# The Poetical Works of William Cowper (Benham)/Olney Hymns

Cowper, William (1779). Olney Hymns. From The Poetical Works of William Cowper, edited by William Benham: MacMillan, 1870.

##### XX. OLD TESTAMENT GOSPEL

    Heb. 4:2
       ISRAEL in ancient days
       Not only had a view
       Of Sinai in a blaze,
       But learned the Gospel too;
    The types and figures were a glass,
    In which they saw a Saviour's face.
       The paschal sacrifice
       And blood-besprinkled door,
       Seen with enlightened eyes,
       And once applied with power,
    Would teach the need of other blood,
    To reconcile an angry God.
       The Lamb, the Dove, set forth
       His perfect innocence,
       Whose blood of matchless worth
       Should be the soul's defence;
    For he who can for sin atone
    Must have no failings of his own.
       The scape-goat on his head
       The people's trespass bore,
       And to the desert led,
       Was to be seen no more:
    In him our Surety seemed to say,
    "Behold, I bear your sins away."
       Dipt in his fellow's blood,
       The living bird went free;
       The type, well understood,
       Expressed the sinner's plea;
    Described a guilty soul enlarged,
    And by a Saviour's death discharged.
       Jesus, I love to trace,
       Throughout the sacred page,
       The footsteps of thy grace,
       The same in every age!
    Oh grant that I may faithful be
    To clearer light vouchsafed to me!

##### XXI. SARDIS

    Rev. 3:1-6
    "WRITE to Sardis," saith the Lord,
    "And write what he declares,
    He whose Spirit, and whose word,
    Upholds the seven stars:--
    All thy works and ways I search,
    Find thy zeal and love decayed;
    Thou art called a living church,
    But thou art cold and dead.
    "Watch, remember, seek, and strive,
    Exert thy former pains;
    Let thy timely care revive,
    And strengthen what remains;
    Cleanse thine heart, thy works amend,
    Former times to mind recall,
    Lest my sudden stroke descend,
    And smite thee once for all.
    "Yet I number now in thee
    A few that are upright;
    These my Father's face shall see,
    And walk with me in white.
    When in judgment I appear,
    They for mine shall be confessed;
    Let my faithful servants hear,--
    And woe be to the rest!"

### On Occasional Subjects
#### Seasons
##### XXII. PRAYER FOR A BLESSING ON THE YOUNG

    BESTOW, dear Lord, upon our youth,
    The gift of saving grace;
    And let the seed of sacred truth
    Fall in a fruitful place.
    Grace is a plant, where'er it grows,
    Of pure and heavenly root;
    But fairest in the youngest shows,
    And yields the sweetest fruit.
    Ye careless ones, oh hear betimes
    The voice of sovereign love!
    Your youth is stained with many crimes,
    But Mercy reigns above.
    True, you are young, but there's a stone
    Within the youngest breast;
    Or half the crimes which you have done
    Would rob you of your rest.
    For you the public prayer is made;
    Oh join the public prayer!
    For you the secret tear is shed;
    Oh shed yourselves a tear!
    We pray that you may early prove
    The Spirit's power to teach;
    You cannot be too young to love
    That Jesus whom we preach.

##### XXIII. PLEADING FOR AND WITH YOUTH

    SIN has undone our wretched race;
    But Jesus has restored,
    And brought the sinner face to face
    With his forgiving Lord.
    This we repeat from year to year,
    And press upon our youth;
    Lord, give them an attentive ear,
    Lord, save them by thy truth!
    Blessings upon the rising race!
    Make this a happy hour,
    According to thy richest grace,
    And thine Almighty power.
    We feel for your unhappy state,
    (May you regard it too,)
    And would awhile ourselves forget
    To pour out prayer for you.
    We see, though you perceive it not,
    The approaching awful doom;
    Oh tremble at the solemn thought,
    And flee the wrath to come!
    Dear Saviour, let this new-born year
    Spread an alarm abroad;
    And cry in every careless ear,
    "Prepare to meet thy God!"

##### XXIV. PRAYER FOR CHILDREN

    GRACIOUS Lord, our children see,
    By thy mercy we are free;
    But shall these, alas! remain
    Subjects still of Satan's reign?
    Israel's young ones, when of old
    Pharaoh threatened to withhold,
    Then thy messenger said, "No;
    Let the children also go!"
    When the angel of the Lord,
    Drawing forth his dreadful sword,
    Slew with an avenging hand,
    All the first-born of the land;
    Then thy people's doors he passed,
    Where the bloody sign was placed;
    Hear us, now, upon our knees
    Plead the blood of Christ for these!
    Lord, we tremble, for we know
    How the fierce malicious foe,
    Wheeling round his watchful flight,
    Keeps them ever in his sight:
    Spread thy pinions, King of kings!
    Hide them safe beneath thy wings;
    Lest the ravenous bird of prey
    Stoop, and bear the brood away.

