Alone upon the means of grace

Our souls must not depend;

Theirs simply is the handmaid’s place

Of means unto an end.

Nor must we only for a while

Put off the sins we mourn,

To flatter conscience, and beguile

The hours till they return;

But low in penitence must lie,

In deed as well as word;

And then must turn to Calvary,

And trust our bleeding Lord.

O Lord, thy chosen servants bless,

That they may faithful be;

Thy truth upon the conscience press,

And sinners win to thee!

In holy watchfulness and prayer,

O keep them near thy side;

May they with loving zeal declare,

A Saviour crucified.

Great God! to thee I’ll make

My griefs and sorrows known;

And with a humble hope

Approach thine awful throne;

Though by my sins deserving hell,

I’ll not despair;—for, “Who can tell?”

Vile unbelief, begone;

Ye doubts, fly swift away;

God hath an ear to hear,

While I’ve a heart to pray;

If he be mine, all will be well—

For ever so; and, “Who can tell?”

Then let us not despond,

Inquiring “Who can tell?”

For in the sacred word

The question’s answer’d well:

That all who come to Christ shall be

Saved now, and through eternity.

Since from our faith thou dost withhold

No blessing of thy grace,

Make us in confidence most bold

Thy promise to embrace.

Full many an arrow may we aim

With faith’s most mighty bow,

Strengthened by thine all-conquering name,

Our sins to overthrow.

At twice or thrice let us not stay,

But the full number dare;

Since thou dost not a limit lay,

Why should our hands forbear?

Is there ambition in my heart?

Search, gracious God, and see:

Or do I act a haughty part?

Lord, I appeal to thee.

I charge my thoughts, be humble still,

And all my carriage mild,

Content, my Father, with thy will,

And quiet as a. child.

The patient soul, the lowly mind,

Shall have a large reward:

Let saints be humble and resigned;

And ne’er provoke the Lord.

Jehovah hath spoken!

The nations shall hear;

From the east to the west

Shall his glory appear;

With thunders and tempest

To judgment he’ll come;

And all men before him

Shall wait for their doom.

Woe, woe to the sinners!

To what shall they trust?

In the day of God’s vengeance,

The holy and just!

How meet all the terrors

That flame in his path,

When the mountains shall melt

At the glance of his wrath!

O God, ere the day

Of thy mercy be past,

With trembling our souls

On that mercy we cast:

O guide us in wisdom;

For aid we implore;

Till, saved with thy people,

Thy grace we adore.

Long hath the night of sorrow reign’d;

The dawn shall bring us light:

God shall appear, and we shall rise

With gladness in his sight.

Our hearts, if God we seek to know,

Shall know him, and rejoice;

His coming like the morn shall be,

Like morning songs his voice.

So shall his presence bless our souls,

And shed a joyful light;

That hallow’d morn shall chase away

The sorrows of the night.

With broken heart and contrite sigh,

A trembling sinner, Lord, I cry;

Thy pardoning grace is rich and free;

O God! be merciful to me.



I smite upon my troubled breast,

With deep and conscious guilt oppress’d:

Christ and his cross my only plea;

O God! be merciful to me.