5 Too often, dear Saviour, have I
Preferr'd fome poor trifle to thee;
How is it thou dost not deny
The blessing and birth-right to me?
No better than Efau I am,
Tho' pardon and heaven be mine;
To me belongs nothing but shame,
The praise and the glory be thine.
IX. JACOB'S Ladder. Chap. xxviii. 12. IIF the Lord our leader be,
We may follow without fear;
East or west, by land or fea,
Home, with him, is ev'ry where;
When from Efau Jacob fled,
Tho' his pillow was a stone,
And the ground his humble bed,
Yet he was not left alone.
2 Kings are often waking kept,
Rack'd with cares on beds of state;
Never king like Jacob slept,
For he lay at heaven's gate :
Lo! he saw a ladder rear'd,
Reaching to the heav'nly throne;
At the top the Lord appear'd,
Spake, and claim'd him for his own.
3 "Fear not, Jacob, thou art mine,
And my prefence with thee goes;
On thy heart my love shall shine,
And my arm fubdue thy foes :
> From my promife comfort take,
For my help in trouble call;
Never will I thee forsake,
'Till I have accomplith'd all."
4 Weil does Jacob's ladder fuit
To the gofpel throne of grace;
We are at the ladder's foot,
Ev'ry hour, in ev'ry place:
By affuming flesh and blood,
Jesus heav'n and earth unites;
We by faith ascend to God*,
God to dwell with us delights.
5 They who know the Saviour's name,
Are for all events prepar'd;
What can changes do to them,
Who have fuch a guide and guard
Should they traverse earth around,
To the ladder still they come :
Ev'ry spot is holy ground,
God is there and he's their home.
X. My name is JACOB. Chap. xxxii. 27.
NAY, I cannot let thee go,
'Till a blessing thou bestow;
Do not turn away thy face,
Mine's an urgent preffing cafe.
2 Doft thou ask me, who I am?
Ah, my Lord, thou know'st my name !
Yet the question gives a plea,
To fupport my fuit with thee.
3 Thou didst once a wretch behold,
In rebellion blindly bold,
Scorn thy grace, thy pow'r defy,
That poor rebel, Lord, was I.
4 Once a finner near despair
Sought thy mercy feat by pray'r;
Mercy heard and fet him free,
Lord, that mercy came to me.
5 Many years have pass'd since then,
Many changes I have seen,
Yet have been upheld till now;
Who could hold me up but thou?
6 Thou hast help'd in ev'ry need,
This emboldens me to plead;
After so much mercy past,
Can'st thou let me fink at last?
7 No-I must maintain my hold,
'Tis thy goodness makes me bold;
I can no denial take,
When I plead for Jesu's fake.
XI. Plenty in the time of Dearth. Chap. xli. 56.
1 MY foul once had its plenteous years,
And throve, with peace and comfort
fill'd,
Like the fat kine and ripen'd ears,
Which Pharaoh in his dream beheld.
2 With pleasing frames and grace receiv'd,
With means and ordinances' fed,
How happy for awhile I liv'd,
And little fear'd the want of bread.
3 But famine came, and left no fign
Of all the plenty I had feen;
Like the dry ears and half-starv'd kine,
I then look'd wither'd, faint, and lean.
4 To Jofeph the Egyptians went;
To Jesus I made known my cafe;
He, when my little stock was spent,
Open'd his magazine of grace.
5 For he the time of dearth forefaw,
And made provision long before ;
'That famish'd fouls, like me, might draw
Supplies from his unbounded store.
6 Now on his bounty I depend,
And live from fear of dearth fecure;
Maintain'd by such a mighty friend,
I cannot want till he is poor.
7 O finners, hear his gracious call!
His mercy's door stands open wide;
He has enough to feed you all,
And none who come shall be deny'd.
XII. JOSEPH mades known to his Brethren. Chap. xlv. 3. 4.
WHEN Jofeph his brethren beheld,
Afflicted and trembling with fear,
His heart with compaffion was fill'd;
From weeping he could not forbear.
Awhile his behaviour was rough,
To bring their past fin to their mind;
But when they were humbled enough,
He hasted to thew himself kind.
2 How little they thought it was he,
Whom they had ill-treated and fold !
How great their confufion must be,
As soon as his name he had told !
" I am Jofeph, your brother, he faid,
And still to my heart you are dear;
You fold me, and thought I was dead,
But God, for your fakes, sent me here."
3 Though greatly distressed before,
When charg'd with purloining the cup,
They now were confounded much more,
Not one of them durst to look up.
"Can Jofeph, whom we would have flain,
Forgive us the evil we did?
And will he our households maintain?
O this is a brother indeed!"
4 Thus dragg'd by my confcience, I came,
And laden with guilt, to the Lord,
Surrounded with terror and shame,
Unable to utter a word.
At first he look'd ftern and severe,
What anguish then pierced my heart!
Expecting each moment to hear
The fentence, "Thou cursed, depart !"
5 But, oh! what surprise when he spoke,
While tenderness beam'd in his face;
My heart then to pieces was broke,
O'erwhelm'd and confounded by grace:
"Poor finner, I know thee full well,
By thee I was fold and was flain;
But I dy'd to redeem thee from hell,
And raise thee in glory to reign.
61 am Jesus, whom thou hast blafphem'd,
And crucify'd often afresh;
But let me henceforth be esteem'd
Thy brother, thy bone, and thy flesh:
My pardon I freely bestow,
Thy wants I will fully fupply;
I'll guide thee and guard thee below,
And foon will remove thee on high.
7 Go, publish to finners around,
I hat they may be willing to come,
The mercy which now you have found,
And tell them that yet there is room."
Oh, finners, the message obey !
No more vain excuses pretend;
But come, without further delay,
To Jesus, our brother and friend.
EXODUS.
XIII. The Bitter Waters. Chap. xv. 23.-25.
BITTER, indeed, the waters are
Which in this defert flow; Though to the eye they promife fair, They taste of fin and woe.
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