2 When, like a tent to dwell in,
He spread the skies abroad,
And swath'd about the swelling
Of ocean's mighty flood;
He wrought by weight and measure,
And I was with him then;
Myself the Father's pleasure,
And mine, the sons of men.
3 Thus wisdom's words discover
Thy glory and thy grace,
Thou everlasting lover
Of our unworthy race!
Thy gracious eye Survey'd us
Ere stars were seen above;
In wisdom thou hast made us,
And died for us in love.
4 And couldst thou be delighted
With creatures such as we,
Who, when we saw thee, slighted,
And nail'd thee to the tree?
Unfathomable wonder,
And mystery divine!
The voice that speaks in thunder,
Says, "Sinner, I am thine!"
LIII. A Friend that sticketh closer than a Brother. Chap. xviii. 24.
1 ONE there is, above all others,
Well deserves the name of Friend;
His is love beyond a brother's,
Costly, free, and knows no end:
They who once his kindness prove
Find it everlasting love!
2 Which of all our friends to save us,
Could or would have shed their blood!
But our Jesus died to have us
Reconcil'd in him to God:
This was boundless love indeed!
Jesus is a Friend in need.
3 Men, when rais'd to lofty stations,
Often know their friends no more;
Slight and scorn their poor relations,
Though they valu'd them before:
But our Saviour always owns
Those whom he redeem'd with
4 When he liv'd on earth abased,
Friend of sinners was his name;
Now, above all glory raised,
He rejoices in the same:
Still he calls them brethren, friends,
And to all their wants attends.
5 Could we bear from one another
What he daily bears from us?
Yet this glorious Friend and Brother
Loves us though we treat him thus:
Though for good we render ill,
He accounts us brethren still.
6 Oh! for grace our hearts to soften!
Teach us, Lord, at length to love;
We, alas! forget too often
What a Friend we have above:
But when home our souls are brought,
We will love thee as we ought.
LIV. Vanity of Life". Chap. i. 2.
1 THE evils that beset our path
Who can prevent or cure?
We stand upon the brink of death
When most we seem secure.
2 If we to-day sweet peace possess,
It soon may be withdrawn;
Some change may plunge us in distress,
Before to-morrow's dawn.
3 Disease and pain invade our health,
And find an easy prey;
And oft, when least expected, wealth
Takes wings, and flies away.
4 A fever or a blow can shake
Our wisdom's boasted rule,
And of the brightest genius make
A madman or a fool.
5 The gourds, from which we look for fruit, Produce us only pain;
A worm unseen attacks the root,
And all our hopes are vain.
6 I pity those who seek no more
Than such a world can give;
Wretched they are, and blind, and
And dying while they live.
7 Since sin has fill'd the earth with woe,
And creatures fade and die;
Lord, wean our hearts from things below,
And fix our hopes on high.
LV. C. Vanity of the World.
1 GOD gives his mercies to be spent ; Your hoard will do your soul no good; Gold is a blessing only lent,
Repaid by giving others food.
2 The world's esteem is but a bribe,
To buy their peace you sell your own;
The slave of a vain-glorious tribe,
Who hate you while they make you known.
3 The joy that vain amusements give,
Oh! sad conclusion that it brings!
The honey of a crowded hive,
Defended by a thousand stings.
4 "Tis thus the world rewards the fools
That live upon her treach'rous smiles;
She leads them blindfold by her rules,
And ruins all whom she beguiles.
5 God knows the thousands who go down.
From pleasure into endless woe;
And with a long despairing groan
Blaspheme their Maker as they go.
6 O fearful thought! be timely wise;
Delight but in a Saviour's charms,
And God shall take you to the skies,
Embrac'd in everlasting arms.
LVI. Vanity of the Creature sanctified. 1 HONEY though the bee prepares, An envenom'd sting he wears; Piercing thorns a guard compose Round the fragrant, blooming rose.
2 Where we think to find a sweet,
Oft a painful sting we meet:
When the rose invites our eye,
We forget the thorn is nigh.
3 Why are thus our hopes beguil'd?
Why are all our pleasures spoil'd?
Why do agony and woe
From our choicest comforts grow?
4 Sin has been the cause of all!
"Twas not thus before the fall:
What but pain, and thorn, and sting,
From the root of sin can spring?
5 Now with ev'ry good we find
Vanity and grief entwin'd;
What we feel, or what we fear,
All our joys imbitter here.
6 Yet, through the Redeemer's love,
These afflictions blessings prove;
He the wounding stings and thorns
Into healing med'cines turns.
From the earth our hearts they wean,
Teach us on his arm to lean;
Urge us to a throne of grace,
Make us seek a resting place.
8 In the mansions of our King
Sweets abound without a sting;
Thornless there the roses blow,
And the joys unmingled flow.
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