2 So while I dwell in bonds of clay,
Methinks my soul shall groan,
When shall I wing my heavenly way,
And stand before thy throne?'
3 I love to see my Lord below,
His church displays his grace:
But upper worlds his glory know,
And view him face to face.
4 I love to worship at his feet,
Though sin attack me there:
But saints exalted near his seat,
Have no assaults to fear.
5 I'm pleas'd to meet him in his court,
And taste his heavenly love:
But still I think his visits short,
Or I too soon remove.
6 He shines, and I am all delight,
He hides, and all is pain:
When will he fix me in his sight,
And ne'er depart again?
A rational Defence of the Gospel.
HALL atheists dare insult the cross
Of our Redeemer-God?
Shall infidels reproach his laws,
Or trample on his blood?
2 What if he choose mysterious ways,
To cleanse us from our faults?
May not the works of sovereign grace
Transcend our feeble thoughts?
3 What if the gospel bids us fight
With flesh, and self, and sin?
The prize is most divinely bright,
Which we are call'd to win.
4 What if the foolish, and the poor,
His glorious grace partake?
This but confirms his truth the more,
For so the prophets spake.
5 Do some that own his sacred name,
Indulge their souls in sin?
Jesus should never bear the blame,
His laws are pure and clean.
6 Then let our faith grow firm and strong,
Our lips profess his word;
Nor blush, nor fear to walk among
The men that love the Lord.
HYMN CVIII.
Holy Fortitude.
1AMI a soldier of the cross,
follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?
2 Must I be carried to the skies,
On flowery beds of ease?
While others fought to win the prize,
And sail'd through bloody seas!
3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?
4 Sure I must fight if I would reign ;'
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.
5 Thy saints in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.
6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all thine armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine!
The Privilege of Living above the Dead.
And serve my Saviour here below,
In works which all the saints above,
Which holy angels cannot do.
2 My faith and hope may see the Lord,
Though veils of darkness lie between :
Hope shall rest firm upon his word,
And Faith rejoice in things unseen.
3 Awake my Charity, and feed
The hungry soul, and clothe the poor:
In heaven are found no sons of need,
There all these duties are no more.
4 Subdue thy passions, O my soul !
Maintain the fight, thy work pursue ;
Daily thy rising sins controul,
And be thy victories ever new.
5 The land of triumph lies on high;
There are no fields of battle there :
Lord, I would conquer till I die,
And finish all the glorious war.
6 Let every flying hour confess
I gain thy gospel fresh renown;
And when my life and labours cease,
May I possess the promis'd crown.
New Year's Day; or, the right Improvement of
AND is this life prolong'd to me?
Are days and seasons given?
Shall I not then prepare to be
A fitter heir fo heaven?
2 I will not let these moments pass,
These golden hours be gone:
Lord I accept thine offer'd grace,
I bow before thy throne.
3 Now cleanse my soul from every sin
Through my Redeemer's blood:
Now let my flesh and heart begin
The honours of my God.
4 Let me no more my soul defile
With sin's deceitful toys:
Let cheerful hope increasing still
Approach to heavenly joys.
5 O may thy thankful lips proclaim
The wonders of thy praise,
And spread the savour of thy name,
Where'er I spend my days.
6 On earth let my example shine;
And when I leave this state,
May heaven receive this soul of mine
To bliss divinely great.
HYMN CXI.
The Day of Judgment.
Attempted in English Sapphics,
WHEN the fierce north wind with his airy
Rears up the Baltic to a foaming fury;
And the red lightning, with a storm of hail
2 How the poor sailors stand amaz'd and tremble! While the hoarse thunder, like a bloody trumpet,
Roars a fierce onset to the gaping waters
Quick to devour them.
3 Such shall the noise be, and the wild disorder, (If things eternal may be like these earthly) Such the dire terror when the great archangel Shakes the creation :
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