' MM^M$$mt ^A/S'^.o^C^ ?K*V^c^ : ^ ~j2?ffl- !i H : 131: " Lord, I believe thou hast prepared Unworthy though I be For me a blood-bought free reward. A golden harp for me. "Tis strung and tuned for endleii years. And form'd by power divine. To sound in God the Father's ears. No other name but thine." COWPSR. LONDON: JAMES NISBET AND CO. JOIINSTONE, EDINBURGH. ROBERTSON, DUBLIN. BATH: BINNS AND GOODWIN. MDCCCXLVIII, " My joy, my life, my crown! My heart was meaning all the day, Somewhat it fain would say ; And still it runneth muttering up and down With only this. My joy, my life, my crown." A TRUE HYMN GEORCSE HERBERT. 953 JrU' ' A EE QUEST. I HAVE been frequently asked by my friends to point out, and even to mark, my own Hymns in ihose collections wherein they have been priutol. For this reason, therefore, I am induced to collect them together, with a few additional pieces, three or four of which have also been previously pub- lished. And in so doing, I have a request to i naive of niy brethren in Christ, with regard to thi- little work. 1 have of late been much grieved, I confess, to observe how the practice of needlessly altering some even of our well-known favorite hymns has crept in amongst us ; and could not help wishing VI A REQUEST. that they had been left, still to cheer and to comfort the hearts of the people of God, notwithstanding, it may he, some imperfections, without any such attempts at improvement. It is surely not fair to treat another's compositions in this way, especially where he is not unsound as to doctrine. In writing a hymn or a poem, an author knows his own meaning and object far better than another can possibly do ; and when he finds that his thoughts have been meddled with and deranged in this way, he is painfully conscious that he has been misunderstood, and that the sense has been either perverted or weakened. Such being my views with regard to the com- positions of others, the reader will be prepared for the request which I am about to make with regard to my own ; namely, that should any of these poems or hymns be deemed worthy of a place in any future collections, they may be left as they are, without alteration or abridgment. And also A REQUEST. Ml (inasmuch as here and there I have revised them myself, I trust for the better,) I should wi>h that they may be copied from this, rather than from any previous collection wherein they an- found. These requests I make, I trust, without the risk of being charged with assumption, and al.-<> with the confident hope that my dear hivthn-n in Christ will kindly comply with my \\ i E. D. N T l< X T S. HYMNS. A PILGRIM through this lonely world . . > '> Break forth, O earth, in praises . . . . ~>\ Bride of the Lamh, awake ! awake ! Bride of the Lamb, rejoice ! rejoice ! . . .>s Bright with all his crowns of glory Children of God ! in all your need . . 93 Children of light, awake ! awake! .. ..35 Children of light, arise and shine . . . . 81 Dear Lord, amid the throng that press'd . . 74 Dear Saviour, through thy strife . . 95 X CONTENTS. Page. Farewell, ye fleeting joys of earth . . 82 Hark to the trump, behold it breaks . . 41 He's gone the Saviour's work on earth . . 79 Hope of our hearts, O Lord, appear . . 33 Isles of the deep, rejoice ! rejoice ! . . ' . . 58 Joy to the ransom'd earth . . . . 57 Light of the lonely pilgrim's heart . . 44 Lord, dearest Lord ! to thee I call . . . . 90 Lo, 'tis the heavenly army . . 48 O blessed Jesus ! who but thou . . 85 O blessed Lord, thy feeble sheep . . 84 O earth rejoice ! from Salem see . . . . 60 O God, thy bounteous hand hath spread . . 94 O grace divine ! the Saviour shed . . 43 O gracious Lord, be with us now . . 95 O what a bright and blessed world . . 62 O what a lonely path were ours . . 87 O what a thrill of deep delight . . . . 77 O wondrous hour ! when, Jesus, thou . . . . 72 CONTENTS. XI Patre. Sweet feast of love divine .. ..96 Sweet was the hour, O Lord, to thee . . . . (17 Sweeter, O Lord, than rest to thee . . 69 Thou vain deceitful world, farewell . . . . 83 Through Israel's land, the Lord of all . . . . 31 'Tis come, the glad millennial morn . . 55 'Tis finished all our souls to win . . 78 'Tis He the mighty Saviour comes .. ..46 'Tis night but O the joyful morn . . . . ;>f) 'Tis past the dark and dreary night . . 75 To Calv'ry, Lord, in spirit now . . . . (J:> \Ve are the holy flock of God . . 86 What grace, O Lord, and beauty shone . . 71 Where, in this waste unlovely world . . . . 89 While in sweet communion feeding . . 97 POEMS. Bethel .. .. .. ..99 Salome . . . . . . . . 102 To the Memory of a beloved Mother . . 106 CONTENTS. On the same Page. 110- Another on the same .. V3 The Dove .. 115 The Gem .. 118 Gethsemane .. 119 Power and Love .. 123 The Heart healed .. 125 The Refuge .. 129 Zion .. 