Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; His purposes will ripen fast, The bud may have a bitter taste, Oh! hadst thou left me unchastised, I love thee, therefore, O my God, XXXVI. WELCOME CROSS. 'Tis my happiness below Not to live without the cross, But the Saviour's power to know, Sanctifying every loss: Trials must and will befal; But with humble faith to see Of affliction, pain, and toil; Trials make the promise sweet, Trials give new life to prayer; Trials bring me to his feet, Lay me low, and keep me there. Did I meet no trials here, No chastisement by the way, Might I not with reason fear I should prove a cast-away? Bastards may escape the rod 2, Sunk in earthly vain delight; But the true-born child of God Must not, would not, if he might. XXXVII. AFFLICTIONS SANCTIFIED BY THE WORD. O HOW I love thy holy word, What are the mines of shining wealth, Long unafflicted, undismay'd, What though it pierced my fainting heart, 1 John xiii. 7. 2 Hebrews, xii. 8. 3 Psalm cxix. 71. XXXVIII. TEMPTATION. THE billows swell, the winds are high, Out of the depths to thee I call,— My fears are great, my strength is small. O Lord, the pilot's part perform, And guard and guide me through the storm; Amidst the roaring of the sea My soul still hangs her hope on thee; Though tempest-toss'd and half a wreck, XXXIX. LOOKING UPWARDS IN A STORM. GOD of my life, to thee I call, When the great water-floods prevail', Friend of the friendless and the faint, Did ever mourner plead with thee, Fair is the lot that's cast for me; XL. THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW OF DEATH. My soul is sad, and much dismay'd; How like a smoky cloud they rise! My throbbing heart with anguish tear; Each lights upon a kindred spark, And finds abundant fuel there. I hate the thought that wrongs the Lord; O! I would drive it from my breast, With thy own sharp two-edged sword, Far as the east is from the west. Come then and chase the cruel host, Heal the deep wounds I have received! Nor let the powers of darkness boast, That I am foil'd, and Thou art grieved! XLI. PEACE AFTER A STORM, WHEN darkness long has veil'd my mind, And smiling day once more appears, Then, my Redeemer, then I find The folly of my doubts and fears. Straight I upbraid my wandering heart, And blush that I should ever be Thus prone to act so base a part, Or harbour one hard thought of Thee! Oh! let me then at length be taught What I am still so slow to learn, That God is Love, and changes not, Nor knows the shadow of a turn. Sweet truth, and easy to repeat! But when my faith is sharply tried, I find myself a learner yet, Unskilful, weak, and apt to slide. But, O my Lord, one look from Thee Subdues the disobedient will, Drives doubt and discontent away, And thy rebellious worm is still. Thou art as ready to forgive As I am ready to repine; Thou, therefore, all the praise receive; Be shame and self-abhorrence mine. XLII. MOURNING AND LONGING. THE Saviour hides his face! My spirit thirsts to prove Renew'd supplies of pardoning grace, And never-fading love. The favour'd souls who know What glories shine in him, Pant for his presence as the roe Pants for the living stream. 1 Ephes. vi. 16. What trifles tease me now! They swarm like summer flies; They cleave to every thing I do, And swim before my eyes. How dull the Sabbath day, I glean a berry here and there, Though I am but a worm, The Lord will my desire perform, XLIII. SELF-ACQUAINTANCE. DEAR Lord! accept a sinful heart, Which of itself complains, And mourns, with much and frequent smart, The evil it contains. There fiery seeds of anger lurk, Which often hurt my frame; Legality holds out a bribe To purchase life from thee; While Unbelief withstands thy grace, How eager are my thoughts to roam Oh, cleanse me in a Saviour's blood, And make me thy beloved abode, XLIV. PRAYER FOR PATIENCE. LORD, who hast suffer'd all for me, My peace and pardon to procure, The lighter cross I bear for thee, Help me with patience to endure. The storm of loud repining hush; I would in humble silence mourn; Why should the unburnt, though burning bush, Be angry as the crackling thorn? Man should not faint at thy rebuke, Like Joshua falling on his face, When the cursed thing that Achan took Brought Israel into just disgrace. 