At every poor excuse they catch—
A lion in the way.
VII
To use the means of grace how loath!
We call them still in vain;
They yield to their beloved sloth,
And fold their arms again.
VIII
Dear Saviour, let thy pow’r appear,
The outward call to aid.
These drowsy souls can only hear
The voice that wakes the dead.
79
Not in Word, but in Power
By Newton
I
How soon the Saviour’s gracious call
Disarm’d the rage of bloody Saul.
Jesus, the knowledge of thy name
Changes the lion to a lamb.
II
Zaccheus, when he knew the Lord,
What he had gain’d by wrong restored;
And of the wealth he prized before,
He gave the half to feed the poor.
III
The woman who so vile had been,
When brought to weep o’er pardon’d sin,
Was from her evil ways estranged,
And show’d that grace her heart had changed.
IV
And can we think the power of grace
Is lost by change of time and place?
Then it was mighty, all allow,
And is it but a notion now?
V
Can they whom pride and passion sway,
Who mammon and the world obey,
In envy or contention live,
Presume that they indeed believe?
VI
True faith unites to Christ the root,
By him producing holy fruit;
And they who no such fruit can show,
Still on the stock of nature grow.
VII
Lord, let thy word effectual prove
To work in us obedient love!
And may each one who hears it, dread
A name to live, and yet be dead.32
VII
Praise
80
Praise for Faith
By Cowper
I
Of all the gifts thine hand bestows,
Thou Giver of all good!
Not heaven itself a richer knows,
Than my Redeemer’s blood.
II
Faith too, the blood-receiving grace,
From the same hand we gain;
Else, sweetly as it suits our case,
That gift had been in vain.
III
Till thou thy teaching power apply,
Our hearts refuse to see,
And, weak as a distemper’d eye,
Shut out the view of thee.
IV
Blind to the merits of thy Son,
What misery we endure!
Yet fly that hand from which alone
We could expect a cure.
V
We praise thee, and would praise thee more;
To thee our all we owe—
The precious Saviour, and the power
That makes him precious too.
81
Grace and Providence
By Cowper
I
Almighty King! whose wondrous hand
Supports the weight of sea and land,
Whose grace is such a boundless store
No heart shall break that sighs for more,
II
Thy providence supplies my food,
And ’tis thy blessing makes it good;
My soul is nourish’d by thy word
Let soul and body praise the Lord.
III
My streams of outward comfort came
From him, who built this earthly frame;
Whate’er I want his bounty gives,
By whom my soul for ever lives.
IV
Either his hand preserves from pain,
Or, if I feel it, heals again;
From Satan’s malice shields my breast,
Or over-rules it for the best.
V
Forgive the song that falls so low
Beneath the gratitude I owe!
It means thy praise, however poor—
An angel’s song can do no more.
82
Praise for Redeeming Love
By Newton
I
Let us love and sing and wonder,
Let us praise the Saviour’s name!
He has hush’d the Law’s loud thunder,
He has quench’d mount Sinai’s flame:
He has wash’d us with his blood,
He has brought us nigh to God.
II
Let us love the Lord who bought us,
Pitied us when enemies,
Call’d us by his grace, and taught us,
Gave us ears, and gave us eyes:
He has wash’d us with his blood,
He presents our souls to God.
III
Let us sing, though fierce temptation
Threaten hard to bear us down!
For the Lord, our strong salvation,
Holds in view the conq’ror’s crown:
He, who wash’d us with his blood,
Soon will bring us home to God.
IV
Let us wonder, grace and justice
Join, and point to mercy’s store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is,
Justice smiles, and asks no more:
He who wash’d us with his blood
Has secured our way to God.
V
Let us praise, and join the chorus
Of the saints enthroned on high;
Here they trusted him before us,
Now their praises fill the sky:
“Thou hast wash’d us with thy blood,
Thou art worthy, Lamb of God!”
VI
Hark! the name of Jesus sounded
Loud from golden harps above!
Lord, we blush, and are confounded,
Faint our praises, cold our love!
Wash our souls and songs with blood,
For by thee we come to God.
83
I Will Praise the Lord at All Times
By Cowper
I
Winter has a joy for me
While the Saviour’s charms I read,
Lowly, meek, from blemish free,
In the snow-drop’s pensive head.
II
Spring returns, and brings along
Life-invigorating suns:
Hark! the turtle’s plaintive song
Seems to speak his dying groans!
III
Summer has a thousand charms,
All expressive of his worth;
’Tis his sun that lights and warms,
His the air that cools the earth.
IV
What! has autumn left to say
Nothing of a Saviour’s grace?
Yes, the beams of milder day
Tell me of his smiling face.
V
Light appears with early dawn;
While the sun makes haste to rise,
See his bleeding beauties drawn
On the blushes of the skies.
VI
Evening, with a silent pace,
Slowly moving in the west,
Shows an emblem of his grace,
Points to an eternal rest.
84
Perseverance
By Newton
I
Rejoice, believer, in the Lord,
Who makes your cause his own;
The hope that’s built upon his word
Can ne’er be overthrown.
II
Though many foes beset your road,
And feeble is your arm,
Your life is hid with Christan God,
Beyond the reach of harm.
III
Weak as you are, you shall not faint,
Or fainting shall not die;
Jesus, the strength of every saint,
Will aid you from on high.
IV
Though sometimes unperceived by sense,
Faith sees
