4 Shew fuch as molten" idols have,
Of brass, of filver", and of gold:
They truft in gods that cannot fave,
As did idolaters of old.

5 From fuperftition fet them free,
And all their ignorance remove,
That they may fin's deception fee,
And feek falvation from above.

6 Where darkness reigns let light" appear:
Where fin abounds thy grace difplay,
Till unbelievers every where

Believe, and all thy laws obey.

7 So fhall the heathen alls draw near,
And their benign Creator' own:
JEHOVAH" ferve with holy fear,
And to no other God bow down.

I

CLI.

On the fad effects which follow Sin, and of the kind interpofition of Love to prevent them.

THAT vaft deftruction in the earthw

WH

8

Hath fin, that cruel monfter, wrought? 8

It pain, difeafes, famine, deartha,

And death itfelf on all hath brought.

2 Through all the world with rapid speed,
It hath its baneful poifon fpread,
And still doth thousands captive lead
To bondage, mifery, and dread.

20.

8

8

(0) Rev. ix. (q) Dan. iii. i. (f) Zech. xiii. (s) Heb. viii. 11. (v) Dan. iii. 29. 10. Rom. iii. 16. xxviii. 60.-Ifa. li.

(n) Exod. xxxii. 4.-Judg. xvii. 4.-Ifa. xliv. 10. (p) Pfal. cxxxv. 15, - -- 18.-Hof. viii. 4. --V. 23. (r) Ifa. xlii. 6, 7.—Ix. 3.-Luke i. 79. 1.-Rom. v. 15.-2 Cor. ix. Ɛ.—Tit, ii. 11. (t) Col. i. 16. (u) Pfal. lxxxiii. 18. (w) Gen. vi. 12.-Pfal. xc. 3.-Micah. ii. (x) Nah. ii. 10.-Rom. viii. 22. (y) Deut. (z) Jer. xxiv. 10.-Matt. xxiv. 7. (a) Gen. xli. 54.Acts xi. 28. (b) Rom. v. 12. (c) Pfal. Iviii. 4.

19.

3 Hence devaftation, rage, and war
Strange revolutions often make:
Tumult and noise is heard from far,
By those who do God's law forfake.
4 Sin like a deluge doth o'erflow,
And fweep its willing fubjects hence:
To mifery fome daily go,

Which is a righteous recompence.
5 Lo! nations fwiftly pass away,
And lie forgotten in the grave:
The poor, the rich, the great, the gay,
Riches from death can no one fave.
6 Monarchs are forc'd to quit the throne,
And bow to death's refiftlefs pow'r;
None are exempted, no not one,—
The change alike to alld is fure.
7 But O, how great is Jefu's love?
He, to redeem the fallen race,'
Came freely from his throne above,
That all might know his faving grace.
8 He conquer'd deaths and open'd heav'n
By dying on the curfed tree;

And in his name falvation's giv'n,"Tis for the worst of finners free.

8886

6

CLII.

On fin, with its effects, and the willingness of God to fave us from it.

OW weak at firft is ev'ry child,

H Though free from fin and blame?

*

Their innocence, how foon defil'd,
And fwallow'd up in fhame?

H

(d) Heb. ix. 27.

(e) Heb. x. 7.

(f) Ifa. xlv. 22.-lii. 10.

(g) Eph. iv. 8.-Rev. vi. 2. (h) Acts xiii. 47.-Heb. v. 9.

*For an answer to thofe who fupport the doctrine of criginal fin,

fee the note on Baptifm, page 16, &c.

Alas! we carlyt fin, and feet
A finful nature grow:
This God in mercy doth reveal',
And by his fpirit fhow.

3 He fhows that in this fallen state,
Except we're born again,

We for ourfelves a hell create
Of mifery and pain.

4 Nor have we pow'r to make this change!
Without the help of grace":

Converfion feems a work quite strange
For nature to embrace.

5 But God doth, by a fmall ftill voice,
Bid us his grace receive;
Hence, if we ftill make fin our choice,
We do his Spirit grieve.

6 For he gives pow'r to all mankind,
That they to him may cry:
The vileft may forgiveness find,
And in his favour die.

Therefore, if we refift' his love,
And will not ufe his pow'r,
We fhall our own tormentors prove,
When we his wraths endure.

