Classic Poem

CHAPTER XVIII.

The emblem had in trembling haste
The brook with his companions pass'd,
Mournful, disconsolate, dismay'd,
When David from his rebel fled:
But calm the Son of David goes
To meet His fierce ungrateful foes,
The life of Absalom to buy,
And for a world of rebels die.

F OR evil in a garden done
Christ in a garden must atone:
Freely He comes by suffering there
Our loss of Eden to repair,
Bears in the memorable place
The sins of our devoted race,
Takes on Himself the wrath of God,
To quench it with His tears and blood.

 The place apostates know,
 And never can forget,
Where Jesus and His church below
 In solemn worship meet:
 Yet Him in vain they claim
 Who to His foes desert;
Disciples, confessors in name,
 But traitors false in heart.

 W ITH sorrow Lord and fear
 We Thine apostle see
Renounce his sacred character,
 And hell prefer to Thee:
 For we who fiercely blame
 The wretch with Satan fraught,
Left to ourselves should do the same,
 Should sell our God for nought.

W HEN Satan rules and urges on
 The blindfold slaves of wickedness,
Lanterns they bring, to seek the Sun,
 And arms, the' Omnipotent to seize.

F REELY He lays the ransom down,
 The life which none could take away,
Goes forth to meet the ills foreknown,
 Yields Himself up an easy prey;
His foes by miracle struck blind,
 Struck down by one resistless word,
Mild He instructs Himself to find,
 And gives them power to seize their Lord.

S INNERS to seek and save He came,
 They seek, that they their God may slay:
And I of the dire number am,
 And Jesus with a kiss betray;
But let the season past suffice,
 That with the ruffian band I stood;
I see Thee now with open'd eyes,
 And prostrate own, my Lord, my God!

T HAT irresistible I AM
 Declares the present Deity,
Yet none convinced their God proclaim,
 Whose power and love they feel and see;
Who struck their bodies to the ground,
 He might have struck their souls to hell,
In chains of penal darkness bound,
 And plunged in flames unquenchable.

Ah, what can outward wonders do
 To' o'ercome the stubbornness of man?
Unless Thou bind our spirits too,
 Thy judgments cast us down in vain;
My hopes, designs, or health o'erthrow,
 Yet will I not to Thee submit;
But give my heart Thy love to know,
 And then I worship at Thy feet.

J ESUS the oft repeated call
 Doth to obdurate sinners give,
Time to recover from their fall,
 To weigh their ways, repent and live:
He turns us to our hearts again,
 He asks me whom I seek below,
Would I the world or Christ obtain,
 The joy of grace or nature know?

Him do I seek by faith to' adore,
 Or by my sins to crucify?
Jesus, Thou dost my thoughts explore,
 My soul is naked to Thine eye:
I seek, or think I seek my Lord,
 That when I find Thy precious grace,
Thy name may be confess'd, adored,
 And hallow'd with eternal praise.

A NXIOUS Thy followers' lives alone
To save, forgetful of Thine own,
 Thou dost by Thy command
Strike down whoe'er their God oppose,
Or secretly restrain Thy foes
 And rule the ruffian band.

Thy servants, Lord, they must dismiss,
They cannot Thine apostles seize
 Prohibited by Thee,
Who freely dost Thy life resign
A bleeding sacrifice Divine
 For all mankind and me.

S HEPHERD of souls, the lambs and sheep
Thy tender love delights to keep
 In every dangerous hour,
Thou hid'st us by Thy guardian love
Beyond the reach of sin, above
 The world, and Satan's power.

Safety and strength in Thee we have,
Thou wilt our souls and bodies save,
 Who on Thine arm depend;
That arm omnipotent, Divine,
Which holds this feeble soul of mine,
 Shall keep me to the end.

Me by Thy Father's love bestow'd
Thou wilt preserve, the gift of God,
 Nor with Thy purchase part,
(Ready so oft to leave the fold,)
Thou wilt not quit Thy mercy's hold,
 Or lose me from Thy heart.

With me Thy Spirit shall abide,
And help, and influence, and guide,
 Till all my course is run:
Mine eyes shall then behold Thee near,
Thou wilt my heavenly Life appear,
 And take me to Thy throne.

Man without grace may courage show,
And much for Christ presume to do:
His zeal is all unsanctified,
His efforts are the starts of pride,
The eagerness of nature's haste,
Too fierce too violent to last.

Even the zeal which God bestows,
And as a placid stream it flows,
Returning to its Source above;
Its fervour is the flame of love,
From all the dross of nature pure,
And shall eternally endure.

