn of light, With rapture in his eye.

2 Thus sweet the dawn of heavenly day Lost weary sinners find: When mercy with reviving ray, Beams o'er the fainting mind. 3 To slaves oppressed with cruel chains, How kind, how dear the friend, Whose generous hand relieves their pains, And bids their sorrows end! 4 Thus kind, thus dear, that friend divine Who ransoms captive souls, Unbinds the cruel chains of sin, And all its power controls. 5 Jesus, to thy soul-cheering light, My dawn of hope I owe; Once, wandering in the shades of night, And lost in hopeless woe. 6 Twas thy dear hand redeemed the slave, And set the prisoner free; Be all I am, and all I have, Devoted, Lord, to thee!

## 7 But stronger ties than nature knows, My grateful love confine; And even that love, thy hand bestows Which wishes to be thine. 8 Here, at thy feet, I wait thy will, And live upon thy word: O give me warmer love and zeal, To serve my dearest Lord. 8. A Morning Hymn. [C. M.]

1 Lord of my life, O may thy praise Employ my noblest powers, Whose goodness lengthens out my days, And fills the circling hours. 2 Preserved by thy almighty arm, I passed the shades of night, Serene, and safe from every harm, And see returning light.

3 While many spent the night in sighs, And restless pains, and woes; In gentle sleep I closed my eyes, And undisturbed repose. 4 When sleep, death's semblance o'er me spread, And I unconscious lay, Thy watchful care was round my bed, To guard my feeble clay. 5 O let the same almighty care My waking hours attend; From every danger, every snare, My heedless steps defend. 6 Smile on my minutes as they roll, And guide my future days; And let thy goodness fill my soul With gratitude and praise.

1 Great God, to thee my evening song With humble gratitude I raise; O let thy mercy tune my tongue, And fill my heart with lively praise. 2 Mercy, that rich unbounded store, Does my unnumbered wants relieve; Among thy daily craving poor, On thy all-bounteous hand I live. 3 My days unclouded, as they pass, And every gently rolling hour, Are monuments of wondrous grace. And witness to thy love and power. 4 Thy love and power, (celestial guard) Preserve me from surrounding harms: Can danger reach me, while the Lord Extends his kind protecting arms?

5 My numerous wants are known to thee, Ere my slow wishes can arise; Thy goodness measureless and free, Is ready still with full supplies, 6 And yet this thoughtless, wretched heart, Too oft regardless of thy love, Ungrateful, can from thee depart, And fond of trifles vainly rove. 7 When calm reflection finds a place, How vile this wretched heart appears! Let thy all-subduing grace Melt it in penitential tears. 8 Seal my forgiveness in the blood Of Jesus: his dear name alone I plead for pardon, gracious God, And kind acceptance at thy throne. 9 Let this blest hope my eyelids close, With sleep refresh my feeble frame; Safe in thy care may I repose, And wake with praises to thy name.

1 Lord of the earth, and seas, and skies, All nature owns thy sovereign power; At thy command the tempests rise, At thy command the thunders roar. 2 We hear, with trembling and affright, The voice of heaven, (tremendous sound!) Keen lightnings pierce the shades of night, And spread bright horrors all around. 3 What mortal could sustain the stroke, Should wrath divine in vengeful storms (Which our repeated crimes provoke,) Descend to crush rebellious worms? 4 These dreadful glories of thy name With terror would o'erwhelm our souls; Put mercy dawns with kinder beam, And guilt and rising fear controls,

## 5 O let thy mercy on my heart With cheering, healing radiance shine; Bid every anxious tear depart, And gently whisper, Thou art mine. 6 Then safe beneath thy guardian care, In hope serene my soul shall rest; Nor storms nor dangers reach me there, In thee, my God, my refuge, blest. 11. Searching after Happiness. [C. M.]

1 O happiness, thou pleasing dream, Where is thy substance found? Sought through the varying scenes in vain, Of earth's capacious round. 2 The charms of grandeur, pomp and show, Are nought but gilded snares; Ambition's painful steep ascent, Thick set with thorny cares.

3 The busy town, the crowded street, Where noise and discord reign, We gladly leave, and tired retreat To breathe and think again. 4 Yet if retirements pleasing charms Detain the captive mind, The soft enchantment soon dissolves; Tis empty all as wind. 5 Religion's sacred lamp alone, Unerring points the way, Where happiness forever shines With unpolluted ray. 6 To regions of eternal peace, Beyond the starry skies; Where pure, sublime and perfect joys In endless prospect rise. 7 There Jesus, source of bliss divine, Our glorious leader reigns: He gives us strength to hold our way, And crowns the traveller' pains.

## 8 Dear Saviour, let thy cheering smile My fainting soul renew; Then shall the heavenly Canaan yield A sweet, though distant view. 9 Be thy almighty arm my stay, My guide through all the road, Till safe I reach my journey's end, My Saviour, and my God. 12. Weary Souls Invited to Rest. [L. M.] Matthew 11:28.

1 Come weary souls with sin distressed, The Saviour offers heavenly rest; The kind, the gracious call obey, And cast your gloomy fears away. 2 Oppressed with guilt, a painful load, O come, and spread your woes abroad; Divine compassion, mighty love, Will all the painful load remove.

## 3 Here mercy's boundless ocean flows, To cleanse your guilt and heal your woes; Pardon, and life, and endless peace— How rich the gift! how free the grace! 4 Lord, we accept with thankful heart, The hope thy gracious words impart; We come with trembling, yet rejoice, And bless the kind inviting voice. 5 Dear Saviour, let thy powerful love Confirm our faith, our fears remove, And sweetly influence every breast, And guide us to eternal rest. 13. Thirsting after God. [C. M.] Isaiah 41:17.

1 When fainting in the sultry waste, And parched with thirst extreme, The weary pilgrim longs to taste The cool, refreshing stream;

2 Should, sudden, to his hopeless eye A crystal spring appear, How would the enlivening sweet supply His drooping spirits cheer! 3 So longs the weary fainting mind, Oppressed with sins and woes, Some soul-reviving spring to find, Whence heavenly comfort flows. 4 Thus sweet the consolations are, The promises impart, Here flowing streams of life appear, To ease the panting heart. 5 O may I thirst for thee, my God, With ardent, strong desire; And still through all this desert road, To taste thy grace aspire. 6 Then shall my prayer to thee ascend, A grateful sacrifice; My plaintive voice thou wilt attend, And grant me full supplies.

## (p. 30) 14. The Favour of God the only Satisfying Good. [C. M.]

Psalms 4:6-7.

1 In vain the erring world enquires, For true substantial good: While earth confines their low desires, They live on airy food, 2 Illusive dreams of happiness, Their eager thoughts employ; They wake, convinced their boasted bliss Was visionary joy. 3 Begone, ye gilded vanities; I seek some solid good; To real bliss my wishes rise, The favour of my God, 4 My God, to thee my soul aspires; Dispel the shades of night, Enlarge and fill these vast desires. With infinite delight.

(p. 31) 5 Immortal joy thy smiles impart, Heaven dawns in every ray; One glimpse of thee will glad my heart, And turn my night to day, 6 Not all the good which earth bestows, Can fill the craving mind; Its highest joys have mingled woes, And leave a sting behind. 7 Should boundless wealth increase my store, Can wealth my cares beguile? I should be wretched still, and poor Without thy blissful smile. 8 Grant, O my God, this one request; Oh, be thy love alone; My ample portion—here I rest, For heaven is in the boon.

## (p. 32) 15. The Transforming Vision of God. [C. M.] Psalms 17:15.

1 My God, the visits of thy face Afford superior joy, To all the flattering world can give, Or mortal hopes employ. 2 But clouds and darkness intervene, My brightest joys decline, And earth's gay trifles oft ensnare This wandering heart of mine, 3 Lord, guide this wandering heart to thee; Unsatisfied I stray: Break through the shades of sense and sin, With thine enlivening ray. 4 O let thy beams resplendent shine, And every cloud remove; Transform my powers, and fit my soul For happier scenes above.

5 There Jesus reigns! may I be clothed With his divine array; And when I close these eyes in death, Awake to endless day: 6 To endless day! to perfect life! To bliss without alloy! Where not the least faint cloud shall rise, To intercept the joy: 7 To view, unveiled, thy radiant face, Thou everlasting fair! And changed to spotless purity, Thy glorious likeness wear: 8 To feast, with ever new delight, On uncreated good, And drink full satisfying draughts Of pleasure's sacred flood. 9 O bliss too high for mortal thought! It awes, and yet inspires: Fain would my soul, unfettered, rise In more intense desires.

## 10 Lord, raise my faith, my hope, my heart, To those transporting joys; Then shall I scorn each little snare, Which this vain world employs: 11 Then, though I sink in death's cold sleep, I shall awake to bliss, And in the likeness of my God, Find endless happiness. 16. The Joys of Heaven. [C. M.]

1 Come Lord, and warm each languid heart, Inspire each lifeless tongue; And let the joys of heaven impart Their influence to our song. 2 Then to the shining seats of bliss The wings of faith shall soar, And all the charms of paradise Our raptured thoughts explore.

3 Pleasures, unsullied, flourish there, Beyond the reach of time: Not blooming Eden smiled so fair, In all her flowery prime. 4 No sun shall gild the blest abode With his meridian ray, But the more radiant throne of God Diffuse eternal day. 5 Sorrow, and pain, and every care, And discord there shall cease, And perfect joy and love sincere Adorn the realms of peace. 6 The soul, from sin forever free, Shall mourn its power no more, But clothed in spotless purity, Redeeming love adore. 7 There on a throne, (how dazzling bright!) The exalted Saviour shines; And beams ineffable delight On all the heavenly minds.

8 There shall the followers of the Lamb Join in immortal songs; And endless honours to his name Employ their tuneful tongues. 9 While sweet reflection calls to mind The scenes of mortal care, When God, their God, forever kind, Was present to their prayer; 10 How will the wonders of his grace In their full lustre shine? His wisdom, power, and faithfulness, All glorious! all divine! 11 The Saviour, dying, rising, crowned, Shall swell the lofty strains, Seraph and saint his praise resound, Through all the ethereal plains. 12 But oh! their transports, oh! their songs! What mortal thought can paint? Transcendent glory awes our tongues, And all our notes are faint.

## 13 Lord, tune our hearts to praise and love, Our feeble notes inspire; Till in thy blissful courts above, We join the heavenly choir. 17. Humble Worship. [L. M.]

1 Great King of kings, eternal God, Shall mortal creatures dare to raise Their songs to thy supreme abode, And join with angels in thy praise? 2 The brighter Seraph veils his face; And low before thy dazzling throne, With prostrate homage all confess Thou art the infinite unknown. 3 Man, ah how far removed below, Wrapped in the shades of gloomy night: His brightest day can only show A few faint streaks of distant light.

## 4 But see, the bright, the morning star! His beams shall chase the shades away; His beams, resplendent from afar, Sweet promise of immortal day! 5 To him, our longing eyes we raise, Our guide to thee, the great unknown, Through him, O may our humble praise Accepted rise before thy throne. 18. Praise for National Peace. [L. M.] Psalms 46:9.

1 Great Ruler of the earth and skies, A word of thy almighty breath Can sink the world, or bid it rise: Thy smile is life, thy frown is death. 2 When angry nations run to arms, And rage and noise, and tumult reign, And war resounds its dire alarms, And laughter spreads the hostile plains;

3 Thy sovereign eye looks calmly down, And marks their course, and bounds their power; Thy word the angry nations own, And noise and war are heard no more. 4 Then peace returns with balmy wing, (Sweet peace! with her what blessings fled!) Glad plenty laughs, the valleys sing, Reviving commerce lifts her head. 5 Thou good, and wise, and righteous Lord, All move subservient to thy will; And peace and war await thy word, And thy sublime decrees fulfill. 6 To thee we pay our grateful songs, Thy kind protection still implore; O may our hearts, and lives, and tongues Confess thy goodness and adore.

