Gadsby's Hymnal
#201 S.M. P. Doddridge
Grace. Rom. 3. 24; Eph. 2. 5-8; 2 Tim. 1. 9
1 Grace! ’tis a charming sound,
Harmonious to the ear;
Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.
2 Grace first contrived a way
To save rebellious man,
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.
3 Grace first inscribed my name
In God’s eternal book;
’Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took.
4 Grace taught my soul to pray,
And pardoning love to know;
’Twas grace that kept me to this day,
And will not let me go.
5 Grace all the work shall crown,
Through everlasting days;
It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.
202 C.M. John Newton
Reigning Grace. Rom. 5. 21; 8. 37-39
1 Now may the Lord reveal his face,
And teach our stammering tongues
To make his sovereign, reigning grace
The subject of our songs.
2 No sweeter subject can invite
A sinner’s heart to sing,
Or more display the glorious right
Of our exalted King.
3 Grace reigns to pardon crimson sins,
To melt the hardest hearts;
And from the work it once begins
It never once departs.
4 [The world and Satan strive in vain
Against the chosen few;
Secured by grace’s conquering reign,
They all shall conquer too.]
5 ’Twas grace that called our souls at first;
By grace thus far we’re come;
And grace will help us through the worst,
And lead us safely home.
203 S.M. R. Burnham
The Influence of Grace. Rom. 3. 24
1 Free grace! melodious sound!
How it delights my ear!
It cheers my soul, revives my hope,
And drowns my every fear.
2 Through grace I conquer hell,
And break infernal chains;
Through grace my soul aspires to heaven,
Where the Redeemer reigns.
3 From his abounding grace
I daily draw supplies;
Grace is the never-ceasing spring
Of all my swelling joys.
4 And when we meet our Lord,
In yon celestial throng,
Grace shall inspire our souls to sing,
And grace be all our song.
204 L.M. A. C. R., 1790
Free Grace. Rom. 3. 24; 1 Cor. 15. 10; 1 Tim. 1. 14
1 Self-righteous souls on works rely,
And boast their moral dignity;
But if I lisp a song of praise,
Each note shall echo, Grace, free grace!
2 ’Twas grace that quickened me when dead;
’Twas grace my soul to Jesus led;
Grace brings a sense of pardoned sin,
And grace subdues my lusts within.
3 Grace reconciles to every loss,
And sweetens every painful cross;
Defends my soul when danger’s near;
By grace alone I persevere.
4 When from this world my soul removes
To mansions of delight and love,
I’ll cast my crown before his throne,
And shout, Free grace, free grace alone!
205 8.7.4. J. Adams
Free Salvation. Ps. 68. 20; Isa. 45. 17; Acts 4. 12
1 Jesus is our great salvation,
Worthy of our best esteem;
He has saved his favourite nation;
Join to sing aloud of him.
He has saved us!
Christ alone could us redeem.
2 When involved in sin and ruin,
And no helper there was found,
Jesus our distress was viewing;
Grace did more than sin abound.
He has called us,
With salvation in the sound.
3 [Let us never, Lord, forget thee;
Make us walk as children here.
We will give thee all the glory
Of that love that brought us near.
Bid us praise thee,
And rejoice with holy fear.]
4 Free election, known by calling,
Is a privilege divine;
Saints are kept from final falling;
All the glory, Lord, be thine!
All the glory,
All the glory, Lord, is thine!
206 C.M. Gospel Mag., 1777
Salvation is of Grace. Eph. 2. 8; 1 John 4. 10
1 How sovereign is the love of God
To Israel’s favoured race!
Paid is the mighty debt they owed;
Salvation is of grace.
2 His love, without beginning, knew
Each chosen sinner’s case;
And sent his equal Son to show
Salvation is of grace.
3 Immanuel had not bled and died,
Nor suffered in our place,
But for this truth (O sound it wide!),
Salvation is of grace.
4 We had not known and loved the Son,
Nor sung his worthy praise,
But that himself the work begun;
Salvation is of grace.
207 C.M. Isaac Watts
Glorious Salvation. Ps. 19. 1, 2; 1 Thess. 5. 9, 10
1 Father, how wide thy glory shines!
How high thy wonders rise!
Known through the earth by thousand signs,
By thousands through the skies!
2 Those mighty orbs proclaim thy power;
Their motion speaks thy skill;
And on the wings of every hour,
We read thy patience still.
3 But when we view thy strange design
To save rebellious worms,
Where vengeance and compassion join,
In their divinest forms.
4 Here the whole Deity is known,
Nor dares a creature guess
Which of the glories brightest shone –
The justice or the grace.
5 When sinners broke the Father’s laws,
The dying Son atones;
O the dear mysteries of his cross,
The triumph of his groans!
6 Now the full glories of the Lamb
Adorn the heavenly plains;
Sweet cherubs learn Immanuel’s name,
And try their choicest strains.
7 O may I bear some glorious part
In that immortal song!
Wonder and joy shall tune my heart,
And love command my tongue.
208 8.7.4. J. Adams
Salvation. Acts 4. 12; Eph. 3. 17-19; Deut. 33. 3
1 Jesus, Lover of thy nation;
Saviour of thy people free!
Visit us with thy salvation;
Let us, Lord, thy glory see;
O revive us,
That we may rejoice in thee.
2 Let us find thy love surrounding
Us, thy fickle children, here;
And thy mighty grace abounding,
Leading us in holy fear.
Guide us, Jesus;
To our souls be ever near.
3 May we never more forget thee;
(Base ingratitude indeed!)
Keep us with thy arm almighty,
Us in verdant pastures lead.
Be our Guardian,
Till from this vain world we’re freed.
4 Then, O sweetest, lovely Jesus!
When in heaven we see thy face,
Who from all our bondage freed us,
We will give thee all the praise.
All the glory
Shall redound to thy free grace!
209 C.M. T. Greene
Trust in God’s Grace. 2 Cor. 12. 9; Ps. 38. 9
1 Grace, like a fountain, ever flows,
Fresh succours to renew;
The Lord my wants and weakness knows,
My sins and sorrows too.
2 He sees me often overcome,
And pities my distress;
And bids affliction drive me home,
To anchor on his grace.
3 ’Tis he directs my doubtful ways,
When dangers line the road,
Here I my Ebenezer raise,
And trust the gracious God.
210 S.M. Isaac Watts
Dead to Sin by the Cross of Christ. Rom. 6. 1, 2, 6
1 Shall we go on to sin,
Because thy grace abounds?
Or crucify the Lord again,
And open all his wounds?
2 Forbid it, mighty God!
Nor let it e’er be said
That we, whose sins are crucified,
Should raise them from the dead.
3 We will be slaves no more,
Since Christ has made us free;
Has nailed our tyrants to his cross,
And brought us liberty.
211 L.M. Isaac Watts
Salvation by Grace in Christ. 2 Tim. 1. 9, 10
1 Now to the power of God supreme
Be everlasting honour given;
He saves from hell (we bless his name),
He calls our wandering feet to heaven.
2 [Not for our duties or deserts,
But of his own abounding grace,
He works salvation in our hearts,
And forms a people for his praise.]
3 ’Twas his own purpose that began
To rescue rebels doomed to die;
He gave us grace in Christ his Son,
Before he spread the starry sky.
4 Jesus the Lord appears at last,
And makes his Father’s counsels known;
Declares the great transactions past,
And brings immortal blessings down.
5 [He dies! and in that dreadful night
Did all the powers of hell destroy.
Rising, he brought our heaven to light,
And took possession of the joy.]
212 C.M. Isaac Watts
Sufficiency of Pardon. Isa. 1. 18; 1 John 1. 7
1 Why does your face, ye humble souls,
Those mournful colours wear?
What doubts are these that try your faith,
And nourish your despair?
2 [What though your numerous sins exceed
The stars that fill the skies,
And, aiming at the eternal throne,
Like pointed mountains rise?]
3 [What though your mighty guilt beyond
The wide creation swell,
And has its cursed foundations laid
Low as the deeps of hell?]
4 See, here an endless ocean flows
Of never-failing grace;
Behold, a dying Saviour’s veins
The sacred flood increase!
5 It rises high, and drowns the hills;
Has neither shore nor bound;
Now if we search to find our sins,
Our sins can ne’er be found.
6 Awake, our hearts, adore the grace
That buries all our faults;
And pardoning blood that swells above
Our follies and our thoughts.
213 C.M. Isaac Watts
Salvation. Ps. 35. 9; Isa. 52. 10; Jonah 2. 9
1 Salvation! O the joyful sound!
’Tis pleasure to our ears,
A sovereign balm for every wound,
A cordial for our fears.
2 Buried in sorrow and in sin,
At hell’s dark door we lay;
But we arise by grace divine,
To see a heavenly day.
3 Salvation! let the echo fly
The spacious earth around;
While all the armies of the sky
Conspire to raise the sound.
214 148th (Author Unknown)
“Lord, remember me.” Luke 23. 42; Ps. 25. 7
1 Dear Lord, remember me,
A sinner weak and vile,
Full of impiety,
And fraught with sin and guile,
I cannot hope but in thy blood;
Remember me, O Lord, for good.
2 [Unable to depend
On nature-strength and power,
Jesus, my soul befriend;
Teach me to trust thee more;
Save me from sin and all its smart;
O save me from my treacherous heart!]
3 Upon thy oath I rest;
My feeble soul secure;
By sin I am oppressed,
But thy salvation’s sure;
Though like a bottle in the smoke,
I know thy vessels can’t be broke.
4 [’Tis true, dear Lord, I am
A sinner vile indeed!
Yet hoping in the Lamb,
Who deigned for such to bleed;
And while the Spirit seals my heart,
My soul believes we ne’er shall part.]
5 Christ ever will defend
The people of his choice;
He loves them without end,
And in them does rejoice;
For them he shed his precious blood,
And will present them all to God.
215 C.M. J. Dracup
Free Grace. Zech. 4. 7; Titus 3. 7
1 Free grace to every heaven-born soul
Will be their constant theme;
Long as eternal ages roll,
They’ll still adore the Lamb.
2 Free grace alone can wipe the tears
From our lamenting eyes;
Can raise our souls from guilty fears
To joy that never dies.
3 [Free grace can death itself outbrave,
And take its sting away;
Can souls unto the utmost save,
And them to heaven convey.
4 Our Saviour, by free grace alone,
His building shall complete;
With shouting bring forth the head stone,
Crying, Grace, grace to it.
5 May I be found a living stone,
In Salem’s streets above;
And help to sing before the throne,
Free grace and dying love.
216 8.8.6. J. Stevens
Exulting in Salvation by Grace. Ps. 34. 1-6, 22
1 Lord, come in thy appointed ways,
And teach me now to sing thy praise,
For thou art dear to me;
And all the openings of thy love,
In coming from thy courts above,
Prove I was dear to thee.
2 [Dear in primeval glory, when
Neither were angels made nor men,
Nor aught exist but God.
