^--0^ o V *. *> *-Tr,.' *«■' O- * > - s • • * *7^ rt > ^ t ,r. *'...♦ ^-f °o >* ^ ;♦ ^y SACRED POEMS ANt) HYMNS. SACRED POEMS AND HYMNS, FOE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE DEVOTION Entered Page W\ \ ^ .rAlES MONTGOMERY. " From young and old, with every brenth. Let prayer and praiae arise : Life be " flie daily offering,"— DeaJli, "The evening sacrifice." Hy'mn lxxv., ]). 81. WITH THE AUTHOR'S LATEST CORRECTIONS, AND AN INTRODUCTION BY JOHN HOLLAND. ^EW-YORK: D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, 346 & 348 BROADWAY. M.DCCC.LIV. ^v ^-^^^^ Entekkd, according to Act of Congress, in the jjear 1854, by D. APPLETON AND COMPANY, in the Clerk's office of the District Court for the Southern District of New- York. West. Eee. Hilt. BOO. PREFACE In the Christian Psalmist, compiled twenty- five years ago, by the Author of the present Yolume, he became known as a Hymn- Writer ; and, since then, having frequently exercised his vein in like manner, a considerable number of his compositions have been repubhshed (with or without leave) by Editors of similar Miscellanies, or in authorized Hymn-Books. Of this he has never complained, being rather humbly thank- ful, that any imperfect strains of his should be thus employed in giving " Glory to God in the highest,'' promoting " On earth peace,'' and diffusing " Good will totvard men." But of the liberties taken by some of these borrowers of his effusions, to modify certain passages, ac- cording to their peculiar taste and notions, he must avail himself of the present opportunity VI PREFACE. to remind them, that if good people (and such he verily beheves them to be) cannot con- scientiously adopt his diction and doctrine, it is a httle questionable in them to impose upon him theirs, which he may as honestly hesitate to receive. Yet this is the Cross, by which every Author of a hymn, who hopes to be useful in his generation, may expect to be tested, at the pleasure of any Christian brother, however incompetent or little qualified to amend what he may deem amiss in one of the most delicate and difficult exercises of a tender heart and an enlightened understanding. This indeed is " a thorn in the flesh," which the sufferer must learn to bear with meekness, and, if possible, to profit by the humiliation ; though a versifier of any other class might, perhaps, be forgiven, if he indignantly resented it. It has been, on this account, that the individual (who now presents himself for judgment at a tribunal from which there is no infallible appeal,) has emphatically entitled his lucubrations, — " Original Hymns, by J. M.," meaning only thereby, that they are now given to the world in that form of words, PREFACE. Vii for which he can, at prese^it, hold himself responsible ; being persuaded, that they will be generally accepted with the same candour and indulgence with which a few of them have been extensively read by private persons, and intro- duced to churches and congregations by faith- ful and true ministers of Christ's Gospel. Having, on three former occasions, expatiated freely on Hymnology and Sacred Poesy ,-'' I will close this egotistical preamble to the most serious work of my long life (now passing fourscore years), with a brief quotation from what may be esteemed a sainted authority on such a subject. Bishop Ken, somewhere, says, beautifully, humbly, and poetically, — " And should the well-meant song I leave behind, With Jesus' lovers some acceptance find, 'Twill heighten even the joys of heaven to know, That in my verse saints sing God's praise below." And was not this hope prophetic ! fulfilling continually to this day, nor ever likely to fail * See Introductory Essays, by James Montgomery, to the "Christian Psalmist," the "Christian Poet," and an edition of the '-'Olney Hymns." Published by "William Collins. Glasgow. VUl PREFACE. while the Gospel is preached throughout the whole world in the language of Britain ! It may even be doubted whether there is a stanza of four lines in the compass of our literature, which has been so often remembered, repeated, and sung, as the Doxology, appended to each of the good prelate's inestimable Triad of Hymns, for Morning, Evening and Midnight. " Praise God, from whom all blessings flo-w, Praise Him, all creatures here below ; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host, Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost," And who that has learned this rapturous strain on earth, can be presumed to forget it in heaven, if he reaches that consummation of glory, and of bliss ? JAMES MONTGOMERY. The Mount, Sheffield, January 1, 1853. INTRODUCTION. Twenty-five years ago, it was my happiness to be commended to the good-will of American readers in their own country,* by my honoured friend, James Montgomery : it was one of a thousand acts of un- solicited kindness for which I have been indebted to him during the period of more than a quarter of a century that I have enjoyed his confidence and his counsel. It is now my privilege, publicly, — not to return, but — to acknowledge the obligation " in kind," by presuming, without authority, and inea periculo, to prefix an Introduction to a work of his. I must, however, at the outset, utterly repudi- ate the possibility of a notion on my part, that any thing from the pen of Montgomery, and least of all such a volume as this, can require to be either introduced or advocated in any place where his mother tongue is spoken, where the love of English poetry is enjoyed, and where the influence of Chris- tianity is recognized as leading not less to the re- * In a letter prefixed to a Memoir of the Rev. John Sum- merfield, pubHshed in 1829. A X INTRODUCTION. finement of the intellectual, than to the purification of the moral character of man. To the literary and educated circles of society in the United States, therefore, on the foregoing as well as on other grounds of universally acknow- ledged sympathy, the author of " The Wanderer of Switzerland," " The West Indies," " The World before the Flood," " The Pelican Island," &c., has long been as familiar — may I not say always as welcome ? — as to similar classes of readers in his own country. It is not, then, with any design of bespeaking for my revered friend a more hearty welcome, much less in any hope of sharing in that welcome, that I venture to present myself in his company on the present occasion. For however little any of his former works might have been presumed to require adventitious introduction, the volume now in the reader's hand stands least in need of it. For, to any people keenly alive to the importance of an orthodox expression of evangelical truth, in any form, or through whatever instrumen- tality, and who are, at the same time, sufficiently free from sectarian trammels to be allowed to wel- come it, every new and happy embodiment of a precious Scriptural sentiment, whether in prose or verse, becomes a fresh and, if not a social, at least a personal source of spiritual enjoyment and edifi- cation. I record this opinion the more willingly and distinctly here, because, if it applies generally wherever the mind of the true believer and the INTRODUCTION. XI Word of God are alike " unfettered," it may per- haps be urged with a more especial and happy sig- nij&cance among a people whose sacred literature is remarkable for its sound, expansive, and practical character. For I entirely agree with Montgomery, that, " In no walk of literature have our trans- atlantic kindred so worthily rivalled, and so nearly equalled, the writers of the parent country as in works of divinity." * It may be objected, — the recognized importance, the influence, and the praise of sermo;is, whether as delivered from the pulpit or the press, must not be allowed to be tacitly transferred to compositions in rhyme. Perhaps not ; and yet the taste for good poetry, the appreciation of congregational singing, and the consequent requirement and requital of the services of the minstrel or the vocalist — not more surely in the saloon than in the sanctuary — are suf- ficient evidences that the good people of the trans- atlantic cities and villages, have at least the same feelings and enjoyments as those of the " old coun- try " in these matters. It may also, I presume, be affirmed of the leading orthodox communities of Christians in the United States, as of those in Great Britain, that they generally use in their public worship either some metrical version of the Psalms of David, the * Introduction to " A Voice from the Sanctuary," a series of Missionary Discourses by American Divines. 1845. XU INTRODUCTIOxM. Hymns of Dr. Watts, the collection made by the Rev. John Wesley, or selections from some of these, with more or less admixture of " original matter." Into the relative merits or comparative importance of the works here named, or alluded to, it is not my present intention to enter ; and this would the less become me, as I shall have occasion to cite higher authority than my own on this sub- ject, in the course of this Preface. With respect to rhythmical versions of the Psalms for choral uses, I may mention, in passing, that having several years ago published a particular work on this sub- ject,* I am prepared to assert that while certain adventitious versifiers of the United States, early and late, must be content to share with the elders of their language in Europe the moderate praise of having rather laudably aimed at, than of having perfectly succeeded in the hopeless attempt at giving to the sentiments of the inspired penmen the same impressive tone in the choir service-book that they possess in the " authorized version " of the Bible, they have, nevertheless, exhibited some specimens of a metrical rendering of the sacred songs of the sweet singer of Israel, which are not inferior to the best of those produced in the mother country. To come now more immediately to the author of the work before us, it may be proper to show what * The Psalmists of Britain. 2 vols. 1843. INTRODUCTION. XIU are his qualifications for the attempt to add " new strings to the celestial lyre " — new strains of sacred harmony to those which the church has so long possessed and approved, and this without the risk on his part of lessening a well-earned poetical repu- tation, by an ill-timed contest for the cheap distinc- tion of a merely religious versifier. Those persons who know any thing of the early life and education of James Montgomery, as sketched by himself in the Preface to his Collected Poems, will remember that he was born and brought up among the Mora- vians, a people in whose public worship and private devotions singing, whether aided by instrumental accompaniment or not, always formed a large and delightful element. In this branch of divine ser- vice, as maintained in the church of his fathers, the youthful poet took an early and an abiding interest ; and, as might be expected, in imitations of the simple but heart-touching compositions of the Hymn Book then in use among the Brethren, and long afterwards revised by him, the earliest kin- dlings of his genius manifested themselves. Soon after he came to reside in Sheffield, some years before the commencement of the present century, and thenceforward, as his poetical reputation in- creased, and his religious character developed itself, with a singular freedom from sectarian exclusiveness, and coincidently with the origin of those various institutions of piety which have so greatly distin- guished our times, he was often called upon to ren- XIV INTRODUCTION. der his rhythmical skill tributary to devotion, by the production of hymns for occasional purposes. Among the welcome, or, at least, willingly gratified petitioners for services of this kind, were not merely the managers of Sunday-school, Missionary, and Bible-Society anniversaries, &c., in the town where he resided, and who could urge the local plea of re- ligious citizenship, but the compilers of Hymn Books in every part of the United Kingdom. To such an extent had the taste of the Poet, and the solicitations of his admirers, concurred in this heavenward direction, that, in 1825, he comprised, in a published work, which I shall presently more particularly describe, one hundred Original Hymns. He also tried his hand upon compositions in metre founded on the Psalms ; the result of which ex- periment he also published, in 1822, under the title of "Songs of Zion." To these "imitations," as the author called them — sixty-seven in number — he affixed a very brief preface, in which he says, " he would venture to hope that, by avoiding the rugged literality of some, and the diifusive paraphrases of others, he may, in a few instances, have approached nearer than either of them have generally done to the ideal model of what devotional poems, in a modern tongue, grounded upon the subjects of an- cient psalms, yet suited for Christian edification, ought to be." The success and the value of this experiment will, no doubt, be variously estimated by different readers, as they privately peruse, or INTRODUCTION. XV publicly sing the several specimens of the " Songs of Zion " which are comprised in the contents of the present Hymn Book. But Mr. Montgomery's connection with hym nology has not been confined to his own metrical achievements in the service of the sanctuary. Willing to impart to others, so far as " the art un- teachable, untaught," can be communicated or im- proved by precept, the secret of his own successful practice, he has, in public lectures, printed essays, prefaces to books, and in private conversations, ad- vocated the claims and explained the relations of sacred literature — and, in his hands, almost all literature became sacred — under the various forms which poetry may assume. At present, however, our concern is mainly with his opinions as they relate to such lyric compositions as are adapted to the elucidation or adornment of religious themes, the exhibition of Scripture facts and doctrines, or most chiefly to the expression of devotional senti- ments and feelings in private, social, or public wor- ship. Distributing the matter here alluded to under four heads, we shall have : — 1. An examination of the prejudicial opinion, grounded on some remarks by Dr. Johnson, to the effect that sacred subjects are unfit for poetry, nay, generally incapable of being combined with it. 2. The qualities requisite to give to authors and hymns a title to acknowledged excellence. 