Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

The glories of his power, and glories of his grace:
There he beheld the wondrous fprings

Of those celeftial facred things,
The peaceful gofpel, and the fiery law

In that majestic face.

That face did all his gazing powers employ,
With most profound abafement and exalted joy,
The rolls of fate were half unfeal'd,

He ftood adoring by;
The volume open'd to his eye,
And sweet intelligence he held

With all his shining kindred of the sky.

Ye feraphs that furround the throne,

Tell how his name was through the palace known, How warm his zeal was, and how like your own: Speak it aloud, let half the nation hear,

And bold blafphemers fhrink and fear † : Impudent tongues! to blaft a prophet's name! The poifon fure was fetch'd from hell,

Where the old blafphemers dwell, To taint the pureft duft, and blot the whiteft fame' [through,

Impudent tongues! You should be darted Nail'd to your own black mouths, and lie Ufelefs and dead till flander die,

Till flander die with you.

"We faw him, faid th' ethereal throng,

"We faw his warm devotions rife,

"We heard the fervour of his cries, "And mix'd his praises with our fong: "We knew the fecret flights of his retiring hours, Nightly he wak'd his inward powers, "Young Ifrael rofe to wrestle with his God, "And with unconquer'd force fcal'd the celeftial

[ocr errors]

66

towers,

"To reach the bleffing down for those that fought "his blood.

"Oft we beheld the thunderer's hand "Rais'd high to crush the factious foe; As oft we faw the rolling vengeance stand "Doubtful t' obey the dread command, "While his afcending prayer upheld the falling "blow."

[ocr errors]

Draw the paft fcenes of thy delight,
My mufe, and bring the wondrous man to fight.
Place him furrounded as he flood

With pious crowds, while from his tongue
A ftream of harmony ran foft along,
And every ear drank in the flowing good:
Softly it ran its filver way,

Till warm devotion rais'd the current strong:
Then fervid zeal on the sweet deluge rode,
Life, love and glory, grace and joy,
Divinely roll'd promifcuous on the torrent-flood,
And bore our raptur'd fenfe away, and thoughts
and fouls to God.

O might we dwell for ever there!
No more return to breathe this groffer air,
This atmosphere of fin, calamity, and care.
But heavenly fcenes foon leave the fight
While we belong to clay,

Palions of terror and delight,

Demand alternate fway.

Though he was fo great and good a man, he did not ejape cenfure.

Behold the man, whofe awful voice
Could well proclaim the fiery law,
Kindle the flames that Mofes faw,
And fwell the trumpet's warlike noise.
He ftands the herald of the threatening skies,
Lo, on his reverend brow the frowns divinely rife,
All Sinai's thunder on his tongue, and lightning
in his eyes.

Round the high roof the curfes flew
Diftinguishing each guilty head,

Far from th' unequal war the atheist fled,
His kindled arrows ftill purfue,

His arrows ftrike the atheift through,

And o'er his inmolt powers a fhuddering horror fpread.

The marble heart groans with an inward wound; Blafpheming fouls of harden'd steel

Shriek out amaz'd at the new pangs they feel,

And dread the echoes of the found.
The lofty wretch arm'd and array'd

In gaudy pride finks down his impious head,
Plunges in dark despair, and mingles with the dead,

Now, mufe, affume a fofter ftrain,

Now foothe the finner's raging smart,
Borrow of Gouge the wondrous art

To calm the furging confcience, and affwage the

He from a bleeding God derives

Life for the fouls that guilt had flain,

And ftrait the dying rebel lives,

The dead arife again;

The opening fkies almoft obey

[pain;

[day.

His powerful fong; a heavenly ray Awakes defpair to light, and fheds a cheerful His wondrous voice rolls back the spheres, Recalls the fcenes of ancient years,

To make the Saviour known;
Sweetly the flying charmer roves
Through all his labours and his loves,
The anguish of his crofs, and triumphs of his
throne.

Come, he invites our feet to try
The steep afcent of Calvary,
And fets the fatal tree before our eye:
See here celeftial forrow reigns;
Rude nails and ragged thorns lay by,
Ting'd with the crimion of redeeming veins.
In wondrous words he sung the vital flood
Where all our fins were drown'd,
Words fit to heal and fit to wound,
Sharp as the fpear, and balmy as the blood.
In his difcourfe divine

Afresh the purple fountain flow'd;
Our falling tears kept fympathetic time,

And trickled to the ground, While every accent gave a doleful found, Sad as the breaking heart-ftrings of th' expiring

God.

Down to the manfions of the dead,
With trembling joy our fouls are led,
The captives of his tongue;

There the dear prince of light reclines his head
Darkness and shades among.