## (p. 40) 19. The Voice of the Creatures. [L. M.]

1 There is a God, all nature speaks, Through earth, and air, and seas, and skies; See, from the clouds his glory breaks, When the first beams of morning rise: 2 The rising sun, serenely bright, O'er the wide world's extended frame, Inscribes, in characters of light, His mighty Maker's glorious name. 3 Diffusing life, his influence spreads, And health and plenty smile around, And fruitful fields, and verdant meads, Are with a thousand blessings crowned. 4 Almighty goodness, power divine, The fields and verdant meads display; And bless the hand which made them shine, With various charms profusely gay.

5 For man and beast, here daily food In wide diffusive plenty grows! And there, for drink, the crystal flood In streams sweet winding, gently flows. 6 By cooling streams, and softening showers, The vegetable race are fed, And trees, and plants, and herbs, and flowers, Their Maker's bounty smiling spread. 7 The flowery tribes, all blooming, rise Above the faint attempts of art; Their bright, inimitable dyes Speak sweet conviction to the heart. 8 Ye curious minds, who roam abroad, And trace creation's wonders o'er, Confess the footsteps of the God, And bow before him, and adore.

1 To your creator God, Your great preserver, raise, Ye creatures of his hand, Your highest notes of praise: Let every voice Proclaim his power, His name adore, And loud rejoice. 2 Let all creation join To pay the tribute due; Ye meaner ranks begin, And man shall learn of you: Let nature raise From every tongue, A general song Of grateful praise.

3 Ye numerous fleecy flocks, Far spreading o'er the plain, With gentle artless voice Assist the humble strain: To give you food, He bids the field Its verdure yield; Extensive good. 4 Ye herds of larger size, Who feed in meads below, Resound your Maker's praise In each responsive low: You wait his hand; The herbage grows, The rivulet flows, At his command. 5 Ye feathered warblers come, And bring your sweetest lays, And tune the sprightly song To your Creator's praise: His work you are; He tuned your voice, And you rejoice Beneath his care.

6 Ye trees, which form the shade, Or bend the loaded bough With fruits of various kinds. Your Maker's bounty show: From him you rose, Your vernal fruits, And autumn fruits, His hand bestows. 7 Ye lovely, verdant fields, In all your green array, Though silent, speak his praise, Who makes you bright and gay: While we in you, With future bread Profusely spread, His goodness view.

8 Ye flowers, which blooming show A thousand beauteous dyes, Your sweetest odours breathe, A fragrant sacrifice, To him, whose word Gave all your bloom, And sweet perfume; All-bounteous Lord. 9 Ye rivers, as you flow, Convey your Maker's name, (Where'er you winding rove) On every silver stream: Your cooling flood. His hand ordains To bless the plains; Great spring of good! 10 Ye winds, that shake the world, With tempests on your wing, Or breathe in gentler gales, To waft the smiling spring: Proclaim abroad, (As you fulfill His sovereign will) The powerful God.

11 Ye clouds, or fraught with flowers, Or tinged with beauteous dyes, That pour your blessings down, Or charm our gazing eyes; His goodness speak, His praise declare, As through the air You shine or break. 12 Thou source of light and heat, Bright sovereign of the day, Dispensing blessings round, With all-diffusive ray; From morn to night, With every beam, Record his name, Who made thee bright.

13 Fair regent of the night, With all thy starry train, Which rise in shining hosts, To gild the azure plain; With countless rays Declare his name, Prolong the theme, Reflect his praise. 14 Let every creature join To celebrate his name, And all the various powers Assist the exalted theme. Let nature raise From every tongue, A general song Of grateful praise, 15 But oh! from human tongues Should nobler praises flow; And every thankful heart, With warm devotion glow: Your voices raise, Ye highly blest Above the rest; Declare his praise.

## 16 Assist me, gracious God, My heart, my voice inspire; Then shall I grateful join The universal choir: Thy grace can raise My heart, my tongue, And tune my song To lively praise. 21. God my Creator and Benefactor. [S. M.]

1 My Maker, and my King, To thee my all I owe; Thy sovereign bounty is the spring, From whence my blessings flow.

2 Thou ever good, and kind, A thousand reasons move, A thousand obligations bind, My heart to grateful love, 3 The creature of thy hand, On thee alone I live: My God, thy benefits demand More praise than life can give. 4 Oh! what can I impart, When all is thine before? Thy love demands a thankful heart: The gift, alas, how poor! 5 Shall I withhold thy due? And shall my passions rove? Lord, form this wretched heart anew, And fill it with thy love. 6 O let thy grace inspire My soul with strength divine; Let all my powers to thee aspire, And all my days be thine.

## (p. 50) 22. Praise to God for the Blessings of Providence and Grace. [C. M.]

1 Almighty Father, gracious Lord, Kind guardian of my days, Thy mercies let my heart record In songs of grateful praise. 2 In life's first dawn, my tender frame Was thy indulgent care, Long ere I could pronounce thy name, Or breathe the infant prayer. 3 When reason with my stature grew, How weak her brightest ray! How little of my God I knew! How apt from thee to stray! 4 Around my path what dangers rose! What snares spread all my road! No power could guard me from my foes, But my preserver, God.

5 When life hung trembling on a breath, Twas thy almighty love That saved me from impending death, And bade my fears remove, 6 How many blessings round me shone, Where'er I turned my eye! How many past almost unknown, Or unregarded, by. 7 Each rolling year new favours brought From thy exhaustless store: But ah! in vain my labouring thought Would count thy mercies o'er. 8 While sweet reflection, through my days Thy bounteous hand would trace; Still dearer blessings claim my praise, The blessings of thy grace. 9 Yes, I adore thee, gracious Lord, For favours more divine; That I have known thy sacred word, Where all thy glories shine.

10 Tis here, I view with pleasing pain, How Jesus left the sky, (Almighty love! surprising scene!) For man, lost man, to die. 11 When blest with that transporting view, That Jesus died for me, For this sweet hope what praise is due, O God of grace, to thee! 12 And may I hope that Christ is mine? That source of every bliss, That noblest gift of love divine— What wondrous grace is this! 13 My highest praise, alas, how poor! How cold my warmed love! Dear Saviour, teach me to adore As angels do above. 14 But frail mortality in vain Attempts the blissful song; The high, the vast, the boundless strain, Claims an immortal tongue.

## 15 Lord, when this mortal frame decays. And every weakness dies, Complete the wonders of thy grace, And raise me to the skies. 16 Then shall my joyful powers unite, In mere exalted lays, And join the happy sons of light In everlasting praise. 23. Christ the Way to Heaven. [L. M.]

1 Jesus, the spring of joys divine, Whence all my hopes and comforts flow; Jesus, no other name but thine, Can save me from eternal woe. 2 In vain would boasting reason find The way to happiness and God; Her weak directions leave the mind Bewildered in a dubious road.

## 3 No other name will heaven approve; Thou art the true, the living way, (Ordained by everlasting love,) To the bright realms of endless day. 4 Here let my constant feet abide, Nor from the heavenly path depart; O let thy Spirit, gracious guide, Direct my steps, and cheer my heart. 5 Safe lead me through this world of night, And bring me to the blissful plains, The regions of unclouded light, Where perfect joy forever reigns. 24. Life and Safety in Christ Alone. [L. M.] John 6:68.

1 Thou only sovereign of my heart, My refuge, my almighty friend— And can my soul from thee depart, On whom alone my hopes depend?

2 Whither, ah! whither shall I go, A wretched wanderer from my Lord? Can this dark world of sin and woe, One glimpse of happiness afford? 3 Eternal life thy words impart, On these my fainting spirit lives; Here sweeter comforts cheer my heart, Than all the round of nature gives. 4 Let earth's alluring joys combine, While thou art near, in vain they call; One smile, one blissful smile of thine, My dearest Lord, outweighs them all. 5 Thy name my inmost powers adore, Thou art my life, my joy, my care: Depart from thee—tis death, tis more, Tis endless ruin, deep despair. 6 Low at thy feet my soul would lie, Here safety dwells, and peace divine; Still let me live beneath thine eye, For life, eternal life is thine.

## (p. 56) 25. An Evening Reflection. [S. M.]

1 Another day is past, The hours forever fled, And time is bearing me in haste, To mingle with the dead. 2 Perhaps my closing eyes No more may hail the light, Sealed up, before the morning rise, In everlasting night. 3 But I've a part to live, A never dying ray, The soul, immortal, will survive The ruins of her clay. 4 This mortal frame must lie Unconscious in the tomb, But oh! where will my spirit fly, And what will be her doom?

5 On the tremendous brink Of vast eternity, Where souls with strange amazement shrink, What will my prospect be? 6 When the dark gulf below, With death and horror fraught, Reveals its scenes of endless woe— Oh dreadful dreadful thought! 7 But lo! yon shining skies Beam down a cheerful ray, And bid my drooping hopes arise To glorious realms of day. 8 Tis there my Saviour lives, My Lord, my life, my light; His blissful name my soul revives— Adieu to death and night. 9 He conquered death and hell, And his victorious love Shall bear his ransomed friends, to dwell In his bright courts above,

## 10 Jesus! and art thou mine? O let thy heavenly voice Confirm my hope with power divine, And bid my soul rejoice. 11 Then shall my closing eyes, Contented, sink to rest; For if to night this body dies, My spirit shall be blest. 26. The Excellency of the Holy Scriptures. [C. M.]

1 Father of mercies, in thy word What endless glory shines? Forever be thy name adored For these celestial lines. 2 Here, mines of heavenly wealth disclose Their bright, unbounded store: The glittering gem no longer glows, And India boasts no more,

3 Here, may the wretched sons of want Exhaustless riches find: Riches, above what earth can grant, And lasting as the mind. 4 Here, the fair tree of knowledge grows, And yields a free repast , Sublimer sweets than nature knows, Invite the longing taste. 5 Here may the blind and hungry come, And light, and food receive; Here, shall the meanest guest have room, And taste, and see, and live. 6 Amidst these gloomy wilds below, When dark and sad we stray; Here, beams of heaven relieve our woe, And guide to endless day. 7 Here, springs of consolation rise, To cheer the fainting mind; And thirsty souls receive supplies, And sweet refreshment find.

8 When guilt and terror, pain and grief, United rend the heart, Here, sinners meet divine relief, And cool the raging smart. 9 Here, the Redeemer's welcome voice, Spreads heavenly peace around; And life, and everlasting joys Attend the blissful sound. 10 But when his painful sufferings rise, (Delightful, dreadful scene!) Angels may read with wondering eyes That Jesus died for men. 11 O may these heavenly pages be My ever dear delight, And still new beauties may I see, And still increasing light. 12 Divine instructor, gracious Lord, Be thou forever near, Teach me to love thy sacred word, And view my Saviour there.

## 27. The Influences of the Spirit of God in the Heart. [L. M.] John 14:16-17.

1 Dear Lord, and shall thy Spirit rest In such a wretched heart as mine? Unworthy dwelling! glorious guest! Favour astonishing, divine! 2 When sin prevails, and gloomy fear, And hope almost expires in night, Lord, can thy Spirit then be here, Great spring of comfort, life, and light? 3 Sure the blest comforter is nigh, Tis he sustains my fainting heart; Else would my hopes forever die, And every cheering ray depart. 4 When some kind promise glads my soul, Do I not find his healing voice The tempest of my fears control, And bid my drooping powers rejoice?

