Still in undisturb'd possession

Peace and righteousness shall reign;
Never shall you feel oppression,
Hear the voice of war again.

'Ye no more your suns descending,
Waning moons no more shall see;
But, your griefs for ever ending,
Find eternal noon in Me:

God shall rise, and shining o'er you,
Change to day the gloom of night;
He the Lord shall be your glory,

See Hymn on Jer. iii. 19,' How

shall I put thee among the children?'

page 243.

66. THE TRUST OF THE WICKED AND THE

RIGHTEOUS COMPARED.

Ch. xvii. 5-8.

As parched in the barren sands,

Beneath a burning sky,

The worthless bramble withering stands,

And only grows to die:

Such is the sinner's awful case,

Who makes the world his trust,
And dares his confidence to place
In vanity and dust.

A secret curse destroys his root,
And dries his moisture up;
He lives awhile, but bears no fruit,
Then dies without a hope.

But happy he whose hopes depend
Upon the Lord alone;

The soul that trusts in such a Friend
Can ne'er be overthrown.

Though gourds should wither, cisterns break,
And creature-comforts die,
No change his solid hope can shake,
Or stop his sure supply.

So thrives and blooms the tree whose roots
By constant streams are fed;
Array'd in green, and rich in fruits,
It rears its branching head.

It thrives though rain should be denied,
And drought around prevail;

"Tis planted by a river's side
Whose waters cannot fail.

67. C. JEHOVAH OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.
Chap. xxiii. 6.

My God, how perfect are Thy ways!
But mine polluted are;

Sin twines itself about my praise,

And slides into my prayer.

When I would speak what Thou hast done

To save me from my sin,

I cannot make Thy mercies known
But self-applause creeps in.

Divine desire, that holy flame
Thy grace creates in me;
Alas! impatience is its name,
When it returns to Thee.

This heart, a fountain of vile thoughts,
How does it overflow!
While self upon the surface floats,

Still bubbling from below.
Let others in the gaudy dress
Of fancied merit shine,

THE LORD shall be my righteousness,
The Lord for ever mine.

68. C. EPHRAIM REPENTING.
Chap. xxxi. 18-20.

My God, till I received Thy stroke,
How like a beast was I!
So unaccustom'd to the yoke,
So backward to comply.

With grief my just reproach I bear,
Shame fills me at the thought;
How frequent my rebellions were!
What wickedness I wrought!

Thy merciful restraint I scorn'd,
And left the pleasant road;

Yet turn me, and I shall be turn'd:
Thou art the Lord my God.

'Is Ephraim banish'd from My thoughts,
Or vile in My esteem?

No, saith the Lord; with all his faults,
I still remember him.

'Is he a dear and pleasant child?
Yes, dear and pleasant still,
Though sin his foolish heart beguiled,
And he withstood My will.

My sharp rebuke has laid him low,
He seeks My face again;

My pity kindles at his woe,

He shall not seek in vain.'

LAMENTATIONS.

69. THE LORD IS MY PORTION. Chap. iii. 24.

FROM pole to pole let others roam,

And search in vain for bliss;
My soul is satisfied at home,

The Lord my portion is.

Jesus, who on His glorious throne
Rules heaven, and earth, and sea,
Is pleased to claim me for His own,
And give Himself to me.

His person fixes all my love,

His blood removes my fear;
And while He pleads for me above,
His arm preserves me here.

His word of promise is my food,
His Spirit is my guide;

Thus daily is my strength renew'd,
And all my wants supplied.*

For Him I count as gain each loss-
Disgrace for Him, renown;

Well may I glory in His cross,
While He prepares my crown!

Let worldlings, then, indulge their boast,
How much they gain or spend;
Their joys must soon give up the ghost,
But mine shall know no end.

*Book iii., Hymn 59.