Such defect can be found in that creature alone, Which against his good will seeks to set up it's own; Then, to God, and his justice, it giveth the lie, And it's darkness and wrath are discover'd thereby: What, before, was subservient to life, in due place, Then usurps the dominion, and death is the case; Which the son of God only could ever subdue, By doing all that which love gave him to do. If the anger of God, fury, wrath, waxing hot, And the like human phrases that scripture has got, Be insisted upon, why not also the rest, Where God, in the language of men, is exprest In a manner, which, all are oblig'd to confess, No defect in his nature can mean to express? With a God, who is love, ev'ry word should agree; With a God, who hath said, "fury is not in me." The disorders in Nature, for none are in God, Are entitled his vengeance, his wrath, or his rod, Like his ice, or his frost, his plague, famine, or sword That the love, which directs them, may still be ador'd: Directs them, till justice, call'd his, or call'd ours, Shall regain, to our comfort, it's primitive pow'rs; The truc, saving justice, that bids us endure What love shall prescribe, for effecting our cure. By a process of love, from the crib to the cross, Did the only-begotten recover our loss: And show in us men how the father is pleas'd, When the wrath in our nature by love is appeas'd; When the birth of his Christ, being formed within, Dissolves the dark death of all selfhood and sin; Till the love that so lov'd us, becomes, once again, From the father and son, a life-spirit in men. Now, tho' 'tis proof, indisputably plain, That all is right, which God shall once ordain; Yet, if a thought shall intervene between Things and commands, 'tis evidently seen That good will he commanded: men divide Nature and laws which really coincide. From the divine, eternal spirit springs Cudworth perceiv'd, that what divines advance Endless perfections, after all, conspire, ON THE NATURE AND REASON OF ALL OUTWARD LAW. The sabbath was made for man; not man f the sabbath. Mark ii, 27. FROM this true saying one may learn to draw The real nature of all outward law; In ev'ry instance, rightly understood, Its ground, and reason, is the human good: By all its changes, since the world began, THE TRUE GROUNDS OF ETERNAL AND Man was not made for law; but law for man. IMMUTABLE RECTITUDE. TH' eternal mind, e'en Heathens understood, For pow'r, from wisdom suff'ring a divorce, Yet some of old, and some of present hour, Ascribe to God an arbitrary pow'r; An absolute decree; a mere command, Which nothing causes, nothing can withstand: Wisdom and goodness scarce appear in sight; But all is measur'd by resistless might. The verbal question comes to this, in fine, Is good, or evil, made by will divine, Or such by nature? Does command enact What shall be right, and then 'tis so in fact? Or is it right, and therefore, we may draw From thence the reason of the righteous law? "Thou shalt not eat" (the first command of al) "Of good and ill," was to prevent his fall: When he became unfit to be alone, Woman was form'd out of his flesh and bone: When both had sinn'd, then penitential grief, And sweating labour, was the law relief. When all the world had sinn'd, save one good sire, Flood was the law that sav'd its orb from fire: Men who observe a law, or who abuse, Jesus, the perfect law-fulfiller, gave The victory that taught the law to save; Plack'd out its sting, revers'd the cruel cry, "We have a law by which he ought to die"Dying for man, this conquest he could give, I have a law by which he ought to live. Whilst in the flesh, how oft did he reveal The sabbath, never so well kept before, Is blest for one who wants to be made whole; Not to indulge an eagerness too great, DIVINE LOVE, HE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF TRUE RE- RELIGION'S meaning when I would recall, On what it lets its inclination rest, 'rom custom's force, there lies the real thing: Of all religions if we take a view, One God, one Christ, one Spirit, none but he; t may be good, that is, may make appear The one unbounded, undivided good, For brutal instinct can a good embrace, Not to the skies or stars; but to the part There is the seat, as holy writings tell, An Heaven within, in other words, above. ON WORKS OF MERCY AND COMPASSION. Of true religion, works of mercy seem Then, they who gave poor hungry people meat, These will be deem'd religious men, to whom Then, they who gave the hungry poor no food; Who with no drink the parch'd with thirst bedew'd; Who drove the helpless stranger from their fold, These will be deem'd of irreligious mind; Here, all ye learned, full of all dispute, VERSES DESIGNED FOR AN INFIRMARY. DEAR loving sirs! behold, as ye pass by, Thus to bestow is really to obtain To help th' afflicted, in so great a need, In other cases, men may form a doubt, The wise consider this terrestrial ball, To heal man's nature, and to make him whole: A godlike work; who forwards it is sure, To them who tread the certain path to bliss, That leads thro' scenes of charity like this, Think what the Saviour of the world will say"Ye blessed of my father, come your way: 'Twas done to me, if done to the distrest: Come, ye true friends, and be for ever blest." AN HYMN TO JESUS. COME, Saviour Jesus! from above, Assist me with thy heav'nly grace; Withdraw my heart from worldly love, And for thyself prepare the place. Lord! let thy sacred presence fill, And set my longing spirit free; That pants to have no other will, But night and day to think on thee. Where'er thou leadest, I'll pursue, Thro' all retirements, or employs; But to the world I 'il bid adieu, And all its vain delusive joys. That way with humble speed I'll walk, Wherein my Saviour's footsteps shine; Nor will I hear, nor will I talk Of any other love but thine. To thee my longing soul aspires; To thee I offer all my vows: Keep me from false and vain desires, My God, my Saviour, and my Spouse! Henceforth, let no profane delight Divide this consecrated soul! Possess it thou, who hast