W HO furious for the truth contend,
Christ with an arm of flesh defend,
The world with its own weapons fight,
And oft your fellow-servants smite,
Put up the controversial sword,
Nor stain the meekness of your Lord.

LeTheathens force by force repel,
Let bigots boast their fiery zeal,
The cup which God to Christ did give
Ye followers of the Lamb receive,
(The cup to all His members given,)
And die on earth to reign in heaven.

Jesus, I would with joy embrace
Thy portion here, Thy patient grace,
Meekly my nature's will resign,
Accept the precious gift Divine,
Thy sacred cup of grief unknown,
Thy cross, which mounts me to Thy throne.

A DORABLE captivity
Which sets a world of prisoners free
 From sin and Satan's iron chain!
Our souls Thou offerest to release;
Pardon and liberty and peace
 We all may through Thy bonds obtain.

Jesus, Thy dear redeeming grace
By faith we thankfully embrace,
 Enjoy our perfect freedom here,
Servants of righteousness we rise,
As sons of God regain the skies,
 As heirs at Thy right hand appear.

H APPY the highly favour'd man
Who wears Thine honourable chain,
 To inward liberty restored!
Jesus, with Thee in spirit join'd,
He triumphs, for Thy cause confined,
 The joyful prisoner of the Lord:
Who Thy captivity partake
And calmly suffer for Thy sake,
 Our bonds are sanctified by Thine:
And when we have endured with Thee
Thy death of pain and infamy,
 We shall in all Thy glories shine.

The world exult to see pursued
Their counsel to destroy the good,
And God permits them to oppress,
And curses with their own success:
When priests against His church conspire,
Accomplishing the fiends' desire,
Their triumph doth their fall portend,
Their joys in endless sorrows end.

I F men the Sovereign Priest arraign,
 If men the' eternal Truth decry,
Shall Thy disciples Lord complain?
 Or meekly to the charge reply,
Suspected or accused, like Thee,
Of error and conspiracy?

Still let the world their charge repeat,
 As factious innovators brand,
The servants like the Master treat;
 At their unrighteous bar we stand,
We stand, their utmost wrath to' abide,
We stand—with Jesus at our side.

O MIGHT I, like Jesus, be
Foe to guile and secrecy,
Walk as always in His sight,
Free and open as the light!
Jesus, Lord, to me impart
The true nobleness of heart,
The unfeign'd simplicity,
The pure mind which was in Thee.

J OIN we, Lord, as taught by Thee,
Steadfastness and modesty,
Patiently our souls possess,
Resolute the truth confess,
Speak it when accused by men,
Firmly to the last maintain.

Challenge we the world to show
What they of Thy servants know:
Walk we not in open day?
Let the most malicious say,
Real testimony give,
How we speak, and how we live!

O' ERWHELM'D with grief and shame I see
My Saviour buffeted for me,
 For faults which I have done,
Meekly He doth the' affront sustain
To' abase the loftiness of man,
 And for my pride atone.

Confounded in the dust I would
The sufferings of an humbled God
 With meekest awe adore,
Insulted as my Pattern be,
And never feel the injury,
 And never murmur more.

S ILENT we turn the other cheek,
 The private injury pass by,
Yet when required for God to speak
 From crimes ourselves to justify,
Submissive to the powers that be,
 We dare not obstinate appear,
But speak with mild sincerity,
 Our office, not ourselves to clear.

T HOU Saviour by Thy sacred bands
 Didst expiate man's audaciousness,
Who rashly dared extend his hands
 The interdicted fruit to seize:
Thy hands are tied to loosen ours,
 The instruments of sin set free,
Redeem our captivated powers,
 And give us hearts to die for Thee.

Those voluntary bonds of Thine
 Break all the bonds my will has made,
And fill with confidence Divine
 My soul on my Redeemer stay'd:
In perfect liberty from sin
 I serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
When Thou hast made me free within,
 Free to obey, and praise, and love.

T HRICE he promised to confess,
 Thrice his suffering Lord denies,
Thus performs his promises,
 Bonds and death he thus defies!
But let Jesus' look convert,
 Then the reed a rock shall prove,
Thrice express his faithful heart,
 Thrice protest his humble love.

L EGAL impurity they dread
 Who innocence oppress,
Nor fear the guiltless blood they shed
 Should stain their consciences;
And thus our formalists maintain
 Their sanctity's renown,
While gnats out of their cup they strain,
 And swallow camels down.

Bitter implacable and proud
 They in externals trust,
Abhor the genuine sons of God,
 And persecute the just;
Heathens profane far off they see,
 At open sinners start,
With eyes full of adultery,
 And murder in their heart.

'Tis thus our fierce unrighteous foes
 Their enmity declare,
Guilty of blackest crimes suppose,
 And drag us to the bar:
The tedious forms of justice vain
 They furiously pass by,
Pronounce us impious and profane,
 And judge before they try.

A CRIMINAL they could not doom,
 They might an innocent release,
Permitted by imperious Rome
 To hear and try the witnesses;
But lo the rage of Jewish zeal
 Conspires with Roman policy,
Thy sure prediction to fulfil,
 And nail their Saviour to the tree.

And shall Thy followers complain
 Who in Thy steps profess to go,
Condemn'd by rash oppressive man,
 Entreated like Thyself below?
Or rather patiently receive
 The treatment which confirms us Thine,
And when pronounced unfit to live
 Our spirits on Thy cross resign!

K ING of the Jews and Gentiles too,
Born from above and form'd anew
 By Thy creating power,
Thee, Jesus, we with joy confess,
And prostrate at Thy throne of grace
 Thy majesty adore.

O wouldst Thou to my heart explain
The nature of Thy Spirit's reign,
 The hidden mystery,
That fill'd with peace and love unknown
My pure self-emptied soul may own
 Thou art a King in me.

 J ESUS , what hast Thou done?
 No evil was in Thee,
But Thou hast made my deeds Thine own
 A criminal for me.
 For Adam's sinful race
 Thou art condemn'd to die
That through Thy blood and righteousness
 We all may reach the sky.

 N OT by force of arms upheld
  The kingdom of Thy grace
 Stands invisible, conceal'd
  In the peculiar race;
 Ruling over all it stands
A kingdom that can never move,
 Stablish'd by Almighty hands
  The Hierarchy of Love!

 Not with worldly pomp and power
  Thou dost Thy sway maintain,
 Righteousness and peace restore
  And happiness to man:
 All Thy joyful subjects own,
Thy Spirit in Thy kingdom given
 Makes our hearts Thy humble throne,
  And turns our earth to heaven.

 J ESUS , King of righteousness,
  Thy people taught by Thee,
 Bold before the world confess
  Thy royal dignity:
 Born for this alone we are,
And in Thy testimony join,
 By our words and lives declare
  The power of truth Divine.

 God descended from the sky
  And manifest within,
 Thee the Truth we testify
  Which makes us free from sin;
 Thee our Life in life and death
Our real Holiness we praise,
 Publish with our latest breath
  The truth of love and grace.

 A LL that to the truth belong
  The Saviour's word believe,
 Manna dropping from Thy tongue
  With humble joy receive;
 Listening to Thy voice fulfil
The law of liberty and love,
 Serve Thy good and perfect will
  As angels do above.

 Be it all my business Lord,
  While here on earth I stay
 Gladly to attend Thy word
  And faithfully obey:
 Thou to me Thy Spirit give,
And taught by His anointing, I
 Witness of the truth shall live,
  And in its service die.

The men who human praise desire
 Who set their heart on things below,
Like Pilate carelessly inquire,
 But will not wait the truth to know,
But soon their slighted Lord forsake,
And cast His words behind their back.

Not with a cold or double heart
 But faith's sincerity unfeign'd
We ask Thee Saviour to impart
 The knowledge in Thyself contain'd,
And give our new-born souls to prove,
The Truth, the Life of perfect Love.

H IS innocence we daily find
 Acknowledged and abandon'd too
By men, who favourably inclined
 To truth, yet tremble to pursue
The narrow path by Jesus trod,
And suffer with a patient God.

Jesus, the only faultless Man,
 Thee would I constantly confess
Thy sovereign Deity maintain,
 Stand by Thy hated witnesses,
Undaunted for Thy cause contend,
And Thee in life and death defend.

A RM'D with authority the man
 Who for an innocent entreats,
He loses all his efforts vain,
 His own high dignity forgets;
He should the clamorous command,
 Declare for truth and equity,
The' oppressors to their face withstand,
 And set the injured Captive free.

B Y wild impetuous passion led
We still repeat the direful deed,
 With one consent we cry
(While to the world our hearts we give)
In us let the first Adam live,
 And let the Second die.

But let the season past suffice;
Jesus, we now unite our cries
 And ask the death of sin;
Nail this Barabbas to the tree,
These lusts which steal our hearts from Thee;
 And spread Thy life within.

The cruel murderers of our God,
Which shed so oft Thy precious blood
 No longer Lord reprieve,
But slay them by the Spirit of grace,
And with Thy vital holiness
 In all Thy members live.