590 MAN may disbelieve the tidings,
Or in anger turn away;
'Tis foretold there shall be scoffers
Rising in the latter day:
Yet he'll come, the Lord from heaven,
Not to suffer, or to die;
But to take his waiting people
To their glorious rest on high.
Yet in mercy still he lingers,
Lengthening out the day of grace;
Till he comes, inviting sinners
To his welcome, fond embrace.
591 YE virgin souls, arise!
With all the dead awake!
Unto salvation wise,
Oil in your vessels take :
Upstarting at the midnight cry,
"Behold your heavenly Bridegroom nigh!"
He comes, he comes, to call
The nations to his bar,
And raise to glory all
Who fit for glory are:
Make ready for your full reward ;
Go forth with joy to meet your Lord.
MAKE haste, O man, to live,
For thou so soon must die :
Time hurries past thee like the breeze;
How swift its moments fly!
Make haste, O man, to live,
Thy time is almost o'er ;
Oh, sleep not, dream not, but arise;
The Judge is at the door!
THOU Judge of quick and dead,
Before whose bar severe,
With holy joy or guilty dread,
We all shall soon appear!
Our caution'd souls prepare
For that tremendous day;
And fill us now with watchful care,
And stir us up to pray.
594 IF still thou dost with sinners eat,
Let my poor heart thy chamber be,
With gladness such a guest I'll greet,
And keep the paschal feast with thee.
If thou wilt come to me below,
My heart shall purge out sinful leaven,
And every day more meet I'll grow
To keep the paschal feast in heaven.
595 MY God, my God, was ever love,
Was ever lowliness like thine?
Amazed I beg thee to explain
Thine own mysterious love's design.
Wondering I ask how can it be
That God should wait on man below?
That God's own Son should stoop to me,
And wash a sinner white as snow?
596 LEAVE thee! no, my dearest Saviour,
Thee whose blood my pardon bought;
Slight thy mercy, scorn thy favour!
Perish such an impious thought:
Leave thee-never!
Where for peace could I resort?
But, O Lord, thou know'st my weakness,
Know'st how prone I am to stray;
God of love, of truth, of meekness,
Guide and keep me in thy way;
Blest Redeemer !
Let me never from thee stray.
597 BOAST not thy strength of faith and zeal
For trials yet unknown;
Or thou wilt soon by falling feel
Thou canst not stand alone.
To Jesus now confide thy heart,
He only can defend,
He will his mighty grace impart,
And keep thee to the end.
598 ACCORDING to thy gracious word,
In meek humility,
This will I do, my dying Lord,
I will remember thee.
Thy body, broken for my sake,
My bread from heaven shall be ;
Thy testamental cup I take,
And thus remember thee.
599 CAN we mourn as broken-hearted,
We who hang upon thy love,
Jesus, for our sake departed
To thy Father's house above?
Source of all our consolations,
There we our Forerunner see:
In those lasting habitations
Thou hast found a place for me.
All our hopes and souls we venture
On thy never-failing word,
Sure into thy joy to enter,
Sure to triumph with our Lord.
600 JESUS is gone up on high;
But his promise still is here,
"I will all your wants supply;
I will send the Comforter."
Let us now his promise plead,
Let us to his throne draw nigh;
Jesus knows his people's need,
Jesus hears his people's cry.
Send us, Lord, the Comforter,
Pledge and witness of thy love;
Dwelling with thy people here,
Leading them to joys above.
THE Holy Ghost is here,
Where saints in prayer agree,
As Jesu's parting gift he's near
Each pleading company.
He dwells within our soul,
An ever-welcome Guest;
He reigns with absolute control,
As Monarch in the breast.
Our bodies are his shrine,
And he th' indwelling Lord;
All hail, thou Comforter divine!
Be evermore adored!
602 O LOVE of God, our shield and stay,
Through all the perils of our way;
Eternal love, in thee we rest,
For ever safe, for ever blest.
603 THERE is a Shepherd kind and strong,
Still watchful for his sheep;
Nor shall the infernal lion rend
Whom he vouchsafes to keep.
Blest Jesus, intercede for us,
That we may fall no more;
Oh, raise us, when we prostrate lie,
And comfort lost restore.
Thy sacred energy impart,
That faith may never fail,
But under showers of fiery darts,
That temper'd shield prevail.
604 So near, so very near to God,
I cannot nearer be;
For in the person of his Son
I am as near as he.
So dear, so very dear to God,
More dear I cannot be ;
The love wherewith he loves his Son,
Such is his love to me.
605 SOFTLY to the garden lead us,
To behold thy bloody sweat :
Though thou from the curse hast freed us,
Let us not the curse forget.
Be thy groans and cries rehearsed
By thy Spirit in our ears,
Till we, viewing whom we pierced,
Melt in sympathetic tears.
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