HE Saviour calls his people fheep,-
And bids them on his love rely;
For he alone their fouls can keep,
And he alone their wants supply.
2 The bull can fight, the hare can flee,
The ant, in fummer, food prepare ;)
But helpless sheep, and fuch are we,
Depend upon the Shepherd's care.
3 Jehovah is our Shepherd's name *,
Then what have we, tho' weak, to fear?
Our fin and folly we proclaim,
If we delpond while he is near.
4 When Satan threatens to devour, When troubles prefs on ev'ry fide, Think of our Shepherd's care and pow'r, He can defend, he will provide..' 5 See the rich paftures of his grace, Where, in full ftreams, falvation flows! There he appoints our refting place, And we may feed, fecure from foes.. I 6 There, 'midst the flock, the Shepherd dwells, The fheep around in fafety lieg
The wolf, in vain, with malice: fwells,
For, he protects them with his eye tw
7 Dear Lord, if I am one of thine,
From anxious thoughts I would be free;;
To truft, and love, and praife, is mine,
The care of all belongs to thee....
Garden contemplation fuits,
And may inftruction yield
Sweeter than all the flow'rs and fruits
With which the fpot is fill'd
2 Eden was Adam's dwelling place,
While bleft with innocence;
But fin o'erwhelm'd him with difgrace,
And drove the rebel thenee.
3 Oft as the garden-walk we tread,
We should bemoan his fall;,
The trefpals of our legal, head
In ruin plung'd us all.
4 The garden of Gethsemane
The fecond Adam law,
Opprefs'd with woe, to fet us free
From the avenging law.
5 How ftupid we, who can forget,
With gardens in our fight,
His agonies and bloody 1weat,
In that tremendous night!
6 His church as a fair garden stands,
Which walls of love inclofe;
Each tree is planted by his hands *,
And by his blefling grows,
7 Believing hearts are gardens too,
For grace has lown its feeds,
Where once, by nature, nothing grew; [
But thorns, and worthless weeds.
8 Such themes to thofe who Jefus love, g
May conftant joys afford, ad ¡V.
And make a barren delert prove uns !
The garden of the Lord, jo now TẾ
XCVI. For a Garden Seat or Summer-Houfe.
Shelter from the rain or wind t
A fhade from Icorching heaty
A refting place, you here may find; DA
To eate your weary feet,M ¡A
2 Enter, but with a ferious thought
Confider who is near!
This is a confecrated fpot,
The Lord is prefent here!
A queftion of the utmost weight,
While reading, meets your eye;
May confcience witness to your state,
Ánd give a true reply!
4 Is Jefus to your heart reveal'd,
As full of truth and grace ?
And is his name your hope and shield,
Your reft and hiding-place?
5 If fo, for all events prepar'd,
Whatever ftorms may rife,
He, whom you love, will fafely guard,
And guide you to the tkies.
6 No burning fun, or ftorm, or rain,
Will there your peace annoy;
No fin, temptation, grief, or pain,
Intrude to damp your joy.
7 But if his name you have not known,
Oh, feek him while you may!
Left you should meet his awful frown,
In that approaching day.
When the avenging Judge you fee,
With terrors on his brow,
Where can you hide, or whither flee, A
If you reject him now?
XCVII. The Creatures in the Lord's Hands..
T HE water flood like walls of brafs,
To let the fons of ifrael pafs;
And from the rock in rivers burft t,
At Moles' prayer, to quench their thirst.
† Numb. xx
2 The fire reftrain'd by God's commands,
Could only burn his people's bands *,
Too faint, when he was with them there,
"To finge their garments or their hair.
At Daniel's feet the lions lay +
Like harmless lambs, nor touch'd their prey's
And ravens, which on carrion fed,
Procur'd Elijah flesh and bread.
4 Thus creatures only can fulfil
Their great Creator's holy will;
And when his fervants need their aid,
His purposes must be obey'd.
5 So if his bleffing he refuse,
Their pow'r to help they quickly lofe;
Sure as on creatures we depend,
Our hopes in difappointment end.
6. Then let us truft the Lord alone,
And creature-confidence difown,
Nor if they threaten need we fear;
They cannot hurt if he be near.
7 If inftruments of pain they prove,
Still they are guided by his love;
As lancets by the furgeon's fkill,
Which wound to cure, and not to kill.
XCVIII. On Dreaming.
I WHEN flumber feals our weary eyes,
The bufy fancy wakeful keeps;
The fcenes which then before us rife,
Prove, fomething in us never fleeps.
2 As in another world we feem,
A new creation of our own
All appears real, tho' a dream,
And all familiar, tho' unknown..
3 Sometimes the mind beholds again
The paft day's bus'nefs in review;
Refumes the pleafure or the pain,
And fometimes all we meet is new.
4 What schemes we form, what pains we take
We fight, we run, we fly, we fall;
But all is ended when we wake,
We fcarcely then a trace recall.
5 But tho' our dreams are often wild,
Like clouds before the driving ftorm;
Yer fome important may be ftyl'd,
Sent to admonith or inform.
6 What mighty agents have access,
What friends from heav'n, or foes from hell,
Our minds to comfort or diftrefs,
When we are fleeping, who can tell?
One thing, at least, and 'tis enough,
We learn from this furprising fact;
Our dreams afford fufficient proof,
The foul, without the flesh, can act
8 This life, which mortals fo esteem,
That many choose it for their all,
They will confefs, was but a dream*,
When 'waken'd by death's awful call.
XCIX. The World.
EE. the world for youth prepares,
Harlot-like, her gaudy fnares !
Pleafures round her feem to wait,
But 'tis all a painted cheat.
2 Rafh and unfufpecting youth
Thinks to find thee always fmooth,
Always kind, till better taught,
By experience dearly bought..
|