eccxIII. Long Metre.

MERRICK.

Defire of GOD, and Direction from him.

O thee, my God, my foul fhall rife, On thee my steadfast hope relies; Thy paths, bleft fource of light, display, And teach my doubting fteps thy way. 2 O ye that to his law incline,

To God your willing steps refign, And learn from his directing hand What path may best your choice demand. 3 Thy precepts, bleft is he who knows, As thro' life's pilgrimage he goes: Safety and peace divinely spread

2

Their tent around his favoured head.

cccxiv. Proper Metre. MRS. MASTERS.

The fame.

IS religion that can give

'TIS

Sweetest pleasures while we live;

'Tis religion must supply

Solid comforts when we die :

After death its joys will be

Lafting as eternity;

If fuch bleffings her attend,

Let me then make God my friend.

cccxv. Proper Metre. MASTERS.

The Choice of Religion juftified.

RET not thyfelf when wicked men prevail,
And bold iniquity bears down the scale;

'FR

They

2

3

4

5

6

1

They and their glory quickly fhall decay,
Swept by the hand of Providence away.

Firm in thy pious choice, on God depend,
His hand fhall guide thee, and his arm defend;
In all thy ways on him thy hope recline,
And he fhall vindicate each just design.

For ever faithful, ever patient be,

And wait th' event of his divine decree :
Thy virtue in full profpect fhall be shown,
Clear as the morn, and bright as mid-day fun.

The humble pittance, by the good enjoy'd,
With labour gained, with probity employed,
Is truer wealth, and more to be defired,
Than all the ftores by wicked men acquired.

What lovely virtues grace the pious mind!
How pure, from ev'ry mixture base refined!
Such form the man, who now heav'n's favour shares,
And leaves the fair example to his heirs.

With grace and peace he treads life's varied round, With grace and peace his clofe of life is crowned: Th' eternal God is here his joy, his reft,

And to eternity he shall be bleft.

CCCXVI. Short Metre. UNKNOWN.

Worldly Anxiety reproved.

fhould I thus perplex

WMy life with fruitlefs care,

With fears and hopes which idly vex,
And oft the heart enfnare?

2 Nor health nor peace increase
With wealth's increasing fum:

Why waste then both my health and peace, To hoard for years to come!

3

To him, these

5

poor defires,

This fordid gain I leave,

Who to no higher good aspires,
Than what this world can give.

A decent providence

Is all I wish to know;

To fofter more, is want of fense,
And fofters many a woe.

To nobler views applied

My foul fhall upward climb:

They who the wealth of mind provide,
Do best improve their time.

CCCXVII. Long Metre. MERRICK.

'R'

The righteous Prayer.

ETURN, in mercy, Lord, return;
O let us not thy abfence mourn :
Thee, Lord, their refuge, thee alone
In every age thy people own.

2 Author of good, thy work mature;
In thee the righteous are secure :
O may thy spirit our hearts refine,
On us defcend with grace divine.

3

And while new fource of hope we view, And pleased our labour we purfue; Grant us, O God, the wifh'd fuccefs, Our hope confirm, our labour blefs.

Com

CCCXVIII. Common Metre. MRS. Rowe.

То

The fame.

O thee, O God, my prayer afcends,
But not for golden stores;

Nor covet I the brighteft gems

On the rich eaftern fhores.

2 Nor that deluding empty joy,
Men call a mighty name;
Nor pomp and ftate in all their pride
My restless thoughts inflame.
Nor pleasure's fascinating charms
My fond defires allure:

3

But nobler things than these from thee
My wifhes would secure.

4 The treasures of thy glorious truth,
The treasures of thy love,

The grant of mercy, grant of heaven,
These my affections move.

5 To thefe true bleffings I afpire;
Be thefe, my Father, mine;
And I the glories of the world
Contentedly refign.

CCCXIX: Long Metre. TATE.

Divine Goodness and Mercy.

Y foul, infpired with facred love,

Thy heavenly friend and father blefs; Of all his favours mindful prove, And still thy grateful thanks exprefs.

2

3

4

5

I

In ill thy helper God is found;
Thy fins a pardoning God forgives;
By him with grace and mercy crowned,
From ruin he thy foul retrieves.

The Lord abounds with tender love,
With unexampled ways of grace;
His wakened judgments flowly move,
His willing mercy flows apace.

As high as heaven its arch extends
Above this little spot of clay,

So much his boundless grace tranfcends
The best obedience we can pay.

Let every creature join to bless

The God of good; and thou, my heart,
With grateful joy thy thanks exprefs;
In this fweet concert bear thy part.

CCCXX.

Common Metre. WATTS.

Submiffion under Afflictions.

AKED as from the earth we came,
And rofe to life at firft;

NA

We to the earth return again,
And mingle with the duft.

2 The dear delights we here enjoy,
And call our own in vain,

Are but short pleasures borrowed now,
To be reclaimed again.

3 'Tis God, who lifts our comforts high,
Or finks them to the grave;

He gives, and, blessed be his name,
He takes but what he gave.

4 Peace