E’en then thy heart was fixed on me;
And now, through grace, I fix on thee,
By faith in Jesus’ blood.]
3 In this I make my greatest boast,
Though once to human reason lost,
That I am saved by grace;
With this bright hope I walk below –
That I thy purest love shall know,
And see thee face to face.
4 [Dear Lord, more drops of honey send,
From Christ, thy Son, the sinner’s Friend,
And larger make my share;
More grapes from Eshcol may I bring,
And of the heavenly Canaan sing,
Whilst I am stationed here.
5 And thus with many foretastes blest
Of yonder everlasting rest,
Held for me in thy hand,
May I thy house below resort,
And give my friends a good report
Of Canaan’s heavenly land.
6 And in these galleries of thy grace,
Show us, dear Lord, thy smiling face,
And bring thy presence near;
Nor from these earthly courts remove,
But send more showers of heavenly love,
Upon thy garden here.]
217 8.8.6. J. Kent
A Song of Redemption. Rom. 3. 24; Titus 3. 5-7
1 Let Zion, in her songs, record
The honours of her dying Lord
Triumphant over sin;
How sweet the song, there’s none can say
But he whose sins are washed away,
Who feels the same within.
2 We claim no merit of our own,
But, self-condemned before thy throne,
Our hopes on Jesus place;
In heart, in lip, in life depraved,
Our theme shall be, a sinner saved,
And praise redeeming grace.
3 We’ll sing the same while life shall last,
And when, at the archangel’s blast
Our sleeping dust shall rise,
Then in a song for ever new
The glorious theme we’ll still pursue,
Throughout the azure skies.
4 [Prepared of old, at God’s right hand,
Bright, everlasting mansions stand,
For all the blood-bought race;
And till we reach those seats of bliss,
We’ll sing no other song but this:
A sinner saved by grace.]
218 C.M. J. Hart
“He frankly forgave them both.” Luke 7. 41, 42
1 Mercy is welcome news indeed
To those that guilty stand;
Wretches that feel what help they need
Will bless the helping hand.
2 Who rightly would his alms dispose
Must give them to the poor.
None but the wounded patient knows
The comfort of his cure.
3 We all have sinned against our God;
Exception none can boast;
But he that feels the heaviest load
Will prize forgiveness most.
4 No reckoning can we rightly keep,
For who the sum can know?
Some souls are fifty pieces deep,
And some five hundred owe.
5 But let our debts be what they may,
However great or small,
As soon as we have nought to pay,
Our Lord forgives us all.
6 ’Tis perfect poverty alone
That sets the soul at large;
While we can call one mite our own,
We have no full discharge.
219 S.M. J. Hart
The Prodigal. Luke 15. 11-32
1 Now for a wondrous song,
(Keep distance, ye profane;
Be silent, each unhallowed tongue,
Nor turn the truth to bane,)
2 The prodigal’s returned –
The rebel bold and base,
That all his Father’s counsel spurned,
And long abused his grace.
3 What treatment since he came?
Love, tenderly expressed.
What robe is brought to hide his shame?
The best, the very best.
4 Rich food the servants bring;
Sweet music charms his ears;
See what a beauteous, costly ring
The beggar’s finger wears!
5 [Ye elder sons, be still;
Give no bad passion vent;
My brethren, ’tis our Father’s will,
And you must be content.
6 All that he has is yours!
Rejoice, then, not repine;
That love which all your state secures,
That love has altered mine.]
7 Dear Lord! are these thy ways?
If rebels thus are freed,
And favoured with peculiar grace,
Grace must be free indeed!
220 8s J. Hart
“If there arise among you a prophet.” Deut. 13. 1
1 No prophet, or dreamer of dreams,
No master of plausible speech,
To live like an angel who seems,
Or like an apostle to preach;
No tempter, without or within,
No spirit, though ever so bright,
That comes crying out against sin,
And looks like an angel of light;
2 Though reason, though fitness he urge,
Or plead with the words of a friend,
Or wonders of argument forge,
Or deep revelations pretend;
Should meet with a moment’s regard,
But rather be boldly withstood,
If anything, easy or hard,
He teach, save the Lamb and his blood.
3 [Remember, O Christian, with heed,
When sunk under sentence of death,
How first thou from bondage wast freed –
Say, was it by works, or by faith?
On Christ thy affections then fixed,
What conjugal truth didst thou vow?
With him was there anything mixed?
Then what would’st thou mix with him now?
4 If close to thy Lord thou would’st cleave,
Depend on his promise alone;
His righteousness would’st thou receive?
Then learn to renounce all thy own.
The faith of a Christian, indeed,
Is more than mere notion or whim;
United to Jesus, his Head,
He draws life and virtue from him.]
5 [Deceived by the father of lies,
Blind guides cry, Lo, here! and, Lo, there!
By these our Redeemer us tries,
And warns us of such to beware.
Poor comfort to mourners they give
Who set us to labour in vain;
And strive, with a “Do this and live,”
To drive us to Egypt again.]
6 But what says our Shepherd divine?
(For his blessed word we should keep)
“This flock has my Father made mine;
I lay down my life for my sheep;
’Tis life everlasting I give;
My blood was the price my sheep cost;
Not one that on me shall believe
Shall ever be finally lost.”
7 This God is the God we adore
Our faithful, unchangeable Friend;
Whose love is as large as his power,
And neither knows measure nor end.
’Tis Jesus, the First and the Last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home:
We’ll praise him for all that is past,
And trust him for all that’s to come.
221 104th J. Hart
Free Grace. Rom 3. 24; 4. 16; 11. 6; Titus 3. 7
Ye children of God, by faith in his Son,
Redeemed by his blood, and with him made one;
This union with wonder and rapture be seen,
Which nothing shall sunder, without or within.
2
This pardon, this peace, which none can destroy,
This treasure of grace, this heavenly joy,
The worthless may crave it; it always comes free;
The vilest may have it, ’twas given to me.
3
’Tis not for good deeds, good tempers, nor frames;
>From grace it proceeds, and all is the Lamb’s;
No goodness, no fitness, expects he from us;
This I can well witness, for none could be worse.
4
Sick sinner, expect no balm but Christ’s blood;
Thy own works reject, the bad and the good;
None ever miscarry that on him rely,
Though filthy as Mary, Manasseh, or I.
222 C.M. J. Hart
“Because thou sayest, I am rich.” Rev. 3. 17
1 What makes mistaken men afraid
Of sovereign grace to preach!
The reason is, if truth be said,
Because they are so rich.
2 [Why so offensive in their eyes
Does God’s election seem?
Because they think themselves so wise
That they have chosen him.]
3 [Of perseverance why so loath
Are some to speak or hear?
Because, as masters over sloth,
They vow to persevere.]
4 [Whence is imputed righteousness
A point so little known?
Because men think they all possess
Some righteousness their own.]
5 Not so the needy, helpless soul,
Prefers his humble prayer;
He looks to him that works the whole,
And seeks his treasure there.
6 His language is, “Let me, my God,
On sovereign grace rely;
And own ’tis free, because bestowed
On one so vile as I.
7 “Election! ’tis a word divine;
For, Lord, I plainly see,
Had not thy choice prevented mine,
I ne’er had chosen thee.
8 [“For perseverance strength I’ve none,
But would on this depend –
That Jesus, having loved his own,
Will love them to the end.]
9 “Empty and bare, I come to thee
For righteousness divine;
O may thy matchless merits be,
By imputation, mine.”
10 [Thus differ these; yet hoping each
To make salvation sure.
Now most men will approve the rich,
But Christ has blessed the poor.]
223 8.8.6. J. Hart
The Outcasts of Israel. Isa. 63. 16; 1 Cor. 4. 11-13
1 Lord, pity outcasts, vile and base,
The poor dependants on thy grace,
Whom men disturbers call;
By sinners and by saints withstood;
For these too bad, for those too good;
Condemned or shunned by all.
2 Though faithful Abraham us reject,
And though his ransomed race elect
Agree to give us up,
Thou art our Father, and thy name
From everlasting is the same;
On that we build our hope.
224 L.M. J. Stevens
Perseverance the Effect of Grace. Rom. 4. 16; Phil. 1. 6
1 Grace is Jehovah’s sovereign will,
In an eternal covenant sure;
Which for his seed he will fulfil,
Longer than sun and moon endure.
2 Grace is a firm but friendly hand,
Put forth by God to save his own;
And by that grace, through faith, we stand,
Adoring at our Father’s throne.
3 There grace its peaceful sceptre wields,
Inviting souls to venture near;
There Christ his saving Spirit yields
To those whose sins he deigned to bear.
4 Lord, help us on thy grace to stand,
And every trial firm endure;
Preservèd by thy sovereign hand,
And by thy oath and covenant sure.
5 Thy willingness to save thy seed,
Is as they stand in Christ their Head;
No act thy grace can supersede,
For thine must live, though they were dead.
6 Thanks, everlasting thanks be given
To God, to Christ, to matchless grace;
And to that Dove who seals for heaven
All who shall sing Jehovah’s praise!
225 S.M. B. Beddome
Faith. Eph. 2. 8; 2 Pet. 1. 1
1 Faith! ’tis a precious grace,
Where’er it is bestowed;
It boasts of a celestial birth,
And is the gift of God.
2 Jesus it owns a King,
An all-atoning Priest;
It claims no merits of its own,
But looks for all in Christ.
3 To him it leads the soul,
When filled with deep distress;
Flies to the fountain of his blood,
And trusts his righteousness.
4 Since ’tis thy work alone,
And that divinely free,
Come, Holy Spirit, and make known
The power of faith in me.
226 C.M. Isaac Watts
Faith the Evidence of Things Unseen. Heb. 11. 1, 3, 8
1 Faith is the brightest evidence
Of things beyond our sight;
Breaks through the clouds of flesh and sense,
And dwells in heavenly light.
2 It sets time past in present view,
Brings distant prospects home,
Of things a thousand years ago,
Or thousand years to come.
3 By faith we know the worlds were made
By God’s almighty word;
Abram, to unknown countries led,
By faith obeyed the Lord.
4 He sought a city fair and high,
Built by the eternal hands;
And faith assures us, though we die,
That heavenly building stands.
227 8.8.6. Augustus Toplady
Faith takes Comfort in Christ’s Atonement. Isa. 53. 5
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 sheltered in thy righteousness,
And sprinkled with thy blood?
3 [If thou hast my discharge procured,
And freely in my room endured
The whole of wrath divine,
Payment God cannot twice demand,
First at my bleeding Surety’s hand,
And then again at mine.]
4 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.
228 C.M. J. Stevens
Origin and Acts of Faith. Heb. 12. 2; 1 Pet. 1. 9
1 Faith owes its birth to sovereign grace,
And lives beneath the throne,
Where grace maintains her dwelling-place,
And reigns supreme alone.
2 [Faith yields to grace the glory due,
Nor dares assume her place;
But owns all doctrines must be true
That spring from sovereign grace.]
3 The precious cleansing blood of Christ
Is a delightful theme;
When faith is lifted up the high’st,
She sings of none but him.