With pleafing horror we furvey

The caverns of the tomb, Where the belov'd Redeemer lay,

And fed a fweet perfume,

[blocks in formation]

Old Satan foams and yells aloud, [the wheels. And gnaws th' eternal brafs that binds him to The opening gates of blifs receive their king, The Father God fmiles on his Son, Pays him the honours he has won,

The lofty thrones adore, and little cherubs fing. Behold him on his native throne,

Glory fits faft upon his head;

Drefs'd in new light, and beamy robes,

His hand rolls on the feafons, and the fhining globes,

And fways the living worlds, and regions
Gouge was his envoy to the realms below,
Vait was his truft, and great his skill,

Bright the credentials he could show,
And thousands own'd the feal,
His hallow'd lips could well impart
The grace, the promife, and command:
e knew the pity of Immanuel's heart,
And terrors of Jehovah's hand.
How did our fouls start out, to hear
The embaffies of love he bare,

[dead.

of the

While every ear in rapture hung. Upon the charming wonders of his tongue! Life's bufy cares a facred filence bound, Attention ftood with all her powers, With fixed eyes and awe profound, Chain'd to the pleasure of the found, Nor knew the flying hours.

But O my everlasting grief!
Heaven has recall'd his envoy from our eyes,
Hence deluges of forrow rife,
Nor hope th' impoffible relief.

Ye remnants of the facred tribe
Who feel the lofs, come fhare the smart,
And mix your groans with mine:
Where is the tongue that can describe
Infinite things with equal art,

Or language fo divine?

Our paflions want the heavenly flame, Almighty Love breathes faintly in our fongs, And awful threatenings languish on our tongues; Howe is a great but fingle name: Amidst the crowd he stands alone: Stands yet, but with his ftarry pinions on, Dreft for the flight, and ready to be gone. Eternal God, command his ftay,

Stretch the dear months of his delay;
O we could with his age were one immortal day!
But when the flaming chariot's come,
And fhining guards, t' attend thy prophet home,
Amidst a thousand weeping eyes,

Send an Elisha down, a foul of equal fize,
Or burn this worthless globe, and take us to the

fkies.

DIVINE SONGS FOR CHILDREN.

MY FRIENDS,

PREFACE.

TO ALL TAAT ARE CONCERNED IN THE EDUCATION OF CHILDREN.

It is an awful and important charge that is committed to you. The wisdom and welfare of the fucceeding generation are intrufted with you beforehand, and depend much on your conduct. The feeds of mifery or happiness in this world, and that to come, are oftentimes fown very early ? and therefore, whatever may conduce to give the minds of children a relish for virtue and religion, ught, in the first place, to be proposed to you. Verfe was at firft defigned for the fervice of God, though it hath been wretchedly abufed fince. The ancients, among the Jews and the Heathens, taught their children and difciples the precepts of morality and worship in verfe. The children of Ifrael were

fes, Deut. xxxi. 19, 30, and we are directed in the New Teftament, not only to fing "with grace "in the heart, but to teach and admonish one an"other by hymns and fongs," Ephef. v. 19. And there are thefe four advantages in it.

I. There is a great delight in the very learning of truths and duties this way. There is fomething fo amusing and entertaining in rhymes and metre, that will incline children to make this part of their business a diverfion. And you may turn their very duty into a reward, by giving them the privilege of learning one of these fongs every week, if they fulfil the bufinefs of the week well, have learnt ten or twenty fongs out of it. and promifing them the book itself, when they

II. What is learnt in verfe, is longer retained in memory, and fooner recollected. The like founds, and the like number of fyllables, exceedingly aflift the remembrance. And it may often happen, that the end of a fong running in the mind, may be an effectual means to keep off fome temptations, or to incline to fome duty, when a word of fcripture is not upon their thoughts.

who has been long engaged in the work of cate chifing a very great number of children of all kinds, and with abundant fkill and fuccefs. So that you will find here nothing that favours of a party: The children of high and low degree, of the church of England or Diffenters, baptifed in infancy, or not, may all join together in these fongs. And as I have endeavoured to fink the language to the level of a child's understanding, and yet to keep it, if poffible, above contempt;

III. This will be a conftant furniture for the minds of children, that they may have fomething to think upon when alone, and fing over to them-fo I have defigned to profit all, if poffible, and offelves. This may fometimes give their thoughts a divine turn, and raife a young meditation. Thus they will not be forced to feek relief for an emptiness of mind, out of the loose and dangerous fonnets of the age.

IV. These Divine Songs may be a pleasant and proper matter for their daily or weekly worship, to fing one in the family, at fuch time as the parents or governors fhall appoint; and therefore I have confined the verfe to the moft ufual pfalm

tunes.

