And pray that light may pass from shore to shore, Till false religion shall be known no more.
Thus men, be their employment what it may,
Should look to heaven, and without ceasing pray;
For mental prayer will not retard their feet,
But make their journey, or their labour sweet.
So Moses, when he travell'd o'er the plain,-
Christ on the road,-and Paul upon the main;--
Each found it good to meditate and pray,
Nor let the hours as useless pass away.
But when for prayer thou wouldst prepare thy mind,
Strive hard to leave all worldly thoughts behind;
Be from each idle thought and wish averse,
That thou may'st freely with thy God converse.
Then, with repentance, and a heart sincere,
In Jesus' name by humble faith draw near;
And God, whose saving power is always nigh,.
Will no good thing, except in love, deny.
EMPLOYMENT OF OUR THOUGHTS.
HE mind is found by nature base
In each of Adam's fallen race;
It thinks on nothing as it should,
Until by grace 'tis render'd good.
Pray, then, that God may grace impart,
To fix the purpose of thy heart,—
To guide the counsels of thy breast,
That thou may'st think on what is best;
For evil thoughts but go before,
To tell that Satan's at the door!
Place thou thy mind, and fix thy love
On things that are with God above;
Let themes celestial crowd thy mind,
That evil there no place may find.
Think on those worlds where thou must dwell;-
Devoutly think on heaven and hell:
Reflect, that thy best treasure lies
With Christ thy Saviour in the skies--
A crown of joy,-the peace of God,
An endless life, a blest abode!
Behold how soon the living go,
Each in his turn, to lie below,-
Of one poor shroud alone possess'd,
Though here with ample fortunes bless'd!
For Death, resistless in his course,
Rides Jehu-like on his pale horse:
Nor old, nor young, avoid his dart,
Which enters every mortal heart!
His brandish'd shaft hangs o'er our heads,
While, like a thief, he softly treads;
No trumpet tells him on his way,
But unawares he strikes his prey !--
Reflect, that life is like a dream,
Or like a bubble on the stream,
Or glass, or china;-by one stroke,
How soon it is to pieces broke!
Just like a shade, it passes by;
Or ships, that through the billows fly ;-
Alas! how soon the time is gone,
Before our work be well begun!
Think how this world lets all men go
Quite naked to their house below,
And underneath their feet breaks short,
Like ice, when most they want support;
While, ere the peaceful grave they find,
Their wealth to others is consign'd!
Reflect, that thou art every hour
Before the God of matchless power,
Who all thy actions can descry
With the mere glancing of his eye;
And that each work, and word, and thought,
Must soon be into judgment brought!
O think how sin, on that dread day,
Will on thy wounded conscience prey,
When thou before thy judge must give
A strict account how thou didst live!
Think how the mighty then will fear,
Who would not God or man revere,
And beg the rocks, with piteous cry,
To fall upon them from on high!
Think how the righteous shall enjoy,
Eternal bliss;-their sole employ,
The great Redeemer's praise to tell,
While wicked men cry out in hell!
O! think on this, and thou'lt despise
The world where death and danger lies,
And on thy God in Christ depend
For bliss that never knows an end.
The mind of man still dwells upon
The good or evil he has done;
And if it be not fed with good,
It soon is fill'd with other food.
'Tis easy to put out a fire,
Before the flames on high aspire;
But if they should the roof attain,
O'er all the house at once they reign!
Let no bad thought possess thy breast,-
As soon therein let Satan rest;
For if it find a lodging there,
Some sin will soon the fact declare.
soon as thou awakest from repose,
Reflect that thou hast three insidious foes;
And that each one, as all the saints agree,
Is even a thousand times too strong for thee,
Unless thou canst those arms from Christ obtain,
By which believing souls the victory gain.
The Saviour, then, most earnestly entreat,
That he may furnish thee with mail complete,
And fill thee with true fortitude of mind,
To chase thy foes, like chaff before the wind.
Upon thy head the Christian's helmet place,That hope of heaven, which only springs from grace; Through which, the powerful sovereign of the air Can neither wound, nor force thee to despair. Let righteousness thy shining breastplate be, Through which no deadly thrust can injure thee; Let constant truth thy girded loins surround, Nor dare to use hypocrisy unsound. Thy sandals let the peaceful gospel find, And in sweet patience keep thy steady mind; For through sharp trials, and a depth of woe, The conquering saint must to his Saviour go. Take faith's strong shield, the arrows to repelThose deadly shafts, shot by the prince of hell:
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