eight psalms, several chapters of Job, and other poetical parts of scripture : and in this respect I may hope to escape the reproof of those who pay a sacred reverence to the Holy Bible.
I have prepared the third part only for the celebration of the Lord's Supper, that, in imitation of our blessed Saviour, we might sing an hymp after we have partaken of the bread and wine. Here you will find some paraphrases of scripture, and some other compositions. There are above an hundred hymns in the two former parts, that may very properly be used in this ordinance, and sometimes perhaps appear more suitable than any of these last: but there are expressions generally used in these, which confine them only to the table of the Lord; and therefore I have distinguished and set them by
If the Lord, who inhabits the praises of Israel, shall refuse to smile upon this attempt for the reformation of psalmody amongst the churches, yet I humbly hope that his blessed Spirit will make these composures useful to private christians; and if they may but attain the honour of being esteemed pious meditations, to assist the devout and the retired soul in the exercises of love, faith, and joy, it will be a valuable compensation of my labours: my heart shall rejoice at the notice of it, and my God shall receive the glory. This was my hope and vow in the first publication; and it is now my duty to acknowledge to him, with thankfulness, how useful he has made these compositions already, to the comfort and edification of societies, and of private persons and upon the same grounds I have a better prospect, and a bigger hope of much more service to the church. by the large improvements of this edition, if the Lord who dwells in Zion shall favour it with his continued blessing.
Book I.-Collected from the Holy Scriptures.
And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy, &c. for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us, &c. Rev. v. 9.
Joliti essent (id est, Christiani) convenire, carmenque Christo quasi Deo dicere. Plinius in Epist.
HYMN I. [C. M.]
A new song to the Lamb that was slain,
Rev. v. 6, 8, 9, 10, 12.
1 BEHOLD the glories of the Lamb
Amidst his Father's throne:
Prepare new honours for his name,
And songs before unknown.
Let elders worship at his feet,
The church adore around,
With vials full of odours sweet,
And harps of sweeter sound."
3 Those are the prayers of all the saints,
And those the hymns they raise:
Jesus is kind to our complaints,
He loves to hear our praise.
4 [Eternal Father, who shall look
Into thy secret will?
Who but the Son shall take that book,
And open ev'ry seal?
He shall fulfil thy great decrees,
The Son deserves it well;
Lo, in his hand the sov'reign keys,
Of heav'n, and death, and hell!]
Now to the Lamb that once was slain,
Be endless blessings paid;
Salvation, glory, joy remain
For ever on thy head.
7 Thou hast redeem'd our souls with blood
Hast set the pris'ners free,
3 Ere sin was born or Satan fell,
He led the host of morning stars;
(Thy generation who can tell,
Or count the number of thy years?)
4 But lo, he leaves those heav'nly forms,
The Word descends and dwells in clay,
That he may hold converse with worms,
Dress'd in such feeble flesh as they.
5 Mortals with joy behold his face,
Th' eternal Father's only Son;
How full of truth! how full of grace!
When thro' his eyes the Godhead shone!
6 Archangels leave their high abode,
To learn new myst'ries here; and tell
The loves of our descending God,
The glories of Emanuel.
The nativity of Christ, Luke i. 30, &c
Luke ii. 10, &c.
1 BEHOLD, the grace appears,
The promise is fulfill'd;
Mary the wondrous virgin bears,
And Jesus is the child.
2 [The Lord the highest God,
Calls him his only Son;
He bids him rule the lands abroad,
And gives him David's throne."
Hast made us kings and priests to God, 3 O'er Jacob shall he reign
And we shall reign with thee.
The worlds of nature and of grace
Are put beneath thy pow'r;
Then shorten these delaying days,
And bring the promis'd hour.
HYMN II. [L. M.]
The deity and humanity of Christ, John i. 1. 3, 14, and Col. i. 16. and Eph. iii. 9, 10.
1 ERE the blue heav'ns were stretch'd
abroad,
From everlasting was the Word,
With God he was; the Word was God,
And must divinely be ador'd.
2 By his own pow'r were all things made;
By him supported all things stand;
He is the whole creation's head,
And angels fly at his command.
With a peculiar sway;
The nations shall his grace obtain,
His kingdom ne'er decay.