8 "Tis vain to think on Calvaryt
Chrift fhould for finners bleed,

And yet defign our misery,
Moft horrid thought indeed!

(i) John xvi. 8.

(j) John iii. 3,

8.

(k) Rom. ii. 5.

(1) John xv. 5. (m) Eph. ii. 5,8. (n) 1 Cor. ii. 14. (0) 1 Kin. xix.

12. (p) Gal. i. 6.
2 Tim. iii. 8.
Col. iii. 6.

(9) John i. 12.

(S) John v. 40. (t) Luke xxiii. 33.

(r) Acts vii. 51.(s) Rom. i. 18.-Eph. v. 6.-—

Many children die before they can commit actual fin; others have been very remarkable for early piety: Hence the Pfalmift, in Pfalm Iviii. 3. can only mean, that many children are estranged from the womb through the bad precepts and ill example of the wicked; and, on this account, they go aftray and speak lies as foon as they can distinguish betwixt truth and falfehood.

God willeth not that one should die",
He bids us turn and live:

V

W

Let none his gifts or grace deny,
But gladly both receive.

1

·

CLIII.

Grace, the free gift of God, and boafting excluded.

Α

LAS! how vain is falleny man?

A How prone to vice and ev'ry ill?

And, without Chrift, do what he can,
He can't perform God's righteous will.
2 He cannot fpeak one holy word,
Or even think one thought aright;
Nor do a work before the Lord,
That is well pleasing in his fight.

d

3 'Tis then no more by works but grace,God's own free grace through Jesus giv'n, 'That Adam or his finful race

4

5

Can have or know their fin's forgiv❜n.

O praise the Lord, 'twas God most high,
Who freely gave his only Son!

He to atones did alfo die

For what the human race had done!

And lo, 'twas Jefu's own free choice.

Herein to do his Father's will,

That finners might in hopei rejoice,

And prove that God can fave them ftill.

-Jer. ii. 5. (y)

H 2

(u) Ezek. xviii. 32.-xxxiii. 11. (v) Rom. vi. 23.-xi. 29. (w) Prov. iii. 34.-Jam. iv. 6.-1 Pet. v. 5. (x) Gen. viii. 21. Gen. iii. 6, &c. (z) John xv. 5. (a) Matt. xii. 34. -Jam. iii. 8. (b) Gen. vi. 5.-Prov. xv. 26.—Ifa. lix. 7. (c) Gal. ii. 16. (d) Eph. ii. 9. (e) Rom. iii. 24.-v. 16, 18. -viii. 32.-1 Cor. ii. 12.-Rev. xxii. 17. (f) John iii. 16. (g) Rom. v. 11. (h) Heb. x. 7, 9. (i) Rom. v. 2. (j) Zech. ix.

16.-Heb. vii, 25.

6 No room to boast, no room have we
Of ought we think, or speak, or do:
All good in us is wrought' by thee,
Whofe Spirit maketh all things new.
Not unto us, but God we'll give
All honour, glory, thanks, and praife;
By whofe free grace alone we live,—
Be this our portion all our days.

CLVI.

On the goodness of GOD, and the vanity of the Creature.

I

Deftruction to mankind;

Lo, Chrift, to fave us from the fall,

Freely his life refign'd!

2 He to avert the wrath

That flam'd with threat'ning dread, Was made a curfe", and thereby hath Our foes all captive led.

3 Yet, heedlefs of the way

That leads to joys above,

From thy pure laws we often stray,
And grieve the God of love".

4 We vainly dream of reft,
But rarely feek it right,
Suppofing earthly things are beft,
In which we most delight.

5

Thus robb'd of light divine, Strange fires confume our peace,While all the pow'rs of hell combine, Our bondage to increase.

(k) Rom. iii. 27. (n) Pfal. cxv. I.

(a) Eph. iv. 8.

(1) Phil. ii. 1 3.-Col. i. 29.

6

6

8

(m) Rev. xxi. 5. (p) Gal. iii. 13.

(0) Ezek. xxxiii. 11.
(r) 2 Cor. xiii. 11, (1) Luke xi. 33°