The greatest part of this little book was compofed several years ago, at the request of a friend,

fend none. I hope the more general the fenfe is, thefe compofures may be of the more univerfal use and fervice.

I have added at the end, fome attempts of fonnets on moral fubjects, for children, with an air of pleasantry, to provoke some fitter pen to write a little book of them.

May the Almighty God make you faithful in this important work of education; may he fucceed your cares with his abundant grace, that the rifing generation of Great Britain may be a glory among the nations, a pattern to the Chriftian world, and a bleting to the earth.

SONG I.

A GENERAL SONG OF PRAISE TO GOD.

How glorious is our heavenly King,

Who reigns above the sky!
How fhall a child prefume to fing
His dreadful majesty?

How great his power is, none can tell,
Nor think how large his grace;
Not men below, nor faints that dwell
On high before his face.

Not angels that ftand round the Lord,
Can fearch his fecret will;
But they perform his heavenly word,
And fing his praises still.

Then let me join this holy train,
And my first offerings bring;
Th' eternal God will not disdain
To hear an infant fing.

My heart refolves, my tongue obeys,
And angels fhall rejoice,
To hear their mighty Maker's praise
Sound from a feeble voice.

SONG II.

PRAISE FOR CREATION AND PROVIDENCE.

I SING th' almighty power of God, That made the mountains rife,

That spread the flowing feas abroad,
And built the lofty fkies.

I fing the wisdom that ordain'd
The fun to rule the day;

The moon fhines full at his command,
And all the ftars obey.

I fing the goodness of the Lord,
That fill'd the earth with food:
He form'd the creatures with his word,
And then pronounc'd them good.
Lord, how thy wonders are display'd,
Where'er 1 turn mine eye!

If I furvey the ground I tread,

Or gaze upon the sky!

There's not a plant or flower below,
But makes thy glory known;
And clouds arife, and tempests blow,
By order from thy throne.

Creatures (as numerous as they be)
Are fubject to thy care;

There's not a place where we can flee
But God is prefent there.

In heaven he fhines with beams of love, With wrath in hell beneath! 'Tis on his earth I ftand or move,

And 'tis his air I breathe.

His hand is my perpetual guard;
He keeps me with his eye;
Why should I then forget the Lord,
Who is for ever nigh?

SONG III.

PRAISE TO GOD FOR OUR REDEMPTION.

BLEST be the wisdom and the power,

The juftice and the grace,

That join'd in counsel to reitore,
And fave our ruin'd race.

Our father ate forbidden fruit,

And from his glory fell;

And we his children thus were brought
To death, and near to hell.

Bleft be the Lord that fent his Son
To take our flesh and blood;
He for our lives gave up his own,
To make our peace with God.
He honour'd all his Father's laws,
Which we have disobey'd;
He bore our fins upon the crofs,
And our full ranfom paid.
Behold him rifing from the grave;
Behold him rais'd on high:
He pleads his merit, there to fave
Tranfgreffors doom'd to die.

There on a glorious throne he reigns,
And by his power divine

Redeems us from the flavish chains

Of Satan and of Sin.

Thence fhall the Lord to judgment come,
And with a fovereign voice
Shall call, and break up every tomb,
While waking faints rejoice.

O may I then with joy appear
Before the Judge's face,.

And with the blefs'd affembly there
Sing his redeeming grace!

[blocks in formation]

Not than others I deferve, '

more

Yet God has given me more;
For I have food, while others ftarve,'
Or beg from door to door.

How many children in the street

Half naked I behold!

While I am cloth'd from head to feet,
And cover'd from the cold.

While fome poor wretches fcarce can tell
Where they may lay their head;
I have a home wherein to dwell,
And reft upon my bed.

While others early learn to fwear,
And curfe, and lie, and steal;
Lord, I am taught thy name to fear,
And do thy holy will."

Are these thy favours day by day

To me above the rest?

Then let me love thee more than they, And try to ferve thee beft.

SONG V.

PRAISE FOR BIRTH AND EDUCATION IN A CHRISTIAN LAND.

GREAT God, to thee my voice I raise,
To thee my youngest hours belong;
I would begin my life with praise,
Till growing years improve the fong.
'Tis to thy fovereign grace I owe
That I was born on British ground;
Where ftreams of heavenly mercy flow,
And words of sweet salvation found.

I would not change my native land
For rich Peru with all her gold:
A nobler prize lies in my hand,
Than Eaft or Weftern Indies hold.
How do I pity thofe that dwell
Where ignorance and darkness reigns!
They know no heaven, they fear no hell,
Thofe endless joys, thofe endless pains.
Thy glorious promifes, O Lord,
Kindle my hopes and my defire;
While all the preachers of thy word
Warn me to 'fcape eternal fire.

