Classic Poem

CHAPTER XVII.

His manner was, when it could be,
Their rules and orders to maintain,
Friend of external decency,
Jesus he preach'd, the Life of man,
First at the wonted time and place,
And then to all the ransom'd race.

R EASON he did not cast aside
As a vain gift on man bestow'd,
Nor deem'd it a sufficient guide
To' interpret all the mind of God,
But rightly used its glimmering ray
Which show'd the need of brighter day.

Discoursing from the written word,
Strong arguments of Christ he gave,
Dead, and again to life restored,
By both a sinful world to save:
He died for all your sins to' atone,
And raised, He draws you to His throne.

Preachers of Christ, His death we prove
The' accomplishment of His decree:
That strange necessity of love
Humbled and nail'd Him to the tree:
Yet urge, evince, and testify
That God, or all mankind must die.

His death the prophecies fulfill'd,
And laid the general ransom down,
The promises His rising seal'd,
Ensuring man's immortal crown:
And Jesus whom we preach, is He
The Christ that died and rose for thee.

A DDED to the chosen seed
The moment we believe,
All who truly hold the Head
Will to the members cleave:
Many, Lord, yet one in Thee,
(If Thou our common Saviour art,)
From each other's company
Nor life nor death can part.

G RACE not the rich prefer,
Doth not the rich refuse;
Saved alike by Christ they are
If all for Him they use;
If for Him they all forsake,
Jesus declares their pardon sure,
Raises, and vouchsafes to make
Them equal to the poor.

S ATAN his zealous servants hath,
And doth as champions send
Strangers and enemies of faith
His kingdom to defend:
The vulgar great provoke the small,
The people's lowest lee
Is stirr'd by their allies, and all
In Satan's work agree.

Eager to see the men suppress'd
Who point us to that blood,
They rouse the many-headed beast,
The frantic multitude;
With drunken rioters engage
To prop their master's cause,
And by a lawless rabble's rage
Supply defective laws.

The city they with uproar fill
With blasphemies and fears,
Assault that they may seize and kill
The hated messengers.
Servants of Christ, your calling see!
By all abused, abhorr'd,
In life and death His followers be,
And triumph with your Lord.

C HRIST'S little flock who vex and tear
The troublers of our Israel are,
The restless foes to peace;
They set the city in a blaze,
And then a furious outcry raise
'Gainst us incendiaries!

The sons of violence misuse,
And then as rioters accuse
The quiet in the land:
The difference plain 'twixt wrong and right,
Falsehood and truth, and day and night,
They will not understand.

The Lamb, they say, disturbs the stream,
The world confounded is by them
Who its confusions end:
Yet still " Away with them, " they cry,
" The Christians burn, or crucify,
Or to the lions send.

" Discord they bring, and civil strife,
Poison the sweets of private life:
Our ways as folly shun,
Against our rules and customs go,
And all our maxims wise o'erthrow,
And turn us upside down.

" The rich they set below the poor;
Pleasure renounce, and mirth abjure,
Obstruct and ruin trade;
Order and government invert,
Their baleful influence exert,
And make the world run mad. "

The world which lies in wickedness,
To interrupt their hellish peace
With loving zeal we try:
Sinners alarm'd, where'er we come
We warn of their impending doom,
Ye must repent or die.

Soon as in you the word takes place,
Renew'd, transform'd by saving grace,
Ye former things forget;
The change throughout your lives is shown,
The world out of your hearts is thrown,
And cast beneath your feet.

Preferr'd to those that seem'd the best,
The worst of men with pardon bless'd
Superior honours gain;
Poor beggars into princes rise,
Look down on kings, this earth despise,
And one with Jesus reign.

Y ES ; another King we own,
Him the sovereign Lord maintain:
Raised, upheld by Him alone,
Earthly potentates, ye reign:
We by His authority
Caesar's due to Caesar give,
Subjected to man's decree,
Subjected to Jesus live.

Clothed with majesty Divine
We the King of kings adore,
All our hearts to Him resign,
Ruled by love's resistless power:
What His kingdom is we know,
Who our Lord's afflictions bear;
Reigning by His cross below
We His heavenly throne shall share.

