Page images
PDF
EPUB

MATTHEW.

HYMN LXXXI.

The Beggar. Chap. vii. 7, 8.

1 ENCOURAG'D by thy word
Of promise to the poor,
Behold, a beggar, Lord,
Waits at thy mercy's door!

No hand, no heart, O Lord, but thine,
Can help or pity wants like mine.

2 The beggar's usual plea,

Relief from men to gain,
If offer'd unto thee,

I know thou would'st disdain;

And pleas which move thy gracious ear, Are such as men would scorn to hear.

3 I have no right to say,

That though I now am poor,
Yet once there was a day
When I possessed more;

Thou know'st that, from my very birth,
I've been the poorest wretch on earth.
4 Nor can I dare profess,
As beggars often do,
Though great is my distress,
My wants have been but few;

If thou should'st leave my soul to starve,
It would be what I well deserve.

5 'Twere folly to pretend

I never begg'd before;

Or if thou now befriend,

I'll trouble thee no more:

Thou often hast reliev'd my pain,
And often I must come again.

6 Though crumbs are much too good
For such a dog as I,

No less than children's food
My soul can satisfy:

O do not frown and bid me go,
I must have all thou canst bestow.

7 Nor can I willing be
Thy bounty to conceal
From others who, like me,
Their wants and hunger feel:
I'll tell them of thy mercy's store,
And try to send a thousand more.

8 Thy thoughts, thou only wise!
Our thoughts and ways transcend,
Far as the arched skies

Above the earth extend:*

Such pleas as mine men would not hear, But God receives a beggar's prayer.

HYMN LXXXII.

The Leper. Chap. viii. 2, 3.

1 Orr as the leper's case I read, My own describ'd I feel;

Sin is a leprosy indeed,

Which none but Christ can heal.

Isaiah lv. 8, 9.

2 A while I would have pass'd for well, And strove my spots to hide: Till it broke out incurable,

Too plain to be denied.

3 Then from the saints I thought to flee,
And dreaded to be seen:

I thought they all would point at me,
And cry, "Unclean, unclean!"

4 What anguish did my soul endure
Till hope and patience ceas'd!
The more I strove myself to cure,
The more the plague increas'd,

5 While thus I lay distress'd, I saw
The Saviour passing by;

To him, though fill'd with shame and awe,
I rais'd my mournful ery.

6 Lord, thou canst heal me if thou wilt,
For thou canst all things do;

O cleanse my leprous soul from guilt,
My filthy heart renew!

7 He heard, and, with a gracious look,
Pronounc'd the healing word;

"I will,-be clean:" and while he spoke, I felt my health restor❜d.

8 Come, lepers, seize the present hour,
The Saviour's grace to prove;

He can relieve, for he is power;
He will, for he is love.

HYMN LXXXIII.

A sick Soul. Chap. ix. 12.

1 PHYSICIAN of my sin-sick soul,
To thee I bring my case;
My raging malady control,
And heal me by thy grace.

2 Pity the anguish I endure,
See how I mourn and pine;
For never can I hope a cure
From any hand but thine.

3 I would disclose my whole complaint, But where shall I begin?

No words of mine can fully paint
That worst distemper, sin.

4 It lies not in a single part,
But through my frame is spread,
A burning fever in my heart,
A palsy in my head.

5 It makes me deaf, and dumb, and blind, And impotent and lame;

And overclouds, and fills my mind
With folly, fear, and shame.

6 A thousand evil thoughts intrude,
Tumultuous, in my breast;
Which indispose me for my food,
And rob me of my rest.

7 Lord, I am sick, regard my cry,
And set my spirit free;
Say, canst thou let a sinner die,
Who longs to live to thee?

HYMN LXXXIV.

Satan returning. Chap. xii. 43-45.

1 WHEN Jesus claims the sinner's heart,
Where Satan ruled before;
The evil spirit must depart,

And dares return no more.

2 But when he goes without constraint,
And wanders from his home,
Although withdrawn, 'tis but a feint,
He means again to come.

3 Some outward change perhaps is seen,
If Satan quit the place;

But though the house seem swept and clean,
"Tis destitute of grace.

4 Except the Saviour dwell and reign
Within the sinner's mind,
Satan, when he returns again,
Will easy entrance find.

5 With rage, and malice seven-fold,
He then resumes his sway,

No more by checks to be control'd,
No more to go away.