4 To bring the glorious news,
A heav'nly form appears;
He tells the shepherds of their joys,
And banishes their fears.
5 "Go, humble swains, said he,
Tó David's city fly;
The promis'd infant, born to-day,
Doth in a manger lie.
6 With looks and hearts serene
Go visit Christ your King:"
And straight a flaming troop was seen:
The shepherds heard them sing.
7 "Glory to God on high!
And heav'nly peace on earth,
Good-will to men, to angels joy,
At the Redeemer's birth."
8 [In worship so divine
Let saints employ their tongues, With the celestial host we join,
And loud repeat their songs, "C Glory to God on high!
And heav'nly peace on earth, Good-will to men, to angels joy, At our Redeemer's birth!"
HYMN IV. Referred to the iid Psalm.
HYMN V. [C. M.]
Submission to afflictive providences,
Job. i. 21.
1 NAKED as from the earth we came
And crept to life at first,
We to the earth return again,
And mingle with our dust.
2 The dear delights we here enjoy,
And fondly call our own,
Are but short favours borrow'd now,
To be repaid anon.
3 'Tis God that lifts our comforts high,
Or sinks them in the grave,
He gives, and (blessed be his name!)
He takes but what he gave.
4 Peace, all our angry passions then,
Let each rebellious sigh
Be silent at his sov'reign will,
And ev'ry murmur die.
If smiling mercy crown our lives,
Its praises shall be spread,
And we'll adore the justice too
That strikes our comforts dead.
HYMN VI. [C. M.]
Triumph over death, Job xix. 25, 26, 27.
1 GREAT God, I own thy sentence just,
And nature must decay ;
I yield my body to the dust,
To dwell with fellow-clay.
2 Yet faith may triumph o'er the grave,
And trample on the tombs:
My Jesus, my Redeemer lives,
My God my Saviour comes.
The mighty conqu'ror shall appear
High on a royal seat,
And death, the last of all his foes,
Lie vanquish'd at his feet.
4 Tho' greedy worms devour my skin,
And gnaw my wasting flesh,
When God shall build my bones again,
He clothes them all afresh :
Then shall I see thy lovely face
With strong immortal eyes,
And feast upon thy unknown grace,
With pleasure and surprise.
HYMN VII. [C. M.]
The invitation of the gospel; or, spiritual food and cloathing, Is. Iv.1, 2, &c. 1 LET ev'ry mortal ear attend,
And ev'ry heart rejoice,
The trumpet of the gospel sounds
With an inviting voice.
2 Ho! all ye hungry starving souls,
That feed upon the wind,
And vainly strive with earthly toys
To fill an empty mind.
4 Eternal wisdom has prepar'd
A soul-reviving feast,
And bids your longing appetites
The rich provision taste.
4 Ho! ye that pant for living streams,
And pine away and die;
Here you may quench your raging thirst
With springs that never dry.
5 Rivers of love and mercy here
In a rich ocean join ;
Salvation in abundance flows,
Like floods of milk and wine.
6 [Ye perishing and naked poor,
Who work with mighty pain,
To weave a garment of your own,
That will not hide your sin;
7 Come naked, and adorn your souls
In robes prepar'd by God,
Wrought by the labours of his Son,
And dy'd in his own blood.]
8 Dear God! the treasures of thy love Are everlasting mines;
Deep as our helpless miseries are,
And boundless as our sins!
The happy gates of gospel-grace
Stand open night and day:
Lord, we are come to seek supplies,
And drive our wants away.
HYMN VIII. [C. M.]
The safety and protection of the church,
Is. xxvi. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6.
1 HOW honourable is the place
Where we adoring stand,
Zion, the glory of the earth,
And beauty of the land!
2 Bulwarks of mighty grace defend
The city where we dwell;
The walls of strong salvation made,
Defy th' assaults of hell.
3 Lift up the everlasting gates,
The doors wide open fling;
Enter ye nations, that obey
The statutes of our king.
4 Here shall you taste unmingled joys,
And live in perfect peace;
You that have known Jehovah's name,
And ventur'd on his grace.
5 Trust in the Lord, for ever trust,
And banish all your fears:
Strength in the Lord Jehovah dwells,
Eternal as his years.
6 What tho' the rebels dwell on high,
His arm shall bring them low;
Low as the caverns of the grave
Their lofty heads shall bow.
