3 Chain'd to his throne a volume lies,
With all the fates of men,
With every angel's form and size,
Drawn by th' eternal pen.
4 His providence unfolds the book,
And makes his counsels shine;
Each opening leaf, and every stroke
Fulfils some deep design.
5 Here he exalts neglected worms
To sceptres and a crown;
And there, the following page he turns,
And treads the monarch down.
6 Not Gabriel asks the reason why,
Nor God the reason gives;
Nor dares the favorite angel pry
Between the folded leaves.
My God, I would not long to see
My fate with curious eyes,
What gloomy lines are writ for me,
Or what bright scenes may rise.
8 In thy fair book of life and grace,
O may I find my name,
Recorded in some humble place,
Beneath my Lord the Lamb!
Election the cause of salvation. Eph. i. 4-6.
HOSEN and blest in Christ our Head, Before the world or heavens were made; In Jesus sav'd before he died,
And by his merits justify'd.
2 Chosen to holiness within,
To freedom from the power of sin;
To faith in Christ's atoning blood,
Or else, no flesh shall see the Lord.
3 In Christ the Lord's appointed time,
They feel, and mourn, the guilt of sin;
With all their hearts return to God,
Embrace, and keep the heavenly road.
Election, a most humbling doctrine to believers.
LECTION!-'tis most sweet to those
God hath from everlasting chose;
With melting hearts they humbly cry,
O, Precious Lord! why was it I?
2 Why brought to view thy smiling face,
And taste the sweetness of thy grace?
Why was I not to ruin hurl'd
With Sodom, or a sinking world?
3 Did God embrace me in his Son,
Ere man was form'd, or time begun?
Eternal love! how rich, how free!
Lord, I resign myself to thee.
187. C. M. Watts.
Distinguishing Love.
DOWN from the top of earthly bliss
Rebellious man was hurl'd;
And Jesus stoop'd beneath the grave,
To reach a sinking world.
2 O love of infinite degree!
Unmeasurable grace!
Must heaven's eternal darling die,
To save a trait'rous race?
3 Must angels sink for ever down,
And burn in quenchless fire,
While God forsakes his shining throne,
To raise us wretches higher?.
4 O! for this love let earth and skies,
With hallelujahs ring,
And the full choir of human tongues
All hallelujahs sing.
188. C. M. Watts.
Christian Virtues; or, the Difficulty of Conversion.
TRAIT is the way, the door is strait
That leads to joys on high;
"Tis but a few that find the gate,
While crowds mistake and die.
2 Beloved self must be deny'd,
The mind and will renew'd,
Passions suppress'd, and patience try'd,
And vain desires subdu'd.
3 Flesh is a dangerous foe to grace,
Where it prevails and rules;
Flesh must be humbled, pride abas'd,
Lest they destroy our souls.
4 The love of gold be banish'd hence;
All sinful pleasures fly,
And every member, every sense,
In sweet subjection lie.
5 The tongue, that most unruly power,
Requires a strong restraint;
We must be watchful every hour;
And pray, but never faint.
6 Lord, can a feeble, helpless worm
Fulfil a task so hard?
Thy grace must all the work perform,
And give the free reward.
189. S. M. Newton.
Few Saved; or, the Narrow Way.
DESTRUCTION'S dangerous road
What multitudes pursue!
While that which leads the soul to God, Is known or sought by few.
Believers enter in
By Christ the living gate,
But those who will not leave their sin,
Complain it is too strait.
If self must be deny'd,
And sin forsaken quite ;
They rather choose the way that's wide, And strive to think it right.
4 Obey the gospel call,
And enter while you may;
The flock of Christ is always small;
And none are safe but they.
5 Lord, open sinners' eyes,
Their awful state to see;
And cause them, ere the storm arise,
To thee for safety flee.
190. L. M. Watts.
Pardoning Grace.
ROM deep distress and troubled thoughts,
To thee, my God, I rais'd my cries;
If thou severely mark our faults,
No flesh can stand before thine eyes.
2 But thou hast built thy throne of grace,
Free to dispense thy pardons there,
That sinners may approach thy face,
And hope, and love, as well as fear.
3 As the benighted pilgrims wait,
And long, and wish, for op'ning day
So waits my soul before thy gate;
When will my God his face display?
4 My trust is fixt upon thy word,
Nor shall I trust thy word in vain;
Let mourning souls address the Lord,
And find relief from all their pain.
5 Great is his love, and large his grace,
Through the redemption of his Son;
He turns our feet from sinful ways,
And pardons what our hands have done.
191. S. M. Watts.
Forgiveness of Sins, upon Confession.
BLESSED souls are they
Whose sins are covered o'er!
Divinely blest, to whom the Lord
Imputes their guilt no more.
2 They mourn their follies past,
And keep their hearts with care
Their lips and lives, without deceit.
Shall prove their faith sincere.
While I conceal'd my guilt,
I felt the festering wound,
Till I confest my sins to thee,
And ready pardon found.
Let sinners learn to pray;
Let saints keep near the throne;
Our help, in times of deep distress,
Is found in God alone.
Pardoning Love. Jer. iii. 22. Hos. xiv. 1, 2.
[OW oft, alas! this wretched heart
Has wander'd from the Lord!
How oft my roving thoughts depart,
Forgetful of his word!
2 Yet, sovereign mercy calls, return,'
Dear Lord, and may I come?
My vile ingratitude I mourn;
O take the wanderer home.
3 And canst thou, wilt thou yet forgive,
And bid my crimes remove?
And shall a pardon'd rebel live
To speak thy wondrous love?
4 Almighty grace, thy healing power
How glorious, how divine!
That can to love and bliss restore
So vile a heart as mine.
5 Thy pardoning love, so free, so sweet,
Dear Saviour, I adore;
O keep me at thy sacred feet,
And let me rove no more.
|