ANOTHER HYMN.

FOR A DYING SINNER, OR A CONDEMNED MALEFACTOR.

O Thou that hangedst on the tree,

My curse and sufferings to remove,
Pity a soul that looks to Thee,
And save me by thy dying love.

Outcast of men, to Thee I fly,

To Thee who wilt the worst receive;
Forgive, and make me fit to die;
Alas! I am not fit to live.

I own my punishment is just,
I suffer for my evil here;
But in thy sufferings, LORD, I trust,
Thine, only Thine my soul can clear.

I have no outward righteousness,
No merits, or good works to plead ;
I only can be sav'd by Grace;

Thy Grace will here be free indeed.

Save me by grace through faith alone,
A faith Thou must thyself impart,
A faith that would by works be shown,
A faith that purifies the heart;

A faith that does the mountains move,
A faith that shews my sins forgiven,
A faith that sweetly works by love,
And ascertains my claim to heaven.

This is the faith I humbly seek,

The faith in thine all-cleansing blood;
That blood which does for sinners speak,
O let it speak for me to God!

Canst thou reject my dying prayer,
Or cast me out who come to thee?
My sins, ah! wherefore didst thou bear?
JESU, remember Calvary!

Number'd with the transgressors, Thou,
Between the felons crucified,

Speak to my heart, and tell me now,
Wherefore hast Thou for sinners died?

For me-wast Thou not lifted up,
For me a bleeding victim made?
That I, the abject I, might hope,
Thou hast for all a ransom paid.

O might I with my closing eyes
Thee in thy bloody vesture sce,
And cast me on thy sacrifice.

JESUS, MY LORD, remember me

Thou art into thy kingdom come :
I own Thee with my parting breath:
GOD of all grace, reverse my doom,
And save me from eternal death.

Hast thou not wrought the sure belief
I feel this moment in thy Blood?
And am not I, the dying Thief?

Aud art not Thou, my Lord, my God.

Thy precious Blood to all apply,
To all, to we-thy Spirit give,
And I (let each cry out) And 1
With Thee in Paradise shall live.

THE COMPILER'S APOLOGY.

SHOULD Some of my Readers blame me for supposing, that a penitential Office, proper for a dying malefactor, will just suit any other true penitent; I beg leave to advance a few arguments in my own defence.

(1.) The deepest expressions of the preceding office, are put by our church in the mouths of all her penitent children without exception: nor could I find deeper words for dying thieves and murderers

(2.) Our Lord not only commands us to render unto Cæsar, or man, the things that are Cæsar's or man's; but also to render unto God the things that are God's, Matt. xxii. 21. Hence it is he asks by the mouth of a prophet: Will a man ROB GOD? Yet [adds he] ye have ROBBED ME. But ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In offerings: That is, in keeping from me the oblation of your hearts, in restraining prayer, praise, and obedience, the offerings which I principally call for, Ma!. iii. 9. Again St. John declares, that Whosoever hateth his brother, or his neighbour, though but for a moment, in a sudden fit of passion, is a murderer, 1 John iii. 15. Now if an unprejudiced person considers what is implied in these and the like Scriptures, remembering that God's law extends no less to our thoughts and wishes, than to our words and actions; he will be struck with that saying of our Lord: He that is without sin among you, let him first stand up as the proud Pharisee, and cast a stone at an adulteress, a thief, on a murderer.

(3.) My reader and myself are as certainly condemned to die for sin, as any felon in the world, on whom an awful sentence of death is already past. And though I hope we shall not die so shamefully, yet a death a thousand times more lingering and painful probably awaits our perishing bodies.

(4.) Again, when our Lord went to Calvary, bearing the ponderous cross, to which he was to be nailed, a company of people, [composed no doubt of the most harmless and compassionate of the spectators] bewailed and lamented him. But Jesus turning unto them said,

Weep not for me, though I am going to suffer with some of the vilest malefactors; but weep for YOURSELVES and YOUR CHILDREN,-For if, by divine permission, they [my executioners] do these things in a green tree, i. e. if I, who am the ever-green tree of life, the everfruitful tree of righteousness, am going to be lifted up on this accursed wood on Calvary, or the place of a scull; what shall be done in the dry, blasted, barren trees, that are fit for the axe of divine justice, just ready for the lightning of divine indignation, for the fiery furnace, the burning tophet of divine vengeance? Luke xxiii. 27, &c.

(5.) Once more, if Jesus Christ our surety suffered for us, as well as for thieves; if he was executed for us, as well as for murderers ; yea, if he was actually whipt, and then hanged upon the cross, the most infamous, excruciating, and bloody species of gallows; Does it become us, wantonly, to drive the cart of our compassion from under poor dying criminals? And is it either humane or reasonable, to turn them off from us with pharisaic abhorrence, as if we were creatures of a far more excellent species than they? See an Appeal to matter of fact, or a rational demonstration of man's corrupt and lost estate, p. 64, &c. Where you will find a parallel drawn between a dying nobleman, and a dying highwayman, which will probably convince you, that the difference between them in their last moments, consists more in appearance than in reality.

FRAGMENTS.

FRAGMENTS.

ON SERIOUSNESS.

NOTHING is so contrary to godliness as levity. Seriousness consists in the matter of what is spoken, in the manner of speaking, in dignity of behaviour, and in weighty, not trifling actions. Some people are serious by nature, some by policy, and for selfish ends, and some by grace, and from a sense of duty.

Jesting and raillery, lightness of behaviour, useless occupations, joy, without trembling and awe of God, an affectation of vivacity and sprightliness, are all contrary to the Spirit of God. "A fool laughs loud," saith Solomon: but a wise man scarce smiles a little.

Levity is contrary to contrition and self-knowledge-to watching and prayer-frequently to charity-and to common sense, when death is at our heels.

Levity is also destructive of all devotion-in our own hearts-and in those of others, by unfitting the company for receiving good, and bringing a suspicion of hypocrisy upon all.

Seriousness is useful to prevent the foregoing miscarriages, to keep grace, to recommend piety and a sense of God's presence-to leave room for the Spirit to work-and to check levity and sin in others. And have we not motives sufficient to seriousness? Are we not priests and kings to God-temples of the Holy Ghost? Are we not walking in the presence of God-on the verge of the grave-and in sight of eternity?

All who walk with God are serious, taking their Lord for their example, and walking by scripture-precepts and warnings.

"But, are we to renounce innocent mirth?" Our souls are diseased. "Are we to be dull and melancholy?" Seriousness and solid happiness are inseparable. "Is there not a time for all things?" There is no time for sin and folly.

ON PLEASURE.

DYING to pleasure, even the most innocent, we shall live to God. Of pleasures there are four sorts. Sensual pleasures-of the eye, ear, taste, smell, ease, indulgence, &c. Pleasures of the heart-attachments, entanglements, creature-love, unmortified friendships. Pleasures of the mind-curious books, deep researches, speculations hankerings after news-wit-fine language. The Pleasures of the imagination-schemes, fancies, suppositions.

God requires, that we should deny ourselves in all these respects, because, 1. God will have the heart, which he cannot have, if pleasure hath it and God is a jealons God. 2. There is no solid union with God, until, in a christian sense we are dead to creature comforts.