Such defect can be found in that creature alone, Which against his good will seeks to set up it's own; Then, to God, and his justice, it giveth the lie, And it's darkness and wrath are discover'd thereby: What, before, was subservient to life, in due place, Then usurps the dominion, and death is the case; Which the son of God only could ever subdue, By doing all that which love gave him to do. If the anger of God, fury, wrath, waxing hot, And the like human phrases that scripture has got, Be insisted upon, why not also the rest, Where God, in the language of men, is exprest In a manner, which, all are oblig'd to confess, No defect in his nature can mean to express? With a God, who is love, ev'ry word should agree; With a God, who hath said, " fury is not in me." The disorders in Nature, for none are in God, Are entitled his vengeance, his wrath, or his rod, Like his ice, or his frost, his plague, famine, or sword That the love, which directs them, may still be ador'd: Directs them, till justice, call'd his, or call'd ours, Shall regain, to our comfort, it's primitive pow'rs; The true, saving justice, that bids us endure What love shall prescribe, for effecting our cure. By a process of love, from the crib to the cross, Did the only-begotten recover our loss: And show in us men how the father is pleas'd, When the wrath in our nature by love is appeas'd; When the birth of his Christ, being formed within, Dissolves the dark death of all selfhood and sin; Till the love that so lov'd us, becomes, once again, From the father and son, a life-spirit in men. Now, tho' 'tis proof, indisputably plain, From the divine, eternal spirit springs Cudworth perceiv'd, that what divines advance Endless perfections, after all, conspire, ON THE NATURE AND REASON OF ALL OUTWARD LAW. The sabbath was made for man; not man for the sabbath. Mark ii, 27. FROM this true saying one may learn to draw THE TRUE GROUNDS OF ETERNAL AND Man was not made for law; but law for man. IMMUTABLE RECTITUDE. TH' eternal mind, e'en Heathens understood, For pow'r, from wisdom suff'ring a divorce, Yet some of old, and some of present hour, Ascribe to God an arbitrary pow'r; An absolute decree; a mere command, Which nothing causes, nothing can withstand: Wisdom and goodness scarce appear in sight; But all is measur'd by resistless might. The verbal question comes to this, in fine, Is good, or evil, made by will divine, Or such by nature? Does command enact What shall be right, and then 'tis so in fact? Or is it right, and therefore, we may draw From thence the reason of the righteous law? "Thou shalt not eat" (the first command of all} "Of good and ill," was to prevent his fall: When he became unfit to be alone, Woman was form'd out of his flesh and bone: When both had sinn'd, then penitential grief, And sweating labour, was the law relief. When all the world had sinn'd, save one good sire, Flood was the law that sav'd its orb from fire: It was the law to stop a growing Hell: Men who observe a law, or who abuse, Jesus, the perfect law-fulfiller, gave The victory that taught the law to save; Pluck'd out its sting, revers'd the cruel cry, "We have a law by which he ought to die"— Dying for man, this conquest he could give, I have a law by which he ought to live. Whilst in the flesh, how oft did he reveal The sabbath, never so well kept before, Not to indulge an eagerness too great, DIVINE LOVE, THE ESSENTIAL CHARACTERISTIC OF TRUE RE- RELIGION'S meaning when I would recall, On what it lets its inclination rest, Of all religions if we take a view, Nothing but gross idolatry alone It may be good, that is, may make appear The one unbounded, undivided good, For brutal instinct can a good embrace, Religion then is love's celestial force, Not to the skies or stars; but to the part There is the seat, as holy writings tell, An Heaven within, in other words, above. ON WORKS OF MERCY AND COMPASSION. Of true religion, works of mercy seem Then, they who gave poor hungry people meat, These will be deem'd religious men, to whom Then, they who gave the hungry poor no food; Who with no drink the parch'd with thirst bedew'd; Who drove the helpless stranger from their fold, These will be deem'd of irreligious mind; Here, all ye learned, full of all dispute, VERSES DESIGNED FOR AN INFIRMARY. DEAR loving sirs! behold, as ye pass by, Thus to bestow is really to obtain To help th' afflicted, in so great a need, In other cases, men may form a doubt, The wise consider this terrestrial ball, To heal man's nature, and to make him whole: A godlike work; who forwards it is sure, To them who tread the certain path to bliss, That leads thro' scenes of charity like this, Think what the Saviour of the world will say— "Ye blessed of my father, come your way: "Twas done to me, if done to the distrest: Come, ye true friends, and be for ever blest." AN HYMN TO JESUS. COME, Saviour Jesus! from above, Assist me with thy heav'nly grace; Withdraw my heart from worldly love, And for thyself prepare the place. Lord! let thy sacred presence fill, And set my longing spirit free; That pants to have no other will, But night and day to think on thee. Where'er thou leadest, I'll pursue, Thro' all retirements, or employs; But to the world I'll bid adieu, And all its vain delusive joys. That way with humble speed I'll walk, Wherein my Saviour's footsteps shine; Nor will I hear, nor will I talk Of any other love but thine. To thee my longing soul aspires; To thee I offer all my vows: Keep me from false and vain desires, My God, my Saviour, and my Spouse! Henceforth, let no profane delight Divide this consecrated soul! Possess it thou, who