2 Thy works to me are fully known ;
Thy patience and thy toil I own :
Thy views of Gospel-truth are clear,
Nor canst thou other doctrine bear.
3 Yet I must blame while I approve ;
Where is thy first, thy fervent love?
Dost thou forget my love to thee,
That thine is grown so faint to me?
4 Recall to mind the happy days
When thou wast fill'd with joy and praise: Repent, thy former works renew, Then I'll restore thy comforts too. 5 Return at once, when I reprove, Lest I thy candlestick remove, And thou, too late, thy loss lament; I warn before I strike,-Repent.' 6 Hearken to what the Spirit saith,• To him that overcomes by faith; The fruit of life's unfading tree, In paradise his food shall be.'
CXXXVII.-Smyrna. Chap. ii. 8—11.
THE message first to Smyrna sent,
A message full of grace,
To all the Saviour's flock is meant,
In ev'ry age and place.
2 Thus to his church, his chosen bride,
Saith the great First and Last,
Who ever lives, though once he died,
Hold thy profession fast.'
3 Thy works and sorrow well I know,
Perform'd and borne for me;
Poor though thou art, despis'd and low,
Yet who is rich like thee?..
4 I know thy foes, and what they say, How long they have blasphem'd; The synagogue of Satan they,
Though they would Jews be deem'd.
5 Though Satan for a season rage,
And prisons be your lot,
I am your friend, and I
You shall not be forgot.
6 Be faithful unto death, nor fear
A few short days of strife;
Behold! the prize you soon shall wear,
A crown of endless life!'
7 Hear what the Holy Spirit saith
Of all who overcome;
" They shall escape the second death,
The sinner's awful doom!'
CXXXVIII. C. Sardis. Chap. iii. 1-6.
1 'WRITE to Sardis,' saith the Lord, And write what he declares,
He whose Spirit, and whose word,
Upholds the seven stars :-
All thy works and ways I search,
Find thy zeal and love decay'd;
Thou art call'd a living church,
But thou art cold and dead.
Watch, remember, seek, and strive,
Exert thy former pains;
Let thy timely care revive,
And strengthen what remains;
Cleanse thine heart, thy works amend,
Former times to mind recall,
Lest my sudden stroke descend,
And smite thee once for all.
Yet I number now in thee
A few that are upright;
These my Father's face shall see,
And walk with me in white :
When in judgment I appear,
They for mine shall be confest;
Let my faithful servants hear,
And woe be to the rest!'
CXXXIX.-Philadelphia. Chap. iii. 7—13.
1 THUS saith the holy One and true,
To his beloved faithful few,
Of heav'n and hell I hold the keys,
To shut or open as I please.
2 I know thy works, and I approve;
Though small thy strength, sincere thy love:
Go on, my word and name to own,
For none shall rob thee of thy crown.
3 Before thee see my mercy's door,
Stands open wide, to shut no more;
Fear not temptation's fiery day,
For I will be thy strength and stay.
4 Thou hast my promise; hold it fast;
The trying hour will soon be past:
Rejoice, for, lo! I quickly come
To take thee to my heav'nly home.
5 A pillar there, no more to move,
Inscrib'd with all my names of love;
A monument of mighty grace,
Thou shalt for ever have a place.'
6 Such is the conqueror's reward,
Prepar'd and promis'd by the Lord;
Let him that hath the ear of faith,
Attend to what the Spirit saith.
CXL-Laodicea. Chap. iii. 14—20.
I HEAR what the Lord, the great Amen,
The true and faithful Witness says!
He form'd the vast creation's plan,
And searches all our hearts and ways.
2 To some he speaks, as once of old,
I know thee, thy profession's vain :
Since thou art neither hot nor cold,
I'll spit thee from me with disdain. 3 Thou boastest, "I am wise and rich,
Increas'd in goods, and nothing need;"
And dost not know thou art a wretch,
Naked, and poor, and blind, and dead.
4 Yet, while I thus rebuke, I love;
My message is in mercy sent;
That thou may'st my compassio n prove,
I can forgive, if thou repent.
5 Wouldst thou be truly rich and wise?
Come, buy my gold in fire well try'd,
My ointment to anoint thine eyes,
My robe thy nakedness to hide.
6 See at thy door I stand and knock !
Poor sinner, shall I wait in vain ?
Quickly thy stubborn heart unlock,
That I may enter with my train.
7 Thou canst not entertain a king,
Unworthy thou of such a guest!
But I my own provisions bring,
To make thy soul a heavenly feast.'
CXLI. The little Book*. Chap. x.
1 WHEN the belov'd disciple took
The angel's little open book,
Which by the Lord's command he ate,
It tasted bitter after sweet.
2 Thus, when the Gospel is embrac❜d,
At first 'tis sweeter to the taste,
Than honey, or the honey-comb,
But there's a bitterness to come.
3 What sweetness does the promise yield,
When by the Spirit's power seal'd!
The longing soul is fill'd with good,
Nor feels a wish for other food.
4 By these inviting tastes allur'd,
We pass to what must be endur'd;
For soon we find it is decreed,
That bitter must to sweet succeed.
5 When sin revives and shews its pow'r,
When Satan threatens to devour,
When God afflicts, and men revile,
We draw our steps with pain and toil.
6 When thus deserted, tempest-tost,
The sense of former sweetness lost,
We tremble lest we were deceiv'd
In thinking that we once believ'd.
7 The Lord first makes the sweetness known, To win and fix us for his own;
And, though we now some bitter meet
We hope for everlasting sweet.
|