2

3

4

5

6

S. M. Bradley Ch., 442. Gosport, 53.
Adoption. 1 John iii. 1. Gal. iv. 6.

BEHOLD what wondrous grace

The Father has bestow'd

On sinners of a mortal race,

To call them sons of God!

'Tis no surprising thing,

That we should be unknown;

The Jewish world knew not their King, God's everlasting Son.

Nor doth it yet appear

How great we must be made;

But when we see our Saviour here,
We shall be like our Head.

A hope so much divine

May trials well endure,

May purge our souls from sense and sin As Christ the Lord is pure.

If in my Father's love

I share a filial part,

Send down thy Spirit like a dove,
To rest upon my heart.

We would no longer lie

Like slaves beneath the throne; My faith shall Abba, Father, cry, And thou the kindred own.

Our wandering feet thy favours bring To the fair chambers of the King. 4 [Wonder and pleasure tune our voice To speak thy praises, and our joys: Our memory keeps this love of thine Beyond the taste of richest wine.]

5 Though in ourselves deform'd we are, And black as Kedar's tents appear, Yet, when we put thy beauties on, Fair as the courts of Solomon.

6 [While at his table sits the King, Hr loves to see us smile and sing; Our graces are our best perfume, And breathe like spikenard round the room.]

7 As myrrh new bleeding from the tree, Such is a dying Christ to me;

And while he makes my soul his guest, Thy bosom, Lord, shall be my rest.

8 [No beams of cedar, or of fir,

Can with thy courts on earth compare;
And here we wait, until thy love
Raise us to nobler seats above.]

65

1

The kingdoms of the world become the
kingdoms of the Lord. Rev. xi. 15-18.
LET the seventh angel sound on high,
Let shouts be heard thro' all the sky;
Kings of the earth, with glad accord
Give up your kingdoms to the Lord.
2 Almighty God, thy power assume,
Who wast, and art, and art to come:
Jesus the Lamb, who once was slain,
For ever live, for ever reign!

3 The angry nations fret and roar,
That they can slay the saints no more;
On wings of vengeance flies our God,
To pay the long arrears of blood.
4 Now must the rising dead appear,
Now the decisive sentence hear;
Now the dear martyrs of the Lord
Receive an infinite reward.

1

2

Seeking the pastures of Christ. Sol. Song i. 7.

THOU

HOU whom my soul admires above All earthly joy, and earthly love, Tell me, dear Shepherd, let me know, Where doth thy sweetest pasture grow' Where is the shadow of that rock

That from the sun defends thy flock? Fain would I feed among thy sheep, Among them rest, among them sleep. 13 Why should thy bride appear like one That turns aside to paths unknown? My constant feet would never rove, Would never seek another love.

4 [The footsteps of thy flock I see; Thy sweetest pastures here they be; A wond'rous feast thy love prepares, Bought with thy wounds, and groans, and tears.

5 His dearest flesh he makes my food, And bids me drink his richest blood; Here to these hills my soul will come, Till my Beloved leads me home.]

3 Beneath his cooling shade I sat,

To shield me from the burning heat;
Of heavenly fruit he spreads a feast,
To feed my eyes, and please my taste.
4 [Kindly he brought me to the place
Where stands the banquet of his grace;
He saw me faint, and o'er my head
The banner of his love he spread.
5 With living bread and generous wine
He cheers this sinking heart of mine;
And opening his own heart to me,
He shows his thoughts how kind they be.]
60 never let my Lord depart,—

Lie down and rest upon my heart:
I charge my sins not once to move,
Nor stir, nor wake, nor grieve my love.

away,

No mortal joys are worth thy stay. 4'The Jewish wintry state is gone, The mists are fled, the spring comes on, The sacred turtle-dove we hear Proclaim the new, the joyful year.

5 The immortal vine of heavenly root Blossoms and buds, and gives her fruit.' Lo, we are come to taste the wine; Our souls rejoice and bless the vine. 6 And when we hear our Jesus say,

Rise up, my love, make haste away!' Our hearts would fain outfly the wind, And leave all earthly loves behind.

