Zeal and Vigor in the Christian Race. Phil. iii. 12-14.
1 AWAKE, my soul! stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on :
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
2 A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey:
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.
3 'Tis God's all-animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
'Tis his own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye :—
4 That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems
Shall blend in common dust.
5 My soul, with sacred ardor fired,
The glorious prize pursue;
And cheerful hear thy master's call,
To bid this earth adieu.
The Vanity of worldly Desires and Pursuits.
1 WHEN in the light of faith divine,
We look on things below;
The good which men most fondly prize,
How vain and dangerous too!
2 Pleasure's delusive form we chase,
Or dig for shining ore ;
At honor's gaudy shrine we bow,
Or grasp at boundless power.
3 The fondness of a creature's love,
How strong it strikes the sense!
Thither the warm affections tend,
Nor can we call them thence,
4 Yet what around this spacious earth,
Can fill the soul's desire?
To boundless joy, substantial wealth,
My nobler thoughts aspire.
5 Where pleasure rolls its living stream,
From sin and dross refined,
Still springing from the throne of God,
To cheer th' enraptured mind :
6 The Almighty Ruler of the sphere,
The glorious and the great,
Brings his own all-sufficience there,
To make our bliss complete.
Complete Happiness not designed for Man on Earth.
1 PROVIDENCE, profusely kind,
Wheresoe'er you turn your eyes,
Bids you with a grateful mind,
View a thousand blessings rise.
2 But, perhaps some friendly voice
Softly whispers to your mind-
Make not these alone your choice,
Heaven has blessings more refined.
3 Thankful own what you enjoy ;
But a changing world like this,
Where a thousand fears annoy,
Cannot give you perfect-bliss.
4 Perfect bliss resides above,
Far above yon azure sky;
Bliss that merits all your love,
Merits every anxious sigh.
5 What like this has earth to give?
O ye righteous! in your breast
Let the admonition live,
Nor on earth desire to rest.
6 When your bosom breathes a sigh,
Or your eye emits a tear,
Let your wishes rise on high,
Ardent rise to bliss sincere.
God, the supreme Good. Ps. iv. 6, 7.
1 WHEN fancy spreads her boldest wing
And wanders unconfined
Amid th' unbounded scene of things,
Which entertain the mind:
2 In vain we trace creation o'er,
In search of sacred rest;
The whole creation is too poor,
Too mean to make us blest.
3 In vain would this low world employ Each flattering, specious wile;
For what can yield a real joy,
But our Creator's smile.
4 Let earth and all her charms depart,
Unworthy of the mind;
In God alone this restless heart
An equal bliss can find.
5 Great spring of all felicity,
To whom our wishes tend!
Do not these wishes rise from thee,
And in thy favor end?
“Thou art our Dwelling-place in all Generations."
1 THOU, Lord! through every changing scene,
Hast to thy saints a refuge been ;
Through each successive age, O God!
Their tranquil home, and safe abode.
2 In thee our fathers sought their rest,
And were with thy protection blest;
Lo, we are risen, a transient race,
A while to fill their vacant place.
3 While travelling through life's varied road,
We lean upon our fathers' God;
On thee our steadfast hopes recline,
Nor own, nor ask, a help but thine.
4 Through all the thorny paths we trace,
In this uncertain wilderness,
Where friends desert, and foes invade,
Revive our heart and guard our head.
5 Thus voices yet unformed shall raise
A grateful tribute to thy praise;
Our children learn their fathers' song,
And theirs the cheerful notes prolong.
6 Thou Parent of the human race,
Thou fountain of exhaustless grace!
Thy mercy, ages past have known,
And ages long to come shall own.
Mutability of the Creation and Immutability of God.
Ps. cii. 25-28.
1 GREAT Former of this various frame!
Our souls adore thine awful name,
And bow with reverence, while we praise
The ancient of eternal days.
2 Beyond an angel's vision bright,
Thou dwell'st in uncreated light;
Which shines with undiminished ray,
While suns and systems pass away.
3 Our days a transient period run,
And change with every circling sun;
And, in the firmest state we boast,
A moth can crush us into dust.
4 But let all nature fall around;
Let death consign us to the ground;
Let the last general flame arise,
Consume the earth, dissolve the skies:
5 Calm as the summer's ocean, we
Can all the wreck of nature see,
While grace secures us an abode,
Unshaken as the throne of God.
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