M OVED by every wind the sea,
Soon the multitude is stirr'd,
Soon the world incensed may be
'Gainst the servants of our Lord:
Mob and magistrates are join'd
On the messengers to fall;
Then the strength of God we find,
Then through Christ we conquer all.

W HO always took His people's part,
He interposes still,
Jesus, that made the human heart,
And turns it at His will.
Rulers, if He permits, oppress;
Or just compassion show,
As friends of equity and peace
They let His prisoners go.

W HO trust in His protecting grace,
Nor rash nor negligent,
We use the common means and ways
For our deliverance sent:
Through love and honour of the cross,
The stewards of His word
We dare not prejudice the cause
And interest of our Lord.

Labouring till all our work is done
The middle course we steer,
With equal care and caution shun
Audaciousness and fear:
We neither humble nor presume,
Prepared to stand or fly:
But when the joyful hour is come
We get us up, and die.

C AN we in unbelievers find
That noble readiness of mind
To hear, investigate, and prove
The truth of Jesus' pardoning love?
Yes, Lord; through Thy preventing grace,
There are who cordially embrace
The joyful news of sins forgiven,
With God Himself sent down from heaven.

Up from the sleep of nature stirr'd,
They daily search Thy written word,
Inquiring if these things be so,
To Thine own oracles they go:
Thine oracles the answer give,
And willing multitudes believe
The gospel by Thy Spirit seal'd,
And find Thy glorious Self reveal'd.

What then are they that dare forbid
The unconvinced Thy book to read,
Who take the sacred key away,
Damp their desire to search and pray,
Conceal Thy records from their view,
" The Scriptures were not wrote for you:
Accept your more unerring guide,
The church, the Catholics — the bride! "

Turn, sinners, turn from such away,
And rather God than man obey,
The Scriptures search both day and night,
And try if what ye hear be right;
Put forth your grain of gracious power;
(Your use of that shall bring ye more,)
Till the true Light Himself impart,
And breathes the Witness in your heart.

W OMEN in days of old
Did Jesus' flock increase,
The fearful sex were bold
Their Saviour to confess,
And gladly sacrificed their fame;
And gloried in the Christian name.

Who bare the title then
Of high or low degree,
Exposed to grief and pain
And loss and infamy,
Were call'd the fiery test to' abide,
And shame, and bonds, and death defied.

'Tis not the name, but thing,
But truth of Christian grace
Doth now the scandal bring
On the anointed race:
But who will sell their character,
And Jesus' love to life prefer?

Not many rich and great
And honourable now
Renounce their pride and state,
Or dare to Jesus bow;
Women of rank the cross disclaim,
And lose their souls to save their fame.

O HOW restless is the foe
Jesus' kingdom to o'erthrow!
Fill'd with diabolic zeal,
All the messengers of hell
Labour on and never cease
True religion to suppress.

Shall not we as zealous prove
Publishers of Jesu's love,
Spread the savour of His grace,
Scatter life in every place,
Dare the world's and Satan's frown,
Turn his kingdom upside down?

T RUE love will readily give place,
True wisdom counts it no disgrace
From violent rage to fly;
To fly, and spare the guilt of those
Who truth maliciously oppose
And fight with the Most-High.

Our persecuting foes to shun
From city we to city run,
Yet still 'tis all our aim
Our suffering Master to confess,
And Christ the universal Peace
Throughout the world proclaim.

A N envious, proud, and selfish man,
Will partners in his work disdain,
But holy humble Paul
The gospel everywhere to spread,
Doth faithful fellow-labourers need,
And asks the help of all.

W HERE can we now a city see
Not given to idolatry?
Altars the world to idols raise,
To Pleasure, Power, and Wealth, and Praise;
Whate'er they fear, desire, esteem
Is a false deity to them:
But few the' almighty Jesus own,
The God supreme, — the God unknown!

A zealous servant of the Lord
Will surely feel his spirit stirr'd,
With zeal and just abhorrence moved
To see the creature served and loved:
Set up in their Creator's place
By a poor blind apostate race,
By all the superstitious crowd
Who self and pride prefer to God.

P URE apostolic zeal
Cannot inactive lie;
A preacher will his message tell
Whoe'er the truth deny;
He must the tidings spread
In synagogues and streets,
And Jesus risen from the dead
Proclaim to all he meets.