##### XXV. JEHOVAH JESUS

    My song shall bless the Lord of all,
    My praise shall climb to his abode;
    Thee, Saviour, by that name I call,
    The great Supreme, the Mighty God.
    Without beginning or decline,
    Object of faith and not of sense;
    Eternal ages saw him shine,
    He shines eternal ages hence.
    As much, when in the manger laid,
    Almighty ruler of the sky,
    As when the six days' work he made
    Filled all the morning stars with joy.
    Of all the crowns Jehovah bears,
    Salvation is his dearest claim;
    That gracious sound well pleased he hears,
    And owns Emmanuel for his name.
    A cheerful confidence I feel,
    My well-placed hopes with joy I see;
    My bosom glows with heavenly zeal,
    To worship him who died for me.
    As man, he pities my complaint,
    His power and truth are all divine;
    He will not fail, he cannot faint;
    Salvation's sure, and must be mine.

#### Ordinances
##### XXVI. ON OPENING A PLACE FOR SOCIAL PRAYER

    JESUS! where'er thy people meet,
    There they behold thy mercy-seat;
    Where'er they seek thee, thou art found,
    And every place is hallowed ground.
    For thou, within no walls confined,
    Inhabitest the humble mind;
    Such ever bring thee where they come,
    And going, take thee to their home.
    Dear Shepherd of thy chosen few!
    Thy former mercies here renew;
    Here to our waiting hearts proclaim
    The sweetness of thy saving name.
    Here may we prove the power of prayer,
    To strengthen faith, and sweeten care;
    To teach our fain desires to rise,
    And bring all heaven before our eyes.
    Behold, at thy commanding word
    We stretch the curtain and the cord;
    Come thou, and fill this wider space,
    And bless us with a large increase.
    Lord, we are few, but thou art near,
    Nor short thine arm, nor deaf thine ear;
    Oh rend the heavens, come quickly down,
    And make a thousand hearts thine own.

##### XXVII. WELCOME TO THE TABLE

    THIS is the feast of heavenly wine,
    And God invites to sup;
    The juices of the living Vine
    Were pressed to fill the cup.
    Oh! bless the Savior, ye that eat,
    With royal dainties fed;
    Not heaven affords a costlier treat,
    For Jesus is the bread.
    The vile, the lost, he calls to them;
    Ye trembling souls, appear!
    The righteous in their own esteem
    Have no acceptance here.
    Approach, ye poor, nor dare refuse
    The banquet spread for you;
    Dear Saviour, this is welcome news,
    Then I may venture too.
    If guilt and sin afford a plea,
    And may obtain a place,
    Surely the Lord will welcome me,
    And I shall see his face!

##### XXVIII. JESUS HASTENING TO SUFFER

    THE Saviour, what a noble flame
    Was kindled in his breast,
    When hasting to Jerusalem,
    He marched before the rest!
    Good will to men, and zeal for God,
    His every thought engross;
    He longs to be baptized with blood,
    He pants to reach the cross!
    With all his sufferings full in view,
    And woes to us unknown,
    Forth to the task his spirit flew;
    'Twas love that urged him on.
    Lord, we return thee what we can:
    Our hearts shall sound abroad
    Salvation to the dying Man,
    And to the rising God!
    And while thy bleeding glories here
    Engage our wondering eyes,
    We learn our lighter cross to bear,
    And hasten to the skies.

##### XXIX. EXHORTATION TO PRAYER

    WHAT various hindrances we meet
    In coming to a mercy-seat!
    Yet who that knows the worth of prayer
    But wishes to be often there?
    Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw,
    Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw,
    Gives exercise to faith and love,
    Brings every blessing from above.
    Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
    Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
    And Satan trembles when he sees
    The weakest saint upon his knees.
    While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
    Success was found on Israel's side;
    But when through weariness they failed,
    That moment Amalek prevailed.
    Have you no words? Ah! think again,
    Words flow apace when you complain,
    And fill your fellow-creature's ear
    With the sad tale of all your care.
    Were half the breath thus vainly spent
    To Heaven in supplication sent,
    Your cheerful song would oftener be,
    "Hear what the Lord has done for me."

##### XXX. THE LIGHT AND GLORY OF THE WORD

    THE Spirit breathes upon the Word,
    And brings the truth to sight;
    Precepts and promises afford
    A sanctifying light.
    A glory gilds the sacred page,
    Majestic like the sun;
    It gives a light to every age,
    It gives, but borrows none.
    The hand that gave it still supplies
    The gracious light and heat;
    His truths upon the nations rise,
    They rise, but never set.
    Let everlasting thanks be thine,
    For such a bright display,
    As makes a world of darkness shine
    With beams of heavenly day.
    My soul rejoices to pursue
    The steps of him I love,
    Till glory break upon my view
    In brighter worlds above.

#### Providences
##### XXXI. ON THE DEATH OF A MINISTER

    HIS master taken from his head,
    Elisha saw him go;
    And in desponding accents said,
    "Ah, what must Israel do?"
    But he forgot the Lord, who lifts
    The beggar to the throne;
    Nor knew that all Elijah's gifts
    Would soon be made his own.
    What! when a Paul has run his course,
    Or when Apollos dies,
    Is Israel left without resource?
    And have we no supplies?
    Yes, while the dear Redeemer lives,
    We have a boundless store,
    And shall be fed with what he gives,
    Who lives for evermore.

