Obrazy na stronie
PDF
ePub

4 Shew fuch as molten" idols have,
Of brafs, of filver", and of gold:
They trust 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 see,
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.

CLI.

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

8

WH

HAT vaft destruction in the earth w Hath fin, that cruel monfter, wrought? 8 It pain, diseases, famine2, deartha, And death itfelf on all hath brought.

8

8

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

20.

(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. J.-Rom. v. 15.-2 Cor. ix. 8.—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.

19.

Acts xi. 28. (b) Rom. v. 12. (c) Pfal. Iviii. 4.

[ocr errors]

(0) Rev. ix. (q) Dan. iii. i. (f) Zech. xiii. (s) Heb. viii. II. (v) Dan. iii. 29. 10. Rom. iii. 16. xxviii. 60.-Ifa. li. (a) Gen. xli. 54

3 Hence devaftation, rage, and war
Strange revolutions often make:
Tumult and noife is heard from far,
By those who do God's law forfake.
4 Sin like a deluge doth o'erflow,
And sweep its willing fubjects hence:
To mifery fome daily go,
Which is a righteous recompence.
5 Lo! nations fwiftly pafs 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 refiftless pow'r;
None are exempted, no not one,—
The change alike to all 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.

[ocr errors]

CLII.

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

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small]

(e) Heb. x. 7.

(d) Heb. ix. 27. (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.

2 Alas! we carlyt fin, and feet
A finful nature grow:
This God in mercy doth reveal1,
And by his fpirit fhow.

3 He fhows that in this fallen ftate,
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 gracem:

Converfion feems a work quite strange
For nature to embrace.

5

But God doth, by a small ftill voice,
Bid us his gracep 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 wrath 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. (1) John xv. 5. (m) Eph. ii. 5, 8. (p) Gal. i. 6.

12.

2 Tim. iii. 8. Col. iii. 6.

(1) John iii. 3,- - - 8.

(n) 1 Cor. ii. 14.
(9) John i. 12. (r) Acts vii. 51.-
(f) John v. 40.
(t) Luke xxiii. 33.

(s) Rom. i. 18.-Eph. v. 6.—

(k) Rom. ii. 5. (0) 1 Kin. xix.

Many children die before they can commit actual fin; others have been very remarkable for early piety: Hence the Pfalmist, in Pfalm lviii. 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 diftinguish betwixt truth and falfehood.

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

1

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

CLIII.

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

LAS! how vain* is fallen man?

And, without Chrift 4, 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.

с

aug

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

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

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

He to atone did alfo die

For what the human race had done!

5

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.

H.2

(u) Ezek. xviii. 32.--xxxiii. 11. (v) Rom. (w) Prov. iii. 34.-Jam. iv. 6.-1 Pet. v. 5. Jer. ii. 5. (y) Gen. iii. 6, &c. (z) John xv. 5. -Jam. iii. 8. (b) Gen. vi. 5.-Prov. xv. (c) Gal. ii. 16. (d) Eph. ii. 9. ii. 12.-Rev. (h) Heb. x. 7, 9.

viii. 32.-1 Cor. (g) Rom. v. 11. 16.-Heb. vii, 25.

[ocr errors]
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]

vi. 23.-xi. 29. (x) Gen. viii. 21. (a) Matt. xii. 34. 26.-Ifa. lix. 7. (e) Rom. iii. 24.--v. 16, 18. xxii. 17. (f) John iii. 16. (i) Rom. v. 2. (j) Zech. ix.

6 No room to boast, no ́room have we
Of ought we think, or fpeak, 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 whose free grace alone we live,—
Be this our portion all our days.

CLVI.

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

OD willeth° not at all Deftruction to mankind; Lo, Chrift, to fave us from the fall,

GD

Freely his life refign'd!

I

2 He to avert the wrath

That flam'd with threat'ning dread, Was made a curse, 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 ftray,
And grieve the God of love'.

4 We vainly dream of reft,
But rarely feek it right,
Suppofing earthly things are best,
In which we moft 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. (q) Eph. iv. 8.

(1) Phil. ii. 13.-Col. i. 29.
(0) Ezek. xxxiii, 11.
(r) 2 Cor. xiii. 11. (1) Luke xi. 33,

6890

(m) Rev. xxi. §. (p) Gal. iii. 13.

« PoprzedniaDalej »