3. An estimate of the comparative merits of XVI INTRODUCTION. some of the more celebrated composers of this class; and, 4. A consideration of the claims of Montgomery to his recognised rank as a hymnologist. I. In proceeding to rebut the ignorant assump- tion of the incompatibility of poetry with devotion, Montgomery says : — " It is true that there is a great deal of religious verse, which, as poetry, is worthless ; but it is equally true that there is a great deal of genuine poetry associated with pure and undefiled religion. With men of the world, however, to whom religion is an abomination, all poetry associated with it loses caste^ and becomes degraded beyond redemption by that which most exalts it in the esteem of those who really know what they judge. " But the prejudice alluded to is not confined to skeptics and profligates ; many well-meaning peo- ple, who never took the trouble to inquire anything about the matter, in perfect simplicity believe this slander against the two most excellent gifts which God has conferred on intelligent and immortal man, upon the authority of Dr. Johnson. Let us see what that authority is. In his Life of Waller occurs the following passage : — ' It has been the frequent lamentation of good men that verse has been too little applied to the purposes of worship, and many attempts have been made to animate de- votion by pious poetry ; that they have very seldom attained their end is sufficiently known, and it may INTTRODUCTION. XVU not be improper to inquire why they have miscar- ried. Let no pious ear be offended if I advance, in opposition to many authorities, that poetical de- votion cannot often please. The doctrines of re- ligion may indeed be defended in a didactic poem ; and he who has the happy power of arguing in verse, will not lose it because his subject is sacred. A poet may describe the beauty and grandeur of nature, the flowers of the spring, and the harvests of autumn, the vicissitudes of the tide, and the re- volutions of the sky, and praise his Maker in lines which no reader shall lay aside. The subject of the disputation is not piety, but the motives to pie- ty; that of the description is not Grod, but the works of God. Contemplative piety, or the inter- course between Grod and the human soul, cannot be poetical. Man admitted to implore the mercy of his Creator, and plead the merits of his Redeem- er, is already in a higher state than poetry can confer. ' The essence of poetry is invention ; such inven- tion as, by producing something unexpected, sur- prises and delights. The topics of devotion are few, and, being few, are universally known ; but few as they are, they can be made no more ; they can receive no grace from novelty of sentiment, and very little from novelty of expression. Poetry pleases by exhibiting an idea more grateful in the mind than things themselves afford. This effect proceeds from the display of those parts of nature XVm INTRODUCTION. whicli attract, and the concealment of those that repel the imagination ; but religion must be shown as it is ; suppression and addition equally corrupt it ; and such as it is, it is known already. From poetry the reader justly expects, and from good poetry always obtains, the enlargement of his com- prehension and the elevation of his fancy ; but this is rarely to be hoped for by Christians from metri- cal devotion. Whatever is great, desirable, or tre- mendous, is comprised in the name of the Supreme Being. Omnipotence cannot be exalted ; infinity cannot be amplified ; perfection cannot be im- proved. The employments of pious meditation are faith, thanksgiving, repentance, and supplication. Faith, invariably uniform, cannot be invested by fancy with decorations. Thanksgiving, though the most joyful of all holy effusions, yet addressed to a Being without passions, is confined to few modes, and is to be felt rather than expressed. Repent- ance, trembling in the presence of the Judge, is not at leisure for cadences and epithets. Supplica- tion to man may difi'use itself through many topics of persuasion ; but supplication to God can only cry for mercy. Of sentiments purely religious, it will be found that the most simple expression is the most sublime. Poetry loses its lustre and its power, because it is applied to the decoration of something more excellent than itself All that pious verse can do is to help the memory, and de- light the ear : and for these purposes it may be INTRODUCTION. XIX very useful ; but it supplies nothing to the mind. The ideas of Christian theology are too simple for eloquence, too sacred for fiction, and too majestic for ornament ; to recommend them by tropes and figures, is to modify by a concave mirror the side- real hemisphere.' One cannot but be amused to imagine how indig- nantly this wisp of dazzling fallacies and solemn truisms would have been dispersed, had they been brought within the scope of the powerful apprehen- sion of the critic by any other person. Nor can we fail to remember, that the persons who were for- merly most prone to adduce the dogmata against the alliance of Religion with " Poetry, the eldest, the rarest, and the most excellent of the fine arts," were almost as commonly the stoutest advocates for the influence of rhetoric and music — if not also for the merely esthetic achievements of architecture, statuary, and painting, as auxiliaries to Religion : and this even Avhen they did not also avow their own sources of Polyhymnic idolatry in the inharmo- nious and unedifying strains of Sternhold and Hop- kins. And " the sum of Dr. Johnson's argument," says Montgomery, " amounts to this, ' that contem- plative piety, or the intercourse between God and the human soul, cannot be poetical ;' and in the sense in which he employs the words poetry and -poetical^ this may be readily admitted ; but that sense is imperfect ; for it is limited to the style, rather than comprehending the spirit, of poetry, a XX INTRODUCTION. distinction quite as allowable as his own, between poetry and motives to piety. He says, the essence of poetry is invention ;' his own romance of Kasselas is a poem on this vague principle. Poetry must be verse, and all the ingenuity of man cannot supply a better definition. Every thing else that may be claimed as essemtial to good poetry, is 7iot peculiar to it, but may be associated, occasionally at least, with prose. Prose, on the other hand, cannot be changed into verse, without ceasing to be prose. It is true, according to common parlance, that poetry may be prosaic, that is, it may have the ordinary qualities of prose, though it be in metre ; and prose may be poetical, that is, it may be invested with all the ordinary qualities of poetry, except metre. There is reason, as well as usage, in the conven- tional simplicity which distinguishes prose, and the conventional ornament which is allowed to verse ; but gorgeous ornament is no more essential to verse, than naked simplicity is essential to prose. This, however, is a subject which cannot be dis- cussed here ; the assertion of the fact (and it can- not be contradicted), is sufficient to prove that there must be, in the compass of human language, a style suitable for ' contemplative piety' in verse, as well as in prose ; consequently, there may be devotional poetry, capable of animating the soul in its inter- course with Grod, and suitable for expressing its feelings, its fears, its hopes, and its desires. Of course, this species of poetry will not parade inven- INTllODUCTION. XXI tion, for the purpose of ' producing something un- expected, which surprises and delights ;' it will not be ' invested by fancy with decorations ;' it will not attempt to exalt Omnipotence, amplify infinity, or improve perfection ; but to ' sentiments purely religious', it tvill give ' the most simple expression,' which will also be ' the most sublime,' and certainly not the less poetical on that account. Its topics will be ' few, and, being few,' will be ' universally known,' — an inestimable advantage in this kind of verse, because, if properly worded (and more is not required), they will be instantly understood, and impressively felt, according to the predisposition of the reader's mind, in all their force and tender- ness of meaning. If nothing can be poetry which is not elevated above pure prose, by ' decorations of fancy, tropes, figures, and epithets,' many of the finest passages, in the finest poems which the world has ever seen, must be outlawed, and branded with the ignominy of being prose." " It is begging the' question," continues Mont- gomery, " to say, that ' man admitted to implore the mercy of his Creator, and plead the merits of his Redeemer, is already in a higher state than po- etry can confer.' He is; but what of that? he must follow the counsel of the prophet : ' Take with you wojrlSj and turn unto the Lord : say unto Him^ Take away all iniquity, and receive us gra- ciously, so will we render the calves of our lips. Asshur shall not save us ; we will not ride upon XXn INTRODUCTION. horses, neither will we say any more to the work of our hands — Ye are bur gods: for in Thee the fatherless findeth mercy' (Hosea, xiv., 2-3). Here is a prayer, dictated by the Spirit of God Himself, which is verse in the original, and ought to be ren- dered into verse when it would appear to be poetry, not of the simplest and severest, but of the loftiest and most embellished style : and does poetry here ' lose its lustre and power, because it is applied to the decoration of something better than itself?' Our critic says, * The employments of pious medi- tation ?i\'Q faith^ thanksgiving^ rejjentance, and sup- plication.'' He who denies that there can be a strain of poetry suited to the expression of each of these, in the most perfect manner, without either extravagance or impiety, must be prepared to deny that there is poetry in those very passages of the Psalms, in which, according to the judgment of all ages since they were written, there may be found the greatest sublimity and pathos." * The volume to which these sentiments are pre- fixed, comprises " selections inverse on sacred sub- jects," from one hundred and fifty English poets, many of whom, it must be admitted, have no other title to the special epithet of " Christian," than be- cause they have occasionally shown themselves well aware that their best strains might be surely de- rived from, and, as certainly, elevated by, religious * Introductory Essay to the Christian Poet. — 1827. INTRODUCTION. XXUl subjects : but, of course, many others have holier and higher aims ; and have succeeded accordingly. II. But from the Christian Poet's defence of the use of verse in the service of religion in general, we proceed to his remarks on that form of it which is more particularly adapted to the service of the sanctuary. " A hymn," says Montgomery, *' ought to be as regular in its structure as any other poem ; it should have a distinct subject, and that subject should be simple, not complicated : so that what- ever skill or labour might be required in the author to develope his plan, there should be little or none required on the part of the reader to understand it. Consequently, a hymn must have a beginning, middle, and end. There should be a manifest gra- dation in the thoughts, and their mutual depend- ence should be so percej)tible, that they could not be transposed without injuring the unity of the piece ; every line carrying forward the connection, and every verse adding a well-proportioned limb to a symmetrical body. The reader should know when the strain is complete, and be satisfied, as at the close of an air in music ; while defects and su- perfluities should be felt by him as annoyances in whatever part they might occur. The practice of many good men in framing hymns, has been quite the contrary. They have begun apparently with the only idea in their mind at the time ; another, with little relationship to the former, has been forced upon them by a refractory rhyme ; a third became XXIV INTRODUCTION necessary to eke out a verse, a fourth to begin one , and so on, till having compiled a sufficient number of stanzas of so many lines, and