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At thy command I venture down
Securely to the grave.

8 When I lie buried deep in dust,
My flesh shall be thy care;

These withering limbs with thee I trust
To raise them strong and fair.

72

1

FIRST PART.

The Kingdom of Christ.

REAT God, whose universal sway

G The known and unknown worlds obey,

Now give the kingdom to thy Son,
Extend his power, exalt his throne.
2 Thy sceptre well becomes his hands,
All heaven submits to his commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
3 With power he vindicates the just,
And treads th' oppressor in the dust;
His worship and his fears shall last
Till hours and years and time be past.
4 As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall he send his influence down;
His grace on fainting souls distills,
Like heavenly dew on thirsty hills.
5 The heathen lands that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at his first dawning light,
And deserts blossom at the sight.
6 The saints shall flourish in his days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from his throne,
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.

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SECOND PART.

Christ's Kingdom among the Gentiles.
ESUS shall reign where'er the sun
Does his successive journeys run;

JESU

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His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.

2 Behold the islands with their kings!
And Europe her best tribute brings;

L. M.

L. M.

From north to south the princes meet
To pay their homage at his feet.
3 There Persia, glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold;
And barbarous nations, at his word,
Submit, and bow, and own their lord.
4 For him shall endless prayer be made,
And praises throng to crown his head;
His name, like sweet perfume, shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.

5 People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song;
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on his name.
6 Blessings abound where'er he reigns:
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains;
The weary find eternal rest,

And all the sons of want are bless'd.

7 Where he displays his healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more;
In him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.

8 Let every creature rise and bring
Peculiar honors to our king:
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the loud Amen.

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Whose souls, condemned and dying,
Were precious in his sight.
For him shall prayer unceasing
And daily vows ascend;
His kingdom still increasing,

A kingdom without end:
The mountain dews shall nourish
A seed in weakness sown,
Whose fruit shall spread and flourish,
And shake like Lebanon.

O'er every foe victorious,

He on his throne shall rest,
From age to age more glorious,
All-blessing and All-bless'd:
The tide of time shall never

His covenant remove;

His name shall stand for ever
That name to us is-Love.

FIRST PART.

The Prosperous Sinner's End.

Montgomery.

C. M.

TOW I'm convinced the Lord is kind

NOW

To men of heart sincere;

Yet once my foolish thoughts repined,
And bordered on despair.

2 I grieved to see the wicked thrive,
And spoke with angry breath,—
"How pleasant and profane they live!
How peaceful is their death!

3 "With well fed flesh and haughty eyes,
They lay their fears to sleep;
Against the heavens their slanders rise,
While saints in silence weep.

4 "In vain I lift my hands to pray,
And cleanse my heart in vain,
For I am chastened all the day,
The night renews my pain.'

5 Yet while my tongue indulged complaints,
I felt my heart reprove;

"Sure I shall thus offend thy saints, And grieve the men I love."

6 But still I found my doubts too hard; The conflict too severe;

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Till I retired to search thy word,
And learn thy secrets there.

7 There, as in some prophetic glass,
I saw the sinner's feet

High mounted on a slippery place,
Beside a fiery pit.

8 I heard the wretch profanely boast,
Till at thy frown he fell;
His honors in a dream are lost,
And he awakes in hell.

9 Lord, what an envious fool I was!
How like a thoughtless beast!
Thus to suspect thy promised grace,
And think the wicked bless'd.

10 Yet I was kept from full despair,
Upheld by power unknown:

That blessed hand that broke the snare
Shall guide me to thy throne.

SECOND PART.

C. M.

73 Ver. 23-28. God our Portion, here and hereafter.

1

YOD, my Supporter, and my Hope,

GOD

My help for ever near;

Thine arm of mercy held me up,

When sinking in despair.

2 Thy counsels, Lord, shall guide my feet
Through this dark wilderness;

Thy hand conduct me near thy seat,
To dwell before thy face.

3 Were I in heaven without my God,
'Twould be no joy to me;

And while this earth is my abode,
I long for none but thee.

4 What if the springs of life were broke,
And flesh and heart should faint?

God is my soul's eternal Rock,

The strength of every saint.

5 Behold, the sinners who remove
Far from thy presence-die;
Not all the idol gods they love
Can save them when they cry

6 But to draw near to thee, my God,
Shall be my sweet employ;
My tongue shall sound thy works abroad,
And tell the world my joy.

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Ver. 22, 3, 6, 17-20.

The Prosperity of Sinners cursed.

LORD, what a thoughtless wretch was I,

To mourn and murmur and repine,
To see the wicked placed on high,

In pride, and robes of honor shine.
2 But, oh, their end-their dreadful end!
Thy sanctuary taught me so;
On slippery rocks I see them stand,
And fiery billows roll below.

3 Now let them boast how tall they rise,
I'll never envy them again;

There let them stand, with haughty eyes,
Till they plunge deep in endless pain,
4 Their fancied joys, how fast they flee!
Just like a dream, when man awakes;
Their songs of softest harmony

Are but a preface to their plagues.
5 Now I esteem their mirth and wine
Too dear to purchase with my blood;
Lord, 'tis enough that thou art mine,
My life, my portion, and my God.

73

1

The Mystery of Providence unfolded.
NURE there's a righteous God,
Nor is religion vain ;

SURE

Though men of vice may boast aloud,
And men of grace complain.

2 I saw the wicked rise,

And felt my heart repine;

While haughty fools, with scornful eyes,
In robes of honor shine.

3 Pampered with wanton ease,

Their flesh looks full and fair;
Their wealth rolls in like flowing seas,
And grows without their care.

4 Free from the plagues and pains
That pious souls endure,

L. M.

S. M.

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