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4 Our lives those holy angels keep
From every hostile power;
And, unconcern'd, we sweetly sleep,
As Adam in his bower.

5 And when our spirits we resign,
On outstretch'd wings they bear,
And lodge us in the arms divine,
And leave us ever there.

851

24th P. M. 66, 66, 86, 86

The guardianship of angels.
E simple souls, that stray
Far from the path of peace,

YE

That unfrequented way

To life and happiness:

How long will ye your folly love,
And throng the downward road,
And hate the wisdom from above,
And mock the sons of God?

2 So wretched and obscure,
The men whom ye despise,
So foolish, weak, and poor,-
Above your scorn we rise:
Our conscience in the Holy Ghost,
Can witness better things;
For He whose blood is all our boast,
Hath made us priests and kings.

3 Riches unsearchable

In Jesus' love we know ;
And pleasures from the well
Of life, our souls o'erflow:
From him the Spirit we receive

Of wisdom, grace, and power;
And always sorrowful we live,
Rejoicing evermore.

4 Angels our servants are,
And keep in all our ways,
And in their hands they bear
The sacred sons of grace:
Our guardians to that heavenly bliss,
They all our steps attend;
And God himself our Father is,
And Jesus is our friend.

852

TH

1st P. M. 6 lines 8s.

The final conquest explains all mysteries.

HOU, Lord, on whom I still depend,
Shalt keep me faithful to the end:
I trust thy truth, and love, and power,
Shall save me till my latest hour;
And when I lay this body down,
Reward with an immortal crown.

2 Jesus, in thy great name I go,
To conquer death, my final foe;
And when I quit this cumbrous clay,
And soar on angels' wings away,
My soul the second death defies,
And reigns eternal in the skies.

3 Eye hath not seen, nor ear hath heard,
What Christ has for his saints prepared,
Who conquer through their Saviour's might,
Who sink into perfection's height,
And trample death beneath their feet,
And gladly die their Lord to meet.

4 Dost thou desire to know or see
What thy mysterious name shall be?
Contending for thy heavenly home,
Thy latest foe in death o'ercome;-
Till then thou searchest out in vain,
What only conquest can explain.

UNFAITHFULNESS MOURNED

853

Lamenting spiritual sloth.

C. M.

MY drowsy powers, why sleep ye so?

Awake, my sluggish soul:

Nothing hath half thy work to do,
Yet nothing's half so dull.

2 Go to the ants! for one poor grain
See how they toil and strive;

Yet we who have a heaven to' obtain,
How negligent we live!

3 We, for whose sake all nature stands,
And stars their courses move;

We, for whose guard the angel bands
Come flying from above:-

4 We, for whom God the Son came down,
And labour'd for our good;
How careless to secure that crown
He purchased with his blood!

5 Lord, shall we live so sluggish still,
And never act our parts?

Come, holy Dove, from the' heavenly hill, And warm our frozen hearts!

6 Give us with active warmth to move,
With vig'rous souls to rise;

With hands of faith, and wings of love,
To fly and take the prize.

854

0

Zeal implored.

L. M.

THOU, who all things canst control,
Chase this dread slumber from my soul;

With joy and fear, with love and awe,

Give me to keep thy perfect law.

20 may one beam of thy blest light
Pierce through, dispel, the shade of night:
Touch my cold breast with heavenly fire;
With holy, conqu'ring zeal inspire.

3 For zeal I sigh, for zeal I pant;
Yet heavy is my soul, and faint:
With steps unwav'ring, undismay'd,
Give me in all thy paths to tread.

4 With outstretch'd hands, and streaming eyes,
Oft I begin to grasp the prize:
I groan, I strive, I watch, I pray;
But ah! my zeal soon dies away.

5 The deadly slumber then I feel
Afresh upon my spirit steal:

Rise, Lord, stir up thy quick'ning power,
And wake me that I sleep no more.

855

5th P. M. 4 lines 76.

JES

Instability.

ESUS, shall I never be
Firmly grounded upon thee?
Never by thy work abide?
Never in thy wounds reside?
20 how wav'ring is my mind,
Toss'd about with every wind;
O how quickly doth my heart
From the living God depart.
3 Jesus, let my nature feel
Thou art God unchangeable:
JAH, JEHOVAH, great I AM,
Speak into my soul thy Name.
4 Grant that every moment I
May believe and feel thee nigh;
Steadfastly behold thy face,
'Stablish'd with abiding grace.

856

L. M.

Inconstancy lamented.

HEN, O my Saviour, shall it be,

That I no more shall break with thee?
When will this war of passion cease,
And I enjoy a lasting peace?

2 Now I repent; now sin again:
Now I revive; and now am slain :
Slain with the same malignant dart,
Which, O! too often wounds thy heart.
3 When, gracious Lord, when shall it bc,
That I shall find my all in thee,-
The fulness of thy promise prove,
And feast on thine eternal love?

857

The vanity of mere formality.

C. M.

LONG have I seem'd to serve thee, Lord,

Fasted, and pray'd, and read thy word,
And heard it preach'd in vain.
2 Oft did I with the' 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.

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