70

L. M. Langdon, 217. Monmouth, 382. Christ inviting, and the church's answer. Sol. Song ii. 14, &c. [HARK! the Redeemer from on high Sweetly invites his favourites nigh; From caves of darkness and of doubt He gently speaks and calls us out. 2'My dove, who hidest in the rock, Thine heart almost with sorrow broke, Lift up thy face, forget thy fear, And let thy voice delight mine ear. 3Thy voice to me sounds ever sweet; My graces in thy count'nance meet; Though the vain world thy face despise, 'T is bright and comely in mine eyes.'

4 Dear Lord, our thankful heart receives The hope thine invitation gives: To thee our joyful lips shall raise The voice of prayer and of praise.] 5 [I am my Love's, and he is mine: Our hearts, our hopes, our passions join; Nor let a motion, nor a word,

Nor thought arise to grieve my Lord. 6 My soul to pastures fair he leads, Amongst the lilies where he feeds: Amongst the saints (whose robes are white

Wash'd in his blood) is his delight. 7 Till the day break, and shadows flee, Till the sweet dawning light I see, Thine eyes to me-ward often turn, Nor let my soul in darkness mourn. 8 Be like a hart on mountains green, Leap o'er the hills of fear and sin; Nor guilt, nor unbelief, divide My Love, my Saviour, from my side.]

2 Then I arise, and search the street, Till I my Lord, my Saviour meet; I ask the watchmen of the night, 'Where did you see my soul's delight?' 3 Sometimes I find him in my way, Directed by a heavenly ray;

4

I leap for joy to see his face,

And hold him fast in mine embrace.

[I bring him to my mother's home,
Nor does my Lord refuse to come
To Zion's sacred chambers, where
My soul first drew the vital air.

5 He gives me there his bleeding heart,
Pierced for my sake with deadly smart;
I give my soul to him, and there
Our loves their mutual tokens share.
6 I charge you all, ye earthly toys,
Approach not to disturb my joys;
Nor sin, nor hell, come near my heart,
Nor cause my Saviour to depart.

3 Let every act of worship be

Like our espousals, Lord, to thee; Like the dear hour when from above We first received thy pledge of love. 4 The gladness of that happy day, Our hearts would wish it long to stay, Nor let our faith forsake its hold, Nor comfort sink, nor love grow cold. 5 Each following minute, as it flies, Increase thy praise, improve our joys, Till we are raised to sing thy name At the great supper of the Lamb. 6 Oh that the months would roll away, And bring that coronation day! The King of grace shall fill the throne, With all his Father's glories on.

73

ΚΕ

L. M. Horsley, 205, Simeon, 357. The church's beauty in the eyes of Christ. Sol. Song iv. 1, 10, 11, 7, 9, 8. IND is the speech of Christ our Lord, Affection sounds in every word; Lo, thou art fair, my love," he cries, 'Not the young doves have sweeter eyes.' 2 [Sweet are thy lips, thy pleasing voice Salutes mine ear with secret joys; No spice so much delights the smell, Nor milk nor honey taste so well.'] 3 Thou art all fair, my bride, to me, I will behold no spot in thee.' What mighty wonders love performs, And puts a comeliness on worms. 4 Defiled and loathsome as we are, He makes us white, and calls us fair; Adorns us with that heavenly dress, His graces and his righteousness. 5 My sister and my spouse,' he cries, 'Bound to my heart by various ties, Thy powerful love my heart detains In strong delight and pleasing chains.' 6 He calls me from the leopard's den, From this wide world of beasts and men, To Zion, where his glories are; Not Lebanon is half so fair.

7 Nor dens of prey, nor flowery plains,
Nor earthly joys, nor earthly pains,
Shall hold my feet, or force my stay,
When Christ invites my soul away.

made peculiar ground;

A little spot enclosed by grace
Out of the world's wide wilderness.

2 Like trees of myrrh and spice we stand Planted by God the Father's hand; And all his springs in Zion flow

3 Awake, O heavenly wind! and come,
Blow on this garden of perfume;
Spirit Divine! descend and breathe
A gracious gale on plants beneath.
4 Make our best spices flow abroad,
To entertain our Saviour God:
And faith, and love, and joy appear,
And every grace be active here.

5 [Let my Beloved come and taste
His pleasant fruits at his own feast.
I come, my spouse, I come,' he cries,
With love and pleasure in his eyes.
6 Our Lord into his garden comes,
Well pleased to smell our poor perfumes,
And calls us to a feast divine,
Sweeter than honey, milk, or wine.
7 Eat of the tree of life, my friends,
The blessings that my Father sends;
Your taste shall all my dainties prove,
And drink abundance of my love.'
8 Jesus, we will frequent thy board,
And sing the bounties of our Lord:
But the rich food on which we live
Demands more praise than tongue can
give.] ..