### On the Rise, Progress, Changes and Comforts of the Spiritual Life
#### Seeking, pleading and hoping
##### XXXII. THE SHINING LIGHT

    MY former hopes are fled,
    My terror now begins;
    I feel, alas! that I am dead
    In trespasses and sins.
    Ah, whither shall I fly?
    I hear the thunder roar;
    The law proclaims destruction nigh,
    And vengeance at the door.
    When I review my ways,
    I dread impending doom:
    But sure a friendly whisper says,
    "Flee from the wrath to come."
    I see, or think I see,
    A glimmering from afar;
    A beam of day, that shines for me,
    To save me from despair.
    Forerunner of the sun,
    It marks the pilgrim's way;
    I'll gaze upon it while I run,
    And watch the rising day.

##### XXXIII. THE WAITING SOUL

    BREATHE from the gentle south, O Lord,
    And cheer me from the north;
    Blow on the treasures of thy word,
    And call the spices forth!
    I wish, thou know'st, to be resigned,
    And wait with patient hope;
    But hope delayed fatigues the mind,
    And drinks the spirit up.
    Help me to reach the distant goal;
    Confirm my feeble knee;
    Pity the sickness of a soul
    That faints for love of thee!
    Cold as I feel this heart of mine,
    Yet, since I feel it so,
    It yields some hope of life divine
    Within, however low:
    I seem forsaken and alone,
    I hear the lion roar;
    And every door is shut but one,
    And that is Mercy's door.
    There, till the dear Deliverer come,
    I'll wait with humble prayer;
    And when he calls his exile home,
    The Lord shall find him there.

##### XXXIV. SEEKING THE BELOVED

    TO those who know the Lord I speak;
    Is my Beloved near?
    The Bridegroom of my soul I seek,
    Oh! when will he appear?
    Though once a man of grief and shame,
    Yet now he fills a throne,
    And bears the greatest, sweetest name
    That earth or heaven has known.
    Grace flies before, and love attends
    His steps where'er he goes;
    Though none can see him but his friends,
    And they were once his foes.
    He speaks;--obedient to his call
    Our warm affections move:
    Did he but shine alike on all,
    Then all alike would love.
    Then love in every heart would reign,
    And war would cease to roar;
    And cruel and bloodthirsty men
    Would thirst for blood no more.
    Such Jesus is, and such his grace;
    Oh, may he shine on you!
    And tell him, when you see his face,
    I long to see him too.

#### Conflict
##### XXXV. LIGHT SHINING OUT OF DARKNESS

    GOD moves in a mysterious way
    His wonders to perform;
    He plants his footsteps in the sea,
    And rides upon the storm.
    Deep in unfathomable mines
    Of never-failing skill,
    He treasures up his bright designs,
    And works his sovereign will.
    Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take,
    The clouds ye so much dread
    Are big with mercy, and shall break
    In blessings on your head.
    Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
    But trust him for his grace;
    Behind a frowning providence
    He hides a smiling face.
    His purposes will ripen fast,
    Unfolding every hour;
    The bud may have a bitter taste,
    But sweet will be the flower.
    Blind unbelief is sure to err,
    And scan his work in vain:
    God is his own interpreter,
    And He will make it plain.

##### XXXVI. WELCOME CROSS

    'TIS my happiness below
    Not to live without the cross,
    But the Saviour's power to know,
    Sanctifying every loss:
    Trials must and will befall;
    But with humble faith to see
    Love inscribed upon them all,
    This is happiness to me.
    God in Israel sows the seeds
    Of affliction, pain, and toil;
    These spring up and choke the weeds
    Which would else o'erspread the soil:
    Trials make the promise sweet,
    Trials give new life to prayer;
    Trials bring me to his feet,
    Lay me low, and keep me there.
    Did I meet no trials here,
    No chastisement by the way,
    Might I not with reason fear
    I should prove a castaway?
    Bastards may escape the rod,
    Sunk in earthly vain delight:
    But the true-born child of God
    Must not,--would not, if he might.

##### XXXVII. AFFLICTIONS SANCTIFIED BY THE WORD

    OH, how I love thy holy word,
    Thy gracious covenant, O Lord!
    It guides me in the peaceful way;
    I think upon it all the day.
    What are the mines of shining wealth,
    The strength of youth, the bloom of health!
    What are all joys compared with those
    Thine everlasting Word bestows!
    Long unafflicted, undismayed,
    In pleasure's path secure I strayed;
    Thou madest me feel thy chastening rod,
    And straight I turned unto my God.
    What though it pierced my fainting heart,
    I blessed thine hand that caused the smart;
    It taught my tears awhile to flow,
    But saved me from eternal woe.
    Oh! hadst thou left me unchastised,
    Thy precepts I had still despised;
    And still the snare in secret laid
    Had my unwary feet betrayed.
    I love thee, therefore, O my God,
    And breathe towards thy dear abode;
    Where, in thy presence fully blest,
    Thy chosen saints for ever rest.

