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XXXIV.

SEEKING THE BELOVED.

To those who love 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 have 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 blood-thirsty 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 too1o.

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.

S. C.-5.

19 Cant. v. 8.

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 err20,
And scan his work in vain :
God is his own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

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"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 cast-away?

20 John xiii. 7.

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.

O 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, undismay'd,
In pleasure's path secure I stray'd;
Thou madest me feel thy chastening rod",
And straight I turn'd unto my God.

What though it pierced my fainting heart,
I bless'd 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 betray'd.

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.

21 Hebrews, xii. 8.

22 Psalm cxix. 71.

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-toss'd and half a wreck,
My Saviour through the floods I seek;
Let neither winds nor stormy main
Force back my shatter'd 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 prevail23,
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 fix'd 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.

23 Psalm lxix. 15.

XL.

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.

THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH.

My soul is sad, and much dismay'd;

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 mark25,
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;
O! 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 foil'd, and Thou art grieved!

XLI. PEACE AFTER A STORM.

WHEN darkness long has veil'd 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!
24 Psalm xl. 17.
25 Ephes. vi. 16.

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