-3 Subdue the power of every sin,
Whate'er that sin may be;
That we, in singleness of heart,
May worship only Thee.
-4 Then with our spirits witness bear,
That we are sons of God;
Redeem'd from sin, and death, and hell,
Through Christ's atoning blood.
HYMN 276. C. M.
Value of the Scriptures.
e1 HOW precious is the book divine,
By inspiration given!
o Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine, To guide our souls to heaven.
e 2 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts, In this dark vale of tears;
o Life, light, and joy, it still imparts, And quells our rising fears.
e 3 This lamp, through all the tedious night Of life, shall guide our way,
o Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.
HYMN 277. C. M.
HAT is the thing of greatest price,
The whole creation round?
-That, which was lost in paradise,
That, which in Christ is found.
2 The soul of man,-Jehovah's breath!
That keeps two worlds at strife;
Hell moves beneath to work its death,
Heaven stoops to give it life.
3 God to reclaim it, did not spare
His well-beloved Son;
Jesus, to save it, deign'd to bear
The sins of all in one.
4 And is this treasure borne below,
In earthly vessels frail?
Can none its utmost value know,
Till flesh and spirit fail?
5 Then let us gather round the cross,
This knowledge to obtain,
Not by the soul's eternal loss,
But everlasting gain.
Winchelsea. [*]
The Blessings of the New Covenant.
OD, in the gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known:
Where love in all its glory shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
2 Here, sinners, of an humble frame,
May taste his grace, and learn his name;
May read in characters of blood,
The wisdom, power, and grace of God.
3 The pris'ner here may break his chains;
The weary rest from all his pains;
The captive feel his bondage cease;
The mourner find the way of peace.
4 Here faith reveals to mortal eyes
A brighter world beyond the skies;
Here shines the light which guides our way
From earth to realms of endless day.
5 O grant us grace, Almighty Lord!
To read and mark thy holy word;
Its truths with meekness to receive,
And by its holy precepts live.
HYMN 279. L. M. Nazareth. [b]
Religion. Prov. iv, 7.
EACH us, O Lord, the great concern,
Our duty from thy word to learn,
And gain the wisdom from above.
2 Religion must be all in all,
Would we th' immortal prize obtain,
Retrieve the ruins of the fall,
And 'scape the death of endless pain.
3 Send thy good Spirit, Lord, we pray,
To sanctify and cleanse our heart;
May we repent, believe, obey,
And from thy service ne'er depart.
HYMN 280. L. M. Angels' Hymn. [*] Value of Religion.
RELIGION bids all sin depart,
And folly flies her chast'ning rod;
She makes the humble, contrite heart
A temple of the living God.
e 2 Beyond the narrow vale of time,
Where bright celestial ages roll,.
To scenes eternal, scenes sublime,
She points the way, and leads the soul.
3 At her approach, the grave appears
p The gate of paradise restor'd;
Her voice the watching cherub hears,
And drops his double flaming sword.
4 Baptiz'd with her renewing fire,
g We shall the crown of glory gain;
Rise when the hosts of heaven expire,
And reign with God, for ever reign.
MONTGOMERY ALTERED
HYMN 281. C. M. Bangor. [b]
Frailty of Life.
NEW are thy days, and full of wo,
Thy doom is written-" Dust thou art,
And shalt to dust return!"
2 Determin'd are the days that fly
Successive o'er thy head;
The number'd hour is on the wing,
Which lays thee with the dead.
3 Gay is thy morning: flatt'ring hope
Thy sprightly steps attends;
But soon the tempest howls behind,
And the dark night descends!
4 Before its splendid hour, the cloud
Comes o'er the beam of light;
A pilgrim in a weary land,
Man tarries but a night.
Uncertainty of Life.
TO-MORROW, Lord, is thine!
Lodg'd in thy sov'reign hand
And if its sun arise and shine,
It shines by thy command.
2 The present moment flies,
And bears our life away;
Oh make thy servants truly wise,
That they may live to-day.
3 Since on this fleeting hour
Eternity is hung,
Awaken, by thy mighty power,
The aged and the young.
4 One thing demands our care-
Be that one thing pursued;
Lest, slighted once, the season fair
Should never be renew'd.
b 5 To Jesus may we fly,
Swift as the morning light,
Lest life's young golden beams should die
In sudden, endless night. DODDRIDGE ALTERED.
Vanity of the World, and Happiness of Heaven.
P1HOW vain is all beneath the skies!
How transient every earthly bliss!
How slender all the fondest ties,
That bind us to a world like this.
2 The ev'ning cloud, the morning dew,
The with'ring grass, the fading flower,
Of earthly hopes are emblems true-
The glory of a passing hour!
3 But, though earth's fairest blossoms die,
And all beneath the skies is vain,
There is a land whose confines lie
Beyond the reach of care and pain.
b 4 Then let the hope of joys to come
Dispel our cares, and chase our fears:
If God be ours, we're trav'ling home,
Though passing through a vale of tears.
HYMN 284. C. M. Tolland. [*]
Seek first the Kingdom of God.
N And ardour fire our breast,
OW let a true ambition rise,
To reign in worlds above the skies,
In heavenly glories drest.
2 Behold Jehovah's royal hand
A radiant crown display,
Whose gems with vivid lustre shine,
While stars and suns decay.
3 Away, each grov'ling, anxious care,
Beneath a Christian's aim;
We spring to seize immortal joys, in our Redeemer's name
4 Ye hearts, with youthful vigour warm,
The glorious prize pursue;
Nor fear the want of earthly good,
While heaven is kept in view.
The Unrighteous excluded from Heaven.
MAN sinners hope for heaven,
Or dream of future happiness,
While in the road to hell?
2 Shall they hosannas sing,
With an unhallow'd tongue;
Shall palms adorn the guilty hand
Which does its neighbour wrong?
3 Can sin's deceitful way
Conduct to Zion's hill;
Or those expect with God to reign
Who disregard his will?
o 4 Thy grace, O God, alone
Can a good hope afford!
The pardon'd and renew'd shall see
The glory of the Lord.
HYMN 286. L. M.
The Value of a Moment.
ALive emotes on the brink of death,
T every motion of our breath,
A taper's flame that upward turns,
While downward to the dust it burns.
2 A moment usher'd us to birth,
Heirs of the commonwealth of earth;
Moment by moment, years are past,
And one ere long will be our last.
3 Twixt that, long-fled, which gave us light,
And that which soon shall end in night,
There is a point no eye can see,
Yet on it hangs eternity.
4 This is that moment,-who shall tell
Whether it leads to heav'n or hell?
This is that moment, as we choose,
Th immortal soul we save or lose.
5 Time past and time to come are not,
Time present is our only lot:
O God, henceforth our hearts incline
To seek no other love than thine!
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