Classic Poem

CHAPTER XI.

Let the true servant of the Lord
Be blamed for publishing the word
Which God vouchsafes to bless,
Let men from a false zeal gainsay,
And censure on the preacher lay
To balance his success.

Their narrowness of heart they show;
But God permits it should be so
In wisdom and in grace;
Better the Jews should still contend,
Than Jesus' minister commend,
And poison him with praise.

Y E murmur and accuse in vain,
That mingling with the worst of men
Fraternal love we show;
Our Master did with sinners eat;
His servants count it right and meet
In all His steps to go.

Who want the form of godliness
To them we must our love express;
But always ready are
A simple full account to give,
And with our angry brethren's leave
The matter to declare.

H E did not scorn to make reply,
His conduct blamed to justify
Against their erring zeal;
He did not the first place assume,
Or sit with all the pride of Rome ,
A judge infallible.

From his submissiveness we know
What each to each the members owe:
And let our elders call
The men they hastily reprove,
We own ourselves in humble love
Accountable to all.

B Y wisdom pure, and humble love
Made slow and circumspect,
One of a thousand we approve
And all the rest reject;
Visions, and ecstasies, and dreams,
If others seek or shun,
We steer betwixt the two extremes
To credit all, or none.

T O beasts we aptly may compare
The slaves of appetite,
The things of earth their only care
And sense their whole delight;
With furious hate intestine wars
The savages maintain,
And each his fellow-creature tears,
And man's a wolf to man.

They creep on earth who gold adore
With grovelling avarice,
On wings of pride the' ambitious soar
And seem to reach the skies;
On ashes, dust, and husks they feed,
By brutal passions stirr'd,
And none are rational indeed
But those that love the Lord.

T HE church's servant should be wise,
Appearances of evil shun,
Walk in the light, abhor disguise,
And nothing act unseen, alone,
But vouchers for his conduct take
For Jesus' and the gospel's sake.

W E too of Jesus sing
Who did salvation bring;
Sinners of the Gentiles we
Joyful news of Jesus hear,
We the great Salvation see,
We receive the Comforter.
Our Father doth forgive
The moment we believe;
Now the promise is fulfill'd,
Now our Pentecost is come,
Now the Son of God reveal'd
Makes our hearts His constant home.

O UR true and faithful Lord
Spoke the prophetic word,
First to His apostles spake,
Then to all the ransom'd kind,
All may now the grace partake,
All the promised blessing find.

What the prediction meant
We learn by its event,
Gentile, Jew , and all our race
May the truth of Jesus prove,
Born again their Lord embrace,
Sons of God by faith and love.

The pure baptismal Fire
Shall me, even me inspire,
I from my own works shall cease,
I the Spirit's birth shall know,
Live the life of holiness,
Perfect holiness, below.

Come holy, hallowing Flame,
And plunge me in Thy name!
Partner of Thy nature then,
Then I live and sin no more,
All the promises obtain,
Lost in silent love adore.

W E triumph in the word's success
Whoe'er the welcome news proclaim,
The God of our salvation bless,
And magnify His precious name;
For other souls' prosperity
Joyful as for our own, we prove
The Son hath made us truly free,
And God beyond ourselves we love.

T HAT change entire of life and heart
Which only God effects in man,
Saviour and Prince to us impart,
And in our inmost souls explain;
The death of sin, the life of grace,
We then shall feel Divinely given,
And pass, rejoicing all our days,
To that eternal life in heaven.

G IVER of repentance, Thee
My Lord I long to prove,
O vouchsafe the grace to me,
The grief of contrite love:
Sunk in sin, to Thee I pray
Exalted on Thy glorious throne;
Saviour, Prince, Thy power display,
And break my heart of stone.

Waits my heart insensible
Thy mercy's power to know,
Cast the pitying look, and fill
My soul with sacred woe;
Then I to my Lord shall turn,
And conscious of the blood applied
Look on Him I pierced, and mourn
With Jesus crucified.