##### XXXVIII. TEMPTATION

    THE billows swell, the winds are high,
    Clouds overcast my wintry sky;
    Out of the depths to thee I call,--
    My fears are great, my strength is small.
    O Lord, the pilot's part perform,
    And guard and guide me through the storm;
    Defend me from each threatening ill,
    Control the waves,--say, "Peace! be still."
    Amidst the roaring of the sea
    My soul still hangs her hope on thee;
    Thy constant love, thy faithful care,
    Is all that saves me from despair.
    Dangers of every shape and name
    Attend the followers of the Lamb,
    Who leave the world's deceitful shore,
    And leave it to return no more.
    Though tempest-tost and half a wreck,
    My Saviour through the floods I seek;
    Let neither winds nor stormy main
    Force back my shattered bark again.

##### XXXIX. LOOKING UPWARDS IN A STORM

    GOD of my life, to thee I call,
    Afflicted at thy feet I fall;
    When the great water-floods prevail,
    Leave not my trembling heart to fail!
    Friend of the friendless and the faint,
    Where should I lodge my deep complaint?
    Where but with thee, whose open door
    Invites the helpless and the poor!
    Did ever mourner plead with thee,
    And thou refuse that mourner's plea?
    Does not the word still fixed remain,
    That none shall seek thy face in vain?
    That were a grief I could not bear,
    Didst thou not hear and answer prayer;
    But a prayer-hearing, answering God
    Supports me under every load.
    Fair is the lot that's cast for me;
    I have an Advocate with thee;
    They whom the world caresses most
    Have no such privilege to boast.
    Poor though I am, despised, forgot,
    Yet God, my God, forgets me not:
    And he is safe, and must succeed,
    For whom the Lord vouchsafes to plead.

##### XL. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH

    MY soul is sad, and much dismayed;
    See, Lord, what legions of my foes
    With fierce Apollyon at their head,
    My heavenly pilgrimage oppose!
    See, from the ever-burning lake,
    How like a smoky cloud they rise!
    With horrid blasts my soul they shake,
    With storms of blasphemies and lies.
    Their fiery arrows reach the mark,
    My throbbing heart with anguish tear;
    Each lights upon a kindred spark,
    And finds abundant fuel there.
    I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord;
    Oh! I would drive it from my breast,
    With thy own sharp two-edged sword,
    Far as the east is from the west.
    Come, then, and chase the cruel host,
    Heal the deep wounds I have received!
    Nor let the powers of darkness boast
    That I am foiled, and thou art grieved!

##### XLI. PEACE AFTER A STORM

    WHEN darkness long has veiled my mind,
    And smiling day once more appears,
    Then, my Redeemer, then I find
    The folly of my doubts and fears.
    Straight I upbraid my wandering heart,
    And blush that I should ever be
    Thus prone to act so base a part,
    Or harbour one hard thought of thee.
    Oh! let me then at length be taught
    What I am still so slow to learn;
    That God is Love, and changes not,
    Nor knows the shadow of a turn.
    Sweet truth, and easy to repeat!
    But when my faith is sharply tried,
    I find myself a learner yet,
    Unskilful, weak, and apt to slide.
    But, O my Lord, one look from thee
    Subdues the disobedient will,
    Drives doubt and discontent away,
    And thy rebellious worm is still.
    Thou art as ready to forgive
    As I am ready to repine;
    Thou, therefore, all the praise receive;
    Be shame and self-abhorrence mine.

##### XLII. MOURNING AND LONGING

    THE Saviour hides his face!
    My spirit thirsts to prove
    Renewed supplies of pardoning grace,
    And never-fading love.
    The favoured souls who know
    What glories shine in him,
    Pant for his presence as the roe
    Pants for the living stream.
    What trifles tease me now!
    They swarm like summer flies;
    They cleave to everything I do,
    And swim before my eyes.
    How dull the Sabbath day
    Without the Sabbath's Lord!
    How toilsome then to sing and pray,
    And wait upon the word!
    Of all the truths I hear,
    How few delight my taste!
    I glean a berry here and there,
    But mourn the vintage past.
    Yet let me (as I ought)
    Still hope to be supplied;
    No pleasure else is worth a thought,
    Nor shall I be denied.
    Though I am but a worm,
    Unworthy of his care,
    The Lord will my desire perform,
    And grant me all my prayer.

##### XLIII. SELF-ACQUAINTANCE

    DEAR Lord! accept a sinful heart,
    Which of itself complains,
    And mourns, with much and frequent smart,
    The evil it contains.
    There fiery seeds of anger lurk,
    Which often hurt my frame;
    And wait but for the tempter's work
    To fan them to a flame.
    Legality holds out a bribe
    To purchase life from thee;
    And Discontent would fain prescribe
    How thou shalt deal with me.
    While Unbelief withstands thy grace,
    And puts the mercy by;
    Presumption, with a brow of brass,
    Says, "Give me, or I die!"
    How eager are my thoughts to roam
    In quest of what they love!
    But ah! when Duty calls them home,
    How heavily they move!
    Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour's blood,
    Transform me by thy power,
    And make me thy beloved abode,
    And let me roam no more.

