347. Under the Hidings of God's Countenance.

C.M.

Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my Salvation; my GOD will hear me.-MIC. vii. 7.

SEE, LORD, before thy throne of grace,
A wretched wand'rer mourn!
Thyself hast bid me seek thy face
Thyself hast said, Return.

2 And shall my guilty fears prevail
To drive me from thy feet?
Thy word of promise cannot fail,
My tow'r of safe retreat.

3 Absent from thee, my guide, my light, Without one cheering ray;

Through dangers, fears, and gloomy
How desolate my way!

[night,

4 O shine on this benighted heart,
With beams of mercy shine;
And let thy Spirit's voice impart
A taste of joys divine!

5 When trials vex my doubting mind,
Still to thy cross I'll flee;
No shelter can I elsewhere find,
No refuge, but in thee.

6 Thy presence only can bestow
Delights which never cloy :
Be this my comfort here below,
And my eternal joy.

348. His Desires after good. S.M...

The good that I would, I do not.-Rom. vii. 19.

I WOULD, but cannot sing, Guilt has untun'd my voice; The serpent sin's envenom'd sting Has poison'd all my joys.

2

I know the Lord is nigh,
And would but cannot pray :
For Satan meets me when I try,
And frights my soul away.

3

I would, but can't repent,
Though I endeavour oft;
This stony heart can ne'er relent
Till JESUS make it soft.

4

I would, but cannot rest
In God's most holy will;
I know what he appoints is best,
Yet murmur at it still.

5

6

O could I but believe!

Then all would easy be ;
I would, but cannot-Lord, relieve;
My help must come from thee!

But if indeed I would,
Though I can nothing do;
Yet the desire is something good,
For which my praise is due.

8

Ca

2 T

3 Y

I

N

4 If

F

7

By nature prone to ill,
Till thine appointed hour,
I was as destitute of will,
As now I am of pow'r.

8 Wilt thou now crown at length
The work thou hast begun?
And with a will afford me strength
In all thy ways to run.

349. Mourning. L.M.

Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me.-)
-PSALM li. 11.

STAY, thou insulted Spirit, stay!
Though I have done thee such despite;
Cast not a sinner quite away,
Nor take thine everlasting flight.

2 Though I have most unfaithful been
Of all whoe'er thy grace receiv'd;
Ten thousand times thy goodness seen,
Tenthousand times thy goodnessgriev❜d.
3 Yet Oh the chief of sinners spare,
In honour of my great High Priest;
Nor in thy righteous anger swear,
I shall not see thy people's rest.

4 If yet thou canst my sins forgive,-
E'en now, O Lord, relieve my woes;
Into thy rest of love receive,
And bless me with the calm repose.

5 E'en now my weary soul release,
And raise me by thy gracious hand;
Guide me into thy perfect peace,
And bring me to the promis'd land.

350. Indwelling Sin lamented. C.M.

I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not.-Rom. vii. 18.

WITH tears of anguish I lament,
Here at thy feet, my GOD,
My passion, pride, and discontent,
And vile ingratitude.

2 Sure there was ne'er a heart so base, So false has mine has been;

So faithless to its promises,
So prone to every sin.

3 Full well I know that thy commands Are holy, just, and true;

And whatsoe'er my GoD demands
Is his most righteous due.

4 Reason I hear, her counsels weigh,
And all her words approve;
But still I find it hard t' obey,
And harder yet to love,

5 How long, my SAVIOUR, shall I feel These strugglings in my breast? When wilt thou bow my stubborn will, And give my conscience rest?

6 Break, sov'reign grace, O break the
And set the captive free:
Reveal, Almighty GoD, thine arm,
And haste to rescue me.

[charm,

351. Indwelling Sin Confessed. L.M.

Behold, I was shapen in iniquity: and in sin did my mother conceive me.- -PSALM li. 5.

LORD, I am vile, conceiv'd in sin; And born unholy and unclean; Sprung from the man whose guilty fall Corrupts the race, and taints us all. 2 Soon as we draw our infant breath, The seeds of sin grow up for death: Thy law demands a perfect heart; But we're defil'd in ev'ry part.

3 Great GOD, create my heart anew,
And form my spirit pure and true:
O make me wise betimes, to spy
My danger and my remedy.

4 Behold I fall before thy face;
My only refuge is thy grace:
No outward forms can make me clean;
The leprosy lies deep within.

5 JESUS, my God, thy blood alone

Hath pow'r sufficient to atone:

;

Thy blood can make me white as snow:
O may I all its virtue know.