SELECTIONS

FROM THE

HOLY SCRIPTURES, &c.

1. THE WORD OF GOD.

SEARCH the Scriptures: for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me.-JOHN v. 39.

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life.JOHN vi. 63.

Deut. iv. 2-vi. 6-9—viii. 3—xi. 18-20-xxx. 11-15-xxxi. 12, 13-xxxii. 1, 2, 46, 47-xxxiii. 3—Josh. i. 8-Job xxii. 21, 22 -Psalm i. 2-xii. 6—xix. 7, 8, 10, 11–xxix. 4—xxxiii. 4—xxxvii. 31-xl. 8-cxi. 7, 8-cxix. 11, 15, 18, 24, 30, 40-48, 54, 72, 86, 89, 92, 93, 96-99, 103-105, 111, 113, 114, 127-131, 133, 135, 136, 138, 140, 151, 152, 159-162, 165, 167-Prov. iv. 20-22—vi. 22, 23-vii. 1-3-xiii. 13–xxx. 5, 6-Isaiah v. 24-viii, 20-xxix. 18-lv. 8-11-lix. 21-lxvi. 2-Jer. xv. 16-xx. 9-xxiii. 29— xxxi. 33-Ezek. ii. 7-iii. 10-Mic. ii. 7.

Matt. iv. 4-v. 17, 18—xxii. 29–xxiv. 35—Mark ii. 2—iv. 3-9, 14-20-Luke iv. 16-22-x. 38, 39, 42-xvi. 16, 17—xxiv. 25-27, 32, 44, 45—John i. 4, 18—iv. 41, 42—v. 39—vi. 63, 68— vii. 46—viii. 31, 32, 47-xii. 48-50—xv. 22—xvii. 8, 17-Acts

B

viii. 27-35-xiii. 12—xvii. 2, 11-xviii. 11, 24, 26-28-xx. 27. 32 -xxi. 20-xxiv. 14-xxvi. 27-Rom. ii. 15—iii. 1, 2—vii. 12— x. 17—xv. 4—1 Cor. i. 18-20-Eph. vi. 17-Phil. ii. 16-Col. iii. 16-1 Thes. i. 5, 6-ii. 13-1 Tim. vi. 3, 4—2. Tim. i. 13— ii. 9, 15-iii. 15-17-Heb. i. 1-3—ii. 1-4—iv. 12—xi. 3—xii. 25— Jas. i. 18, 21-1 Pet. i. 23-25-ii. 2-2 Pet. i. 19-21-iii. 1, 2, 15, 16-1 John i. 1, 3, 4-ii. 7, 24—v. 9-11, 13-2 John 9Jude 3. 17-Rev. i. 3, 19—ii. 29—iii. 10—xix. 10–xxii. 7, 18, 19.

Say, would'st thou live? this hallow'd page shall tell
Where life's best joys and holiest pleasures dwell:
Say, would'st thou die? then prize this sacred lore
That points to worlds where death shall reign no more
Living or dying, this shall soothe all pain,
Teaching, to live is Christ, to die is gain.

This book, this holy book, on every line
Marked with the seal of high divinity,
On every leaf bedewed with drops of love
Divine, and with the eternal heraldry
And signature of God Almighty stamped
From first to last, this ray of sacred light,
This lamp from off the everlasting throne,
Mercy brought down, and in the night of time
Stands, casting on the dark her gracious bow,
And evermore beseeching men with tears
And earnest sighs, to read, believe, and live.

POLLOK.

O, how unlike the complex works of man,
Heaven's easy, artless, unincumber'd plan!
No meritricious graces to beguile,

No clust'ring ornaments to clog the pile :
From ostentation, as from weakness, free,
It stands like the Cerulean arch we see,
Majestic in its own simplicity.
Inscrib'd above the portal, from afar
Conspicuous, as the brightness of a star,
Legible only by the light they give,

Stand the soul-quick'ning words-Believe and live!

COWPER.

O child of sorrow, be it thine to know,
That Scripture only is the cure of woe!
That field of promise, how it flings abroad
Its perfume o er the Christian's thorny road!
The soul, reposing on assur'd belief,
Feels herself happy amidst all her grief,
Forgets her labours as she toils along,
Weeps tears of joy, and bursts into a song!

Cowper.

Son of God! to Thee I look,
Teach me this mysterious book;
Take my weakness by the hand,
Make my dullness understand.
With Thy grace anoint my eyes,
Make me to salvation wise;

!

Wisdom from above impart,
Give me the believing heart.

WESLEY.

Great Prophet of Thy church, 'tis Thine
To break Thy Word's mysterious seal :
To touch with light each beaming line,
And all its glorious sense reveal.

My God! one lesson taught by Thee
Transcends a thousand learn'd from men :

And now this blessed truth I see,

I'll never leave Thy feet again.

EAST.

Father of all, in whom alone

We live, and move, and breathe ;
One bright celestial ray dart down,
And cheer Thy sons beneath.

While in Thy Word we search for Thee,

(We search with trembling awe)

Open our eyes, and let us see

The wonders of Thy law.

Now let our darkness comprehend
The light that shines so clear;
Now the revealing Spirit send,
And give us ears to hear.

It is the one true light,

That when all other lamps grow dim,
Shall never burn less purely bright,
Nor lead astray from Him,
The gently proffer'd aid

Of One who knows us, and can best
Supply the beings He has made

With what will make them blest.
There rests the weary head,

There age and sorrow love to go;
And how it soothes the dying bed,
Oh, let the Christian show!

And in her other hand she fast did hold

A booke, that was both sign'd and seal'd with blood; Wherein dark things were write, hard to be understood.

That of her heavenly learning he might taste,

And heare the wisdom of her wordes divine,

She then him taught celestiall discipline,

And opened his dull eyes, that light might in them shine.

And that her sacred booke, with blood ywritt,

That none could reade except she did them teach,
She unto him disclosed every whitt;

And heavenly documents thereout did preach
(That weaker witt of man could never reach)
Of God, of grace, of justice, of free-will;
That wonder was to hear her goodly speach:
For she was able with her wordes to kill,

And rayse againe to life the heart that she did thrill.
SPENSER.