Post-Reformation

Although temporary Believers, and other unregenerate men, may vainly deceive themselves with false hopes, and carnal presumptions, of being in the favour of God, and in a state of salvation,’ which hope of theirs shall perish; yet such as truly believe in the Lord Jesus, and love him in sincerity, endeavouring to walk in all good Conscience before him, may in this life be certainly assured that they are in the state of Grace; and may rejoice in the hope of the glory of God which hope shall never make them ashamed.

Verse 1

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify;
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky:—

Verse 2

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil,—
Oh! may it all my powers engage—
To do my Master’s will.

Verse 3

Arm me with jealous care,
As in thy sight to live;
And, oh! thy servant, Lord! prepare
A strict account to give.

Verse 4

Help me to watch and pray,
And on thyself rely;
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall forever die.

Verse 1

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify;
A never-dying-soul to save,
And fit it for the sky:—

Verse 2

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfill,—
Oh! may it all my powers engage—
To do my Master’s will.

Verse 3

Arm me with jealous care,
As in thy sight to live;
And, oh, thy servant, Lord! prepare
A strict account to give.

Verse 4

Help me to watch and pray,
And on thyself rely;
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall forever die.

Verse 1

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify;
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

Verse 2

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil,—
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will.

Verse 3

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And O, Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give.

Verse 4

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Verse 1

Adore and tremble, for our God
Is a consuming fire;*
His jealous eyes his wrath inflame,
And raise his vengeance higher.

Verse 2

Almighty vengeance how it burns!
How bright his fury glows!
Vast magazines of plagues and storms
Lie treasur’d for his foes.

Verse 3

Those heaps of wrath by slow degrees
Are forced into a flame,
But kindled, O how fierce they blaze!
And rend all nature’s frame.

Verse 4

At his approach the mountains flee,
And seek a watery grave;
The frighted sea makes haste away,
And shrinks up every wave.

Verse 5

Thro’ the wide air the weighty rocks
Are swift as hailstones hurl’d:
Who dares engage his fiery rage
That shakes the solid world?

Verse 6

Yet, mighty God, thy sovereign grace
Sits regent on the throne,
The refuge of thy chosen race
When wrath comes rushing down.

Verse 7

Thy hand shall on rebellious kings
A fiery tempest pour,
While we beneath thy sheltering wings
Thy just revenge adore.

Verse 1

Again our earthly cares we leave,
And in thy courts appear;
Again, with joyful feet, we come
To meet our Savior here.

Verse 2

Within those walls let holy peace.
And love, and concord dwell;
Here give the troubled conscience ease--
The wounded spirit heal.

Verse 3

The feeling heart, the melting eye.
The humble mind bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
To make our graces grow.

Verse 4

May we in faith receive thy word,
In faith present our prayers;
And in the presence of our Lord,
Unbosom all our cares.

Verse 5

Shew us some token of thy love,
Our fainting hope to raise;
And pour thy blessing from above,
That we may render praise.

Verse 1

Ah! how shall fallen man
Be just before his God?
If he contend in righteousness,
We fall beneath his rod.

Verse 2

If he our ways should mark
With strict inquiring eyes,
Could we for one of thousand faults
A just excuse devise?

Verse 3

All-seeing, powerful God,
Who can with thee contend?
Or who that tries the unequal strife,
Shall prosper in the end?

Verse 4

Ah! how shall guilty man
Contend with such a God?
None, none can meet him and escape,
But through the Savior’s blood.

Verse 1

Alas! and did my Savior bleed?
And did my Sovereign die?
Would he devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I?

Verse 2

Was it for crimes that I have done
He groaned upon the tree?
Amazing pity! grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Verse 3

Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When Christ, the mighty Maker, died
For man, the creature’s sin!

Verse 4

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While his dear cross appears;
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt mine eyes to tears.

Verse 5

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away;
’Tis all that I can do.

Refrain

Jesus died for you,
And Jesus died for me,
Yes, Jesus died for all mankind;
Bless God, salvation’s free.

Refrain

Help me, dear Savior, thee to own,
And ever faithful be;
And when thou sittest on thy throne.
O Lord, remember me.

