No grace but that of God
Can fo th' affections move;
He came in human form to fhow
The bleffedness of love.
6 How doth he woo our hearts!
This best beloved of God,
To work our weal, fo ill deferved,
The path of fuffering trod.
For us he mildly moved
His awful trial thro';
For us he died, and dying crushed
Our worst ill-looking foe.
Converse with fuch a friend
What heart does not approve?
What dear attractions in him meet
To ftir the foul of love?
ccci. Long Met. STEELE.
The meek and benevolent Example of CHRIST.
I ND is the gospel peace and love?
Such let our converfation be;
The ferpent blended with the dove,
Wisdom and meek fimplicity.
2 Whene'er the angry paffions rife,
And tempt our thoughts or tongues to ftrife,
To your Redeemer raise your eyes,
Bright pattern of the chriftian life.
O how benevolent and kind!
How mild! how ready to forgive!
Be this the temper of our mind,
And these the rules by which we live.
To do his heavenly Father's will, Was his employment and delight; Humility and holy zeal
Shone through his life, divinely bright.
Difpenfing good where'er he came,
The labours of his life were love:
O if we love our Saviour's name,
His lovely virtues may we prove.
From thy example may we trace
What every christian ought to be;
And copying all thy various grace,
Be daily, Lord, more like to thee.
TOT different food, or different dress
But peace, and joy, and righteousness,
And true obedience to his word.
When weaker chriftians we despise,
Highly the gospel do we wrong;
For God the gracious and the wife
Receives the feeble with the strong.
Let pride and wrath be banish'd hence; Meeknefs and love may we pursue;
Nor let our practice give offence
To Chriftian, Gentile, or to Jew.
ccc. Proper Metre.
Charity the first and laft of Virtues.
WEET charity, long fuffering, meek and kind,
Infpires with peace and joy the humble mind.
Her heart no proud difdainful paffion fwells,
Nor envy in her gentle bofom dwells.
No unbecoming selfish care she knows,
But every focial temper in her glows:
Averse to take affronts, her placid smile
Looks down on malice, and suspects no guile.
The numerous ills of life the patient bears,
While faith looks upward, and forbids her fears;
Hope rifes cheerful with expectant smiles,
And all the tedious hours of pain beguiles.
Faith, hope and charity on earth remain, To guide our steps, and fweeten human pain; But lovely charity fuperior fhines,
Nor dies, but heaven the facred flame refines.
CCCIV. Proper Metre. PRIOR.
HARITY, decent, modeft, eafy, kind,
Softens the high, and rears the abject mind;
Not foon provoked, the easily forgives;
And much the fuffers, as the much believes.
Sweet peace she brings, wherever she arrives;
She builds our quiet, as the forms our lives;
Lays the rough paths of peevifh nature even,
And opens in each heart a little heaven.
Each other gift which God on man beftows,
Its proper bounds and due reftriction knows;
To one fixt purpose dedicates its power,
And finishing its act, exifts no more.
Thus in obedience to what heaven decrees,
Knowledge fhall fail, and prophecy fhall ceafe;
And conftant faith, and faireft hope fhall die,
One loft in certainty, and one in joy.
But lafting charity's more ample sway,
Nor bound by time, nor fubject to decay,
In glorious triumph fhall for ever live,
And endless praife, and endless blessing give.
cccv. Long Metre. WATTS.
The Love of GOD fhould be afcendant.
GRIEVE, my God, that I fhould be A ftranger to myself and thee; Amidst a thousand cares I rove, Forgetful of my highest love.
Why should my foul thus ftoop to earth?
Why thus debafe my heavenly birth?
Grafp with fuch paffion things below,
And let my God, my Father go?
O rescue me from earth and sense,
Thy fovereign love fhould draw me thence:
I would obey the claim divine,
And facrifice all love to thine.
Be earth then with its lures withdrawn, Its idle vanity be gone:
In virtuous converfe of the mind
With God, my truest peace I find.
cccvi. Common Metre. UNKNOWN.
The virtuous Ufe of Profperity.
Y gracious God accept my prayer,
If e'er thy love divine
Should profper my well-meaning care,
And wealth fhould e'er be mine.
2 May humble worth without a fear,
Approach my open door;
Nor may I ever view a tear,
Regardless, from the poor.
3 O bless me with an honest mind,
Above all felfish ends
Humanely warm to all mankind,
And cordial to my friends.
4 With confcious truth and honour still
My actions may I guide;
Nor know a fear, but that of ill,
Nor fcorn, but that of pride.
5 Thee in remembrance may I bear,
To thee my tribute raise;
Conclude each day with fervent prayer,
And wake each morn with praise.
6 Thus thro' my life may I approve
The gratitude I owe;
And hope to fhare thy bliss above,
Whofe laws I keep below.
CCCVII. Proper Metre. UNKNOWN.
Devotion infpiring virtuous Thoughts.
BOW before that fovereign power,
Whofe goodness heaven and earth adore,
With every morning's light;
And at the close of every day,
To him my conftant homage pay,
Who guards from ill my night.
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