the right, As lord and master of the whole. Wealth, honours, pleasures, or what else This short-enduring world can give, Tempt as they will, my heart repells, To thee alone resolv'd to live. Thee one may love, and thee alone, With inward peace, and holy bliss; And when thou tak'st us for thy own, Oh! what an happiness is this! Nor Heav'n, nor Earth do I desire, Nor mysteries to be reveal'd; 'Tis love that sets my heart on fire : Speak thou the word, and I am heal'd. All other graces I resign; Pleas'd to receive, pleas'd to restore : Grace is thy gift, it shall be mine The giver only to adore. AN HYMN ON SIMPLICITY. JESU! teach this heart of mine Free from guile of every kind: When I read, or when I hear Truths that kindle good desires; What Heav'n-instrcted faith requires; Whilst I pray before thy face, Thou! who art my highest good! Purchas'd by thy precious blood: Give me, with a child-like mind, Pleases best my dearest Lord : Mere simplicity be guide: Jesu! now I fix my heart, Prince of life, and source of bliss; 'Till thy love shall grant me this: WORLD adieu, thou real cheat! Oft have thy deceitful charms my heart with fond conceit, low thy follies pass away. yu arewell honour's empty pride! More inconstant than the wave; rd, how happy is a heart, After thee while it aspires! is rue and faithful as thou art, Thou shalt answer its desires: 6 shall see the glorious scene of thy everlasting reign. AN HYMN. FROM THE FRENCH. cow charming! to be thus confin'd hese very ills are my delight; ain is no object of my fear, Presence of God, who takes my part, So sweetens all event! He is the patience of my heart, THE SOUL'S TENDENCY TOWARDS ITS TRUE CENTRE. STONES towards the earth descend; Rivers to the ocean roll; Every motion has some end: "Mine is, where my Saviour is; Love the force that doth impel." Truly, thou hast answer'd right: Now may Heav'n's attractive grace, Tow'rds the source of thy delight, Speed along thy quick'ning pace! "Thank thee for thy gen'rous care: Heav'n, that did the wish inspire. Through thy instrumental pray'r, Plumes the wings of my desire. "Now, methinks, aloft I fly: Now, with angels bear a part: Glory be to God on high! Peace to ev'ry Christian heart!" THE DESPONDING SOUL'S WISH. My spirit longeth for thee, Of so divine a guest. Of so divine a guest, No rest is to be found, But in thy blessed love; O! let my wish be crown'd, And send it from above! THE ANSWER. CHEER up, desponding soul; And left my Father's throne; From death to set thee free, To claim thee for my own. To claim thee for my own, I suffer'd on the cross: Oh! were my love but known, No soul could fear its loss. No soul could fear its loss, But, fil'd with love divine, Would die on its own cross, And rise for ever mine. AN HYMN TO JESUS. FROM THE LATIN OF ST. BERNARD. JESU! the soul that thinks on thee, No sound can dwell upon the tongue, Jesu! the penitent's retreat, Jesu! the source of life and light, This can no tongue that ever spoke, A PARAPHRASE And the men who dwell on it, his children, for whom It has pleas'd him that Christ the Redeemer should come; Yet his church must consist, in all saving respect, Of them who receive him, not them who reject; And his true, real children, or people, are they, Who, when call'd by the Saviour, believe and obey. Now this excellent pray'r, in this sense of the phrase, For the catholic church more especially prays; That it may be so constantly govern'd, and led By the Spirit of God, and of Jesus its head, That all such as are taught to acknowledge its creed, And profess to be Christians, may be so indeed; May hold the one faith, in a peace without strife, And the proof of its truth, a right practical life. No partial distinction is here to be sought; For the good of mankind still enlivens the thought; Since God, by the church, in its catholic sense, Salvation to all is so pleas'd to dispense, [crease, That the farther her faith, and her patience in More hearts will be won to the gospel of peace; "Till the world shall come under truth's absolute sway, [day And the nations, converted, bring on the great Mean while, tho' eternity be her chief care, The suff'rers in time have a suitable share: She prays to the fatherly goodness of God, For all whom affliction has under its rod; That inward, or outward, the cause of their grief, Mind, body, estate, he would grant them relief, Due comfort, and patience, and finally bless With the most happy ending of all their distress. The compassion, here taught, is unlimited too, And the whole of mankind the petitioning view: As none can foresee, whether Christian, or not, What afflictions may fall in this world to his lot; The church, which considers whose Providence sends, ON THE PRAYER, USED IN THE CHURCH LITURGY, Prays that all may obtain its beneficent ends; FOR ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS OF MEN. Ir will bear the repeating again and again, His true saving health, by the nations all round. But tho' all the whole world, in a sense that is good, [stood; To be God's house, or church, may be well under And whenever the suff'rings, here needful, are past, By repentance and faith, may be sav'd at the last. The particular mention of such, as desire To be publicly pray'd for, as made in our quire, Infers to all others God's merciful grace; [cas; Tho' we hear not their names, who are in the like It excites our attention to instances known, Of relations, or neighbours, or friends of our own; For the pray'r, in its nature, extends to all those, Who are in the same trouble, friends to us, or foes. All which she entreats, for his sake, to be done, Who suffer'd to save them, Christ Jesus, his Son; In respect to the world, the Redeemer of all; To the church of the faithful, most chiefly, saith Paul; And to them, who shall suffer, whoever they be, In the spirit of Christ, in the highest degree: How ought such a goodness all minds to prepare, For an hearty amen to this catholic pray'r! The church is indeed, in its real intent, An assembly, where nothing but friendship is meant; |