Mr soul with gratitude record
The gracious dealings of thy God;
With his dear saints rehearse his praise,
His wonders as the God of grace.
A rebel once, far off from God,
But now brought nigh by precious blood;
To hold communion, taste his love-
An earnest of the joys above.
Once far from God, and Satan's slave,
No power nor will my soul to save;
But Jesus, that dear Friend, passed by,
And in my blood he saw me lie.
With sovereign power he bade me live,
And to my soul new life did give;
He spake with accents, how divine,
And said, Thou art for ever mine.
And since my soul his love has known,
And made me suppliant at his throne,
How wondrous great, how rich, how free,
His love has been to worthless me,
Midst Satan's rage and fiery dart,
He's been a shield to guard my heart;
When hellish lusts have burned within,
His blood has quenched the power of sin.
When much cast down and sore opprest,
He bade me lean upon his breast;
When heavy storms on me have laid,
He then has said, Be not afraid :
Thy little bark I will protect,
Fear not the danger of a wreck;
I'll guide thee safe, and still the wave,
And thou shalt know I've power to save.
Yet after this have fears prevailed,
And I have thought his promise failed;
No gleam of hope, no ray of light,
But darkness felt-a gloomy night.
E'en then again he has appeared,
My hopes revived, my spirits cheered;
Dispelled my fears, and to me said,
I am thy God, be not afraid.
He is my God, he has me fed;
He is my Life, my living bread;
He is my Rock, my sure defence,
Satan can't drive my soul from thence.
He is my refuge and strong tower
For succour in each trying hour;
He is my Teacher and my Friend,
To guide and guard me to the end.
He is my strength and righteousness,
Through him to God I find access;
By him I'm kept from hour to hour,
Preserved by his almighty power.
Thus to the God of sovereign grace
An Ebenezer I would raise;
Thus far preserved, thus far led on,
I'll praise him in my feeble song.
But ah, my notes fall far too short,
To tell the wonders thou hast wrought;
Far nobler strains my soul would raise,
And in each note my God would praise.
Dear Lord, through my remaining days
Order my steps, direct my ways;
Then in the shining realms above
I'll sing and praise redeeming love.
Walworth.
INDISCRIMINATE TRIBULATION. "Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward."
[Rezeneb has often been asked who was the author of, or where can be found the hymn containing the verse below which is in italic: neither question can he find any one able to answer : perhaps it was a gem dropped impromptu. To assist in preserving it, he has attempted three verses to precede and follow it. They are but as the setting to a valuable jewel, and in like manner will serve for a foil and a handle to it.] THE children of a parent, born
Beneath the curse of sin,
Our nature at life's earliest dawn
Is withered and unclean.
The dwellers in a blighted land,
We must the blight partake; With aching hearts on every hand Our hearts must also ache.