3 The sacred flame from heart to heart
Should with a rapid progress run;
Till each in God could boast his part,
Through sweet communion with his Son.
4 Thus may the servants of the Lord
Feel the salvation they proclaim;
And thus may crowds receive the word,
And echo back the Saviour's name.
C.M.-True Liberty given by Christ. John viii. 36.
1 HARK! for 'tis God's own Son that calls
To life and liberty;
Transported fall before his feet,
Who makes the prisoners free.
2 The cursed bonds of sin he breaks,
And breaks old Satan's chain:
Smiling he deals those pardons round,
Which free from endless pain.
3 Into the captive heart he pours
His Spirit from on high;
We lose the terrors of the slave,
And "Abba, Father," cry.
4 Shake off your bonds, and sing his grace;
The sinner's friend proclaim;
And call on all around to seek
True freedom by his name.
5 Walk on at large, till
Your Father's house above!
There shall you wear immortal crowns,
And sing redeeming love.
C.M.-Looking into the perfect Law of Liberty, and continuing in it.
1 BEHOLD the glass the gospel lends,
That men themselves may view:
How free from stain its surface is!
How polish'd, and how true!
2 Behold that wise, that perfect law,
Which noblest freedom gives;
O may it all our souls refine,
And sanctify our lives!
3 Not with a transient glance survey'd,
And in an hour forgot,
But deep inscrib'd on every heart,
To reign o'er every thought.
4 Great Author of each perfect gift,
Thy sovereign grace display,
That these rebellious, roving powers,
May hearken and obey.
5 Inspir'd by thee, our feeble souls
Shall pass victorious on;
As the faint dawning light improves
To all the blaze of moon.
L.M.-Religious Liberty; or the Wickedness of Persecution.
1 ABSURD and vain attempt! to bind
With iron chain the free-born mind,
To force conviction, and reclaim
The wandering, by destructive flame.
2 Bold arrogance! to snatch from heaven
Dominion not to mortals given;
O'er conscience to usurp the throne,
Accountable to God alone.
3 Jesus! thy gentle law of love
Doth no such cruelties approve;
Mild as thyself, thy doctrine wields
No arms but what persuasion yields.
4 By proofs divine, and reason strong,
It draws the willing soul along;
And conquest to thy church requires,
By eloquence which heaven inspires.
5 O happy who are thus compell'd
To the rich feast by Jesus held!
Britain, thy blessings know, and prize
The light which liberty supplies.
C.M.-Having the Son, and Life in Him. 1 John v. 12. 1 O HAPPY Christian, who can boast, "The Son of God is mine!"
Happy, though humbled in the dust,
Rich in this gift divine.
2 He lives the life of heaven below,
And shall for ever live;
Eternal streams from Christ shall flow,
And endless vigour give.
3 That life we ask with bended knee,
Nor will the Lord deny;
Nor will celestial mercy see
Its humble suppliants die.
4 That life obtain'd, for praise alone
We wish continued breath,
And taught by blest experience, own
That praise can live in death.
1 HOW blest thy creature is, O God,
When, with a single eye,
He views the lustre of thy word,
The day-spring from on high!
2 Through all the storms that veil the skies, And frown on earthly things,
The Sun of Righteousness he eyes,
With healing on his wings.
3 Struck by that light, the human heart,
A barren soil no more,
Sends the sweet smell of grace abroad,
Where serpents lurk'd before.
4 The soul, a dreary province once
Of Satan's dark domain,
Feels a new empire form'd within,
And owns a heavenly reign.
5 The glorious orb, whose golden beams
The fruitful year control,
Since first, obedient to thy word,
He started from the goal,
6 Has cheer'd the nations with the joys
His orient rays impart;
But Jesus! 'tis thy light alone
Can shine upon the heart,
L.M.—God shining into the Heart. 2 Cor. iv. 6.
1 PRAISE to the Lord of boundless might,
With uncreated glories bright!
His presence gilds the worlds above;
The unchanging source of light and love.
2 Our rising earth his eye beheld,
When in substantial darkness veil'd,
The shapeless chaos, nature's womb,
Lay buried in eternal gloom.
3" Let there be light," Jehovah said,
And light o'er all its face was spread;
Nature, array'd in charms unknown,
Gay with its new-born lustre shone.
4 He sees the mind, when lost it lies
In shades of ignorance and vice;
And darts from heaven a vivid ray,
And changes midnight into day.
5 Shine, mighty God, with vigour shine,
On this benighted heart of mine;
And let thy glories stand reveal'd,
As in the Saviour's face beheld.
6 My soul reviv'd by heaven-born day, Thy radiant image shall display; While all my faculties unite
To praise the Lord, who gives me light. 362.
C.M.-The Christian's Life connected with that of Christ.
John xiv. 19.
1 THE covenant of a Saviour's love
Shall stand for ever good,
And thus his life shall guard the souls
He purchas'd with his blood.
2 "I live for ever," saith the Lord,
"And you shall therefore live;
"Receive with pleasure every pledge
My power and love can give.
3 We own the promise, Prince of Grace;
Though earthly helpers die;
And animate our fainting hearts,
While Christ our friend is nigh.
4 The king of fears can do no more
Than stop our mortal breath;
But Jesus gives a nobler life,
That cannot yield to death.
P.M.-Christ the Believer's Life.
1 A FOUNTAIN of Life and of Grace
In Christ, our Redeemer, we see;
For us who his offers embrace;
For all it is open and free:
Jehovah himself doth invite
To drink of his pleasures unknown;
The streams of immortal delight,
That flow from his heavenly throne.
2 As soon as in him we believe,
By faith of his Spirit we take:
And, freely forgiven, receive
The mercy for Jesus's sake!
|