4 Faith owns the sceptre through the cross,
And yields obedience true;
Counts all things else but earth and dross,
To keep the Lamb in view.
5 To live upon his precious death
Is faith’s divine repast;
The language of his dying breath,
See how she holds it fast!
6 Faith views him dead upon the tree;
Then buried in the grave;
And waits around the tomb to see
Him rise with power to save.
7 Then to the Mount of Olives go;
There faith, with eager eye,
Beholds her Lord leave all below,
To dwell and reign on high.
8 With tears of joy, faith now believes
The day will surely come,
When he who Jesus’ cross receives
Shall see him crowned at home.
229 104th C. Wesley
The Fight of Faith. Ps. 61. 2-4; Rom. 8. 37
Omnipotent Lord, my Saviour and King,
Thy succour afford, thy righteousness bring.
Thy promises bind thee compassion to have;
Now, now let me find thee almighty to save.
2
Lord, thou art my hope; o’erwhelmèd with grief,
To thee I look up for certain relief;
I dread no denial, no danger I fear,
Nor start from the trial if Jesus be here.
3
Yes! God is above men, devils, and sin;
My Jesus’s love the battle shall win;
So terribly glorious his coming shall be,
His love all victorious shall conquer for me.
230 C.M. T. Greene
Trust in God’s Faithfulness. 2 Tim. 2. 13; 2 Pet. 1. 4
1 Why should my fears so far prevail,
When they my hopes accost?
My faith, though weak, can never fail,
Nor shall my hopes be lost.
2 A thousand promises are wrote
In characters of blood;
And those emphatic lines denote
The ever-faithful God.
3 Through those dear promises I range;
And, blessed be his name,
Though I, a feeble mortal, change,
His love is still the same.
231 L.M. Isaac Watts
“We walk by faith, not by sight.” 2 Cor. 5. 7; 4. 17, 18
1 ’Tis by the faith of joys to come
We walk through deserts dark as night;
Till we arrive at heaven our home,
Faith is our guide, and faith our light.
2 The want of sight she well supplies;
She makes the pearly gates appear;
Far into distant worlds she pries,
And brings eternal glories near.
3 Cheerful we tread the desert through,
While faith inspires a heavenly ray,
Though lions roar, and tempests blow,
And rocks and dangers fill the way.
4 So Abram, by divine command,
Left his own house to walk with God;
His faith beheld the promised land,
And fired his zeal along the road.
232 104th John Newton
“I will trust, and not be afraid.” Isa. 12. 2
Begone, unbelief, my Saviour is near,
And for my relief will surely appear;
By prayer let me wrestle, and he will perform;
With Christ in the vessel, I smile at the storm.
2
Though dark be my way, since he is my Guide,
’Tis mine to obey, ’tis his to provide;
Though cisterns be broken, and creatures all fail,
The word he has spoken shall surely prevail.
3
His love in time past forbids me to think
He’ll leave me at last in trouble to sink;
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review
Confirms his good pleasure to help me quite through.
4
Determined to save, he watched o’er my path,
When, Satan’s blind slave, I sported with death.
And can he have taught me to trust in his name,
And thus far have brought me to put me to shame?
5
[Why should I complain of want or distress,
Temptation or pain? He told me no less;
The heirs of salvation, I know from his word,
Through much tribulation must follow their Lord.
6
How bitter that cup, no heart can conceive,
Which he drank quite up that sinners might live!
His way was much rougher and darker than mine;
Did Christ, my Lord, suffer, and shall I repine?]
7
Since all that I meet shall work for my good,
The bitter is sweet, the medicine is food;
Though painful at present, ’twill cease before long,
And then O how pleasant the conqueror’s song!
233 8s J. Hart
Saving Faith. Mark 16. 16; Acts 10. 43; 16. 31
1 The sinner that truly believes,
And trusts in his crucified God,
His justification receives,
Redemption in full through his blood;
Though thousands and thousands of foes
Against him in malice unite,
Their rage he through Christ can oppose,
Led forth by the Spirit to fight.
2 Not all the delusions of sin
Shall ever seduce him to death;
He now has the witness within,
Rejoicing in Jesus by faith.
This faith shall eternally fail
When Jesus shall fall from his throne;
For hell against both must prevail,
Since Jesus and he are but one.
3 The faith that lays hold on the Lamb,
And brings such salvation as this,
Is more than mere notion or name;
The work of God’s Spirit it is;
A principle active and young,
That lives under pressure and load;
That makes out of weakness more strong,
And draws the soul upwards to God.
4 [It treads on the world and on hell;
It vanquishes death and despair;
And, what is still stranger to tell,
It overcomes heaven by prayer;
Permits a vile worm of the dust
With God to commune as a friend;
To hope his forgiveness is just,
And look for his love to the end.]
5 [It says to the mountains, “Depart,”
That stand betwixt God and the soul;
It binds up the broken in heart,
And makes their sore consciences whole;
Bids sins of a crimson-like dye
Be spotless as snow, and as white;
And makes such a sinner as I
As pure as an angel of light.]
234 8.6.8. J. Hart
Difference and Degrees of Faith. Gal. 3. 25-27
1 He that believeth Christ the Lord,
Who shed for man his blood,
By giving credence to his word,
Exalts the truth of God;
So far he’s right, but let him know,
Farther than this he yet must go.
2 He that believes on Jesus Christ,
Has a much better faith.
His Prophet now becomes his Priest,
And saves him by his death;
By Christ he finds his sins forgiven,
And Christ has made him heir of heaven.
3 But he that into Christ believes,
What a rich faith has he!
In Christ he moves, and acts, and lives
From self and bondage free;
He has the Father and the Son,
For Christ and he are now but one.
4 Till we attain to this rich faith,
Though safe, we are not sound;
Though we are saved from guilt and wrath,
Perfection is not found.
Lord, make our union closer yet,
And let the marriage be complete.
235 7.7.4. J. Hart
“Whom resist steadfast in the faith.” 1 Pet. 5. 9
1 In all our worst afflictions,
When furious foes surround us;
When troubles vex, and fears perplex,
And Satan would confound us;
When foes to God and goodness,
We find ourselves, by feeling,
To do what’s right unable quite,
And almost as unwilling;
2 When, like the restless ocean,
Our hearts cast up uncleanness,
Flood after flood, with mire and mud,
And all is foul within us;
When love is cold and languid,
And different passions shake us;
When hope decays, and God delays,
And seems to quite forsake us;
3 Then to maintain the battle
With soldier-like behaviour;
To keep the field, and never yield,
But firmly eye the Saviour;
To trust his gracious promise,
Thus hard beset with evil,
This, this is faith will conquer death,
And overcome the devil.
236 S.M. J. Hart
True and False Faith. Acts 15. 9; Rom. 5. 1, 2
1 Faith’s a convincing proof,
A substance sound and sure,
That keeps the soul secured enough,
But makes it not secure.
2 [Notion’s the harlot’s test,
By which the truth’s reviled;
The child of fancy, finely dressed,
But not the living child.]
3 Faith is by knowledge fed,
And with obedience mixed,
Notion is empty, cold, and dead,
And fancy’s never fixed.
4 True faith’s the life of God;
Deep in the heart it lies;
It lives and labours under load;
Though damped, it never dies.
5 Opinions in the head,
True faith as far excels
As body differs from a shade,
Or kernels from the shells.
6 [To see good bread and wine,
Is not to eat and drink;
So some who hear the word divine,
Do not believe, but think.]
7 True faith refines the heart,
And purifies with blood;
Takes the whole gospel, not a part,
And holds the fear of God.
237 8.7. J. Hart
Faith and Repentance. Rom. 4. 18; 7. 18-25
1 Let us ask the important question,
(Brethren, be not too secure),
What it is to be a Christian,
How we may our hearts assure.
Vain is all our best devotion,
If on false foundations built;
True religion’s more than notion;
Something must be known and felt.
2 [’Tis to trust our Well-belovèd
In his blood has washed us clean;
’Tis to hope our guilt’s removèd,
Though we feel it rise within;
To believe that all is finished,
Though so much remains to endure;
Find the dangers undiminished,
Yet to hold deliverance sure.]
3 [’Tis to credit contradictions;
Talk with him one never sees;
Cry and groan beneath afflictions,
Yet to dread the thoughts of ease.
’Tis to feel the fight against us,
Yet the victory hope to gain;
To believe that Christ has cleansed us,
Though the leprosy remain.]
4 [’Tis to hear the Holy Spirit
Prompting us to secret prayer;
To rejoice in Jesus’ merit,
Yet continual sorrow bear;
To receive a full remission
Of our sins for evermore,
Yet to sigh with sore contrition,
Begging mercy every hour.]
5 To be steadfast in believing,
Yet to tremble, fear and quake;
Every moment be receiving
Strength, and yet be always weak;
To be fighting, fleeing, turning;
Ever sinking, yet to swim;
To converse with Jesus, mourning
For ourselves or else for him.
237A 8.7. J. Hart
Matt. 26. 36-46; 2 Cor. 7. 10
1 Great High Priest, we view thee stooping
With our names upon thy breast;
In the garden groaning, drooping
To the ground, with horrors pressed;
Wondering angels stood confounded
To behold their Maker thus;
And can we remain unwounded,
When we know ’twas all for us?
2 On the cross thy body broken
Cancels every penal tie;
Tempted souls produce this token,
All demands to satisfy.
All is finished; do not doubt it;
But believe your dying Lord,
Never reason more about it,
Only take him at his word.
3 Lord, we fain would trust thee solely;
’Twas for us thy blood was spilt;
Bruisèd Bridegroom, take us wholly,
Take and make us what thou wilt.
Thou hast borne the bitter sentence
Passed on man’s devoted race;
True belief and true repentance
Are thy gifts, thou God of grace.
238 L.M. J. Fawcett
Repentance. Ps. 25. 11; Acts 16. 30; 2 Cor. 7. 10
1 With melting heart and weeping eyes,
My guilty soul for mercy cries;
What shall I do, or whither flee,
To escape the vengeance due to me?
2 Till late, I saw no danger nigh;
I lived at ease, nor feared to die;
Wrapped up in self-conceit and pride,
“I shall have peace at last,” I cried.
3 But when, great God, thy light divine
Had shone on this dark soul of mine,
Then I beheld, with trembling awe,
The terrors of thy holy law.
4 How dreadful now my guilt appears,
In childhood, youth, and growing years;
Before thy pure discerning eye,
Lord, what a filthy wretch am I!
5 Should vengeance still my soul pursue,
Death and destruction are my due;
Yet mercy can my guilt forgive,
And bid a dying sinner live.
6 Does not thy sacred word proclaim
Salvation free in Jesus’ name?
To him I look, and humbly cry,
“O save a wretch condemned to die!”
239 11s J. Stevens
Repentance the Gift of God. Acts 5. 31
The Lamb is exalted repentance to give,
That sin may be hated, while sinners believe;
Contrition is granted, and God justified,
The sinner is humbled, and self is denied.