5 Whene'er to call the Saviour mine, With ardent wish my heart aspires, Can it be less than power divine, Which animates these strong desires? 6 What less than thy almighty word, Can raise my heart from earth and dust, And bid me cleave to thee, my Lord, My life, my treasure, and my trust? 7 And when my cheerful hope can say I love my God, and taste his grace, Lord, is it not thy blissful ray, Which brings this dawn of sacred peace? 8 Let thy kind Spirit in my heart Forever dwell, O God of love, And light and heavenly peace impart, Sweet earnest of the joys above.

## (p. 63) 28. Christ the Physician of Souls. [L. M.] Jeremiah 8:22.

1 Deep are the wounds which sin hath made: Where shall the sinner find a cure? In vain, alas, is nature's aid, The work exceeds all nature's power. 2 Sin like a raging fever reigns, With fatal strength in every part; The dire contagion fills the veins, And spreads its poison to the heart. 3 And can no sovereign balm be found, And is no kind physician nigh, To ease the pain, and heal the wound, Ere life and hope forever fly? 4 There is a great Physician near, Look up, O fainting soul, and live; See, in his heavenly smiles appear Such ease as nature cannot give.

## 5 See, in the Saviour's dying blood Life, health, and bliss, abundant flow; Tis only this dear, sacred flood Can ease thy pain, and heal thy woe. 6 Sin throws in vain its pointed dart, For here a sovereign cure is found; A cordial for the fainting heart, A balm for every painful wound. 29. The Intercession of Christ. [L. M.] Hebrews 7:25.

1 He lives, the great Redeemer lives, (What joy the blest assurance gives!) And now before his Father God, Pleads the full merits of his blood. 2 Repeated crimes awake our fears, And justice armed with frowns appears; But in the Saviour's lovely face Sweet mercy smiles, and all is peace.

## 3 Hence then, ye black despairing thoughts; Above our fears, above our faults, His powerful intercessions rise, And guilt recedes, and terror dies. 4 In every dark distressful hour, When sin and Satan join their power; Let this dear hope repel the dart, That Jesus bears us on his heart. 5 Great advocate, almighty friend— On him our humble hopes depend! Our cause can never, never fail, For Jesus pleads, and must prevail. 30. The Condescension of God. [C. M.] 1 Kings 8:27.

1 Eternal power, almighty God, Who can approach thy throne? Accessless light is thy abode, To angel eyes unknown.

2 Before the radiance of thine eye The heavens no longer shine, And all the glories of the sky Are but the shade of thine. 3 Great God, and wilt thou condescend To cast a look below, To this vile world thy notice bend, These seats of sin and woe? 4 But oh! to show thy smiling face, To bring thy glories near— Amazing and transporting grace To dwell with mortals here! 5 How strange! how awful is thy love! With trembling we adore: Not all the exalted minds above Its wonders can explore. 6 While golden harps, and angel tongues Resound immortal lays, Great God, permit our humble songs To rise and mean thy praise.

## (p. 67) 31. The Heavenly Guest. [C. M.] Revelation 3:20.

1 And will the Lord thus condescend To visit sinful worms? Thus at the door, shall mercy stand In all her winning forms? 2 Surprising grace!—and shall my heart Unmoved and cold remain? Has this hard rock no tender part? Must mercy plead in vain? 3 Shall Jesus for admission sue, His charming voice unheard? And this vile heart, his rightful due Remain forever barred? 4 Tis sin, alas, with tyrant power The lodging has possessed; And crowds of traitors bar the door Against the heavenly guest.

## 5 Lord, rise in thy all-conquering grace, Thy mighty power display; One beam or glory from thy face Can drive my foes away. 6 Ye dangerous inmates, hence depart; Dear Saviour, enter in, And guard the passage to my heart, And keep out every sin. 32. God the Soul's Only Portion. [L. M.] Lamentations 3:24.

1 In vain the world's alluring smile Would my unwary heart beguile: Deluding world! its brightest day, Dream of a moment, fleets away! 2 Earth's highest pleasures, could they last, Would pall and languish on the taste; Such airy chaff was ne'er designed To feed the immortal, craving mind.

3 To nobler bliss my soul aspires, Come, Lord, and fill these vast desires Be thou my portion, here I rest, Since of my utmost wish possessed. 4 O let thy sacred word impart Its sealing influence to my heart; With power, and light, and love divine, Assure my soul that thou art mine. 5 The blissful word, with joy replete, Shall bid my gloomy fears retreat, And heaven-born hope, serenely bright, Shine cheerful through this mortal night: 6 Then shall my joyful spirit rise On wings of faith above the skies; And when these transient scenes are o'er, And this vain world shall tempt no more: 7 O may I reach the blissful plains, Where thy unclouded glory reigns, And dwell forever near thy throne In joys to mortal thought unknown.

## (p. 70) 33. Faith in the Joys of Heaven. [C. M.] 2 Corinthians 5:7.

1 Faith leads to joys beyond the sky; Why then is this weak mind Afraid to raise a cheerful eye To more than sense can find? 2 Sense can but furnish scenes of woe, In this low vale of tears; No groves of heavenly pleasures grow, No paradise appears. 3 Ah! why should this mistaken mind Still rove with restless pain? Delight on earth expect to find, Yet still expect in vain? 4 Faith, rising upward, points her view, To regions in the skies; There lovelier scenes than Eden knew, In bright perspective rise.

5 Oh! if this heaven-born grace were mine, Would not my spirit soar, Transported gaze on joys divine, And cleave to earth no more? 6 If in my heart true faith appears, How weak the sacred ray! Feebly aspiring, pressed with fears, Almost it dies away. 7 O thou, from whose almighty breath It first began to rise, Purge off these mists, these dregs of earth, And bid it reach the skies. 8 Let this weak, erring mind no more, On earth bewildered rove, But with celestial ardour soar To endless joys above.

## (p. 72) 34. Strength and Safety in God Alone. [C. M.] Psalms 105:4.

1 Permit me, Lord, to seek thy face, Obedient to thy call, To seek the presence of thy grace, My strength, my life, my all. 2 All I can wish is thine to give; My God I ask thy love, That greatest bliss I can receive, That bliss of heaven above. 3 In these dark scenes of pain and woe, What can my spirit find? No happiness can dwell below, To fill the immortal mind. 4 To heaven my restless heart aspires: O for a quickening ray, To invigourate my faint desires, And cheer the tiresome way.

5 The path to thy divine abode, Through a wild desert lies; A thousand snares beset the road, A thousand terrors rise, 6 Satan and sin unite their art, To keep me from my Lord: Dear Saviour, guard my trembling heart, And guide me by thy word, 7 Whene'er the tempting foe alarms, Or spreads the fatal snare, I'll fly to my Redeemer's arms, For safety must be there. 8 My guardian, my almighty friend, On thee, my soul would rest; On thee alone, my hopes depend, Be near, and I am blest.

1 While to the grave our friends are borne, Around their cold remains, How all the tender passions mourn, And each fond heart complains! 2 But down to earth, alas, in vain We bend our weeping eyes; Ah! let us leave these seats of pain, And upward learn to rise, 3 Hope cheerful smiles amid the gloom, And beams a healing ray. And guides us from the darksome tomb, To realms of endless day. 4 Jesus, who left his blest abode, (Amazing grace!) to die, Marked when he rose the shining road To his bright courts on high,

## 5 To those bright courts, when hope ascends, The tears forget to flow; Hope views our absent happy friends, And calms the swelling woe. 6 Then let our hearts repine no more, That earthly comfort dies, But lasting happiness explore, And ask it from the skies. 36. Sin the Cause of Sorrow. [L. M.]

1 The pains that wait our fleeting breath, Too oft my mournful thoughts employ; Amid the gloomy shades of death, The hope of heaven, is life, is joy. 2 But ah! how soon the blissful ray, With guilt o'ershaded, disappears; Tis sin alone, that clouds my day, Tis sin alone, deserves my tears.

## 3 Yes, I have cause indeed to mourn, When God conceals his radiant face; And pray and long till he return, With smiles of sweet forgiving grace. 4 Then weep my eyes, complain my heart, But mourn not, hopeless of relief; For sovereign mercy will impart Its healing beams, to ease my grief. 5 The Saviour pleads his dying blood, Awake my hope, away my fears; Through him I'll seek my absent God, Till his returning smile appears. 37. Entreating the Presence of Christ in his Churches. [C. M.] Haggai 11:7.

1 Come, thou desire of all thy saints, Our humble strains attend, While with our praises and complaints, Low at thy feet we bend.

2 When we thy wondrous glories hear, And all thy sufferings trace, What sweetly awful scenes appear! What rich unbounded grace! 3 How should our songs, like those above, With warm devotion rise! How should our souls, on wings of love, Mount upward to the skies! 4 But ah! the song, how cold it flows! How languid our desire! How faint the sacred passion glows, Till thou the heart inspire! 5 Come Lord, thy love alone can raise In us the heavenly flame; Then shall our lips resound thy praise, Our hearts adore thy name. 6 Dear Saviour, let thy glory shine, And fill thy dwellings here, Till life, and love, and joy divine, A heaven on earth appear.

## 7 Then shall our hearts enraptured say, Come, great Redeemer, come, And bring the bright, the glorious day, That calls thy children home. 38. Desiring to Trust in God. [C. M.] Isaiah 26:4.

1 Great source of boundless power and grace, Attend my mournful cry; In the dark hour of deep distress, To thee, to thee I fly. 2 Thou art my strength, my life, my stay, Assist my feeble trust; Drive these distressing fears away, And raise me from the dust. 3 O let me call thy grace to mind, And trust thy glorious name; Jehovah, powerful, wise, and kind, Forever is the same.

## 4 Here let me rest, on thee depend, My God, my hope, my all; Be thou my everlasting friend, And I can never fall. 39. Watchfulness and Prayer. [C. M.] Matthew 26:41.

1 Alas, what hourly dangers rise! What snares beset my way! To heaven O let me lift my eyes, And hourly watch and pray, 2 How oft my mournful thoughts complain, And melt in flowing tears! My weak resistance, ah, how vain! How strong my foes and fears? 3 O gracious God, in whom I live, My feeble efforts aid, Help me to watch, and pray, and strive, Though trembling and afraid.

## 4 Increase my faith, increase my hope, When foes and fears prevail; And bear my fainting spirit up, Or soon my strength will fail. 5 Whene'er temptations fright my heart, Or lure my feet aside, My God, thy powerful aid impart, My guardian, and my guide. 6 O keep me in thy heavenly way, And bid the tempter flee; And let me never, never stray From happiness and thee. 40. Divine Compassion. [C. M.] Isaiah 49:14-16.

1 The Lord forgets his wonted grace, Afflicted Zion said, My God withdraws his smiling face, Withdraws his heavenly aid.

2 Shall the kind mother's gentle breast No soft emotion share; But, every tender thought suppressed, Forget her infant care? 3 The helpless child, that oft her eyes Have watched with anxious thought, While her fond breast appeased his cries— And can he be forgot? 4 Strange as it is, yet this may be, For creature love is frail; But thy Creator's love to thee, O Zion, cannot fail. 5 No, thy dear name engraven stands, In characters of love, On thy almighty Father's hands; And never shall remove, 6 Before his ever watchful eye Thy mournful state appears, And every groan, and every sigh Divine compassion hears.

## 7 These anxious doubts indulge no more, Be every fear suppressed; Unchanging truth, and love, and power, Command thy cares to rest. 41. Desiring Assurance of the Favour of God. [C. M.]

1 Eternal source of joys divine, To thee my soul aspires; O could I say, "The Lord is mine," Tis all my soul desires. 2 Thy smile can give me real joy, Unmingled and refined, Substantial bliss, without alloy, And lasting as the mind. 3 Thy smile can gild the shades of woe, Bid stormy trouble cease, Spread the fair dawn of heaven below, And sweeten pain to peace.

