Rebels, we broke our Maker's laws;
He from the threatenings set us free,
Bore the full vengeance on His cross,
And nailed the curses to the tree.
The law proclaims no terror now,
And Sinai's thunder rolls no more;
From all His wounds new blessings flow,
A sea of joy without a shore.
Here we have washed our deepest stains,
And healed our wounds with heavenly blood;
Bless'd fountain: springing from the veins
Of Jesus, our incarnate God.
In vain our mortal voices strive
To speak compassion so divine;
Had we a thousand lives to give,
A thousand lives should all be Thine.
PARDON AND STRENGTH FROM CHRIST.
MATHER, we wait to feel Thy grace,
see Thy glories shine;
The Lord will His own table bless,
And make the feast divine.
We touch, we taste the heavenly bread,
We drink the sacred cup;
With outward forms our sense is fed,
Our souls rejoice in hope.
We shall appear before the throne
Of our forgiving God,
Dressed in the garments of His Son,
And sprinkled with His blood.
We shall be strong to run the race,
To reach the upper sky;
He will provide all needful grace,
And every want supply.
Then let us all rejoice and sing,
While this rich food we taste;
For God, our Maker and our King,
Invites us to the feast.
DELIGHT IN COMMUNION WITH CHRIST.
AR from my thoughts, vain world, be gone,
Let my religious hours alone:
Fain would my eyes my Saviour see,
I wait a visit, Lord, from Thee.
My heart grows warm with holy fire,
And kindles with a pure desire :
Come, blessed Jesus, from above,
And feed my soul with heavenly love.
The trees of life immortal stand
Laden with fruit at Thy right hand,
And in sweet murmurs by their side
The streams of life for ever glide.
Haste, then, but with a smiling face,
And spread the table of Thy grace;
Bring down a taste of fruit divine,
And cheer my heart with sacred wine.
Blest Jesus, what delicious fare!
How sweet Thy entertainments are !
Never did angels taste above
Redeeming grace and dying love.
Hail, great Immanuel, all divine,
In Thee Thy Father's glories shine;
Thou brightest, sweetest, fairest one,
That eyes have seen, or angels known.
Thanksgiving after Childbirth.
129 THE BLESSING OF GOD SANOTIFYING HIS GIFTS.
God succeed not, all the cost
And pains to build the house are lost;
If God the city will not keep,
The watchful guards as well might sleep.
What if you rise before the sun,
And work and toil when day is done,
Careful and sparing eat your bread,
To shun that poverty you dread.
'Tis all in vain, till God hath blest;
He can make rich, yet give us rest:
Children and friends are blessings too,
If God, our Sovereign, make them so.
Happy the man to whom He sends
Obedient children, faithful friends:
How sweet our daily comforts prove,
When they are seasoned with His love.
130 Vows PAID IN PUBLIC WHICH WERE MADE IN
HAT shall I render to my God
For all His kindness shown;
My feet shall visit Thine abode,
My songs address Thy throne.
Among the saints that fill Thine house,
My offerings shall be paid;
There shall my zeal perform the vows
My soul in anguish made.
How happy all Thy servants are!
How great Thy grace to me!
My life which Thou hast made Thy care,
Lord, I devote to Thee.
Now I am Thine, for ever Thine,
Nor shall my purpose move;
Thy hand hath loosed my bonds of pain,
And bound me with Thy love.
Here in Thy courts I leave my vow,
And Thy rich grace record;
Witness, ye saints, who hear me now,
If I forsake the Lord.
Affliction and Sorrow.
THE UNCERTAINTY OF LIFE.
ET others boast how strong they be,
Nor death nor danger fear;
But we'll confess, O Lord, to Thee,
What feeble things we are.
Fresh as the grass our bodies stand,
And flourish bright and gay;
A blasting wind sweeps o'er the land,
And fades the grass away.
Our life contains a thousand springs,
And dies if one be gone;
Strange, that a harp of thousand strings
Should keep in tune so long!
But 'tis our God supports our frame,
The God that built us first;
Salvation to the Almighty name
That reared us from the dust.
While we have breath, or use our tongues,
Our Maker we'll adore;
His Spirit moves our heaving lungs,
Or they would breathe no more.
RESIGNATION UNDER SORROW.
AKED as from the earth we came,
And crept to life at first,
We to the earth return again,
And mingle with the dust.
The dear delights we here enjoy,
And fondly call our own,
Are but short favours borrowed now,
To be repaid anon.
"Tis God who lifts our comforts high,
Or sinks them in the grave;
He gives, and, blessed be His name!
He takes but what He gave.
Peace, all our angry passions, then ;
Let each rebellious sigh
Be silent at His sovereign will,
And every murmur die.
If smiling mercy crown our lives,
Its praises shall be spread;
And we'll adore the justice too
That strikes our comforts dead.
1 Cor. vii. 31.-And they that use this world, as not
OW vain are all things here below!
How false, and yet how fair!
Each pleasure hath its poison too,
And every sweet a snare.
The brightest things below the sky
Give but a flattering light;
We should suspect some danger nigh
Where we possess delight.
Our dearest joys, and nearest friends,
The partners of our blood,
How they divide our wavering minds,
And leave but half for God!
The fondness of a creature's love,
How strong it strikes the sense!
Thither the warm affections move,
Nor can we call them thence.
Dear Saviour, let Thy beauties be
My soul's eternal food;
And grace command my heart away
From all created good.
1 Cor. iii. 21.-For all things are yours.
OW vast the treasure we possess !
How rich Thy bounty, King of Grace!
This world is ours, and worlds to come;
Earth is our lodge, and heaven our home.
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