2
Repentance flows freely through Calvary’s blood,
Produced by the Spirit and goodness of God.
The living possess it, through faith, hope, and love,
And own it a blessing sent down from above.
3
All born of the Spirit are brought to repent;
Free grace can make adamant hearts to relent.
Repentance is granted, God’s justice to prove;
Remission is given, and both from his love.
4
The vilest of sinners forgiveness have found,
For Jesus was humbled that grace might abound;
Whoever repents of his sin against God,
Shall surely be pardoned through Calvary’s blood.
240 C.M. J. Hart
Repentance and Faith. Matt. 9. 13; Luke 13. 3
1 [What various ways do men invent,
To give the conscience ease!
Some say, Believe; and some, Repent;
And some say, Strive to please.
2 But, brethren, Christ, and Christ alone,
Can rightly do the thing;
Nor ever can the way be known,
Till he salvation bring.
3 What mean the men that say, Believe,
And let repentance go?
What comfort can the soul receive
That never felt its woe?]
4 Christ says, “That I might sinners call
To penitence, I’m sent;”
And, “Likewise ye shall perish all,
Except ye do repent.”
5 Those who are called by grace divine
Believe, but not alone;
Repentance to their faith they join,
And so go safely on.
6 But should repentance, or should faith,
Should both deficient seem,
Jesus gives both, the Scripture saith;
Then ask them both of him.
241 C.M. J. Hart
“Godly sorrow worketh repentance.” 2 Cor. 7. 10
1 Repentance is a gift bestowed
To save a soul from death;
Gospel repentance towards God
Is always joined to faith.
2 Not for an hour, or day, or week,
Do saints repentance own;
But all the time the Lord they seek,
At sin they grieve and groan.
3 [Nor is it such a dismal thing
As ’tis by some men named;
A sinner may repent and sing,
Rejoice and be ashamed.]
4 ’Tis not the fear of hell alone,
For that may prove extreme;
Repenting saints the Saviour own
And grieve for grieving him.
5 If penitence be quite left out,
Religion is but halt;
And hope, though e’er so clear of doubt,
Like offerings without salt.
242 8.8.6. J. Stevens
“Good hope through grace.” 2 Thess. 2. 16; Rom. 12. 12
1 Good hope, through grace, the saints possess,
The fruit of Jesus’ righteousness,
And by his Spirit given;
Faith eyes the promise firm and sure,
And hope expects for evermore
To dwell with Christ in heaven.
2 Good hope is born of sovereign grace,
And lives in Jesus’ righteousness,
With faith, and peace, and love;
What faith believes good hope desires,
And after perfect bliss aspires,
In the bright world above.
3 [All through the wilderness below,
Good hope expects more good to know;
And thus is kept alive
The soul, that many a trial bears,
And conflicts hard with doubts and fears,
Till joy and peace arrive.]
4 [When sore temptations haunt the soul,
Good hope shall all their power control,
And save from sad despair;
While faith looks up to Jesus’ blood,
Good hope rides safely o’er the flood;
Nor dreads destruction there.]
5 When gloomy death, in dread array,
Appears to call the saint away,
Faith looks beyond the flood,
And when the soul to march prepares,
Good hope sends out her fervent prayers,
And dies in peace with God.
243 11s J. Stevens
Hoping on the Ground of Eternal Adoption. Gal. 4. 5
Great Father of glory, how rich is thy grace!
What wonderful love is displayed in thy face!
In Jesus thy image with brightness we view,
And hope to be formed to that likeness anew.
2
By favour adopted, thy sons we appear,
And led by thy Spirit, we boldly draw near;
In Jesus belovèd, and washed in his blood,
With hope we adore at the footstool of God.
3
The man who is blessèd with hope in the cross,
Is freed from the bondage of guilt and the curse;
The blood of his Surety by faith he reviews,
While hope in that fountain his spirit renews.
4
The world knows us not; but in this we rejoice,
To God we’re no strangers, but objects of choice.
His love from eternity gave us a home,
Where now we are hoping in safety to come.
5
Arrayed in obedience, all wrought by the Lamb,
By Christ our Jehovah, the ancient I AM;
With boldness we journey, while Christ leads us on,
And hope soon in glory to praise the Three-One.
244 C.M. R. Burnham
Hope. Ps. 71. 5; Lam. 3. 24-26; Rom. 5. 2; 15. 13
1 Our Jesus is the God of hope;
He works it by his power;
It holds the weak believer up,
In the distressing hour.
2 The darkest cloud hope pierces through,
And waits upon the Lord,
Expects to prove that all is true
Throughout the sacred word.
3 True hope looks out for blessing great;
And, though they’re long delayed,
Yet hope’s determined still to wait,
Until they are conveyed.
4 Hope long will wait, and wait again,
And ne’er can give it up,
Till the blest Lamb, who once was slain,
Appears the God of hope.
245 L.M. Gospel Mag., 1799
“An anchor of the soul.” Heb. 6. 18, 19; Tit. 1. 2
1 We travel through a barren land,
With dangers thick on every hand;
But Jesus guides us through the vale;
The Christian’s hope can never fail.
2 Huge sorrows meet us as we go,
And devils aim our overthrow;
But vile infernals can’t prevail;
The Christian’s hope shall never fail.
3 Sometimes we’re tempted to despair,
But Jesus makes us then his care;
Though numerous foes our souls assail,
The Christian’s hope shall never fail.
4 We trust upon the sacred word –
The oath and promise of our Lord;
And safely through each tempest sail;
The Christian’s hope shall never fail.
246 8s B. Francis
On Love to Christ as a Redeemer. John 14. 21
1 My gracious Redeemer I love;
His praises aloud I’ll proclaim,
And join with the armies above,
To shout his adorable name.
To gaze on his glories divine
Shall be my eternal employ;
And feel them incessantly shine,
My boundless, ineffable joy.
2 He freely redeemed with his blood
My soul from the confines of hell,
To live on the smiles of my God,
And in his sweet presence to dwell;
To shine with the angels of light,
With saints and with seraphs to sing;
To view with eternal delight
My Jesus, my Saviour, my King.
3 In Meshech, as yet, I reside,
A darksome and restless abode:
Molested with foes on each side,
And longing to dwell with my God.
O when shall my spirit exchange
This cell of corruptible clay
For mansions celestial, and range
Through realms of ineffable day?
4 My glorious Redeemer! I long
To see thee descend on the cloud,
Amidst the bright numberless throng,
And mix with the triumphing crowd.
O when wilt thou bid me ascend,
To join in thy praises above,
To gaze on thee, world without end,
And feast on thy ravishing love?
5 No sorrow, nor sickness, nor pain,
Nor sin, nor temptation, nor fear,
Shall ever molest me again;
Perfection of glory reigns there.
This soul and this body shall shine
In robes of salvation and praise,
And banquet on pleasures divine,
Where God his full beauty displays.
6 Ye palaces, sceptres, and crowns,
Your pride with disdain I survey;
Your pomps are but shadows and sounds,
And pass in a moment away.
The crown that my Saviour bestows,
Yon permanent sun shall outshine;
My joy everlastingly flows;
My God, my Redeemer, is mine!
247 C.M. J. Ryland
Desiring to Love and Delight in God. Ps. 57. 4, 5
1 O Lord, I would delight in thee,
And on thy care depend;
To thee in every trouble flee,
My best, my only Friend.
2 [When all created streams are dried,
Thy fulness is the same;
May I with this be satisfied,
And glory in thy name.]
3 [Why should the soul a drop bemoan,
Who has a fountain near –
A fountain which will ever run
With waters sweet and clear?]
4 No good in creatures can be found,
But may be found in thee;
I must have all things, and abound,
While God is God to me.
5 O that I had a stronger faith,
To look within the veil;
To credit what my Saviour saith,
Whose words can never fail.
6 He that has made my heaven secure
Will here all good provide;
While Christ is rich, I can’t be poor;
What can I want beside?
7 O Lord, I cast my care on thee;
I triumph and adore;
Henceforth my great concern shall be
To love and praise thee more.
248 7s C. Wesley
Brotherly love. Ps. 133. 1; John 15. 12, 17; Eph. 5. 2
1 Jesus, Lord, we look to thee;
Let us in thy name agree;
Show thyself the Prince of Peace;
Bid all jars for ever cease.
2 By thy reconciling love,
Every stumbling-block remove;
Each to each unite, endear;
Come and spread thy banner here.
3 Make us of one heart and mind,
Courteous, pitiful, and kind;
Lowly, meek, in thought and word,
Altogether like our Lord.
4 Let us each for other care;
Each another’s burdens bear;
To thy church the pattern give;
Show how true believers live.
5 Let us then with joy remove
To thy family above;
On the wings of angels fly;
Show how true believers die.
249 8.8.6. C. Wesley
Love of God Earnestly Desired. Song. 8. 6; 1 John 4. 9
1 O love divine, how sweet thou art!
When shall I find my willing heart
All taken up by thee?
I thirst, and faint, and die to prove
The greatness of redeeming love,
The love of Christ to me.
2 Stronger his love than death or hell,
Its riches are unsearchable;
The first-born sons of light
Desire in vain its depth to see;
They cannot reach the mystery,
The length, and breadth, and height.
3 God only knows the love of God;
O that it now were shed abroad
In this poor stony heart!
For this I sigh, for this I pine;
This only portion, Lord, be mine;
Be mine this better part.
250 8s Gospel Mag., 1777
All Things in Love (or Charity). Eph. 4. 2, 15
1 Though justly of wrongs we complain,
Or faithfully sinners reprove,
Yet still we do all things in vain,
Unless we do all things in love.
’Tis love makes us humble and meek!
The wounds of ill usage it cures,
It pities the falls of the weak,
The pride of the lofty endures.
2 Has God a command to fulfil,
Which nature untoward would shun?
Love brings to compliance the will,
And causes the deed to be done.
From Jesus the blessing must flow,
To creatures beneath and above;
May he his good Spirit bestow,
And we shall do all things in love.
251 C.M. J. Hart
“And the Lord went his way.” Gen. 18. 33
1 When Jesus, with his mighty love,
Visits my troubled breast,
My doubts subside, my fears remove,
And I’m completely blest;
2 [I love the Lord with mind and heart,
His people and his ways;
Envy, and pride, and lust depart,
And all his works I praise;]
3 Nothing but Jesus I esteem;
My soul is then sincere;
And everything that’s dear to him,
To me is also dear.
4 But ah! when these short visits end,
Though not quite left alone,
I miss the presence of my Friend,
Like one whose comfort’s gone.
5 [I to my own sad place return,
My wretched state to feel;
I tire, and faint, and mope, and mourn,
And am but barren still.]
6 More frequent let thy visits be,
Or let them longer last;
I can do nothing without thee;
Make haste, O God, make haste.
252 C.M. J. Needham
Fear and Love. Deut. 10. 12, 13; Prov. 23. 17
1 Fear is a grace which ever dwells
With its fair partner, love;
Blending their beauties, both proclaim
Their source is from above.