131 Music for the two foregoing Poems, " The Refuge," and "Zion." 136 "liti iSS INTBODUCTIOH TO THE MILLENNIAL HYMNS. ' Ilalleiujah ! hark, the soinul I-' mm the depth into the skies, "Wakes above, beneath, around, All Creation's harmonies ! See Jehovah's banners furl'd, Sheath'd his sword: He speaks 'tis done; And the kingdoms of the world, Are the kingdoms of the Son." MONTGOMERY. As the following hymns relate to tin- Second Coming and Kingdom, it may be well, in order to make them clear to the apprehension of those readers to whom the subject is not familiar, to offer a few words of explanation. The reader will observe that there are here three separate classes, or parties, namely, the B tf INTRODUCTION. CHURCH, ISRAEL, and the GENTILES, distinguished one from the other in such hymns, for instance, as those beginning, " Break forth, earth, in praises ! " and " Bright with all his crowns of glory." Now while the Cross of Christ, the grand foundation of blessing to man, is com- mon, and equally applicable to all, the Lord's mode of dealing with each of these classes, owing to the especial standing and calling of each, is peculiar, and distinct altogether from his ways with the others. This being the case, it becomes needful here briefly to mark this threefold distinction. The Lord, when he came to the earth, came only to Israel, that people whom, in the person of Abraham, he had at the outset brought nigh to himself. (Matt. x. 5, 6.) The true Son of David, the heir of his throne, he came, claim- ing the allegiance of Israel, as Israel's king ; (Matt. xxi. 1 11 ;) and had they received him as INTRODUCTION. 3 such, then the result would have been, his reign upon earth. The kingdoms of this world, with Israel at their head, would at once have become the kingdoms of our Lord and his Christ. But, as we; read, " He came unto his own, and his own received him not." (John i. 11.) They saw no beauty in him, that their souls should desire him ; and hence, instead of his then taking the kingdom, he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, he died on the cross. This, we know, was the eternal purpose of God, seeing that without shedding of blood there can be no remission of sins, no blessing to man. But Israel, nevertheless, was equally guilty of despising his love, of hating the Just One, of cutting off their Messiah. What, therefore, is the Lord doing now ? what is his present object on earth, seeing that he must have some object to bless and delight in? Not Israel, we know, seeing that they, for their sin, INTRODUCTION. in killing the Lord, are, for a season, cut off, and left to the mercy of their Gentile oppressors. Neither is any nation now owned by him, or called by his name. (Isa. Ixiii. 19.) The apostacy of Israel, the destined and only dispenser of blessing to the rest of the world, stands in the way; and so hinders the outflow of mercy, in a national sense, as yet, to the Gentiles. And yet the Lord has a people on earth a people destined to far higher blessing and glory than ever Israel will enjoy, even when restored, as they will be, to his rfavour hereafter, "a people for his name," (Acts xv. 14,) gathered out from all nations on earth, both Jews and Gentiles. (Eph. ii. 11 19.) The term by which this elect body is distin- guished in Scripture, namely, "the Church of God," is altogether peculiar, inasmuch as its calling and standing are distinct from all that precedes, or will follow it; and this because its relation to Christ is peculiar. As Adam and INTRODUCTION. ' Eve, the husband and wife, the type of this "great mystery" were one, in a natural way, so spiritually, Christ and his saints, in this dispensation, are one. He, the Spouse of his Church, she, on the other hand, the Bride, the Lamb's wife. (See Eph. v. 29 32.) He the head of his people, they the members, making up one mystical body in Him. Then, again. which is a tiling altogether distinct from the earthly calling of Israel, the Apostle, in Hebrew, (ch. iii. 1,) terms us, " partakers of the //>v//v ///// calling ;" the reason for which is, that hcatm, not earth, will be hereafter our place, as well as that especially of Christ himself, in the kingdom. This being the case, as soon as his last mem- ber is brought in, and his body is complete, the Church will be removed from the earth, will pass away into heaven. The Lord, as we read, de- scending from thence with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel and with the trump of God, we, O INTRODUCTION. both the dead and the living in that day, will be caught up to meet him, and be for ever with him. (1 Thes. iv. 1618; 1 Cor. xv. 51.) Thus will end the path of the Church upon earth, and for this we, the children of God, are now called to wait, even "for his Son from heaven," (1 Thes. i. 10,) to take us home to himself. Such hymns as those beginning, " Hope of our hearts, O Lord, appear," and, " Hark to the trump, be- hold it breaks," refer to this rapture