6 The sinner's former state was bad,
But worse the latter far:

He lives possessed, blind, and mad,
And dies in dark despair.

7 Lord save me from this dreadful end,
And from this heart of mine!

O drive and keep away the fiend,
Who fears no voice but thine!

HYMN LXXXV.

The Sower. Chap. xiii. 3.

1 YE sons of earth, prepare the plough,
Break up your fallow-ground:
The sower is gone forth to sow,
And scatter blessings round.
2 The seed that finds a stony soil
Shoots forth a hasty blade,
But ill repays the sower's toil,
Soon wither'd, scorch'd, and dead.

3 The thorny ground is sure to baulk
All hopes of harvest there:
We find a tall and sickly stalk,
But not the fruitful ear.

4 The beaten path and high-way side
Receive the trust in vain;
The watchful birds the spoil divide,
And pick up all the grain.

5 But where the Lord of grace and power
Has bless'd the happy field,
How plenteous is the golden store
The deep-wrought furrows yield.

6 Father of mercies, we have need

Of thy preparing grace:

Let the same hand that gives the seed Provide a fruitful place.

HYMN LXXXVI.

C.

The Wheat and Tares. Chap. xiii. 37—42, 1 THOUGH in the outward church below

The wheat and tares together grow,

Jesus ere long will weed the crop,
And pluck the tares in anger up.

2 Will it relieve their horrors there,
To recollect their stations here?

How much they heard, how much they knew,

How long amongst the wheat they grew?

3 0 this will aggravate their case,
They perish'd under means of grace:
To them the word of life and faith
Became an instrument of death.

4 We seem alike when thus we meet,
Strangers might think we all are wheat;
But to the Lord's all-searching eyes,
Each heart appears without disguise.

5 The tares are spar'd for various ends,
Some for the sake of praying friends;
Others the Lord, against their will,
Employs his counsels to fulfil.

6 But though they grow so tall and strong.
His plan will not require them long:
In harvest, when he saves his own,
The tares shall into hell be thrown.

HYMN LXXXVII.
Peter walking upon the Water.
Chap. xiv. 28-31.

1 A WORD from Jesus calms the sea,
The stormy wind controls,
And gives repose and liberty
To tempest-tossed souls.

2 To Peter on the waves he came,
And gave him instant peace:
Thus he to me reveal'd his name,
And bid my sorrows cease.

3 Then, fill'd with wonder, joy, and love, Peter's request was mine:

Lord, call me down, I long to prove
That I am wholly thine.

4 Unmov'd at all I have to meet
On life's tempestuous sea,
Hard shall be easy, bitter sweet,
So I may follow thee.

5 He heard and smil'd, and bid me try: I eagerly obeyed;

But when from him I turn'd my eye,
How was my soul dismayed.

6 The storm increas'd on ev'ry side,
I felt my spirit shrink,

And soon, with Peter, loud I cried,
"Lord, save me or I sink!"

66

7 Kindly he caught me by the hand, And said, "Why dost thou fear? Since thou art come to my command. And I am always near.

8 "Upon my promise rest thy hope,
And keep my love in view:

I stand engag'd to hold thee up,
And guide thee safely through."

HYMN LXXXVIII.

Woman of Canaan. Chap. xv. 22—28.
1 PRAYER an answer will obtain,
Though the Lord a while delay:
None shall seek his face in vain,
None be empty sent away.

2 When the woman came from Tyre,
And for help to Jesus sought,
Though he granted her desire,
Yet at first he answer'd not.

3 Could she guess at his intent,
When he to his followers said,
"I to Israel's sheep am sent,

Dogs must not have children's bread."

4 She was not of Israel's seed,

But of Canaan's wretched race, Thought herself a dog indeed: Was not this a hopeless case? 5 Yet although from Canaan sprung, Though a dog herself she styl'd, She had Israel's faith and tongue, And was own'd for Abrah'm's child. 6 From his words she draws a plea: "Though unworthy children's bread, 'Tis enough for one like me If with crumbs I may be fed."

7 Jesus then his heart reveal'd:

[blocks in formation]

HYMN LXXXIX. What think ye of Christ? Chap. xxii. 42. 1 WHAT think ye of Christ? is the test To try both your state and your scheme, You cannot be right in the rest, Unless you think rightly of him. As Jesus appears in your view, As he is beloved or not; So God is disposed to you, And mercy or wrath is your lot.