2 Joshua, vii. 10, 11. O LORD, my best desire fulfil, Life, health, and comfort to thy will, Why should I shrink at thy command, No, rather let me freely yield Wisdom and mercy guide my way, A poor blind creature of a day, But ah! my inward spirit cries, Still bind me to thy sway; Else the next cloud that veils the skies Drives all these thoughts away. XLVI. THE HAPPY CHANGE. How bless'd thy creature is, O God, Struck by that light, the human heart, 1 Isaiah, xxxv. 7. The glorious orb whose golden beams He started from the goal, Has cheer'd the nations with the joys XLVII. RETIREMENT. FAR from the world, O Lord, I flee, The calm retreat, the silent shade, With prayer and praise agree; There if thy Spirit touch the soul, Nor asks a witness of her song, Nor thirsts for human praise. Author and guardian of my life, Sweet source of light divine, Shall echo through the realms above XLVIII. THE HIDDEN LIFE. To tell the Saviour all my wants, Nor less to praise him when he grants My labouring spirit vainly seeks With how much tenderness he speaks, Nor were it wise, nor should I chuse, Like precious wines their taste they lose, But this with boldness I proclaim, And can you frown, my former friends, Trust me, I draw the likeness true, And not as fancy paints; XLIX. JOY AND PEACE IN BELIEVING. SOMETIMES a light surprises The Christian while he sings; In holy contemplation We sweetly then pursue Set free from present sorrow, It can bring with it nothing, But He will bear us through Though vine nor fig-tree neither2 Their wonted fruit shall bear, Though all the field should wither, Nor flocks nor herds be there: Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice; For, while in him confiding, I cannot but rejoice. L. TRUE PLEASURES. LORD, my soul with pleasure springs Still delighted I perceive; Those who love thee as they pass, Pleasant too to sit and tell What we owe to love divine; Till our bosoms grateful swell, And eyes begin to shine. Those the comforts I possess, Which God shall still increase, All his ways are pleasantness,3 And all his paths are peace. Nothing Jesus did or spoke, LI. THE CHRISTIAN. HONOUR and happiness unite To make the Christian's name a praise; How fair the scene, how clear the light, That fills the remnant of his days! A kingly character he bears, His joys can never reach a close. His steps are dignity and grace. Inferior honours he disdains, Nor stoops to take applause from earth; Ordain'd to fill a throne above; And shout him welcome to the skies! LII. LIVELY HOPE AND GRACIOUS FEAR. I WAS a groveling creature once, I wanted spirit to renounce The clod that gave me birth. But God has breathed upon a worm, And sent me from above Wings such as clothe an angel's form, With these to Pisgah's top I fly, The Lord of all the vast domain The length and breadth of all the plain How glorious is my privilege! I stand upon a mountain's edge, Though much exalted in the Lord, 4 Matt. xi. 30. I THIRST, but not as once I did, The vain delights of earth to share; Thy wounds, Emmanuel, all forbid That I should seek my pleasures there. It was the sight of thy dear cross First wean'd my soul from earthly things; And taught me to esteem as dross The mirth of fools and pomp of kings. Then all my servile works were done A righteousness to raise ; Now, freely chosen in the Son, I freely chuse his ways. "What shall I do," was then the word, To see the law by Christ fulfill'd, LVI. THE HEART HEALED AND CHANGED BY MERCY. SIN enslaved me many years, And led me bound and blind; Till at length a thousand fears Came swarming o'er my mind. "Where," said I, in deep distress, "Will these sinful pleasures end? How shall I secure my.peace, And make the Lord my friend ?" A stranger still to God. Down at his feet I fell: LVIL HATRED OF SIN. HOLY Lord God! I love thy truth, Hope bids me still with patience wait; The prisoner sent to breathe fresh air, But, oh! no foe invades the bliss, When glory crowns the Christian's head; One view of Jesus as He is Will strike all sin for ever dead. 4 Romans, iii. 31. |