THE GODHEAD OF CHRIST DISPLAYED:
COME, from thy heav'nly seat, O sacred Muse,
And warm my heart with thy own hallow'd fire;
Bid it awake to raptures all divine.
O bear me on thy bright celestial wing
Above the confines of this little world,
Above yon starry orbs, and that pale moon;
With swiftest flight, O mount and soar away
And waft me to the realms of purest light,
Where the full splendors of eternal day,
The unveil'd glories of the Lord the lamb,
Blaze forth in beams of light ineffable,
And make the sun asham'd....Fain would I fly
To that bright world, but chains forbid my flight,
Check my ambition, bind me down to earth;
The chains, the shackles of mortality.
Come then, O Meditation, maid divine,
Help me to muse the rest, and let my mind
View things unseen by any mortal eye;
And tho' confin'd in flesh, converse with heaven.
There, on a glorious throne, Immanuel reigns,
The God of nature, and the God of grace:
Lord of ten thousand worlds; array'd in flesh.
A man, but not of sorrows now, no more
A sacrifice for sin he bleeds and dies.
'Tis done!....the great salvation is complete:
And high exalted now, he lives and reigns
A priest upon his throne....there angels bow
And own their master and adore their God.
There blood-bought saints, the trophies of his grace,
Prostrate before his feet, pierc'd for their sins,
Cast down their crowns of amaranth and gold,
And Abr'ham's sons, with Gentile sinners join
To raise the triumphs of the sinner's friend.
Do angels bow before Immanuel's throne,
And, in triumphant songs adore his name?
Yes! their bright myriads, tho' ten thousand times
Ten thousand, fill'd with holy awe and zeal,
With burning love and pure immortal joy,
Veil their celestial faces with their wings
When they draw near his seat: list, O my soul!
I hear the voice of mighty seraphim,
Louder than ocean in his loudest roar;
I hear archangels shout....they clap their wings,
Their gorgeous wings, and with sweet unison
In one grand chorus shake the upper skies.
"Hail! holy, holy, holy Lord (they cry)
Lord God of sabbaoth! Worthy the lamb,*
The self-existent and eternal God,
Cloath'd with humanity, great king of heav'n,
And ransomer of men! Worthy art thou
Of endless domination, pow'r and praise."....
Hark! the redeemed millions join the song,
Take up the theme, and tune their golden harps
To higher strains, as stronger motives call
To nobler gratitude and boundless praise.
"Worthy the lamb, who stoop'd so low for us.
To veil his godhead in a robe of flesh,
Who bought us with his blood: Our sacrifice;
Our righteousness; who brought us by his grace
From every nation of the peopled earth
To reign in glory, kings and priests to him.
Worthy the lamb of blessing, pow'r and might,
Riches and honor, everlasting thanks.
Let heaven and earth, and all creation join
To worship him, for whom, and by whose pow'r
All things subsist; glory and praise be his
Who sitteth on the throne, who once was dead,
But lives forever!" Lo! again they shout,
"Worthy the lamb!" and at his gracious feet.
In low prostration fall, sweetly o'erwhelm'd
With rapturous gratitude, with heav'nly love.
How grand the theme, how glorious the song! What melody when saints and angels sing,
Isaiah vi....John xii....Rev. v.
God the Redeemer's praise. But hark, my soul!
Jehovah speaks! let heaven and earth attend
In solemn silence to the great decree !
"Hear, all my angels, my celestial pow'rs;
Cherubic armies, flaming seraphim ;
Bright sons of morn, who hymn around my throne,
Or thro' my spacious universe dispense
The sov'reign mandates of my righteous will.
Behold my first begotten, and adore
Jesus the God, the man for sinners slain !
At my right hand he sits exalted high,
Fall at his feet and worship him as me.”
And to the son he saith, "Thy throne, O God,
Endures forever, thy right hand shall grasp
A righteous sceptre thro' eternity;
And rule with sovereign sway; (thy native right)
The boundless empire which thine hands have form'd."
Thus from his throne, th' Almighty Father spake.
The sov'reign voice kindled new joy in heav'n....
Low at his feet they bow; the concave rung
With hallelujah's voices jubilant,
Proclaim the honors of the slaughter'd lamb,
A God incarnate! let the heav'ns rejoice!
A God incarnate! let the earth be glad!
Reigns o'er the heavens and earth, the ransom'd throng,
And hosts angelic hymn his sacred name
With bursts of loud applause....Thee too they sing,
Almighty Father, and adore thy grace;
Father of Jesus Christ, thy first elect,
Father, in him, of all the chosen seed;
Father of everlasting love to men.
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