Christ’s death, victory and dominion. I sing my Saviour’s wondrous death;He conquer’d when he fell:‘Tis finish’d, said his dying breath,And shook the gates of hell. ‘Tis finish’d, our Immanuel cries,The dreadful work is done;Hence shall his sovereign throne arise,His kingdom is begun. His cross a sure foundation laidFor glory and renown,When thro’ the regions of […]

The same. The majesty of Solomon!How glorious to beholdThe servants waiting round his throne,The ivory and the gold. But, mighty God, thy palace shinesWith far superior beams;Thine angel-guards are swift as winds,Thy ministers are flames. [Soon as thine only Son had madeHis entrance on this earth,A shining army downward fledTo celebrate his birth. And when […]

The holy scriptures. Laden with guilt, and full of fears,I fly to thee, my Lord,And not a glimpse of hope appears,But in thy written word. The volume of my Father’s graceDoes all my griefs assuage:Here I behold my Saviour’s faceAlmost in every page. [This is the field where hidden liesThe pearl of price unknown,That merchant […]

The priesthood of Christ. Blood has a voice to pierce the skiesRevenge, the blood of Abel cries;But the dear stream when Christ was slainSpeaks Peace as loud from ev’ry vein. Pardon and peace from God on high,Behold he lays his vengeance by,And rebels that deserv’d his sword,Become the favourites of the Lord. To Jesus let […]

Living and dying with God present. I cannot bear thine absence, Lord,My life expires if thou depart;Be thou, my heart, still near my God,And thou, my God, be near my heart. I was not born for earth and sin,Nor can I live on things so vile;Yet I would stay my Father’s time,And hope and wait […]

Mercies and thanks. How can I sink with such a propAs my eternal God,Who bears the earth’s huge pillars up,And spreads the heavens abroad? How can I die while Jesus lives,Who rose and left the dead?Pardon and grace my soul receivesFrom mine exalted head. All that I am, and all I haveShall be for ever […]

God the avenger of his saints; or, His kingdom. High as the heavens above the groundReigns the Creator God;Wide as the whole creation’s boundExtends his awful rod. Let princes of exalted stateTo him ascribe their crown,Render their homage at his feet,And cast their glories down. Know that his kingdom is supreme,Your lofty thoughts are vain;He […]

Retirement and meditation. My God, permit me not to beA stranger to myself and thee;Amidst a thousand thoughts I roveForgetful of my highest love. Why should my passions mix with earth,And thus debase my heavenly birth?Why should I cleave to things below,And let my God, my Saviour go? Call me away from flesh and sense,One […]

The law and gospel distinguished. The law commands, and makes us knowWhat duties to our God we owe;But ’tis the gospel must revealWhere lies our strength to do his will. The law discovers guilt and sin,And shews how vile our hearts have been;Only the gospel can expressForgiving love and cleansing grace. What curses doth the […]

The law and gospel joined in scripture. The Lord declares his will,And keeps the world in awe;Amidst the smoke on Sinai’s hillBreaks out his fiery law. The Lord reveals his face,And smiling from above,Sends down the gospel of his grace,Th’ epistles of his love. These sacred words impartOur Maker’s just commands;The pity of his melting […]

Circumcision and baptism.(Written only for thosewho practise infant baptism.) Thus did the sons of Abrah’m passUnder the bloody seal of grace;The young disciples bore the yoke,Till Christ the painful bondage broke. By milder ways doth Jesus proveHis Father’s covenant, and his love;He seals to saints his glorious grace,And not forbids their infant race. Their seed […]

God glorified in the gospel. The Lord, descending from above,Invites his children near,While power and truth and boundless loveDisplay their glories here. Here in thy gospel’s wondrous frameFresh wisdom we pursue;A thousand angels learn thy NameBeyond whate’er they knew. Thy Name is writ in fairest lines,Thy wonders here we trace;Wisdom thro’ all the mystery shines,And […]

Faith and repentance; unbelief and impenitence. Life and immortal joys are givenTo those that mourn the sins they’ve done,Children of wrath made heirs of heavenBy faith in God’s eternal Son. Woe to the wretch that never feltThe inward pangs of pious grief,But adds to all his crying guiltThe stubborn sin of unbelief. The law condemns […]

Moses, Aaron, and Joshua. ‘Tis not the law of ten commandsOn holy Sinai given,Or sent to men by Moses’ hands,Can bring us safe to heaven. ‘Tis not the blood which Aaron spilt,Nor smoke of sweetest smell,Can buy a pardon for our guilt,Or save our souls from hell. Aaron the priest resigns his breathAt God’s immediate […]

The benefit of public ordinances. Away from every mortal care,Away from earth our souls retreat;We leave this worthless world afar,And wait and worship near thy seat. Lord, in the temple of thy graceWe see thy feet, and we adore;We gaze upon thy lovely face,And learn the wonders of thy power. While here our various wants […]

The excellency of the Christian religion. Let everlasting glories crownThy head, my Saviour and my Lord;Thy hands have brought salvation down,And writ the blessings in thy word. [What if we trace the globe around,And search from Britain to Japan,There shall be no religion foundSo just to God, so safe for man.] In vain the trembling […]

The new creation. Attend while God’s exalted SonDoth his own glories shew;“Behold I sit upon my throneCreating all things new. “Nature and sin are pass’d away,And the old Adam dies;“My hands a new foundation lay,“See the new world arise. “I’ll be a sun of righteousness“To the new-heavens I make;“None but the new-born heirs of grace“My […]

We walk by faith, not by sight. ‘Tis by the faith of joys to comeWe walk thro’ deserts dark as night;Till we arrive at heaven our home,Faith is our guide, and faith our light. The want of sight she well supplies,She makes the pearly gates appear;Far into distant worlds she pries,And brings eternal glories near. […]

Corrupt nature from Adam. Bless’d with the joy of innocenceAdam, our father, stood,Till he debas’d his soul to sense,And ate th’ unlawful food. Now we are born a sensual race,To sinful joys inclin’d;Reason has lost its native place,And flesh enslaves the mind. While flesh and sense and passion reigns,Sin is the sweetest good:We fancy music […]

Miracles at the birth of Christ. The King of Glory sends his SonTo make his entrance on this earth!Behold the midnight bright as noon,And heavenly hosts declare his birth! About the young Redeemer’s headWhat wonders and what glories meet!An unknown star arose, and ledThe eastern sages to his feet. Simeon and Anna both conspireThe Infant-Saviour […]