205. C. M.

God every where the Refuge of his Servants.

1 How are thy servants blessed, O Lord!
How sure is their defence!
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help, omnipotence.

2 In foreign realms, and lands remote,
Supported by thy care,

They pass unhurt through burning climes,
And breathe in tainted air.

3 Thy mercy sweetens every soil,
Makes every region please;
The hoary frozen hills it warms,
And smooths the boisterous seas.

4 Though by the dreadful tempest tossed
High on the broken wave,

They know thou art not slow to hear,
Nor impotent to save.

5 The storm is laid, the winds retire,
Obedient to thy will;

The sea that roars at thy command,
At thy command is still.

6 From all our griefs and straits, O Lord'
Thy mercy sets us free,
While in the confidence of prayer

Our hearts take hold on thee.

7 In midst of dangers, fears, and death,
Thy goodness we'll adore;

And praise thee for thy mercies past,
And humbly hope for more.

8 Our lives, while thou preserv'st our lives, Thy sacrifice shall be;

And O death, when death shall come,

may

Unite our souls to thee!

Addison.

206 L. M.

The Righteous blessed in death.

1 How blessed the righteous when he dies!
When sinks the weary soul to rest,
How mildly beams the closing eyes,
How gently heaves the expiring breast!

2 So fades a summer cloud away,

So sinks the gale when storms are o'er,
So gently shuts the eye of day,
So dies a wave along the shore.

3 A holy quiet reigns around,

A calm which life nor death destroys;
Nothing disturbs that peace profound
Which his unfettered soul enjoys.

4 Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears,
Where lights and shades alternate dwell!
How bright the unchanging morn appears!
Farewell, inconstant world, farewell!

5 Life's duty done, as sinks the clay,
Light from its load the spirit flies;
While heaven and earth combine to say,
'How blest the righteous when he dies!'

Barbauld.

1

2

3

4

207. s. M.

The Happy Change.

How blessed is man, O God!
When first with single eye
He views the lustre of thy word,
The day-spring from on high!

Through storms that veil the skies,
And frown on earthly things,

The sun of righteousness breaks forth,
With healing on his wings.

Struck by that light, his heart,

A barren soil no more,

Sends shoots of righteousness abroad,

Where follies sprung before.

The soul, so dreary once,

Once misery's dark domain,

Feels happiness unknown before,
And owns a heavenly reign.

208. L. M.

Pious Friendship.

Cowper, alt'.

1 How blessed the sacred tie that binds
In union sweet, according minds!
How swift the heavenly course they run,
Whose hearts, whose faith, whose hopes are one!

2 To each, the soul of each how dear!
What jealous love! what holy fear!
How doth the generous flame within
Refine from earth, and cleanse from sin!

3 Their streaming eyes together flow
For human guilt and mortal wo;
Their ardent prayers together rise,
Like mingling flames in sacrifice.

4 Together both they seek the place
Where God reveals his awful face:
How high, how strong, their raptures swell,
There's none but kindred souls can tell.

5 Nor shall the glowing flame expire
When nature droops her sickening fire;
Then shall they meet in realms above,
A heaven of joy, because of love.

209. s. M.

Mrs. Barbauld.

Reliance on God, a Remedy for Care. 1 Pet. v. 7.

1

How gracious is our God!

How kind his precepts are!

'Come, cast your burden on the Lord,
And trust his constant care.'

I

3

4

We may securely dwell;

That hand which bears all nature up,

Shall guide his children well.

O why should anxious thoughts,
Oppress the sinking mind!

Go fall before your Father's throne,
And sweet relief you'll find.

In

Devoutly fear his name,

And know no other fear,

every scene of life and death
Your Helper will be near.

Doddridge.

210. L. M.

A Happy Life.

1 How happy is he born and taught,
Who serveth not another's will;
Whose armour is his honest thought,
And simple truth his utmost skill!

2 Whose passions not his masters are,
Whose soul is still prepared for death,
Untied to this vain world by care
Of public fame, or private breath:
3 Who hath his life from rumours freed,
Whose conscience is his strong retreat:
Whose state can neither flatterers feed,
Nor ruin make oppressors great:

4 Who God doth late and early pray
More of his grace than gifts to lend;
Whose heart, as open as the day,
Fears not to call his God his friend.

5 This man is freed from servile bands
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall:
Lord of himself, though not of lands,
He, having nothing, yet hath all.

211. c. M.

Sir H. Wotton.

Heavenly Wisdom. Prov. iii. 13—17.

1 How happy is the man who hears
Instruction's warning voice;

And who celestial wisdom makes
His early, only choice!