## 4 My hope, my trust, my life, my Lord, Assure me of thy love: O speak the kind transporting word, And bid my fears remove. 5 Then shall my thankful powers rejoice, And triumph in my God, Till heavenly rapture tune my voice To spread thy praise abroad. 42. Hope Encouraged in the Contemplation of the Divine Perfections. [L. M.]

1 Why sinks my weak desponding mind? Why heaves my heart the anxious sigh? Can sovereign goodness be unkind? Am I not safe, if God is nigh? 2 He holds all nature in his hand: That gracious hand on which I live, Does life, and time, and death command, And has immortal joys to give.

3 Tis he supports this fainting frame, On him alone my hopes recline; The wondrous glories of his name, How wide they spread! how bright they shine! 4 Infinite wisdom! boundless power! Unchanging faithfulness and love! Here let me trust, while I adore, Nor from my refuge e'er remove. 5 My God, if thou art mine indeed, Then I have all my heart can crave; A present help in times of need, Still kind to hear, and strong to save. 6 Forgive my doubts, O gracious Lord, And ease the sorrows of my breast; Speak to my heart the healing word, That thou art mine—and I am blest.

## (p. 85) 43. The Incarnate Saviour. [C. M.] John 1:14.

1 Awake, awake the sacred song, To our incarnate Lord: Let every heart, and every tongue, Adore the eternal word. 2 That awful word, that sovereign power, By whom the worlds were made; (O happy morn! illustrious hour!) Was once in flesh arrayed. 3 Then shone almighty power and love, In all their glorious forms, When Jesus left his throne above, To dwell with sinful worms. 4 To dwell with misery below, The Saviour left the skies; And sunk to wretchedness and woe, That worthless man might rise.

## 5 Adoring angels tuned their songs To hail the joyful day: With rapture then, let mortal tongues Their grateful worship pay! 6 What glory, Lord, to thee is due? With wonder we adore; But could we sing as angels do, Our highest praise were poor. 44. Faith in God in Time of Distress. [L. M.] Habakkuk 3:17-18.

1 Should famine o'er the mourning field Extend her defoliating reign, Nor spring her blooming beauties yield, Nor autumn swell the foodful grain: 2 Should lowing herds and bleating sheep Around their famished master die; And hope itself despairing weep, While life deplores its last supply:

3 Amid the dark, the deathful scene, If I can say, the Lord is mine, The joy shall triumph o'er the pain, And glory dawn, though life decline. 4 The God of my salvation lives, My nobler life he will sustain; His word immortal vigour gives, Nor shall my glorious hopes be vain. 5 Thy presence, Lord, can cheer my heart. Though every earthly comfort die; Thy smile can bid my pains depart, And raise my sacred pleasures high. 6 O let me hear thy blissful voice, Inspiring life and joys divine! The barren desert shall rejoice, Tis paradise if thou art mine.

1 How oft, alas, this wretched heart Has wandered from the Lord! How oft my roving thoughts depart, Forgetful of his word! 2 Yet sovereign mercy calls, Return: Dear Lord, and may I come! My vile ingratitude I mourn; Oh take the wanderer home. 3 And canst thou, wilt thou yet forgive, And bid my crimes remove? And shall a pardoned rebel live To speak thy wondrous love! 4 Almighty grace, thy healing power How glorious how divine! That can to life and bliss restore So vile a heart as mine.

## 5 Thy pardoning love, so free, so sweet, Dear Saviour, I adore; O keep me at thy sacred feet, And let me rove no more. 46. The Goodness of God. [C. M.] Nahum 1:7.

1 Ye humble souls, approach your God With songs of sacred praise; For he is good, immensely good, And kind are all his ways, 2 All nature owns his guardian care, In him we live and move; But nobler benefits declare The wonders of his love. 3 He gave his Son, his only Son, To ransom rebel worms; Till here he makes his goodness known In its divinest forms.

## 4 To this dear refuge, Lord, we come, Tis here our hope relies; A safe defence, a peaceful home, When storms of trouble rise. 5 Thy eye beholds, with kind regard, The souls who trust in thee; Their humble hope thou wilt reward, With bliss divinely free. 6 Great God, to thy almighty love, What honours shall we raise? Not all the raptured songs above Can render equal praise. 47. True Honour. [L. M.] Daniel 12:3.

1 There is a glorious world on high, Resplendent with eternal day; Faith views the blissful prospect nigh, While God's own word reveals the way.

2 There shall the favourites of the Lord With never fading lustre shine; Surprising honour! vast reward Conferred on man, by love divine! 3 How blest are those, how truly wise, Who learn and keep the sacred road! Happy the men, whom heaven employs To turn rebellious hearts to God! 4 To win them from the fatal way, Where erring folly thoughtless roves; And that blest righteousness display, Which Jesus wrought, and God approves. 5 The shining firmament shall fade, And sparkling stars resign their light; But these shall know nor change, nor shade, Forever fair, forever bright. 6 No fancied joy beyond the sky, No fair delusion is revealed; Tis God that speaks, who cannot lie, And all his word must be fulfilled.

## (p. 92) 7 And shall not these cold hearts of ours Be kindled at the glorious view? Come, Lord, awake our active powers, Our feeble, dying strength renew. 8 On wings of faith and strong desire, O may our spirits daily rise; And reach at last the shining choir, In the bright mansions of the skies. 48. Divine Bounty. [C. M.] Colossians 1:19.

1 Lord, we adore thy boundless grace, The heights and depths unknown, Of pardon, life, and joy, and peace, In thy beloved Son. 2 O wondrous gift of love divine, Dear source of every good! Jesus, in thee what glories shine! How rich thy flowing blood!

3 Come, all ye pining, hungry poor, The Saviour's bounty taste; Behold a never failing store, For every willing guest, 4 Here shall your numerous wants receive A free, a full supply: He has unmeasured bliss to give, And joys that never die. 5 Can those, who hear the Saviour's voice, Prefer earth's empty toys, (Ah, wretched souls! ah, fatal choice!) To everlasting joys? 6 Lord, bring unwilling souls to thee, With sweet resistless power; Thy boundless grace, let rebels see, And at thy feet adore.

## (p. 94) 49. The Heavenly Conqueror. [L. M.] Revelation 3:21.

1 To Jesus, our victorious Lord, The praises of our lives belong; Forever be his name adored: Sweet theme of every thankful song. 2 Lost in despair, beset with foes, Undone, and perishing we lay; His pity melted o'er our woes, And saved the trembling, dying prey. 3 He fought, he conquered, though he fell, While with his last expiring breath, He triumphed o'er the powers of hell, And by his dying vanquished death. 4 Now on his Father's throne he reigns, And all the tuneful choir above Resound in high immortal strains, The praises of victorious love.

5 Though still reviving foes arise, Temptations, sins, and doubts appear, And pain our hearts, and fill our eyes With many a groan, and many a tear: 6 Still shall we fight, and still prevail, In our almighty leader's name; His strength, whene'er our spirits fail, Shall all our active powers inflame. 7 Immortal honours wait above, To crown the dying conqueror's brow; And endless peace, and joy, and love, For the short war sustained below. 8 Exalted near their Saviour's seat, His saints shall dwell, their dangers o'er, And cast their crowns beneath his feet, And love, and wonder, and adore.

## (p. 96) 50. Longing after Unseen Pleasures. [C. M.] 2 Corinthians 4:18.

1 How long shall earth's alluring toys Detain our hearts and eyes; Regardless of immortal joys, And strangers to the skies? 2 These transient scenes will soon decay, They fade upon the sight; And quickly will their brightest day Be lost in endless night. 3 Their brightest day, alas, how vain! With conscious sighs we own; While clouds of sorrow, care and pain, O'ershade the smiling noon. 4 O could our thoughts and wishes fly, Above these gloomy shades, To those bright worlds beyond the sky Which sorrow ne'er invades.

## 5 There joys unseen by mortal eyes, Or reason's feeble ray, In ever-blooming prospect rise, Unconscious of decay. 6 Lord, send a beam of light divine, To guide our upward aim; With one reviving touch of thine, Our languid hearts inflame. 7 Then shall on faith's sublimest wing Our ardent wishes rise To those bright scenes, where pleasures spring Immortal in the skies. 51. The Christian's Prospect. [C. M.]

1 Happy the soul, whose wishes climb To mansions in the skies! He looks on all the joys of time, With undesiring eyes;

2 In vain soft pleasure spreads her charms, And throws her silken chain; And wealth and fame invite his arms, And tempt his ear in vain. 3 He knows that all these glittering things Must yield to sure decay; And sees on time's extended wings, How swift they fleet away! 4 Nor low to earth in sorrow bends, When pains and cares invade; With cheerful wing his faith ascends Above the gloomy shade. 5 To things unseen by mortal eyes, A beam of sacred light Directs his view, his prospects rise, All permanent and bright. 6 His hopes are fixed on joys to come; Those blissful scenes on high, Shall flourish in immortal bloom, When time and nature die.

## 7 O were these heavenly prospects mine, These pleasures could I prove, Earth's fleeting views I would resign, And raise my hopes above. 52. Life a Journey. [L. M.]

1 Life is a journey, heaven my home, And shall I negligently stray? In paths of danger heedless roam, Forget my guide, forget my way? 2 Think, O my soul, each flying hour Thy folly chides, thy speed alarms; And shall an insect, or a flower Amuse thee with their painted charms? 3 Such are the objects earth displays, To tempt my stay, and gain my heart! And shall I fondly, vainly gaze? Ye shining trifles, hence depart.

## 4 O think what glorious scenes above, In bright unbounded prospect rise! Nor let one vagrant passion rove, Nor leave a wish below the skies. 5 But ah! how weak my best desires, My warmed ardours soon decay; My fainting soul till grace inspires, Can ne'er pursue the heavenly way. 6 On thee I lean, all-gracious God, O breathe new life through all my powers, Teach me to keep thy sacred road, And well improve my remnant hours. 53. True Happiness to be Found Only in God. [C. M.]

1 When fancy spreads her boldest wings And wanders unconfined, Amid the unbounded scene of things Which entertain the mind:

2 In vain I trace creation o'er, In search of sacred rest; The whole creation is too poor, Too mean, to make me blest. 3 In vain would this low world employ, Each flattering specious wile; There's nought can yield a real joy, But my Creator's smile. 4 Let earth and all her charms depart, Unworthy of the mind; In God alone, this restless heart An equal bliss can find. 5 Great spring of all felicity, To whom my wishes tend, Do not these wishes rise from thee, And in thy favour end? 6 Thy favour, Lord, is all I want, Here would my spirit rest; O seal the rich, the boundless grant, And make me fully blest.

## (p. 102) 54. Lasting Happiness. [L. M.]

1 In vain my roving thoughts would find A portion worthy of the mind; On earth my soul can never rest, For earth can never make me blest. 2 Can lasting happiness be found Where seasons roll their hasty round, And days and hours, with rapid flight, Sweep cares and pleasures out of sight? 3 Arise my thoughts, my heart arise, Leave this low world and seek the skies; There joys forever, ever last, When seasons, days and hours are past. 4 Come, Lord, thy powerful grace impart, Thy grace can raise my wandering heart To pleasure perfect and sublime, Unmeasured by the wings of time.

## 5 Let those bright worlds of endless joy, My thoughts, my hopes, my cares employ, No more, ye restless passions, roam, God is my bliss, and heaven my home. 55. Bidding Adieu to Earthly Pleasures. [L. M.]

