THO' all Mens Eloquence adorn'd my fweet perfuading Tongue; Tho' I could speak in higher Strains than ever Angel fung:

2.

Tho' Prophecy my Soul infpir'd,
and made all Myft'ries plain :
Yet, were I void of Chriftian Love,
thefe Gifts were all in vain.

3.

Nay, tho' my Faith, with boundless Pow'r,

ev'n Mountains could remove;

I ftill am nothing, if I'm void

of Charity and Love.

4.

Tho' with my Goods the Poor I fed ;

my Body to the Flame,

In queft of Martyrdom, I gave;

ev'n this were all in vain,

5. Love

5.

Love fuffers long, Love envies not; but Love is ever kind :

She never boafteth of herself,

nor proudly lifts the Mind,

6.

Love no unfeemly Carriage fhows,

fhe bears no felfish View

;

But lays her own Advantage by, her Neighbours to purfue.

7.

Love harbours no fufpicious Thought;

is patient to the bad;

Griev'd when she hears of Sins and Crimes,

and in the Truth is glad.

8.

Love beareth much, much fhe believes;

fhe hopes ftill for the best:

Love ftill with Meeknefs doth endure, tho' much with Hardship preft,

9.

Love ftill fhall hold an endless Reign

on Earth, and Heaven above;

When Tongues fhall ceafe, and Prophets fail,

and

every Gift but Love.

10.

Here all our Gifts imperfect are;
but better Days draw nigh,
When full Perfection's Reign fhall come,

and all thefe Shadows fly.

II.

Like Children here we fpeak and think, whom childish Toys amufe:

Our Souls when they to Manhood come, will flight their prefent Views.

Here, dark and dim, as thro' a Vail,

is GOD and Truth beheld:

Then fhall we fee, as Face to Face, and GOD be all reveal'd.

13.

Faith, Hope and Love, now dwell on Earth,

and Earth by them is blest

But Faith and Hope muft yield to Love; of every Grace the best.

14.

Hope fhall to full Fruition rife,

and Faith be Sight, above;

Thefe are the Means, but this the End;

for Saints for ever love.

encompass us around :

Men, once like us, with Suffering tried ; but now with Glory crown'd.

Like them, infpir'd with patient Heart,
your Christian Race begin :
Be each Incumbrance laid afide,
and every fav'rite Sin.

3.

Look upward to your glorious Chief,
whom future Joy could move
To bear the Crofs, defpife the Shame ;
and now he reigns above.

If he, the Scorn of Sinners vile,

with Patience could fuftain, Becomes it us, with Hearts oppreft, to murmur or complain?

5. Have

Have

you,

like him, to Blood, to Death,

with all Temptations strove?

And is the Word divine forgot, which speaks a Father's Love?

6.

My Son, faith he, with patient Mind

endure the chaft'ning Rod;

Believe, when by Affliction try'd,

that thou art lov'd of GOD.

7.

His Children thus, most dear to him,
their heavenly Parent trains,
Thro' all the hard Experience led

of Sorrows and of Pains.

8.

'Tis thus we know he owns us his,

when we Correction fhare; Nor wander, as a Baftard Race,

without our Father's Care.

9.

A Father's Voice, with Reverence, we

on Earth have often heard:

The Father of our Spirits now demands the fame Regard.

10. Our