Calm as the regions of the blest,
Enjoys on earth celestial day.
5 No friendships broke their bosoms sting,
No jars their peaceful tent invade;
Secure, beneath th' Almighty wing,
And, foes to none, of none afraid.
6 Spirit of grace, all meek and mild!
Inspire our breasts, our souls possess;
Repel each passion rude and wild,
And bless us as we aim to bless.
380. L. M. WATTS.
Self-government.
1 O THOU, whose scales the mountains
Whose will the raging seas obey!
Thou who canst boist'rous winds control!
Subdue the tumults of my soul.
2 May I with equal mind sustain
My lot of pleasure and of pain;
May joys and sorrows gently flow,
Nor rise too high, nor sink too low.
3 Do thou my passions, LORD! restrain,
And in my soul, unrivall'd, reign;
Then, with whatever loads oppress'd,
Center'd in thee, my soul shall rest.
4 O when shall my still-wav'ring mind
This sweetest self-possession find!
Fountain of joy! I long to see
In thee my peace-my heav'n in thee!
1 WHEREFORE should man, frail child of clay,
Who, from the cradle to the shroud,
Lives but the insect of a day-
O why should mortal man be proud?
2 His brightest visions just appear,
Then vanish, and no more are found;
The stateliest pile his pride can rear,
A breath may level with the ground.
3 By doubt perplex'd, in error lost,
With trembling step he seeks his way:
How vain of wisdom's gift the boast!
Of reason's lamp how faint the ray!
4 Follies and crimes, a countless sum,
Are crowded in life's little span :
How ill, alas! does pride become
That erring, guilty creature, man!
5 GOD of my life! Father divine!
Give me a meek and lowly mind:
In modest worth, O let me shine,
And peace in humble virtue find.
382. L. M.
Humility and retirement.
1 HOW vain is grandeur's purple pride! And guards, and roofs of gold, how vain! Through circling guards may sorrow glide, And gilded roofs are claim'd by pain.
2 Give me, great GOD! unknown to dwell,
Remote from pomp, and care, and strife;
Secure from passions that rebel,
And shelter'd from the storms of life.
Communing with our hearts.
1 RETURN, my roving heart, return,
And chase these shadowy forms no more;
Seek out some solitude to mourn,
And thy forsaken GoD implore.
2 Wisdom and pleasure dwell at home;
Retir'd and silent seek them there;
True conquest is ourselves t' o'ercome,
True strength to break temptation's snare.
3 And thou, my God! whose piercing eye
Distinct surveys each deep recess,
In these abstracted hours draw nigh,
And with thy presence fill the place.
4 Through all the mazes of my heart,
My search let heav'nly wisdom guide;
And still its radiant beams impart,
Till all be search'd and purified.
5 Then, with the visits of thy love,
Vouchsafe my inmost soul to cheer;
Till ev'ry grace shall join to prove,
That God hath fix'd his dwelling there.
384. S. M. ENFIELD'S COLLECTION.
Worldly anxiety reproved.
WHY should I thus perplex
My life with fruitless care,
With fears and hopes which idly vex,
And oft the heart ensnare?
Can anxious thoughts increase
My years' appointed sum?
Why waste I then my health and
To hoard for days to come?
To him, these low desires,
This sordid gain I leave,
Who to no higher good aspires,
Than what this world can give.
Then let to-morrow's cares
Until to-morrow stay:
The trouble which to-day prepares,
Suffices for to-day.
385. P. M. COTTON.
Contentment.
1 IF solid happiness we prize,
Within our breasts this jewel lies,
And they are fools who roam;
The world has little to bestow,
From our own selves our joys must flow;
Our bliss begins at home.
2 We'll therefore relish with content
Whate'er kind providence has sent,
Nor aim beyond our pow'r;
And if our store of wealth be small,
With thankful hearts improve it all,
Nor waste the present hour.
3 To be resign'd, when ills betide,
Patient, when favours are deny'd,
And pleas'd with favours giv'n;
This is the wise, the virtuous part:
This is that incense of the heart,
Whose fragrance reaches heav'n.
4 Thus thro' life's changing scenes' we'll go,
Its chequer'd paths of joy and woe
With cautious steps we 'll tread;
Quit its vain scenes without a tear,
Without a trouble or a fear,
And mingle with the dead:
5 While conscience, like a faithful friend,
Shall thro' the gloomy vale attend,
And cheer our dying breath;
Shall, when all other comforts cease,
Like a kind angel, whisper peace,
And smooth the bed of death.
A conversation becoming the gospel. 1 SO let our lips and lives express The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine.
2 Thus shall we best proclaim abroad
The honours of our Saviour God;
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