Confirm the kind forgiving word,
With pity in thine eye.
1 0 THOU, whose tender mercy hears Contrition's humble sigh;
Whose hand, indulgent, wipes the tears
From sorrow's weeping eye.
2 See, low before thy throne of grace,
We wretched wand'rers mourn;
Hast thou not bid us seek thy face?
Hast thou not said-Return?
3 And shall our guilty fears prevail
To drive us from thy feet?
Oh, let not this dear refuge fail,
This only safe retreat!
4 Oh, shine on ev'ry sinful heart,
With beams of mercy shine;
And let thy healing voice impart
A taste of joys divine.
1 LORD, we confess our num'rous faults,
How great our guilt has been !
Foolish, and vain, were all our thoughts,
And all our lives were sin.
2 But O our souls, for ever praise,
For ever love his name;
Who turns our feet from dang'rous ways
Of folly, sin, and shame.
3 'Tis not by works of righteousness,
Which our own hands have done;
But we are sav'd by sov'reign grace
Abounding through his Son.
4 Rais'd from the dead, we live anew;
And justified by grace,
We shall appear in glory too,
And see our Father's face.
Peace to the returning Penitent.
1 SWEET is the friendly voice that speaks
The words of life and peace;
Which bids the penitent rejoice,
And sin and sorrow cease.
2 No healing balm on earth like this
Can cheer the contrite heart;
No flatt'ring dreams of earthly bliss
Such pure delight impart.
3 Thou still art merciful and kind;
Thy mercy, Lord, reveal:
The broken heart 'tis thou canst bind,
The wounded spirit heal.
4 Let thy bright presence, Lord, restore
Peace to each anxious breast:
Conduct us in the path that leads
To everlasting rest.
C. M. BEDDOME.
Resignation.
1 OUR times of sorrow and of joy,
Great God, are in thy hand;
Our choicest comforts come from thee,
And go at thy command.
2 If thou shouldst take them all away,
Yet would we not repine;
Before they were possess'd by us,
They were entirely thine.
3 Nor would we drop a murm'ring word,
Though the whole world were gone;
But seek enduring happiness,
In thee and thee alone.
4 What is the world with all its store?
"Tis but a bitter sweet;
When we attempt a rose to pluck,
A pricking thorn we meet.
5 Here perfect bliss can ne'er be found,
The honey 's mixt with gall;
'Midst changing scenes and dying friends,
Be thou our ALL IN ALL.
1 IT is the Lord-enthron'd in light, Whose claims are all divine;
Yes, gracious God, take what thou please,
To thee we all resign.
2 It is the Lord, who gives us all
Our wealth, our friends, our ease;
And, of his bounties, may recall
Whatever part he please.
3 It is the Lord, should we distrust,
Or contradict his will?
Who cannot do but what is just,
And must be righteous still!
4 It is the Lord, who can sustain
Beneath th' heaviest load;
From whom, assistance we obtain
To tread the thorny road.
5 It is the Lord, whose matchless skill,
Can from afflictions, raise
Matter eternity to fill
With ever-growing praise.
Resolution and Example.
1 AII wretched souls, who strive in vain, Slaves to the world, and slaves to sin! A nobler toil may we sustain,
A nobler satisfaction win.
2 May we resolve, with all the heart,
With all our powers to serve the Lord;
Nor from his precepts e'er depart,
Whose service is a rich reward.
3 O be his service all our joy!
Around let our example shine,
Till others love the blest employ,
And join in labours so divine.
4 O may we never faint nor tire,
Nor, wandering, leave his sacred ways;
Great God! accept our souls' desire,
And give us strength to live thy praise.
CHRISTIAN GRACES.
L. M. DODDRIDGE.
Rejoicing in God.
THE righteous Lord, supremely great,
Maintains his universal state;
O'er all the earth his power extends;
All heaven before his footstool bends.
2 Yet justice still with power presides,
And mercy all his empire guides:
Mercy and truth are his delight,
And saints are lovely in his sight.
3 No more, ye wise! your wisdom boast;
No more, ye strong! your valour trust;
No more, ye rich! survey your store,
Elate with heaps of shining ore.
4 Rejoice, ye saints, in this alone,
That God, your God, to you is known:
That you have own'd his sov'reign sway,
That you have felt his cheering ray.
5 Our wisdom, wealth, and power, we find In one Jehovah all combin❜d:
On him we fix our roving eyes,
And all our souls in raptures rise.
1 SUBMISSIVE to thy will, O God,
We all to thee resign,
And bow before thy chast'ning rod
We mourn, but not repine.
2 Why should our foolish hearts complain,
When wisdom, truth, and love
Direct the stroke, inflict the pain,
And point to joys above.
3 How short are all our suff'rings here,
How needful every cross;
Away, our unbelieving fears,
Nor call our gain, our loss.
4 Then give, dear Lord, or take away,
We'll bless thy sacred name;
Thy precepts, yesterday, to-day,
For ever are the same.
1 AND can our hearts aspire so high,
To say, Our Father, God!
Lord, at thy feet we fain would lie,
And learn to kiss the rod.
2 We would submit to all thy will,
For thou art good and wise;
Let every anxious thought be still,
Nor one faint murmur rise.
3 Thy love can cheer the darksome gloom And bid us wait serene;
Till hopes and joys immortal bloom,
And brighten all the scene.
4 Our Father, O permit our hearts
To plead their humble claim,
And ask the bliss thy word imparts,
In our Redeemer's name.
S. M. TOPLADY.
Trust in God.
1 YOUR harps, ye trembling saints,
Down from the willows take:
Loud to the praise of love divine,
Bid every string awake.
2 Though in a foreign land,
We are not far from home;
And nearer to our house above
We every moment come.
3 His grace will, to the end,
Stronger and brighter shine; Nor present things-nor things to come, Shall quench this spark divine.
4 When we in darkness walk,
Nor feel the heavenly flame;
Then will we trust the gracious God,
And rest upon his name.
5 Soon shall our doubts and fears
Subside at his control;
His loving kindness shall break through The midnight of the soul.
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