2 How oft my mournful thoughts complain, And melt in flowing tears;
My weak resistance, ah, how vain,
How strong my foes and fears!
3 O gracious God! in whom I live,
My feeble efforts aid;
Help me to watch, and pray, and strive,
Though trembling and afraid.
4 Increase my faith-increase my hope,
When foes and fears prevail,
And bear my fainting spirit up,
Or soon my strength will fail.
5 Whene'er temptations fright my heart,
Or lure my feet aside;
My God, thy powerful aid impart,
My guardian and my guide.
6 O keep me in thy heavenly way,
And bid the tempter flee,
And let me never, never, stray
From happiness and thee !
Sin the cause of Declension.
1 O FOR a closer walk with God,
A calm and heavenly frame;
A light to shine upon the road,
That leads me to the Lamb!
2 Where is the blessedness I knew,
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and his word?
3 What peaceful hours I then enjoyed,
How sweet their memory still;
But now I find an aching void
The world can never fill.
4 Return, O holy Dove, return
Sweet messenger of rest !
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove me from thy breast.
5 The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee..
6 So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
1 FROM whence this fear and unbelief?
Hast thou, O Father, put to grief
Thy spotless Son for me?
And will the righteous Judge of men
Condemn me for that debt of sin
Which, Lord, was charged on thee?
2 Complete atonement thou hast made,
And to the utmost farthing paid,
Whate'er thy people owed;
How then can wrath on me take place,
If shelter'd in thy righteousness,
And sprinkled with thy blood.
3 Turn then, my soul, unto thy rest,
The merits of thy great High Priest
Speak peace and liberty;
Trust in his efficacious blood,
Nor fear thy banishment from God,
Since Jesus died for thee !
1 DROOPING soul shake off thy fears, Fearful soul be strong-be bold; Tarry till the Lord appears,
Never, never quit thy hold.
2 Fainting soul be bold-be strong,
Wait the coming of thy Lord,
Though it seem to tarry long,
True and faithful is his word.
3 "Every one that seeks shall find,
Every one that asks shall have;"
Christ, the Saviour of mankind,
Willing, able, all to save !
4 I shall his salvation see,
I in faith on Jesus call;
I from sin shall be set free,
Perfectly set free from all.
5 Lord, my time is in thine hand,
Weak and helpless as I am;
Surely thou canst make me stand,
I believe in Jesu's name.
6 Saviour, in temptation thou-
Thou hast saved me heretofore,
Thou from sin dost save me now,
Thou shalt save me evermore!
1 YE deepest dyed transgressors, come !
Jesus, the Lord, invites you home,
O whither can you go?
What! are your crimes of crimson hue,
His promise is for ever true,
He'll wash you white as snow.
2 Backsliding souls! fill'd with your ways,
Whose weeping nights, and wretched days,
In bitterness are spent,
Return to Jesus: He'll reveal
His pardoning grace, and kindly heal
What you so much lament.
3 Tried souls! "Fear not," he says, "'tis I,
My grace is yours-these are to try
If faith will bear the test:"
The Lord has given the chiefest good,
He shed for you his precious blood,
O trust him for the rest!
The Sinner's Approach to Christ. "Fight the good fight of faith;" that is, Struggle to enter in with the crowd ere the gate be shut; struggle to keep hold of the horns of the Altar, i. e. the cross, lest the accuser find you away from your Refuge.
1 ALMIGHTY Redeemer! all praise to thy name, And honour, and glory, and blessing, and fame! But stay thou, my soul, -nor too hastily soar To praise him whom Angels with rev'rence
2 Polluted with sin, lay thee low in the dust,
Nor venture too forward, though sure be thy
trust;
To his new exaltation such homage was meet,
His favour'd Apostle fell dead at his feet.
3 Through self-condemnation, the last to draw
Yet firm be thy step e'en while trembling with
fear;
To hope against hope, against faith to believe,
Belongs to all those who his promise receive.
4 Unshaken his mind, and his counsels remain,
If great be thy guilt, not less great was his pain;
Yea both, although greater than thou canst well
By him were foreseen ere his work he began.
5 If more be forgiven, the more be thy love,
Take shame to thyself so ungrateful to prove,
If thou hadst not sinned his pain had been less,
Be humble, nor dare thyself fondly caress.
6 Thy faith and thy hope make no haste to display,
Nor dare to go forward till he lead the way;
T' enquirers, their reason with modesty give,
Since light is sent forth for all men to receive.
7 Then turn to thy brethren and follow their steps,
The heavenward path as each holy one keeps,
Deservedly last still thy entrance is sure,
Press forward, and thou to the end shalt endure.
8 My soul! spare thy powers from soaring too
high,
Expect thy reward, all impatience deny;
Content with thy station, its duties fulfil,
The greatest, or meanest, as shall be God's will.
9 Almighty Redeemer! all praise to thy name, Archangels and angels shall yield thee the same; Brought near!-past believing-how happy the
To praise-and thy ev'ry command to obey.
1 GO, worship at Immanuel's feet,
See in his face what wonders meet;
Earth is too narrow to express
His worth, his glory, or his grace.
2 The whole creation can afford
But some faint shadows of my Lord;
Nature, to make his beauties known,
Must mingle colours not her own.
3 Is he compared to wine or bread?
Our souls, O Lord, would thus be fed;
That flesh, that dying aying blood of thine,
Is bread of life, is heavenly wine.
4 Is he a tree? The world receives
Salvation from his healing leaves;
That righteous branch, that fruitful bough
Is David's root and offspring too.
5 Is he a rose? Not Sharon yields
Such fragrancy in all her fields;
Or if the lily he assume,
The valleys bless the rich perfume.
6 Is he a vine? His heavenly root
Supplies the boughs with life and fruit;
O let a lasting union join
My soul the branch to Christ the vine.
7 Is he the head? Each member lives,
And owns the vital power he gives;
The saints below and saints above
Joined by his Spirit and his love.
8 Is he a fountain? There I bathe,
And heal the plague of sin and death;
These waters all my soul renew,
And cleanse my spotted garments too.
9 Is he a fire? He'll purge my dross,
But the true gold sustains no loss;
Like a refiner shall he sit,
And tread the refuse with his feet.
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