Hymns and Spiritual Songs | Page 8

mortal has a just pretence
To perish in despair.
4 Be wise, ye men of strength and wit,
Nor boast your native powers;

But to his sovereign grace submit,
And glory shall be yours.
5 Come, all ye vilest sinners come,
He'll form your souls anew:
His
gospel and his heart have room
For rebels such as you.
6 His doctrine is almighty love;
There's virtue in his Name
To turn

the raven to a dove,
The lion to a lamb.
Hymn 1:35. [Supplement.]
Truth, sincerity, &c. Phil. 4. 8.
1 Let those who bear the Christian name
Their holy vows fulfil:

The saints, the followers of the Lamb,
Are men of honour still.
2 True to the solemn oath they take,
Tho' to their hurt they swear;

Constant and just to all they speak,
For God and angels hear.
3 Still with their lips their hearts agree,
Nor flattering words devise,

They know the God of truth can see
Thro' every false disguise.
4 They hate th' appearance of a lie
In all the shapes it wears;
They
live the truth; and, when they die,
Eternal life is theirs.
5 While hypocrites and liars fly
Before the Judge's frown,
His
faithful friends, who fear a lie,
Receive th' immortal crown.
Hymn 1:36. [Supplement.]
A lovely carriage.
1 O 'tis a lovely thing to see
A man of prudent heart,
Whose
thoughts, and lips, and life agree
To act a useful part.
2 When envy, strife, and wars begin,
In little angry souls,
Mark
how the sons of peace come in,
And quench the kindling coals.
3 Their minds are humble, mild, and meek,
Nor let their fury rise;

Nor passion moves their lips to speak,
Nor pride exalts their eyes.
4 Their frame is prudence mix'd with love,
Good works fulfil their
day:
They join the serpent with the dove,
But cast the sting away.
5 Such was the Saviour of mankind;
Such pleasures he pursu'd;
His
flesh and blood were all refin'd,
His soul divinely good.

6 Lord, can these plants of virtue grow
In such a heart as mine?
Thy
grace my nature can renew,
And make my soul like thine.
Hymn 1:37. [Supplement.]
Zeal and Fortitude.
1 Do I believe what Jesus saith,
And think the gospel true?
Lord,
make me bold to own my faith,
And practise virtue too.
2 Suppress my shame, subdue my fear,
Arm me with heavenly zeal,

That I may make thy power appear,
And works of praise fulfil.
3 If men shall see my virtue shine,
And spread my name abroad,

Thine is the power, the praise is thine,
My Saviour and my God.
4 Thus when the saints in glory meet,
Their lips proclaim thy grace;

They cast their honours at thy feet,
And own their borrow'd rays.
PAUSE.
5 Are we the soldiers of the cross?
The followers of the Lamb?
And
shall we fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?
6 Now we must fight, if we would reign;
Increase our courage, Lord!

We'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.
7 Thy saints in all this glorious war
Shall Conquer tho' they're slain;

They see the triumph from afar,
And shall with Jesus reign.
8 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all thy armies shine
In
robes of victory thro' the skies,
The glory shall be thine.
Hymn 1:38. [Supplement.]
The universal law of equity. Matt. 8. 12.
1 Blessed Redeemer how divine,
How righteous is this rule of thine,

"To do to all men just the same
"As we expect or wish from them."

2 This golden lesson, short and plain,
Gives not the mind nor memory
pain;
And every conscience must approve
This universal law of
love.
3 How blest would every nation be,
Thus rul'd by love and equity!

All would be friends without a foe,
And form a paradise below.
4 Jesus, forgive us, that we keep
Thy sacred law of love asleep,
No
more let envy, wrath, and pride,
But thy blest maxims be our guide.
Hymn 1:39.
God's tender care of his church, Isa. 13 &c.
1 How 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 Sion-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 (saith the Lord) should nature change,
"And mothers monsters
prove,
"Sion still dwells upon the heart
"Of everlasting love.
6 "Deep on the palms of both my hands
"I have engrav'd her name,

"My hands shall raise her ruin'd walls,
"And build her broken frame."
Hymn 1:40.
The business and blessedness of glorified saints,
Rev. 7.
13 &c.
1 "What happy men, or angels these
"That all their robes are spotless
white?
"Whence did this glorious troop arrive
"At the pure realms
of heavenly light?"

2 From tort'ring racks and burning fires,
And seas of their own blood
they came;
But nobler blood has wash'd their robes,
Flowing from
Christ the dying Lamb.
3 Now they approach th' almighty throne,
With loud hosannas night
and day,
Sweet anthems to the