Verse 1

Alas! and did my Saviour bleed,
And did my Sovereign die!
Would He devote that sacred head
For such a worm as I!

Verse 2

Was it for crimes that I had done
He groaned upon the tree!
Amazing pity! Grace unknown!
And love beyond degree!

Verse 3

Well might the sun in darkness hide,
And shut his glories in,
When He, the mighty Maker, died
For man the creature’s sin.

Verse 4

Thus might I hide my blushing face
While His dear cross appears;
Dissolve my heart in thankfulness,
And melt my eyes to tears.

Verse 5

But drops of grief can ne’er repay
The debt of love I owe;
Here, Lord, I give myself away,
’Tis all that I can do.

When first thou didst entice to thee my heart,
‍‍ ‍‍ I thought the service brave;
So many joys I writ down for my part,
‍‍ Besides what I might have
Out of my stock of natural delights,
‍‍ ‍‍ ‍‍ Augmented with thy gracious benefits.

I looked on thy furniture so fine,
And made it fine to me;
Thy glorious household-stuff did me entwine,
And ‘tice me unto thee.
Such stars I counted mine: both heav’n and earth;
Paid me my wages in a world of mirth.

What pleasures could I want, whose King I serv’d,
Where joys my fellows were?
Thus argu’d into hopes, my thoughts reserv’d
No place for grief or fear.
Therefore my sudden soul caught at the place,
And made her youth and fierceness seek thy face.

At first thou gav’st me milk and sweetnesses;
I had my wish and way;
My days were straw’d with flow’rs and happiness;
There was no month but May.
But with my years sorrow did twist and grow,
And made a party unawares for woe.

My flesh began unto my soul in pain,
“Sicknesses cleave my bones;
Consuming agues dwell in ev’ry vein,
And tune my breath to groans.”
Sorrow was all my soul; I scarce believ’d,
Till grief did tell me roundly, that I liv’d.

When I got health, thou took’st away my life,
And more, for my friends die;
My mirth and edge was lost, a blunted knife
Was of more use than I.
Thus thin and lean without a fence or friend,
I was blown through with ev’ry storm and wind.

Whereas my birth and spirit rather took
The way that takes the town;
Thou didst betray me to a ling’ring book,
And wrap me in a gown.
I was entangled in the world of strife,
Before I had the power to change my life.

Yet, for I threaten’d oft the siege to raise,
Not simp’ring all mine age,
Thou often didst with academic praise
Melt and dissolve my rage.
I took thy sweet’ned pill, till I came where
I could not go away, nor persevere.

Yet lest perchance I should too happy be
In my unhappiness,
Turning my purge to food, thou throwest me
Into more sicknesses.
Thus doth thy power cross-bias me, not making
Thine own gift good, yet me from my ways taking.

Now I am here, what thou wilt do with me
None of my books will show;
I read, and sigh, and wish I were a tree,
For sure then I should grow
To fruit or shade: at least some bird would trust
Her household to me, and I should be just.

Yet, though thou troublest me, I must be meek;
In weakness must be stout;
Well, I will change the service, and go seek
Some other master out.
Ah my dear God! though I am clean forgot,
Let me not love thee, if I love thee not.

‘Train them up in exact obedience to yourselves, and break them of their own wills.’ … The common course of parents is to please their children so long, by letting them have what they crave, and what they will, till their wills are so used to be fulfilled, that they cannot endure to have them denied; and so can endure no government, because they endure no crossing of their wills. To be obedient, is to renounce their own wills, and be ruled by their parents’ or governor’s wills; to use them therefore to have their own wills, is to teach them disobedience, and harden and use them to a kind of impossibility of obeying. Tell them oft familiarly and lovingly of the excellency of obedience, and how it pleaseth God, and what need they have of government, and how unfit they are to govern themselves, and how dangerous it is to children to have their own wills; speak often with great disgrace of self-willedness and stubbornness, and tell others in their hearing what hath befallen self-willed children.

Or how great importance the wise and holy education of children is, to the saving of their souls, and the comfort of the parents, and the good of church and state, and the happiness of the world.