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If some small hope appear,

5

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They still are not content;
But, with a jealous fear,
They watch for the event:

Too oft they find their hopes deceiv'd,

Then how their inmost souls are griev'd!

But when their pains succeed,
And from the tender blade
The ripening ears proceed,
Their toils are overpaid:
No harvest-joy can equal theirs,
To find the fruit of all their cares.

On what has now been sown,

Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;
The power is thine alone,

To make it spring and grow:
Do thou the gracious harvest raise,
And thou alone shalt have the praise.

HYMN XXVII.

We are Ambassadors for Christ. 2 Cor. v. 20.

1 THY message by the preacher seal, And let thy power be known, That every sinner here may feel The word is not his own.

2 Amongst the foremost of the throng, Who dare thee to thy face, He in rebellion stood too long,

And fought against thy grace.

3 But grace prevail'd, he mercy found, And now by thee is sent, To tell his fellow-rebels round,

And call them to repent.

4 In Jesus God is reconcil'd,

The worst may be forgiv'n;

Come and he 'll own you as a child, And make you heirs of heaven. 5 O may the word of gospel-truth Your chief desires engage! And Jesus be your guide in youth, Your joy in hoary age.

6 Perhaps the year that 's now begun May prove to some their last: The sands of life may soon be run, The day of grace be past.

7 Think, if you slight this embassy, And will not warning take, When Jesus in the clouds you see, What answer will you make?

HYMN XXVIII.

Paul's Farewell Charge. Acts xx. 26, 27. 1 WHEN Paul was parted from his friends, It was a weeping day,

But Jesus made them all amends,

And wip'd their tears away.
2 Ere long they met again with joy,
(Secure no more to part,)
Where praises every tongue employ,
And pleasure fills each heart.
3 Thus all the preachers of his grace
Their children soon shall meet;
Together see their Saviour's face,
And worship at his feet.

4 But they who heard the word in vain,
Though oft and plainly warn'd,
Will tremble when they meet again
The ministers they scorn'd.

5 On your own heads your blood will fall,
If any perish here;

The preachers who have told you all,
Shall stand approv'd and clear.

6 Yet, Lord, to save themselves alone
Is not their utmost view;

Oh! hear their prayer, thy message own, And save their hearers too.

HYMN XXIX.

How shall I put thee among the Children? Jer. iii. 19.

1 ALAS! by nature how deprav'd,
How prone to ev'ry ill!

Our lives to Satan how enslav'd,
How obstinate our will!

2 And can such sinners be restor❜d,
Such rebels reconcil'd?

Can grace itself the means afford,
To make a foe a child?

3 Yes, grace has found the wondrous means, Which shall effectual prove,

To cleanse us from our countless sins,
And teach our hearts to love.

4 Jesus for sinners undertakes,
And died that we may live;

His blood a full atonement makes,
And cries aloud, "Forgive."

5 Yet one thing more must grace provide,
To bring us home to God,

Or we shall slight the Lord who died,
And trample on his blood.

6 The Holy Spirit must reveal

The Saviour's work and worth; Then the hard heart begins to feel

A new and heavenly birth.

7 Thus bought with blood, and born again,
Redeem'd and sav'd by grace,
Rebels in God's own house obtain
A son's and daughter's place.

HYMN XXX. Winter.*

1 SEE how rude Winter's icy hand Has strip'd the trees, and seal'd the ground! But Spring shall soon his rage withstand, And spread new beauties all around. 2 My soul a sharper winter mourns, Barren and fruitless I remain;

When will the gentle spring return, And bid my graces grow again? 3 Jesus, my glorious Sun, arise!

"Tis thine the frozen heart to move;

Oh! hush these storms, and clear my skies,
And let me feel thy vital love!

4 Dear Lord, regard my feeble cry,
I faint and droop till thou appear;
Wilt thou permit thy plant to die?
Must it be winter all the year?
5 Be still, my soul, and wait his hour,
With humble prayer and patient faith;
Till he reveals his gracious power,
Repose on what his promise saith.
6 He, by whose all-commanding wordt
Seasons their changing course maintain,
In every change a pledge affords,
That none shall seek his face in vain.

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HYMN XXXI.

Waiting for Spring.

1 THOUGH cloudy skies and northern blasts Retard the gentle spring a while,

The sun will conqueror prove at last,

And nature wear a vernal smile.

2 The promise, which from age to age,
Has brought the changing seasons round,
Again shall calm the winter's rage,
Perfume the air, and paint the ground.
3 The virtue of that first command,

I know still does and will prevail,
That while the earth itself shall stand,
The spring and summer shall not fail.
4 Such changes are for us decreed:
Believers have their winters too;
But spring shall certainly succeed,
And all their former life renew.