lines of so many syllables, the operation has been suspended ; where- as it might, with equal consistency, have been con- tinued to any imaginable length, and the tenth or ten thousandth link might have been struck out, or changed places with any other, without the slightest infraction of the chain ; the whole being a series of independent verses, collocated as they came, and the burden a canto of phrases, figures, and ideas, the common property of every writer who had none of his own, and, therefore, found in the works of each, unimproved, if not unimpaired, from generation to generation. Such rhapsodies may be sung from time to time, and keep alive devotion al- ready kindled ; but they leave no trace in the me- mory, make no impression on the heart, and fall through the mind as sounds glide through the ear, — pleasant it may be in their passage, but never re- turning to haunt the imagination in retirement, or in the multitude of the thoughts to refresh the soul. Of how contrary a character, how transcendently superior in value, as well as influence, are those hymns, which, once heard, are remembered without effort, remembered involuntarily, yet remembered with renewed and increasing delight at every re- vival ! It may be safely affirmed, that the perma- nent favorites in every collection are those which, in the requisites before mentioned, or for some INTRODUCTION. XXV other peculiar excellence, are distinguished from the rest. Authors who devote their talents to the glory of God and the salvation of men, ought surely to take as much pains to polish and perfect their offerings of this kind, as secular and profane poets bestow upon their works. " The faults in or- dinary hymns are vulgar phrases, low words, hard words, technical terms, inverted construction, broken syntax, barbarous abbreviations that make our beautiful English horrid even to the eye, bad rhymes, or no rhymes where rhymes are expected, but above all, numbers without cadence. A line is no more metre because it contains a certain concate- nation of syllables, than so many crotchets and quavers pricked at random, would constitute a bar of music. The syllables in every division ought to * ripple like a rivulet,' one producing another as its natural effect, while the rhythm of each line, falling into the general stream at its proper place, should cause the verse to flow in progressive melody, deep- ening and expanding like a river to the close ; or, to change the figure, each stanza should be a poet- ical tune, played down to the last note. Such sub- servience of every part to the harmony of the whole is required in all other legitimate poetry, and why it should not be observed in that which is worthiest of all possible pre-eminence, it would be difficult to say ; why it is so rarely found in hymns, may be accounted for from the circumstances already stated, that few accomplished poets have enriched B XXVI INTRODUCTION. their mother tongue with strains of this de- scription."* III. Among English hymnologists the two most prominent names are undoubtedly those of Watts and Wesley; though there are others that enjoy a proximate, and perhaps a few, in connection with single compositions, even a higher celebrity. " Dr. Watts," says Montgomery, " may almost be called the inventor of hymns in our language ; for he so far departed from all precedent, that few of his compositions resemble those of his forerunners; while he so far established a precedent to all his successors, that none have departed from it other- wise than according to the peculiar turn of mind in the writer, and the style of expressing Christian truths employed by the denomination to which he belonged. Dr. Watts himself, though a conscien- tious dissenter, is so entirely catholic in his hymns, that it cannot be discovered from any of these, so far as we can recollect, that he belonged to any par- ticular sect ; hence, happily for his fame — or rather, it ought to be said, happily for the Church of Christ — portions of his psalms and hymns have been adopted in most places of worship where con- gregational singing prevails. It might be expected that, in the first models of a new species of poetry, there would be many flaws and imperfections, which later practitioners would discern and avoid. Such, * InProductory Essay to Christian Psalmist. — 1825, INTRODUCTION. XXVU indeed, are too abundant in Dr. Watts's psalms and hymns ; and the worst of all is, that his authority stands so high with many of his imitators, that, while his faults and defects are most faithfully adopted, his merits are unapproachable by them. The faults are principally prosaic phraseology, rhymes worse than none, and none where good ones are absolutely wanted to raise the verse upon its feet, and make it go, according to the saying, ' on all-fours; ' though, to do the Doctor justice, the metre is generally free and natural, when his lines want every other qualification of poetry. It is a great temptation to the indolence of hymn-writers, that the quartrain measures have been so often used by Dr. Watts, without rhyme in the first and third lines. He himself confessed that this was a de- fect ; and though some of the most beautiful hymns are upon this model, if the thing itself be not a fault, it is the cause of half the faults that may be found in inferior compositions — negligence, feeble- ness, and prosing. " Next to Dr. Watts, as a hymn-writer, undoubt- edly stands the Rev- Charles Wesley. He was probably the author of a greater number of com- positions of this kind, with less variety of matter and manner, than any other man of genius that can be named. Excepting his ' Short Hymns on Pas- sages of Scripture,' which of course make the whole tour of Bible literature, and are of very unequal merit — Christian experience, from the deeps of XXVlll INTRODUCTION. affliction, through all the gradations of doubt, fear, desire, faith, hope, expectation, to the transports of perfect love, in the very beams of the beatific vision — Christian experience furnishes him with everlasting and inexhaustible themes ; and it must be confessed that he has celebrated them with an affluence of diction and a splendour of colouring rarely surpassed. At the same time, he has in- vested them with a power of truth, and endeared them both to the imagination and the affections, with a pathos which makes feeling conviction, and leaves the understanding little to do but to acquiesce in the decisions of the heart. As the poet of Methodism, he has sung the doctrines of the gospel, as they are expounded among that people, dwelling especially on the personal appropriation of the words of eternal life to the sinner, or the saint, as the test of his actual state before God, and admit- ting nothing less than the full assurance of faith as the privilege of believers." * This is just and generous praise ; but it has always struck me as being less than its subject is fairly entitled to, in two or three particulars. In the first place, it may be questioned whether or not the wider prevalence of the hymns of Dr. Watts, as compared with those of Charles Wesley, be mainly due to the more unsectarian character of the former — may it not possibly be that they rather * Christian Psalmist. INTRODUCTION. XXIX coincide, negatively at least, with the doctrines of a much larger sect, or with those of several sects ? In the second place, the merit attributed to " the poet of Methodism," as having sung, however suc- cessfally, " the doctrines of the gospel as they are expounded among that people," is liable to be taken equivocally, as meaning something that may be more or less than exactly scriptural. I merely hint at these points. But there is a third ; I mean the poetical superior iUj of the hymns of Charles Wes- ley to those of Dr. Watts, whether we take for com- parison the whole of them, as they appear in ordi- nary collections, or select single specimens from each, upon which it would be cowardice in me not to insist. But both these " sweet singers " have faults of versification, and some epithets and ex- pressions of questionable propriety. Is it proper to point out these imperfections ? Ought they to be removed % Both these questions are important. The worse than thankless reception of the judicious and temperate re^dew of the Wesleyan Hymn Book by one of the preachers of the connexion in Eng- land * affords small encouragement to answer the first question with a practical affirmative ; while, in the preface to the very volume now in the reader's hand, we have something like a formal and authori- tative negative reply to the latter question. As it is one main object of this Introduction to * "Wesleyan Hymnology, by the Rev. W. P. Burgess. 1846. XXX INTRODUCTION. present an abstract of the opinions of our author, as enunciated in three essays which are merely named in the Preface to his " Original Hymns,'- I must briefly allude to Montgomery's estimate of the metrical piety of another of his predecessors. No two individuals could be more unlike in their origin, or more dissimilar in their natural character, and their early history, than the Rev. John Newton and William Cowper ; and yet, through the signal opera- tion of divine grace, they not only became, after their equally remarkable conversion to God, singu- larly of one spirit in their life and doctrine — " one in Christ Jesus " — but they have left, in the " 01- ney Hymns," an enduring monument of their friend- ship and piety. These earnest productions, even where most clearly marked by the strong opinions of the poet-preacher, or most deeply tinged with the morbid melancholy of the preacher-poet, are justly regarded as a precious legacy to the Church of Christ ; and few are the modern collections of verse adapted for congregational singing which do not contain some specimens of them. In allusion to two large classes of these hymns, viz., those on portions of the Old and New Testaments, and those of an ex- perimental character, the essayist anticipates and answers a question which must often have presented itself to others — " Are such compositions fit to be sung in great congregations, consisting of all classes of saints and sinners ? " It must be frankly an- swered with respect to the far greater proportion — INTRODUCTION. XXXI No ! except upon the principle, that whatever may be read by such an assembly may also be nmg. On no ground can either the reading or chaunting of the Psalms from the Common Prayer Book of the Church of England, or the singing of authorised versions of the same be justified, except on this — namely, that these are subjects to be impressed upon the minds and memories of the people, for individual application by themselves (when they can be persuaded to make it) ; but generally, for in- struction, warning, reproof, correction, and exam- ple — in reality as means of grace. The part which a congregation of professing Christians can gener- ally take in the routine of divine service — in read- ing, praying, responding, or singing — is a subject (considering what the real usage is) almost too awful to think upon in any other view than the foregoing. Confining himself to this point of justi- fication alone, the writer of these remarks ventures to add, that, whereas singing is only one of the forms of utterance which God has given to man, not which man has invented, any otherwise than he may be said to have invented speech by the faculty which God gave him to do so — whatever a man may, without sin, recite with his lips, in the house of God, he may also sing^ when the same subjects or sentiments are modelled into verse, or set forth in numerous prose, like the translated Psalms and other poetical parts of Holy Writ suitable for chaunting." * * * " This volume of Olney INTRODUCTION. Hymns ought to be for ever dear to the Christian public as an unprecedented memorial in respect to its authors of the power of divine grace. Those may disparage the poetry of Cowper's Hymns who hate or despise the doctrines of the Gospel ; they are, however, worthy of him, and honourable to his Christian profession. These first-fruits of his muse, after she had been baptized — but we must drop the fictitious being, and say rather, after he had been baptized ' with the Holy Grhost and with fire,' will ever be precious (independent of their other merits) as the transcripts of his happiest feel- ings, the memorials of his walk with God, and his daily experience (amidst conflict and discourage- ments), of the consoling power of that religion, in which he \2^^ found peace, and often enjoyed peace to a degree that passed understanding."