3 He knows what arguments I'd take To wrestle with my God;
I'd plead for his own mercy's sake, And for my Saviour's blood.
4 My God will pity my complaints, And heal my broken bones;
He takes the meaning of his saints, The language of their groans.
5 Arise, my soul, from deep distress, And banish every fear;
He calls thee to his throne of grace, To spread thy sorrows there.
C.M.-" O that I were as in months past." Job xxix. 2. 1 SWEET was the time when first I felt The Saviour's pardoning blood Applied to cleanse my soul from guilt, And bring me home to God.
2 Soon as the morn the light reveal'd, His praises tun'd my tongue; And when the evening shades prevail'd, His love was all my song.
3 In vain the tempter spread his wiles, The world no more could charm; I liv'd upon my Saviour's smiles, And lean'd upon his arm.
4 In prayer my soul drew near the Lord, And saw his glory shine;
And when I read his holy word, I call'd each promise mine.
5 Then to his saints I often spoke Of what his love had done;
But now my heart is almost broke, For all my joys are gone.
6 Now when the evening shade prevails, My soul in darkness mourns; And when the morn the light reveals, No light to me returns.
7 Now Satan threatens to prevail, And make my soul his prey; Yet, Lord, thy mercies cannot fail, O come without delay.
C.M.-Walking with God. Gen. v. 24.
1 OH! for a closer walk with God, A calm and heavenly frame; A light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb.
2 Where is the blessedness I knew When first I saw the Lord? Where is the soul-refreshing view Of Jesus and his word?
3 What peaceful hours I once enjoy'd! How sweet their memory still! But they have left an aching void, The world can never fill.
4 Return, O holy Dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
5 The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be:
Help me to tear it from thy throne, And worship only thee.
6 So shall my walk be close with God, Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road That leads me to the Lamb.
L.M.—The holy Soul returning to its rest. Ps. cxvi. 7. 1 RETURN, my soul, and seek thy rest Upon thy heavenly Father's breast; Indulge me, Lord, in that repose, The soul that loves thee only knows. 2 Lodg'd in thine arms, I fear no more The tempter's howl, the billows' roar; Those storms must shake the Almighty's seat, Which violate the saint's retreat.
3 Thy bounties, Lord, to me surmount The power of language to recount; From morning-dawn, the setting sun Sees but my work of praise begun. 4 The mercies, all my moments bring, Ask an eternity to sing;
What thanks those mercies can suffice, Which through eternity shall rise? 5 Rich in ten thousand gifts possess'd, In future hopes more richly bless'd, I'll sit and sing till death shall raise A note of more proportion'd praise.
L.M.-The Covenant. Ezek. xxxvi. 25-28.
1 THE Lord proclaims his grace abroad! Behold I change your hearts of stone, Each shall renounce his idol god,
And serve henceforth the Lord alone. 2 My grace, a flowing stream, proceeds To wash your filthiness away; Ye shall abhor your former deeds, And learn my statutes to obey. 3 My truth the great design insures, I give myself away to you; You shall be mine, I will be your's, Your God unalterably true.
4 Yet not unsought, or unimplor'd, The plenteous grace shall I confer; No-your whole hearts shall seek the Lord, I'll put a praying spirit there.
5 From the first breath of life divine, Down to the last expiring hour; The gracious work shall all be mine, Begun and ended in my power. 263.
C.M.-Prisoners delivered from the Pit by the Blood of the Covenant. Zech. ix. 11.
1 YE prisoners who in bondage lie, In darkness and the pit, Behold the grace that sets us free, And to that grace submit.
2 The tidings of deliverance hear, Confess the covenant good,
And bless the ransom God hath found In our Immanuel's blood.
3 Justice no more asserts its claim Your forfeit lives to take;
But smiling mercy quick descends Your heavy chains to break.
4 We walk at large, and sing the hand, To which we freedom owe,
And drink those rivers with delight, Which through this desert flow.
5 He that hath liberty bestow'd,
Will give a kingdom too;
He that hath loos'd the bonds of death,
The path of life will shew.
C.M.-Support in God's Covenant under domestic Troubles.
1 MY God, the covenant of thy love
Abides for ever sure,
And in its matchless grace I feel My happiness secure.
2 What, though my house be not with thee As nature could desire? To nobler joys than nature gives, Thy servants all aspire.
3 Since thou, the everlasting God, My Father art become;
Jesus my guardian, and my friend, And heaven my final home;
4 I welcome all thy sovereign will, For all that will is love;
And when I know not what thou dost, I wait the light above.
5 Thy covenant in the darkest gloom Shall heavenly rays impart,
Which, when my eyelids close in death, Shall warm my chilling heart.
L.M.-Rejoicing in our Covenant Engagements. 2 Chron. xv. 15. 1 O HAPPY day that fix'd my choice On thee, my Saviour, and my Well may this glowing heart rejoice, And tell its raptures all abroad. 2 O happy bond, that seals my vows To him who merits all my love! Let cheerful anthems fill his house, While to that sacred shrine I move. 3 'Tis done; the great transaction's done: I am my Lord's, and he is mine; He drew me, and I follow'd on, Charm'd to confess the voice divine.
4 Now rest my long-divided heart, Fix'd on this blissful centre rest; With ashes who would grudge to part, When call'd on angel's bread to feast?
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