2 Let terrors fright the unwilling slave,
The child with joy appears;
Cheerful he does his Father’s will,
And loves as much as fears.
3 Let fear and love, most holy God,
Possess this soul of mine;
Then shall I worship thee aright,
And taste thy joys divine.
253 S.M. J. Berridge
Singleness of Eye. Prov. 4. 25; Matt. 6. 21-23
1 To Canaan art thou bound?
Walk on in Jesus’ might;
But mark, the way is holy ground,
And needs a heart upright.
2 Make Jesus all thy peace,
And make him all thy arm;
Rely alone upon his grace,
To guard from every harm.
3 [To Jesus some will pray,
Yet not with single eye;
They turn their eyes another way,
Some creature-help to spy.
4 In darkness such are held;
And bound in legal fear,
A double eye is in the child,
The heart is not sincere.
5 Such find no gospel rest,
But into bondage fall,
The Lord will not uphold thy breast,
Till he is all in all.]
6 Lord, give me single sight,
And make it strong and clear,
So will my soul be full of light,
And feel the Saviour near.
254 104th J. Hart
“The fear of the Lord.” Ps. 111. 10; Prov. 10. 27
The fear of the Lord our days will prolong,
In trouble afford a confidence strong,
Will keep us from sinning, will prosper our ways,
And is the beginning of wisdom and grace.
2
The fear of the Lord preserves us from death,
Enforces his word, enlivens our faith,
It regulates passion, and helps us to quell
The dread of damnation and terrors of hell.
3
The fear of the Lord is soundness and health;
A treasure well stored with heavenly wealth;
A fence against evil, by which we resist
World, flesh, and the devil, and imitate Christ.
4
[The fear of the Lord is clean and approved;
Makes Satan abhorred and Jesus beloved;
It conquers in weakness; is proof against strife;
A cordial in sickness; a fountain of life.]
5
[The fear of the Lord is lowly and meek;
The happy reward of all that him seek;
They only that fear him the truth can discern,
For, living so near him, his secrets they learn.]
6
[The fear of the Lord his mercy makes dear,
His judgments adored, his righteousness clear,
Without its fresh flavour, in knowledge there’s fault;
In doctrines no savour; in duties no salt.]
7
[The fear of the Lord confirms a good hope;
By this are restored the senses that droop;
The deeper it reaches, the more the soul thrives;
It gives what it teaches, and guards what it gives.]
8
The fear of the Lord forbids us to yield;
It sharpens our sword and strengthens our shield.
Then cry we to heaven, with one loud accord,
That to us be given the fear of the Lord.
255 L.M. J. Hart
“The fear of the Lord.” Ps. 111. 10; Prov. 28. 14
1 Happy the men that fear the Lord;
They from the paths of sin depart;
Rejoice and tremble at his word,
And hide it deep within their heart.
2 They in his mercy hope, through grace;
Revere his judgments, not contemn;
In pleasing him their pleasure’s placed,
And his delight is placed in them.
3 This fear, a rich and endless store,
Preserves the soul from poisonous pride;
The heart that wants this fear is poor,
Whatever it possess beside.
4 This treasure was by Christ possessed;
In this his understanding stood;
And every one that’s with it blessed
Has free redemption in his blood.
256 L.M. J. Hart
“The fear of the Lord is to hate evil.” Prov. 8. 13
1 In vain men talk of living faith,
When all their works exhibit death;
When they indulge some sinful view,
In all they say and all they do.
2 The true believer fears the Lord;
Obeys his precepts, keeps his word;
Commits his works to God alone,
And seeks his will before his own.
3 A barren tree that bears no fruit,
Brings no great glory to its root;
When on the boughs rich fruit we see,
’Tis then we cry, “A goodly tree.”
4 Never did men, by faith divine,
To selfishness and sloth incline;
The Christian works with all his power,
And grieves that he can work no more.
257 L.M. A. Steele
“Blessed are the poor in spirit.” Matt. 5. 3; James 2. 5
1 Ye humble souls, complain no more;
Let faith survey your future store.
How happy, how divinely blest,
The sacred words of truth attest.
2 In vain the sons of wealth and pride
Despise your lot, your hope deride;
In vain they boast their little stores;
Trifles are theirs, a kingdom yours.
3 [A kingdom of immense delight,
Where health, and peace, and joy unite;
Where undeclining pleasures rise,
And every wish has full supplies.]
4 [A kingdom which can ne’er decay,
While time sweeps earthly thrones away;
The state which power and truth sustain,
Unmoved for ever must remain.]
5 There shall your eyes with rapture view
The glorious Friend that died for you,
That died to ransom, died to raise
To crowns of joy and songs of praise.
6 Jesus! to thee I breathe my prayer;
Reveal, confirm my interest there;
Whate’er my humble lot below,
This, this my soul desires to know.
258 8.7. R. Burnham
Christ’s Example. Phil. 2. 3-5; Ps. 133. 1
1 Jesus, Source of our salvation,
May we now thy nature know;
Then more bowels of compassion
We to thy dear saints shall show.
May the grace thou hast imparted,
In relieving our complaints,
Make us kind and tender-hearted
To the feeblest of thy saints.
2 When they are severely tempted,
We their sorrows would assuage,
Knowing we are not exempted
From the tempter’s furious rage.
If by sin they’re overtaken,
We’d their faults to them declare;
But in strains of much compassion,
Lest we drive them to despair.
3 Keep us from a proud appearance,
In whate’er we do or say;
Fill us with divine forbearance;
Then how happy we shall be!
Hand in hand we would be walking,
Eyeing Jesus’ new command;
Of his love we’d e’er be talking,
Till we reach fair Canaan’s land.
259 C.M. WIlliam Cowper
Resignation. Job 5. 19; Ps. 10. 17; Luke 22. 35
1 O Lord, my best desire fulfil,
And help me to resign
Life, health, and comfort to thy will,
And make thy pleasure mine.
2 Why should I shrink at thy command,
Whose love forbids my fears?
Or tremble at the gracious hand
That wipes away my tears?
3 No; let me rather freely yield
What most I prize to thee,
Who never hast a good withheld,
Or wilt withhold from me.
4 Thy favour all my journey through,
Thou art engaged to grant;
What else I want, or think I do,
’Tis better still to want.
5 Wisdom and mercy guide my way;
Shall I resist them both –
A poor blind creature of a day,
And crushed before the moth?
6 But ah! my inmost spirit cries,
Still bind me to thy sway,
Else the next cloud that veils my skies
Drives all these thoughts away.
260 C.M. A. Steele
Filial Resignation. Isa. 64. 8; Heb. 12. 7
1 And can my heart aspire so high
To say, “My Father, God”?
Lord, at thy feet I fain would lie
And learn to kiss the rod.
2 I would submit to all thy will,
For thou art good and wise;
Let every anxious thought be still,
Nor one faint murmur rise.
3 Thy love can cheer the darksome gloom,
And bid me wait serene;
Till hopes and joys immortal bloom,
And brighten all the scene.
261 C.M. T. Greene
“It is the Lord.” 1 Sam. 3. 18; 2 Sam. 15. 26
1 It is the Lord, enthroned in light,
Whose claims are all divine,
Who has an undisputed right
To govern me and mine.
2 [It is the Lord; should I distrust
Or contradict his will –
Who cannot do but what is just,
And must be righteous still?
3 It is the Lord, who can sustain
Beneath the heaviest load;
From whom assistance I obtain
To tread the thorny road.]
4 [It is the Lord, whose matchless skill
Can from afflictions raise
Matter eternity to fill
With ever-growing praise.]
5 It is the Lord, my covenant God,
(Thrice blessèd be his name!)
Whose gracious promise, sealed with blood,
Must ever be the same.
6 His covenant will my soul defend,
Should nature’s self expire,
And the great Judge of all descend
In awful flames of fire.
7 [How can my soul, with hopes like these,
Be sullen, or repine?
My gracious God, take what thou please,
But teach me to resign.]
262 104th Augustus Toplady
“The Lord is good unto them that wait for him.” Lam. 3. 25
Thou Fountain of bliss, thy smile I entreat;
O’erwhelmed with distress I mourn at thy feet;
The joy of salvation, when shall it be mine?
The high consolation of friendship divine!
2
Awakened to see the depth of my fall,
For mercy on thee I earnestly call;
’Tis thine the lost sinner to save and renew;
Faith’s mighty Beginner and Finisher too.
3
Thy Spirit alone repentance implants,
And gives me to groan at feeling my wants;
’Midst all my dejection, dear Lord, I can trace
Some marks of election, some tokens of grace.
4
Thou wilt not despise a sinner distressed;
All-kind and all-wise, thy season is best.
To thy sovereign pleasure resigned I would be,
And tarry at leisure, and hope still in thee.
263 L.M. Samuel Medley
“Blessed are they that mourn.” Matt. 5. 4; Isa. 61. 3
1 Jesus, the glorious Head of grace,
Knows every saint’s peculiar case;
What sorrows by their souls are borne,
And how for sin they daily mourn.
2 He knows how deep their groanings are,
And what their secret sighs declare;
And, for their comfort, has expressed
That all such mourning souls are blessed.
3 They’re blessed on earth, for ’tis by grace
They see and know their mournful case;
Blest mourners! they shall shortly rise
To endless comfort in the skies.
4 There all their mourning days shall cease,
And they be filled with joy and peace;
Comforts eternal they shall prove,
And dwell for ever in his love.
5 [Dear Lord, may I a mourner be,
Over my sins and after thee;
And when my mourning days are o’er,
Enjoy thy comforts evermore.]
264 L.M. Isaac Watts
“I have waited for thy salvation, O Lord.” Gen. 49. 18
1 Far from my thoughts, vain world, begone;
Let my religious hours alone;
Fain would my eyes my Saviour see;
I wait a visit, Lord, from thee.
2 My heart grows warm with holy fire,
And kindles with a pure desire;
Come, my dear Jesus, from above,
And feed my soul with heavenly love.
3 [The trees of life immortal stand,
In fragrant rows at thy right hand;
And in sweet murmurs by thy side,
Rivers of bliss perpetual glide.
4 Haste, then, but with a smiling face,
And spread the table of thy grace;
Bring down a taste of truth divine,
And cheer my heart with sacred wine.]
5 Blest Jesus! what delicious fare!
How sweet thy entertainments are!
Never did angels taste above,
Redeeming grace and dying love.
6 Hail, great Immanuel, all divine!
In thee thy Father’s glories shine;
Thou brightest, sweetest, fairest One,
That eyes have seen or angels known.
265 L.M. Isaac Watts
“My heart rejoiceth in the Lord.” 1 Sam. 2. 1
1 Lord, what a heaven of saving grace
Shines through the beauties of thy face,
And lights our passions to a flame!
Lord, how we love thy charming name!
2 When I can say, “My God is mine,”
When I can feel thy glories shine,
I tread the world beneath my feet,
And all that earth calls good or great.