this ascen- sion of the Church into heaven. And now the Church being gone, with whom will the Lord begin to deal next ? With Israel again. Gathered once more into their own land, in unbelief, and defiance of God, it is true, the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, the very tribes which slew their Messiah, will by this time have built their city and temple ; * (Isa. Ixvi. 6 ; Zech. * This fact, we allow, is not actually noticed in Scripture, but the passages here quoted, show that the city and temple will be rebuilt at this time. INTRODUCTION 7 xiv. 1 3; Rev. xi. 1, 2;) and not only so, but will also have received a false Messiah, set up by themselves, one suited to meet and to pL the unregenerate heart. This delusion, on their part, God will permit, in order to chasten his people for their past disobedience in rejecting his Son. They hated, they put the Just One to death, the one who came to them /// tin' name of the Father; and hence he, acting on the principles of retributive justice, measuring to them with tin- same measure that they themselves meted t< Jesus, will allow them to become the blind dii]M-< of another, who will come to them /// ///.s turn name. (John v. -1:3.) A deceiver at first, and ;i tyrant in the end; (Ps. v. 6. xliii. 1 ;) this fearful being, this "Anti- christ," as he is emphatically termed, (1 John ii. 18,) as being thus opposed to the one whom the Father hath chosen, and at the same time, Satan's great counterfeit of their loug-looked-for TNTKODUCTION. Messiah, will receive their blind homage and worship, in those days of their deepest delusion and ripened apostacy. And not only so, but " all the world will wonder after the beast" this being another name which belongs to this Antichrist. (Rev. xiii. 3.) The ten Gentile kings who in that day will rule the fourth and last empire of Daniel, will give him their power and strength, owning him alone as their Lord, and becoming wholly subject to him, as his vassals. (Rev. xvii. 12, 13.) In the midst, however, of the infidel nation, thus come to the height of their evil and folly, an elect faithful remnant, (Isa. vi. 13; Zeph. iii. 12, 13; Zech. xiii. 8, 9,) hated by the bulk of the people, will be raised up, it would appear, through the testimony of two certain prophets, namely, the witnesses spoken of in Revelation xi., to look for the coming of Christ. And in answer to the cry of these sufferers, he will come. (Psalms Ixxix. Ixxx. cxviii.) Yes; INTRODUCTION. 9 the heavens will open, and Christ, the Rider on the white horse, followed by the armies in heaven, (Rev. xix. 11 21,) even his CHURCH, which as we have seen, will have previously ascended to meet him, and will have been with him in heaven during the whole of the above mentioned action on earth, will dr-mid t> make war with the beast, the ten kings of the earth. and their armies; with all. in short, who, in that hour of man's perfect apostacy, will !>< leagued under Antichrist, against God and his Christ. Then follows the conflict " the battle of Armageddon," (Rev. xvi. 13 10,) the issue of which it is almost needless to tell. The beast with the false prophet, his minister, will be destroyed, cast, both of them, into the lake of fire for ever; the kings of the earth, and their armies, will be slain with the sword proceeding out of the mouth of the heavenly conqueror ; while Satan, the great mover of all, 10 INTRODUCTION. will be chained, and cast, for a thousand years, into the bottomless pit. This done, the Lord, having gathered in his elect, namely, the Jewish remnant before named, will next take to himself his great power and will reign. He will ascend the throne of David his father ; which had been destined for him, as the true heir, from the outset ; (Ps. Ixxxix; Ezek. xxi. 25 27;) gather in, in the next place, the whole of his people, both Judah and Ephraim, and not only so, but his glory will spread through the earth. Blessing at last will flow forth, in a national political way to the Gentiles, who will unite with Israel, in that day, in adoring the Lamb through whose blood alone they will be redeemed; (Isa. ii. 2 5.) The temple worship of Israel will then be revived; (Ps.li. 19; Ezek. xl. xlviii.) The feasts and the sacrifices, not pointing forward, as of old, but commemoratively looking back to the blessed work of redemption already accom- INTRODUCTION. 