hast the right, As lord and master of the whole. Wealth, honours, pleasures, or what else This short-enduring world can give, Tempt as they will, my heart repells, To thee alone resolv'd to live. Thee one may love, and thee alone, With inward peace, and holy bliss; And when thou tak'st us for thy own, Oh! what an happiness is this! Nor Heav'n, nor Earth do I desire, Nor mysteries to be reveal'd; 'Tis love that sets my heart on fire : Speak thou the word, and I am heal'd. All other graces I resign; Pleas'd to receive, pleas'd to restore: Grace is thy gift, it shall be mine The giver only to adore. AN HYMN ON SIMPLICITY. JESU! teach this heart of mine Free from guile of every kind: When I read, or when I hear Truths that kindle good desires; What Heav'n-instrcted faith requires; Whilst I pray before thy face, Thou! who art my highest good! Purchas'd by thy precious blood: Give me, with a child-like mind, Pleases best my dearest Lord: Mere simplicity be quide: Simplicity guide me in word, and in will; Jesu! now I fix my heart, Prince of life, and source of bliss; Never from thee to depart, 'Till thy love shall grant me this: Then, then, shall my heart all its faculties raise, Both here, and hereafter, to sing to thy praise: O joyful! my Saviour says, "So let it be !" Amen, to my soul,-Hallelujah! to thee! A FAREWELL TO THE WORLD. Presence of God, who takes my part, So sweetens all event! He is the patience of my heart, The comfort, and content. FROM THE FRENCH. WORLD adieu, thou real cheat! Oft have thy deceitful charms Fill'd my heart with fond conceit, Foolish hopes, and false alarms: Now I see, as clear as day, How thy follies pass away. Vain thy entertaining sights; False thy promises renew'd; All the pomp of thy delights Does but flatter and delude: Thee I quit for Heav'n above, Objects of the noblest love. Farewell honour's empty pride! Thy own nice, uncertain gust, If the least mischance betide, Lays thee lower than the dust: Worldly honours end in gall, Rise to day, to morrow fail. Foolish vanity, farewell! More inconstant than the wave; Where thy soothing fancies dwell, Purest tempers they deprave: He, to whom 1 fly from thee, Jesus Christ, shall set me free. Never shall my wandering mind Follow after fleeting toys; Since in God alone I find Solid and substantial joys: Joys that, never overpast, Thro' eternity shall last. Lord, how happy is a heart, After thee while it aspires! True and faithful as thou art, Thou shalt answer its desires: It shall see the glorious scene Of thy everlasting reign. AN HYMN. FROM THE FRENCH. How charming! to be thus confin'd Within this lovely tow'r; Where, with a calm, and quiet mind, These very ills are my delight; My pleasures rise from pains; The punishments, that most affright, Become my wish'd-for gains: Whatever torments they excite, Pure sighing love remains. Pain is no object of my fear, That blessings will ensue: THE SOUL'S TENDENCY TOWARDS ITS TRUE CENTRE. STONES towards the earth descend; Rivers to the ocean roll; Every motion has some end: "Mine is, where my Saviour is; Love the force that doth impel." Speed along thy quick'ning pace! "Thank thee for thy gen'rous care: Heav'n, that did the wish inspire, Through thy instrumental pray'r, Plumes the wings of my desire. "Now, methinks, aloft I fly: Now, with angels bear a part: Glory be to God on high! Peace to ev'ry Christian heart!" THE DESPONDING SOUL'S WISH. My spirit longeth for thee, Within my troubled breast; Altho' I be unworthy Of so divine a guest. Of so divine a guest, No rest is to be found. No rest is to be found, But in thy blessed love; O! let my wish be crown'd, And send it from above! THE ANSWER. CHEER up, desponding soul; And left my Father's throne; From death to set thee free, To claim thee for my own. To claim thee for my own, I suffer'd on the cross: No soul could fear its loss, But, fill'd with love divine, Would die on its own cross, And rise for ever mine. AN HYMN TO JESUS. FROM THE LATIN OF ST. BERNARD. JESU! the soul that thinks on thee, No sound can dwell upon the tongue, Jesu! the penitent's retreat, Jesu! the source of life and light, This can no tongue that ever spoke, A PARAPHRASE And the men who dwell on it, his children, for whom It has pleas'd him that Christ the Redeemer should come; Yet his church must consist, in all saving respect, Now this excellent pray'r, in this sense of the For the catholic church more especially prays; And profess to be Christians, may be so indeed; No partial distinction is here to be sought; And the nations, converted, bring on the great Mean while, tho' eternity be her chief care, The compassion, here taught, is unlimited too, ON THE PRAYER, USED IN THE CHURCH LITURGY, Prays that all may obtain its beneficent ends; FOR ALL SORTS AND CONDITIONS OF MEN. It will bear the repeating again and again, His true saving health, by the nations all round. He, who willeth all men to be sav'd, and partake [make; Of the bliss, which distinguish'd their primitive To arise to that life, by a second new birth, Which Adam had lost, at his fall upon Earth; Will accept ev'ry heart, whose unfeigned intent Is to pray for that blessing, which he himself [will When he gave his own Son, for whoever should To escape, by his means, from the regions of ill. meant, But tho' all the whole world, in a sense that is good, [stood; To be God's house, or church, may be well under And whenever the suff'rings, here needful, are past, The particular mention of such, as desire All which she entreats, for his sake, to be done, And to them, who shall suffer, whoever they be, The church is indeed, in its real intent, |