3 While such a scene of sacred joys
Our raptured eyes and soul employs,
Here we could sit and gaze away,
A long, an everlasting day.
4 Well, we shall quickly pass the night
To the fair coasts of perfect light;
Then shall our joyful senses rove
O’er the dear Object of our love.
5 [There shall we drink full draughts of bliss,
And pluck new life from heavenly trees;
Yet now and then, dear Lord, bestow
A drop of heaven on worms below.]
6 [Send comforts down from thy right hand,
While we pass through this barren land,
And in thy temple let us see
A glimpse of love, a glimpse of thee.]
266 C.M. Isaac Watts
Doubts Scattered; or, Spiritual Joys Restored. Ps. 40. 3
1 Hence from my soul, sad thoughts, begone,
And leave me to my joys;
My tongue shall triumph in my God,
And make a joyful noise.
2 Darkness and doubts had veiled my mind,
And drowned my head in tears,
Till sovereign grace, with shining rays,
Dispelled my gloomy fears.
3 O what immortal joys I felt,
And raptures all divine,
When Jesus told me I was his,
And my Beloved mine!
4 In vain the tempter frights my soul,
And breaks my peace in vain;
One glimpse, dear Saviour, of thy face,
Revives my joys again.
267 7s J. Cennick
Rejoicing in Hope. Rom. 5. 2; Ps. 138. 5
1 Children of the heavenly King,
As ye journey, sweetly sing;
Sing your Saviour’s worthy praise,
Glorious in his works and ways.
2 Ye are travelling home to God
In the way the fathers trod;
They are happy now, and ye
Soon their happiness shall see.
3 [O ye banished seed, be glad;
Christ your Advocate is made;
You to save, your flesh assumes;
Brother to your souls becomes.]
4 Shout, ye little flock, and blest;
You on Jesus’ throne shall rest;
There your seat is now prepared,
There your kingdom and reward.
5 Fear not, brethren, joyful stand
On the borders of your land;
Jesus Christ, your Father’s Son,
Bids you undismayed go on.
6 Lord, submissive make us go,
Gladly leaving all below;
Only thou our Leader be,
And we still will follow thee.
268 S.M. J. Berridge
The Drawings of Christ’s Love Followed. Song. 2. 10
1 If Jesus kindly say,
And with a whispering word,
“Arise, my love, and come away,”
I run to meet my Lord.
2 My soul is in my ears;
My heart is all on flame;
My eyes are sweetly drowned in tears,
And melted is my frame.
3 My raptured soul will rise,
And give a cheerful spring,
And dart through all the lofty skies,
To visit Zion’s King.
4 He meets me with a kiss,
And with a smiling face;
I taste the dear, enchanting bliss,
And wonder at his grace.
5 The world now drops its charms;
My idols all depart;
Soon as I reach my Saviour’s arms,
I give him all my heart.
6 A soft and tender sigh
Now heaves my hallowed breast;
I long to lay me down and die,
And find eternal rest.
269 C.M. Isaac Watts
God’s Tender Care of his Church. Isa. 49. 15, 16
1 Now shall my inward joys arise,
And burst into a song;
Almighty love inspires my heart,
And pleasure tunes my tongue.
2 God on his thirsty Zion-hill
Some mercy-drops has thrown,
And solemn oaths have bound his love
To shower salvation down.
3 Why do we, then, indulge our fears,
Suspicions, and complaints?
Is he a God, and shall his grace
Grow weary of his saints?
4 Can a kind woman e’er forget
The infant of her womb?
And ’mongst a thousand tender thoughts,
Her suckling have no room?
5 Yet, says the Lord, should nature change,
And mothers monsters prove,
Zion still dwells upon the heart
Of everlasting love.
270 8.7. J. Hart
“Put on the whole armour of God.” Eph. 6. 11-13
1 Gird thy loins up, Christian soldier;
Lo! thy Captain calls thee out;
Let the danger make thee bolder;
War in weakness, dare in doubt.
Buckle on thy heavenly armour;
Patch up no inglorious peace;
Let thy courage wax the warmer,
As thy foes and fears increase.
2 Bind thy golden girdle round thee,
Truth to keep thee firm and tight;
Never shall the foe confound thee,
While the truth maintains thy fight.
Righteousness within thee rooted
May appear to take thy part;
But let righteousness imputed
Be the breastplate of thy heart.
3 Shod with gospel-preparation,
In the paths of promise tread;
Let the hope of free salvation,
As a helmet, guard thy head.
When beset with various evils,
Wield the Spirit’s two-edged sword,
Cut thy way through hosts of devils,
While they fall before the Word.
4 But when dangers closer threaten,
And thy soul draws near to death;
When assaulted sore by Satan,
Then object the shield of faith;
Fiery darts of fierce temptations,
Intercepted by thy God,
There shall lose their force in patience,
Sheathed in love, and quenched in blood.
5 Though to speak thou be not able,
Always pray and never rest;
Prayer’s a weapon for the feeble;
Weakest souls can wield it best.
Ever on thy Captain calling,
Make thy worst condition known;
He shall hold thee up when falling,
Or shall lift thee up when down.
271 L.M. S. Stennett
Captain of Salvation. Eph. 6. 11-18; Ps. 27. 1
1 My Captain sounds the alarm of war –
Awake! the powers of hell are near!
“To arms, to arms!” I hear him cry;
“’Tis yours to conquer, or to die!”
2 Roused by the animating sound,
I cast my eager eyes around;
Make haste to gird my armour on,
And bid each trembling fear begone.
3 Hope is my helmet; Christ my shield;
Thy Word, my God, the sword I wield;
With sacred truth my loins are girt,
And holy zeal inspires my heart.
4 Thus armed, I venture on the fight,
Resolved to put my foes to flight;
While Jesus kindly deigns to spread
His conquering banner o’er my head.
5 In him I hope; in him I trust;
His bleeding cross is all my boast;
Through troops of foes he’ll lead me on,
To victory and a victor’s crown.
272 8.7. John Newton
“Behold the blood of the covenant.” Exod. 24. 8
1 Dearest Saviour! we adore thee,
For thy precious life and death;
Melt each stubborn heart before thee;
Give us all the eye of faith.
From the law’s condemning sentence,
To thy mercy we appeal;
Thou alone canst give repentance;
Thou alone our souls canst heal.
273 7s John Newton
To the Afflicted. Isa. 41. 10, 14; 54. 4-11
1 Pensive, doubting, fearful heart,
Hear what Christ the Saviour says;
Every word should joy impart,
Change thy mourning into praise.
Yes, he speaks, and speaks to thee,
May he help thee to believe;
Then thou presently wilt see
Thou hast little cause to grieve:
2 “Fear thou not, nor be ashamed;
All thy sorrows soon shall end,
I, who heaven and earth have framed,
Am thy Husband and thy Friend;
I, the High and Holy One,
Israel’s God, by all adored,
As thy Saviour will be known,
Thy Redeemer and thy Lord.
3 “For a moment I withdrew,
And thy heart was filled with pain;
But my mercies I’ll renew;
Thou shalt soon rejoice again;
Though I seem to hide my face,
Very soon my wrath shall cease;
’Tis but for a moment’s space,
Ending in eternal peace.
4 “Though afflicted, tempest-tossed,
Comfortless awhile thou art,
Do not think thou canst be lost,
Thou art graven on my heart;
All thy wastes I will repair;
Thou shalt be rebuilt anew;
And in thee it shall appear
What the God of love can do.”
274 S.M. J. Adams
The Afflicted Secure in Christ. Job 5. 19; Ps. 29. 10
1 The Lord in Zion reigns,
And will his people keep;
’Tis he the universe sustains,
And well secures his sheep.
2 Though with afflictions sore
He may them exercise;
Yet still his hand they shall adore,
And still his love shall prize.
3 Should poverty, and loss
Of every kind of good,
Conspire to make our weighty cross,
Our helper still is God.
4 May we for ever trust
And glory in his name;
Jesus, the faithful, true, and just,
For ever is the same!
275 L.M. Samuel Medley
“Be still, and know that I am God.” Ps. 46. 10
1 Let me, thou sovereign Lord of all,
Low at thy footstool humbly fall;
And while I feel affliction’s rod,
Be still and know that thou art God.
2 Let me not murmur nor repine,
Under these trying strokes of thine;
But while I walk the mournful road
Be still and know that thou art God.
3 When and wherever thou shalt smite;
Teach me to own thy sovereign right;
And underneath the heaviest load,
Be still and know that thou art God.
4 Still let this truth support my mind,
Thou canst not err nor be unkind;
And thus approve thy chastening rod,
And know thou art my Father, God!
5 When this afflicted soul shall rise
To ceaseless joys above the skies,
I shall, as ransomed by thy blood,
For ever sing, “Thou art my God!”
276 8s John Newton
The Care God takes of his People. 1 Kings 17. 6
1 Elijah’s example declares,
Whatever distress may betide,
The saints may commit all their cares
To Him who will surely provide;
When rain long withheld from the earth
Occasioned a famine of bread,
The prophet, secured from the dearth,
By ravens was constantly fed.
2 More likely to rob than to feed,
Were ravens, which live upon prey;
But when the Lord’s people have need,
His goodness will find out a way.
This instance to those may be strange
Who know not how faith can prevail;
But sooner all nature shall change,
Than one of God’s promises fail.
3 How safe and how happy are they
Who on the good Shepherd rely;
He gives them out strength for their day,
Their wants he will surely supply.
He ravens and lions can tame!
All creatures obey his commands!
Then let us rejoice in his name,
And leave all our cares in his hands.
277 7s John Newton
“He careth for you.” 1 Pet. 5. 7; Ps. 55. 22
1 Now I see, whate’er betide,
All is well if Christ be mine;
He has promised to provide;
May he teach me to resign.
2 When a sense of sin and thrall
Forced me to the sinner’s Friend,
He engaged to manage all,
By the way and to the end.
3 “Cast,” he said, “on me thy care;
’Tis enough that I am nigh;
I will all thy burdens bear;
I will all thy needs supply.”
4 Lord, I would indeed submit;
Gladly yield my all to thee;
What thy wisdom sees most fit,
Must be surely best for me.
5 Only when the way is rough,
And the coward flesh would start,
Let thy promise and thy love
Cheer and animate my heart.
278 S.M. John Newton
Conflict. Rom. 7. 15-24; Gal. 5. 17
1 I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray,
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.
2 I would, but can’t repent,
Though I endeavour oft;
This stony heart can ne’er relent
Till Jesus makes it soft.
3 I would, but cannot love,
Though wooed by love divine;
No arguments have power to move
A soul so base as mine.
4 I would, but cannot rest
In God’s most holy will;
I know what he appoints is best,
Yet murmur at it still.
5 O could I but believe,
Then all would easy be;
I would, but cannot; Lord, relieve;
My help must come from thee.
6 [By nature prone to ill,
Till thy appointed hour,
I was as destitute of will
As now I am of power.]
7 [Wilt thou not crown at length
The work thou hast begun?