5 Winter and spring have each their use,
And each, in turn, his people know;
One kills the weeds their hearts produce,
The other makes their graces grow.
6 Though like dead trees a while they seem,
Yet, having life within their root,
The welcome spring's reviving beam
Draws forth their blossoms, leaves, and fruit.

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The clust'ring flowers spring;

The artless birds, in concert sweet,
Invite our hearts to sing.

4 But, ah! in vain I strive to join,
Oppress'd with sin and doubt;
I feel 'tis winter still within,

Though all is spring without. 5 Oh! would my Saviour from on high

Break through these clouds and shine' ¦
No creature then more bless'd than I,
No song more loud than mine.
6 Till then no softly-warbling thrush,
Nor cowslip's sweet perfume,
Nor beauties of each painted bush,
Can dissipate my gloom.

7 To Adam, soon as he transgress'd,
Thus Eden bloom'd in vain;
Not paradise could give him rest,
Or soothe his heart-felt pain.

8 Yet here an emblem I perceive
Of what the Lord can do;
Dear Saviour, help me to believe,
That I may flourish too.

9 Thy word can soon my hopes revive,
Can overcome my foes,

And make my languid graces thrive,
And blossom like the rose.

HYMN XXXIII.

ANOTHER.

1 PLEASING spring again is here! Trees and fields in bloom appear! Hark! the birds, with artless lays, Warble their Creator's praise! Where, in winter, all was snow, Now the flowers in clusters grow: And the corn in green array, Promises a harvest-day.

2 What a change has taken place! Emblem of the spring of grace; How the soul, in winter, mourns, Till the Lord, the Sun, returns;

Till the Spirits gentle rain
Bids the heart revive again;
Then the stone is turn'd to flesh,
And each grace springs forth afresh.
3 Lord, afford a spring to me!
Let me feel like what I see;
Ah! my winter has been long,
Chill'd my hopes, and stopp'd my song!
Winter threaten'd to destroy
Faith, and love, and every joy;
If thy life was in the root,

Still I could not yield thee fruit.
4 Speak, and by thy gracious voice
Make my drooping soul rejoice;
O, beloved Saviour! haste,
Tell me all the storms are past;
On thy garden deign to smile,
Raise the plants, enrich the soil;
Soon thy presence will restore
Life to what seem'd dead before.
5 Lord, I long to be at home,

Where these changes never come!
Where the saints no winter fear,
Where 'tis spring throughout the year,
How unlike this state below!
There the flowers unwithering blow;
There no chilling blasts annoy,
All is love, and bloom, and joy.

HYMN XXXIV. Summer Storms.*

1 THOUGH the morn may be serene,
Not a threat'ning cloud be seen,
Who can undertake to say,
"Twill be pleasant all the day?
Tempests suddenly may rise,
Darkness overspread the skies,
Lightnings flash, and thunders roar,
Ere a short-liv'd day be o'er.
2 Often thus the child of grace
Enters on his christian race;
Guilt and fear are overborne,
'Tis with him a summer's morn:
While his new-felt joys abound,
All things seem to smile around;
And he hopes it will be fair,
All the day, and all the year.
3 Should we warn him of a change,
He would think the caution strange;
He no change or trouble fears,
Till the gathering storm appears;†
Till dark clouds his sun conceal,
Till temptation's power he feel;
Then he trembles and looks pale,
All his hopes and courage fail.
4 But the wonder-working Lord
Soothes the tempest by his word;
Stills the thunder, stops the rain,
And his sun breaks forth again:
Soon the cloud again returns,
Now he joys, and now he mourns;

*Book III. Hymn lxviii. † Book I. Hymn xliv.

Oft his sky is overcast, Ere the day of life be past. 5 Tried believers too can say, In the course of one short day, Though the morning has been fair, Prov'd a golden hour of prayer, Sin and Satan, long ere night, Have their comforts put to flight: Ah! what heart-felt peace and joy Unexpected storms destroy. 6 Dearest Saviour! call us soon To thine high eternal noon; Never there shall tempest rise, To conceal thee from our eyes; Satan shall no more deceive, We no more thy Spirit grieve. But through cloudless, endless days, Sound, to golden harps, thy praise.

HYMN XXXV. Hay-time.

1 THE grass and flowers which clothe the And look so green and gay,

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Touch'd by the scythe, defenceless yield,
And fall, and fade away.

2 Fit emblem of our mortal state!
Thus, in the scripture-glass,

The young, the strong, the wise, the great,
May see themselves but grass.*

3 Ah! trust not to your fleeting breath,
Nor call your time your own;
Around you see the scythe of death
Is mowing thousands down.

4 And you, who hitherto are spar'd,
Must shortly yield your lives;
Your wisdom is, to be prepar'd
Before the stroke arrives.

5 The grass, when dead, revives no more; You die to live again;

But oh! if death should prove the door,
To everlasting pain!

6 Lord, help us to obey thy call,

That, from our sins set free,

When, like the grass, our bodies fall,
Our souls may spring to thee.

