Surpassing far all knowledge, all desire,
All thought, the Holy One for sinners dies!
The Lord of life for guilty rebels bleeds!
Quenches eternal fire with blood divine.
Abundant mercy! overflowing grace!"

GOD'S WONDROUS LOVE.

"There whence I came, I something heard of men; Their name had reached us, and report did speak Of some abominable, horrid thing,

Of desperate offence they had committed;

And something too of wondrous grace we heard; And oft of our celestial visitants

What man, what God had done, inquired. But they, Forbid, our asking never met directly,

Exhorting still to persevere upright,

And we should hear in heaven, tho' greatly bless'd Ourselves, new wonders of God's wondrous love. This hinting, keener appetite to know

Awaked; and as we talked, and much admired
What new we there should learn, we hasted each
To nourish virtue to perfection up,

That we might have our wondering resolved,
And leave of louder praise, to greater deeds
Of loving kindness due. Mysterious love!
God was made flesh, and dwelt with men on earth!
Blood holy, blood divine, for sinners shed!
My asking ends; but makes my wonder more.
Saviour of men! henceforth be thou my theme:
Redeeming love, my study day and night.

Mankind were lost, all lost, and all redeemed!"

D

"Thou err'st again, but innocently err'st; Not knowing sin's depravity, nor man's Sincere and persevering wickedness." "All were redeemed?"

"Not all, or thou had'st heard

No human voice in hell. Many refused, Although beseeched, refused to be redeemed; Redeemed from death to life, from wo to bliss!"

PERVERSENESS OF MAN.

"Canst thou believe my song when thus I sing? When man had fallen, was ruined, hopeless, lostYe choral harps! ye angels that excel

In strength! and loudest, ye redeemed of men!
To God, to Him that sits upon the throne
On high, and to the Lamb, sing honor, sing
Dominion, glory; blessing sing, and praise!—
When man had fallen, was ruined, hopeless, lost,
Messiah, Prince of Peace, Eternal King,

Died, that the dead might live, the lost be saved.
Wonder, O heavens! and be astonished, earth!
Thou ancient, thou forgotten earth! Ye worlds,
admire!

Admire, and be confounded! and thou, hell,
Deepen thy eternal groan! Men would not be
Redeemed-I speak of many, not of all-
Would not be saved for lost, have life for death!"
"Mysterious song!" the new arrived exclaimed;
"Mysterious mercy! most mysterious hate!
To disobey, was mad; this, madder far;
Incurable insanity of will.

What now but wrath could guilty men expect? What more could love, what more could mercy do?"

FREE GRACE OFFERED TO ALL.

"No more," resumed the bard, “no more they could.

Thou hast seen hell: the wicked there lament.
And why?-For love and mercy twice despised.
The husbandman, who sluggishly forgot
In spring to plough and sow, could censure none,
Though winter clamored round his empty barns.
But he who having thus neglected, did

Refuse, when autumn came, and famine threatened,
To reap the golden field that charity

Bestowed-nay, more obdurate, proud, and blind,
And stupid still, refused, though much beseeched,
And long entreated, even with Mercy's tears,
To eat what to his very lips was held,
Cooked temptingly-he certainly, at least,
Deserved to die of hunger, unbemoaned.
So did the wicked spurn the grace of God;
And so were punished with the second death.
The first, no doubt, punition less severe
Intended, death belike of all entire ;

But this incurred, by God discharged, and life
Freely presented, and again despised-

Despised, tho' bought with Mercy's proper blood-
'Twas this dug hell, and kindled all its bounds
With wrath and inextinguishable fire.
"Free was the offer, free to all, of life
And of salvation; but the proud of heart,

Because 'twas free, would not accept; and still
To merit wished: and choosing-thus unshipped,
Uncompassed, unprovisioned, and bestormed-
To swim a sea of breadth immeasurable,

They scorned the goodly bark, whose wings the breath

Of God's eternal Spirit filled for heaven,

That stopped to take them in! and so were lost."

THE GRACE OF GOD OMNIPOTENT.

"What wonders dost thou tell! To merit? how?

Of creature meriting in sight of God,

As right of service done, I never heard
Till now. We never fell; in virtue stood
Upright, and persevered in holiness;

But stood by grace, by grace we persevered;
Ourselves, our deeds—our holiest, highest deeds-
Unworthy aught; grace worthy endless praise.
If we fly swift, obedient to his will,
He gives us wings to fly; if we resist
Temptation, and ne'er fall, it is his shield
Omnipotent that wards it off; if we,
With love unquenchable, before him burn,
"Tis he that lights and keeps alive the flame.
Men surely lost their reason in their fall,
And did not understand the offer made."

66

THE LIGHT OF THE BIBLE.

They might have understood," the bard replied: They had the Bible. Hast thou ever heard Of such a book?-the author, God himself;

The subject, God and man; salvation, life,

And death-eternal life, eternal death—

Dread words! whose meaning has no end, no bounds.
Most wondrous book! bright candle of the Lord!
Star of eternity! the only star

By which the bark of man could navigate
The sea of life, and gain the coast of bliss
Securely; only star which rose on Time,
And, on its dark and troubled billows, still,
As generation, drifting swiftly by,
Succeeded generation, threw a ray

Of heaven's own light; and to the hills of God,
The everlasting hills, pointed the sinner's eye:
By prophets, seers, and priests, and sacred bards,
Evangelists, apostles, men inspired,

And by the Holy Ghost anointed, set
Apart and consecrated to declare

To earth the counsels of the Eternal One,

This book—this holiest, this sublimest book

Was sent. Heaven's will, Heaven's code of laws entire

To man, this book contained; defined the bounds Of vice and virtue, and of life and death;

And what was shadow, what was substance taught. Much it revealed; important all; the least

Worth more than what else seemed of highest worth ;

But this of plainest, most essential truth:

That God is one; eternal, holy, just,

Omnipotent, omniscient, infinite;

Most wise, most good, most merciful, and true;