* How exactly do these terms also characterise the author of these " Original Hymns." Indeed, I have transcribed the closing portion of the foregoing- extract for the purpose of adding that there has been no man of genius between whom and Mont- gomery the resemblance is so strong as the bard of Olney. " Lamented Cowper ! in thy steps I tread," &c., was the apostrophic language of the author of the " West Indies ; " and, assuredly, not only in their common abhorrence of slavery, and their similar exemplification of the influences of evangelical re- ligion, but in the Christian tone of their larger *"• Introductory Essay to Ohiey Hymns, 1829, INTRODUCTION. XXXlll works, the simplicity and purity of their lives, and especially in the chaste and spiritual character of their beautiful hymns, the two Christian poets alike demonstrate that their inspiration flowed from the source indicated by the angelic messenger " who touch'd Isaiah's hallowed lips with fire." On grounds like those indicated in the foregoing remarks, not only have the hymns to which they specifically refer, but those in other collections, been exposed to the emendations of editors. Among the most obviously defensible of these in- terferences with an author's genuine text, are those which go to remove or qualify expressions which stretch perilously near, even if they lie really within the bounds of allowable phraseology. And here, I allude not to the assertion of those trans- cendant attainments of Christian assurance, holi- ness, and exaltation, about which the soberest professors of religion sometimes differ, but rather to those bold appropriations of the sensuous lan- guage of Solomon's Song on the one hand, and of the mysterious s^'^mbolisms of the Revelation of St. John on the other, which none but the most fanciful or the most fearless versifiers would now- adays adopt. At the same time, the unwarrantable liberties sometimes taken with favourite hymns, by incompetent parties, should suggest caution in this kind of dealing.* * I have just seen a new and elegantly printed collec- tion of Hymns for Public Worship, the editor of which XXXIV INTRODUCTION. Notwithstanding, however, some discouraging in- dications, and the conviction that most parties would much sooner assent to a proposed revisal of the " authorised version " of the Holy Scriptures than to any alteration in the text of their respective Hymn Books, I humbly submit that the right of any man, or any sect of men, to adopt their own phraseology in devotional singing, is indisputable, at least under the following limitations : — 1. Parties adopting the compositions of a living author, are plainly bound to conform to the terms on which he may choose to permit such use, either during his own lifetime, or so long as his copyright exists. 2. The publication of an altered hymn, under the name of the original author, and without ac- knowledgment of such alteration, is worse than dis- honest. It is the clandestine insertion of a spurious bud in a stalk of reputed excellence. 3. Emendations of a literary nature ought gene- rally to coincide with the original sentiment : in other words — should be what it may be presumed would have been the expression of the author him- self had he possessed the abilities, or could he have anticipated the position of his editor. Hence, the most allowable alterations in old hymns, are the takes credit for not altering the productions of living authors ; while he explains that he has so altered a striking conaposition by an American author, as to justify him in giving the result under his own name. INTRODUCTION. XXXV correction of obvious mistakes, and the supplanta- tion of harsh . or obsolete terms : the most repre- hensible, those which purposely vitiate or subvert the primary meaning of the poet. These remarks are, of course, made with special reference to the unauthorised version of compositions intended to be sung ; in other respects, the rights and usages of editorial interference apply to hymns as to other kinds of verse. The least hazardous way of dealing with unac- ceptable passages in an otherwise favourite hymn, is undoubtedly by simply omitting the verses in which they occur. This, I believe, would be the direction of Montgomery himself in such cases. He has indeed acted largely upon this principle in " The Christian Psalmist," where, it must be ad- mitted, he has not less frequently exercised that reformatory process so emphatically deprecated in the Preface to his own Hymns. The plea of cor- rection and improvement^ irrefragable as it may be, when applied to his judicious touch, is very liable to be urged or assumed with equal success by the most dishonest or incompetent emendators. Still, as I have said, since every person ought to be allowed to use, and in a country where the exercise of opinion and action in this matter is so little re- stricted as in the United States, will select the most agreeable phraseology, even the perilous privi- lege of altering accredited hymns, as the alternative of losing for a single expression, or perhaps a single XXXVl INTRODUCTION. word, the pleasure and the profit of singmg a strain which is at once elegant, instructive, and devo- tional. lY. We must now advert to the claims of Mont- gomery to the title and reputation of a hymnolo- gist. In the work last quoted, he says, " One of the most precious uses of the sacred oracles is their infinite capability of personal application to the mind and the heart, the circumstances and duties of the Christian in every state of life and every frame of spirit." Hence, " The most illiterate per- son, who understands his Bible, will easily under- stand the most elegant or emphatic expression of all the feelings which are common to all ; and, in- stead of being passive under them, when they are excited at particular seasons, he will avail himself of the songs put into his mouth, and sing them with gladness and refreshment, as if they were his own. Then, though like Milton's, his genius can ascend to the heaven of heavens, or, like Shak- speare's, search out the secrets of Nature through all her living combinations, blessed is the bard who employs his resources thus ; who, from the fulness of his own bosom, pours his divinest thoughts, in his selectest words, into the bosoms of his readers, and enables them to appreciate the rich communications to their personal exigencies, with- out robbing him or hindering others from partaking of the same abundant fountain of human inspira- tion — a fountain flowing like the oil, at the com- INTRODUCTION. XXXVll mand of the prophet, from 07ie vessel into as many as could be borrowed, without exhausting the first, though the whole were filled. If he who pens these sentiments knows his own heart, though it has deceived him too often to be trusted without jealousy, he would rather be the anonymous author of a few hymns, which should thus become an im- perishable inheritance to the people of God, than bequeathe another epic poem to the world, which should rank his name with Homer, Virgil, and ' our greater Milton.' After these strong words, but more especially after the freedom and severity which he has exercised in judging the performances of his predecessors, the author may offer, with many misgivings, the hymns in the following collection as his own. Tried by the standard which he has himself set up, every one of them would be found wanting." * The modest ambition and humble disclaimer embodied in the preceding sentences, characteristic as they are of the writer, will not be allowed to outweigh the estimate which the world and the church have long since formed of the man of genius and the Christian poet. In reference to the metrical compositions used in Christian worship, the poorest of them are generally as good as the taste of those who sing them ; in- deed, paradoxical as it may seem, more persons may easily be found capable of writing middling hymns * Christian Psalmist XXXVlll INTRODUCTION. than of appreciating excellence in the best. Ministers of religion themselves, when not compilers,* are fre- quently among the stiffest advocates for a severe sen- tence on him who shall venture to t/iink out fJiemean- ing of the ivords of what he sings, as if the piety were in the tune, and the edification in the aim of this elevating act of devotion. Let, however, any com- petent person carefully and candidly collate these " Original Hymns," with the stringent canons of composition promulgated by the author in the pas- sages above cited, and then let him try by the same test an equal number of the compositions of a similar character by other modern poets ; the result will probably be both instructive and conclusive. Although labour is not genius, even in literature, and Montgomery would probably be among the foremost to deny that any one could acquire the " faculty divine " of the true poet by a mere ap- * Among these compilers are many clergymen of the Church of England, who, taking advantage of the am- biguous and practically inoperative relation of the law to what shall be sung in consecrated places, have not only superseded the use of the old and new versions of the Psalms, as they, perhaps on not mvich better authority, have supjjlanted each other, by hymns of an evangelical and devotional tone, but they have made and printed selections suited to their own tastes respectively ; thus taking advantage — wisely, as many persons think — of the only apparent outlet for individualising the nonconformity of taste and feeling in this delightful branch of divine worship. INTRODUCTION. XXXIX prenticeship to verse-making, lie would, I am sure, be equally the first to lay stress on the supreme importance of cultivating any talent in order to its complete efficiency. Many persons who read his hymns, and other pieces, so smooth in metre, so sweet in their cadences, so natural and exact in phraseology, may suppose they are struck oiF at a heat, in moments of inspiration — in plain terms, that they are produced with as little labour as they are read. Nothing can be farther from the fact ; for, whatever may have been the mode of catching and fixing first thoughts, the whole has been submitted to frequent and careful elaboration or revision. As it was my privilege to transcribe for the press the greater part of the matter of the following pages (of course, without the alteration of a single word of the author's final corrections), I may be pre- sumed to know something of the process alluded to, from the character of his manuscripts, most of which presented abundant evidence of the limce, labor; and in addition to this palimpsest appear- ance of the original copies, they were sometimes multiplied in variorum forms, one hymn, I recol- lect, existing in not fewer than ten difi"erent ver- sions ! I mention this fact to show to young persons, especially such as may happen to be gifted with the " fatal facility " of religious verse-making, how great a price even a veteran hymnologist feels himself bound to pay for distinguished success. In the language, not of hyperbole but of truth, Xl INTRODUCTION. it may be said that the hymns of the Sheffield poet present evidence of every variety of the excellence which he has pointed out in others. In '' catho- licity," they are not inferior to those of Dr. Watts; in " daring and victorious flights " of spiritual aspiration, they sometimes rival those of Charles Wesley ; they are " very pleasing," like Addison's, not only when, like his, they celebrate the blessings of " the God of Providence," but because " the God of Grace " is " more distinctly recognised in them ; " equally with Doddridge's " they shine in the beauty of holiness ; " with Toplady's, " there is in some of them a peculiarly ethereal spirit ; " while often, like Beddome's, a single idea is in- geniously brought out, " not with a mere point at the end, but with the terseness and simplicity of a Greek epigram ; " and all this is heightened and deepened by the affecting conviction, that the best compositions of Montgomery, as of Cowper, " are principally communings with his own heart, or avowals of Christian experience; as such, they are frequently applicable to every believer's feel- ings, and touch unexpectedly the most secret springs of joy and sorrow, faith, fear, hope, love, trials de- spondency, and triumph." It would be easy to adduce, from the book before us, examples of each of the foregoing forms of hymnic excellence, and perhaps also occasional in- stances of failure ; for what human production is perfect ? But I am — and without hesitation I con- INTRODUCTION. xli fess it — too genuine and generous an admirer of the poetry of my venerable friend, to be implicitly trusted either as a discriminating or an impartial eclectic in such an undertaking. I shall therefore conclude this essay with a few miscellaneous re- marks. Allusion has already been made to the " Songs of Zion ; " one of these, commencing " Hail to the Lord's annointed ! " will be found at page 276 of this volume ; it is perhaps one of the most elegant and mellifluous imitations of a psalm in the English language. Dr. Adam Clarke, who has quoted it at length in his learned Commentary on the Holy Scriptures, says the author " has seized the spirit and exhibited some of the principal beauties of the .Hebrew bard." The solemn senti- ments condensed in Hymn 238, point to the fact that " Eternity ! " whether the direct or casual sub- ject of the poet's verse, seems to have been an ever-present reality to his mind, influencing by the awfulness of its collateral bearings and its final issues, all his meditations. The several hymns on the Bible, the Sabbath, the advent of the Messiah, and the preaching of the Gospel, are exceedingly appropriate and beautiful. The same may be said of several of the compositions which are rather of a didactic, exegetical, or apostrophic, than of a strictly devotional character, and which are better adapted to be silently treasured up in the memory than uttered in