##### XLIV. PRAYER FOR PATIENCE

    LORD, who hast suffered all for me,
    My peace and pardon to procure,
    The lighter cross I bear for thee
    Help me with patience to endure.
    The storm of loud repining hush;
    I would in humble silence mourn;
    Why should the unburnt, though burning bush,
    Be angry as the crackling thorn?
    Man should not faint at thy rebuke,
    Like Joshua falling on his face,
    When the cursed thing that Achan took
    Brought Israel into just disgrace.
    Perhaps some golden wedge suppressed,
    Some secret sin offends my God;
    Perhaps that Babylonish vest,
    Self-righteousness, provokes the rod.
    Ah! were I buffeted all day,
    Mocked, crowned with thorns, and spit upon,
    I yet should have no right to say,
    My great distress is mine alone.
    Let me not angrily declare
    No pain was ever sharp like mine,
    Nor murmur at the cross I bear,
    But rather weep, remembering thine.

##### XLV. SUBMISSION

    O LORD, my best desire fulfil,
    And help me to resign
    Life, health, and comfort to thy will,
    And make thy pleasure mine.
    Why should I shrink at thy command,
    Whose love forbids my fears?
    Or tremble at the gracious hand
    That wipes away my tears?
    No, rather let me freely yield
    What most I prize to thee;
    Who never hast a good withheld,
    Or wilt withhold, from me.
    Thy favor, all my journey through,
    Thou art engaged to grant;
    What else I want, or think I do,
    'Tis better still to want.
    Wisdom and mercy guide my way,
    Shall I resist them both?
    A poor blind creature of a day,
    And crushed before the moth!
    But ah! my inward spirit cries,
    Still bind me to thy sway;
    Else the next cloud that veils the skies
    Drives all these thoughts away.

#### Comfort
##### XLVI. THE HAPPY CHANGE

    HOW blessed thy creature is, O God,
    When, with a single eye,
    He views the lustre of thy word,
    The dayspring from on high!
    Through all the storms that veil the skies
    And frown on earthly things,
    The Sun of Righteousness he eyes,
    With healing on his wings.
    Struck by that light, the human heart,
    A barren soil no more,
    Sends the sweet smell of grace abroad,
    Where serpents lurked before.
    The soul, a dreary province once
    Of Satan's dark domain,
    Feels a new empire formed within,
    And owns a heavenly reign.
    The glorious orb whose golden beams
    The fruitful year control,
    Since first, obedient to thy word,
    He started from the goal,
    Has cheered the nations with the joys
    His orient rays impart;
    But, Jesus, 'tis thy light alone
    Can shine upon the heart.

##### XLVII. RETIREMENT

    FAR from the world, O Lord, I flee,
    From strife and tumult far;
    From scenes where Satan wages still
    His most successful war.
    The calm retreat, the silent shade,
    With prayer and praise agree;
    And seem by thy sweet bounty made
    For those who follow thee.
    There, if thy Spirit touch the soul,
    And grace her mean abode,
    Oh! with what peace, and joy, and love,
    She communes with her God!
    There like the nightingale she pours
    Her solitary lays;
    Nor asks a witness of her song,
    Nor thirsts for human praise.
    Author and guardian of my life,
    Sweet source of light divine,
    And-all harmonious names in one--
    My Saviour! thou art mine!
    What thanks I owe thee, and what love,
    A boundless, endless store,
    Shall echo through the realms above,
    When time shall be no more.

##### XLVIII. THE HIDDEN LIFE

    TO tell the Saviour all my wants,
    How pleasing is the task!
    Nor less to praise him when he grants
    Beyond what I can ask.
    My labouring spirit vainly seeks
    To tell but half the joy;
    With how much tenderness he speaks,
    And helps me to reply.
    Nor were it wise, nor should I choose,
    Such secrets to declare;
    Like precious wines their taste they lose,
    Exposed to open air.
    But this with boldness I proclaim,
    Nor care if thousands hear,
    Sweet is the ointment of his name,
    Not life is half so dear.
    And can you frown, my former friends,
    Who knew what once I was;
    And blame the song that thus commends
    The Man who bore the cross?
    Trust me, I draw the likeness true,
    And not as fancy paints;
    Such honour may he give to you,
    For such have all his saints.

##### XLIX. JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING

    SOMETIMES a light surprises
    The Christian while he sings;
    It is the Lord who rises
    With healing in his wings:
    When comforts are declining,
    He grants the soul again
    A season of clear shining,
    To cheer it after rain.
    In holy contemplation,
    We sweetly then pursue
    The theme of God's salvation,
    And find it ever new:
    Set free from present sorrow,
    We cheerfully can say,
    E'en let the unknown to-morrow
    Bring with it what it may!
    It can bring with it nothing
    But he will bear us through;
    Who gives the lilies clothing
    Will clothe his people too;
    Beneath the spreading heavens
    No creature but is fed;
    And he who feeds the ravens
    Will give his children bread.
    Though vine nor fig-tree neither
    Their wonted fruit shall bear,
    Though all the field should wither,
    Nor flocks nor herds be there:
    Yet God the same abiding,
    His praise shall tune my voice;
    For, while in him confiding,
    I cannot but rejoice.

