"Is Ephraim banish'd from my thoughts, No," saith the Lord, "with all his faults, "Is he a dear and pleasant child? 66 My sharp rebuke has laid him low, He seeks my face again; My pity kindles at his woe, He shall not seek in vain." XIII. THE COVENANT. Ezek. xxxvi. 25-28. THE Lord proclaims his grace abroad! My grace, a flowing stream, proceeds My truth the great design ensures, Yet not unsought, or unimplored, whole hearts shall seek the Lord, I'll put a praying spirit there. From the first breath of life divine, XIV. JEHOVAH-SHAMMAH. Ezek. xlviii. 35. As birds their infant brood protect,+ And spread their wings to shelter them, Thus saith the Lord to his elect, "So will I guard Jerusalem." And what then is Jerusalem, Jehovah founded it in blood, The blood of his incarnate Son; There, though besieged on every side, * Verse 57. + Isaiah xxxi. 5. Let earth repent, and hell despair, Her name is call'd The Lord is there, And who has power to drive him thence? XV. PRAISE FOR THE FOUNTAIN OPENED. Zec. xiii. 1. THERE is a fountain fill'd with blood The dying thief rejoiced to see Dear dying Lamb, thy precious blood E'er since, by faith, I saw the stream Then in a nobler, sweeter song, I'll sing thy power to save; When this poor lisping stammering tongue Lord, I believe thou hast prepared For me a blood-bought free reward, 'Tis strung, and tuned, for endless years, XVI. THE SOWER. Matt. xiii. 3. YE sons of earth, prepare the plough, The seed that finds a stony soil, But ill repays the sower's toil, Soon wither'd, scorch'd, and dead. The thorny ground is sure to balk The beaten path and highway side The watchful birds the spoil divide, But where the Lord of grace and power How plenteous is the golden store The deep-wrought furrows yield! Father of mercies, we have need Let the same hand that gives the seed XVII. THE HOUSE OF PRAYER. Mark xi. 17. THY mansion is the Christian's heart, O Lord, thy dwelling-place secure! Bid the unruly throng depart, And leave the consecrated door. Devoted as it is to thee, A thievish swarm frequents the place; There, too, a sharp designing trade Sin, Satan, and the world maintain ; I know them, and I hate their din, Am weary of the bustling crowd; But while their voice is heard within, I cannot serve thee as I would. |