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3 Ne'er shall he be in life bereft
Of God's protecting care;

Nor yet his duteous offspring left
Unsolaced ills to bear.

4 And mark the Christian's dying hour;
No fears, no doubts annoy:
His trust is in his Father's power,
His end is peace and joy.

277. C. P. M.

True Wisdom.

WESLEY'S COL.

1 Be it my only wisdom here,
To serve the Lord with filial fear,
With loving gratitude:
Superior sense may I display,
By shunning every evil way,
And walking in the good.

2 O may I still from sin depart!
A wise and understanding heart,
Father, to me be given !

And let me through thy Spirit know
To glorify my God below,

And find my way to heaven.

278.

C. M.

SMART.

Prayer for Prudence and Wisdom.

1 FATHER of light, conduct my feet
Through life's dark, dangerous road;
Let each advancing step still bring
Me nearer to my God.

2 Let heaven-eyed prudence be my guide, And when I go astray,

Recall my feet from folly's path,
To wisdom's better way.

3 Teach me in every various scene
To keep my end in sight;
And while I tread life's mazy track,
Let wisdom guide me right.

4 That heavenly wisdom from above
Abundantly impart;

And let it guard, and guide, and warm,
And penetrate my heart;

5 Till it shall lead me to thyself,
Fountain of bliss and love!
And all my darkness be dispersed
In endless light above.

279. L. M.

WESLEY'S COL.

Christian Wisdom.

1 HAPPY the man, who finds the grace,
The blessing of God's chosen race,
The wisdom coming from above,
The faith that sweetly works by love.
2 Wisdom divine! who tells the price
Of wisdom's costly merchandise?
Wisdom to silver we prefer,

And gold is dross, compared to her.

3 Her hands are filled with length of days,
True riches, and immortal praise;
Riches of Christ, on all bestowed,
And honor that descends from God.

4 To purest joys she all invites,
Chaste, holy, innocent delights:
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her flowery paths are peace.

5 Happy the man who wisdom gains;
Thrice happy, who his guest retains;
He owns, and shall forever own,

Wisdom, and Christ, and Heaven are one.

280. C. M.

SCOTCH PARAPHRASES.

The Ways of Wisdom.

10 HAPPY is the man who hears
Instruction's faithful voice;
And who celestial wisdom makes
His early, only choice!

2 Wisdom has treasures greater far
Than east or west unfold;
And her rewards more precious are
Than is the gain of gold.

3 In her right hand she holds to view
A length of happy years;
And in her left, the prize of fame
And honor bright appears.

4 She guides the young, with innocence, In pleasure's path to tread;

A crown of glory she bestows
Upon the hoary head.

5 According as her labors rise,
So her rewards increase;

Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

281.

L. M.

HENRY MOORE.

Wisdom and Virtue sought from God.

1 SUPREME and universal light!
Fountain of reason! judge of right!
Parent of good! whose blessings flow
On all above, and all below:

2 Assist us, Lord! to act, to be,
What nature and thy laws decree,
Worthy that intellectual flame,
Which from thy breathing spirit came.

3 Our moral freedom to maintain,
Bid passion serve, and reason reign,
Self-poised and independent still
On this world's varying good or ill.

4 No slave to profit, shame, or fear,
O may our steadfast bosoms bear
The stamp of heaven, an upright heart,
Above the mean disguise of art!

5 May our expanded souls disclaim
The narrow view, the selfish aim;
But with a Christian zeal embrace
Whate'er is friendly to our race.

60 Father! grace and virtue grant;
No more we wish, no more we want:
To know, to serve thee, and to love,
Is peace below,-is bliss above.

237

282.

S. M.

C. WESLEY.

Watching, Prayer, and Perseverance.

1 A CHARGE to keep I have,-
A God to glorify;

A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky;
To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil:

O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master's will!

2 Arm me with jealous care,
As in thy sight to live;
And, O! thy servant, Lord, prepare
The strict account to give.

Help me to watch and pray,
And on thyself rely;
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall forsaken die.

283.

C. M.

C. WESLEY.

Watchfulness.

1 I WANT a principle within

Of jealous, godly fear;

A sensibility of sin,

A pain to find it near.

2 I want the first approach to feel
Of pride, or fond desire;

To catch the wandering of my will,
And quench the kindling fire.

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