1 Ye gay deceivers of the mind, Ye dreams of happiness, adieu; No more your soft enchantments bind, This heart was never made for you. 2 The brightest joy your smile can boast, Is but a moment's glittering light; It sparkles now, and now tis lost, Extinguished in the shades of night. 3 Begone, with all your soothing charms; Pleasure on earth!—O empty name! Superior joy my bosom warms, And heaven approves the sacred flame.

## 4 To perfect bliss my soul aspires, That shines with never fading ray! No less can satiate my desires Than full delight, and endless day. 5 Blest be the kind, the gracious power, That gently called and bade me rise; And taught my nobler thoughts to soar To happiness beyond the skies. 56. Longing for Immortality. [L. M.] 2 Corinthians 5:4.

1 Sad prisoners in a house of clay, With sins, and griefs, and pains oppressed, We groan the lingering hours away, And wish, and long to be released. 2 Nor is it liberty alone, Which prompts our restless ardent sighs; For immortality we groan, For robes and mansions in the skies.

3 Eternal mansions! bright array! O blest exchange! transporting thought! Free from the approaches of decay. Or the least shadow of a spot! 4 There shall mortality no more Its wide extended empire boast, Forgotten all its dreadful power, In life's unbounded ocean lost. 5 Bright world of bliss! O could I see One shining glimpse, one cheerful ray (Fair dawn of immortality!) Break through these tottering walls of clay. 6 Jesus, in thy dear name I trust, My light, my life, my Saviour God; When this frail house dissolves in dust, O raise me to thy bright abode.

## (p. 106) 57. At the Funeral of a Young Person. [C. M.]

1 When blooming youth is snatched away By death's resistless hand, Our hearts the mournful tribute pay, Which pity must demand. 2 While pity prompts the rising sigh, O may this truth, impressed With awful power—I too must die— Sink deep in every breast. 3 Let this vain world engage no more; Behold the gaping tomb! It bids us seize the present hour, Tomorrow death may come. 4 The voice of this alarming scene, May every heart obey, Nor be the heavenly warning vain, Which calls to watch and pray.

## 5 O let us fly, to Jesus fly, Whole powerful arm can save; Then shall our hopes ascend on high, And triumph o'er the grave. 6 Great God, thy sovereign grace impart, With cleansing, healing power; This only can prepare the heart, For death's surprising hour. 58. Sin the Sting of Death. [C. M.]

1 Death! tis a name with terror fraught; It rends the guilty heart, When conscience wakes remorseful thought, With agonizing smart. 2 Tis guilt alone provokes that frown Which all the soul alarms; Gives terror to the monarch's crown, And conquest to his arms!

3 Dear Saviour, thy victorious love Can all his force control, Can bid the pangs of guilt remove, And cheer the trembling soul. 4 Victorious love! thy wondrous power From sin and death can raise; Can gild the dark departing hour, And tune its groans to praise. 5 Then shall the joyful spirit soar To life beyond the skies, Where gloomy death can frown no more, And guilt and terror dies. 6 No more, O pale destroyer, boast Thy universal sway; To heaven-born souls thy sting is lost, Thy night, the gates of day.

## (p. 109) 59. The Presence of Christ the Joy of his People. [L. M.]

1 The wondering nations have beheld The sacred prophecy fulfilled, And angels hailed the glorious morn That saw the great Messiah born: 2 The prince! the Saviour, long desired, Whom prophets taught, by heaven inspired, And showed far off the blissful day; Rise o'er the world with healing ray. 3 Oft in the temples of his grace His saints behold his smiling face, And oft have seen his glory shine, With power and majesty divine: 4 But soon alas, his absence mourn, And pray and wish his kind return; Without his life-inspiring light, Tis all a scene of gloomy night.

## 5 Come, dearest Lord, thy children cry, Our graces droop, our comforts die: Return, and let thy glories rise, Again to our admiring eyes: 6 Till filled with light, and joy, and love, Thy courts below, like those above, Triumphant hallelujahs raise, And heaven and earth resound thy praise. 60. Absence from God. [C. M.]

1 O thou, whose tender mercy hears Contrition's humble sigh; Whose hand, indulgent, wipes the tears From sorrow's weeping eye: 2 See! low before thy throne of grace A wretched wanderer mourn; Hast thou not bid me seek thy face? Hast, thou not said, Return?

3 And shall my guilty fears prevail To drive me from thy feet? O let not this dear refuge fail, This only safe retreat. 4 Absent from thee, my guide, my light, Without one cheering ray, Through dangers, fears, and gloomy night, How desolate my way! 5 O shine on this benighted heart, With beams of mercy shine; And let thy healing voice impart A taste of joys divine. 6 Thy presence only can bestow Delights which never cloy: Be this my solace, here below, And my eternal joy.

## (p. 112) 61. Desiring a Taste of Real Joy. [L. M.]

1 Why should my spirit cleave to earth, This nest of worms, this vile abode? Why thus forget her nobler birth, Nor wish to trace the heavenly road? 2 How barren of sincere delight, Are all the fairest scenes below! Though beauteous colours charm the sight, They only varnish real woe. 3 Were I to mount the flying wind, And search the wide creation round, There's nothing here to suit the mind; On earth no solid joy is found. 4 Oh! could my weary spirit rise, And panting with intense desire, . Reach the bright mansions in the skies, And mix among the blissful choir.

5 How should I look, with pitying eye, On this low world of gloomy care, And wonder, how my soul could lie Wrapped up in shades and darkness there! 6 Say, happy natives of the sky, What is it makes your heaven above? You dwell beneath your father's eye, And sealed forever on his love. 7 My God, thy presence can impart A glimpse of heaven to earth and night; O smile, and bless my mournful heart, Sweet foretaste of sincere delight. 8 Then shall my soul contented stay Till my Redeemer calls me home: Yet let me oft with transport say, "Come, O my Lord, my Saviour, come!"

## (p. 114) 62. Humble Reliance. [C. M.]

1 My God, my Father, blissful name! O may I call thee mine, May I with sweet assurance claim A portion so divine? 2 This only can my fears control, And bid my sorrows fly; What harm can ever reach my soul Beneath my Father's eye? 3 Whate'er thy providence denies, I calmly would resign, For thou art just, and good, and wise; O bend my will to thine. 4 Whate'er thy sacred will ordains, O give me strength to bear; And let me know my Father reigns, And trust his tender care.

5 If pain and sickness rend this frame. And life almost depart, Is not thy mercy still the same, To cheer my drooping heart? 6 If cares and sorrows me surround, Their power why should I fear? My inward peace they cannot wound, If thou, my God, art near. 7 Thy sovereign ways are all unknown To my weak, erring sight; Yet let my soul, adoring, own That all thy ways are right. 8 My God, my Father, be thy name My solace and my stay; O wilt thou seal my humble claim, And drive my fears away.

## (p. 116) 63. The Presence of God the Life and Light of the Soul. [L. M.]

1 My God, my hope, if thou art mine, Why should my soul with sorrow pine? On thee alone I call my care; O leave me not in dark despair. 2 Though every comfort should depart, And life forsake this drooping heart; One smile from thee, one blissful ray, Can chase the shades of death away. 3 My God, my life, if thou appear, Not death itself can make me fear; Thy presence cheers the sable gloom, And gilds the horrors of the tomb, 4 Not all its horrors can affright, If thou appear, my God, my light; Thy love shall all my fears control, And glory dawn around my soul.

## 5 Should all created blessings fade, And mourning nature, disarrayed, Deplore her every charm withdrawn, Light, hope and joy, forever gone. 6 Though nought remain below the sky, To please my taste, my ear, my eye, Be thou my hope, my life, my light, Amid the universal night. 7 My God, be thou forever nigh; Beneath the radiance of thine eye, My hope, my joy, shall ever rise, Nor terminate below the skies. 64. Resigning the Heart to God. [L. M.] Psalms 119:94.

1 Thee, dearest Lord, my soul adores, I would be thine, and only thine, To thee, my heart and all its powers, With full consent, I would resign.

2 But ah! this weak inconstant mind, How frail, how apt from thee to stray! Trifles, as empty as the wind, Can tempt my roving thoughts away. 3 Sure I am thine—or why this load When earthly vanities beguile? Why do I mourn my absent God, And languish for thy cheering smile? 4 If thou return, how sweet the joy, Though mixed with penitential smart! Then I despise each tempting toy, And long to give thee all my heart. 5 Come, Lord, thy saving power display, (Resistless power of love divine!) And drive thy hated foes away, And make me thine, and only thine.

## (p. 119) 65. The Inconstant Heart. [L. M.]

1 Ah! wretched, vile, ungrateful heart, That can from Jesus thus depart, Thus fond of trifles vainly rove, Forgetful of a Saviour's love! 2 In vain I charge my thoughts to stay, And chide each vanity away, In vain, alas! resolve to bind This rebel heart, this wandering mind. 3 Through all resolves, how soon it flies And mocks the weak, the slender ties! There's nought beneath a power divine, That can this roving heart confine. 4 Jesus, to thee, I would return, At thy dear feet repentant mourn; There let me view thy pardoning love, And never from thy sight remove.

## 5 O let thy love with sweet control, Bind all the passions of my soul, Bid every vanity depart, And dwell forever in my heart. 66. Cold Affections. [L. M.]

1 Sure I must love the Saviour's name— Or is the heaven-born passion dead, Extinguished the celestial flame, And all my joys forever fled? 2 At the sweet mention of his love, How should the sacred ardour rise! And every thought, transported, move In grateful joy, and glad surprise. 3 Jesus demands this heart of mine, Demands my wish, my joy, my care; But ah! how dead to things divine, How cold my best affections are!

4 What death-like lethargy detains My captive powers with fatal art, And spreads its unrelenting chains Heavy and cold, around my heart! 5 Tis sin, alas! with dreadful power Divides my Saviour from my sight; O for one happy, shining hour Of sacred freedom, sweet delight! 6 See, dearest Lord, my wretched state, And thy almighty power employ; To thee I seek, on thee I wait, For life, and liberty and joy. 7 O let thy love shine forth, and raise My captive powers from sin and death And fill my heart and life with praise, And tune my last expiring breath. 8 Then bear me to the blissful seats Of perfect freedom, life and light, Where thy redeemed assembly meets, To love and praise with full delight.

## 9 There shall my thoughts transported trace, And all my soul forever prove, The boundless riches of thy grace, The endless wonders of thy love. 67. The Example of Christ. [L. M.]

1 And is the gospel peace and love? Such let our conversation be; The serpent blended with the dove, Wisdom and meek simplicity. 2 Whene'er the angry passions rise, And tempt our thoughts or tongues to strife, To Jesus let us lift our eyes, Bright pattern of the Christian life! 3 O how benevolent and kind! How mild! how ready to forgive! Be this the temper of our mind, And these the rules by which we live.

4 To do his heavenly Father's will, Was his employment and delight; Humility and holy zeal Shone through his life, divinely bright! 5 Dispensing good where'er he came, The labours of his life were love; O, if we love the Saviour's name, Let his divine example move. 6 But ah how blind! how weak we are! How frail! how apt to turn aside! Lord, we depend upon thy care, And ask thy spirit for our guide. 7 Thy fair example may we trace, To teach us what we ought to be; Make us by thy transforming grace, Dear Saviour, daily more like thee.

## (p. 124) 68. Retirement and Reflection. [L. M.]

1 Hence, vain, intruding world depart, No more allure nor vex my heart; Let every vanity be gone, I would be peaceful and alone. 2 Here let me search my inmost mind, And try its real state to find, The secret springs of thought explore, And call my words and actions o'er. 3 Reflect how soon my life will end, And think on what my hopes depend, What aim my busy thoughts pursue, What work is done, and what to do. 4 Eternity is just at hand; And shall I waste my ebbing sand, And careless view departing day, And throw my inch of time away?