vocal harmony. Of these, the verses on •' Prayer," Hymn 62, have probably been Xlii INTRODUCTION. more admired by religious people in England, and form to a greater extent one of the " Pleasures of Memory," among old and young, than any modern essay of rhyme of a similar class. A considerable number were, as already intimated, composed on special occasions. If any apology were necessary for the perpetuation of these, it might surely be found in their titles respectively ; for, however " few and far between " in their anticipated recur- rence jubilees and centenaries may be, these ex- quisite mementos of their having been^ will only be repudiated, if at all, by sterner heads and harder hearts than those which were in the first instance gratefully affected by them ; to say nothing of the fact, familiar to most pious people, that poetical forms of " sound words," when em- bodying portions of scripture truth, even for fugi- tive purposes, are rarely allowed to perish in the first using. It need scarcely be added that the entire matter of this book, from the first page to the last — from the opening hymn of praise to the " Thrice Holy " Lord Grod of Hosts, to the corresponding aspira- tions of the closing Doxology — is strikingly evan- gelical ; indeed, so complete is the inter-penetra- tion of this hallowing element, that while there is hardly a single verse which may not be consistently appropriated by any denomination of orthodox Christian worshippers, there is not one that can be fairly pressed into any service incompatible with INTRODUCTION. xliii the doctrine of " salvation through the blood of the Lamb." I owe it to the delicacy of the gentleman with whose name and works I have dealt so freely, but not inconsiderately, in the foregoing pages, to say that, should this Introduction ever meet his eye in print, that will be the first intimation he will have of its existence. G. H. Sheffield, March 14, 1853. ALPHABETICAL INDEX FIRST LINES. A. A BLESSING on our pastor's head According to Thy gracious word . A child, a youth, a man A child is born, — the birth proclaim A child of man, a child of God . A children's temple here we build Again, on this rejoicing day Again our eai's have heard the voice A grain of corn an infant's hand A hundred years ago, not one All glory to the Father be {Doxology) All hail ! our Church's Elder dear All hearts are open to Thy view All hearts to Thee are open here , All Thy works, with one accord All ye Gentiles, praise the Lord Almighty God, in humble prayer And did the Son of God appear Angels from the realms of glory Angels, the first-borii sons of light PAQH 328 131 21G 33 31 338 105 376 261 215 377 287 109 118 95 91 74 128 239 35 xlvi ALPHABETICAL INDEX. Another day, a. day of grace A race on earth, a race we run Arise and shine, your light is corae Around the throne of grace we meet As from the winter sky Ask, and ye shall receive Assembled in Thy house of prayer As the heart, with eager looks A sure and tried foundation stone At every motion of our breath A world of sinners once was drown' d A year, another year is fled . PAGE 119 150 267 343 302 71 101 99 315 223 20 303 B. Behold the Book, whose leaves display Behold yon bright array Be known to us in breaking bread . Blessed be Thy Name .... Body and soul to Thee I give . Bow every knee at Jesus' name Bright and joyful is the morn . Brother and friend, with heart and voice 23 318 207 197 182 81 17 249 C. Call Jehovah thy salvation Children of Zion, know your King Come, and behold the works o£ God Come from j^our dwellings, girls and boys Come in, thou blessed of the Lord Come let us go to heaven; — the way Come let us sing the song of songs . Come on, companions of our way , Come see the place where Jesus lay . Come to Calvary's holy mountain . Come to the Morning Prayer 148 240 91 360 153 120 92 156 129 61 84 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. xlvii Come to the throne of Grace; — it stands Come ye that fear the Lobd Command thy blessing from above Communion of my Saviour's blood Could I command with voice or pen Creator, Redeemer, and Spirit of Truth PAGE 115 38 122 132 140 22 D. DOXOLOGIES .... Daughter of Zion, from the dust Dust and ashes, sin and guilt 871 241 168 Eternity! Eternity! 238 Fair shines the morning star . Faith, Hope, and Charity, — these three Fall down ye nations, and adore . Father of eternal grace Father of glory, God of grace ! Father of Jesus Christ our Lord Father of light, and life, and love . Father of lights ! from whom alone . Father ! reveal Thy Son in me "Father, Thy will, not mine, be done!" Few, few and evil are thy days Fight the good fight ; lay hold Flowers grow in sweet societies " For ever with the Lord 1 " Free, though in chains, the mountains stand Friend after friend departs Food, raiment, dwelling, health, and friends 269 167 275 189 317 105 307 149 167 182 214 161 295 281 157 359 207 xlviii ALPHABETICAL INDEX. Friends of the poor, the young, the weak Full speed along the world's highway . PAGE 332 211 G. Give glory to the Lord Glad was my heart to hear . Glory, Father ! be {Doxology) Glory to the Father be {Doxology) Glory to the Father give . God be merciful to me . God in His temple let us meet . God in the high and holy place God is in His holy temple . God is my strong salvation . God, o'er all supremely bless'd . God over all, the sun by day God said, "Let there be light" '. God the Creator bless'd Go to dark Gethsemane . Go to the grave in all thy glorious prime Go where a foot hath never trod Green pastures and clear streams . 94 103 zni 378 855 104 10 110 192 340 368 341 11 64 32*7 51 m H. Hail, all hail, the King of kings ! Hail to the Lord's Anointed ! Hallelujah ! heart and voice Hallow'd be this humble spot Happy the child, who early makes , Hark! the song of Jubilee ! . Head of Thy Church, her glorious Head! Hear me, O Lord ! in my distress . Heaven as a tent Thine hand display'd Heaven is a place of rest from sin He clinib'd the mountain ; and behold! Heralds of creation ! crv 6 276 329 323 334 98 154 1Y9 313 225 62 12 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. xlix Here young and old, here great and small "He saved others," scorners cried He that overcomes through Me Hid in the rock-cleft, let me stand High Priest for sinners, Jesus, Lord ! Him wilt Thou keep in perfect peace Holy, Holy, Holy Lord . Home, kindred, friends, and country, these Hosanna be the children's song How amiable, how fair .... How beautiful the sight How many generations dead How shall a contrite spirit pray How shall we come before the Lord ? Humbly, my God, with Thee I walk PAGE 110 127 198 199 15 18G 1 257 345 107 201 230 79 100 169 I build my house upon a rock . I cannot call affliction sweet I left the God of truth and light I love the Lord ; — He lent an ear In a garden man was placed La a land of strange delight . In spirit when I took my flight In time of tribulation In the beginning, God said " Be ! ' In the morning hear my voice In the hour of trial . In vain the preacher cried "Repent Isaac was ransom'd when he lay Is summer ended, — harvest past . Is this the day that gave me birth? I take the journey of a day . It is the Lord ! — behold His hand I will love the Lord ; for He 856 184 173 124 263 212 183 187 2 84 195 19 852 299 248 194 810 178 J. Jesus, our best-beloved friend Joyful in Thj House of Prayer C 87 117 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. L. Less than the least of all . Let me go, the day is breaking Let not the strong, the rich, the wise Let songs of praise arise Let the land mourn through all its coasts "Let there be light: " thus spake the Word Lift up thine eyes, afflicted soul! Lift up your eyes, look round Lift up your heads, ye gates! and wide . Lift up your heads, ye gates of brass ! . Like Mary, when the angel came Lord ! are there eyes that see the sun . Lord, for ever at Thy side Lord, give us ears to hear Lord God, the Holy Ghost Loiu), I have put my trust in Thee Lord Jesus Christ, the children's Friend . Lord, let my prayer like incense rise Lord of all power and might ! , Lord of Hosts, to Thee we raise Lord, teach us how to pray aright . Lord, Thou hast been Thy people's rest Lord, when we search the human heai-t . Love is the theme of saints above . " Lovest thou Me ? " I hear my Saviour say PAGE 205 IM 36 361 309 266 181 301 136 2*72 66 370 190 162 139 219 334 83 145 320 69 49 172 362 194 M. Maker, Upholder, Ruler! — ^Thee . Mercy and goodness, my God ! Mercy alone can meet my case Millions within Thy courts have met Mine House shall be an House of Prayer Moments and minutes, hours and days Morning of the Sabbath day . My God, beneath Thy watching eye . My Son, give me tliine heart, and let 375 . 229 176 . 121 114 . 204 130 . 210 151 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. li K Not by the bi'azen trumpet's voice . Not here, as to the prophet's eye . Nothing into this world we brought . Not in Jerusalem alone . , . . Not to the Mount that burn'd with fii-e Now in holy convocatiou Now Lord of loi'ds, and King of kings Now weigh the anchor, hoist the sail PAGE 44 316 217 314 111 204 373 246 o. be joyful every nation! O come, let us raise O for the wisdom from above , Of Him the sacred record saith O God ! thou art my Gop alone God unseen, but not unknown . God! we praise Thee, and we own Oh! "Yaliant-for-the-Truth!" O Lord, our God ! Thy light and truth O my soul ! with all thy powers . Once more to pay our annual vows . Once more to Bethany, — once more One human pair, and only one . One prayer I have, — all prayers in one One song of praise, one voice of prayer One thing with all my soul's desire On earth we meet again below . On his pilgrimage of woe . On our span-long pilgrimage . On the first Christian Sabbath eve . O Spirit of the living God ! . O take away this evil heart that I knew where I might find O Thou in whom we live and move . Our Heavenly Father ! hear . Our Heavenly Father ! hear our prayer 280 356 78 141 70 28 96 270 335 50 253 138 13 89 254 123 344 353 218 133 260 300 180 250 143 67 lii ALPHABETICAL INDEX. PAGE Our Master, Jesus, reign'd above .... 268 Our parents, brothers, sisters, friends . . . SS^Z Our Saviour's words are, "Watch and Pray" . .165 Our schools are nurseries below .... 3*72 Our soul shall magnify the Lord .... 304 Out of the depths of woe 86 0! wliat a privilege to kneel 83 O where shall rest be found 213 Palms of glory, raiment bright Patient prayer has power with God Peace that passeth understanding People of the living God Pour out Thy spirit from on high Power from on high, God ! impart Praise the Lord through every nation Praise the High, the Holy One! Praise ye the Lord, from pole to pole ! Prayer is the soul's sincere desire . Proclaim the year of Jubilee 160 80 24*7 54 325 88 136 2 144 66 292 E. Rest from thy labours, rest . Return, my soul, unto thy rest 826 23 S. Searcher of hearts! to Thee are known Send out thy light and truth, God ! Servant of God, well done! Sing a new song unto the Lord Sing Hallelujah; sing Sing we the song of those who stand Sleep, weary world, and take thy rest Songs of praise the angels sang Son of the living God, display . . 42 256 . 330 202 . 312 202 252 93 113 ALPHABETICAL INDEX. liii Sow in the morn thy seed Spirit of power and might, behold Spring up, well ! sweet fountain, spring ! Stand up, and bless the Lord Strangers, whence came ye to the West Sun, moon, and stars, by day and night Sweet is Thy mercy, O my God ! . PAGE 258 18 60 90 242 363 191 T. Thank and praise Jehovah's name The bird that soars on highest wing The blessing of a night's repose The brightest morning of the year The children's angels always view The Christian warrior, — see him stand The days and years of time are fled The days of Paradise were few Thee, in the watches of the night The end of all things is at hand The glorious universe around The God of harvest praise The God of nature and of grace The God of your forefathers praise The grace of Jesus Christ our Lord . *The grace of Jesus Christ our Lord Tlie ground on which this day we stand The heathen perish ; — day by day The King of Gloiy we proclaim The lighthouse founded on a rock The Lord is King: — upon His throne The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I The Lord will grace and glory give . The morning dawns upon the place The morning stars in concert sang The mountains shall depart . The Name, the Name o'er every name The one thing needful be our choice The peace of God sui'passing thought The poorest of the poor are we know 45 339 209 358 34*7 43 236 15 212 220 7 297 4 285 158 374 313 260 282 146 41 40 166 65 321 177 34 147 112 367 liv ALPHABETICAL INDEX. The pure and peaceful mind "There is a God," all Nature cries There is a river pure and bright The Sabbath of the Lord The scene around me disappears The sting of death is sin The sunbeams infinitely small . The sun clear-shining after showers The tender mercies of our Lord The tongue, the tongue, with all its power The wind that brake the rocks, and rent The Word of God, the word of truth The world in condemnation lay Thine arm, Lord, of old Thine eye, Lord God, alone can see . This is the day the Lord hath made This stone to Thee in faith we lay . Thou Father of the fatherless Thou, God, art a consuming fire Though I walk the downward shade Though the fig tree's blossom fail Thousands, O Lord of Hosts ! this day . Thus far on life's perplexing path Thus saith the high and lofty One Thus saith the Lord, — " ISly Church, to thee Thy glory. Lord, the heavens declare . Thy law is perfect, Lord of light! Thy throne, O God, in righteousness Thy word. Almighty Lord Time grown not old with length of years To Adam thus Jehovah spake . To-day is added to our time . To-day the Lord our Shepherd leads To God most awful and most high To me, though neither voice nor sound To me to live, let it be Christ To Thee in whom we live and move To Thy Temple I repair To us the voice of Wisdom cries ALPHABETICAL INDEX. Iv Union of faith, and hope, and love Upon Thine altar, Lord, I lay . 