CCLXXXI. A filial Temper, the Work of the Spirit, and a Proof of
Adoption. Galatians iv. 6.
1 SOVEREIGN of all the worlds on high,
Allow my humble claim;
Nor, while a worm would raise its head,
Disdain a Father's name.
2 My Father-God! How sweet the sound!
How tender, and how dear!
Not all the melody of heaven
Could so delight the ear.
3 Come sacred Spirit, seal the name
On mine expanding heart;
And shew, that in Jehovah's grace
I share a filial part.
4 Cheer'd by a signal so divine,
Unwavering I believe;
Thou knowest I, Abba, Father, cry,
Nor can the sign deceive.
5 On wings of everlasting love
The comforter is come;
All terrors at his voice disperse,
And endless pleasures bloom.
CCLXXXII. Christian Sympathy. Galatians vi. 2.
1 HAIL, everlasting Prince of peace!
Hail, Governor divine!
How gracious is thy sceptre's sway!
What gentle laws are thine!
2 His tender heart with love o'erflow'd,
Love spoke in every breath;
Vigorous it reign'd through all his life,
And triumph'd in his death.
3 All these united charms he shews
Our frozen souls to move;
This proof of love to him demands,
That we each other love.
4 O be the sacred law fulfill'd
In every act and thought;
Each angry passion far remov'd,
Each selfish view forgot.
5 Be thou, my heart, dilated wide
By thy Redeemer's grace;
And, in one grasp of fervent love,
All earth and heaven embrace.
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CCLXXIX. The Christian Farewel. 2 Corinthians xiii. 11.
1 THY presence, everlasting God,
Wide o'er all nature spreads abroad;
Thy watchful eyes, which cannot sleep,
In every place thy children keep.
2 While near each other we remain,
Thou dost our lives and souls sustain ;
When absent, happy if we share
Thy smiles, thy counsels, and thy care.
3 To thee we all our ways commit,
And seek our comforts near thy feet;
Still on our souls vouchsafe to shine,
And guard and guide us still as thine.
4 Give us in thy beloved house
Again to pay our grateful vows;
Or, if that joy no more be known,
Give us to meet around thy throne:
CCLXXX. Living while in the Flesh by Faith in Christ, who loved us, &c. Galatians ii. 20.
1 MY Jesus, while in mortal flesh
I hold my frail abode,
Still would my spirit rest on thee,
Its Saviour, and its God.
2 By hourly faith in thee I live
"Midst all my griefs and snares;
And death, encounter'd in thy sight,
No form of horror wears.
3 Yes, thou hast lov'd this sinful worm,
Hast given thyself for me;
Hast bought me from eternal death,
Nail'd to the bloody tree.
4 On thy dear cross I fix mine eyes,
Then raise them to thy seat;
Till love dissolves my inmost soul,
At its Redeemer's feet.
5 Be dead, my heart, to worldly charms;
Be dead to every sin;
And tell the boldest foes without,
That Jesus reigns within.
6 My life with his connected stands,
Nor asks a surer ground;
He keeps me in his gracious arms,
Where heaven itself is found.
4 While we expect the glorious sight,
Love shall our hearts with theirs unite,
And ardent hope our bosoms raise:
From earth's dark vale, and tongues of clay,
To these resplendent realms of day,
We'll try to send the sounding praise.
CCLXXXV. The heavenly Inheritance made known by the Spirit.
Ephesians i. 18.
1 COME, thou celestial Spirit, come,
And call my roving passions home;
To mine enlightened eyes display
The heritage of heavenly day.
2 My God, that heritage is thine:
How rich, how glorious, how divine!
How far above all mortal things,
The little pride of courts and kings!
3 Of endless joy the unbounded store,
Why is its lustre known no more?
Away, ye mists of envious night,
That veil salvation from my sight!
4 Shine forth, Almighty Saviour, shine;
Shew the bright world, and shew it mine;
Then paradise on earth shall spring,
And mortal worms like angels sing.
CCLXXXVI. Salvation by Grace. Ephesians ii. 5.
GRACE! 'tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to my ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
Grace first contriv'd a way
To save rebellious man,
And all the steps that grace display;
Which drew the wondrous plan.
Grace taught my wandering feet
To tread the heavenly road,
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.
Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
CCLXXXIII. Blessing God for spiritual Blessings in Christ.
OUD be thy name ador'd,
Thy titles spread abroad,
Of Christ, our glorious Lord,
The Father and the God!
Through such a Son,
Thy church's head,
Thine honours spread
O'er worlds unknown.
2 Ten thousand gifts of love
From thee through him descend;
And bear our souls above
To joys that never end
To heaven they soar,
Sustain'd by God,
And through the road
His arm adore.
3 Ten thousand songs of praise
Shall by the Saviour rise,
And through eternal days
Shall echo round the skies.
New shouts we'll give,
And loud proclaim
The honour'd name,
By which we live.
CCLXXXIV. The grand Scheme of the Gospel. Ephesians i. 9, 10, 11.
IWE sing the deep mysterious plan,
Which God devis'd, ere time began ;
At length disclos'd in all its light.
We bless the wondrous birth of love,
Which beams around us from above,
With grace so free, and hope so bright.
2 Here has the wise eternal mind
In Christ, their common head, conjoin'd
Gentiles and Jews, and earth and heaven:
Through him, from the great Father's throne,
Rivers of bliss come rolling down,
And endless peace and life are given.
3 No more the awful cherubs guard
The tree of life with flaming sword,
To drive afar man's trembling race;
At Salem's pearly gates they stand,
And smiling wait, a friendly band!
To welcome strangers to the place.
5 Fir'd with the view, our souls shall rise
In such a scene as this,
And view the happy moment near,
That shall complete our bliss.
CCLXXXIX. The Institution of a Gospel-Ministry from Christ. Ephesians iv. 11, 12.
FOR THE ORDINATION OR SETTLEMENT OF A MINISTER.
1 FATHER of mercies, in thy house
Smile on our homage, and our vows;
While with a grateful heart we share
These pledges of our Saviour's care.
2 The Saviour, when to heaven he rose
In splendid triumph o'er his foes,
Scatter'd his gifts on men below,
And wide his royal bounties flow.
3 Hence sprung the apostles honoured name,
Sacred beyond heroic fame;
Hence dictates the prophetic sage;
And hence the evangelic page.
4 In lowlier forms, to bless our eyes,
Pastors from hence, and teachers rise;
Who, though with feebler rays they shine,
Still gild a long-extended line.
5 From Christ their varied gifts derive,
And fed by Christ their graces live:
While, guarded by his potent hand,
'Midst all the rage of hell they stand.
6 So shall the bright succession run
Through the last courses of the sun;
While unborn churches by their care
Shall rise and flourish large and fair.
7 Jesus our Lord their hearts shall know,
The spring, whence all these blessings flow:
Pastors and people shout his praise
Through the long round of endless days.
CCXC. Christ the Head of the Church. Ephesians iv. 15, 16. 1 JESUS, I sing thy matchless grace,
That calls a worm thy own;
Gives me among thy saints a place
To make thy glories known.
2 Allied to thee our vital head,
We act, and grow, and thrive:
From thee divided, each is dead,
When most he seems alive.
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