5 Too often, dear Saviour, have I
Preferr'd fome poor trifle to thee;
How is it thou doft not deny
The bleffing and birth-right to me?
No better than Efau I am,

I

3

Tho' pardon and heaven be mine;
To me belongs nothing but fhame,
The praise and the glory be thine.

IX. JACOB's Ladder. Chap. xxviii. 12.
F the Lord our leader be,

IF

We may follow without fear;
Eaft or west, by land or fea,
Home, with him, is ev'ry where;
When from Efau Jacob fled,
Tho' his pillow was a stone,
And the ground his humble bed,
Yet he was not left alone.

2 Kings are often waking kept,
Rack'd with cares on beds of state;
Never king like Jacob flept,
For he lay at heaven's gate:
Lo! he faw a ladder rear'd,
Reaching to the heav'nly throne;
At the top the Lord appear'd,
Spake, and claim'd him for his own.
"Fear not, Jacob, thou art mine,
And my prefence with thee goes;
On thy heart my love fhall fhine,
And my arm fubdue thy foes:
- From my promife comfort take,
For my help in trouble call;
Never will I thee forfake,
'Till I have accomplith'd all."
4 Weil does Jacob's ladder fuit
To the gospel throne of grace;
We are at the ladder's foot,
Ev'ry hour, in ev'ry place:

By

By affuming flesh and blood,
Jefus heav'n and earth unites;
We by faith afcend to God,
God to dwell with us delights.

5 They who know the Saviour's name,
Are for all events prepar'd;
What can changes do to them,
Who have fuch a guide and guard?
Should they traverfe earth around,
To the ladder ftill they come :

Ev'ry spot is holy ground,

God is there-and he's their home.

X. My name is JACOB. Chap. xxxii. 27.

I NAY, I cannot let thee go,

'Till a blefling thou bestow;

Do not turn away thy face,
Mine's an urgent preffing cafe.

2 Doft thou afk me, who I am?

Ah, my Lord, thou know'ft my name !
Yet the question gives a plea,

To fupport my fuit with thee.

Thou didst once a wretch behold,
In rebellion blindly bold,

- Scorn thy grace, thy pow'r defy,
That poor rebel, Lord, was I.
4 Once a finner near despair
Sought thy mercy feat by pray'r;
Mercy heard and fet him tree,
Lord, that mercy came to me.
5 Many years have pafs'd fince then,
Many changes I have feen,

Yet have been upheld till now;
Who could hold me up but thou?

#2 Cor. vi. 16.

6 Thou haft help'd in ev'ry need, This emboldens me to plead ; After so much mercy paft,

Can't thou let me fink at last ? 7 No-I must maintain my hold, 'Tis thy goodness makes me bold; I can no denial take,

When I plead for Jefu's fake.

XI. Plenty in the time of Dearth. Chap. xli. 56.

I

M

Y foul once had its plenteous years,

And throve, with peace and comfort
fill'd,

Like the fat kine and ripen'd ears,
Which Pharaoh in his dream beheld.

2 With pleafing frames and grace receiv'd,
With means and ordinances' fed,
How happy for awhile I liv'd,

And little fear'd the want of bread.

3 But famine came, and left no fign
Of all the plenty I had feen;

Like the dry ears and half-ftarv'd kine,
I then look'd wither'd, faint, and lean.
4 To Jofeph the Egyptians went;
To Jefus I made known my cafe;
He, when my little ftock was fpent,
Open'd his magazine of, grace.

5 For he the time of dearth forefaw,
And made provifion long before ;.
That famifh'd fouls, like me, might draw
Supplies from his unbounded store.

6 Now on his bounty I depend,
And live from fear of dearth fecure ;
Maintain'd by fuch a mighty friend,
I cannot want till he is poor.

7 O finners, hear his gracious call!
His mercy's door ftands open wide;
He has enough to feed you all,
And none who come fhall be deny'd.

XII. JOSEPH made known to his Brethren. Chap. xlv. 3. 4.

WHEN Jofeph his brethren beheld,

Afflicted and trembling with fear,
His heart with compaffion was fill'd;
From weeping he could not forbear.
Awhile his behaviour was rough,
To bring their paft fin to their mind;
But when they were humbled enough,.
He hafted to fhew himself kind.

2 How little they thought it was he,
Whom they had ill-treated and fold!"
How great their confufion must be,
As foon as his name he had told !
"I am Jofeph, your brother, he said,.
And ftill to my heart you are dear;
You fold me, and thought I was dead,
But God, for your fakes, fent me here."

3 Though greatly diftreffed before,

When charg'd with purloining the cup,
They now were confounded much more,
Not one of them durft to look up.

"Can Jofeph, whom we would have slain,
Forgive us the evil we did?

And will he our households maintain ?

O this is a brother indeed !"

4 Thus dragg'd by my confcience, I came,
And laden with guilt, to the Lord,

Surrounded with terror and shame,
-Unable to utter a word.

At

At first he look'd ftern and fevere,
What anguish then pierced my heart!,
Expecting each moment to hear

The fentence, "Thou curfed, depart!"
5 But, oh what surprise when he spoke,
While tenderness beam'd in his face;
My heart then to pieces was broke,
O'erwhelm'd and confounded by grace:
"Poor finner, I know thee full well,
By thee I was fold and was flain;
But I dy'd to redeem thee from hell,
And raife thee in glory to reign.

6 I am Jefus, whom thou haft blafphem'd, And crucify'd often afrefh;

But let me henceforth be efteem'd
Thy brother, thy bone, and thy flesh:
My pardon I freely bettow,

Thy wants. I will fully fupply;

I'll guide thee and guard thee below,
And foon will remove thee on high.

7 Go, publish to finners' around,
Ihat they may be willing to come,

which now you mercy

"

The
have found,
And tell them that yet there is room.'
Oh, finners, the meffage obey!
No more vain excufes pretend;
But come, without further delay,
To Jefus, our brother and friend..

XIII. The Bitter Waters. Chap. xv. 23.-25.

I BITTER, indeed, the waters are

Which in this defert flow v;

Though to the eye they promise fair,
They tafte of fin and woe.