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By faith I hope to fee the fun,
The light of grace that lent; .
His everlasting circles run
In glory's firmament.

By faith I'm more than conqueror,
Ev'n though I nothing can;
Because I fet JEHOVAH'S рow'r
Before me in the van.

By faith I counterplot my foes,
Nor need their ambush fear;
Because my life-guard alfo goes
Behind me in the rear.
By faith I walk, I run, I fly;
By faith I fuffer thrall;

By faith, I'm fit to live and die;
By faith I can do all.

SECT. V.

The Heights and Depths of Senfe

WHEN Heav'n me grants at certain times,

Amidst a pow'rful gale,

Sweet liberty to mone my crimes,
And wand'rings to bewail;

Then do I dream my finful brood,
Drown'd in the ocean main
Of chrystal tears and crimson blood,
Will never live again.

I get my foes beneath my feet,
I bruife the ferpent's head;
I hope the vict❜ry is complete,
And all my lufts are dead.
How gladly do I think and fay,
When thus it is with me,
Sin to my fenfe is clean away,
And fo fhall ever be?

But, Ah! alas! th' enfuing hour
My lufts arife and fwell,

They rage and reinforce their pow'r,
With new recruits from hell.

Though I refolv'd and fwore through grace

In very folemn terms,

I never fhould my lufts embrace,
Nor yield unto their charms;
Yet fuch deceitful friends they are,
While I no danger dream,
I'm fnar'd before I am aware,
And hurry'd down the ftream.
Into the gulph of fin anon

I'm plunged head and ears;
Grace to my fenfe is wholly gone,
And I am chain'd in fears;

Till ftraight my Lord with fweet furprize
Returns to loofe my bands,
With kind compaffion in his eyes,
And pardon in his hands.

Yet thus my life is nothing elfe
But heav'n and hell by turns ;
My foul that now in Gofhen dwells,
Anon in Egypt mourns.

SECT. VI.

Faith and Frames compared; or, Faith building upon Senfe difcovered.

FAITH has for its foundation broad

A ftable rock on which I ftand,

The truth and faithfulness of God:
All other grounds are finking fand.
My frames and feelings ebb and flow;
And when my faith depends on them,
It fleets and staggers to and fro,

And dies amidst the dying frame.
That faith is furely moft unftay'd,
Its flagg'ring can't be counted ftrange,
That builds its hope of lafting aid

On things that ev'ry moment change.
But could my faith lay all its load
On Jefus' everlasting name,

Upon the righteoufnefs of God,

And divine truth that's ftill the fame:

Could I believe what God has fpoke,

Rely on his unchanging love, And ceafe to grasp at fleeting smoke, No changes would my mountain move. But when, how foon the frame's away, And comfortable feeling fail;

So foon my faith falls in decay,

And unbelieving doubts prevail: This proves the charge of latent vice,

And plain my faith's defects may show; I built the house on thawing ice,

That tumbles with the melting fnow.
When divine fmiles in fight appear,
And I enjoy the heav'nly gale;
When wind and tide, and all is fair,
I dream my faith fhall never fail:
My heart will falfe conclufions draw,
That ftrong my mountain fhall remain;
That in my faith there's not a flaw,
I'll never, never doubt again.
I think the only rest I take,

Is God's unfading word and name;
And fancy not my faith fo weak,
As e'er to truft a fading frame.
But, ah! by fudden turns I fee

My lying heart's fallacious guilt,
And that my faith, not firm in me,

On finking fand was partly built: For lo! when warming beams are gone,, And fhadows fall; alas! 'tis odd,

I cannot wait the rifing fun,

I cannot trust a hiding God.
So much my faith's affiance feems
Its life from fading joys to bring,
That when I lofe the dying ftreams,
I cannot trust the living fpring.
When drops of comfort quickly dry'd
And fenfible enjoyments fail;
When chearing apples are deny'd,
Then doubts inftead of faith prevail.

But why, though fruit be fnatch'd from me,
Should I diftruft the glorious root,
And ftill affront the standing tree,
By trusting more to falling fruit;
The fmalleft trials may evince

My faith unfit to ftand the fhock,
That more depends on fleeting fenfe,
Than on the fix'd eternal Rock.
The fafeft ark when floods arife,

Is ftable truth that changes not;
How weak's my faith, that more relies
On feeble fenfe's floating boat?
For when the fleeting frame is gone,
I ftraight my flate in queftion call;
I drop and fink in deeps anon,

As if my frame were all in all.

But though I mifs the pleafing gale,

And heav'n withdraw the charming glance; Unless JEHOVAH's oath can fail,

My faith may keep its countenance.

The frame of nature fhall decay,

Time-changes break her rufty chains;
Yea, heav'n and earth fhall pass away;
But faith's foundation firm remains.
Heav'n's promifes fo fix'dly ftand,
Ingrav'd with an immortal pen,
In great IMMANUEL'S mighty hand,

All hell's attempts to raze are vain.
Did faith with none but truth advife,

My fteady foul would move no more, Than ftable hills when tempefts rife,

Or folid rocks when billows roar. But when my faith the counsel hears Of present fenfe aud reafon blind, My wav'ring spirit then appears

A feather tofs'd with ev'ry wind. Lame legs of faith unequal crook; Thus mine, alas! unev'nly ftand, Elfe I would truft my ftable rock,

Not fading frames and feeble fand:

I would, when dying comforts fly,

As much as when they prefent were, Upon my living joy rely,

Help, Lord, for here I daily err.

CHAP.

V.

The BELIEVER'S PRINCIPLES Concerning

IN

Heaven and Earth.

SECT. I.

The Work and Contention of Heaven.

N heav'nly choirs a queftion rofe,
That ftirr'd up ftrife will never close,
What rank of all the ranfom'd race
Owes highest praise to fov'reign grace?
Babes thither caught from womb and breaft,
Claim'd right to fing above the reft;
Because they found the happy fhore
They never faw nor fought before.
Those that arriv'd at riper age,
Before they left the dusky stage,

Though grace deferv'd yet higher praise,
That wash'd the blots of num'rous days.
Anon the war more clofe began,
What praising harps fhould lead the van?
And which of grace's heav'nly peers
Was deepest run in her arrears?

" 'Tis I, (faid one), 'bove all my race,
"Am debtor chief to glorious grace."

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Nay, (faid another), hark, I trow

"I'm more oblig'd to grace than you."
"Stay, (faid a third), I deepest fhare
"In owing praise beyond compare ;
"The chief of finners you'll allow,
"Must be the chief of fingers now."
"Hold, (faid a fourth), I here protest
"My praises muft outvie the best;
"For I'm of all the human race
"The highest miracle of grace."

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