6 The gift I embrace;
The Giver I praise;
And ascribe my salvation to Jesus's grace:
It comes from above,
The foretaste I prove,
And I soon shall receive all the fulness of love.
Describing Inward Religion.
AUTHOR of faith, Eternal Word,
Whose Spirit breathes the active flame; Faith, like its Finisher and Lord, To-day, as yesterday, the same: 2 To Thee our humble hearts aspire, And ask the gift unspeakable: Increase in us the kindled fire, In us the work of faith fulfil.
3 By faith we know Thee strong to save:
(Save us, a present Saviour Thou!)
Whate'er we hope, by faith we have,
Future and past subsisting now.
4 To him that in Thy Name believes,
Eternal life with Thee is given;
Into himself he all receives,
Pardon, and holiness, and heaven.
5 The things unknown to feeble sense,
Unseen by reason's glimmering ray,
With strong, commanding evidence,
Their heavenly origin display.
6 Faith lends its realising light,
The clouds disperse, the shadows fly,
The' Invisible appears in sight,
And God is seen by mortal eye.
H His sins on earth forgiven?
OW can a sinner know
How can my gracious Saviour show
My name inscribed in heaven?
What we have felt and seen,
With confidence we tell;
And publish to the sons of men,
The signs infallible.
2 We who in Christ believe
That He for us hath died,
We all His unknown peace receive,
And feel His blood applied;
Exults our rising soul,
Disburdened of her load,
And swells unutterably full
Of glory and of God."
His love, surpassing far
The love of all beneath,
We find within our hearts, and dare
The pointless darts of death.
Stronger than death and hell,
The mystic power we prove;
And, conquerors of the world, we dwell
In heaven, who dwell in love.
We by His Spirit prove,
And know the things of God,
The things which freely of His love
He hath on us bestowed;
His Spirit to us He gave,
And dwells in us, we know:
The witness in ourselves we have,
And all its fruits we show.
5 The meek and lowly heart,
That in our Saviour was,
To us His Spirit doth impart,
And signs us with His cross:
Our nature's turned, our mind
Transformed in all its powers;
And both the witnesses are joined,
The Spirit of God with ours.
Whate'er our pardoning Lord
Commands, we gladly do;
And, guided by His sacred word,
We all His steps pursuc;
His glory our design,
We live our God to please;
And rise, with filial fear divine,
To perfect holiness.
THOU great mysterious God unknown1,
Whose love hath gently led me on,
Even from my infant days;
Mine inmost soul expose to view,
And tell me, if I ever knew
Thy justifying grace.
2 If I have only known Thy fear,
And followed, with a heart sincere,
Thy drawings from above;
Now, now the further grace bestow,
And let my sprinkled conscience know
Thy sweet forgiving love.
3 Short of Thy love I would not stop,
A stranger to the gospel hope,
The sense of sin forgiven;
I would not, Lord, my soul deceive,
Without Thy inward Witness live,
That antepast of heaven.
4 If now the Witness were in me,
Would He not testify of Thee
In Jesus reconciled?
And should I not with faith draw nigh,
And boldly, Abba, Father, cry,
And know myself Thy child?
5 Whate'er obstructs Thy pardoning love,-
Or sin, or righteousness,-remove,
Thy glory to display ;
Mine heart of unbelief convince,
And now absolve me from my sins,
And take them all away.
6 Father, in me reveal Thy Son,
And to my inmost soul make known
How inerciful Thou art:
The secret of Thy love reveal,
And by Thine hallowing Spirit dwell
For ever in my heart!
Describing the Love of God to Man.
FATHER, whose everlasting Love
Thy only Son for sinners gave;
Whose grace to all did freely move,
And sent Him down the world to save.
2 Help us Thy mercy to extol,
Immense, unfathomed, unconfined;
To praise the Lamb who died for all,
The general Saviour of mankind.
3 Thy undistinguishing regard
Was cast on Adam's fallen race:
For all Thou hast in Christ prepared
Sufficient, sovereign, saving grace.
4 The world He suffered to redeem :
For all He hath the 'atonement made:
For those that will not come to Him,
The ransom of His life was paid.
5 Why then, Thou universal Love,
Should any of Thy grace despair?
To all, to all, Thy bowels move,
But straitened in our own we are.
6 Arise, O God, maintain Thy cause!
The fulness of the Gentiles call:
Lift up the standard of Thy cross,
And all shall own Thou diedst for all.
387 (43)
BEHOLD the Saviour of mankind
Nailed to the shameful tree!
How vast the love that Him inclined
To bleed and die for thee!
2 Hark, how He groans! while nature shakes, And earth's strong pillars bend;
The temple's veil in sunder breaks;
The solid marbles rend.
3 'Tis done! the precious ransom's paid; "Receive my 'soul," He cries:
See where He bows His sacred head!
He bows His head, and dies!
4 But soon He'll break death's envious chain And in full glory shine:
O Lamb of God! was ever pain,
Was ever love like Thine?
From the German of PAUL GERHARDT.
En sorest agony and blood,
XTENDED on a cursed tree,
See there, the King of Glory see! Sinks, and expires the Son of God! 2 Who, who, my Saviour, this hath done? Who could Thy sacred body wound? No guilt Thy spotless heart hath known, No guile hath in Thy lips been found. 3 I, I alone, have done the deed! "Tis I Thy sacred flesh have torn; My sins have caused Thee, Lord, to bleed, Pointed the nail, and fixed the thorn. 4 The burden, for me to sustain
Too great, on Thee, my Lord, was laid;
To heal me, Thou hast borne my pain;
To bless me, Thou a curse wast made.
5 In the devouring lion's teeth,
Torn, and forsook of all, I lay;
Thou sprang'st into the jaws of death,
From death to save the helpless prey.
6 My Saviour, how shall I proclaim,
How pay the mighty debt I owe?
Let all I have, and all I am,
Ceaseless to all Thy glory show.
7 Too much to Thee I cannot give;
Too much I cannot do for Thee;
Let all Thy love, and all Thy grief,
Graven on my heart for ever be!
8 The meek, the still, the lowly mind,
O may I learn from Thee, my God;
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