5 Eternity, tremendous sound! To guilty souls, a dreadful wound; But Oh! if Christ and heaven be mine, How sweet the accents! how divine! 6 Be this my chief, my only care, My high pursuit, my ardent prayer, An interest in the Saviour's blood, My pardon sealed, and peace with God. 7 But should my brightest hopes be vain, The rising doubt, how sharp its pain! My fears, O gracious God, remove, Confirm my title to thy love. 8 Search, Lord, O search my inmost heart, And light, and hope, and joy impart; From guilt and error set me free, And guide me safe to heaven and thee.

## (p. 126) 69. Hope in Darkness. [L. M.]

1 God is my sun, his blissful rays Irradiate, warm, and guide my heart! How dark, how mournful, are my days, If his enlivening beams depart! 2 Scarce through the shades, a glimpse of day Appears to these desiring eyes! But shall my drooping spirit say, The cheerful morn will never rise? 3 O let me not despairing mourn, Though gloomy darkness spreads the sky: My glorious sun will yet return, And night with all its horrors fly. 4 Hope, in the absence of my Lord, Shall be my taper; sacred light, Kindled at his celestial word, To cheer the melancholy night.

## 5 O for the bright, the joyful day, When hope shall in assurance die! So tapers lose their feeble ray, Beneath the sun's refulgent eye. 70. Death and Heaven. [L. M.]

1 Oft have I said, with inward sighs, I find no solid good below; Earth's fairest scenes but cheat my eyes; Her pleasure is but painted woe. 2 Then why, my soul, so loath to leave These seats of vanity and care? Why do I thus to trifles cleave, And feed on chaff, and grasp the air? 3 There is a world all fair and bright; But clouds and darkness dwell between; The sable veil obstructs my sight, And hides the lovely, distant scene.

4 Whene'er I look with frighted eyes On death's impenetrable shade, Alas! what gloomy horrors rise, And all my trembling frame invade! 5 O death, frail nature's dreaded foe, Thy frown with terror fills my heart; How shall I bear the fatal blow, Which must my soul and body past? 6 Tis sin which arms his dreadful frown, This only points his deadly sting; My sins which throw this gloom around, And all these shocking terrors bring. 7 O could I know my sins forgiven, Soon would these terrors disappear; Then should I see a glimpse of heaven, And look on death without a fear. 8 Jesus, my Saviour, and my God, To thee my trembling spirit flies; Thy merits, thy atoning blood, On this alone my soul relies.

9 O let thy love's all-powerful ray With pleasing force, divine control, Arise, and chase these clouds away, And shine around my doubting soul. 10 Then shall I change the mournful strain, And bid my thoughts and hopes arise, Above these gloomy seats of pain, To glorious worlds beyond the skies. 11 With cheerful heart I then shall sing, And triumph o'er my vanquished foe— O death, where is thy pointed sting? My Saviour wards the fatal blow. 12 O when will that illustrious day, When will that blissful moment, come, That shall my weary soul convey Safe to her everlasting home?

13 Then shall I leave these fetters here, And upward rise to joys unknown; And call, without an anxious fear, The fair inheritance my own.

## 14 Adieu to all terrestrial things; Come bear me through the starry road, Bright Seraphs, on your soaring wings, To see my Saviour, and my God. 71. Redemption by Christ Alone. [L. M.] 1 Peter 1:18-19.

1 Enslaved by sin and bound in chains, Beneath its dreadful tyrant sway, And doomed to everlasting pains, We wretched, guilty captives lay. 2 Nor gold nor gems, could buy our peace; Nor the whole world's collected store, Suffice to purchase our release; A thousand worlds were all too poor. 3 Jesus the Lord, the mighty God, An all-sufficient ransom paid; Invalued price, his precious blood, for vile rebellious traitors shed.

## 4 Jesus the sacrifice became, To rescue guilty souls from hell; The spotless, bleeding, dying Lamb Beneath avenging justice fell. 5 Amazing goodness! love divine! O may our grateful hearts adore The matchless grace, nor yield to sin, Nor wear its cruel fetters more! 6 Dear Saviour, let thy love pursue, The glorious work it has begun, Each secret lurking foe subdue, And let our hearts be thine alone. 72. The Mysteries of Providence. [L. M.]

1 Lord, how mysterious are thy ways! How blind are we! how mean our praise! Thy steps can mortal eyes explore? Tis ours, to wonder and adore.

2 Thy deep decrees from creature sight Are hid in shades of awful night; Amid the lines, with curious eye, Not angel minds presume to pry. 3 Great God, I would not ask to see What in futurity shall be; If light and bliss attend my days, Then let my future hours be praise. 4 Is darkness and distress my share? Then let me trust thy guardian care; Enough for me, if love divine, At length through every cloud shall shine. 5 Yet this my soul desires to know, Be this my only wish below, "That Christ is mine!"—this great request Grant, bounteous God—and I am blest.

## (p. 133) 73. Refuge and Strength in the Mercy of God. [C. M.]

1 My God, tis to thy mercy-seat My soul for shelter flies; Tis here, I find a safe retreat, When storms and tempests rise. 2 Tis here, my faith resolves to dwell, Nor shall I be afraid Of all the powers of earth or hell, If thou vouchsafe thy aid. 3 My cheerful hope can never die, If thou my God art near; Thy grace can raise my comforts high, And banish every fear. 4 Against thy all-supporting grace My foes can ne'er prevail; But oh! if frowns becloud thy face, Faith, hope, and life will fail.

## 5 My great protector, and my Lord, Thy constant aid impart, And let thy kind, thy gracious word Sustain my trembling heart. 6 O never let my soul remove, From this divine retreat; Still let me trust thy power and love, And dwell beneath thy feet. 74. Desiring Resignation and Thankfulness. [C. M.]

1 When I survey life's varied scene, Amid the darkest hours, Sweet rays of comfort shine between, And thorns are mixed with flowers. 2 Lord, teach me to adore thy hand, From whence my comforts flow; And let me in this desert land A glimpse of Canaan know.

3 Is health and ease my happy share? O may I bless my God; Thy kindness let my songs declare, And spread thy praise abroad. 4 While such delightful gifts as these, Are kindly dealt to me, Be all my hours of health and ease Devoted, Lord, to thee. 5 In griefs and pains thy sacred word, (Dear solace of my soul!) Celestial comforts can afford, And all their power control. 6 When present sufferings pain my heart, Or future terrors rise, And light and hope almost depart From these dejected eyes: 7 Thy powerful word supports my hope, Sweet cordial of the mind! And bears my fainting spirit up, And bids me wait resigned.

## 8 And O, whate'er of earthly bliss Thy sovereign hand denies, Accepted at thy throne of grace, Let this petition rise. 9 Give me a calm, a thankful heart, From every murmur free; The blessings of thy grace impart, And let me live to thee. 10 Let the sweet hope that thou art mine, My path of life attend; Thy presence through my journey shine, And bless its happy end. 75. Desiring the Presence of God. [C. M.] Isaiah 50:10.

1 Hear, gracious God, my humble moan, To thee I breathe my sighs, When will the mournful night be gone? And when my joys arise?

2 My God—O could I make the claim— My Father and my friend— And call thee mine, by every name, On which thy saints depend! 3 By every name of power and love, I would thy grace entreat; Nor should my humble hopes remove, Nor leave thy sacred seat. 4 Yet though my soul in darkness mourns; Thy word is all my stay; Here, I would rest till light returns, Thy presence makes my day. 5 Speak, Lord, and bid celestial peace Relieve my aching heart; O smile, and bid my sorrows cease, And all the gloom depart. 6 Then shall my drooping spirit rise, And bless thy healing rays, And change these deep complaining sighs, For songs of sacred praise.

## (p. 138) 76. Christ the Life of the Soul. [L. M.] John 14:19.

1 When sins and fears prevailing rise, And fainting hope almost expires; Jesus, to thee I lift my eyes, To thee I breathe my soul's desires. 2 Art thou not mine, my living Lord? And can my hope, my comfort die, Fixed on thy everlasting word, That word which built the earth and sky? 3 If my immortal Saviour lives, Then my immortal life is sure; His word a firm foundation gives, Here, let me build, and rest secure. 4 Here, let my faith unshaken dwell, Immoveable the promise stands; Nor all the powers of earth or hell, Can e'er dissolve the sacred bands.

## 5 Here, O my soul, thy trust repose; If Jesus is forever mine, Not death itself, that last of foes, Shall break a union so divine. 77. Aspiring towards Heaven. [C. M.]

1 Vain world be gone, nor vex my heart With thy deluding wiles: Hence, empty promiser, depart, With all thy soothing smiles. 2 Superior bliss invites my eyes, Delight unmixed with woe; Now let my nobler thoughts arise, To joys unknown below. 3 Yon starry plains, how bright they shine, With radiant specks of light; Fair pavement of the courts divine, That sparkles on the sight!

4 Tis distance lessens every star; Could I behold them nigh, Bright worlds of wonder would appear To my astonished eye! 5 Thus heavenly joys attract my eyes, My heart the lustre warms; But could I reach those upper skies, How infinite their charms! 6 Come, heaven-born faith, and aid my flight, And guide my rising thought, Till earth, still lessening to my sight, Shall vanish quite forgot. 7 But when to reach those blissful plains Her utmost ardour tries, And almost hears the charming strains Of hymning angels rise: 8 Mortality, with painful load, Forbids the raptured flight; In vain she means heaven's bright abode, And sinks to earth and night.

## 9 O let thy love, my God, my King, My hope, my heart, inspire; And teach my faith with stronger wing To rise, and warm desire. 10 Oft let thy shining visits cheer This dark abode of clay, Till I shall leave these fetters here, And rise to endless day. 78. God My only Happiness. [C. M.]

1 When filled with grief, my anxious heart To thee, my God, complains, Sweet pleasure mingles with the smart, And softens all my pains, 2 Earth flies with all her soothing charms, Nor I the loss deplore; No more, ye phantoms, mock my arms, To tease my spirit more.

3 I languish for superior joy To all that earth bestows; For pleasure which can never cloy, Nor change, nor period knows. 4 Still, must the scenes of bliss remain Concealed from mortal eyes? And must my wishes rise in vain, And never reach the skies? 5 My God, O could I call thee mine Without a wavering fear, This would be happiness divine, A heaven of pleasure here! 6 This joy, my wishes long to find, To this my heart aspires, A bliss, immortal as the mind, And vast as its desires!

## 79. Mourning the Absence of God and Longing for His Gracious Presence. [S. M.]

1 My God, to thee I call— Must I forever mourn? So far from thee, my life, my all? O when wilt thou return! 2 Dark as the shades of night My gloomy sorrows rise, And hide thy soul-reviving light From these desiring eyes. 3 My comforts all decay, My inward foes prevail; If thou withhold thy healing ray, Expiring hope will fail. 4 Away distressing fears, My gracious God is nigh, And heavenly pity sees my tears, And marks each rising sigh.

## 5 Dear source of all my joys, And solace of my care, O wilt thou hear my plaintive voice And grant my humble prayer! 6 These envious clouds remove, Thy cheering light restore, Confirm my interest in thy love Till I can doubt no more. 7 Then if my troubles rise, To thee, my God, I'll flee, And raise my hopes above the skies, And cast my cares on thee. 80. God the Only Refuge of the Troubled Mind. [C. M.]

1 Dear refuge of my weary soul, On thee, when sorrows rise: On thee, when waves of trouble roll, My fainting hope relies.