1 1 plished, will be observed in Jerusalem. Thither the nations will congregate; thither they will go up from year to year to worship the King, the Lord of hosts, and to keep the Feast of Tabernacles. (Zech. xiv. 16.) Jerusalem will be the scene of God's presence on earth the place of his throne. There the temple will stand, there too the glory will dwell, in the light of which the nations will walk. (Rev. xxi. *J4.) The above mentioned conllirt and victory, together with the bl< in^s resulting from thence, are referred to in such hymns as those beginning, " Tis lie, the mighty Saviour comes," and, " Lo, 'tis the heavenly army !" But, it will be asked, during this period, nan iely. the thousand years of Christ's reign upon earth over Israel and the nations, where will the Church be ? Her glory, as we have said, is not earthly, like Israel's where, then, during this season of blessedness, is her destined place ? In 12 INTRODUCTION. heaven, we answer ; because if heaven is to be the throne of the Lord, (Ps. ciii. 19 ; Isa, Ixvi. 1,) so will it be also the throne of his bride, who, as we read, is to live and reign with him, during the thousand years of his kingdom. (Rev. xx. 4.) In the earthly Jerusalem the Lord will be known as King of Israel, the Son of David, Lord of the nations ; while, in the heavenly city, which, it appears, will, as it were, rest in the air over the Zion on earth, (Isa. iv. 5, 6,) he will be honoured and loved as the head of his body, his bride, the Lamb's wife. Such are the names which solely belong to the Church, the object most near and dear to his heart, the one in whom his grace will be more fully displayed than even in the elect and redeemed nation of Israel. But this state of things will continue only for a limited period, for "a thousand years," as we have before said; after which, Satan being unbound, he will stir up the nations to make INTRODUCTION. 13 one effort more against Christ and his people. But this will also be defeated. Fire, coming down from heaven, will devour the wicked, afterwards Satan, the great mover of all, like the beast and his prophet before him, will be cast, not again into the bottomless pit, but into the lake of fire for ever. Then follows the june : after- wards it will be (*o\> I he irln-lr ( i" possible for' Deity to hold with the creatur. . Such w helieve to be the interpretation of verses xi 0. And as to \crsr 1<>. the celestial ciiy i- there seen, as before, in the act of descending. But now, what hud been left undescribed is supplied. The city itself is delineated, its walls, its gates, its foundations ; and not only so, but it is shown in its relation to the earth, the nations are seen walking in the light of its glory. The tree in the midst of the street is 16 INTRODUCTION. for the healing of men. The millennium, in fact, which, between the descent of the city in verse 2, and the new heavens and new earth in the 3rd and following verses, is wholly left out, is, with its various details, both heavenly and earthly, now brought before us. Should there be any question as to whether the millennial earth is described in chapter xxi., from verse 10 on to chapter xxii., this may be settled by what is said of the tree, "The leaves of the tree," it is written, "were for the healing of the nations ;" healing belongs to an imperfect state, such as the millennium (however wondrously blessed) will be. In the new earth, on the other hand, no death, no sorrow, no pain will exist. "The former things " will "have all passed away," and hence no healing there will be needed. The foregoing remarks, it will be seen, proceed on the principle that the Book of Revelation, as INTRODUCTION. 17 to its fulfilment, is future. To this, many, we are aware, will object. But those who have con- sidered and entered into the peculiar and dis- tinctively /H'ttmtli/ character of this dispensation, such, as we have spoken of before, will acknow- ledge that it cannot be otherwise. This book presents, not continuously, from beginning to end, but in so many distinct and, some of them, coincident visions, th'j history character- istically of the earth; of nation ri>in^ against nation of wars, famines, earthquakes, pe>ti- lences, and so on; all ailectin;^ and connected with man in his social earthly condition. Where- as, what is the Lord doing now? He is now calling out his elect church from the world; a people not of the world, even as he himself is not of the world ; a heavenly people, whose path here below is that of pilgrims and strangers. There- fore, quite in harmony with this, his present action, object, and dealings with man, he does not 18 INTRODUCTION. now interfere (except, it is true, so far as he is secretly and providentially working) with the course of the world. This being the case, we might be prepared to find the Spirit of God in the Word taking very little notice of the present history of man, in a national political aspect. It is so in the Book of Acts. There, from the eighth chapter onward, after the Jews had put Stephen, God's witness, to death, (thereby proving their hopelessly evil condition, as well as the hopeless state of the earth, which, as we have seen, depends on the repentance of Israel for the outflow of national blessing,) we find the Lord hiding his face from his earthly people, and dealing alone with the interests of the heavenly people the Church. So also in the Epistles, (saving that the saints there appear as the heralds of mercy to sinners at large,) we find the Spirit of God addressing himself to the saints, and only to them. When Israel, INTKODUCTION. 