2 Some take him a creature to be,

A man, or an angel at most;
Sure these have not feelings like me,
Nor know themselves wretched and lost:
So guilty, so helpless am I,

I durst not confide in his blood,
Nor on his protection rely,
Unless I were sure he is God.

3 Some call him a Saviour, in word,
But mix their own works with his plan,
And hope he his help will afford,
When they have done all that they can.
If doings prove rather too light
(A little, they own, they may fail,)
VOL. II.
S

They purpose to make up full weight,
By casting his name in the scale.
4 Some style him the Pearl of great price,
And say he's the fountain of joys;
Yet feed upon folly and vice,
And cleave to the world and its toys:
Like Judas, the Saviour they kiss,
And, while they salute him, betray;
Ah! what will profession like this
Avail in the terrible day!

5 If ask'd, what of Jesus I think?
Though still my best thoughts are but poor,
I say, He's my meat and my drink,
My life, and my strength, and my store;
My shepherd, my husband, my friend,
My Saviour from sin and from thrall;
My hope from beginning to end,
My portion, my Lord, and my all.

HYMN XC.

The foolish Virgins.* Chap. xxv. 1.
1 WHEN, descending from the sky,
The Bridegroom shall appear,
And the solemn midnight cry
Shall call professors near,
How the sound our hearts will damp!
How will shame o'erspread each face!
If we only have a lamp,
Without the oil of grace.

2 Foolish virgins then will wake,
And seek for a supply;
But in vain the pains they take,
To borrow or to buy.
Then with those they now despise,
Earnestly they wish to share;
But the best among the wise
Will have no oil to spare.

3 Wise they are, and truly blest,
Who then shall ready be!
But despair will seize the rest,
And dreadful misery;
Once they'll cry, we scorn to doubt,
Though in lies our trust we put;
Now our lamp of hope is out,
The door of mercy shut.

4 If they then presume to plead,
"Lord, open to us now;
We on earth have heard and prayed,
And with thy saints did bow:"
He will answer from his throne,
Though you with my people mix'd,
Yet to me ye ne'er were known;
Depart, your doom is fix'd."

66

5 0 that none who worship here May hear that word, “Depart," Lord, impress a godly fear

On each professor's heart:
Help us, Lord, to search the camp,
Let us not ourselves beguile;
Trusting to a dying lamp,
Without a stock of oil.

Book III. Hymn Ixxii.

HYMN XCI.

Peter sinning and repenting.
Chap. xxvi. 73.

1 WHEN Peter boasted, soon he fell,
Yet was by grace restor❜d;
His case should be regarded well
By all who fear the Lord.

2 A voice it has, and helping hand,
Backsliders to recall;

And cautions those who think they stand,
Lest suddenly they fall.

3 He said, "Whatever others do,
With Jesus I'll abide;"

Yet soon, amidst a murd'rous crew,

His suffering Lord denied.

4 He who had been so bold before, Now trembled like a leaf;

Not only lied, but curs'd and swore,

To gain the more belief.

5 When he blasphem'd, he heard the cock, And Jesus look'd in love;

At once, as if by lightning struck,
His tongue forebore to move.

6 Deliver'd thus from Satan's snare,
He starts as from a sleep;

His Saviour's look he could not bear,
But hasted forth to weep.

7 But sure the faithful cock had crow'd
A hundred times in vain,

Had not the Lord that look bestow'd,
The meaning to explain.

8 As I, like Peter, vows have made,
Yet acted Peter's part;

So conscience, like the cock, upbraids
My base, ungrateful heart.

9 Lord Jesus, hear a sinner's cry,

My broken peace renew;
And grant one pitying look, that I
May weep with Peter too.

MARK.

HYMN XCII.

3 "Satan, though thou fain wouldst have it.
Know this soul is none of thine;
I have shed my blood to save it,
Now I challenge it for mine:*
Though it long has thee resembled,
Henceforth it shall me obey."

Thus he spoke, while Satan trembled,
Gnash'd his teeth, and fled away.

4 Thus my frantic soul he healed,
Bid my sins and sorrow cease;
"Take," said he, my pardon sealed,
I have sav'd thee, go in peace:"
Rather take me, Lord, to heaven,
Now thy love and grace I know;
Since thou hast my sins forgiven,
Why should I remain below!

5 "Love," he said, "will sweeten labours, Thou hast something yet to do;

Go and tell your friends and neighbours
What my love has done for you:
Live to manifest my glory,
Wait for heaven a little space;
Sinners, when they hear thy story,
Will repent, and seek my face."