155 170 W. Walking on the winged wind . . . . 311 "We bid Thee welcome in the Name .... 324 Weep, little children, weep ..... 3o4 Weep no more Zion, dry thy streaming tears . . 224 We know the condescending grace . . . 126 We lift our eyes, our hands, to Thee .... 296 We plan foundations for the dead .... 322 What are these in bright array ..... 23*7 What is our life ? — a breath, a span . \ . 163 What is the thing of greatest pince .... 8 What is the World ? — a wildering maze . . . 24 What secret hand at morning-light .... 208 What shall we ask of God in prayer? ... 6*7 When Israel, press'd by Pharoah, stood . . . 308 When Jesus left his Father's throne . . . 346 When like a stranger on our sphere .... 305 When men once more were multiplied . . . 21 When on Sinai's top I see ...... 54 When the overwhelming waters .... 235 When those who fear'd the Lord of old . . .152 When, war on earth suspended .... 63 Where'er the Patriarch pitch'd his tent ... 39 Where are the dead ? in heaven or hell ? . . 225 While many cry in nature's night .... 85 ^Vhile saints and angels, glorious King . . . 366 While these commands endure 114 While through this changing world we I'oam . 226 Why thus, my soul, cast down? .... 81 Will e'er that Sabbath morning rise . . . 278 With heart and soul, with mind and might . 342 With lawless lips, unbridled tongues . . . 350 With men impossible ! ... , . 30 With reverence and with godly fear . . . 106 Ivi ALrHABETICAL INDEX. With wandering Jacob, let US say . . . .IB Words of eternal life to me 24 Work while it is to-day ! 159 Y. Yea, I will extol Thee 192 Youth, health, and strengtli are ours to-day 336 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN I. " Tkrice Holy ! "—Isaiah vi. 3. 1 Holy, Holy, Holy Lord, God of Hosts ! when heaven and earthy Out of darkness at Thy word, Issued into glorious birth, All Thy works before Thee stood, And Thine eye beheld them good. While they sang with sweet accord, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord ! 2 Holy, Holy, Holy ! Thee, One Jehovah evermore. Father, Son, and Spirit ! we, Dust and ashes, would adore ; Lightly by the world esteem'd. From that world by Thee redeemed, Sing w^e here with glad accord, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord ! 3 Holy, Holy, Holy ! All Heaven's triumphant choirs shall sing. When the ransomed nations fall At the footstool of their King : ORIGINAL HYMNS. Then shall saints and seraphim, Hearts and voices swell one hymn, Kound the Throne with full accord, Holy, Holy, Holy Lord ! HYMN II. The Creation and Dissolution of all Things. In the beginning, God said '' Be ! " And all things were, — heaven, earth, and sea : God, in the end, once more will say, " Perish ! " and all shall pass away. But Thou, Lord ! for ever art : The orb of Thine eternity Is one great whole, without a part ; Past, present, future, meet in Thee. Convinced of sin, my soul would bend Before Thee in the lowest dust ; Yet to Thy Throne by prayer ascend. With trembling awe and childlike trust. look in loving-kindness down On a frail worm with Thee at strife ; Eternal death were in Thy frown. Thy smile will be eternal life ! HYMN III. God the Creator. 1 Praise the High, the Holy One ! God o'er all, the first, the last OKIGINAL HYMNS. For He spake, and it was done ; He commanded, it stood fast. 2 At His word, from darkness light, Harmony from discord broke ; Weakness started into might. Beauty out of dust awoke : 3 Fire and water, air and earth, Heard His voice and hush'd their strife Death itself, by wondrous birth, Grew the parent of all life. 4 Plant and flower, and herb and tree, Sprang spontaneous from the sod ; Sun and moon, and land and sea. Day and night, beheld their God. 5 Fishes, fowls upon the wing. Beasts, and all that creep or fly. Every breathing, moving thing. Peopled "forest, flood, and sky. 6 But while all was fair and good, All accordant to His will, None their Maker understood. Mind and thought were wanting still. 7 God, His glory to display. With His image crown'd the whole, Breath'd His Spirit into clay. And made man a living soul. 8 Hallelujah, praise the One God o'er all, the first, the last : For He spake, and it was done ; He commanded, it stood fast. OKIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN IV. The Olory of God in Creation. The God of nature and of grace In all His works appears ; His goodness through the earth we trace, His grandeur in the spheres. Behold this fair and fertile globe Ky Him in wisdom plann'd ; 'Twas He who girded, like a robe. The ocean round the land. Lift to the arch of heaven your eye ; Thither His path pursue ; His glory, boundless as the sky, O'erwhelms the wondering view. How excellent, Lord, Thy name In all creation's lines ! Spread through eternity. Thy fame With rising lustre shines. These lower works, that swell Thy praise High as man's thoughts can tower, Are but a portion of Thy ways. The hiding of Thy power. shouldst Thou rend aside the veil, And show thy dwelling-place, The souls which thou hast made would fail 'Twere death to see Thy face. Can none behold that face and live ? Yea, sinners may draw near : The Lord is kind, and will forgive, His love shaU cast out fear. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 8 Millions amidst His presence stand. Who feel, while they adore, Fulness of joy at His right hand, And pleasures evermore. HYMN V. God all in all. Hail, all hail, the King of kings ! On His throne of sovereignty, By whose will, whose word, all things Are, and were, and yet shall be. Hail Him, all that move and breathe, On His throne of Providence ; To His family beneath. Life and health diffusing thence. Hail Him on His throne of grace, Grod our Father reconciled. Changing, from our fallen race, Many a foe into a child. Hail Him on His throne of light, O'er His family above. From the beatific sight. Sending peace, and joy, and love. Hail, all hail, the King of kings. When on earth He deigns to dwell. Heaven into the soul He brings, GrOD with us, Immanuel. §, ORIGINAL HYMNS. 6 Come, come ! and for Thy throne, King of kings, each heart prepare : Keign triumphant, reign alone, Lord of lords, for ever there. HYMN VI. TJie Guilt and Folly of denying God. " There is a God/' all Nature cries, All Knowledge proves " there is a God : " " There is no God," the Fool replies, Whose heart is duller than the clod. The grateful clod, refreshed with rains, Pours flowers along its Maker's path ; But the Fool's heart a Fool's remains, Untouch'd by love, unmoved by wrath. And yet the wretch himself deceives ; While fiends believe, and trembling fly, He trembles though he disbelieves ; And conscience gives his life the lie. Can guilt, can madness further go ? Yes, his who God in works denies ; Whose creed saith " Yes," whose life says '' No : " Am I more holy, just, and wise ? My soul, sink down in shame and grief ; So fair without, so foul within ; Thy faith is specious unbelief. Thy righteousness, self-righteous sin. ORIGINAL HYMNS. God ! Thou art, Thou surely art, And those who truly seek Thee find ; Put Thou Thy laws into my heart, In mercy write them on my mind. Light in Thy light I long to see. Thy glory in Thy goodness trace ; Ah ! then reveal Thy Son in me. Through faith may I be saved by grace. HYMN YII. The Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace. The glorious universe around, The heavens with all their train, Sun, moon, and stars, are firmly bound, In one mysterious chain. The earth, the ocean, and the sky, To form one world agree. Where all that walk, or swim, or fly, Compose one family. God in creation thus displays His wisdom and His might. While all His works with all His ways Harmoniously unite. In one fraternal bond of love, One fellowship of mind. The saints below, and saints above. Their bliss and glory find. ORIGINAL HYMNS. Here, in their house of pilgrimage, Thy statutes are their song ; There, through one bright eternal age, Thy praises they prolong. Lord, may our union form a part Of that thrice happy whole. Derive its pulse from Thee the Heart, Its life from Thee the Soul. HYMN YIII. Tlie Soul. 1 What is the thing of greatest price, The whole creation round ? That, which was lost in Paradise, That, which in Christ is found. 2 The soul of man, — Jehovah's breath ! That keeps two worlds at strife ; Hell moves beneath to work its death , Heaven stoops to give it life. 3 GrOD, to reclaim it, did not spare His well-beloved Son ; Jesus, to save it, deign'd to bear The sins of all in One. 4 The Holy Spirit sealed the plan. And pledged the blood divine. To ransom every soul of man : That price was paid for mine. OKIGINAL HYMNS. And is this treasure borne below In earthly vessels frail ; Can none its utmost value know, Till flesh and spirit fail ? Then let us gather round the CrosSj This knowledge to obtain, Not by the soul's eternal loss, But everlasting gain. HYMN IX. The Temple of the Soul. Thus saith the high and lofty One, Inhabiting eternity ; Earth is My footstool, Heaven My throne, What temple will ye build for Me ? Eestore Me now Mine own. Behold the tem23le of My choice ; My dwelling is the humble soul ; To make the broken heart rejoice. The wounded spirit to make whole : Then hearken to My voice. Here, Thou high and lofty One, Bow down Thine heavens to dweU with me Here plant Thy footstool, raise Thy throne, Kebuild Thy fallen sanctuary ; I yield Thee back Thine own. Behold the temple of Thy choice. Eternity within my soul ; Now make the broken heart rejoice. The wounded spirit now make whole : Lord ! I have heard Thy voice. 10 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN X. The Earth full of the Goodness of God. 1 God, in the higli and holy place, Looks down upon the spheres ; Yet in His providence and grace To every eye ap^^ears. 2 He bows the heavens ; the mountains stand. A highway for our God ; He walks amidst the desert-sand, 'Tis Eden where He trod. 3 The forests in His strength rejoice ; Hark ! on the evening breeze, As once of old, the Lord God's voice Is heard among the trees. W 4 Here, on the hills, He feeds His herds, His flocks on yonder plains ; His praise is warbled by the birds ; could we catch their strains ! 5 Mount with the lark, and bear our song Up to the gates of light ; Or, with the nightingale, prolong Our numbers through the night ! 6 In every stream His bounty flows, Difi'using joy and wealth ; In every breeze His Spirit blows The breath of life and health. 7 His blessings fall in plenteous showers Upon the lap of earth, That teems with foliage, fruits, and flowers. And rings with infant mirth. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 11 8 If God hath made this world so fair, Where sin and death abound ; How beautiful, beyond compare, Will Paradise be found ! HYMN XI. The Sabhath. 1 God the Creator bless'd The Sabbath of His rest ; His six days' work had brought The universe from nought ; The heavens and earth before Him stood, He saw them, and pronounced them good. 2 God the Eedeemer blessed The Sabbath of His rest, When, all His sufferings done, The Cross's victory won. In Joseph's sepulchre He lay, And rested on the Sabbath Day. 3 And God the Spirit bless'd The Christian Day of rest. Where (met with one accord) The servants of the Lord, To whom the Father's promise came. Like rushing wind and li\dng flame. 4 The Church below hath bless'd Her own sweet Day of rest, When, in her spousal dress Of blood-bought righteousness, 12 ORIGINAL HYMNS. Her happy spirit can rejoice To hear her heavenly Bridegroom's voice. 5 They love the Sabbath Day, Who love to sing and pray ; The Day of rest they love, Who seek their rest above ; They love the Day of God in seven, Who prize an antepast of heaven. 6 My God, the Day is Thine ; may I make it mine ! By hallowing it to Thee, 'Tis hallow'd twice to me ; And when with Thee my heart is right, . I call it holy — a delight. HYMN XII. Unnersal Worsliip. — Ps. cxlviii. Heralds of creation ! cry, — Praise the Lord, the Lord most high ! Heaven and earth ! obey the call. Praise the Lord, the Lord of all. For He spake, and forth from night Sprang the universe to light : He commanded, — Nature heard. And stood fast upon liis word. Praise Him, all ye hosts above, Spirits perfected in love ; Sun and moon ! your voices raise, Sing, ye stars ! your Maker's praise. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 13 4 Earth ! from all thy depths below, Ocean's hallelujahs flow, Lightning, Vapour, Wind and Storm, Hail and Snow ! His will perform. 