##### L. TRUE PLEASURES

    LORD, my soul with pleasure springs
    When Jesus' name I hear;
    And when God the Spirit brings
    The word of promise near:
    Beauties too, in holiness,
    Still delighted I perceive;
    Nor have words that can express
    The joys thy precepts give.
    Clothed in sanctity and grace,
    How sweet it is to see
    Those who love thee as they pass,
    Or when they wait on thee!
    Pleasant too, to sit and tell
    What we owe to love divine;
    Till our bosoms grateful swell,
    And eyes begin to shine.
    Those the comforts I possess,
    Which God shall still increase,
    All his ways are pleasantness,
    And all his paths are peace.
    Nothing Jesus did or spoke,
    Henceforth let me ever slight;
    For I love his easy yoke,
    And find his burden light.

##### LI. THE CHRISTIAN

    HONOUR and happiness unite
    To make the Christian's name a praise;
    How fair the scene, how clear the light,
    That fills the remnant of his days!
    A kingly character he bears,
    No change his priestly office knows;
    Unfading is the crown he wears,
    His joys can never reach a close.
    Adorned with glory from on high,
    Salvation shines upon his face;
    His robe is of the ethereal dye,
    His steps are dignity and grace.
    Inferior honours he disdains,
    Nor stoops to take applause from earth;
    The King of kings himself maintains
    The expenses of his heavenly birth.
    The noblest creature seen below,
    Ordained to fill a throne above;
    God gives him all he can bestow,
    His kingdom of eternal love!
    My soul is ravished at the thought!
    Methinks from earth I see him rise!
    Angels congratulate his lot,
    And shout him welcome to the skies!

##### LII. LIVELY HOPE AND GRACIOUS FEAR

    I WAS a grovelling creature once,
    And basely cleaved to earth;
    I wanted spirit to renounce
    The clod that gave me birth.
    But God has breathed upon a worm,
    And sent me from above
    Wings such as clothe an angel's form,
    The wings of joy and love.
    With these to Pisgah's top I fly,
    And there delighted stand,
    To view beneath a shining sky
    The spacious promised land.
    The Lord of all the vast domain
    Has promised it to me,
    The length and breadth of all the plain
    As far as faith can see.
    How glorious is my privilege!
    To thee for help I call;
    I stand upon a mountain's edge,
    Oh save me, lest I fall!
    Though much exalted in the Lord,
    My strength is not my own;
    Then let me tremble at his word,
    And none shall cast me down.

##### LIII. FOR THE POOR

    WHEN Hagar found the bottle spent,
    And wept o'er Ishmael,
    A message from the Lord was sent
    To guide her to a well.
    Should not Elijah's cake and cruse
    Convince us at this day,
    A gracious God will not refuse
    Provisions by the way?
    His saints and servants shall be fed,
    The promise is secure;
    "Bread shall be given them," as he said,
    "Their water shall be sure."
    Repasts far richer they shall prove,
    Than all earth's dainties are;
    'Tis sweet to taste a Saviour's love,
    Though in the meanest fare.
    To Jesus then your trouble bring,
    Nor murmur at your lot;
    While you are poor and He is King,
    You shall not be forgot.

#### Dedication and Surrender
##### LIV. MY SOUL THIRSTETH FOR GOD

    I THIRST, but not as once I did,
    The vain delights of earth to share;
    Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid
    That I should seek my pleasures there.
    It was the sight of thy dear cross
    First wean’d my soul from earthly things;
    And taught me to esteem as dross
    The mirth of fools and pomp of kings.
    I want that grace that springs from thee,
    That quickens all things where it flows,
    And makes a wretched thorn like me
    Bloom as the myrtle or the rose.
    Dear fountain of delight unknown!
    No longer sink below the brim;
    But over flow, and pour me down
    A living and life-giving stream!
    For sure, of all the plants that share
    The notice of thy Father’s eye,
    None proves less grateful to his care,
    Or yields him meaner fruit than I.

##### LV. LOVE CONSTRAINING TO OBEDIENCE

    NO strength of nature can suffice
    To serve the Lord aright:
    And what she has she misapplies,
    For want of clearer light.
    How long beneath the law I lay
    In bondage and distress!
    I toil’d the precept to obey,
    But toil’d without success.
    Then, to abstain from outward sin
    Was more than I could do;
    Now, if I feel its power within,
    I feel I hate it too.
    Then, all my servile works were done
    A righteousness to raise;
    Now, freely chosen in the Son,
    I freely choose his ways.
    "What shall I do," was then the word,
    "That I may worthier grow?"
    "What shall I render to the Lord?"
    Is my inquiry now.
    To see the law by Christ fulfill’d,
    And hear his pardoning voice,
    Changes a slave into a child,
    And duty into choice.

##### LVI. THE HEART HEALED AND CHANGED BY MERCY

    SIN enslaved me many years,
    And led me bound and blind;
    Till at length a thousand fears
    Came swarming o'er my mind.
    "Where," said I, in deep distress,
    "Will these sinful pleasures end?
    How shall I secure my peace,
    And make the Lord my friend?"
    Friends and ministers said much
    The Gospel to enforce;
    But my blindness still was such,
    I chose a legal course:
    Much I fasted, watched and strove,
    Scarce would show my face abroad,
    Feared almost to speak or move,
    A stranger still to God.
    Thus afraid to trust his grace,
    Long time did I rebel;
    Till despairing of my case,
    Down at his feet I fell:
    Then my stubborn heart he broke,
    And subdued me to his sway;
    By a simple word he spoke,
    "Thy sins are done away."