7 On Babylon our feet shall tread,
In that rejoicing hour;
The ruins of her walls shall spread 4
A pavement for the poor.
HYMN IX. [C. M.]
The promises of the covenant of grace. ||
Isa. Iv. 1, 2, Zech. xiii. 1. Micah vii. 19.
Ezek. xxxvi. 25, &c.
J IN vain we lavish out our lives,
To gather empty wind;
The choicest blessings earth can yield
Will starve a hungry mind.
? Come, and the Lord shall feed our souls
With more substantial meat,
With such as saints in glory love,
With such as angels eat.
3 Our God will ev'ry want supply,
And fill our hearts with peace;
He gives by cov'nant and by oath
The riches of his grace.
4 Come,andhe'll cleanse our spotted souls
And wash away our stains,
In the dear fountain that his Son
Pour'd from his dying veins.
5 [Our guilt shall vanish all away,
Tho' black as hell before;
Our sins shall sink beneath the sea,
And shall be found no more.
And lest pollution should o'erspread
Our inward pow'rs again,
His spirit shall bedew our souls
Like purifying rain.]
7 Our heart, that flinty stubborn thing,
That terrors cannot move,
That fears no threatnings of his wrath,
Shall be dissolv'd by love:
• Or he can take the flint away,
That would not be refin'd
And from the treasures of his grace
Bestow a softer mind.
9 There shall his sacred Spirit dwell,
And deep engrave his law,
And ev'ry motion of our souls
To swift obedience draw.
10 Thus will he pour salvation down,
And we shall render praise:
We the dear people of his love,
And he our God of grace.
HYMN X. [S. M.]
The blessedness of gospel-times: or, the revelation of Christ to Jews and Gentiles.
Isa. lii. 7, 8, 9, 10. Matt. xiii. 16, 17.
HOW beauteous are their feet
Who stand on Zion's hill,
Who bring salvation on their tongues,
And words of peace reveal!
2 How charming is their voice!
How sweet the tidings are!
Zion, behold thy Saviour King,
He reigns and triumphs here.
3 How happy are our ears,
That hear this joyful sound,
Which kings and prophets waited for,
And sought, but never found!
How blessed are our eyes,
That see this heav'nly light;
Prophets and kings desir'd it long,
But dy'd without the sight!
The watchmen join their voice,
And tuneful notes employ;
Jerusalem breaks forth in songs,
And deserts learn the joy.
The Lord makes bare his arm
Thro' all the earth abroad;
Let ev'ry nation now behold
Their Saviour and their God.
The humble enlightened, and carnal reason humbled: or, the sovereignty of grace, Luke x, 21, 22.
1 THERE was an hour when Christ rejoic'd,
And spoke his joy in words of praise; "Father, I thank thee, mighty God, Lordof the earth,and heav'ns, and seas. 2 I thank thy sov'reign pow'r and love, That crowns mydoctrine with success; Andmakes thebabesin knowledgelearn The heights, and breadths, and lengths of grace.
3 But all this glory lies conceal'd
From men of prudence and of wit;
Theprince of darkness blinds theireyes,
And their own pride resists the light.
4 Father, 'tis thus, because thy will
Chose and ordain'd it should be so
'Tis thy delight t' abase the proud,
And lay the haughty scorner low.
5 There's none can knowthe Father right,
But those who learn it from the Son;
Nor can the Son be well receiv'd
But where the Father makeshimknown.
6 Then let our souls adore our God,
That deals his graces as he please;
Nor gives to mortals an account
Or of his actions, or decrees.
HYMN XII. [C. M.]
Free grace in revealing Christ
J JESUS the man of constant grief,
A mourner all his days;
His Spirit once rejoic'd aloud,
And turn'd his joy to praise.
2 "Father, I thank thy wondrous love,
That hath reveal'd thy Son,
To men unlearned, and to babes
Has made thy gospel known.
3 The myst'ries of redeeming grace
Are hidden from the wise,
While pride and carnal reas'nings join
To swell and blind their eyes."
4 Thus doth the Lord of heav'n and earth
His great decrees fulfil,
And orders all his works of grace
By his own sov'reign will.
HYMN XIII. [L. M.]
The Son of God incarnate: or the titles
and thekingdom of Christ, Isa. ix. 2, 6,7.