2 While hope revives, though pressed with fears, And I can say, my God, Beneath thy feet I spread my cares, And pour my woes abroad. 3 To thee, I tell each rising grief, For thou alone canst heal; Thy word can bring a sweet relief For every pain I feel. 4 But oh! when gloomy doubts prevail, I fear to call thee mine; The springs of comfort seem to fail, And all my hopes decline. 5 Yet, gracious God, where shall I flee? Thou art my only trust, And still my soul would cleave to thee, Though prostrate in the dust. 6 Hast thou not bid me seek thy face? And shall I seek in vain? And can the ear of sovereign grace Be deaf when I complain?

## 7 No, still the ear of sovereign grace Attends the mourner's prayer; O may I ever find access, To breathe my sorrows there. 8 Thy mercy-seat is open still; Here let my soul retreat, With humble hope attend thy will, And wait beneath thy feet. 81. Complaining at the Throne of Grace. [L. M.]

1 O'erwhelmed with restless griefs and fears, Lord, I approach thy mercy-seat, With aching heart and flowing tears, To pour my sorrows at thy feet. 2 Can mournful penitence and prayer Address thy mercy-seat in vain? Unnoticed by thy gracious ear, Can sorrow and distress complain?

3 Thy promises are large and free, To humble souls who seek thy face; O where for refuge can I flee, My God!—but to the throne of grace? 4 My God, for yet my trembling heart. Would fain rely upon thy word; Fain would I bid my fears depart, And cast my burden on the Lord, 5 Thou seest the tempest of my soul, These restless waves of fear and sin; Thy voice can all their rage control, And make a sacred calm within. 6 Amid the gloomy shades of night, To thee I lift my longing eyes; My Saviour God, my life, my light, When will thy cheering beams arise? 7 My thoughts recall thy favours past, In many a dark distressing hour, Thy kind support my heart confessed, And owned thy wisdom, love and power.

## 8 And still these bright perfections shine, Eternal their unclouded rays; Unchanging faithfulness is thine, And just, and right, are all thy ways. 9 And can my vile ungrateful heart Still harbour black distrust and fear? O bid these heavy clouds depart, Bright sun of righteousness, appear, 10 Let thy enlivening healing voice, The kind assurance of thy love. Relieve my heart, revive my joys, And all my sins and fears remove. 82. Submission to God under Affliction. [C. M.]

1 Peace, my complaining, doubting heart, Ye busy cares be still; Adore the just, the sovereign Lord, Not murmur at his will.

2 Unerring wisdom guides his hand; Nor dares my guilty fear, Amid the sharpest pains I feel, Pronounce his hand severe. 3 To soften every painful stroke, Indulgent mercy bends, And unrepining when I plead, His gracious ear attends. 4 Let me reflect with humble awe Whene'er my heart complains, Compared with what my sins deserve, How easy are my pains! 5 Yes Lord, I own thy sovereign hand, Thou just, and wise, and kind; Be every anxious thought suppressed. And all my soul resigned. 6 But oh! indulge this only wish, This boon I must implore! Assure my soul, that thou art mine. My God, I ask no more.

## 83. Trusting in the Divine Veracity. [C. M.]

1 When sin and sorrow, fear and pair My trembling heart dismay, My feeble strength, alas, how vain! It sinks and dies away. 2 My spirit asks a firmer prop, I lean upon the Lord; My God, the pillar of my hope, Is thy unchanging word. 3 On this are built the brightest joys, Celestial beings know, And tis the same almighty voice Supports the saints below. 4 Tis this upholds the rolling spheres, And heaven's immortal frame; Then, O my soul, suppress thy fears, Thy basis is the same.

## 5 The sacred word, the solemn oath, Forever must remain; I trust in everlasting truth, Nor can my trust be vain. 84. Time Flying and Death Approaching. [L. M.]

1 Awake, my soul, nor slumbering lie Amid the gloomy haunts of death; Perhaps the awful hour is nigh, Commissioned for my parting breath. 2 That awful hour will soon appear, Swift on the wings of time it flies, When all that pains or pleases here, Will vanish from my closing eyes. 3 Death calls my friends, my neighbours hence, And none resist the fatal dart; Continual warnings strike my sense, And shall they fail to reach my heart?

4 Shall gay amusements rise between, When scenes of horror spread around? Death's pointed arrows fly unseen, But ah, how sure, how deep they wound! 5 Think, O my soul, how much depends On the short period of a day; Shall time, which heaven in mercy lends, Be negligently thrown away? 6 Thy remnant minutes strive to use, Awake! rouse every active power! And not in dreams and trifles lose This little now! this precious hour! 7 Lord of my life, inspire my heart With heavenly ardour, grace divine; Nor let thy presence e'er depart, For strength, and life, and death are thine. 8 O teach me the celestial skill, Each awful warning to improve! And while my days are shortening still, Prepare me for the joys above.

## 9 Ensure my nobler life on high, Life, from a dying Saviour's blood! Then though my minutes swiftly fly, They bear me nearer to my God. 85. Victory over Death through Christ. [C. M.] 1 Corinthians 15:57.

1 When death appears before my sight In all his dire array, Unequal to the dreadful sight, My courage dies away, 2 How shall I meet this potent foe, Whose frown my soul alarms? Dark horror sits upon his brow, And victory waits his arms. 3 But see my glorious Leader nigh; My Lord, my Saviour lives; Before him death's pale terrors fly, And my faint heart revives.

(p. 154) 4 Jesus, be thou my sure defence, My guard forever near; And faith shall triumph over sense, And never yield to fear, 5 O may I meet the dreadful hour, With fortitude divine; Sustained by thy almighty power, The conquest must be mine. 6 What though subdued this body lies, Slain in the mortal strife, My spirit shall unconquered rise, To a diviner life. 7 Lord, I commit my soul to thee, Accept the sacred trust, Receive this nobler part of me, And watch my sleeping dust; 8 Till that illustrious morning come, When all thy saints shall rise, And clothed in full, immortal bloom. Attend thee to the skies.

## 9 When thy triumphant armies sing The honours of thy name, And heaven's eternal arches ring, With glory to the Lamb: 10 O let me join the raptured lays, And with the blissful throng, Resound salvation, power and praise In everlasting song. 86. Christ the Supreme Beauty. [C. M.] Isaiah xxxiii. 17.

1 Should nature's charms to please the eye. In sweet assemblage join, All nature's charms would droop and die, Jesus, compared with thine. 2 Vain were her fairest beams displayed, And vain her blooming store; E'en brightness languishes to shade, And beauty is no more,

3 But ah, how far from mortal sight The Lord of glory dwells! A veil of interposing night His radiant face conceals. 4 O could my longing spirit rise On strong immortal wing, And reach thy palace in the skies, My Saviour, and my King! 5 There myriads worship at thy feet, And there, (divine employ!) The triumphs of thy love repeat, In songs of endless joy. 6 Thy presence beams eternal day, O'er all the blissful place; Who would not drop this load of clay And die to see thy face!

## (p. 157) 87. The Promised Land. [C. M.] Isaiah 33:17.

1 Far from these narrow scenes of night Unbounded glories rise, And realms of infinite delight, Unknown to mortal eyes. 2 Fair distant land!—could mortal eyes But half its joys explore, How would our spirits long to rise, And dwell on earth no more! 3 There pain and sickness never come, And grief no more complains! Health triumphs in immortal bloom, And endless pleasure reigns! 4 From discord free and war's alarms, And want and pining care, Plenty and peace unite their charms, And smile unchanging there.

5 There rich varieties of joy, Continual feast the mind; Pleasures which fill, but never cloy, Immortal and refined! 6 No factious strife, no envy there, The sons of peace molest, But harmony and love sincere Fill every happy breast. 7 No cloud those blissful regions know, Forever bright and fair! For sin, the source of mortal woe, Can never enter there, 8 There no alternate night is known, Nor sun's faint sickly ray; But glory from the sacred throne Spreads everlasting day. 9 The glorious monarch there displays His beams of wondrous grace; His happy subjects sing his praise, And bow before his face,

## 10 O may the heavenly prospect fire Our hearts with ardent love, Till wings of faith and strong desire Bear every thought above. 11 Prepare us, Lord, by grace divine, For thy bright courts on high; Then bid our sun its rise and join The chorus of the sky. 88. The Heavenly Shepherd. [S. M.] Psalms 23:1-3.

1 While my Redeemer's near, My shepherd and my guide, I bid farewell to anxious fear, My wants are all supplied. 2 To ever fragrant meads, Where rich abundance grows, His gracious hand indulgent leads, And guards my sweet repose.

3 Along the lovely scene, Cool waters gently roll, And kind refreshment smiles serene, To cheer my fainting soul. 4 Here let my spirit rest; How sweet a lot is mine! With pleasure, food, and safety blest; Beneficence divine! 5 Dear shepherd, if I stray, My wandering feet restore, To thy fair pastures guide my way, And let me rove no more. 6 Unworthy, as I am, Of thy protecting care, Jesus, I plead thy gracious name, For all my hopes are there.

## (p. 161) 89. The Christian's Noblest Resolution. [L. M.] Joshua 24:15.

1 Ah wretched souls, who strive in vain, Slaves to the world, and slaves to sin! A nobler toil may I sustain, A nobler satisfaction win. 2 May I resolve with all my heart, With all my powers to serve the Lord, Nor from his precepts e'er depart, Whose service is a rich reward. 3 O be his service all my joy, Around let my example shine, Till others love the blest employ, And join in labours so divine. 4 Be this the purpose of my soul, My solemn, my determined choice, To yield to his supreme control, And in his kind commands rejoice.

## 5 O may I never faint nor tire, Nor wandering leave his sacred ways; Great God, accept my soul's desire, And give me strength to live thy praise. 90. The Saviour's Invitation. [C. M.] John 7:37.

1 The Saviour calls—let every ear Attend the heavenly sound; Ye doubting souls dismiss your fear, Hope smiles reviving round, 2 For every thirsty, longing heart, Here streams of bounty flow, And life, and health, and bliss impart, To banish mortal woe. 3 Here, springs of sacred pleasure rise, To ease your every pain, (Immortal fountain! full supplies!) Nor shall you thirst in vain.

## 4 Ye sinners, come, tis mercy's voice, The gracious call obey; Mercy invites to heavenly joys— And can you yet delay? 5 Dear Saviour, draw reluctant hearts, To thee let sinners fly, And take the bliss thy love imparts, And drink and never die. 91. Jesus the Best Beloved. [C. M.]

1 Dear center of my best desires, And sovereign of my heart, What sweet delight thy name inspires! What bliss thy smiles impart! 2 Jesus—O loveliest, dearest name! And wilt thou condescend To own the bold, yet humble claim, My everlasting friend?

## 3 Too oft, alas, my passions rove, In search of meaner charms; Trifles unworthy of my love Divide me from thy arms. 4 Ye teasing vanities depart, I seek my absent Lord; No balm to ease my aching heart, Can all your joys afford. 5 Come, dearest Lord, with power divine, And drive thy foes away; O be my heart, my passions thine, And never, never stray. 92. Desiring to Know and Love Him More. [C. M.]

1 Thou lovely source of true delight. Whom I unseen adore, Unveil thy beauties to my sight, That I may love thee more.

2 Thy glory o'er creation shines; But in thy sacred word I read, in fairer, brighter lines, My bleeding, dying Lord. 3 Tis here, whene'er my comforts droop, And sins and sorrows rise, Thy love, with cheerful beams of hope, My fainting heart supplies. 4 But ah, too soon, the pleasing scene Is clouded o'er with pain; My gloomy fears rise dark between, And I again complain. 5 Jesus, my Lord, my life, my light, O come with blissful ray, Break radiant through the shades of night, And chase my fears away. 6 Then shall my soul with rapture trace The wonders of thy love; But the full glories of thy face Are only known above.

