His righteousness is gone before,
To give us free access to God:
Our wand'ring feet shall stray no more;
But mark his steps, and keep the road.
SING to the Lord, ye distant lands,
Ye tribes of ev'ry tongue :
His new-discover'd love demands
A new and nobler song.
Tell all the globe Messiah reigns,
God's own Almighty Son;
His pow'r the sinking world sustains,
And grace surrounds his throne.
He comes! He comes! mankind to bless,
A present God reveal'd;
To rule the earth with righteousness,
The sword of truth to wield.
But when his word shall wake the dead,
And bid the world draw near,
How will the guilty nations dread
To see their Judge appear!
SWEET was the journey to the sky
The holy prophet trod;
"Climb on the mount," said God, "and die;"
The prophet climb'd, and died.
Softly his fainting head he lay
Upon his Maker's breast ;
His Maker sooth'd his soul away,
And laid his flesh to rest.
In God's own arms he left the breath
That God's own Spirit gave;
His was the noblest road to death,
And his the sweetest grave.
JERSEY. P. M. Is. liii. 4-7.
SURELY, Christ thy griefs hath borne,
Weeping soul no longer mourn;
View him bleeding on the tree,
Pouring out his life for thee;
There thy every sin he bore,
Weeping soul lament no more.
All thy crimes on him were laid,
See upon his blameless head
Wrath its utmost vengeance pours,
Due to my offence and yours:
Wounded in our stead he is,
Bruis'd for our iniquities.
Weary sinner keep thine eyes
On th' atoning sacrifice;
There th' incarnate Deity,
Number'd with transgressors see;
There his Father's absence mourns,
Nail'd and bruis'd, and crown'd with thorns.
Cast thy guilty soul on him,
Find him mighty to redeem :
At his feet thy burden lay,
Look thy doubts and cares away;
Now by faith the Son embrace,
Plead his promise, trust his grace.
Lord, thy arm must be reveal'd,
Ere I can by faith be heal'd!
Since I scarce can look to thee,
Cast a gracious eye on me;
At thy feet myself I lay,
Shine, O shine, my fears away.
C. M. 1 Thess. iv. 14-18.
TAKE comfort, Christians, when your friends
In Jesus fall asleep;
Their better being never ends;
Why then dejected, weep?
Why inconsolable, as those
To whom no hope is given?
Death is the messenger of peace,
And calls the soul to heaven.
As Jesus died, and rose again
Victorious from the dead,
So his disciples rise, and reign
With their triumphant Head.
The saints of God, from death set free,
With joy shall mount on hign;
The heav'nly host with praises loud
Shall meet them in the sky.
THE law commands, and makes us know
What duties to our God we owe;
But 'tis the gospel must reveal
Where lies our strength to do his will.
The law discovers guilt and sin,
And shews how vile our hearts have been ;
Only the gospel can express
Forgiving love and cleansing grace.
What curses doth the law denounce
Against the man that fails but once!
But in the gospel Christ appears
Pard'ning the guilt of num'rous years.
My soul, no more attempt to draw
Thy life and comfort from the law;
Fly to the hope the gospel gives;
The man that trusts the promise, lives.
XLVII. ST. MATTHEW's. D. C. M. Psalm xviii.
THE Lord descended from above,
And bow'd the heavens most high;
And underneath his feet he cast
The darkness of the sky :
On cherubs and on cherubims
Full royally he rode,
And on the wings of mighty winds
Came flying all abroad.
THE Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care:
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye :
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales, and dewy meads,
My weary, wand'ring steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.
Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My stedfast heart shall fear no ill,
For Thou, O Lord! art with me still;
Thy rod and staff shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
THE spacious firmament on high
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heav'ns, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim:
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's pow'r display,
And publishes in ev'ry land
The work of an Almighty hand.
Soon as the ev'ning shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the list'ning earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
What, though in solemn silence all
Move round the dark terrestrial ball;
What, though nor real voice nor sound:
Amid their radiant orbs be found!
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
For ever singing as they shine,
"The hand that made us is divine."
GABRIEL NEW. C. M. 1 Thes. iv. 16-18.
THE time draws nigh, when from the clouds
Christ shall with shouts descend,
And the last trumpet's awful voice
The heavens and earth shall rend.
Then they who live shall changed be,
And they who sleep shall wake;
The graves shall yield their ancient charge,
And earth's foundation shake.
Together to their Father's house
With joyful hearts they go;
And dwell for ever with the Lord,
Beyond the reach of woe.
A few short years of evil past,
We reach the happy shore,
Where death-divided friends at last
Shall meet to part no more.
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