ZENO and his followers still
With Epicurus join,
Men that their own lusts fulfil,
And live the life of swine;
God they think resembles them,
His providential care deny,
Pleasure count their good supreme,
And wish like beasts to die.

Stoics with the sons of ease
Can against Christ agree,
Christen'd sages, who confess
A blind fatality;
Swollen with pride and self-regard
On vice they scornfully look down;
" Virtue is its own reward,
And wants no other crown. "

Both the clashing sects unite:
Yet still the gospel spread
Brings immortal life to light
With our reviving Head;
Vice, and virtuous pride confounds,
Rejects our filthy righteousness,
Sends us lost to Jesus' wounds,
And saves the world by grace.

M EN of philosophic pride,
Fond of themselves alone,
Blindly censure and deride
The things they have not known;
Wisdom in a mystery
To Greeks it always folly was,
God expiring on a tree
To save us by His cross!

Y ES ; ye all may comprehend
This doctrine strange yet true:
God did from His throne descend,
And tasted death for you:
Conqueror of the grave, He rose
To prove a sinful world forgiven,
Pardon purchased for His foes,
And purity and heaven.

This the doctrine new receive
By our first father known:
In the Second Man believe,
And live through faith alone,
Life the glorious gospel brings,
Through that atoning blood applied,
Lifts you into priests and kings,
And seats you by His side.

C HRIST presenting to their view
Their resurrection here,
Setters forth of doctrines new
We to the wise appear:
Things astonishing we tell
By vain philosophy untaught,
Love incomprehensible,
And souls redeem'd for nought!

The stupendous things of God
To guilty man we show,
Testify the grace bestow'd
Which every soul may know;
News we bring of cancell'd sin
From Him, whose love is unconfined,
Nothing can His mercy mean
But life — for all mankind!

M ODERN Athenians , hear
Your worthless character,
Unprofitable men,
Who seem to live — in vain,
Dissolved in academic ease,
In learned luxurious idleness.

In worse than childish play
Ye lounge your time away;
Your talents misemploy'd,
Your life a useless void,
As God who did your being give
Design'd you for yourselves to live.

Inquisitive to know
The trifling things below,
The things ye will not learn
Which precious souls concern,
Ensure your real happiness,
And seal your everlasting peace.

Yet here your curious pride
Is never satisfied,
Who restlessly pursue
On earth amusements new,
Till gasping out your idle breath
Ye feel the novelties beneath.

PAUL in its strongest fortress here
The wisdom of the world assails:
Arm'd with the Truth he cannot fear,
The great Essential Truth prevails,
And one to Power almighty join'd
Is sure to conquer all mankind.

T HY poor external worshipper,
My poverty I own,
With trembling hands an altar rear
As to the God unknown!
Left by a God who hides His face,
And seemingly forgot,
I own in darkness and distress
That now I know Thee not.

Yet drawn by Thine alluring grace
Still after Thee I feel,
And worship toward the holy place,
And seek the' Invisible;
I follow on and cannot rest
Till I my Maker see,
And with His special presence bless'd
Perceive my God in me.

Wilt Thou not soon display Thy heart
In Jesus reconciled,
Thy servant graciously convert
Into a loving child?
Father, Thy Deity declare
In Jesus Christ reveal'd,
Acknowledge Thine undoubted heir,
An heir of glory seal'd.

Y E sprinkled Heathen hear,
Who urged by fear alone
Your superstitious altars rear
Unto the God unknown:
Him I to you proclaim
The sovereign Lord Most-High,
Who built this universal frame,
And reigns above the sky.

One only Shrine He had
Where once on earth He dwelt,
When God was flesh for sinners made,
And seen, and heard, and felt:
Substantially reveal'd
In Christ the Father shone,
His fulness then the Temple fill'd,
The body of His Son.

C AN the great God His creatures need?
His creature doth from Him proceed
Who life, and breath, and all things gives;
Him when we worship, serve, and praise,
In love and condescending grace
His majesty its own receives.

Him self-sufficient and alone,
Fountain of every good we own,
And humbly rendering Him His right
Our spirits at His footstool lay,
Our prostrate adoration pay,
And sink to nothing in His sight!

