That drew me from those treacherous seas,
And bade me seek superior bliss.

4 Now to the shining realms above

I stretch my hands, and glance my eyes; Oh for the pinions of a dove,

To bear me to the upper skies.

5 There, from the bosom of my God,
Oceans of endless pleasures roll:
There would I fix my last abode,
And drown the sorrows of my soul.

309

Self-denial. Luke ix. 23.

A My dearest Lord, for thee?

ND must I part with all I have,

It is but right, since thou hast done
Much more than this for me.

2 Yes, let it go-one look from thee
Will more than make amends

For all the losses I sustain

Of credit, riches, friends.

3 Ten thousand worlds, ten thousand lives,
How worthless they appear,
Compared with thee, supremely good,
Divinely bright and fair.

4 Saviour of souls, could I from thee
A single smile obtain,

Though destitute of all things else,
I'd glory in my gain.

310

1

No,

"Without God in the world."

TO, I shall envy them no more,
Who grow profanely great,

Though they increase their golden store
And rise to wondrous height.

2 They taste of all the joys that grow
Upon this earthly clod;

Watts.

C. M.

Beddome.

Well, they may search the creature through,
For they have ne'er a God.

3 Shake off the thoughts of dying too,
And think your life your own:

But death comes hastening on to you,
To mow your glory down.

C. M.

4 Yes, you must bow your stately head, Away your spirit flies,

And no kind angel near your bed,

To bear it to the skies.

5 Go now and boast of all your stores,
And tell how bright they shine;

Your heaps of glittering dust are yours,
And my Redeemer's mine.

311

1

The happy Choice. Ruth i. 16.

PEOPLE of the living God,

I have sought the world around,

Paths of sin and sorrow trod,

Peace and comfort no where found:
Now to you my spirit turns-
Turns, a fugitive unbless'd;
Brethren, where your altar burns,
Oh receive me into rest.

2 Lonely I no longer roam,

Like the cloud, the wind, the wave;
Where you dwell shall be my home,
Where you die shall be my grave;
Mine the God whom you adore,
Your Redeemer shall be mine;
Earth can fill my soul no more,
Every idol I resign.

312

1

The Pearl of great Price.
E glittering toys of earth, adieu,
A nobler choice be mine;

YE

A real prize attracts my view,

A treasure all divine.

2 Jesus, to multitudes unknown, Oh name divinely sweet! Jesus, in thee, in thee alone,

Wealth, honor, pleasure meet.

3 Should earth's vain treasures all depart, Of this dear gift possessed,

I'd clasp it to my joyful heart,

And be for ever bless'd.

4 Dear Sovereign of my soul's desires,

Thy love is bliss divine;

Accept the gift that love inspires,
And bid me call thee mine,

Watts.

78.

Montgomery.

C. M.

Mrs. Steele,

313

1

Worldly Allurements.

HOW vain are all things here below!

How false, and yet how fair!

Each pleasure has its poison too,
And every sweet a snare.

2 The brightest things below the sky
Give but a flattering light;

We should suspect some danger nigh,
Where we possess delight.

3 Our dearest joys, and nearest friends,
The partners of our blood-
How they divide our wavering minds,
And leave but half for God!

4 The fondness of a creature's love,
How strong it strikes the sense!
Thither the warm affections move,
Nor can we call them thence.

5 Dear Saviour, let thy beauties be
My soul's eternal food;

And grace command my heart away
From all created good.

314

1

MY

Parting with earthly Joys.
Y soul forsakes her vain delight,
And bids the world farewell;
Base as the dirt beneath my feet,
And mischievous as hell.

2 No longer will I ask your love,
Nor seek your friendship more
The happiness that I approve
Is not within your power.

3 There's nothing round the spacious earth
That suits my large desire;

To boundless joy, and solid mirth,
My nobler thoughts aspire.

4 Where pleasure rolls its living flood,
From sin and dross refined,

Still springing from the throne of God,
And fit to cheer the mind.

5 Th' almighty Ruler of the sphere,
The glorious and the great,

C. M.

Watts.

C. M.

Brings his own all-sufficience there,
To make our bliss complete.

6 Had I the pinions of a dove,

I'd climb the heavenly road;

There sits my Saviour, dressed in love,
And there my smiling God.

315

1

M

Love to the Redeemer.

Y gracious Redeemer I love,
His praises aloud I'll proclaim,
And join with the armies above,
To shout his adorable name:
To gaze on his glories divine,
Shall be my eternal employ;
To see them incessantly shine,
My boundless, ineffable joy.
2 He freely redeemed, with his blood,
My soul from the confines of hell,
To live on the smiles of my God,
And in his sweet presence to dwell;
To shine with the angels in light,
With saints and with seraphs to sing,
To view, with eternal delight,

My Jesus, my Saviour, my King.

3 Ye palaces, sceptres, and crowns,
Your pride with disdain I survey;
Your pomps are but shadows and sounds,
And pass in a moment away;
The crown that my Saviour bestows,
Yon permanent sun shall outshine;

My joy everlastingly flows-
My God, my Redeemer is mine.

316

The same. John xxi. 15.

1 D Behold my heart, and see;

O not I love thee, O my Lord?

And turn each hateful idol out,
That dares to rival thee.

2. Do not I love thee from my soul?
Then let me nothing love;

Dead be my heart to every joy,
When Jesus cannot move.

Watts.

83.

Francis.

C. M.

3 Is not thy name melodious still
To my attentive ear?

Doth not each pulse with pleasure bound,
My Saviour's voice to hear?

4 Hast thou a lamb in all thy flock
I would disdain to feed?

Hast thou a foe before whose face
I fear thy cause to plead ?

5 Thou know'st I love thee, gracious Lord;

But oh, I long to soar

Far from the sphere of mortal joys,
And learn to love thee more.

317.

1

SURE

The presence of the Comforter.
URE the bless'd Comforter is nigh;
'Tis he sustains my fainting heart:
Else would my hope for ever die,

And every cheering ray depart.
2 Whene'er to call the Saviour mine,
With ardent wish my heart aspires,
Can it be less than power divine,
That animates these strong desires?
3 And when my cheerful hope can say
I love my God, and taste his grace,
Lord, is it not thy blissful ray

Doddridge.

Which brings this dawn of sacred peace?

4 Let thy kind Spirit in my heart

For ever dwell, O God of love,

And light and heavenly peace impart,
Sweet earnest of the joys above.

L. M.

Mrs. Steele.

318 Religion vain without Love. 1 Cor. xiii. 1–3. L. M.

1

1 HAD

AD I the tongues of Greeks and Jews,
And nobler speech than angels use,

If love be absent, I am found

Like tinkling brass, an empty sound. 2 Were I inspired to preach and tell All that is done in heaven and hell; Or could my faith the world remove, Still I am nothing without love. 3 Should I distribute all my store,

To feed the hungry-clothe the poor,

1

1

1