##### LVII. HATRED OF SIN

    HOLY Lord God! I love thy truth,
    Nor dare thy least commandment slight;
    Yet pierced by sin, the serpent's tooth,
    I mourn the anguish of the bite.
    But though the poison lurks within,
    Hope bids me still with patience wait;
    Till death shall set me free from sin,
    Free from the only thing I hate.
    Had I a throne above the rest,
    Where angels and archangels dwell,
    One sin, unslain, within my breast,
    Would make that heaven as dark as hell.
    The prisoner sent to breathe fresh air,
    And blessed with liberty again,
    Would mourn were he condemned to wear
    One link of all his former chain.
    But, oh! no foe invades the bliss,
    When glory crowns the Christian's head;
    One view of Jesus as he is
    Will strike all sin for ever dead.

##### LVIII. THE NEW CONVERT

    THE new-born child of Gospel grace,
    Like some fair tree when summer's nigh,
    Beneath Emmanuel's shining face
    Lifts up his blooming branch on high.
    No fears he feels, he sees no foes,
    No conflict yet his faith employs,
    Nor has he learnt to whom he owes
    The strength and peace his soul enjoys.
    But sin soon darts its cruel sting,
    And comforts sinking day by day,
    What seemed his own, a self-fed spring,
    Proves but a brook that glides away.
    When Gideon armed his numerous host,
    The Lord soon made his numbers less;
    And said, "Lest Israel vainly boast,
    'My arm procured me this success.'"
    Thus will he bring our spirits down,
    And draw our ebbing comforts low,
    That saved by grace, but not our own,
    We may not claim the praise we owe.

##### LIX. TRUE AND FALSE COMFORTS

    O GOD, whose favourable eye
    The sin-sick soul revives,
    Holy and heavenly is the joy
    Thy shining presence gives.
    Not such as hypocrites suppose,
    Who with a graceless heart
    Taste not of thee, but drink a dose
    Prepared by Satan's art.
    Intoxicating joys are theirs,
    Who while they boast their light,
    And seem to soar above the stats,
    Are plunging into night.
    Lulled in a soft and fatal sleep,
    They sin and yet rejoice;
    Were they indeed the Saviour's sheep,
    Would they not hear his voice?
    Be mine the comforts that reclaim
    The soul from Satan's power;
    That make me blush for what I am,
    And hate my sin the more.
    'Tis joy enough, my All in All,
    At thy dear feet to lie;
    Thou wilt not let me lower fall,
    And none can higher fly.

##### LX. A LIVING AND A DEAD FAITH

    THE Lord receives his highest praise
    From humble minds and hearts sincere;
    While all the loud professor says
    Offends the righteous Judge's ear.
    To walk as children of the day,
    To mark the precepts' holy light,
    To wage the warfare, watch, and pray,
    Show who are pleasing in his sight.
    Not words alone it cost the Lord
    To purchase pardon for his own;
    Nor will a soul by grace restored
    Return the Saviour words alone.
    With golden bells, the priestly vest,
    And rich pomegranates bordered round,
    The need of holiness expressed,
    And called for fruit as well as sound.
    Easy indeed it were to reach
    A mansion in the courts above,
    If swelling words and fluent speech
    Might serve instead of faith and love.
    But none shall gain the blissful place,
    Or God's unclouded glory see,
    Who talks of free and sovereign grace,
    Unless that grace has made him free!

#### Cautions
##### LXI. ABUSE OF THE GOSPEL

    TOO many, Lord, abuse thy grace
    In this licentious day,
    And while they boast they see thy face
    They turn their own away.
    Thy book displays a gracious light
    That can the blind restore;
    But these are dazzled by the sight,
    And blinded still the more.
    The pardon such presume upon,
    They do not beg, but steal;
    And when they plead it at thy throne,
    Oh! where's the Spirit's seal?
    Was it for this, ye lawless tribe,
    The dear Redeemer bled?
    Is this the grace the saints imbibe
    From Christ the living head?
    Ah, Lord, we know thy chosen few
    Are fed with heavenly fare;
    But these,—the wretched husks they chew
    Proclaim them what they are.
    The liberty our hearts implore
    Is not to live in sin;
    But still to wait at Wisdom's door,
    Till Mercy calls us in.

##### LXII. THE NARROW WAY

    WHAT thousands never knew the road!
    What thousands hate it when 'tis known!
    None but the chosen tribes of God
    Will seek or choose it for their own.
    A thousand ways in ruin end,
    One only leads to joys on high;
    By that my willing steps ascend,
    Pleased with a journey to the sky.
    No more I ask or hope to find
    Delight or happiness below;
    Sorrow may well possess the mind
    That feeds where thorns and thistles grow.
    The joy that fades is not for me,
    I seek immortal joys above;
    There glory without end shall be
    The bright reward of faith and love.
    Cleave to the world, ye sordid worms,
    Contented lick your native dust!
    But God shall fight with all his storms
    Against the idol of your trust.