W E all are sprung from Adam's line,
The workmanship of Love Divine,
Who doth His family disperse;
God all our motions regulates,
The time of our duration sets,
And spreads us o'er the universe:
Nothing to fate or chance He leaves;
The nation's bounds to each He gives,
To each assigns their measured land;
Rivers their course appointed know,
And seas by His direction flow,
And everlasting mountains stand.

B E it to every nation known,
On earth we live for this alone,
To seek the Lord who placed us here;
By reason's feeble aid to feel
After the great Invisible,
If haply we may find Him near.

We may in all the creatures find
The proofs of an Eternal Mind,
Of Power and Wisdom from above:
But when His Spirit He imparts,
We feel our Maker in our hearts,
And know that God in Christ is love.

F AR off we need not rove
To find the God of love,
In His providential care
Ever intimately near,
All His various works declare
God, the bounteous God, is here!

We live, and move, and are
Through His preserving care;
He doth still in life maintain
Every soul that moves and lives;
Gives us back our breath again,
Being every moment gives.

Who live O God in Thee,
Entirely Thine should be:
Thine we are a heaven-born race,
Only to Thy glory move,
Thee with all our powers we praise,
Thee with all our being love.

F ATHER , Thine offspring own
Regenerate in Thy Son:
Doubly Thine in Christ we live,
Thine adopted children now;
Heathens would in vain conceive,
Reason fails to tell them how .

Through faith in the God-Man
A being new we gain;
Strong in hope we higher rise,
Swiftly move Thy face to see;
Live the life that never dies,
Find our heaven — in loving Thee.

W HEN man cast off his Maker's yoke,
Inferior form'd to God alone
By reason and his God forsook,
Silver and gold, and wood and stone,
His sordid deities he made,
Senseless as that to which he pray'd.

When Christians lukewarm grown, and cold,
Their Saviour neither loved nor fear'd,
Grosser than all the Pagans old,
The' idolatries of Rome appear'd,
And taught the superstitious crowd
That man might make, and eat — his God!

R EPENT , ye self-destroying race,
Improve the momentary grace
He offers you once more;
Obey His merciful command;
The end of all things is at hand,
The Judge is at the door!

Expecting that appointed day,
When heaven and earth shall flee away
Before their Maker's frown,
I pass my time in watchful fear,
Till Jesus in the clouds appear,
Till the great God come down.

The Man who suffer'd in our stead
His Father raised Him from the dead,
Ordain'd the Judge supreme,
That all at His tribunal placed
May be pronounced accursed or bless'd,
Condemn'd or crown'd by Him.

Assured I am by Jesus' rise
To see Him coming in the skies,
The Man who died for me,
That crucified with Him below
I may His glorious kingdom know,
And God for ever see!

P ROUD sinners who in learning trust,
Learning unsanctified,
The hope and wisdom of the just
They always will deride;
The power of faith and godliness,
The preachers they condemn;
And our true glory we confess,
Is to be hiss'd by them.

L OVERS of earthly things defer
Unto another day
The one important business here,
As life would always stay,
As grace were in the sinner's power,
And God compell'd to give
Whene'er they find a vacant hour
His mercy to receive.

The gospel some with scorn refuse,
The joyful tidings hate,
Others neglect the grace to use,
And still procrastinate;
To scoff the saving truth they dare,
Or cast it quite aside,
And these, alas, the Christians are,
And these the world divide.

T HEY promised him again to hear
The message he declared,
But God's neglected messenger
Again they never heard;
So short his stay in learning's seats,
So soon their time is o'er!
And Christ's ambassador retreats,
And Paul returns no more!

What numbers like the' Athenians , mean,
And vow to turn at last,
But linger to forsake their sin,
Till all their trial's pass'd!
The man of God is call'd away
Who preach'd salvation nigh,
And souls outstand their gracious day,
And unconverted die.

Learning itself cannot withstand
If God lay to His mighty hand;
The Judge submits, if mercy calls,
And at his Saviour's footstool falls:
The word cannot return in vain,
Some souls the saving faith shall gain,
To Jesus and His members cleave,
And pure from sin in Athens live.

Father regard Thy Spirit's groans,
Who pleads in us for learning's sons;
Open our nation's boasted eyes,
And make them with Thy wisdom wise;
Some converts to our Athens give,
Who may to thy apostle cleave,
Fools for His sake, their Lord confess,
And stand with Jesu's witnesses!