2 I saw thee stray forlorn,
And heard thee faintly cry,
And on the tree of scorn
For thee I deign'd to die;
What greater proof could I
Give than to seek the tomb?
Come, wandering sheep, O come:
3 I shield thee from alarms,
And wilt not thou be blest?
I bear Thee in my arms-
Thou bear me in Thy breast.
O, this is love, come rest;
This is a blissful doom,-
Come, wandering sheep, O come!
138 EZEK. XXXIV. 23.—“ I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed
1 O GRACIOUS Shepherd! bind us
With cords of love to Thee,
And evermore remind us
How mercy set us free.
O may Thy Holy Spirit
Set this before our eyes,
That we Thy death and merit
Above all else may prize.
2 We are of Thy salvation
Assured, through Thy love:
Yet O, on each occasion,
How faithless do we prove!
Thou hast our sins forgiven,-
Then, leaving all behind,
We would press on to Heaven,
Bearing the prize in mind.
3 Grant us, henceforth, dear Saviour,
While in this vale of tears,
To look to thee, and never
Give way to anxious fears;
Thou, Lord, wilt not forsake us,
Though we are oft to blame;
O, let thy love then make us
Hold fast thy faith and name.
139 DAN. VII. 10.—“ The judgment was set, and the books were opened."
DAY of judgment, day of wonders!
Hark! the trumpet's awful sound,
Louder than a thousand thunders,
Shakes the vast creation round!
How the summons will the sinner's heart confound!
See the Judge our nature wearing,
Cloth'd in majesty divine!
You who long for His appearing,
Then shall say, "This God is mine!" Gracious Saviour, own me in that day for thine!
At His call the dead awaken,
Rise to life from earth and sea;
All the pow'rs of nature, shaken
By His looks, prepare to flee:
Careless sinner, what will then become of thee?
4 Horrors past imagination
Will surprise your trembling heart, When you hear your condemnation,-"Hence, accursed wretch, depart! Thou with Satan and his angels have thy part."
140 MICAH VII. 8.-" Though I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me."
1 Аn! my dear Lord, whose changeless love
To me, nor earth nor hell can part;
When shall my feet forget to rove?
Ah, what shall fix this faithless heart?
2 Why do these cares my soul divide,
If Thou indeed hast set me free?
Why am I thus, if Thou hast died,-
If thou hast died to ransom me?
3 Around me clouds of darkness roll,
In deepest night I still walk on;
Heavily moves
My comfort and fainting soul,
my God are gone.
4 Oft with Thy saints my voice I raise,
And seem to join the tasteless song:
Faintly ascends the imperfect praise,
Or dies upon my powerless tongue.
5 Cold, weary, languid, heartless, dead,
To Thy dread courts I oft repair;
By conscience dragg'd, or custom led,
I come; nor know that God is there!
6 Nor yet the earthly Adam dies,
But lives, and moves, and fights again;
Still the fierce gusts of passion rise,
And rebel nature strives to reign.
7 O love, Thy sovereign aid impart!
And guard the gifts thyself hast given:
My portion Thou, my treasure art,
And life, and happiness, and heaven.
8 Would ought with Thee my wishes share,
Though dear as life the idol be,
The idol from my breast I'll bear,
Resolv'd to seek my all from Thee.
9 Whate'er I fondly counted mine,
To Thee, my Lord, I here restore:
Gladly I all for Thee resign;
Give me thyself, I ask no more.
141 MICAH VII. 18.-" Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardoneth iniquity?"
1 GREAT God of wonders, all thy ways
Are worthy of Thyself,-divine;"
But the bright glories of Thy grace
Beyond Thine other wonders shine.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
2 Such deep transgressions to forgive,
Such guilty daring worms to spare,-
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And in this honour none shall share.
Is there a pardoning God like thee?
Or is there grace so rich and free?
3 Pardon-from an offended God!
Pardon-for sins of deepest dye!
Pardon-bestowed through Jesus' blood!
Pardon that brings the rebel nigh.
Where is the pardoning God like Thee?
Or where the grace so rich and free?
4 Oh, may this glorious, matchless love--
This godlike miracle of grace,-
Teach mortal tongues, like those above,
To raise this song of lofty praise.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?
142 ZECH. I. 5.-" Your fathers, where are they?
1 THE ancient days were days of might,
In forms of greatness moulded,
And flowers of heaven grew on the earth,
Within the Church unfolded:
For grace fell fast as summer dew,
And saints to giants' stature grew.
2 But one by one the gifts are gone
That in the Church resided,
And gone the Spirit's living light
That on her walls abided,
When by our shrines he came to dwell,
In power and presence visible.
3 A blight hath past upon the Church,
Her summer hath departed;
The chill of age is on her sons-
The cold and fearful-hearted:
And sad, amid neglect and scorn,
Our mother sits and weeps forlorn.
4 Narrower and narrower still each year
The holy circle groweth,
And what the end of all shall be
Nor man nor angel knoweth:
And so we wait and watch in fear,
It may be that the Lord is near.
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