HYMN XCIII.

The Ruler's Daughter raised.
Chap. v. 39-42.

1 COULD the creatures help or ease us,
Seldom should we think of prayer;
Few, if any, come to Jesus,
Till reduc'd to self-despair;

Long we either slight or doubt him;
But when all the means we try
Prove we cannot do without him,
Then at last to him we cry.

2 Thus the ruler, when his daughter
Suffer'd much, though Christ was nigh,
Still deferr'd it till he thought her
At the very point to die:

Though he mourn'd for her condition,
He did not entreat the Lord,

Till he found that no physician

But himself could help afford.

The Legion dispossessed. Chap. v. 18, 19. 3 Jesus did not once upbraid him,

1 LEGION was my name by nature,

Satan rag'd within my breast; Never misery was greater, Never sinner more possess'd: Mischievous to all around me, To myself the greatest foe; Thus I was when Jesus found me, Fill'd with madness, sin, and woe. 2 Yet in this forlorn condition, When he came to set me free, I replied to my Physician, "What have I to do with thee?" But he would not be prevented, Rescu'd me against my will; Had he staid till I consented.. I had been a captive still.

That he had no sooner come;

But a gracious answer made him,
And went straightway with him home:

Yet his faith was put to trial,

When his servants came, and said,

66

Though he gave thee no denial.

"Tis too late, the child is dead."

4 Jesus, to prevent his grieving,
Kindly spoke, and eas'd his pain;
"Be not fearful, but believing,
Thou shalt see her live again."
When he found the people weeping,
Cease," he said; "no longer mourn;
For she is not dead, but sleeping:"
Then they laughed him to scorn.

66

Book III. Hymn liv

5 0 thou meek and lowly Saviour,
How determin'd is thy love!
Not this rude unkind behaviour
Could thy gracious purpose move;
Soon as he the room had enter'd,
Spoke, and took her by the hand;
Death at once his prey surrender'd,
And she liv'd at his command.
6 Fear not, then, distress'd believer,
Venture on his mighty name;
He is able to deliver,
And his love is still the same:
Can his pity or his power
Suffer thee to pray in vain?
Wait but his appointed hour,
And thy suit thou shalt obtain.

HYMN XCIV.

But one Loaf* Chap. viii. 14. 1 WHEN the disciples crossed the lake With but one loaf on board,

How strangely did their hearts mistake
The caution of their Lord!

2 "The leaven of the Pharisees

Beware," the Saviour said:
They thought, it is because he sees
We have forgotten bread.

3 It seems they had forgotten too,

What their own eyes had view'd;
How with what scarce suffic'd for few,
He fed a multitude.

4 If five small loaves, by his command,
Could many thousands serve;
Might they not trust his gracious hand,
That they should never starve?

[merged small][merged small][merged small][ocr errors][merged small][merged small][merged small]
[blocks in formation]

The House of Prayer. Chap. xi. 17.
1 THY mansion is the christian's heart,
O Lord, thy dwelling-place secure!
Bid the unruly throng depart,
And leave the consecrated door.

2 Devoted as it is to thee,

A thievish swarm frequents this place;
They steal away my joys from me,
And rob my Saviour of his praise.
3 There, too, a sharp designing trade,
Sin, Satan, and the world maintain;
Nor cease to press me, and persuade
To part with ease, and purchase pain.
4 I know them, and I hate their din,
Am weary of the bustling crowd;
But while their voice is heard within,
I cannot serve thee as I would.
5 Oh! for the joy thy presence gives,
What peace shall reign when thou art here;
Thy presence makes this den of thieves
A calm delightful house of prayer.

6 And if thou make thy temple shine,
Yet, self-abas'd, will I adore;
The gold and silver are not mine,
I give thee what was thine before.

HYMN XCVII.

C.

The blasted Fig-Tree. Chap. xi. 20. 1 ONE awful word which Jesus spoke Against the tree which bore no fruit, More piercing than the lightning's stroke, Blasted and dried it to the root.

2 But could a tree the Lord offend To make him show his anger thus? He surely had a farther end,

To be a warning word to us.

3 The fig-tree by its leaves was known; But having not a fig to show,

It brought a heavy sentence down, "Let none hereafter on thee grow." 4 Too many, who the gospel hear, Whom Satan blinds, and sin deceives, We to this fig-tree may compare, They yield no fruit, but only leaves.

« PreviousContinue »