5 To tents of wo, to beds of pain,
Our cheerful feet repair;

And, with the gifts thy hand bestows,
Relieve the mourners there.

6 The widow's heart shall sing for joy;
The orphan shall be glad;

And hung'ring souls we'll gladly point
To Christ the living bread.

7 Thus, passing through this vale of tears,
Our useful light shall shine;
And others learn to glorify
Our Father's name divine.

CHRISTIAN EXPERIENCE.

1. THE CONVERT ENTERTAINING HOPE OF PARDON{ AND THE HAPPINESS OF THE CHRISTIAN.

C. M.

355. Lively Hope and gracious Fear. 1 I WAS a grovelling creature once, And basely cleav❜d to earth:

I wanted spirit to renounce

The clod that gave me birth.

2 But God has breath'd upon a worm,
And sent me from above,
Wings, such as clothe an angel's form,
The wings of joy and love.

3 With these to Pisgah's top I fly,
And there delighted stand,
To view beneath a shining sky
The spacious promis'd land.

4 The Lord of all the vast domain
Has promis'd it to me;

The length and breadth of all the plain,
As far as faith can see.

How glorious is my privilege!
To thee for help I call;

I stand upon a mountain's edge,
Oh save me, lest I fall!

Though much exalted in the Lord,
My strength is not my own;
Then let me tremble at his word,
And none shall cast me down.

S. M.

356. That which we have seen and heard.

1 John i. 3.

1 HOW can a sinner know

His sins on earth forgiv'n?

How can my gracious Saviour show
My name inscrib'd in heav'n!

2

What we have felt and seen
With confidence we tell;

And publish to the sons of men,
The signs infallible.

3 We who in Christ believe
That he for us hath died,

5

We all his unknown peace receive,
And feel his blood applied!

Exults our rising soul,
Deliver'd of her load,
And swells unutterably full

Of glory and of God.

His love surpasses far

The love of all beneath,

We find within our hearts, and dare

The pointless darts of death.

6 Stronger than death or hell

The sacred pow'r we prove:

And conqu'rors of the world we dwell
In heav'n who dwell in love.

357.

1

(119.) P. M.

Jesus the anchor of the soul.

NOW I have found the ground wherein
Sure my soul's anchor may remain:

The love of God forgiving sin,

Through Jesus crucified and slain.
His mercy shall unshaken stay,
When heav'n and earth have pass'd away.

2 Father! thine everlasting grace
Our scanty thought surpasses far;
Thine heart still melts with tenderness,
Thine arms of love still open are;

And Jesus' blood, through earth and skies,
Mercy, free, boundless mercy, cries.

3 Tho' waves and storms go o'er my head,
Tho' strength and health and friends be gone,
Tho' joys be wither'd all and dead,

Tho' ev'ry comfort be withdrawn:
On this my steadfast soul relies,
Father, thy mercy never dies.

Fix'd on this ground will I remain,
Tho' my heart fail and strength decay.
This anchor shall my soul sustain,
When earth's foundations melt away.
Mercy's full pow'r I then shall prove,
Lov'd with an everlasting love.

358.

P. M.

Conversion. Jer. xxxi. 3.

ON the brink of fi'ry ruin,

Justice, with a flaming sword, Was my guilty soul pursuing When I first beheld my Lord.

2 [Terrify'd with Sinai's thunder,
Straight I flew to Calvary,

Where I saw with love and wonder,
Him by faith who died for me.]

"Sinner," he exclaim'd, "I've lov'd thos
With an everlasting love;
Justice has in me approv'd thee;

Thou shalt dwell with me above."

4 Sweet as angels' notes in heaven,
When to golden harps they sound,
Is the voice of sins forgiven,
To the soul by satan bound.

Sweet as angels' harps in glory,
Was that heavenly voice to me,
When I saw my Lord before me
Bleed and die to set me free!

6 Saints, attend with holy wonder!
Sinners, hear and sing his praise!
'Tis the God that holds the thunder
Shows himself the God of grace!

1

1 HEAR a voice that comes from far;
From Calvary it sounds abroad;
It sooths my soul, and calms my fear:
It speaks of pardon bought with blood.

And is it true, that many fly

The sound that bids my soul rejoice; And rather choose in sin to die,

Than turn an ear to mercy's voice!

8 Alas, for those!-the day is near,
When mercy will be heard no more
Then will they ask in vain to hear
The voice they would not hear before.

With such, I own, I once appear'd,
But now I know how great their loss
For sweeter sounds were never heard
Than mercy utters from the cross.

360.

(255.) C. M.

The joy of conversion from sin.

1 WHEN God reveal'd his gracious name, And chang'd my mournful state,

My rapture seem'd a pleasing dream,
The grace appear'd so great.

2 The world beheld the glorious change,
And did thy hand confess;

My tongue broke out in unknown strains.
And sung surprising grace.

3 "Great is the work," my neighbours cried,
And own'd thy pow'r divine;
"Great is the work," my heart replied,
"And be the glory thine."

4 The Lord can clear the darkest skies,
Can give us day for night;
Make drops of sacred sorrow rise
To rivers of delight.

5 Let those, that sow in sadness, wait
Till the fair harvest come;

They shall confess their sheaves are great,
And shout the blessings home.

361.

(256.) S. M.

The pleasures of Conversion.

HOW various and how new

Are thy compassions, Lord!
Each morning shall thy mercies shew,
Each night thy love record.

2 Thy goodness, like the sun,
Dawn'd on our early days,
Ere infant reason had begun
To form our lips to praise.

3 Each object we beheld

Gave pleasure to our eyes;
And nature all our senses held
In bands of sweet surprise.