But mine polluted are;
Sin twines itself about my praise,
And slides into my prayer.
II
When I would speak what thou hast done
To save me from my sin,
I cannot make thy mercies known
But self-applause creeps in.
III
Divine desire, that holy flame,
Thy grace creates in me;
Alas! impatience is its name
When it returns to thee.
IV
This heart, a fountain of vile thoughts,
How does it overflow!
While self upon the surface floats,
Still bubbling from below.
V
Let others in the gaudy dress
Of fancied merits shine,
The Lord shall be my righteousness,
The Lord for ever mine.
68
Ephraim Repenting
By Cowper
Jeremiah 31:18–20.
I
My God, till I received thy stroke,
How like a beast was I!
So unaccustom’d to the yoke,
So backward to comply.
II
With grief my just reproach I bear,
Shame fills me at the thought;
How frequent my rebellions were!
What wickedness I wrought!
III
3 Thy merciful restraint I scorn’d,
And left the pleasant road;
Yet turn me, and I shall be turn’d:
Thou art the Lord my God.
IV
Is Ephraim banish’d from my thoughts,
Or vile in my esteem?
No, saith the Lord, with all his faults
I still remember him.
V
Is he a dear and pleasant child?
Yes, dear and pleasant still;
Though sin his foolish heart beguiled.
And he withstood my will.
VI
My sharp rebuke has laid him low,
He seeks my face again;
My pity kindles at his woe,
He shall not seek in vain.
69
The Lord Is My Portion
By Newton
Lamentations 3:24.
I
From pole to pole let others roam,
And search in vain for bliss;
My soul is satisfied at home,
The Lord my portion is.
II
Jesus, who on his glorious throne,
Rules heaven and earth and sea,
Is pleased to claim me for his own,
And give himself to me.
III
His person fixes all my love,
His blood removes my fear;
And while he pleads for me above,
His arm preserves me here.
IV
His word of promise is my food,
His Spirit is my guide;
Thus daily is my strength renewed,
And all my wants supplied.8
V
For him I count as gain each loss,
Disgrace for him renown;
Well may I glory in his cross,
While he prepares my crown!
VI
Let worldlings then indulge their boast,
How much they gain or spend;
Their joys must soon give up the ghost,
But mine shall know no end.
70
Humbled and Silenced by Mercy
By Newton
Ezekiel 16:63.
I
Once perishing in blood I lay;
Creatures no help could give;
But Jesus pass’d me in the way,
He saw, and bade me live.
II
Though Satan still his rule maintain’d,
And all his arts employ’d;
That mighty word his rage restrain’d,
I could not be destroy’d.
III
At length the time of love arrived,
When I my Lord should know;
Then Satan, of his power deprived,
Was forced to let me go.
IV
O can I e’er that day forget,
When Jesus kindly spoke!
“Poor soul, my blood has paid thy debt,
And now I break thy yoke.
V
“Henceforth I take thee for my own,
And give myself to thee;
Forsake the idols thou hast known,
And yield thy heart to me.”
VI
Ah, worthless heart! it promised fair,
And said it would be thine;
I little thought it e’er would dare
Again with idols join.
VII
Lord, dost thou such backslidings heal,
And pardon all that’s past?
Sure, if I am not made of steel,
Thou hast prevail’d at last.
VIII
My tongue, which rashly spoke before,
This mercy will restrain;
Surely I now shall boast no more,
Nor censure, nor complain.
71
The Covenant
By Cowper
Ezekiel 36:25–28.
I
The Lord proclaims his grace abroad!
“Behold, I change your hearts of stone;
Each shall renounce his idol-god,
And serve, henceforth, the Lord alone.
II
“My grace, a flowing stream, proceeds
To wash your filthiness away;
Ye shall abhor your former deeds,
And learn my statutes to obey.
III
“My truth the great design ensures,
I give myself away to you;
You shall be mine, I will be yours,
Your God unalterably true.
IV
“Yet not unsought or unimplored
The plenteous grace shall I confer;
No—your whole hearts shall seek the Lord,
I’ll put a praying spirit there.
V
“From the first breath of life divine,
Down to the last expiring hour,
The gracious work shall all be mine,
Begun and ended in my power.”
72
Jehovah-Shammah
By Cowper
Ezekiel 48:35.
I
As birds their infant brood protect,
And spread their wings to shelter them;
Thus saith the Lord to his elect,
“So will I guard Jerusalem.”
II
And what then is Jerusalem—
This darling object of his care?
Where is its worth in God’s esteem?
Who built it? who inhabits there?
III
Jehovah founded it in blood.
The blood of his incarnate Son;
There dwell the saints, once foes to God—
The sinners whom he calls his own.
IV
There, though besieged on every side,
Yet much beloved and guarded well,
From age to age they have defied
The utmost force of earth and hell.
V
Let earth repent and hell despair,
This city has a sure defence;
Her name is call’d “The Lord is there,”
And who has power to drive him thence?
73
The Power and Triumph of Faith
By Newton
Daniel 3:6.
I
Supported by the word,
Though in himself a worm,
The servant of the Lord
Can wondrous acts perform:
Without dismay he boldly treads
Where’er the path of duty leads.
II
The haughty king in vain,
With fury on his brow,
Believers would constrain
To golden gods to bow:
The furnace could not make them fear,
Because they knew the Lord was near.
III
As vain was the decree
Which charged them not to pray:
Daniel still bow’d his knee,
And worshipp’d thrice a day.
Trusting in God, he fear’d not