19 the earthly people of God, shall he dealt with again, then indeed, he will resume the thread of this world's history. This is the subject of the Book of Revelation, from chapter vi. to xi\. and also of Matthew xxiv. In the former we have presented, in so many coincident vision-. as we have seen, the actings of the apostate Jrw> of that day, with a faithful suffering remnant amongst them ; together with those of the Gentiles connected in evil with Israel, just previous to the second coming of Christ ; all within the l*t week of Daniel, the time of the reign of the false Messiah, " the prince that shall come," " the beast " before mentioned. There are two periods named in the Book of Reve lation, which, in the minds of those who are willing to abide by the literal interpretation of Scripture, will, we believe, bear on the above statement as to " the week;" namely, the 1260 days (not years) of the witnesses ; (Rev. xi. 3 ;) also the 42 months 20 INTRODUCTION. of the blasphemies of the beast. (Rev. xiii. 5.) Each of these terms, it is clear, means to express an equal period of time, namely, three years and a half, and taken together, they make up seven years, or a week. And this week we believe to be that above named, the last of the seventy recorded by Daniel, within which, as we have said, the events of the greater part of Revelation, and also those detailed in the 24th chapter of Matthew, will happen, and at the termination of which, the Jews will again be received into favour. As to the seventy weeks, at the termination of which the sin of Israel will be cancelled, one remark remains to be made in conclusion, namely, that though a period of only 490 years, beginning at the time of Nehemiah's return from Babylon, when the commandment as to the city went forth, (Dan. ix. 25, Neh. ii.,) they are not, if the above statement be true, concluded as yet, seeing that Israel is still outcast from the land of his INTRODUCTION. 21 fathers. Why is this? it may be said. Simply because the present space between the sixty- ninth week, when " the Messiah, the Prince," was presented to Israel, and the seventieth, just before his coming again, is passed by altogether, as having no place in God's record of time is a complete Hani; in his estimation. The reason for which is, that the nation of Israel, to whom alone the times and the seasons belong, * are for the present dispersed, and lost sight of; and also that the Church of God, the Lord's present object on earth, stands apart from these said times and seasons, as fully as he himself does from the political course of the world. Such is a little sketch of the dispensational dealings of God with his people. With the Church, in the first place ; with Israel next; and * While the times and the seasons exclusively belong to the Jews, as a nation, (Levit xxv. Gal. iv. 10,) the moral instruction connected therewith, like every thing in Scrip- ture, we fully allow, applies to the Church of God, as well as to Israel. 22 INTRODUCTION. then with the Gentiles. The hymn beginning, " Through Israel's land the Lord of all," which opens the following series, presents the above order ; while such hymns as " Break forth, earth, in praises," " 'Tis come, the glad mil- lennial morn," and " Bright with all his crowns of glory," show the various degrees of distinction and blessing in the kingdom hereafter. They exhibit the CHUKCH above, on the throne IS- RAEL next, in their own promised land, under the peaceful sceptre of Christ, and lastly, the GENTILES coming for a share of the earthly blessings of Israel.* Most blessed it is when the heart is made * The Author begs to say, in connexion with this subject, that he hopes, if the Lord will, shortly to publish the following Works, with a Key or Companion to each. A CHART, illustrated throughout with Pictorial designs, pre- senting at one view the history of the world as given in Scripture ; ending with the millennial kingdom of Christ. Also TWO CHARTS, together forming one work : the first of which is designed to explain and illustrate the Seventy INTRODUCTION. 