And boasting more a present with'ring frame,
Than her exalted Lord's unfading name.
Hence many falls and plunges in the mire,
As many new conversions do require:
Because her faithless heart sad follies breed,
Much lewd departure from her living Head,
Who, to reprove her aggravated crimes,
Leaves her abandon'd to herself at times;
That, falling into frightful deeps, she may
From sad experience learn more stress to lay,
Not on her native efforts, but at length
On Christ alone, her righteousness and strength:
Conscious while in her works she seeks repose,
Her legal spirit breeds her many woes.
FAITH'S VICTORIES OVER SIN AND SATAN, THROUGH NEW AND FURTHER DISCOVERIES OF CHRIST, MAKING BELIEVERS MORE FRUITFUL IN HOLINESS THAN ALL OTHER PRETENDERS TO WORKS.
THE gospel path leads heav'nward; hence the fray, Hell pow'rs still push the bride the legal way.
So hot the war, her life 's a troubled flood,
A field of battle, and a scene of blood.
But he that once commenc'd the work in her,
Whose working fingers drop the sweetest myrrh,
Will still advance it by alluring force,
And, from her ancient mate, more clean divorce:
Since 't is her antiquated spouse the law,
The strength of sin and hell did on her draw.
Piecemeal she finds hell's mighty force abate,
By new recruits from her almighty Mate.
Fresh armor sent from grace's magazine,
Makes her proclaim eternal war with sin.
The shield of faith, dipt in the Surety's blood,
Drowns fiery darts, as in a crimson flood.
The Captain's ruddy banner, lifted high,
Makes hell retire, and all the furies fly.
Yea, of his glory every recent glance
Makes sin decay, and holiness advance.
In kindness therefore does her heav'nly Lord
Renew'd discov'ries of his love afford.
That her enamor'd soul may with the view
Be cast into his holy mould anew:
For when he manifests his glorious grace,
The charming favor of his smiling face,
Into his image fair transforms her soul,*
And wafts her upward to the heav'nly pole,
From glory unto glory by degrees,
Till vision and fruition shall suffice.
And thus in holy beauty Jesus' bride
Shines far beyond the painted sons of pride,
Vain merit-vouchers, and their subtle apes,
In all their most refin'd, delusive shapes.
No lawful child is ere the marriage born;
Though therefore virtues feign'd their life adorn.
The fruit they bear is but a spurious brood,
Before this happy marriage be made good.
And 't is not strange; for, from a corrupt tree
No fruit divinely good produc'd can be.f
But, lo! the bride, graft in the living Root,
Brings forth most precious aromatic fruit.
When her new heart and her new Husband meet,
Her fruitful womb is like a heap of wheat,
Beset with fragrant lilies round about,
All divine graces, in a comely rout,
Burning within, and shining bright without.
* 2 Cor. iii. 18. + Matt. vii. 17, 18.
And thus the bride, as sacred scripture saith,
When dead unto the law through Jesus' death,*
And match'd with him, bears to her God and Lord
Accepted fruit, with incense pure decor'd.
Freed from law debt, and bless'd with gospel ease,
Her work is now her dearest Lord to please,
By living on him as her ample stock,
And leaning to him as her potent rock.
The fruit, that each law-wedded mortal brings
To self accresces, as from self it springs.
So base a rise must have a base recourse,
The stream can mount no higher than its source.
But Jesus can his bride's sweet fruit commend,
As brought from him the root, to him the end.
She does by such an offspring him avow
To be her Alpha and Omega too.
The work and warfare he begins, he crowns,
Though maugre various conflicts, ups and downs. Thus through the darksome vale she makes her way Until the morning-dawn of glory's day.
TRUE SAVING FAITH MAGNIFYING THE LAW, BOTH AS A COVENANT
AND AS A RULE.-FALSE FAITH UNFRUITFUL AND RUINING.
PROUD nature may reject this gospel theme,
And curse it as an Antinomian scheme.
Let slander bark, let envy grin and fight,
The curse that is so causeless shall not light.*
If they that fain would make by holy force
"Twixt sinners and the law a clean divorce,
And court the Lamb a virgin chaste to wife,
Be charg'd as foes to holiness of life,
Well may they suffer gladly on this score,
Apostles great were so malign'd before.
Do we make void the law through faith ? nay, why,
We do it more fulfil and magnify
Than fiery seraphs can with holiest flash;
Avaunt, vain legalists, unworthy trash.
When as a cov'nant stern the law commands, Faith puts her Lamb's obedience in its hands; And when its threats gush out a fiery flood, Faith stops the current with her victim's blood.
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