Thus my few remaining days
I would in sorrow spend,
Trampler on the God of grace
And murderer of my Friend;
Weeping till my Friend appears,
By Him, but not myself forgiven,
Till He wipes away my tears,
And comforts me in heaven.

S AVIOUR and Prince, I lift
To Thee my flinty heart,
Who only dost the precious gift
Of penitence impart;
Clothed with omnipotence
Thou canst the stone remove,
Thou wilt bestow the contrite sense,
For Thou, O God, art Love.

I wait the powerful look
Of tenderness Divine,
The sight which many a heart hath broke
Almost as hard as mine;
The piteous spectacle
Of Jesus on the tree,
Which bids my wounded spirit feel
The death He bore for me.

Soon as Thy cross appears
The rocks again are rent,
Sinners dissolve in gracious tears,
And I, their chief repent!
I weep, and still weep on
Till Thou my sins remove,
Lamenting with my latest groan
That e'er I grieved Thy love.

W HAT can persecution do
Against the cause of God?
All things work if God be true
To spread the truth abroad;
Foes intending to destroy
His work, and slay the witnesses,
Higher raise the gospel joy,
And make the church increase.

God Himself prepares our way,
The door He opens wide,
Then we cheerfully obey
And follow Christ our guide,
Pilgrims o'er the desert rove,
And every place our country own,
Where we can our Saviour love,
And live to God alone.

Chased from home we cannot be,
Or into exile sent;
All this wilderness we see
Our place of banishment
Servants of the church we live,
And who to death our bodies doom
Sooner they our souls shall drive
To their eternal home.

L ORD , if at Thy command
The word of life we sow,
Water'd by Thy almighty hand,
The seed shall surely grow:
The virtue of Thy grace
A large increase shall give,
And multiply the faithful race,
Who to Thy glory live.

Now then the ceaseless shower
Of gospel blessings send,
And let the soul-converting power
Thy ministers attend.
On multitudes confer
The heart-renewing love,
And by the joy of grace prepare
For fuller joys above.

J ESUS , the spirit of jealousy
Root out of all employ'd by Thee
To make Thy mercy known
That each, if Thou his brethren bless,
May praise the Lord for their success
As much as for his own.

Be it our greatest joy below
To see Thy heavenly kingdom grow,
Thy gracious work increase,
While multitudes are turn'd to God,
And show the virtue of Thy blood,
The power of godliness.

J ESUS Thy preaching servants bless,
That fill'd with faith and holiness,
Fit instruments for Thy design,
They numbers to Thy church may join,
May by the Spirit's ministry
Unite whole multitudes to Thee.

While sinners in Thy name they call
To' adore the God who died for all,
Let listening souls receive the grace
Which pardon brings to all our race,
Fills the glad heart with love unknown,
And makes the saved and Saviour one.

W HO only seeks his Lord to praise
Would all into the service press,
On every creature call;
Use every help to make Him known
Who did for the whole world atone,
The dying Friend of all.

Joyful to share his happy toil,
Suffice for him if Jesus' smile
His faithfulness approve;
Rivals in fame he cannot fear
A man of piety sincere,
And fill'd with faith and love.

H APPY the men who first partook
The name and nature of their Lord!
They all iniquity forsook,
And God in spirit and truth adored.
What they were call'd, they were indeed.
Anointed with Jehovah's power,
His children by His Spirit led,
And born of God they sinn'd no more.

But millions now with lips profane
The venerable name assume,
And dead in sins, confess in vain
That Jesus in the flesh is come:
The form of godliness they have,
The power, the unction they deny,
And will not let the Saviour save,
But heathens live, and heathens die.

B Y tenderness of love to man
Their genuine love to Christ was shown:
They did not bear His name in vain,
But put His yearning bowels on,
Joyful their brethren to relieve,
And taste the blessedness to give.

The worldling shrinks at famine near,
More loth with his good things to part;
The Christian doth for others fear,
He opens both his hand and heart,
To' obviate their approaching wants,
And kindly feed the needy saints.

The truly Christian man alone
His charity unbounded proves,
Loves and assists the poor unknown
As members of the Lord he loves,
With them his every blessing shares,
And feels that all he has is theirs!