But, weal or wo, whate'er my lot,

To mind what our good friends have told. They told us things I never knew

Of Him who heaven and earth did make;
And my heart felt their words were true,
It burn'd within me while they spake.
Can I forget that God is love,

And sent his son to dwell on earth?
Or that our Saviour from above
Lay in a manger at his birth,—

Grew up in humble poverty,

A life of grief and sorrow led? No home to comfort Him had He; No, not a place to lay his head.

Yet He was merciful and kind,

Heal'd with a touch all sort of harms;
The sick, the lame, the deaf, the blind;
And took young children in his arms.
Then He was kill'd by wicked men,
And buried in a deep stone cave;
But of Himself He rose again,

On Easter-Sunday, from the grave.
Caught up in clouds,-at God's right hand,
In heaven He took the highest place;
There dying Stephen saw him stand,
-Stephen, who had an angel's face.
He loves the poor, He always did;
The little ones are still his care;
I'll seek Him,-let who will forbid,-
I'll go to Him this night in prayer.
Oh, soundly, soundly should I sleep,
And think no more of sufferings past,
If God would only bless, and keep,

And make me his,—his own, at last. Sheffield, March, 1834.

SONGS OF ZION,

BEING

IMITATIONS OF THE PSALMS.

In the following imitations of portions of the true "Songs of Zion," the author pretends not to have succeeded better than any that have gone before him; but, having followed in the track of none, he would venture to hope, that, by avoiding the rugged literality of some, and the diffusive paraphrases of others, he may, in a few instances, have approached nearer than either of them have generally done to the ideal model of what devotional poems, in a modern tongue, grounded upon the subjects of ancient psalms, yet suited for Christian edification, ought to be. Beyond this he dare not say more than that, whatever symptoms of feebleness or bad taste may be betrayed in the execution of these pieces, he offers not to the public the premature fruits of idleness or haste. So far as he recollects, he has endeavoured to do his best, and, in doing so, he has never hesitated to sacrifice ambitious ornament to simplicity, clearness, and force of thought and expression. If, in the event, it shall be found that he has added a little to the small national stock of "psalms and hymns, and spiritual songs," in which piety speaks the language of poetry, and poetry the language of inspiration, he trusts that he will be humbly contented and unfeignedly thankful.

Sheffield, May 21, 1822.

PSALM I.

THRICE happy he, who shuns the way
That leads ungodly men astray;
Who fears to stand where sinners meet,
Nor with the scorner takes his seat.

The law of God is his delight;
That cloud by day, that fire by night,
Shall be his comfort in distress,

And guide him through the wilderness.

His works shall prosper;-he shall be
A fruitful, fair, unwithering tree,
That, planted where the river flows,
Nor drought, nor frost, nor mildew knows.

Not so the wicked;-they are cast
Like chaff upon the eddying blast;
In judgment they shall quake for dread,
Nor with the righteous lift their head.

For God hath spied their secret path,
And they shall perish in his wrath;
He too hath mark'd his people's road,
And brings them to his own abode.

PSALM III.

THE Tempter to my soul hath said,
"There is no help in God for thee:"
Lord! lift thou up thy servant's head,
My glory, shield, and solace be.
Thus to the Lord I raised my cry;
He heard me from his holy hill;
At his command the waves roll'd by;
He beckon'd, and the winds were still.

I laid me down and slept ;-I woke;
Thou, Lord! my spirit didst sustain ;
Bright from the east the morning broke,
Thy comforts rose on me again.

I will not fear, though armed throngs Compass my steps, in all their wrath: Salvation to the Lord belongs;

His presence guards his people's path.

PSALM IV.-No. 1.

How long, ye sons of men, will ye
The servant of the Lord despise,
Delight yourselves with vanity,
And trust in refuges of lies?
Know that the Lord hath set apart
The godly man in every age:
He loves a meek and lowly heart;
His people are his heritage.

Then stand in awe, nor dare to sin;

Commune with your own heart; be still;

The Lord requireth truth within,

The sacrifice of mind and will.

PSALM IV.-No. 2.

WHILE many cry, in Nature's night,
Ah! who will show the way to bliss?
Lord! lift on us thy saving light;

We seek no other guide than this.
Gladness thy sacred presence brings,

More than the joyful reaper knows; Or he who treads the grapes, and sings, While with new wine his vat o'erflows. In peace I lay me down to sleep;

Thine arm, O Lord! shall stay my head, Thine angel spread his tent, and keep

His midnight watch around my bed.

PSALM VIII.

O LORD, our King! how excellent
Thy name on earth is known!
Thy glory in the firmament

How wonderfully shown!

Yet are the humble dear to Thee;
Thy praises are confest
By infants lisping on the knee,

And sucklings at the breast.

When I behold the heavens on high,
The work of thy right hand;
The moon and stars amid the sky,
Thy lights in every land :—

Lord! what is man, that thou shouldst deign

On him to set thy love,

Give him on earth a while to reign,

Then fill a throne above?

O Lord, how excellent thy name!
How manifold thy ways!

Let Time thy saving truth proclaim,
Eternity thy praise.

PSALM XI.

THE Lord is in his holy place,
And from his throne on high

He looks upon the human race
With omnipresent eye.

He proves the righteous, marks their path;

In him the weak are strong;

But violence provokes his wrath,

The Lord abhorreth wrong.