23 apprehensive of the Lord's ways, as revealed iii the Word. The Cross, it is true, is our first lesson . There it is we learn our ruin by nature ; there our souls are first brought into the presence of God ; there we find that our sin has been borne, our iniquities cancelled; there, in a word, we learn the secret of happiness. But having found peace through the blood of the Lamb, knowing omselves accepted in the Beloved, we are invited to advance into deeper and brighter discoveries of the wondrous ways of the Lord And let none say that these things are needless. If they display God as he is, this is sufficient, they cannot be needless. And if, too, in searching into these things, we discover the calling of Israel to be distinct, as it assuredly is, from that of the Weeks of Daniel ; the second to show Seventy Weeks to be a dispensation al cycle with God in his dealings with Israel, and with man universally. The Reader is referred for further particulars to the advertisement at the beginning. INTRODUCTION. Church, still, at the same time, we find that their history is a parable, a lesson for us, through the medium of which we see the hopelessly evil condition of man, till he learns the wonderful mystery of redemption through Christ. These few remarks, it is hoped, may serve as a key to the following hymns, leading the reader, moreover, desirous of understanding the dispensa- tional ways of the Lord, of which they all more or less treat, into a clearer perception thereof. Christ, as we know, is the great centre of hope and of joy, the rock on which all, whether the Church of God at this time, the Jewish people hereafter, or the Gentiles, must build, and this being the case, may his name, more and more, be as ointment poured forth, more precious, more sweet to the souls of his people. The more we know of his love to ourselves, the more must we love him in return. May such be our happy experience, so that we may, in the midst of this INTRODUCTION. 25 stormy and sorrowful world, be able, in some measure, to respond to the spirit and tone of the following lines, so sweetly expressive of the heart's longing for him ; My soul, amid this stormy world,* Is like some flutter* d dove; And fain would be as swift of wing, To flee to Him I love. The cords that bound my heart to earth Were broken by his hand ; Before his cross I found myself A stranger in the land. That visage marr'd, those sorrows deep, The vinegar, the gall, These were his golden chains of love, His captive to enthral. My heart is with him on the throne, And ill can brook delay ; Each moment list'ning for the voice, " Rise up, and come away." * This most beautiful hymn has not been given correctly in some of the Collections in which it is published: it is inserted here with the author's approval. 26 INTRODUCTION. With hope deferr'd, oft sick and faint, " Why tarries he ? " I cry : And should he gently chide my haste, Thus would my heart reply : " May not an exile, Lord, desire His own sweet land to see ? May not a captive seek release, A prisoner to be free ? " A child, when far away, may long For home and kindred dear ; And she that waits her absent Lord, Must sigh till he appear. " I would my Lord and Saviour know, That which no measure knows ; Would search the mystery of thy love, The depth of all thy woes. " I fain would strike my golden harp Before the Father's throne, There cast my crown of righteousness, And sing what grace hath done. INTRODUCTION. 27 l( Ah leave me not in this dark world, A stranger still to roam, Come, Lord, and take me to thyself, Come, Jesus, quickly come !" R. C. CHAPMAN. One thing more we would say in conclusion, namely, that our proper hope is the Lord's second coming. True it is, the state of the soul after death is assuredly Messed. But of this, in the word, comparatively little is said ; whereas the hope of the Chuivli ti* icl>l<> is continually kept before the eye of the saints. The Lord him si -if. though now at the right hand of God, is in a state of expectancy, is waiting for the day of his glory. And so we, being united to him, and members of his Elect Body, have the same blessed prospect ; hence our affections, our desires, our hopes should be in association with his ; our hearts should be continually exercising themselves in these things ; 28 INTRODUCTION. we should be tuning our harps for the chorus of heaven. In 1 Corinthians xiii. 13, we find the cardinal Graces, as it were, clustered together " Faith, Hope, Charity, these three." Observe the order in which these words stand in this passage, corresponding, as we have heard it happily ob served, with that in which they follow each other in the history of the saint. For instance, 1st, Faith (without at all excluding the other two) is the grace which we are now especially called on to exercise, in a world of conflict and sorrow. While Sndly, Hope (supposing we are called away before the coming of Christ) will be the especial experi- ence of the soul in its separate state, where freed from the body, released from a world of sorrow which it will have left for ever behind it, it will be filled with the brightest anticipations of the glory and joy of the resurrection condition. Then Srdly, Chanty love, in the end, will fill the whole INTKODUCTION. 