To heaven I dare not lift mine eye,
But in the dust would prostrate lie.
My suit for mercy, Lord, I make,
Not for my own, but Jesus' sake;
For if I do not pardon gain,
By virtue of his dying pain,
I must the weight of vengeance know
In regions of eternal woe!
But, for his passion's sake, forgive,
And bid me through thy mercy live;
My Jesus gave himself for me—
In him the full atonement see!"
Manasseh thus his pardon gained, And from his former sins abstained; And thus the royal prophet too, Whose faults were neither small nor few, Was from the guilt of sin set free, And sovereign mercy call'd to see. Thus Magdalene, who once had been Her country's shame in ways obscene; When once of grace she felt her need, Was from the bonds of Satan free'd. Thus he, who all his substance spent, Through grace to seek his Father went; And though he long the fool had play'd, His father's will at length obey'd.
But O, what thoughts possess the mind,
When souls like these repentance find!
To them not strange if earth should ope,
And swallow them, like Dathan, up.
They wonder they should breathe the air
Free from the horrors of despair;
Or that to Hell they were not thrown,
Where guilty souls in prison groan.
They view their sins in number more
Than are the sands upon the shore;
But God's free mercy, deep and wide
As ocean's far extending tide!
Such is the comfort we receive,
Where nothing else can comfort give;
And thus, where sin maintain'd its throne,
Free grace in Christ shall reign alone.
The Sabbath, once profanely spent In riot and vain merriment,
No longer pass'd in such a way,
Is now a blest and hallow'd day;
While heavenly things, though once despised,
Are now for their own value prized!
He who could drink, carouse, and joke,
And all the day tobacco smoke,
Now learns his time with God to spend,
Preparing for his latter end!
Thus, where repentance is complete,
Are fruits for such repentance meet;→
The light that shines through misty gray,
Grows brighter still to perfect day.
THE breath of Prayer begins a prosperous day,
And pure devotion drives our cares away;
'Tis found of sovereign use in every clime,
Nor has been proved a useless waste of time:
Like incense, it perfumes the heavenly plain,
And brings down blessings copious as the rain.
The Saviour tells us, we should always pray,
Nor faint beneath the trials of the way;
And Paul requires, that men, in different lands,
Should offer prayer with their uplifted hands.-
Man is the temple the Almighty loves,
And prayer the sacrifice he most approves;
His altar is the humble, contrite heart,
From which his presence never shall depart.
Hence prayer,-in every state,-by night or day,
To Heaven's high throne may wing its ready way;
While those who ask receive, and never find
In vain the wishes of a lowly mind.
Men must not call on gods of wood or stone, But on the Lord, through Jesus Christ alone. No saint, or angel, thy request can grant, Or give the smallest blessing thou dost want. Since none but God can our condition know, Or hear the prayers of those who dwell below, To him alone must our requests be made, That he may favour us with needful aid. Whom should we worship but the King of kings, Since men at once entreat a thousand things? And while such myriads for his favour seek, How various are the tongues in which they speak? The Virgin talks no English, I suppose;
No Welsh, as I presume, Saint Clement knows;
Neither does Agnes Irish understand;——
How then can these to help thee lend their hand?
-Christ is the only Mediator known,
Whose merits can for our misdeeds atone ;---
He pleads his merits in the court above,
And these a righteous God to mercy move.--
While some to Catharine, or Saint David fly,
And some for help to Martin would apply,
Look thou to Jesus, on his gracious throne ;-
Nor other intercessors dare to own.
Seek not Jehovah in a formal way, But in the Spirit always strive to pray;
For thy devotions are not pure and right,
Unless the conscience and the heart unite.
Should God to grant thee thy requests delay,
"Tis that thou may'st with greater ardour pray;
And often, where he does not answer soon,
He gives a larger and a better boon.
Seek first the glory of thy heavenly Sire-
His kingdom and his righteousness desire;
Seek next celestial happiness to gain,
And all good things besides thou shalt obtain.
Ask merely what the Scriptures do permit,
And such things only as the Lord sees fit:
Behold his Word!-a sure and certain guide;-
Embrace the promise, and in it confide.
Thus bear the Church, and all thy friends in mind,
Nor let thy prayers be to thyself confin'd.-
For Rulers pray, that men may live in peace,
And that our wealth and virtue may increase:
For Magistrates, who must the peace maintain,
And evil deeds of lawless men restrain.
Pray much for all who do the gospel preach,
That they its wholesome truths may rightly teach.
Pray for the poor, the needy, and the low,
That God his favour unto such may show ;
May all their wants and sorrows soon relieve,
And teach them by their industry to live.
Think too of those who dwell in foreign lands,
Where Satan's throne in thickest darkness stands;
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