HYMN XXXVI.
Harvest.

1 SEE the corn again in ear!
How the fields and vallies smile!
Harvest now is drawing near,
To repay the farmer's toil:
Gracious Lord secure the crop,
Satisfy the poor with food;
In thy mercy is our hope,

We have sinn'd, but thou art good.
2 While I view the plenteous grain
As it ripens on the stalk,
May I not instruction gain,
Helpful to my daily walk?

Isaiah xl. 7.

All this plenty of the field Was produc'd from foreign seeds, For the earth itself would yield Only crops of useless weeds. 3 Though, when newly sown, it lay Hid a while beneath the ground, (Some might think it thrown away,) Yet a large increase is found: Though conceal'd, it was not lost, Though it died, it lives again; Eastern storms and nipping frosts Have oppos'd its growth in vain. 4 Let the praise be all the Lord's, As the benefit is ours:

He in season still affords

Kindly heat and gentle showers: By his care the produce thrives, Waving o'er the furrow'd lands, And, when harvest-time arrives, Ready for the reaper stands. 5 Thus in barren hearts he sows, Precious seeds of heavenly joy ;* Sin and hell in vain oppose, None can grace's crop destroy: Threaten'd oft, yet still it blooms, After many changes past, Death, the reaper, when he comes, Finds it fully ripe at last.

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Thee, Saviour, by that name I call, The great, supreme, the mighty God. 2 Without beginning or decline, Object of faith and not of sense; Eternal ages saw him shine, He shines eternal ages hence. 3 As much, when in the manger laid, Almighty ruler of the sky,

As when the six days' work he made
Fill'd all the morning-stars with joy.
4 Of all the crowns Jehovah bears,
Salvation is his dearest claim,
That gracious sound well-pleas'd he hears,
And owns Emmanuel for his name.

5 A cheerful confidence I feel,
My well-plac'd hopes with joy I see;
My bosom glows with heavenly zeal,
To worship him who died for me.
6 As man, he pities my complaint,
His power and truth are all divine;
He will not fail, he cannot faint,
Salvation's sure, and must be mine. C.

HYMN XXXIX.

Man honoured above Angels.

1 Now let us join with hearts and tongues,
And emulate the angels' songs;
Yea, sinners may address their King
In songs that angels cannot sing.

2 They praise the Lamb who once was slain,
But we can add a higher strain,*
Not only say "He suffer'd thus,"
But that "He suffer'd all for us."

3 When angels by transgression fell,
Justice consign'd them all to hell;
But mercy form'd a wonderous plan,
To save and honour fallen man.

4 Jesus, who pass'd the angels by,t
Assum'd our flesh to bleed and die;
And still he makes it his abode,
As man, he fills the throne of God.
5 Our next of kin, our brother now,
Is he to whom the angels bow;
They join with us to praise his nanie,
But we the nearest interest claim.

6 But ah! how faint our praises rise!

Sure, 'tis the wonder of the skies,
That we, who share his richest love,
So cold and unconcern'd should prove.
7 O glorious hour, it comes with speed,
When we, from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the God who died for man,
And praise him more than angels can.‡

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His Spirit we often have griev'd, And evil for good have repaid: How well it becomes us to cry, "O, who is a God like to thee Who passeth iniquities by, And plungest them deep in the sea!" 5 To Jesus, who sits on the throne, Our best hallelujahs we bring; To thee it is owing alone That we are permitted to sing: Assist us, we pray, to lament The sins of the year that is past, And grant that the next may be spent Far more to thy praise than the last.

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Thus may all our Sabbaths prove Till we join the church above!

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When on the breast we hung

Our help was in the Lord;

'Twas he first taught our infant tongue

To form the lisping word.

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When in our blood we lay,

He would not let us die,

Because his love had fixed a day

To bring salvation nigh.

In childhood and in youth,

His eye was on us still;

Though strangers to his love and truth,

And prone to cross his will.

A new Ebenezer to raise:

The year we have now passed through,

His goodness with blessings has crown'd;
Each morning his mercies were new;
Then let our thanksgivings abound.

2 Encompass'd with dangers and snares,
Temptations, and fears, and complaints,
His ear he inclin'd to our prayers,
His hand open'd wide to our wants;
We never besought him in vain;
When burden'd with sorrow or sin,
He help'd us again and again,
Or where before now had we been?

3 His gospel, throughout the long year,
From Sabbath to Sabbath he gave;
How oft has he met with us here,
And shown himself mighty to save?
His candlestick has been remov'd
From churches once privileg'd thus;
But though we unworthy have prov'd,
It still is continued to us.

4 For so many mercies receiv'd,
Alas! what returns have we made?

1 Sam. vii.

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And since his name we knew,

How gracious has he been;

What dangers has he led us through,

What mercies have we seen!

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