V
Thus in barren hearts he sows
Precious seeds of heav’nly joy;
Sin and hell in vain oppose,
None can grace’s crop destroy:
Threatened oft, yet still it blooms,
After many changes past;
Death the reaper, when he comes,
Finds it fully ripe at last.
Christmas
37
Praise for the Incarnation
By Newton
I
Sweeter sounds than music knows
Charm me in Emmanuel’s name;
All her hopes my spirit owes
To his birth and cross and shame.
II
When he came the angels sung—
“Glory be to God on high!”
Lord, unloose my stamm’ring tongue,
Who should louder sing than I?
III
Did the Lord a man become,
That he might the law fulfill,
Bleed and suffer in my room,
And canst thou, my tongue, be still?
IV
No, I must my praises bring,
Though they worthless are and weak;
For should I refuse to sing,
Sure the very stones would speak.
V
O my Saviour, Shield, and Sun,
Shepherd, Brother, Husband, Friend,
Every precious name in one,
I will love thee without end.
38
Jehovah-Jesus
By Cowper
I
My song shall bless the Lord of all,
My praise shall climb to his abode.
Thee, Saviour, by that name I call—
The great supreme, the mighty God.
II
Without beginning or decline,
Object of faith and not of sense—
Eternal ages saw him shine,
He shines eternal ages hence.
III
As much, when in the manger laid,
Almighty Ruler of the sky,
As when the six days work he made
Fill’d all the morning-stars with joy.
IV
Of all the crowns Jehovah bears,
Salvation is his dearest claim:
That gracious sound well pleased he hears,
And owns Emmanuel for his name.
V
A cheerful confidence I feel,
My well-placed hopes with joy I see;
My bosom glows with heav’nly zeal
To worship Him who died for me.
VI
As man he pities my complaint,
His power and truth are all divine—
He will not fail, he cannot faint,
Salvation’s sure, and must be mine.
39
Man Honoured Above Angels
By Newton
I
Now let us join with hearts and tongues,
And emulate the angels’ songs;
Yea, sinners may address their King
In songs that angels cannot sing.
II
They praise the Lamb who once was slain;
But we can add a higher strain—
Not only say “He suffer’d thus,
But that “He suffer’d all for us.”
III
When angels by transgression fell,
Justice consign’d them all to hell;
But mercy form’d a wondrous plan,
To save and honour fallen man.
IV
Jesus, who pass’d the angels by,
Assumed our flesh to bleed and die;
And still he makes it his abode—
As man he fills the throne of God.
V
Our next of kin, our Brother now,
Is he to whom the angels bow;
They join with us to praise his name,
But we the nearest int’rest claim.
VI
But ah! how faint our praises rise!
Sure, ’tis the wonder of the skies,
That we, who share his richest love,
So cold and unconcern’d should prove.
VII
Oh glorious hour! it comes with speed,
When we from sin and darkness freed,
Shall see the God who died for man,
And praise him more than angels can.
40
Saturday Evening
By Newton
I
Safely through another week
God has brought us on our way;
Let us now a blessing seek
On th’ approaching Sabbath-day:
Day of all the week the best,
Emblem of eternal rest.
II
Mercies multiplied each hour
Through the week our praise demand;
Guarded by Almighty power,
Fed and guided by his hand.
Though ungrateful we have been—
Only made returns of sin.
III
While we pray for pard’ning grace,
Through the dear Redeemer’s name,
Show thy reconciled face,
Shine away our sin and shame.
From our worldly care set free,
May we rest this night with thee.
IV
When the morn shall bid us rise
May we feel thy presence near!
May thy glory meet our eyes
When we in thy house appear!
There afford us, Lord, a taste
Of our everlasting feast.
V
May thy gospel’s joyful sound
Conquer sinners—comfort saints;
Make the fruits of grace abound,
Bring relief for all complaints.
Thus may all our Sabbaths prove
Till we join the church above!
The Close of the Year
41
Ebenezer
By Newton
1 Samuel 7:12.
I
The Lord, our salvation and light,
The guide and the strength of our days,
Has brought us together to-night,
A new Ebenezer to raise.
The year we have now passed through
His goodness with blessings has crown’d;
Each morning his mercies were new;
Then let our thanksgivings abound.
II
Encompass’d with dangers and snares,
Temptations and fears and complaints,
His ear he inclined to our prayers,
His hand open’d wide to our wants,
We never besought him in vain;
When burden’d with sorrow or sin,
He help’d us again and again,
Or where before now had we been?
III
His gospel throughout the long year,
From Sabbath to Sabbath he gave.
How oft has he met with us here,
And shown himself mighty to save!
His candlestick has been removed
From churches once privileged thus;
But though we unworthy have proved,
It still is continued to us.
IV
For so many mercies received,
Alas! what returns have we made?
His Spirit we often have grieved,
And evil for good have repaid.
How well it becomes us to cry—
“Oh! who is a God like to thee?
Who passest iniquities by,
And plungest them deep in the sea!”
V
To Jesus, who sits on the throne,
Our best hallelujahs we bring.
To thee it is owing alone
That we are permitted to sing.
Assist us, we pray, to lament
The sins of the year that is past;
And grant that the next may be spent
Far more to thy praise than the last.
42
Another
By Newton
I
Let hearts and tongues unite,
And loud thanksgivings raise:
’Tis duty, mingled with delight,
To sing the Saviour’s praise.
II
To him we owe our breath,
He took us from the womb,
Which else had shut us up in death,
And proved an early tomb.
III
When on the breast we hung
Our help was in the Lord.
’Twas he first taught our infant tongue
To form the lisping word.
IV
When in our blood we lay,
He would not let us die,
Because his love had fix’d a day
To bring