5 Vales and Mountains ! burst in song ; Kivers ! roll his praise along ; Clap your hands, ye Trees ! and hail God, who comes in every gale. 6 Birds ! on wings of rapture soar. Warble at His Temple door. Joyful sounds from Herds and Flocks, Echo back, ye Caves and Kocks ! 7 Kings ! your Sovereign serve with awe ; Judges ! own His righteous law ; Princes ! worship Him with fear ; Bow the knee, all People ! here. 8 Let His truth by Babes be told. And His wonders by the old ; Youths and maidens ! in your prime. Learn the lays of heaven betime. 9 High above all height His throne. Excellent His name alone ; Him let all His works confess. Him let every Being bless. HYMN XIII. The various Lots of Man in Life. 1 One human pair, and only one. Were form'd in youthful prime. 14 ORIGINAL HYMNS. All else that e'er beheld the sun, Were children in their time. 2 For each a mother's pangs were borne, And many a father's eye Wept o'er his infant born to mourn, His infant born to die. 3 With millions life was but a spark. Extinct as soon as fired ; Others, just glancing from the dark, Wept, smiled, look'd round, retired. 4 Millions and millions more have pass'd Life's various pilgrimage. While Death at all his arrows cast, And slew of every age. 5 Of these what multitudes untold Have 'never known their God, But blind, and ignorant, and bold. In paths of ruin trod. 6 What guiltier multitudes have known, Yet scorn'd Him or denied. Lived to themselves and sin alone ; And as they lived they died. 7 We may not wander like the first ; Then, lest we share the lot Of those more awfully accurst, Who knew, but loved. Him not, — 8 May we hold fast the faithful word, Our future time redeem. Live, while we live, unto the Lord, Die, when we die, to Him. OKIGINAL HYMNS. 15 HYMN XI^/ Mail's Fall and Eestoration. 1 The days of Paradise were few, Man lived not long in innocence ; He sinn'd, and sin his offspring slew, Death pass'd on all for his offence. 2 Adam survives throughout his race, We do our father's deeds by choice ; Like him, we shun our Maker's face. And tremble at our Judge's voice. 3 Yet is our Maker still our Friend ; Man yet may meet his Judge with joy; God, in our nature, did not send His Son to punish and destoy. 4 He sent Him forth to seek and save The lost, the dying, and the dead. Cancel the curse, despoil the grave. And bruise for ever Satan's head. 5 Thou, who thy Son to us didst give, That none who trust in Him should die ; Grive us to Him that we may live ; — To His atoning blood we fly. 6 Behold His sacrifice of love. So freely offer'd in our stead ; Behold Him at the throne above. And save the souls for whom He bled. 16 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XV. The Heavens declare the Glory of God. — Vs, xix. 1 Thy glory, Lord, the heavens declare, The firmament displays Thy sldll ; The changing clonds, the viewless air, Tempest and calm Thy word fulfil ; Day unto day doth utter speech, And night to night Thy knowledge teach. 2 Though voice nor sound inform the ear, Well-known the language of their song, When one by one the stars appear, Led by the silent moon along, Till round the earth, from all the sky, Thy beauty beams on every eye. 3 Waked by Thy touch, the morning sun Gomes like a bridegroom from his bower, And, like a giant, glad to run His bright career with speed and power — Thy flaming messenger, to dart Life through the depth of Nature's heart 4 While these transporting visions shine Along the path of Providence, Grlory eternal, joy divine. Thy word reveals, transcending sense ; My soul Thy goodness longs to see, Thy love to man. Thy love to me. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 17 HYMN XYI. The Curse and the 1 To Adam tlius Jehovah spake — " The ground, is cursed for thy sake ; Thence eat thy bread, and there once more Become the dust thou wert before." 2 " Serpent/' again Jehovah said, " The woman's seed shall bruise thy head, Yet in the strife thy fury feel. For thou shalt turn and wound his heel." 3 He comes ; — we hail His glorious birth, Who brings the blessing back to earth ; Nor Eden only, but the Tree Of Life and immortality. HYMN XYII. The N'ames and Offices of Christ. Bright and joyful is the morn, For to us a child is born ; From the highest realms of heaven Unto us a Son is given. On His shoulder He shall bear Power and majesty, and wear On His vesture and His thigh Names most awful, names most high. Wonderful in counsel, He, The incarnate Deity, Sire of ages ne'er to cease. King of kings, and Prince of Peace. 18 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 4 Come and worship at His feet, Yield to Christ the homage meet ; From His manger to His throne, Homao-e due to God alone. HYMN XVIII. The Spirit creating all Things New. Spirit of power and might, behold A world by sin destroy'd ; Creator- Spirit, as of old. Move on the formless void. Give Thou the word : — that healing sound Shall quell the deadly strife. And earth again, like Eden crown'd, Produce the Tree of Life. If sang the morning stars for joy, When nature rose to view, What strains will angel-harps employ, When Thou shalt all renew ! And if the sons of God rejoice To hear a Saviour's name. How will the ransom' d raise their voice, To whom that Saviour came ! So every kindred, tongue, and tribe, Assembling round the throne, Thy new creation shall ascribe To sovereign love alone. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 19 HYMN XIX. The Flood. 1 In vain the preacher cried, " Bepent ; Flee from impending wrath ; '' Headlong the world of rebels went Along its own broad path. 2 They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, Built, planted, till the day When the flood came, and young and old Were swept at once away. 3 A few that fear'd the warning word Escaped the doom of sin ; The ark received them, and the Lord Shut safe His servants in. 4 The tide of time that knows no turn, Like that ingulfing flood. Whelms with destruction those that spurn God's truth and Jesus' blood. 5 But still his preachers cry, '' Bepent ; Flee from sin's deadly doom ; " Forth from the ark this call is sent, ^' Come in, there yet is room." 6 Unshut the door, where Mercy stands, The perishing to save, With earnest eye, and outstretch'd hands, From death beyond the grave. 20 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XX. Escape from the Deluge of Old. 1 A WORLD of sinners once was drown'd, A deluge swept them all away ; One family alone had found Mercy in that great Judgment Day. 2 Forewarned of wTath to come, theyfear'd, And, taught by God, prepared an ark, Which o'er the waves in sunshine steer'd, Where all below was dead and dark. 3 Again the Spirit of the Lord Moved on the formless deep and void, And to the Patriarch's sight restored The relics of that world destroyed : 4 A world without a breathing soul, Or sign of life in plant or tree ; Stretched like a corpse from pole to pole, Untraveird land, un voyaged sea ! 5 Then from their hiding place they came, And straightway built an altar there ; Whence rose to heaven the double flame Of pure burnt sacrifice and prayer. 6 We, in an ark not made with hands, God's own new covenant of peace, Which on the rock of ages stands, Seek refuge till his anger cease. 7 Then, as the cloud-born rainbow smiled On Noah's ransom'd ones, we trace Our hep.venly Father reconciled In our incarnate Saviour's face. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 21 HYMN XXI. The Building of another Tower than Babel. When men once more were multiplied^ In language and in heart the same, " Come, let us build a tower," they cried, ^' To heaven, and get ourselves a name." The Lord came down to see their boast, Troubled their speech, perplexed their hands. And drove the panic-smitten host From Shinar's plains through unknown lands. A tower and temple more sublime. Whose top, indeed, to heaven shall reach, Is raised , — that men of every clime Again may have one heart, one speech. As varying instruments accord To form the sweetest minstrelsy. All hearts, as one, may love the Lord, All tongues, as one, in praise agree. Thus, till the head-stone be brought forth, To build that tower the saints unite ; And to the work, from south to north. From east to west, all tribes invite. Let young and old, as duty calls. Help to erect God's House of Prayer ; Till He hath gathered in its walls Earth's scattered tribes, to bless them there. 22 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XXII. God in Creation^ Fvovidence^ and Grace. 1 Creator, Kedeemer, and Spirit of Truth, One God over all evermore, In songs of thanksgiving, let manhood and youth Extol Thee, and praise, and adore. 2 Thy power we behold in the works of Thy hand The heavens Thy glory declare ; Thy Providence rules over ocean and land ; All creatures that live are Thy care. 3 Thy love beyond thought in the Gospel we trace ; The gift of all gifts is Thy Son, Redeeming, restoring, and blessing our race, When fallen, condemned, and undone. 4 Thy kindness, long-suffering and mercy to crown. The heirs of salvation to seal, And dwell in Thy people, — the Spirit came down ; His influence now let us feel. 5 The Father, the Son, and the Spirit of Truth, One God over all evermore. Let manhood and age join with childhood and youth. To honour, praise, love, and adore. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 23 HYMN XXIII. Best for the Soul. — Psalm cxvi. 7. Keturn, my soul, unto thy rest, From vain pursuits and madcrning cares, From lonely woes that wring thy breast, The world's allurements, — Satan's snares. Keturn unto thy rest, my soul. From all the wanderings of thy thought, From sickness unto death made whole. Safe through a thousand perils brought. Then to thy rest, my soul, return From passions every hour at strife ; Sin's works, and ways, and wages spurn. Lay hold upon eternal life. God is tliy Rest, — with heart inclined To keep His Word, that Word believe ; Christ is thy Rest, — with lowly mind. His light and easy yoke receive HYMN XXIV. The Bible. Behold the Book, whose leaves display Jesus, the Life, the Truth, the Way ; Read it with diligence, with prayer, Search it, and you shall find Him there. So let me read, digest, and learn. That all its truths I may discern ; The entrance of Thy Word gives light, Lord, grant me to receive my sight. 24 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XXV. The Holy Scriptures, 1 Words of eternal life to me, may my faith receive the whole ; Bound with my heart-strings, let them be Hid in the secret of my soul. 2 Though heaven and earth shall pass away, These words of prophecy are sure, Unchangeable amidst decay, And pure as God himself is pure. J Whoe'er to these shall add alloy. Or take one sacred fragment thence. Them and their works will GrOD destroy ; His arm shall be His truth's defence. 4 Firm in that Truth may we abide, Till Christ our Lord appear again ; Come, say the Spirit and the Bride, Lord Jesus, quickly come : — Amen ! HYMN XXYI. The Bible a Light to the Christiati's Feet. What is the World ? — a wildering maze. Where sin hath track'd ten thousand ways, Her victims to ensnare ; All broad, and winding, and aslope. All tempting with perfidious hope, All ending in despair. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 25 Millions of pilgrims throng those roads, Bearing their baubles or their loads, Down to eternal night ; — One only path that never bends, Narrow, and rough, and steep, ascends From darkness into light. Is there no guide to show that path ? The Bible ! — He alone AA^ho hath The Bible need not stray ; But He who hatli, and will not give That light of life to all that live. Himself shall lose the way. HYMN XXVII. The Law and the Testimonies. — Ps. xix. Thy law is perfect. Lord of light ! Thy testimonies sure. The statutes of Thy realm are right, And Thy commandments pure. Holy, inviolate Thy fear. Enduring as Thy throne : Thy judgments, chastening or severe, Justice and truth alone : — More prized than gold, — than gold whose Kefining fire ex^Dcls ; [waste Sv^reeter than honey to my taste. Than honey from the cells. 2 26 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 4 Let tliese, GtOd ! my soul convert, And make Thy servant wise ; Let tliese be gladness to my heart, The day-spring to mine eyes. 5 By these may I be warn'd betimes ; Who knows the guilt within .^ Lord, save me from presumptuous crimes, Cleanse me from secret sin ! 6 So may the words my lips express. The thoughts that throng my mind, Lord, my strength and righteousness ! With Thee acceptance find. HYMN XXVIII. The Word of God in all its poioer. 1 The Word of God, the Word of truth, Instruct our childhood, guide our youth, Uphold us through life's middle stage. And be our comfort in old age ! 2 'Twas by that Word the heavens were made, By it the earth's foundations laid ; All things that are on it depend, Their source and stay, their rule and end. 3 By it Jehovah gave His law. Midst sounds of terror, sights of awe ; By it the holy men of old " A better covenant foretold. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 27 Christ Jesus came, Himself '^ the Word ; " His voice the powers of nature heard ; In servant's form, they knew His call, The Son of God, the Lord of all. The Word of mercy which He brought, The Word of wisdom which ~He taught, His Word of grace, so full, so free. Our hope, our joy, our portion be. That Word, if early doom'd to death, Kevive us at our latest breath, And when our souls in judgment stand, Decree our place at God's right hand. HYMN XXIX. The invitation of Wisdom. — ^Prov. viii. 1 To us the voice of Wisdom cries. Hearken, ye children, and be wise ; Better than gold the fruit I bear, Rubies to me may not compare. 2 Happy the man who daily waits To hear me, watching at my gates ; Wretched is he who scorns my voice, Death and destruction are his choice. 3 To them that love me I am kind ; And those who seek me early find ; My Son, give me thine heart, — and learn Wisdom from folly to discern. 28 OKIGINAL HYMNS. 4 The LoED possess'd me, ere of old, His hand the firmament unroU'd ; Before He bade the mountains stand, Or pour'd the ocean romid the land. 5 Kejoicing then before his throne. From everlasting I was known ; Kejoicing still, as in His sight, With men on earth is my delight. 6 Mark the beginning of my law, — Fear ye the Lord with sacred awe ; Mark the fulfilment of the whole. Love ye the Lord with aU yom- soul. 7 We hear, we learn ; may we obey ; Jesus, the life, the truth, the way. Wisdom and righteousness, we see, Grace and salvation all in Thee. HYMN XXX. " Tliou^ God^ seest me^ — Gen. xvi. 13. God, unseen, but not unknown. Thine eye is ever fix'd on me ; 1 dwell beneath Tliy secret throne. Encompassed by Thy Deity. Throughout this universe of space, To nothing am I long allied. For flight of time, and change of piace, My strongest, dearest bonds divide. 0RIC4INAL HYMNS. 29 3 Parents I had, but where are they ? Friends whom I knew, I know no more ; Companions, once that cheer'd my way. Have dropp'd behind or gone before. 4 Now I am one amidst a crowd Of life and action hurrying round ; Now left alone, — for, like a cloud. They came, they went, and are not found. 5 Even from myself sometimes I part : Unconscious sleep is nightly death, Yet surely by my couch Thou art. To prompt my pulse, inspire my breath. 6 Of all that I have done and said. How little can I now recall : Forgotten things to me are dead ; With Thee they live, — Thou know'st them all. 7 Thou hast been with me from the womb, Witness to every conflict here ; Nor wilt Thou leave me at the tomb, Before Thy bar I must appear. 8 The moment comes, — the only one Of all my time to be foretold ; Yet when, and how, and where, can none Among the race of man unfold : — 9 The moment comes, when strength shall fail, When (health and hope and courage flown) I must go down into the vale And shade of death with Thee alone. 30 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 10 Alone with Thee ! — in that dread strife Uphold me through mine agony, And gently be this dying life Exchanged for immortality. 11 Then, when the unbodied spirit lands Where flesh and blood have never trod, And in the nnveiFd presence stands. Of Thee, my Saviour and my God ;- 12 Be mine eternal j)ortion this. Since Thou wert always here with me, — That I may view Thy face in bliss. And be for evermore with Thee. HYMN XXXI. The Almiglitiness of God. — ^Mark, x. 27. 1 With men impossible ! What hope remains for me ? A sinner on the verge of hell. How ? whither ? shall I flee ? 2 " Flee from the wrath to come,'' I hear Jehovah say ; What can I do — let doubt be dumb,- What can I — but obey ? 3 His sceptre or His rod. Who shall control them ? — None : All things are possible with God, He speaks, and it is done. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 31 4 'Tis but to know His will, And in His power confide. Then faith may bid the sun stand still, Or walk upon the tide. 5 The Lord can make a worm ' Almio;hty if He please, And at His single word perform Impossibilities. 6 When to the blind man's eyes He saith '' Behold ! " 'tis so : And when He calls the dead, they rise, Though the grave's mouth cries " "N"o ! " 7 Then, my Kedeemer, then. From wrath to love I flee, The things impossible to men, Are possible with Thee. 8 I, at Thy feet, in dust. My unbelief resign. In Thee alone is all my trust. Lord, save me, I am thine. HYMN XXXII. All have sinned; all may he sa^ed. A CHILD of man, a child of God, How wide their states must be ! Beneath His sceptre or His rod, His wrath or clemency. 32 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 2 Children of Adam, Adam's fall From primal innocence, Brought guilt and judgment on us all, EntaiFd through one offence. 3 Train'd in His image from our birth, We sinn'd, ourselves, and fell, Like him, from heirs of heaven on earth, To heirs of death and hell. 4 Transgressors while we thus remain, In our own blood we lie ; We must be born, be born again, Or die, for ever die. 5 A child of man, a child of Grod, How can such union be ? A worm created from a clod. Allied to Deity ! 6 Lo ! love divine, for man undone, Devised the wondrous plan. The Son of God, God's only Son, Became the Son of man. 7 Our path of life and death He trod, That we Hke Him might be, Though sons of men, the sons of God, Through His humanity. 8 All glory to the Father's love. Who spared not His Son, And sent His Spirit from above. To seal what Christ had done. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 3E HYMN XXXIII. Christ the Messiah manifested in his Advent arid Offices. 1 A CHILD is bonij — the birth proclaim, A son is given, — declare his name ; Messiah, from the Fall foretold, The Deity in human mould ; — That mould from which, God's image lost In Eden at so dire a cost. The new creation shall restore. And guilt efface its hues no more. 2 Hail ! to His rising from afar, He is the bright and morning star ; His healing beams, ye nations, bless, He is the Sun of Kighteousness To save His peoj^le from their sins, Jesus His suffering life begins ; Ere long as Christ our sacrifice, The Holy and the Just One dies. 3 Again His glorious name record. As David's Son and David's Lord ; He mounts the mediatorial throne, To claim earth's kingdoms for his own : Him every eye again shall see Descend in power and majesty. His ransom'd in the clouds to meet, And put all foes beneath his feet. 2* 34 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XXXIV. The Name aboie every Name. 1 The Xame, the Name o'er every name In earth or heaven above. Let babes' and sucldings' hps proclaim And youth adore and love, 2 Jesus, the Son of God most high, Whose image He express' d. The fullness of the Deity, In flesh made manifest : — 3 Jesus, the Son of Man became, Assumed our mortal breath. Endured the cross, depised the shame, And pour'd His soul in death. 4 Jesus, omnipotent to save. Then triumph'd gloriously ; Death ! where is thy sting ? Grave ! Where is thy victory.^ 5 Kedemption in His blood begins. In His atonement ends ; He saves His people from their sins ; Who would not be His friends ? 6 To God the Father's glory, now, Jesus, Thy name we bless ; Let every knee before it bow. And every tongue confess. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 35 HYMN XXXV. Angels and Men, Angels, the firstborn sons of light, Since from their glorious seats they fell , Are outcasts in eternal night ; There is no gospel preach'd in hell. Man, when beguiled from innocence, Saw death and judgment come on all ; But Jesus died for his offence. To raise us higher than our fall. Angels, who kept their first estate. Who sinn'd not, knew not guilt or woe. In bliss beyond expression great. The bliss of pardon cannot know. We, born in sorrow and in sin, Yet by a new and living way To Paradise again brought in, — - May taste of sweeter joys than they. Oh ! through Eternity to trace How much, how much hath been forgiven, The riches of redeeming grace. That, that must be the heaven of heaven. Lord Jesus Christ, who, for our sake, Wert pleased a child like us to be. Of every soul possession take. And new-create us all like Thee. 36 ' ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XXXYI. Vain Gonjidence and Self-deception. 1 Let not the strong, the rich, the wise, Of knowledge, wealth, or power be vain, What mortals covet most, most prize. When won, how few can long retain ! Heaven's noblest gift may prove a snare, Unsanctified by faith and prayer. 2 He slept on pleasm-e's lap, and woke Shorn of his strength ! Poor Samson found The Lord had left him, when he broke The vow with which his life was bound ; Blind, chain'd, enslaved, returning strength Brought death with his revenge at length. 3 The wily traitor was betray'd In his own craft ; though woven well, The net which for his king he laid Entangled wise Achitophel ; Folly o'erruled what wisdom plann'd. He perish'cl byhis own false hand. 4 " Soul, take thine ease ; eat, drink, rejoice, Through length of years," the rich man said ; " Thou fool ! this night," replied the voice That calls the living to the dead, " Thy soul shall be required of thee. Whose then shall all thy treasures be ? " 5 Wise to salvation through His Word, And rich in faith His kingdom's heir, ORIGINAL HYMNS. 37 Strong in the strength of Christ my Lord ; Be this my portion ! 'tis my prayer : For this would I count all things loss, And glory only in the cross. HYMN XXXYII. For Guardianship . through Life and Death. — Acts, xvii. 28. 1 To Thee in whom we live and move. And have our being here, A higher, holier state to prove. Through Christ let us draw near. 2 Though born in sin, to trouble born, Transgressors from the womb, Leave not thine offspring thus forlorn, In error, doubt, and gloom. 3 Send out, good Lord, Thy light and truth, Through each advancing stage. To guard in childhood, guide in youth, And comfort us in age. 4 Darkness for light may we not choose, For falsehood truth forego. Nor things that are eternal lose For vanities below. 5 Teach us to number so our days, That we our hearts apply To walk in Wisdom's pleasant ways, In them to live and die. 38 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 6 Living, prepared with every breath Our spirits to resign ; Dying, lay hold on life in death, And so be ever Thine. HYMN XXXYIII. Covenanting to serve the Lord. 1 Come, ye that fear the Lord, And love Him v^hile ye fear ; Come, and with heart and hand record Your vow and covenant here. 2 Yow to be His alone Who bought you with a price ; Now render back to God His own, By free-will sacrifice. 3. Here to His altar brought. Your covenant renew, To be in word, and deed, and thought, Faithful to Him and true. 4 And true and faithful He To you will ever prove, Though hills were swept into the sea, And mountains should remove. 5 Then be His law our choice, The joy of young and old. As sheep that hear their shepherd's voice, And follow to the fold. ORIGINAL HYMNS. 39 So shall His staff and rod Conduct us and defend : God is a covenant-keeping God, And loves unto the end. HYMN XXXIX. " I will dless tliee^ — and tliou slialt te a Messing y Gen. xii. 2. Where'er the Patriarch pitch'd his tent, He built an altar to his God, And sanctified, where'er he went, With faith and prayer, the ground he trod, Through all the East, for riches famed, Heaven's gifts, he set his heart on none ; Nor, when the dearest was reclaim'd. Withheld his son, his only son. Wherefore, in blessing, he was blest ; Friendless, the friend of God became ; Long- wandering, every where found rest ; Long childless, nations bear his name. Nor nations born of blood alone, The father of the faithful he ; Where'er his promised seed is known. Faith's heirs are his posterity. My God, what Thou hast made my home. Let me Thy sanctuary make ; My God, if call'd by Thee to roam, - Glad may I all for Thee forsake. 40 ORIGINAL HYMNS. 6 Thy law, Thy Love, be my delight, Whatever I do, or think, or am. Walking by faith, and not by sight, Like a true child of Abraham. HYMN XL. The Lord the OgocI Shepherd. — Ps. xxiii. The Lord is my Shepherd, nor want shall I know ; I feed in green pastures, safe-folded I rest ; He leadeth my soul were the still waters flow, Restores me when wandering, redeems when opprest. Through the valley and shadow of death though I stray. Since Thou art my guardian no evil I fear ; Thy rod shall defend me. Thy staff be my stay ; No harm can befall, with my Comforter near. In the midst of affliction my table is spread ; With blessings unmeasured my cup run- neth o'er ; With perfume and oil. Thou anointest my head ; ! what shall I ask of Thy Providence more ? Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful GtOD ! Still follow my steps, till I meet Thee above : ORIGINAL HYMNS. 41 I seek, by the path which my forefathers trod Through the knd of their sojourn, Thy kiugxloDi of love. HYMN XLI. The Majesty of God. — Ps. xcii. The Lord is King : — upon His throne, He sits in garments glorious : Or girds for war His armour on, In every field victorious : The world came forth at his command ; Built on His word its pillars stand ; They never can be shaken. The Lord was King ere time began. His reign is everlasting : When high the floods in tumult ran. Their foam to heaven up-casting, He made the raging waves His path ; The sea is mighty in its wrath, But God on high is mightier. Thy testimonies. Lord, are sure ; Thy realm fears no commotion ; Firm as the earth, whose shores endure The eternal toil of ocean : And Thou with perfect peace wilt bless Thy faithful flock ; — for holiness Becomes Thine house for ever. 42 ORIGINAL HYMNS. HYMN XLIL God Omniiyre>