Thy praife fhall still employ my breath,
Since thou haft mark'd my way to heaven;
Nor will I run the road to death,

And waste the bleffings thou haft given.

SONG VI.

PRAISE FOR THE GOSPEL.

LORD, I afcribe it to thy grace, And not to chance as others do, That I was born of Chriftian race, And not a Heathen or a Jew.

367

What would the ancient Jewish kings,
And Jewish prophets once have given.
Could they have heard thofe glorious things,
Which Chrift reveal'd and brought from heaven!

How glad the heathens would have been,
That worship'd idols, wood and stone,
If they the book of God had seen,
Or jefus and his gospel known!
Then if this gospel I refuse,
How, fhall I e'er lift up mine eyes?
For all the Gentiles and the Jews
Against me will in judgment rife.

SONG VIII.

THE EXCELLENCY OF THE BIBLE.

GREAT God, with wonder and with praife On all thy works I look ;

But ftill thy wisdom, power and grace,' Shine brightest in thy book.

[ocr errors][ocr errors][ocr errors]

The ftars, that in their courfes roll,
Have much inftruction given;
But thy good word informs my foul
How I may climb to heaven.

The fields provide me food, and show
The goodness of the Lord;
But fruits of life and glory grow
In thy moft holy word.

Here are my choicest treasures hid,
Here my best comfort lies;
Here my defires are fatisfy'd,

And hence my hopes arise.

Lord, make me understand thy law;

Show what my thoughts have been: And from thy gospel let me draw Pardon for all my fin.

Here would I learn how Chrift had dy'd
To fave my foul from hell:
Not all the books on earth befide
Such heavenly wonders tell,

Then let me love my Bible more,
And take a fresh delight

By day to read these wonders o'er,
And meditate by night.

SONG VIII.

PRAISE TO GOD FOR LEARNING TO READ.

THE praises of my tongue

I offer to the Lord,

That I was taught, and learnt fo young

To read his holy word.

That I am brought to know
The danger I was in,
By nature and by practice too,
A wretched flave to fin.

That I am led to fee

I can do nothing well;
And whither fhall a finner flee
To fave himself from hell?
Dear Lord, this book of thine

Informs me where to go,
For grace to pardon all my fin
And make me holy too.

Here I can read, and learn

How Chrift, the Son of God, Has undertook our great concern; Our ranfom coft his blood.

And now he reigns above,

He fends his Spirit down

To fhow the wonders of his love,
And make his gospel known.

O may that Spirit teach,

And make my heart receive

Thofe truths which all thy fervants preach, And all thy faints believe.

Then fhall I praife the Lord

In a more cheerful, ftrain,

That I was taught to read his word,
And have not learnt in vain,

SONG IX.

THE ALL-SEEING GOE.

ALMIGHTY God, thy piercing eye
Strikes through the fhades of night,
And our moft fecret actions lie
All open to thy fight.

There's not a fin that we commit,

Nor wicked word we say,
But in thy dreadful book 'tis writ,
Against the judgement-day.

And muft the crimes that I have done
Be read and publish'd there?
Be all expos'd before the fun,
While men and angels hear?
Lord, at thy foot afham'd I lie;
Upward I dare not look;
Pardon my fins before I die,

And blot them from thy book.

Remember all the dying pains
That my Redeemer felt,
And let his blood wash out my stains,
And answer for my guilt.

O may I now for ever fear!

T' indulge a finful thought,

Since the great God can fee and hear, And writes down every fault:

SONG X.

SOLEMN THOUGHTS OF GOD AND DEATÉ.
THERE is a God that reigns above,
Lord of the heavens, and earth, and feas:
I fear his wrath, I afk his love,
And with my lips I fing his praise.

There is a law which he has writ,
To teach us all that we must do:
My foul, to his commands fubmit,
For they are holy, just, and true.
There is a gofpel of rich grace,
Whence finners all their comforts draw:
Lord, I repent, and feek thy face;
For I have often broke thy law.
There is an hour when I muft die,
Nor do I know how foon 'twill come:
A thousand children young as I,
Are call'd by death to hear their doom.
Let me improve the hours I have,
Before the day of grace is fled;
There's no repentance in the grave,
Nor pardons offer'd to the dead.

Just as a tree cut down, that fell
To north or fouthward, there it lies;
So man departs to heaven or hell,
Fix'd in the ftate wherein he dies.

SONG XI.
HEAVEN AND HELL

THERE is beyond the sky
A heaven of joy and love;

« AnteriorContinuar »