1 THE lands that long in darkness lay,
Now have beheld a heav'nly light;
Nations that sat in death's cold shade
Are bless'd with beams divinely bright.
2 The virgin's promis'd Son is born;
Behold th' expected child appear:
What shall his names or titles be?
The Wonderful, the Counsellor.
8 [This infant is the mighty God,
Come to be suckled and ador'd;
The eternal Father, Prince of Peace,
The Son of David, and his Lord.]
4 The government of earth and seas
Upon his shoulders shall be laid;
His wide dominions shall increase,
And honours to his name be paid.
Jesus the holy child shall sit
High on his father David's throne,
Shall crush his foes beneath his feet,
And reign to ages yet unknown,
HYMN XIV. [L. M.]
The triumph of faith: or, Christ's un-
changeable love, Rom. viii. 33, &c.
1 WHO shall the Lord's elect condemn?
'Tis God that justifies their souls,
And mercy, like a mighty stream,
O'er all their sins divinely rolls.
Who shall adjudge the saints to hell?
'Tis Christ that suffer'd in their stead;
And the salvation to fulfil,
Behold him rising from the dead.
3 He lives! he lives! and sits above,
For ever interceding there:
Who shall divide us from his love,
Or what should tempt us to despair?
4 Shall persecution, or distress,
Famine, or sword, or nakedness?
He that hath lov'd us, bears us thro',
And makes us more than conqu'rors too.
5 Faith hath an overcoming pow'r,
It triumphs in the dying hour:
Christ is our life, our joy, our hope,
Nor can we sink with such a prop.
Not all that men on earth can do,
Nor pow'rs on high, nor pow'rs below,
Shall cause his mercy to remove,
Or wean our hearts from Christ,our love.
HYMN XV. [L. M.]
Our own weakness, and Christ
strength, 2 Cor. xii. 7, 9, 10.
1 LET me but hear my Saviour say,
Strength shall be equal to the day;
Then I rejoice in deep distress,
Leaning on all-sufficient grace.
2 I glory in infirmity,
That Christ's own pow'r mayrest on me:
When I am weak, then am I strong,
Grace is my shield, and Christ my song.
3 I can do all things, or can bear
All suff'rings, if my Lord be there:
Sweet pleasures mingle with the pains,
While his left hand my head sustains.
4 But if the Lord be once withdrawn,
And we attempt the work alone,
When new temptations spring and rise,
We find how great our weakness is.
5 So Samson when his hair was lost,
Met the Philistines to his cost;
Shook his vain limbs with sad surprise,
Made feeble fight and lost his eyes.
HYMN XVI. [C. M.]
Hosanna to Christ,
Matt. xxi. 9. Luke xix. 39, 40.
1 HOSANNA to the royal Son
Of David's ancient line!
His natures two, his person one,
Mysterious and divine.
2 The root of David here we find,
And offspring is the same;
Eternity and time are join'd
In our Emanuel's name.
3 Bless'd he that comes to wretched men With peaceful news from heav'n! Hosannas of the highest strain
To Christ the Lord be giv'n!
4 Let mortals ne'er refuse to take
Th' Hosanna on their tongues,
Lest rocks and stones should rise, and
break
Their silence into songs.
HYMN XVII. [C. M.]
Victory over death, 1 Cor. xv. 55, &c.
1 O FOR an overcoming faith
To cheer my dying hours,
To triumph o'er the monster death,
And all his frightful pow'rs!
2 Joyful, with all the strength I have,
My quiv'ring lips should sing,
"Where is thy boasted vict'ry, grave?
And where the monster's sting?"
3 If sin be pardon'd, I'm secure,
Death hath no sting beside;
The law gives sin its damning pow'r;
But Christ, my ransom, dy'd.
4 Now to the God of victory
Immortal thanks be paid,
Who makes us conqu'rors while we die,
Through Christ our living head.
HYMN XVIII. [C. M.]
Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord,
Rev. xiv. 13.
1 HEAR what the voice from heav's
proclaims
For all the pious dead,
Sweet is the savour of their names,
And soft their sleeping bed.
2 They die in Jesus, and are bless'd:
How kind their slumbers are!
From suff'rings and from sins releas'd,
And freed from ev'ry snare.
|