75 L. M. New Court, 173. Sion, 358.

1

The description of Christ the Beloved. Sol. Song v. 9-16.

THE

HE wondering world inquires to know
Why I should love my Jesus so:
'What are his charms,' say they, 'above
The objects of a mortal love?"

2 Yes! my Beloved to my sight
Shows a sweet mixture, red and white :
All human beauties, all divine,
In my Beloved meet and shine.

3 White is his soul, from blemish free;
Red with the blood he shed for me;
The fairest of ten thousand fairs;
A sun amongst ten thousand stars.
4 [His head the finest gold excels:
There wisdom in perfection dwells;
And glory like a crown adorns
Those temples once beset with thorns.
5 Compassions in his heart are found
Hard by the signals of his wound;
His sacred side no more shall bear
The cruel scourge, the piercing spear.]
6 [His hands are fairer to behold
Than diamonds set in rings of gold;
Those heavenly hands that on the tree
Were nail'd, and torn, and bled for me!
7 Though once he bow'd his feeble knees,
Loaded with sins and agonies,
Now on the throne of his command
His legs like marble pillars stand.]
8 [His eyes are majesty and love,
The eagle temper'd with the dove;
No more shall trickling sorrows roll

9 His mouth, that pour'd out long com

[saints:

plaints, Now smiles, and cheers his fainting His countenance more graceful is Than Lebanon with all its trees.

10 All over glorious is my Lord, Must be beloved, and yet adored; His worth if all the nations knew,

Sure the whole earth would love him too.

76 L.M. Walton, 352. Power, 478.

Christ dwells in heaven, but visits on earth. Sol. Song vi. 1-3, 12. I WHEN strangers stand and hear me tell

What beauties in my Saviour dwell; Where he is gone they fain would know, That they may seek and love him too. 2 My best Beloved keeps his throne On hills of light, in worlds unknown: But he descends and shows his face In the young gardens of his grace. 3 [In vineyards planted by his hand, Where fruitful trees in order stand: He feeds amidst the spicy beds, Where lilies show their spotless heads. 4 He has engross'd my warmest love, No earthly charms my soul can move; I have a mansion in his heart,

Nor death nor hell shall make us part.] 5 [He takes my soul ere I'm aware, And shows me where his glories are: No chariots of Amminadib

The heavenly rapture can describe. 60 may my spirit daily rise

On wings of faith above the skies,
Till death shall make my last remove,
To dwell for ever with my love.]

77

L. M. Truro, 105. Peter's 359.
The love of Christ to the church.
Sol. Song vii. 5-13.

NOW in the galleries of his grace
Appears the King, and thus he says:
How fair my saints are in my sight!
My love how pleasant for delight!'
2 Kind is thy language, sovereign Lord,
There's heavenly grace in every word;
From that dear mouth a stream divine
Flows, sweeter than the choicest wine.
3 Such wondrous love awakes the lip
Of saints that were almost asleep,
To speak the praises of thy name,
And make our cold affections flame.
These are the joys he lets us know
In fields and villages below:
Gives us a relish of his love,
But keeps his noblest feast above.
5 In Paradise, within the gates,
A higher entertainment waits;
Fruits new and old laid up in store,
Where we shall feed, but thirst no more.

78

1

L. M. Ulverston, 179. Oswestry, 514.

The strength of Christ's love.
Sol. Song viii. 5-7.

[WHO is this fair one in distress

That travels from the wilderness; And press'd with sorrows and with sins, On her beloved Lord she leans?

2 This is the spouse of Christ our God,
Bought with the treasures of his blood;
And her request, and her complaint,
Is but the voice of every saint.]
30 let my name engraven stand,
Both on thy heart and on thy hand;
Seal me upon thine arm, and wear
That pledge of love for ever there.

4

Stronger than death thy love is known,
Which floods of wrath could never drown;
And hell and earth in vain combine
To quench a fire so much divine.

5 But I am jealous of my heart,
Lest it should once from thee depart;
Then let thy name be well impress'd'
As a fair signet on my breast.

