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XVII. LOVE TO GOD.

We love Him, because He first loved us.-1 JOHN iv. 18.
Keep yourselves in the love of God.-JUDE 21.

Deut. vi. 5-vii. 9—x. 12—xi. 1, 13, 14, 22, 23-xxx. 6, 15, 16, 19, 20-Josh. xxiii. 11-Psalm v. 11-xviii. 1—xxxi. 23— xxxvii. 4—xlii. 1, 2—lxxiii. 25-xci. 14-16-xcvii. 10-cxix. 132 cxlv. 20-Prov. viii. 17, 20, 21-xxiii. 26-Cant. i. 4-ii. 16—v. 10-viii. 6, 7-Isaiah lvi. 6, 7.

Matt. x. 37-xxii. 36-38-Mark xii. 29, 30, 33-Luke vii. 47— xi. 42-John xiv. 15, 21, 23-xxi. 15-17-Rom. viii. 28, 35-39— 1 Cor. ii. 9-viii. 3—xi. 23-26-xvi. 22-Gal. v. 6-Eph. iii. 14, 17-19-v. 2-vi. 24-Phil. i. 9-1 Thes. v. 8-2 Thes. iii. 5— 1 Tim. vi. 11-2 Tim. i. 7-Heb. vi. 7-Jas. i. 12-ii. 5-1 Pet. i. 8-1 John ii. 15-iv. 16-21-v. 1-3-Jude 20, 21-Rev. ii. 4 -xxii. 20.

Thou hidden love of God, whose height,
Whose depth unfathom'd no man knows,-

I see from far the beauteous light,

And only sigh for Thy repose:
My heart is pain'd, nor can it be
At rest, till it find rest in Thee.

Is there a thing beneath the sun,

That strives with Thee my heart to share? Ah! tear it thence, and reign alone,

The Lord of every motion there : Then shall my heart from earth be free, When it has found its all in Thee.

O crucify this self, that I

No more, but Christ in me may live;
Bid all my vile affections die,

Nor let one hateful lust survive :
In all things nothing may I see,
Or ought desire, or seek, but Thee!

Lord, draw my heart from earth away,
And make it only know Thy call;
Speak to my inmost soul, and say,

I am thy Saviour-God, thine all!"
To feel Thy power, to hear Thy voice,
To taste Thy love, be all my choice.

MORAVIAN.

Happy the heart where graces reign,
And love inspires the breast!
Love is the brightest of the train,
And strengthens all the rest.

Without it, knowledge is in vain,
And all in vain our fear;

Our stubborn sins will fight and reign,
If love be absent there.

K

"Tis love that makes our cheerful feet
In swift obedience move;

The devils know, and tremble too,
But Satan cannot love.

This is the grace that lives and sings,
When faith and hope shall cease;
And this shall strike our joyful strings
In realms of endless peace.

When join'd to that harmonious throng
That fills the choirs above,

Then shall we tune our golden harps,
And every note be love.

Whom should we love like Thee,
Our God, our Guide, our King-

The Tower to which we flee,

The Rock to which we cling?
O, for a thousand tongues to shew
The mercies which to Thee we owe!

How strange is heav'nly love!

I never saw His face,

I never trod His courts above,
I have but known His grace,

Yet my affections cling

To His beloved side

I feel He is my God, my King,
And I His ransomed Bride.

LYTE.

How strong is heav'nly love!
Stronger than aught below;
Tho' wide and wild my passions rove,
I will not let Him go!
What though I see Him not,

I feel the ardour burn,

He hath for me the victory wrought,

I love Him in return.

How sweet is heav'nly love!
'Tis all in all to me:

I muse on Him in field or grove,
Or wand'ring on the sea:
I walk with Jesus here,

Not lonely, though alone,
Till in His mansions I appear,

And know as I am known.

J. A. LA TROBE.

Yes, love indeed is light from heaven;
A spark of that immortal fire,

With angels shared, by Jesus given,
To lift from earth our low desire.
Devotion wafts the mind above,
But heaven itself descends in love;
A feeling from the Godhead caught,
To wean from self each sordid thought;
A ray of Him who form'd the whole;
A glory circling round the soul !

ANON.

Hark, my soul! it is the Lord;
'Tis thy Saviour, hear His word;
Jesus speaks, and speaks to thee :
Say, poor sinner, lov'st thou me ?

"I deliver'd thee when bound,

And, when bleeding, heal'd thy wound:
Sought thee wandering, set thee right,-
Turn'd thy darkness into light.