This for his merit's sake I feek,
Whole blood and wounds do mercy fpeak;
Who left the rank of glorious choirs,
And heav'nly flow'rs for earthly briars.
Our Samson touk an boly nap
Upon our feeble nature's lap:
He wand'ring in a pilgrim's weed,
Did taste our griefs, to help our need:
Earth's fury did upon him light;
How black was Herod's cruel spite !
Who, to be sure of murd'ring one,
Lelt he be spar'd did pity none !
Hell hunts the babe a few days old,
That came to rifle Satan's fold :
All hands pursu'd him ev'n to death,
That came to save from fin and wrath.
O mercy ! ignorant of bounds!
Which all created thought confounds;
He ran outright a saving race
For them that unto death him chase.
O fin! how heavy is thy weight,
That press’d the glorious God of might,
Till prostrate on the freezing ground,
He sweat his clotted blood around !
His hand the pond'rous globe does prop,
This weight ne'er made him sweat a drop :
But when fin's load upon him lies,
He falls and sweats, and grones and dies.
Alas! if God fink under fin,
How shall the man that dies therein ?
How deeply down, when to the load
He adds the flighted blood of God ?
Lord, let thy fall my rise obtain,
Thy grievous shame my glory gain;
Thy cross my lasting crown procure,
Thy death my endless life insure.
O send me down a draught of love,
Or take me hence to drink above :
Here Marah's water fills my cup,
But there all griefs are swallow'd up,

Love here is scarce a faint defire ;
But there the sparks a flaming fire.
Joys here are drops that passing fee ;
But there an ever-flowing sea.
My faith, that sees so darkly here,
Will there resign to vision clear :
My hope, that's here a weary groan,
Will to fruition yield the throne.
Here fetters hamper freedom's wing;
But there the captive is a king :
And grace is like a bury'd feed;
But fioners there are faints indeed.
My portion's here a crumb at best;

: ;
But there the Lamb's eternal feaft:
My praise is now a smother'd fire;
But then I'll fing and never tire.
Now dusky shadows cloud my day;
But then the shades will flee away :
My Lord will break the dimming glass,
And shew his glory face to face.
My num'rous foes now beat me down ;
But then I'll wear the victor's crown:
Yet all the revenues I'll bring
so Zion's everlasting King.

SECT. II.
The deserted Believer's Prayer under Complaints of

Unbelief, Darkness, Deadness, and Hardness.

· WHAT means this wicked wand'ring heart ?

of
my

foul ?
Would Jesus but a look impart;

One look from him would make me whole.
But will he turn to me his face,

From whom he jusly did withdraw ?
To me who flighted all that grace

I in my past experience faw?
Lord, for thy promise sake return,

Apply thy pard’ning, cleansing blood;
Look down with pity on a worm,

With cov'nant-mercy do me good.

When thy free Sp'rit the word applies,

And kindly tells me thou art mine, My faithless linking heart replies,

Ah, Lord! I wish I could be thine. My faith's so 'nighted in my doubts,

I cast the offer'd good away ; And lose, by raising vain disputes,

The wonted blessings of the day. Was e'er one press'd with such a load,

Or pierc'd with such an unseen dart; To find at once an absent God,

And yet, alas! a careless heart? Such grief as mine, a griefefs grief,

Did ever any mortal share ? An hopeless hope, a lifeless life,

Or such unwonted careless care? "Tis fad, Lord! when for night's folace

Nor moon, nor starry gleams appear ; Yet worse, when in this dismal cale

My heart is hard'ned from thy fear. 'Twas not because no fhow?rs did flow

Of heav'nly manna at my door; But by my folly I'm into

A worse condition than before. Come, Lord, with greater pow's; for why,

Mine, fure, is not a common cafe : Thou offer'st to unvail; yet I

Do scarce incline to fee thy face. Such languid faint desires I feel

Within this wicked stupid heart; I should, I would; but that I will

I hardly dare with truth assert. O to be free of that vile wrack,

That basely keeps me from my God! I fee from thee, Lord; bring me back

By tender loye, or by thy rod. In paths of righteousness direct,

New proofs of thy remission give ; Then of thy name I'll mention make With grateful praises while I live:

to

On banks of mercy's boundless deep

'Wiih sweeter ease I'll foar and sing, Than kings of feather'd hosts, that sweep

The oozy fhore with easy wing. But if thy mind omniscient know

I'm for this absent bless unfit, Give grace to hate my fins, and to

Their rightecus punishment submit. But let me ne'er thy Spirit lack,

That by his aid my pray’rs may come Before him, who can wisely make

Ev'n distance lead his people home. Deep wisdom can my soul prepare

By present woes for absent bliss.
By acid griefs that now 1 share,

He can convey the joys I miss.
Who all from nothing's womb disclos'd,

Can make th’amzing product cease;
With him our order is confus'd,

By him confusion brings forth peace. Then, Lord, ne'er let me bafely spurn

Against thy searchless unknown ways; But magnify thy work, and turn

My groans and murmurs into praise. Let me submissive, while I live,

Thy awful justice own with fear: Yet pensive let me never grieve

Thy tender mercy by despair. Since though by fin I foully swerv'd,

And lewdly from iny glory fell ; I'm chaften'd here, and not referv'd

To feel the weight of fin in hell: Thy high right hand's once joyful days

In my distress I'll call to mind; And :wn that all thy darkest ways

Will clearly prove thee good and kind.

SECT. III.
The BELIEVER wading tbrougb Depibs of Defertion

and Corruption.
L
ORD, when thy face thou hid'It,

And leav'st me long to plore,
I faithless doubt of all thou didst

And wrought'it for me before.
No marks of love I find,

No grains of grace, but wracks ;
No track of heav'n is left behind.

N, groan, no smuaking flax.
But say, if all the gusts

And grains of love be spent,
Say, Farewel Christ, and welcome lufts;

Stop, stop, I melt, I faint.
Lord, yet thou hast my heart,

This bargain black I hate ;
I dare not, cannot, will not part

With thee at such a rate.
Once, like a Father good,

Thou didst with grace perfume ;
Walt thou a father to conclude

With dreadful judge's dvom?
Confirm thy former deed,

Reform what is defil'd ;
I was, I am, I'll still abide

Thy choice, thy charge, thy child.
Love-feals thou didst impart,

Lock'd up in mind I have;
Hell cannot rase out of my heart

What heay'n did there engrave.
Thou once didst make me whole

By thy almighty hand;
Thou mad'st me vow and gift my soul;

Both vow aud gift shall stand.
But since my folly gross

My joyful cup did spill,
Make me the captive of thy cross,
Submiffive to thy will.