And draw their bowels forth:
They pray and strive, their rest departs,
Till Christ be form’d in sinners’ hearts.
IV
If some small hope appear,
They still are not content;
But, with a jealous fear,
They watch for the event:
Too oft they find their hopes deceived,
Then how their inmost souls are grieved!
V
But when their pains succeed,
And from the tender blade
The ripening ears proceed,
Their toils are overpaid:
No harvest joy can equal theirs,
To find the fruit of all their cares.
VI
On what has now been sown,
Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;
The power is thine alone,
To make it spring and grow:
Do thou the gracious harvest raise,
And thou alone shalt have the praise.
27
We Are Ambassadors for Christ
By Newton
2 Corinthians 5:20.
I
Thy message by the preacher seal,
And let thy power be known,
That every sinner here may feel
The word is not his own.
II
Amongst the foremost of the throng
Who dare thee to thy face,
He in rebellion stood too long,
And fought against thy grace.
III
But grace prevail’d, he mercy found,
And now by thee is sent,
To tell his fellow-rebels round,
And call them to repent.
IV
In Jesus God is reconciled,
The worst may be forgiven;
Come, and he’ll own you as a child,
And make you heir of heaven.
V
O may the word of gospel truth
Your chief desires engage!
And Jesus be your guide in youth,
Your joy in hoary age.
VI
Perhaps the year that’s now begun
May prove to some their last;
The sands of life may soon be run,
The day of grace be past.
VII
Think, if you slight this embassy,
And will not warning take,
When Jesus in the clouds you see,
What answer will you make?
28
Paul’s Farewell Charge
By Newton
Acts 20:26–27.
I
When Paul was parted from his friends
It was a weeping day;
But Jesus made them all amends,
And wiped their tears away.
II
Ere long they met again with joy
(Secure, no more to part,)
Where praises every tongue employ,
And pleasure fills each heart.
III
Thus all the preachers of His grace
Their children soon shall meet,
Together see their Saviour’s face,
And worship at his feet.
IV
But they who heard the word in vain,
Though oft and plainly warn’d,
Will tremble when they meet again
The ministers they scorn’d.
V
On your own heads your blood will fall
If any perish here;
The preachers who have told you all
Shall stand approved and clear.
VI
Yet, Lord, to save themselves alone
Is not their utmost view;
Oh! hear their prayer, thy message own,
And save their hearers too.
29
How Shall I Put Thee Among the Children?
By Newton
Jeremiah 3:19.
I
Alas! by nature how depraved,
How prone to every ill!
Our lives to Satan how enslaved,
How obstinate our will!
II
And can such sinners be restored,
Such rebels reconciled?
Can grace itself the means afford
To make a foe a child?
III
Yes, grace has found the wondrous means
Which shall effectual prove,
To cleanse us from our countless sins,
And teach our hearts to love.
IV
Jesus for sinners undertakes,
And died that we may live;
His blood a full atonement makes,
And cries aloud, “Forgive!”
V
Yet one thing more must grace provide,
To bring us home to God,
Or we shall slight the Lord who died,
And trample on his blood.
VI
The Holy Spirit must reveal
The Saviour’s work and worth;
Then the hard heart begins to feel
A new and heav’nly birth.
VII
Thus bought with blood and born again,
Redeem’d and saved by grace,
Rebels in God’s own house obtain
A son’s and daughter’s place.
30
Winter.19
By Newton
I
See, how rude Winter’s icy hand
Has stripp’d the trees and seal’d the ground!
But Spring shall soon his rage withstand,
And spread new beauties all around.
II
My soul a sharper winter mourns,
Barren and fruitless I remain;
When will the gentle spring return,
And bid my graces grow again?
III
Jesus, my glorious sun, arise!
’Tis thine the frozen heart to move;
Oh! hush these storms and clear my skies.
And let me feel thy vital love!
IV
Dear Lord, regard my feeble cry,
I faint and droop till thou appear;
Wilt thou permit thy plant to die?
Must it be winter all the year.
V
Be still, my soul, and wait his hour
With humble pray’r and patient faith;
Till he reveals his gracious power,
Repose on what his promise saith.
VI
He, by whose all-commanding word
Seasons their changing course maintain,
In every change a pledge affords,
That none shall seek his face in vain.
31
Waiting for Spring
By Newton
I
Though cloudy skies and northern blasts
Retard the gentle spring awhile,
The sun will conq’ror prove at last,
And nature wear a vernal smile.
II
The promise which from age to age
Has brought the changing seasons round,
Again shall calm the winter’s rage,
Perfume the air and paint the ground.
III
The virtue of that first command,
I know still does and will prevail,
That while the earth itself shall stand,
The spring and summer shall not fail.
IV
Such changes are for us decreed;
Believers have their winters too;
But spring shall certainly succeed,
And all their former life renew.
V
Winter and spring have each their use,
And each in turn his people know;
One kills the weeds their hearts produce,
The other makes their graces grow.
VI
Though like dead trees awhile they seem,
Yet, having life within their root,
The welcome spring’s reviving beam
Draws forth their blossoms, leaves, and fruit.
VII
But if the tree indeed be dead,
It feels no change though spring return;
Its leafless, naked, barren head,
Proclaims it only fit to burn.
VIII
Dear Lord, afford our souls a spring,
Thou know’st our winter has been long:
Shine forth, and warm our hearts to sing,
And thy rich grace shall be our song.
