Through faith I see thee face to face;
I see thee face to face, and live!
In vain I have not wept and strove;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
4 I know thee, Saviour, who thou art,
Jesus, the feeble sinner's Friend:
Nor wilt thou with the night depart,
But stay and love me to the end:
Thy mercies never shall remove;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
5 The Sun of righteousness on me
Hath rose, with healing in his wings;
Wither'd my nature's strength; from thee
My soul its life and succour brings;
My help is all laid up above;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.
6 Contented now upon my thigh
I halt, till life's short journey end;
All helplessness, all weakness, I

On thee alone for strength depend;
Nor have I power from thee to move;
Thy nature and thy name is Love.

7 Lame as I am, I take the prey;
Hell, earth, and sin, with ease o'ercome;
I leap for joy, pursue my way,

And, as a bounding hart, fly home,

Through all eternity to prove

Thy nature and thy name is Love.

78 Broadmead-p. 150.] 1st P. M. 6 lines 8s.

THOU, whom fain my soul would love,
Whom I would gladly die to know:

This veil of unbelief remove,

And show me all thy goodness, show;

Jesus, thyself in me reveal,

Tell me thy name, thy nature tell.

2 Hast thou been with me, Lord, so long,
Yet thee, my Lord, have I not known?
I claim thee with a falt'ring tongue;
pray thee, in a feeble groan,
Tell me, O tell me, who thou art,
And speak thy name into my heart!

3 If now thou talkest by the way
With such an abject worm as me,
The mystery of grace display;

Open mine eyes that I may see:
That I may understand thy word,
And now cry out,-"It is the Lord!"

DESCRIBING FORMAL RELIGION.

79

L

Wilmington-p. 12.]

C. M.

ONG have I seem'd to serve thee, Lord,
With unavailing pain;

Fasted, and pray'd, and read thy word,

And heard it preach'd in vain.

2 Oft did I with th' assembly join,
And near thy altar drew;
A form of godliness was mine,
The power I never knew.

3 I rested in the outward law,
Nor knew its deep design:
The length and breadth I never saw,
And height of love divine.

4 To please thee thus, at length I see,
Vainly I hoped and strove;

For what are outward things to thee,
Unless they spring from love?

5 I see the perfect law requires
Truth in the inward parts;

Our full consent, our whole desires,
Our undivided hearts.

6 But I of means have made my boast, Of means an idol made, The spirit in the letter lost,

The substance in the shade.

7 Where am I now, or what my hope? What can my weakness do?

Jesus, to thee my soul looks up; 'Tis thou must make it new.

80

MY

"Y_gracious, loving Lord,
To thee what shall I say?

Well may I tremble at thy word,

And scarce presume to pray!
Ten thousand wants have I;
Alas! I all things want!
But thou hast bid me always cry,
And never, never faint.

2 Yet, Lord, well might I fear,
Fear e'en to ask thy grace;
So oft have I, alas! drawn near,
And mock'd thee to thy face:
With all pollutions stain'd,

Thy hallow'd courts I trod;
Thy name and temple I profaned,
And dared to call thee God!

3 Nigh with my lips I drew;
My lips were all unclean :

Thee with my heart I never knew;
My heart was full of sin:

Far from the living Lord,
As far as hell from heaven;
Thy purity I still abhorr'd,
Nor look'd to be forgiven.
4 My nature I obey'd;

My own desires pursued:
And still a den of thieves I made
The hallow'd house of God.
The worship he approves

To him I would not pay;
My selfish ends, and creature loves,
Had stole my heart away.

5 My sin and nakedness

I studied to disguise;

Spoke to my soul a flatt'ring peace,

And put out my own eyes:

In fig leaves I appear'd;

Nor with my form would part; But still retain'd a conscience sear'd, A hard, deceitful heart.

SECOND PART.

A GOODLY, formal saint,
I long appear'd in sight;
By self and Satan taught to paint
My tomb, my nature, white.
The Pharisee within

Still undisturb'd remain'd;

The strong man, arm'd with guilt of sin, Safe in his palace reign'd.

2 But O! the jealous God

In my behalf came down ;
Jesus himself the stronger show'd,
And claim'd me for his own.

My spirit he alarm'd,

And brought into distress;

He shook and bound the strong man arm'd
In his self-righteousness.

3 Faded my virtuous show,
My form without the power;
The sin-convincing Spirit blew,
And blasted every flower:
My mouth was stopp'd, and shame
Cover'd my guilty face;

I fell on the atoning Lamb,
And I was saved by grace.

81

Litchfield-p. 11.]

C. M.

TILL, for thy loving kindness, Lord,
I in thy temple wait:

I look to find thee in thy word,
Or at thy table meet.

2 Here, in thine own appointed ways,
I wait to learn thy will:

Silent I stand before thy face,

And hear thee say, "Be still!

3"Be still! and know that I am God!"

'Tis all I live to know;

To feel the virtue of thy blood,

And spread its praise below!

4 I wait my vigour to renew, Thine image to retrieve!

The veil of outward things pass through,
And gasp in thee to live.

5 I work, and own the labour vain;
And thus from works I cease:
I strive, and see my fruitless pain,
Till God create my peace.

6 Fruitless, till thou thyself impart,
Must all my efforts prove;