## (p. 166) 93. The Glorious Presence of Christ in Heaven. [L. M.]

John 17:24.

1 O for a sweet inspiring ray, To animate our feeble strains, From the bright realms of endless day, The blissful realms, where Jesus reigns! 2 There low before his glorious throne Adoring saints and angels fall, And with delightful worship own His smile their bliss, their heaven, their all. 3 Immortal glories crown his head, While tuneful hallelujahs rise, And love, and joy, and triumph spread Through all the assemblies of the skies. 4 He smiles, and seraphs tune their songs To boundless rapture while they gaze; Ten thousand thousand joyful tongues Resound his everlasting praise.

## 5 There all the favourites of the Lamb Shall join at last the heavenly choir; O may the joy-inspiring theme Awake our faith and warm desire. 6 Dear Saviour, let thy spirit seal Our interest in that blissful place; Till death remove this mortal veil, And we behold thy lovely face. 94. The Happiness of the Saints Above. [L. M.] John 17:24.

1 O could we read our interest here, Jesus, in these dear words of thine, A heaven of pleasure would appear, A blissful view of joys divine. 2 Dear Saviour, let thy boundless grace Remove our guilt, our fears remove; Then shall our thoughts with rapture trace The radiant mansions of thy love.

3 There shall our hearts no more complain, Nor sin prevail, nor grace decay; But perfect joy forever reign, One glorious, undeclining day. 4 No darkness there shall cloud our sight; These now dejected feeble eyes, Shall gaze, with infinite delight, On the full glories of the skies. 5 There shall we see thy lovely face, And changed to purity divine, Partake the splendours of the place, And in thy glorious likeness shine. 6 Yes, dearest Lord, to dwell with thee, Thy praise our endless, sweet employ, Must be immense felicity, A full infinitude of joy! 7 O let thy spirit now impart The kind assurance of thy love, With sealing power to every heart, Sweet earnest of the joys above.

1 Jesus—in thy transporting name, What blissful glories rise! Jesus, the angel's sweetest theme! The wonder of the skies! 2 Well might the skies with wonder view A love so strange as thine! No thought of angels ever knew, Compassion so divine! 3 Didst thou forsake thy radiant crown, And boundless realms of day, (Aside thy robes of glory thrown,) To dwell in feeble clay? 4 Jesus—and didst thou leave the sky For miseries and woes? And didst thou bleed, and groan and die, For vile rebellious foes?

5 Through the deep horrors of thy pain Then love triumphant smiled; Earth trembled at the dreadful scene, And heaven was reconciled. 6 Victorious love! can language tell The wonders of thy power, Which conquered all the force of hell, In that tremendous hour? 7 Is there a heart that will not bend To thy divine control? Descend, O sovereign love, descend, And melt the stubborn soul. 8 O may our willing hearts confess Thy sweet, thy gentle sway; Glad captives of resistless grace, Thy pleasing rule obey. 9 Come, dearest Lord, extend thy reign, Till rebels rise no more; Thy praise all nature then shall join, And heaven and earth adore.

## (p. 171) 96. Praise to the Redeemer. [C. M.]

1 To our Redeemer's glorious name, Awake the sacred song! O may his love, (immortal flame!) Tune every heart and tongue. 2 His love, what mortal thought can reach? What mortal tongue display? Imagination's utmost stretch In wonder dies away, 3 Let wonder still with love unite, And gratitude and joy; Be Jesus our supreme delight, His praise, our best employ. 4 Jesus who left his throne on high, Left the bright realms of bliss, And came on earth to bleed and die— Was ever love like this?

## 5 Dear Lord, while we adoring pay Our humble thanks to thee, May every heart with rapture say, The Saviour died for me. 6 O may the sweet, the blissful theme, Fill every heart and tongue, Till strangers love thy charming name, And join the sacred song. 97. Desiring to Love Christ without Wandering. [C. M.]

1 Ye earthly vanities depart, Forever hence remove; Jesus alone deserves my heart, And every thought of love. 2 His heart, where love and pity dwelt In all their softest forms, Sustained the heavy load of guilt, For lost rebellious worms.

## 3 His heart, whence love abundant flowed To wash the stains of sin, In precious streams of vital blood— Here, all my hopes begin. 4 Can I my bleeding Saviour view, And yet ungrateful prove, And pierce his wounded heart anew? And grieve his injured love? 5 Forbid it Lord, O bind this heart, This rebel heart of mine, So firm, that it may ne'er depart, In chains of love divine. 98. The Exalted Saviour. [L. M.]

1 Now let us raise our cheerful strains, And join the blissful choir above; There our exalted Saviour reigns, And there they sing his wondrous love.

2 While seraphs tune the immortal song, O may we feel the sacred flame; And every heart, and every tongue Adore the Saviour's glorious name. 3 Jesus, who once upon the tree In agonizing pains expired, Who died for rebels—yes, tis he! How bright! how lovely! how admired! 4 Jesus, who died that we might live, Died in the wretched traitor's place— O what returns can mortals give, For such immeasurable grace? 5 Were universal nature ours, And art with all her boasted store, Nature and art with all their powers, Would still confess the offerer poor! 6 Yet though for bounty so divine, We ne'er can equal honours raise, Jesus, may all our hearts be thine, And all our tongues proclaim thy praise.

## (p. 175) 99. The Wonders of Redemption. [C. M.] 1 Peter 3:18.

1 And did the holy and the just, The Sovereign of the skies, Stoop down to wretchedness and dust, That guilty worms might rise? 2 Yes, the Redeemer left his throne, His radiant throne on high, (Surprising mercy! love unknown!) To suffer, bleed and die. 3 He took the dying traitor's place, And suffered in his stead; For man, (O miracle of grace!) For man the Saviour bled! 4 Dear Lord, what heavenly wonders dwell In thy atoning blood? By this are sinners snatched from hell And rebels brought to God.

## 5 Jesus, my soul, adoring, bends To love so full, so free; And may I hope that love extends Its sacred power to me? 6 What glad return can I impart, For favours so divine? O take my all—this worthless heart, And make it only thine. 100. Communion with Christ at His Table. [L. M.]

1 To Jesus, our exalted Lord, (Dear name, by heaven and earth adored!) Fain would our hearts and voices raise A cheerful song of sacred praise. 2 But all the notes which mortals know, Are weak and languishing and low; Far, far above our humble songs, The theme demands immortal tongues.

3 Yet while around his board we meet, And worship at his glorious feet; O let our warm affections move In glad returns of grateful love. 4 Yes, Lord, we love and we adore, But long to know and love thee more; And while we taste the bread and wine, Desire to feed on joys divine. 5 Let faith our feeble senses aid, To see thy wondrous love displayed, Thy broken flesh, thy bleeding veins, Thy dreadful agonizing pains. 6 Let humble penitential woe, With painful, pleasing anguish flow, And thy forgiving smiles impart Life, hope, and joy, to every heart.

## (p. 178) 101. Faith in a Redeemer's Sufferings. [L. M.]

1 Lord, when my thoughts delighted rove Amid the wonders of thy love, Sweet hope revives my drooping heart, And bids intruding fears depart. 2 But while thy sufferings I survey, And faith enjoys a heavenly ray, These dear memorials of thy pain, Present anew the dreadful scene. 3 I hear thy groans with deep surprise, And view thy wounds with weeping eyes, Each bleeding wound, each dying groan, With anguish fraught, and pains unknown. 4 For mortal crimes a sacrifice, The Lord of life, the Saviour dies: What love, what mercy, how divine! Jesus, and can I call thee mine?

## 5 Repentant sorrow fills my heart, But mingling joy allays the smart, O may my future life declare The sorrow and the joy sincere. 6 Be all my heart, and all my days Devoted to my Saviour's praise; And let my glad obedience prove How much I owe, how much I love. 102. A Dying Saviour. [L. M.]

1 Stretched on the cross the Saviour dies; Hark! his expiring groans arise! See, from his hands, his feet, his side, Runs down the sacred crimson tide! 2 But life attends the deathful sound, And flows from every bleeding wound; The vital stream, how free it flows, To save and cleanse his rebel foes!

3 To suffer in the traitor's place,. To die for man, surprising grace! Yet pass rebellious angels by— O why for man, dear Saviour, why? 4 And didst thou bleed, for sinners bleed? And could the sun behold the deed? No, he withdrew his sickening ray, And darkness veiled the mourning day. 5 Can I survey this scene of woe, Where mingling grief and wonder flow; And yet my heart unmoved remain, Insensible to love or pain! 6 Come, dearest Lord, thy power impart, To warm this cold, this stupid heart; Till all its powers and passions move, In melting grief and ardent love.

## (p. 181) 103. Meditating on the Redeemer's Sufferings. [L. M.]

1 Recall, my heart, that dreadful hour, When Jesus on the cursed tree Infinite pains and sorrows bore— Think, O my soul, was this for thee? 2 See, crowned with thorns that sacred head, With beams of glory once adorned! That voice, which heaven and earth obeyed, Is now by traitors mocked and scorned. 3 And see those lovely melting eyes, Whence kind companion often flowed, Now raised imploring to the skies, For hardened souls athirst for blood! 4 Those healing hands with blessings fraught, Nailed to the cross with pungent smart! Inhuman deed! could no kind thought To pity move the ruthless heart?

## 5 But oh! what agonies unknown, His soul sustained beneath the load Of mortal crimes! how deep the groan Which calmed the vengeance of a God! 6 He groaned! he died! the awful scene Of wonder, grief, surprising love, Forever let my heart retain, Nor from my Saviour's feet remove. 7 Jesus, accept this wretched heart, Which trembling, mourning, comes to thee; The blessing of thy death impart, And tell my soul, tis all for me. 104. Sin the Cause of Christ's Death. [L. M.]

1 Was it for sin, for mortal guilt, The Saviour gave his vital blood? For him amazing anguish felt, The wrath of an offended God?

2 When bleeding, groaning, on the tree, He breathed such agonizing cries, When nature suffered, Lord, with thee, And darkness clothed the mourning skies, 3 And shall I harbour in my breast (Tremble my soul at such a deed) This dreadful foe, this fatal guest? Twas sin that made my Saviour bleed. 4 Tis sin that would my ruin prove, And sink me down to endless woe; But O forbid it, heavenly love, And save me from the cursed foe. 5 Ye sins, ye cruel sins, depart, Your tyrant sway I cannot bear; My rightful sovereign claims my heart, Jesus alone shall govern here. 6 Come, glorious conqueror, gracious Lord, Thy all-prevailing power employ; O come, with thy resistless word, These hateful enemies destroy.

## 7 Guilty and weak to thee I fly, My Lord, my Saviour, and my friend, On thy almighty arm rely, On thy atoning blood depend. 8 My all of hope is fixed on thee, For thou alone hast power divine; O come, and conquer, Lord, for me, And all the glory shall be thine. 105. Christ Dying and Rising. [L. M.]

1 Come tune, ye saints, your noblest strains, Your dying, rising Lord to sing, And echo to the heavenly plains The triumphs of your Saviour-King. 2 In songs of grateful rapture tell How he subdued your potent foes, Subdued the powers of death and hell, And, dying, finished all your woes.

3 Then to his glorious throne on high Returned, while hymning angels round, Through the bright arches of the sky, The God, the conquering God, resound. 4 Almighty love! victorious power! Not angel-tongues can e'er display The wonders of that dreadful hour, The joys of that illustrious day. 5 Then well may mortals try in vain, In vain then feeble voices raise; Yet Jesus hears the humble strain, And kindly owns our wish to praise. 6 Dear Saviour, let thy wondrous grace Fill every heart and every tongue, Till the full glories of thy face Inspire a fleeter, nobler song.