6 The night is past, my morning dawns;
My covenant-God descends,
And wakes that dust to join my soul
In bliss that never ends.
7 That cov'nant the last accent claims
Of this poor faltering tongue;
And that shall the first notes employ
Of my celestial song.
XXIII. Rejoicing in our Covenant-engagements to God. 2 Chron. xv. 15.
HAPPY day, that fixed my choice
On thee, my Saviour, and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
O happy bond, that seals my vows
To him, who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems* fill his house,
While to that sacred shrine + I move.
3 'Tis done; the great transaction's done :
I am my Lord's, and he is mine:
He drew me, and I follow'd on,
Charm'd to confess the voice divine.
4 Now rest my long-divided heart,
Fix'd on this blissful centre rest;
With ashes who would grudge to part,
When called on angels, bread to feast?
5 High heaven that heard the solemn vow,
That vow renew'd shall daily hear;
Till in life's latest hour I bow,
And bless in death a bond so dear.
XXIV. God stirring up the Spirit of Cyrus to redeem Israel.
Ezra i. 1. compared with Isaiah xliv. 1-4.
1 TH' eternal God! his name how great!
How deep his counsels! how complete!
The hearts of kings his power can sway ;
His word unconscious they obey.
2 Summon'd of old in distant days
To serve his schemes, and shew his praise,
Cyrus, illustrious prince, appears,
His people frees, his temple rears.
3 Through legions arm'd he breaks his way,
And tramples generals down like clay;
Altar, or place of worship.
The bars of steel he cuts in twain,
And brazen gates oppose in vain.
4 But to Jehovah's accents mild
The hero pliant as a child,
Lays the new cares of empire by,
Till Zion rise, and shines on high.
5 Thus, mighty God, shall every heart,
(If thou thine influence there exert)
Throw its own fondest schemes aside,
And follow where thy hand shall guide.
6 The foremost sons of fame shall boast
To raise thy temples from their dust;
Princes shall shout thy name aloud,
And new-born priests thine altars crowd.
XXV. A Glance from God bringing us down to the Solitude of the Grave.
Job vii. 8.
1 SOVEREIGN of life, before thine eye,
Lo, mortal men by thousands die!
One glance from thee at once brings down
The proudest brow, that wears a crown.
2 Banish'd at once from human sight
To the dark grave's unchanging night,
Imprison'd in that dusty bed,
We hide our solitary head.
3 The friendly band no more shall greet,
Accents familiar once, and sweet:
No more the well-known features trace,
No more renew the fond embrace.
4 Yet if my Father's faithful hand
Conduct me through this gloomy land,
My soul with pleasure shall obey,
And follow, where he leads the way.
5 He nobler friends, than here I leave,
In brighter surer worlds can give;
Or by the beamings of his eye
A lost creation well supply.
XXVI. The Impossibility of prospering while Men harden themselves against God. Job ix. 4.
1 THE great Jehovah ! who shall dare
With him to tempt unequal war?
What heart of steel shall dare t' oppose,
And league among his hardened foes?
2 At his command the lightnings dart,
And swift transfix the rebel heart:
Earth trembles at his look, and cleaves,
And legions sink in living graves.
3 Where are the haughty monarchs now,
Who scorn'd his word with lowring brow?
Where are the trophies of their reigns?
Or where their ruin's last remains?
4 See Pharaoh sinking in the tide!
See Babel's tyrant, mad with pride,
Graze with the beasts! Hear Herod roar,
While worms his deity devour!
5 See from the turrets of the skies,
Tall cherubs sink, no more to rise;
And trace their rank on thrones of light
By heavier chains, and darker night!
6 Great God! and shall this soul of mine
Presume to challenge wrath divine?
Trembling I seek thy mercy-seat,
And lay my weapons at thy feet.
XXVII. The great Journey. Job xvi. 22.
1 BEHOLD the path that mortals tread
Down to the regions of the dead!
Nor will the fleeting moments stay,
Nor can we measure back our way.
2 Our kindred and our friends are gone;
Know, O my soul, this doom they own;
Feeble as theirs my mortal frame,
The same my way, my house the same.
3 From vital air, from cheerful light,
To the cold grave's perpetual night,
From scenes of duty, means of grace,
Must I to God's tribunal pass!
4 Important journey? Awful view!
How great the change! the scenes how new! The golden gates of heav'n display'd, Or hell's fierce flames, and gloomy shade! 5 Awake my soul; thy way prepare, And lose in this each mortal care, With steady feet that path be trod, Which through the grave conducts to God.
6 Jesus, to thee my all I trust,
And, if thou call me down to dust,
I know thy voice, I bless thy hand,
And die in smiles at thy command.
2 By thee our spirits all are known; And each remotest thought Lies wide expanded to his eye,
By whom their powers were wrought.
3 To thee, when mortal comforts fail,
Thy flock deserted flies ;
And, on th' eternal shepherd's care,
Our cheerful hope relies.
4 When o'er thy faithful servant's dust
Thy dear assemblies mourn,
In speedy tokens of thy grace,
O Israel's God, return.
5 The powers of nature all are thine,
And thine the aids of grace;
Thine arm has borne thy churches up
Through every rising race.
6 Exert thy sacred influence here,
And here thy suppliants bless,
And change, to strains of cheerful praise,
Their accents of distress.
7 With faithful heart, with skilful hand,
May this thy flock be fed;
And with a steady growing pace
To Zion's mountain led.
XIV. The Lord's People his Portion. Deut. xxxii. 9.
1 SOVEREIGN of nature, all is thine,
The air, the earth, the sea:
By thee the orbs celestial shine,
And cherubs live by thee,
2 Rich in thine own essential store;
Thou call'st forth worlds at will: Ten thousand, and ten thousand more Would hear thy summons still.
3 What treasure wilt thou then confess?
And thy own portion call?
What by peculiar right possess,
Imperial Lord of all?
4 Thine Israel thou wilt stoop to claim,
Wilt mark them out for thine:
Ten thousand praises to thy name
For goodness so divine!
5 That I am thine, my soul would boast,
And boast its claim to thee;
Nor shall God's property be lost,
Nor God be torn from me.
XV. The eternal God his People's Refuge and Support. Deut. xxxiii. 27.
BEHOLD the great eternal God,
Spreads everlasting arms abroad,
And calls our souls to shelter there;
Wonders of mingled power and grace
To all his Israel he displays,
Guarded from danger, and from fear,
2 Thither my feeble soul shall fly,
When terrors press, and death is nigh,
And there will I delight to dwell;
On that high tower I rear my head
Serene, nor knows my heart to dread,
Amidst surrounding hosts of hell.
3 The shadow of the Almighty's wings
Composure unmolested brings,
While threat'ning horrors round me crowd;
In vain the storms of rattling hail
The walls of this retreat assail,
And the wild tempest roars aloud.
4 In louder strains my fearless tongue
Shall warble its victorious song,
My Father's graces to proclaim;
He bears his infant offspring on
To glory radiant as his throne,
And joys eternal as his name.
XVI. The Happiness of God's Israel. Deut. xxxiii. 29.
Israel, blest beyond compare!
Unrivaled all thy glories are:
Jehovah deigns to fill thy throne,
And calls thine interest all his own.
2 He is thy Saviour; he thy Lord;
His shield is thine; and thine his sword:
Review in ecstasy of thought
The grand redemption he has wrought.
3 From Satan's yoke he sets thee free,
Opens thy passage through the sea;
He through the desart is thy guide,
And heaven for Canaan will provide.
4 Not Jacob's sons of old could boast
Such favours to their chosen host;
Their glories, which through ages shine,
Are but dim shades, and types of thine.
|
