4 If thou art poor, (and poor thou art,)
Lo! He has riches to impart ;
Not wealth in which mean avarice rolls,
Oh better far! the wealth of souls.
5 Thou'rt blind-he'll take the scales away, And let in everlasting day;
Torn and polluted is thy dress;
He'll robe thee in his righteousness.
6 Art thou a weeper, grief shall fly,
For who can weep with Jesus by?
No terror shall thy soul annoy;
No tear, except the tear of joy.
7 Rise, touched with gratitude divine,
Turn out his enemy and thine;
That soul-enslaving tyrant, sin,
And let the heavenly stranger in.
8 Admit him, for the human breast
Ne'er entertained so kind a guest;
Admit him, and you'll ne'er expel;
Where Jesus comes, he comes to dwell.
9 Admit him ere his anger burn,
His feet departed ne'er return;
Admit him, or the hour's at hand,
When at his door denied you'll stand.
10 Yet know-nor of the terms complainWhere Jesus comes, he comes to reign,
To reign, and with no partial sway,
Thoughts must be slain that disobey.
11 Sovereign of souls! thou Prince of peace!
Oh, may thy gentle reign increase!
Throw wide the door, each willing mind,
And be thine empire all mankind!
PRAYER FOR FAITH.
"Christ shall give thee light."-Eph. v. 14. 1 LORD of all power and might! Grant me that inward sight,
Which views the things unseen;
All earthly objects fade,
My life, a fleeting shade,
Ne'er for one moment stayed,
Will soon have crossed the scene.
2 Each moment it moves on,
Still hastening to be gone,
"Till seen on earth no more,
I reach that unknown state,
Where souls thy sentence wait,
To fix their lasting fate,
And hope of change is o'er.
3 Now, while there yet is time,
While earth's brief day grows dim
Darkened by pain and woe;
Kindle that lamp of faith,
Which can make bright my path,
E'en through the vale of death,
If thither now I go.
4 Man cannot wake the spark
In my soul's chamber dark-
Nor keep the flame alive;
Kindling thyself the light,
Deign thou to keep it bright,
Till where there is no night,
In safety I arrive.
"Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law."-Psalm xciv. 12.
1 WHEN this poor tenement of clay
Becomes a lifeless clod,
Shall I, exulting, soar away
To an unseen abode ?
2 O let me not with terror shrink
From questions such as these!
My God has sent, to bid me think,
His messenger, Disease.
3 I bless that God, who, from above,
This needful call has sent ;
Who weans me from terrestrial love
By gentle chastisement.
4 Divine Physician! Heavenly Friend!
Whose smile insures success,
The medicine thou hast deigned to send,
Oh deign thyself to bless.
5 Let suffering work the end designed,
Nor let one thought repine;
Teach me to feel thy chastening kind,
To love thy discipline.
6 That heavenly appetite restore,
Which hungers after thee;
Renew those holy traits once more,
Which mark thy family.
7 Ere long, I must for ever part
With all, my God, but thee!
Claim thou my undivided heart,
My hope my portion be!
8 Thy presence can alone suffice
This heart with peace to fill;
With thee though robbed of earthly bliss,
I can be happy still.
"There is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest be feared." Psalm cxxx. 4.
1 O LORD my God! in
mercy turn-
In mercy, hear a sinner mourn;
To thee I call to thee I cry—
O leave me, leave me not to die
2 O pleasures past what are ye now,
But thorns about my bleeding brow?
Spectres that hover round my brain,
And aggravate and mock my pain !
3 For pleasures I have given my soul,
Now, justice, let thy thunders roll!
Now vengeance smite, and with a blow
Lay the rebellious ingrate low!
4 Yet Jesus, Jesus! there I'll cling,
I'll crouch beneath his sheltering wing;
I'll clasp the cross, and holding there-
Even me, Oh bliss! his love may spare.
FOR ONE WHO HAS LIVED IN SCEPTICISM. "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord."-Isaiah lv. 8.
1 Is this the end of all my schemes ?
My buoyant hopes, and golden dreams,
All withered in an hour!
Within this curtained space confined,
Suffering in body, vexed in mind,
How futile is their power!
2 My friends are filled with anxious grief,
Their love can yield me no relief;
I sigh to see them grieve;
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