Jesus! the God whom Paul adored,
Who saves in time of need,
Was then confess'd by all on board
A present help indeed!
Though neither sun nor stars were seen,
Paul knew the Lord was near,
And faith. preserved his soul serene,
When others shook for fear.
Believers thus are toss'd about
On life's tempestuous main;
But grace assures, beyond a doubt,
They shall their port attain.
They must, they shall, appear one day
Before their Saviour's throne;
The storms they meet with by the way
But make His power known.
Their passage lies across the brink
Of many a threat'ning wave;
The world expects to see them sink,
But Jesus lives to save.
Lord, though we are but feeble worms,
Yet, since Thy word is past,
We'll venture through a thousand storms To see Thy face at last.
126. THE GOOD THAT I WOULD DO, I DO NOT.
Chap. vii. 19.
I WOULD, but cannot sing,
Guilt has untuned my voice;
The serpent sin's envenom'd sting
Has poison'd all my joys.
I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray;
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
I would, but can't repent,
Though I endeavour oft;
This stony heart can ne'er relent
Till Jesus make it soft.
I would, but cannot love,
Though woo'd by love Divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul so base as mine.
I would, but cannot rest
In God's most holy will;
I know what He appoints is best,
Yet murmur at it still.
See Hymns
on Rom. v.
20,' Grace
Reigning,'
page 440.
Rom. vi. 1,
'Grace
Abused,'
page 425.
O could I but believe!
Then all would easy be;
I would, but cannot-Lord, relieve,
My help must come from Thee!
But if indeed I would,
Though I can nothing do;
Yet the desire is something good,
For which my praise is due.
By nature prone to ill,
Till Thine appointed hour,
I was as destitute of will,
As now I am of power.
Wilt Thou not crown at length
The work Thou hast begun?
And with a will afford me strength
In all Thy ways to run.
127. SALVATION DRAWING NEARER.
Chap. xiii. 11, 12.
DARKNESS Overspreads us here,
But the night wears fast away;
Jacob's Star will soon appear,
Leading on eternal day!
Now 'tis time to rouse from sleep,
Trim our lamps, and stand prepared
For our Lord strict watch to keep,
Lest He find us off our guard.
Let His people courage take,
Bear with a submissive mind
All they suffer for His sake—
Rich amends they soon will find.
He will wipe away their tears,
Near Himself appoint their lot;
All their sorrows, pains, and fears,
Quickly then will be forgot.
Though already saved by grace,
From the hour we first believed;
Yet while sin and war have place,
We have but a part received.
Still we for salvation wait:
Every hour it nearer comes!
Death will break the prison gate,
And admit us to our homes.
Sinners, what can you expect,
You who now the Saviour dare, Break His laws, His grace reject? You must stand before His bar! Tremble, lest He say, Depart!
O the horrors of that sound! Lord, make every careless heart
Seek Thee while Thou mayst be found!
128. THAT ROCK WAS CHRIST.
WHEN Israel's tribes were parch'd with thirst,
Forth from the rock the waters burst,
And all their future journey through
Yielded them drink and Gospel too!
In Moses' rod a type they saw
Of his severe and fiery law;
The smitten rock prefigured Him
From whose pierced side all blessings stream.
But ah! the types were all too faint,
His sorrows or His worth to paint;
Slight was the stroke of Moses' rod,
But He endured the wrath of God.
Their outward rock could feel no pain,
But ours was wounded, torn, and slain;
The rock gave but a wat'ry flood,
But Jesus pour'd forth streams of blood.
The earth is like their wilderness,
And land of drought and sore distress,
Without one stream, from pole to pole,
To satisfy a thirsty soul.
But let the Saviour's praise resound;
In Him refreshing streams are found;
Which pardon, strength, and comfort give,
And thirsty sinners drink and live.
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