And with the will afford me strength
In all thy ways to run?]
279 L.M. W. Hammond
Conflict. Rom. 7. 15-24; Gal. 5. 17
1 How shall I pour out my complaint,
Or tell the Lord my sore distress?
Yet he espies my every want,
My weakness, sin, and foolishness.
2 Stupid, secure, and hard, and blind,
Withered and dead, and rooted up;
To endless death I seem consigned;
So destitute of cheering hope.
3 Uneasy when I feel my load;
Uneasy when I feel it not;
Dissatisfied for want of God,
Though oft of him I’ve not a thought.
4 I cannot frame a good desire,
If all the world to me was given;
I cannot to a wish aspire,
If one good wish would purchase heaven.
5 Sometimes I follow after God;
Sometimes I carelessly retreat;
For mercy now I cry aloud,
And now in stubborn silence sit.
6 O Prince of life, with power descend;
Thy blood apply, my conscience clear;
Then shall this legal conflict end,
And perfect love cast out sad fear.
280 7s W. Hammond
Conflict. Matt. 14. 31
1 Will my doubting ne’er be o’er?
Will the Lord return no more?
When shall I the Saviour see,
And be sure he died for me?
2 How I waver to and fro,
Rising high and sinking low!
Now to heaven I aspire,
Now to shades of death retire.
3 When a glimpse of hope appears,
Soon ’tis lost in doubts and fears.
O! I fear ’tis all a cheat!
Keep me, Lord, from self-deceit.
4 Lord, thy light, thy love display;
All my darkness chase away;
Everlasting peace restore;
Bid me disbelieve no more.
5 Put thy Spirit in my heart;
Bid my doubts and fears depart;
When thy face shall on me shine,
I shall know and feel thee mine.
281 C.M. WIlliam Cowper
“Contrite heart.” Isa. 57. 15; Ps. 51. 17
1 The Lord will happiness divine
On contrite hearts bestow;
Then tell me, gracious God, is mine
A contrite heart, or no?
2 I hear, but seem to hear in vain;
Insensible as steel;
If aught is felt, ’tis only pain,
To find I cannot feel.
3 I sometimes think myself inclined
To love thee, if I could;
But often find another mind,
Averse to all that’s good.
4 My best desires are faint and few;
I fain would strive for more;
But when I cry, “My strength renew,”
Seem weaker than before.
5 Thy saints are comforted, I know,
And love thy house of prayer;
I sometimes go where others go,
But find no comfort there.
6 O make this heart rejoice or ache,
Decide this doubt for me;
And if it be not broken, break,
And heal it if it be.
282 7s WIlliam Cowper
Welcome Cross. Rom. 5. 3; Heb. 12. 5-11; 1 Pet. 1. 6
1 ’Tis my happiness below,
Not to live without the cross,
But the Saviour’s power to know,
Sanctifying every loss.
2 Trials must and will befall;
But with humble faith to see
Love inscribed upon them all,
This is happiness to me.
3 Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to his feet,
Lay me low and keep me there.
4 Did I meet no trials here,
No chastisement by the way,
Might I not with reason fear
I should be a castaway?
5 Bastards may escape the rod,
Sunk in earthly, vain delight;
But the true-born child of God
Must not, would not if he might.
283 7s John Newton
Breathing after Love to Christ. Matt. 22. 37
1 ’Tis a point I long to know,
(Oft it causes anxious thought),
Do I love the Lord, or no?
Am I his, or am I not?
2 If I love, why am I thus?
Why this dull and lifeless frame?
Hardly, sure, can they be worse
Who have never heard his name.
3 Could my heart so hard remain,
Prayer a task and burden prove,
Every trifle give me pain,
If I knew a Saviour’s love?
4 [When I turn my eyes within,
All is dark, and vain, and wild;
Filled with unbelief and sin,
Can I deem myself a child?
5 If I pray, or hear, or read,
Sin is mixed with all I do;
You that love the Lord indeed,
Tell me, is it thus with you?
6 Yet I mourn my stubborn will
Find my sin a grief and thrall;
Should I grieve for what I feel,
If I did not love at all?]
7 Could I joy his saints to meet,
Choose the ways I once abhorred,
Find at times the promise sweet,
If I did not love the Lord?
8 Lord, decide the doubtful case;
Thou who art thy people’s Sun,
Shine upon thy work of grace,
If it be indeed begun.
9 Let me love thee more and more,
If I love at all, I pray;
If I have not loved before,
Help me to begin today.
284 7s J. H. Langley
A Mourner’s Sorrow and Comfort. Ps. 6. 6; 42. 1-3, 5
1 When shall all my sorrows end?
When my days of mourning cease?
When shall I to Christ ascend?
Only place of happiness?
2 Thirsting, panting after home,
Longing for that happy day,
Still I cry, “My Saviour, come!
Come, Lord Jesus, come away.”
3 See what tribulations rise;
Earth and sin beset me round;
Sorrows, trickling from my eyes,
Moisten all the weary ground.
4 Lord, thy pardoning love reveal;
Let my cry ascend thy ears.
Sin, alas! I deeply feel;
Sin, but ah! thy blood appears!
5 Blood, that answers every claim,
Tells me, Jesus died for me.
Then, in his delightful name,
Sin’s subdued, and I am free.
285 L.M. W. W. Horne
Complaint. Ps. 61. 2; Lam. 1. 16
1 O for a heart to seek my God,
Encouraged by his gracious word,
To view my Saviour all complete,
And lie submissive at his feet!
2 To thee, almighty God, to thee,
My Rock and Refuge, would I flee;
Now tides of sorrow, rolling high,
Appear to mingle earth and sky.
3 To see thy saints in mourning clad,
And foes by their distress made glad,
O’erwhelms my soul with poignant grief;
Lord, send thy servants sweet relief.
4 [Though safe in Christ thy saints abide,
Nor can their life be e’er destroyed;
While thy dear cause is thus suppressed,
My burdened soul can take no rest.]
5 Arise, O God, thy cause defend;
Deliverance unto Zion send.
Arise, arise, O God of might,
And put thy threatening foes to flight.
6 Pity thy poor, dejected few;
Our souls revive, our strength renew;
Collect thy scattered flock once more,
And open wide the gospel-door.
286 L.M. J. Swain
The Pilgrim’s Consolation. Ps. 34. 19; Heb. 11. 13
1 Pilgrims we are, to Canaan bound;
Our journey lies along this road;
This wilderness we travel round,
To reach the city of our God.
2 And here as travellers we meet,
Before we reach the fields above,
To sit around our Master’s feet,
And tell the wonders of his love.
3 Oft have we seen the tempest rise;
The world and Satan, hell and sin,
Like mountains, seemed to reach the skies,
With scarce a gleam of hope between.
4 But still, as oft as troubles come,
Our Jesus sends some cheering ray;
And that strong arm shall guide us home
Which thus protects us by the way.
5 A few more days, or months, or years,
In this dark desert to complain;
A few more sighs, a few more tears,
And we shall bid adieu to pain.
287 S.M. J. Hart
“Pride.” Prov. 8. 13; 11. 2; 29. 23
1 Innumerable foes,
Attack the child of God;
He feels within the weight of sin,
A grievous, galling load.
2 [Temptations, too, without,
Of various kinds, assault;
Sly snares beset his travelling feet,
And make him often halt.
3 From sinner and from saint
He meets with many a blow;
His own bad heart creates him smart,
Which only God can know.]
4 But though the host of hell
Be neither weak nor small,
One mighty foe deals wondrous woe,
And hurts beyond them all.
5 ’Tis pride, accursèd pride,
The spirit by God abhorred;
Do what we will, it haunts us still,
And keeps us from the Lord.
6 [It blows its poisonous breath,
And bloats the soul with air;
The heart uplifts with God’s own gifts,
And makes e’en grace a snare.]
7 [Awake, nay, while we sleep,
In all we think or speak,
It puffs us glad, torments us sad;
Its hold we cannot break.
8 In other ills we find
The hand of heaven not slack;
Pride only knows to interpose,
And keep our comforts back.]
9 [’Tis hurtful when perceived;
When not perceived, ’tis worse;
Unseen or seen, it dwells within,
And works by fraud or force.]
10 [Against its influence pray,
It mingles with the prayer;
Against it preach, it prompts the speech;
Be silent, still ’tis there.]
11 [In every outward act,
In every thought within,
The heart it draws to seek applause,
And mixes all with sin.]
12 Thou meek and lowly Lamb,
This haughty tyrant kill,
That wounded thee, though thou wast free,
And grieves thy Spirit still.
13 Our condescending God,
(To whom else shall we go?)
Remove our pride, whate’er betide,
And lay and keep us low.
14 [Thy garden is the place
Where pride cannot intrude;
For should it dare to enter there,
’Twould soon be drowned in blood.]
288 C.M. John Newton
The Prisoner. Ps. 6. 4; 142. 7
1 When the poor prisoner, through a grate,
Sees others walk at large,
How does he mourn his lonely state,
And long for a discharge!
2 Thus I, confined in unbelief,
My loss of freedom mourn;
And spend my hours in fruitless grief,
Until my Lord return.
3 The beam of day which pierces through
The gloom in which I dwell,
Only discloses to my view
The horrors of my cell.
4 [Ah! how my pensive spirit faints,
To think of former days,
When I could triumph with the saints,
And join their songs of praise!]
5 Dear Saviour, for thy mercy’s sake,
My strong, my only plea,
These gates and bars in pieces break,
And set the prisoner free.
289 L.M. J. Fawcett
“And he led them forth by the right way.” Ps. 107. 7
1 Thus far my God has led me on,
And made his truth and mercy known;
My hopes and fears alternate rise,
And comforts mingle with my sighs.
2 [Through this wide wilderness I roam,
Far distant from my blissful home;
Lord, let thy presence be my stay,
And guard me in this dangerous way.]
3 [Temptations everywhere annoy,
And sins and snares oft make me sigh;
My earthly joys are from me torn,
And oft an absent God I mourn.]
4 My soul, with various tempests tossed,
Her hopes o’erturned, her projects crossed,
Sees every day new straits attend,
And wonders where the scene will end.
5 Is this, dear Lord, that thorny road
Which leads us to the mount of God?
Are these the toils thy people know,
While in this wilderness below?
6 ’Tis even so; thy faithful love
Does all thy children’s graces prove;
’Tis thus our pride and self must fall
That Jesus may be all in all.
290 L.M. WIlliam Cowper
Hope in Danger. John 16. 33
1 Dangers of every shape and name
Attend the followers of the Lamb,
Who leave the world’s deceitful shore,
And leave it to return no more.
2 O Lord, the pilot’s part perform,
And guide and guard me through the storm;
Defend me from each threatening ill;
Control the waves; say, “Peace! be still!”
3 Amidst the roaring of the sea,
My soul still hangs her hopes on thee;
Thy constant love, thy faithful care,
Is all that saves me from despair.
291 C.M. Rozzell
“Be strong, fear not.” Isa. 35. 3, 4; Rom. 8. 31
1 How prone the mind to search for ill,
To fancy mighty woes!