29 soul love the highest, the brightest, the sweetest of all. That all these unite in the renewed mind, and in equal degrees, even now, as to the^rmcipfe, we fully allow. What we here speak of is the csjwittl HHiniJ'cxtdtittH and exercise of each of these graces in the path of the saint, owing to the various circumstances in which he finds himself placed. Love, then, as we read, being " the greatest of these," seeing that the blessed God is himself essentially love, our hopes should not surely come short of that day when he, whom 1 uiviiig not seen, we love, will reveal himself to our hearts in all his attractions ; when our powers of loving will be fully developed. And this will not be till the whole family meet in the house of their Father; till the Bride, the Lamb's wife, is actually enthroned with her Lord. " Come, Lord Jesus !" Such was the cry of the Church in its infancy " Come, Lord Jesus ! " should still be our cry, in these last days, when, as we believe, the day of 30 INTKODUCTION. our redemption is nigh. " Persuade yourself," said the excellent Rutherford, writing to one in afflic- tion, "persuade yourself the King is coming; read his letter sent before him, ' Behold, I come quickly;' wait with the wearied night-watch for the breaking of the eastern sky, and think that you have not a morrow." SURELY I COME QUICKLY MILLENNIAL HYMNS. GRACE ABOUNDING. The Lord's dispensational dealings in grace with his people, with the CHURCH OF GOD, in the first place with ISRAEL next, and then with the GENTILES, all in their true order, are shown in these lines. " I have laboured in vain, I have spent my strength for nought and in vain : yet surely my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with my God." Is. xlix. 4. THROUGH Israel's land, the Lord of all A homeless wanderer past, Then closed his life of sorrow here, On Calvary, at last. O Zion ! when thy Saviour came In grace and love to thee, No beauty in thy royal Lord Thy faithless eye could see. MILLENNIAL HYMNS. Yet onward in his path of grace, The holy sufferer went, To feel, at last, that love on thae Had all in vain been spent. Yet not in vain o'er Israel's land The glory yet will shine ; And he, thy once rejected King, Messiah, shall be thine. His chosen Bride, ordain'd with him To reign o'er all the earth, Shall first be framed, ere thou shalt know Thy Saviour's matchless worth. Then thou, beneath the peaceful reign Of Jesus and his Bride, Shalt sound his grace and glory forth, To all the earth beside. The nations to thy glorious light, O Zion, yet shall throng, And all the list'ning islands wait To catch the joyful song. MILLENNIAL HYMNS. 33 The name of Jesus yet shall ring Through earth and heaven above ; And all his ransom 'd people know The Sabbath of his love. THE CHURCH WAITING FOR THE SON FROM HEAVEN. SEE 1 TUBS. i. 10; iv. 16, 18. " Come, Lord Jesus! " Rev. xxii. 20. HOPE of our hearts, () Lord, appear ! Thou glorious Star of day, Shine forth, and chase the dreary night, With all our tears, away ! Strangers on earth, we wait for tlnv : O leave the Father's throne, Come with a shout of victory, Lord, And claim us as thine own ! O bid the bright archangel, now, The trump of God prepare, To call thy saints the quick the dead, To meet thee in the air. 34 MILLENNIAL HYMNS. No resting-place we seek on earth, No loveliness we see, Our eye is on the royal crown, Prepared for us and thee. But, dearest Lord ! however bright That crown of joy above, What is it to the brighter hope ^ Of dwelling in thy love ? What to the joy, the deeper joy, Unmingled, pure, and free, Of union with our living Head, Of fellowship with thee ? This joy e'en now on earth is ours, But only, Lord, above Our hearts, without a pang, shall know The fulness of thy love. There, near thy heart, upon the throne, Thy ransom'd Bride shall see What grace was in the bleeding Lamb, Who died to make her free. MILI.KNMAI. 1IY>; Iff) THE BRIDEGROOM AT HAND. " 1 sleep, but my heart waketh." Cant. v. 2. CHILDREN of light, awake ! awake ! Ye slumbering virgins i Go meet the royal Bridegroom now. And show that ye are wise. Like foolish virgins, ye have fail d ^ our holy watch to keep : And lo, he comes, and almost finds Your languid souls asleep ! Through l.\r. the .Man of Sorrows oft Hatli watch'd and wept ior you : Thru gave away his life, to prove That all that love was true. Then wake, for, lo, the midnight cry Of warning in the air, JJids all his church, to greet him now, Their dying lamps prepare. * While we believe the parable of the ten virgins pro- phetically viewed, to belong to the Jewish remnant, and not to the Church, we fully allow, as to the general principle, that it applies to one as well as the other ; and hence, in the above hymn, the wise virgins represent the saints in this dispensation, the members of the elect body of Christ. 