3 Though unbelief suggest,
Why should we longer wait?
He bids us never give him rest,
But be importunate.
4 'Twas but a widow poor,
Without support or friend,
Beset the unjust judge's door,
And gain'd at last her end.
5 For her he little cared,
As little for the laws;
Nor God, nor man, did he regard,
Yet he espous'd her cause.
6 She urg'd him day and night,
Would no denial take;
At length he said, "I'll do her right,
For my own quiet's sake."
7 And shall not Jesus hear
His chosen when they cry?
Yes, though He may awhile forbear,
He'll help them from on high.
8 His nature, truth, and love,
Engage Him on their side;
When they are griev'd, his bowels move,
And can they be denied?
9 Then let us earnest be,
And never faint in prayer;
He loves our importunity,
And makes our cause His care.
Zaccheus.-Luke xix. 1-6.
ZACCHEUS climb'd the tree,
And thought himself unknown;
But how surpris'd was he
When Jesus call'd him down!
The Lord beheld him, though conceal'd,
And by a word His power reveal'd.
Wonder and joy at once
Were painted in his face;
"Does He my name pronounce,
And does He know my case?
Will Jesus deign with me to dine?
Lord, I, with all I have, are Thine."
Thus, where the gospel's preach'd,
And sinners come to hear,
The hearts of some are reach'd
Before they are aware:
The word directly speaks to them,
And seems to point them out by name.
Oft brings them in the way,
Only the man to see,
And hear what he can say;
But how the sinner starts to find
The preacher knows his inmost mind
His long-forgotten faults
Are brought again in view,
And all his secret thoughts
Reveal'd in public too:
Though compass'd with a crowd about,
The searching word has found him out.
While thus distressing pain
And sorrow fill his heart,
He hears a voice again
That bids his fears depart;
Then like Zaccheus he is blest,
And Jesus deigns to be his guest.
The Believer's Danger, Safety, and Duty.
Luke xxii. 31, 32.
1 "SIMON, beware," the Saviour said,
"Satan, your subtle foe,
Already has his measures laid
Your soul to overthrow.
2 "He wants to sift you all as wheat,
And thinks his vict'ry sure:
But I his malice will defeat,
My pray'r shall faith secure."
3 Believers, tremble and rejoice,
Your help and danger view:
This warning has to you a voice,
This promise speaks to you.
4 Satan beholds with jealous eye
Your privilege and joy;
He's always watchful, always nigh
To tear and to destroy.
5 But Jesus lives to intercede,
That faith may still prevail;
He will support in timo of need,
And Satan's art shall fail.
6 Yet let us not the warning slight,
But watchful still be found:
Though faith cannot be slain in fight,
It may receive a wound.
7 While Satan watches dare we sleep?
We must our guard maintain;
But, Lord, do Thou the city keep,
Or else we watch in vain.
Father, forgive them.-Luke xxiii. 34. 109
"FATHER, forgive," the Saviour said,
"They know not what they do ;
His heart was mov'd, when thus He pray'd
For me, my friends, and you.
2 He saw that as the Jews abus'd
And crucified His flesh,
So He by us would be refus'd,
And crucified afresh.
3 Through love of sin we long were prone
To act as Satan bid;
But now with grief and shame we own
We knew not what we did.
4 We knew not the desert of sin,
Nor whom we thus defied;
Nor where our guilty souls had been,
If Jesus had not died.
5 We knew not what a law we broke,
How holy, just, and pure!
Nor what a God we durst provoke,
But thought ourselves secure.
6 But Jesus all our guilt foresaw,
And shed His precious blood,
To satisfy the holy law,
And make our peace with God.
7 My sin, dear Saviour, made Thee bleed,
Yet didst Thou pray for me!
I knew not what I did, indeed,
When ignorant of Thee.
110 The two malefactors.—Luke xxiii. 39–43.
SOVEREIGN grace has power alone
To subdue a heart of stone;
And the moment grace is felt,
Then the hardest heart will melt.
2 When our Lord was crucified,
Two transgressors with Him died;
One, with vile blaspheming tongue,
Scoff'd at Jesus as He hung.
3 Thus he spent his wicked breath
In the very jaws of death;
Perish'd as too many do,
With the Saviour in his view.
4 But the other, touch'd with grace, Saw the danger of his caseFaith receiv'd to own the Lord,
Whom the scribes and priests abhorr'd.
5 "Lord," he pray'd, "remember me,
When in glory Thou shalt be! "
"Soon with Me," the Lord replies,
"Thou shalt rest in paradise."
6 This was wondrous grace indeed,
Grace vouchsaf'd in time of need!
Sinners, trust in Jesu's name,
You shall find Him still the same.
7 But beware of unbelief,
Think upon the harden'd thief;
If the Gospel you disdain,
Christ, to you, will die in vain.
The Woman of Samaria.-John iv. 28. 111 JESUS, to what didst Thou submit,
To save Thy dear-bought flock from hell!
Like a poor traveller, see Him sit,
Athirst and weary by the well.
2 The woman, who for water came,
(What great events on small depend!)
Then learn'd the glory of His name,
The well of life, the sinner's friend!
3 Taught from her birth to hate the Jews,
And fill'd with party pride, at first
Her zeal induc'd her to refuse
Water, to quench the Saviour's thirst.
4 But soon she knew the gift of God,
And Jesus, whom she scorn'd before,
Unask'd that drink on her bestow'd,
Which whoso tastes shall thirst no more.
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