Than all the treasures of the south,

Or western hills of golden ore. 5 Thy hands have made my mortal frame,

Thy spirit form'd my soul within: Teach me to know thy wondrous name,

And guard me safe from death and sin. 6 Then all that love and fear the Lord,

At my salvation shall rejoice; For I have trusted in thy word,

And made thy grace my only choice.

grace reviye;

460.

(463.) L. M. 1 THE darkend sky, how thick it low'rs!

Troubled with storms, and big with show'rs; No cheerful gleam of light appears,

But nature pours forth all her tears. 2. Yet let the sons of

God bids the soul, that seeks him, live;
And, from the gloomiest shade of night,

Calls forth a morning of delight. 3 The seeds of ecstasy unknown

Are in these water'd furrows sown.
See the green blades, how thick they rise,
And with fresh verdure bless our eyes!
In secret foldings they contain
Uunumber'd ears of golden grain;
And heav'n shall pour its beams around,

Till the ripe liarvest load the ground.
6 Then shall the trembling mourner come,

And find his sheaves and bring them home; The voice, long broke with sighs, shall sing,

Till heav'n with hallelujahs ring. 461.

C. M,
Afliction sanctified. Ps. xlii.
· AFFLICTION is a stormy deep,
Where wave resounds to wave;

Though o'er my head the billows roll,

I kuow the Lord can save. & The hand that now withholds my joys

Can reinstate my peace,
And he who bade the tempest roar,

Can bid that tempest cease.

In the dark watches of the night,

l'll count his mercies o'er;
I'll praise him for ten thousand past,

And humbly sue for more. · When darkness and when sorrows rose

And press’d on every side, The Lord has still sustain'd my steps,

And still has been my guide. 5 Here will I rest, and build my hopes,

Nor murmur at his rod;
He's more than all the world to me,

My health, my life, my God!

A WARFARE

C. M. 462.

Holy Fortitude. 1 Cor. xvi, 18. AM I a soldier of the cross,

A follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear to own his cause,

Or blush to speak his name? 8 Must I be carried to the skies,

On flowery beds of ease? While others fought to win the prize,

And sail'd through bloody seas! 3 Are there no foes for me to face?

Must I not stem the flood?
Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

$ Sure I must fight if I would reign;

Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,

Supported by thy word.
5 Thy saints in all this glorious war,

Shall conquer though they die; They see the triumph from afar,

And seize it with their eye,
6 When that illustrious day shall rise,

And all thine armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine!

C. M. 463.

Conflict between sin and hoitness. 1 WHEN heaven does, grant at certain times,

Amidst a pow'rful gale, Sweet liberty to moan my crimes,

And wand'rings to bewailm
% Then do I ream my sinful brood

Is drown'd in the wide main
Of crystal tears and crimson blood,

And ne'er will live again.
3 I get my foes beneath my feet,

bruise the serpent's head; I hope the vict'ry is complete,

And all my lusts are dead.
$ But ah, alas! th’ ensuing hour

My passions rise and swell;
They rage and reinforce their pow'r
With new recruits from hell.

C. M. 464.

Pleading with God under affliction
1
WHY should a living man complain

Of deep distress within,
Since every sigh, and every pain,
Is but the fruit of sin?

2 No, Lord, I'll patiently submit,

Nor ever dare rebel;
Yet sure I may, here at thy feet,

My painful feelings tell.
S Thou seest what floods of sorrow rise,

And beat upon my soul;
One trouble to another cries,

Billows on billows roll.
From fear to hope, and hope to fear,

My shipwreck'd soul is tost;
Till I am tempted, in despair,

To give up all for lost. 5 Yet through the stormy clouds I'll look

Once more to thee, my God:
O fix my feet upon a rock,

Beyond the gaping flood.
6 One look of mercy from thy face

Will set my heart at ease;
One all-commanding word of grace

Will make the tempest cease,

A DESERT

C. M. 465.

The Desert. 1 Pet. v. 8. 1 WHEN night descends in sable guise,

And spreads her gloom around,
To close the weary traveller's eyes,

And rest him on the ground, ? Amidst the dreary desert wide,

The wanderer faints to hear,
The wild alarm on every side,

Which speaks some danger near. 3 So in this wilderness of life,

Whene'er afflictions come,
We sink, as in a night of grief,
Far from our sheltering home.

4 The tempter's, like a lion's roar,

Sounds through the vale abroad, Then let us watch, and ever more

Depend upon our God. 5 From every other help a far,

And left without a friend, God is a helper ever near,

And faithful to the end."

8. CHRISTIAN ASSURANCE AND CONFIDENCE K

GOD.

(261.) C. M. 466.

The confidence of the Christian.
1
WH
THEN I can read my title clear

To mansions in the skies,
I bid farewell to ev'ry fear,

And wipe my weeping eyes.
2 Should earth against my soul engage,

And hellish darts be hurl'd:
Then I can smile at Satan's rage,

And face a frowning world.
3 Let cares like a wild deluge come,

And storms of sorrow fall:
May I but safely reach my home,

My God, my heav'n, my all!
4 There shall I bathe my weary soul

In seas of heav'nly rest;
And not a wave of trouble roll

Across my peaceful breast, 467.

L. M.
1
HOW do thy mercies

close me round,
For ever be thy name ador'd;
I blush in all things to abound;

The servant is above his Lord!
2 Inur'd to poverty and pain,
A suff'ring life my Master led: