A life so precious, weal or woe,
Hangs solely on its ebb or flow;

E'en while the body wastes, it thrives;
E'en while the body dies, it lives;
Heavenward it tends, from heaven

bestowed,

Its source is "hid with Christ in God."

3 If these dark hours, this suffering state, That life divine invigorate;

If now God's Spirit work within,
Increasing faith, subduing sin,

Time thus employed, is gained, not lost,
Though selfish hopes and schemes be
crossed;

My plans, my wishes, I resign ;
"Father! Thy will be done, not mine!"

4 Oh, if, as yet, thine eye in me

Has vainly sought some trace to see,
Of likeness to thy Son, my Lord,—
His image to my soul restored,
Now make these hours of lonely pain,
A means that likeness to attain,
Since even He, our Lord, our Head,
Was here by suffering perfected.

XXIV.

"I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name: thou art mine."-Isa. xlii. 1.

1 Saviour! once to thee presented,
At thy footstool I was laid;
In life's bloom my heart consented

To the vows my sponsors made e;
Thine in infancy and youth,
Should I not have kept thy truth?

2 Thine by right, as my Creator,
Who my twofold life bestowed,
Saved by thee, my Mediator,
Ransomed with thy precious blood;
Thine by baptism's solemn vow,
Shall my heart forsake thee now ?

3 No! not farther shall I wander,

Thou hast stricken me to reclaim ; O'er the guilty past I ponder,

Overwhelmed with grief and shame; Still that Lord whose seal I wear, Pours for me the availing prayer.

4 Welcome the severest token,

That God "lets me not alone;"
Though his covenant I have broken,
He reclaims me as his own;

Saviour, now my soul restore,

Bid me 66

go and sin no more."

XXV.

"Without faith it is impossible to please God." Heb. xi. 6.

1 In the volume of the book

God to man from heaven has sent, In the words the Saviour spoke, Faith stands out pre-eminent; Clear, where'er the vision turns, Like the polar star it burns.

2 Ere his miracles were wrought, Faith a requisite was deemed; This, in every heart he sought; This, above all else esteemed; "Without faith"-'tis here engraved, "None are pardoned-none are saved."

3 While to me affliction brings

From terrestrial cares release,

D

Turns my thoughts to holier things,
Things "belonging to my peace;"
Teach me, Lord, by light divine,
What is faith, and make it mine.

4 Is it simply to believe

All this wondrous book contains ?
Is it meekly to receive

All it teaches-not explains ?
Without doubts or scruples nice,
"Thus saith God,"-must this suffice?

5 Is it, above all, to own

Him, the slighted Nazarene,
As Jehovah's equal Son,
Who eternally has been;
Perfect God, and perfect man ?
Truths no finite mind can scan.

6 Jesus! as a little child,

At thy footstool I sit down ;
By man's glosses unbeguiled,
Learning truth from Thee alone;
Lord! how strait soe'er the gate,
Here I knock, and here I wait.

7 Thou of faith the Author art

Thou alone canst faith bestow;
Plant this germ within my heart,
Root it deep, and make it grow ;
Thou, from whom such gifts proceed,
Thou art Lord and God indeed.

XXVI.

"And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, Surely the Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!"-Gen. xxviii. 16.

1 Am I to this seclusion brought,

As wandering Jacob first was taught,

In solitude and woe,

To look on things before unseen,
And, in the stilly night serene,
His Father's God to know?

2 Alone and weary as he laid, A wondrous ladder was displayed, Reaching from earth to heaven; Ascending and descending there, Angels (who perhaps made him their care)

To his charmed sight were given.