6 'Till thou hast brought me to thy home,
Where fears and doubts can never come,
Thy count'nance let me often see,
And often thou shalt hear from me.
7'Come, my Beloved, haste away,
Cut short the hours of thy delay:
Fly like a youthful hart or roe,
Over the hills where spices grow.'

And like a giant doth rejoice

To run his journey through the skies:

2 From the fair chambers of the east The circuit of his race begins,

And without weariness or rest,

Round the whole earth he flies and shines.

3 O like the sun may I fulfil

The appointed duties of the dayWith ready mind and active will March on and keep my heavenly way.

4 [But I shall rove and lose the race, If God, my sun, should disappear,

And leave me in this world's wide maze,
To follow every wandering star.]

5 Lord, thy commands are clean and pure,
Enlightening our beclouded eyes;
Thy threatenings just, thy promise sure,
Thy gospel makes the simple wise.

6 Give me thy counsel for my guide,
And then receive me to thy bliss;
All my desires and hopes beside
Are faint and cold, compared with this.

80 L. M.

Tranquillity, 350.

An evening hymn. Ps. iv.8; iii. 5, 6. 1 THUS far the Lord has led me on,

Thus far his power prolongs my days, And every evening shall make known Some fresh memorial of his grace.

2 Much of my time has run to waste, And I perhaps am near my home; But he forgives my follies past,

He gives me strength for days to come. 3 I lay my body down to sleep,

Peace is the pillow for my head;
While well-appointed angels keep
Their watchful stations round my bed.

4 In vain the sons of earth or hell
Tell me a thousand frightful things;
My God in safety makes me dwell
Beneath the shadow of his wings.

5 [Faith in his name forbids my fear;
O may thy presence ne'er depart!
And in the morning make me hear
The love and kindness of thy heart.

6 Thus when the night of death shall come,
My flesh shall rest beneath the ground,
And wait thy voiee to rouse my tomb,
With sweet salvation in the sound.]

81

L. M. Fawcett, 184.

Eversley, 335. A song for morning or evening. Lam. iii. 23. Isa. xlv. 7.

Y God, how endless is thy love! Thy gifts are every evening new, And morning mercies from above Gently distil like early dew.

2 Thou spread'st the curtains of the night,
Great guardian of my sleeping hours!
Thy sovereign word restores the light,
And quickens all my drowsy powers.
3 I yield my powers to thy command,
To thee I consecrate my days;
Perpetual blessings from thine hand
Demand perpetual songs of praise.

1

82 L. M. Paul's, 246. Buxton, 347.
God far above creatures. Job iv. 17-21.
HALL the vile race of flesh and blood
SHA
Contend with their Creator, God;
Shall mortal worms presume to be
More holy, wise, or just than he?
2 Behold he puts his trust in none
Of all the spirits round his throne:

Their natures, when compared with his,

Are neither holy, just, nor wise.

3 But how much meaner things are they
Who spring from dust and dwell in clay!
Touch'd by the finger of thy wrath,
We faint and perish like the moth.
4 From night to day, from day to night,
We die by thousands in thy sight;
Buried in dust whole nations lie
Like a forgotten vanity.

114

L. M. Rushden, 468. Simeon, 337. Salvation, righteousness, and strength in Christ. Isa. xlv. 21-25. EHOVAH speaks! let Israel hear,

JEH

Let all the earth rejoice and fear, While God's eternal Son proclaims His sovereign honours and his names. 21 am the last, and I the first, The Saviour God, and God the just; There's none beside pretends to show Such justice and salvation too. 3[Ye that in shades of darkness dwell, Just on the verge of death and hell, Look up to me from distant lands, Light, life, and heaven are in my hands. 4 'I by my holy name have sworn, Nor shall the word in vain return; To me shall all things bend the knee, And every tongue shall swear to me.] 5 In me alone shall men confess Lies all their strength and righteousness; But such as dare despise my name, I'll clothe them with eternal shame. 6 In me, the Lord, shall all the seed Of Israel from their sins be freed, And, by their shining graces prove Their interest in my pardoning love.'

85 S. M. Bradley Ch., 442, Lisbon, 547,

1

2

The same.

THE Lord on high proclaims

His Godhead from his throne! 'Mercy and justice are the names By which I will be known.

'Ye dying souls that sit

In darkness and distress,

Look from the borders of the pit

To my recovering grace.'