7 "I see your hearts at present fill'd
"With grief and deep distress;
"But soon these bitter seeds shall yield
"The fruits of righteousness."
8 Break through the clouds, dear Lord, and shine! Let us perceive thee nigh!
And to each mourning child of thine
These gracious words apply.
REVELATION.
CXXXVI. Ephesus. Chap. ii. 1—7.
1 THUS saith the Lord to Ephesus,
And thus he speaks to some of us :
"Amidst my churches, lo! I stand,
"And hold the pastors in my hand.
2 "Thy works to me are fully known,
"Thy patience, and thy toil I own;
"Thy views of Gospel-truth are clear,
"Nor canst thou other doctrine bear.
3 "Yet I must blame, while I approve;
"Where is thy first, thy fervent love?
"Dost thou forget my love to thee,
"That thine is grown so faint to me?
4 "Recall to mind the happy days
"When thou wast fill'd with joy and praise;
"Repent, thy former works renew,
"Then I'll restore thy comforts too.
5 "Return at once, when I reprove,
"Lest 1 thy candlestick remove,
"And thou, too late, thy loss lament;
"I warn before I strike-Repent."
6 Hearken to what the Spirit saith,
To him that overcomes by faith;
"The fruit of life's unfading tree,
"In Paradise, his food shall be."
4 "I know thy foes, and what they say, "How long they have blasphem'd; "The synagogue of Satan they,
"Though they would Jews be deem'd.
5 "Though Satan for a season rage,
"And prisons be your lot,
"I am your Friend, and I engage
"You shall not be forgot.
6 "Be faithful unto death, nor fear
"A few short days of strife;
"Behold! the prize you soon shall wear,
"A crown of endless life!"
7 Hear what the Holy Spirit saith
Of all who overcome;
"They shall escape the second death, "The sinner's awful doom!"
CXXXVIII. C. Sardis. Chap. iii. 1-6.
1 "WRITE to Sardis," saith the Lord,
"And write what he declares,
"He whose Spirit, and whose word,
"Upholds the seven stars:
"All thy works and ways I search,
"Find thy zeal and love decay'd;
"Thou art call'd a living church,
"But thou art cold and dead.
2 "Watch, remember, seek, and strive,
"Exert thy former pains:
"Let thy timely care revive,
"And strengthen what remains:
"Cleanse thine heart, thy works amend,
"Former times to mind recall,
"Lest my sudden stroke descend,
"And smite thee once for all.
3 "Yet I number now in thee
"A few that are upright;
"These my Father's face shall see,
"And walk with ine in white :
"When in judgment I appear,
"They for mine shall be confest;
"Let my faithful servants hear, "And wo be to the rest."
3 "Before thee see my mercy's door
"Stands open wide to shut no more;
"Fear not temptation's fiery day,
"For I will be thy strength and stay.
4 "Thou hast my promise, hold it fast,
"The trying hour will soon be past:
"Rejoice, for, lo! I quickly come,
"To take thee to my heav'nly home.
5 "A pillar there no more to move,
"Inscrib'd with all my names of love;
"A monument of mighty grace,
"Thou shalt for ever have a place."
6 Such is the conqueror's reward,
Prepar'd and promis'd by the Lord!
Let him that hath the ear of faith
Attend to what the Spirit saith.
CXL. Laodicea. Chap. iii. 14-20.
1 HEAR what the Lord, the great Amen,
The true and faithful witness says!
He form'd the vast creation's plan,
And searches all our hearts and ways.
2 To some he speaks as once of old,
"I know thee, thy profession's vain ; "Since thou art neither hot nor cold,
"I'll spit thee from me with disdain. 3 "Thou boastest 'I am wise and rich,
"Increas'd in goods, and nothing need;" "And dost not know thou art a wretch, "Naked, and poor, and blind, and dead,
4 "Yet while I thus rebuke, I love,
"My message is in mercy sent; "That thou mayst my compassion prove, "I can forgive, if thou repent.
5" Would'st thou be truly rich and wise?
Come, buy my gold in fire well try'd, "My ointment, to anoint thine eyes,
"My robe, thy nakedness to hide.
6 "See at thy door I stand and knock!
"Poor sinner, shall I wait in vain?
"Quickly thy stubborn heart unlock,
"That I may enter with my train.
7 "Thou canst not entertain a king,
"Unworthy thou of such a guest!
"But I my own provisions bring,
"To make thy soul a heav'nly feast."
CXLI. The Little Book. Chap. x.
1 WHEN the belov'd disciple took
The angel's little, open book,
Which by the Lord's command he eat,
It tasted bitter after sweet.
2 Thus when the Gospel is embrac'd,
At first 'tis sweeter to the taste
Than honey or the honey-comb,
But there's a bitterness to come.
S What sweetness does the promise yield,
When by the Spirit's power seal'd?
The longing soul is fill'd with good,
Nor feels a wish for other food.
4 By these inviting tastes allur'd,
We pass to what must be endur❜d;
For soon we find it is decreed,
That bitter must to sweet succeed.
5 When sin revives and shows its pow'r,
When Satan threatens to devour,
When God afflicts, and men revile,
We draw our steps with pain and toil.
6 When thus deserted, tempest-tost,
The sense of foriner sweetness lost,
We tremble lest we were deceiv'd
In thinking that we once believ'd. -
7 The Lord first makes the sweetness known, To win and fix us for his own;
And though we now some bitter meet,
We hope for everlasting sweet.
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