36 MILLENNIAL HYMNS. THE CHURCH CHEERED WITH THE HOPE OF HER LORD'S RETURN. " O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice ; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely." Cant. ii. 14. BRIDE of the Lamb, awake ! awake ! Why sleep for sorrow now ? The hope of glory, Christ, is thine, A child of glory thou. Thy spirit, through the lonely night, From earthly joy apart, Hath sigh'd for one that's far away The Bridegroom of thy heart. * But see, the night is waning fast, The breaking morn is near ; And Jesus comes, with voice of love, Thy drooping heart to cheer. * Sent of Jesus, even as He was sent of the Father, and while seeking to be worthy of the name put upon her, may she remember, that it is not of herself the Bride is to speak ; but her object, her subject, her delight, her hope, her only resting place is her Beloved the Bridegroom of her heart. LADY POWERSCOURT'S LETTERS. MILLENNIAL HYMNS. [\ 7 He comes for Oh, his yearning heart No more can bear delay To scenes of full un mingled joy To call his Bride away. This earth, the scene of all his woe, A homeless wild to thee, Full soon upon his heavenly throne, Its rightful King shall see. Thou too slialt reign he will not wear His crown of joy alone ! And earth his royal Bride shall see Beside him on the throne. Then weep no more 'tis all thine own His crown, his joy divine : And, sweeter far than all beside, He, he himself is thine. 38 MILLENNIAL HYMNS THE CHURCH CALLED AWAY. " Arise my love, my fair one, and come away," Cant. ii. 13. BRIDE of the Lamb, rejoice ! rejoice ! Thy midnight watch is past, True to his promise, lo, 'tis He ! The Saviour comes at last, His heart, amid the blest repose And glories of the throne, With love's unwearied care, hath made Thy sorrows all its own. Through days and nights of suff 'ring, taught For human woe to feel, He, only, with unerring skill, Thy wounded heart could heal. And now, at length, behold, he comes To claim thee from above, In answer to the ceaseless call, And deep desire of love. MILLENNIAL HYMNS. 39 Go, thru. then lov'd and blessed one, Tliou drooping mourner, rise ! ( 1 1 > for he calls thee now to share 1 Ii< dwelling in the skies. 1 >i i hrc. Ins royal Bride for thee, 1 1 i^ brightest glories shine : And, happier still, his changeless heart. With all its love, is thine. OUR BLESSED HOPE. " Hope maketh nol ashamed." Horn. v. .";. IV night but O the joyful morn Will soon our waiting spirits cheer ; Ym gleams of coming glory warn Thy saints, O Lord, that thou art near. Lord of our hearts, beloved of thee, Weary of earth, we sigh to rest, Supremely happy, safe and free, For ever on thy tender breast ; 40 MILLENNIAL HYMNS. To see thee, love thee, feel thee, near, Nor dread, as now, thy transient stay, To dwell beyond the reach of fear Lest joy should wane or pass away> Children of hope, beloved Lord ! In thee we live, we glory now r , Our joy, our rest, our great reward, Our diadem of beauty thou. And when exalted, Lord, with thee, Thy royal throne at length we share, To everlasting thou shalt be Our diadem, our glory, there. * See Note as to this stanza, and the two foregoing lines, in the hymn commencing " Lord, dearest Lord, to thee I call." MILLENNIAL HYMNS. 41 THE RAPTURE OF THE SAINTS. These lines are supposed to be the utterance of the saints at the blessed moment when they are actually ascending to meet the Lord in the air, as described in 1 Cor. xv. 51, 57 ; and I Thes. iv. 1618. " () death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory ?" 1 Cor. xv. 55. HARK to the trump ! behold it breaks The sleep of ages now : And lo ! the light of glory shines On many an aching brow. in Ji moment raised to life, The quick, the dead arise, Responsive to the angel's voice, That calls us to the skies. Ascending through the crowded air, On eagle's wings we soar, To dwell in the full joy of love, And sorrow there no more. 42 MILLENNIAL HYMNS. Undazzled by the glorious light Of that beloved brow, We see, without a single cloud, We see the Saviour now ! Lord, the bright and blessed hope That cheer'd us through the past, Of full eternal rest in thee, Is all fulfilled at last. The cry of sorrow here is hush'd. The voice of prayer is o'er ; * 'Tis needless now for, Lord, we crave Thy gracious help no more. Praise, endless praise, alone becomes This bright and blessed place, Where every eye beholds unveil'd The mysteries of thy grace. * This thought was suggested by the blessed experience of John Janeway on his death-bed, expressed in the fol- lowing words, " I expect no more here, I cannot desire more. I cannot bear more. O praise, praise, praise that infinite boundless love that hath, to a wonder, looked upon my soul, and done more for me than thousands of his dear MILT.FXNIAI. !1Y?M 43 Past conflict here, Lord, 'tis ours, Through everlasting day-. To sing our song of victory now, And only live to praise. THE SERPENT'S HEAD BRUISED. " Though he was crucified through weakness, yet he liveth by the power of God." 2 Cor. xiii. 4. < > <.i:\< i: divine ! the Saviour shed His life-blood on the cursed tree ; I><>\v'