Shortly the cup of life will fill,
And rob it of repose.
2 [How sharp and numerous are the pangs
Imagination gives!
So sharp, that life itself oft hangs
In doubt, nor dies nor lives.]
3 [Could we our woes with truth divide,
The sterling and ideal,
What crowds would stand on fancy’s side!
How few upon the real!]
4 Creatures of fear, we drag along,
And fear where no fear is;
Our griefs we labour to prolong!
Our joys in haste dismiss.
5 Spirit of power, thy strength impart;
This fearful spirit chase
Far off, and make my feeble heart
Thy constant dwelling-place.
6 O if to me thy strength be given,
If thou be on my side,
Then hell as soon shall conquer heaven
As I can be destroyed.
292 7.6. Rozzell
The Pilgrim. Heb. 11. 13-16; Ps. 39. 12
1 Amidst ten thousand dangers,
Which everywhere abound,
The pilgrims and the strangers
Alone secure are found;
For on their Lord they’re waiting,
They seek him night and day;
His aid they’re supplicating
In his appointed way.
2 [How signal are the blessings
My Saviour has bestowed!
He taught me wisdom’s lessons,
When I had lost the road.
From death he has me raisèd,
By his almighty power;
Let his great name be praisèd,
Both now and evermore.]
3 Through Christ, the Mediator,
To God access we find;
The Spirit’s own dictator,
Who knows the Father’s mind.
Thus through this world of trouble
His saints in safety go;
They count the world a bubble,
All vanity below.
293 8s Augustus Toplady
Longing for God’s Presence in Soul Trouble. Ps. 61. 2
1 Encompassed with clouds of distress,
And tempted all hope to resign,
I pant for the light of thy face,
That I in thy beauty may shine.
Disheartened with waiting so long,
I sink at thy feet with my load;
All plaintive I pour out my song,
And stretch forth my hands unto God.
2 [Shine, Lord, and my terror shall cease;
The blood of atonement apply;
And lead me to Jesus for peace,
The Rock that is higher than I.
Speak, Saviour, for sweet is thy voice;
Thy presence is fair to behold;
I thirst for thy Spirit, with cries
And groanings that cannot be told.]
3 If sometimes I strive, as I mourn,
My hold of thy promise to keep,
The billows more fiercely return,
And plunge me again in the deep.
While harassed and cast from thy sight,
The tempter suggests with a roar,
“The Lord has forsaken thee quite;
Thy God will be gracious no more.”
4 Yet, Lord, if thy love has designed
No covenant blessing for me,
Ah! tell me, how is it I find
Some sweetness in waiting for thee?
Almighty to rescue thou art,
Thy grace is immortal and free;
Lord, succour and comfort my heart,
And make me live wholly to thee.
294 148th R. De Courcy
The Christian’s Spiritual Voyage. Ps. 107. 23-28
1 Jesus, at thy command
I launch into the deep;
And leave my native land,
Where sin lulls all asleep;
For thee I would the world resign,
And sail to heaven with thee and thine.
2 Thou art my Pilot wise;
My compass is thy word;
My soul each storm defies,
While I have such a Lord;
I trust thy faithfulness and power,
To save me in the trying hour.
3 Though rocks and quicksands deep
Through all my passage lie;
Yet Christ will safely keep,
And guide me with his eye;
My anchor, hope, shall firm abide,
And I each boisterous storm outride.
4 By faith I see the land –
The port of endless rest;
My soul, thy sails expand,
And fly to Jesus’ breast!
O may I reach the heavenly shore
Where winds and waves distress no more.
5 [Whene’er becalmed I lie;
And storms forbear to toss;
Be thou, dear Lord, still nigh,
Lest I should suffer loss;
For more the treacherous calm I dread,
Than tempests bursting o’er my head.]
6 Come, Holy Ghost, and blow
A prosperous gale of grace;
Waft me from all below
To heaven, my destined place,
Then, in full sail, my port I’ll find,
And leave the world and sin behind.
295 L.M. John Newton
Prayer Answered by Crosses. Ps. 65. 5; Acts 14. 22
1 I asked the Lord that I might grow
In faith, and love, and every grace;
Might more of his salvation know,
And seek more earnestly his face.
2 [’Twas he who taught me thus to pray,
And he, I trust, has answered prayer;
But it has been in such a way
As almost drove me to despair.]
3 I hoped that in some favoured hour,
At once he’d answer my request;
And, by his love’s constraining power,
Subdue my sins, and give me rest.
4 Instead of this, he made me feel
The hidden evils of my heart,
And let the angry powers of hell
Assault my soul in every part.
5 Yea, more, with his own hand he seemed
Intent to aggravate my woe;
Crossed all the fair designs I schemed,
Blasted my gourds, and laid me low.
6 “Lord, why is this?” I trembling cried;
“Wilt thou pursue thy worm to death?”
“’Tis in this way,” the Lord replied,
“I answer prayer for grace and faith.
7 “These inward trials I employ,
From self and pride to set thee free;
And break thy schemes of earthly joy,
That thou mayst seek thy all in me.”
296 L.M. B. Beddome
Inconstancy. Ps. 109. 23; Hos. 6. 4
1 The wandering star and fleeting wind
Both represent the unstable mind;
The morning cloud and early dew
Bring our inconstancy to view.
2 But cloud, and wind, and dew, and star,
Faint and imperfect emblems are;
Nor can there aught in nature be
So fickle and so false as we.
3 [Our outward walk and inward frame,
Scarce through a single hour the same.
We vow, and straight our vows forget,
And then those very vows repeat.
4 We sin forsake, to sin return;
Are hot, are cold; now freeze, now burn;
In deep distress, then raptures feel;
We soar to heaven, then sink to hell.]
5 With flowing tears, Lord, we’d confess
Our folly and unsteadfastness;
When shall these hearts more fixèd be –
Fixed by thy grace, and fixed on thee?
297 104th J. Kent
The Trial of Faith. Ps. 11. 5; Mal. 3. 3
Jehovah has said, ’tis left on record,
“The righteous are one with Jesus the Lord;”
At all times he loves them; ’twas for them he died;
Yet ofttimes he proves them, for grace must be tried.
2
When faint in the way, or lifeless and cold,
Or sunk in dismay, and none to uphold;
Yet firm to his promise thy God shall abide;
But grace, though the smallest, shall surely be tried.
3
[Temptations and sins in legions shall rise,
As spears in thy side or thorns in thy eyes;
And oft, to thy sorrow, his face he shall hide,
For God has determined his grace shall be tried.]
4
With him on the mount today thou shalt be,
Indulged by thy Lord his glory to see;
There he may caress thee, and call thee his bride,
Yet grace, though he bless thee, shall surely be tried.
5
[The tempest shall blow, the billows shall swell,
Thy soul, full of woe, shall pass as through hell;
And all this to prove thee, to stain thy cursed pride;
Yet still he will love thee; but grace must be tried.]
6
He’ll ne’er thee forsake, but surely perform
His word, though he take his way in the storm;
Yea, oft in the clouds of dejection he’ll ride,
For he has determined his grace shall be tried.
7
He’ll cause thee to bring thy griefs to his throne,
But answers of peace to thee shall send none;
Then sorrow and sadness thy heart shall divide,
Because he’s determined his grace shall be tried.
8
As gold from the flame, he’ll bring thee at last,
To praise him for all through which thou hast past;
Then love everlasting thy griefs shall repay,
And God from thy eyes wipe all sorrows away.
298 8s J. Kent
“The Canaanites ... in that land.” Josh. 17. 12
1 The Canaanites still in the land,
To harass, perplex, and dismay,
Brought Israel of old at a stand,
For Anak was stronger than they.
What God had designed they possessed,
Supported and kept by his hand;
Yet, lest on their lees they should rest,
The Canaanites dwelt in the land.
2 ’Tis thus with the Israel on earth,
Who groan with a body of sin,
Partake of a spiritual birth,
The work of God’s Spirit within;
Today, with a taste of his love,
Jehovah their souls will expand,
Tomorrow he’ll give them to prove
The Canaanites still in the land.
3 [Corruptions like vapours shall rise;
Light, love, and delight shall be gone;
The sun shall be dark in the skies,
And hell, with its legions, come on;
Yet all things shall work for their good,
Afflictions, temptations, or pain;
And still, through the Lamb and his blood
Their cause they shall ever maintain.]
4 [Like Gad, by a troop overcome,
They fall, through the workings of sin;
Yet glory they not in their shame,
But mourn their defilement within.
On Zion’s bright summit above,
Victorious at last they shall stand,
Though now for a season they prove
The Canaanites still in the land.]
5 [A thorn in the flesh they shall have,
Their roving affections to win,
To teach them how Jesus can save,
And show them the depth of their sin;
Yea, down to the Jordan of death,
His foes shall the Christian withstand,
And feel, when resigning his breath,
The Canaanites still in the land.]
6 [To them he his oath shall fulfil,
A poor, little, faint-hearted band;
For ’tis of their Father’s good will
The Canaanites dwell in the land.
Their place of repose is on high,
No Canaanite enters therein,
To drink of the rivers of joy,
Remote from the regions of sin.]
299 C.M. J. Berridge
“Thou didst hide thy face, I was troubled.” Ps. 30. 7
1 If but a single moment’s space,
My Lord himself withdraws,
Dark clouds and storms come on apace,
And debts, and broken laws.
2 My heart reveals its dross and dung,
And loathsome is my breath;
My harp is on the willows hung,
And Esau vows my death.
3 My eyes refuse to lend a tear;
My throat is hoarse and dry;
I lisp and falter in my prayer,
And sick and faint am I.
4 If Jesus loves the gospel-poor,
That broken-hearted be,
A mourner waiteth at thy door,
Who wants a sight of thee.
5 Look from the windows of thy grace,
And cheer a drooping heart;
A single smile from thy sweet face
Will bid my griefs depart.
6 Thou art the life of all my joys;
Thy presence makes my heaven;
Whatever else my Lord denies,
Thy presence, Lord, be given.
300 C.M. J. Berridge
“Tribulation worketh patience.” Rom. 5. 3
1 How simple are thy children, Lord,
Unskilled in what they pray;
Full oft they lift a hearty word,
Yet know not what they say.
2 For patience when I raised a cry,
Fresh burdens made me roar;
My foolish heart would then reply,
For patience pray no more.
3 So much my Master seemed to blame,
I thought to leave his school;
But now I learn to blush for shame,
And see myself a fool.
4 [I fancied patience would be brought
Before my troubles rose;
And by such granted help I thought
To triumph o’er my woes.
5 But Christ has cleared my misty sight,
And, taught by him, I find
That tribulations, working right,
Produce a patient mind.]
6 When our dear Master would bestow
Much patience on his friends,
He loads their shoulders well with woe,
And thus obtains his ends.
7 I must expect a daily cross;
Lord, sanctify the pain;
Bid every furnace purge my dross
And yield some patient gain.