##### LXIII. DEPENDENCE

    TO keep the lamp alive,
    With oil we fill the bowl;
    'Tis water makes the willow thrive,
    And grace that feeds the soul.
    The Lord's unsparing hand
    Supplies the living stream;
    It is not at our own command,
    But still derived from him.
    Beware of Peter's word,
    Nor confidently say,
    "I never will deny thee, Lord,"—
    But,—"Grant I never may."
    Man's wisdom is to seek
    His strength in God alone;
    And even an angel would be weak
    Who trusted in his own.
    Retreat beneath his wings,
    And in his grace confide!
    This more exalts the King of kings
    Than all your works beside.
    In Jesus is our store,
    Grace issues from his throne;
    Whoever says, "I want no more,"
    Confesses he has none.

##### LXIV. NOT OF WORKS

    GRACE, triumphant in the throne
    Scorns a rival, reigns alone;
    Come and bow beneath her sway,
    Cast your idol works away!
    Works of man, when made his plea,
    Never shall accepted be;
    Fruits of pride (vain-glorious worm!)
    Are the best he can perform.
    Self, the god his soul adores,
    Influences all his powers;
    Jesus is a slighted name,
    Self-advancement all his aim:
    But when God the Judge shall come
    To pronounce the final doom,
    Then for rocks and hills to hide
    All his works and all his pride!
    Still the boasting heart replies,
    "What! the worthy and the wise,
    Friends to temperance and peace,
    Have not these a righteousness?"
    Banish every vain pretence
    Built on human excellence;
    Perish everything in man,
    But the grace that never can.

#### Praise
##### LXV. PRAISE FOR FAITH

    OF all the gifts thine hand bestows,
    Thou Giver of all good!
    Not heaven itself a richer knows
    Than my Redeemer's blood.
    Faith too, the blood-receiving grace,
    From the same hand we gain;
    Else, sweetly as it suits our case,
    That gift had been in vain.
    Till thou thy teaching power apply,
    Our hearts refuse to see,
    And weak, as a distempered eye,
    Shut out the view of thee.
    Blind to the merits of thy Son,
    What misery we endure!
    Yet fly that hand from which alone
    We could expect a cure.
    We praise thee, and would praise thee more,
    To thee our all we owe;
    The precious Saviour, and the power
    That makes him precious too.

##### LXVI. GRACE AND PROVIDENCE

    ALMIGHTY King! whose wondrous hand
    Supports the weight of sea and land;
    Whose grace is such a boundless store,
    No heart shall break that sighs for more.
    Thy providence supplies my food,
    And 'tis thy blessing makes it good;
    My soul is nourished by thy word:
    Let soul and body praise the Lord!
    My streams of outward comfort came
    From him who built this earthly fraime;
    Whate'er I want his bounty gives,
    By whom my soul for ever lives.
    Either his hand preserves fronm pain,
    Or, if I feel it, heals again;
    From Satan's malice shields my breast,
    Or overrules it for the best.
    Forgive the song that falls so low
    Beneath the gratitude I owe!
    It means thy praise, however poor,
    An angel's song can do no more.

##### LXVII. I WILL PRAISE THE LORD AT ALL TIMES

    WINTER has a joy for me,
    While the Saviour's charms I read,
    Lowly, meek, from blemish free,
    In the snowdrop's pensive head.
    Spring returns, and brings along
    Life-invigorating suns:
    Hark! the turtle's plaintive song
    Seems to speak his dying groans!
    Summer has a thousand charms,
    All expressive of his worth;
    'Tis his sun that lights and warms,
    His the air that cools the earth.
    What! has Autumn left to say
    Nothing of a Savior's grace?
    Yes, the beams of milder day
    Tell me of his smiling face.
    Light appears with early dawn,
    While the sun makes haste to rise;
    See his bleeding beauties drawn
    On the blushes of the skies.
    Evening with a silent pace,
    Slowly moving in the west,
    Shows an emblem of his grace,
    Points to an eternal rest.

##### LXVIII. LONGING TO BE WITH CHRIST

    TO Jesus, the Crown of my Hope,
    My soul is in haste to be gone;
    Oh bear me, ye cherubim, up,
    And waft me away me away to his throne!
    My Saviour, whom absent I love,
    Whom, not having seen, I adore;
    Whose name is exalted above
    All glory, dominion, and power;
    Dissolve thou these bonds, that detain
    My soul from her portion in thee,
    Ah! strike off this adamant chain,
    And make me eternally free.
    When that happy era begins,
    When arrayed in thy glories I shine,
    Nor to grieve any more, by my sins,
    The bosom on which I recline;
    O then shall the veil be removed,
    And round me thy brightness be poured,
    I shall meet Him whom absent I loved,
    Shall see him whom unseen I adored.
    And then, never more shall the fears,
    The trials, temptations, and woes,
    Which darken this valley of tears,
    Intrude on my blissfull repose.
    Or, if yet remembered above,
    Remembrance no sadness shall raise,
    They will be but new signs of they love,
    New themes for my wonder and praise.
    Thus the strokes which from sin and from pain
    Shall set me eternally free,
    Will but strengthen and rivet the chain
    Which binds me, my Saviour! to thee.