I fee him lay his vengeance by,
And fmile in Jefus' face.
By faith I hope to fee the Sun,
The light of grace that lent;
His everlasting circles run,
In glory's firmament.

By faith I'm more than conqueror,
Ev'n though I nothing can,
Because I fet Jehovah's power
Before me in the van.

By faith I counter-plot my foes,
Nor need their ambush fear;
Because my life-guard alfo goes,
Behind me in the rear.
By faith I walk, I run, I fly,
By faith I fuffer thrall;
By faith I'm fit to live and die,
By faith I can do all.

SECT. V. The Heights and Depths of Senfe.

WHEN Heav'n me grants, at certain times,
Amidst a powerful gale,

Sweet liberty to moan my crimes,
And wand'rings to bewail;
Then do I dream my finful brood,

Drown'd in the ocean main

Of chrystal tears and crimson blood,
Will never live again.

I get my foes beneath my feet,
I bruife the ferpent's head;
I hope the vict❜ry is complete,
And all my lufts are dead.
How gladly do I think and fay,
When thus it is with me,
Sin to my fenfe is clean away,
And fo fhall ever be.

But, ah! alas! th' enfuing hour

My lufts arife and fwell,

They rage and reinforce their power,
With new recruits from hell.

Tho' I refolv'd and fwore, through grace,
In very folemn terms,

I never should my lufts embrace,
Nor yield unto their charms;
Yet fuch deceitful friends they are,
While I no danger dream,
I'm fnar'd before I am aware,
And hurry'd down the stream.
Into the gulph of fin anon,

I'm plunged head and ears;
Grace to my fenfe is wholly gone,
And I am chain'd in fears;
Till ftraight my Lord with fweet surprise
Returns to loofe my bands,
With kind compaffion in his eyes,
And pardon in his hands:
Yet thus my life is nothing else

But heav'n and hell by turns;

My foul, that now in Gofhen dwells,

Anon in Egypt mourns.

SECT. VI. Faith and Frames compared: or, Faith building upon Senfe difcovered.

FAITH has for its foundation broad
A ftable rock on which I ftand,
The truth and faithfulness of God;
All other grounds are finking fand.
My frames and feelings ebb and flow;
And when my faith depends on them,
It fleets and staggers to and fro,

And dies amidst the dying frame.
That faith is furely most unftay'd,
Its ftagg'ring can't be counted strange,
That builds its hope of lafting aid

On things that every moment change.
But could my faith lay all its load
On Jesus' everlasting name

Upon the righteoufnefs of God,

And divine truth that's ftill the fame :

Could I believe what God has spoke,
Rely on his unchanging love,
And ceafe to grafp at fleeting smoke,
No changes would my mountain move.
But when, how foon the frame's away,
And comfortable feelings fail;
So foon my faith falls in decay,

And unbelieving doubts prevail :.
This proves the charge of latent vice,
And plain my faith's defects may fhow
I build the houfe on thawing ice,
That tumbles with the melting fnow!
When divine fmiles in fight appear,
And I enjoy the heav'nly gale;
When wind and tide and all is fair,

I dream my faith shall never fail; My heart will false conclufions draw, That ftrong my mountain fhall remain, That in my faith there is no flaw, I'll never never doubt again. I think the only rest I take,

Is God's unfading word and name ; And fancy not my faith fo weak, As e'er to truft a fading frame. But, ah! by fudden turns I fee My lying heart's fallacious guilt, And that my faith, not firm in me, On finking fand was partly built : For, lo! when warming beams are gone, And fhadows fall; alas! 'tis odd, I cannot wait the rifing Sun, I cannot trust a hiding God. So much my faith's affiftance feems Its life from fading joys to bring, That when I lofe the dying ftreams, I cannot trust the living fpring. When drops of comfort quickly dry'd, And fenfible enjoyments fail : When cheering apples are deny'd,

Then doubts, inftead of faith, prevail.

But why, though fruit be fnatch'd from me,
Should I diftruft the glorious Root;
And still affront the ftanding Tree,
By trufting more to falling fruit?
The smallest trials may evince

My faith unfit to ftand the shock,
That more depends on fleeting sense,
Than on the fix'd eternal Rock.
The fafeft ark, when floods arise,

Is ftable truth that changes not :
How weak's my faith, that more relies
On feeble fenfe's floating boat!
For when the fleeting frame is gone,
I fraight my ftate in queftion call;
I droop and fink in deeps anon,
As if my frame were all in all.
But though I mifs the pleafing gale,

And Heav'n withdraw the charming glance; Unless Jehovah's oath can fail,

My faith may keep it countenance.
The frame of nature fhall decay,

Time changes break her rufty chains;
Yea, heav'n and earth fhall pass away;
But faith's foundation firm remains.
Heav'n's promises fo fix'dly stand,
Engrav'd with an immortal pen,
In great Immanuel's mighty hand,

All hell's attempts to raze are vain.
Did faith with none but truth advise,
My fteady foul would move no more,
Than ftable hills when tempefts rise,

Or folid rocks when billows roar. But when my faith the counsel hears Of prefent fenfe and reason blind, My wav'ring fpirit then appears

A feather tofs'd with ev'ry wind. Lame legs of faith unequal crook : Thus mine, alas! uneven ftand, Elfe I would truft my ftable Rock, Not fading frames and feeble fand

I would, when dying comforts fly,
As much as when they present were,
Upon my living joy rely,

Help, Lord, for here I daily err.

CHAP. V.

The Believer's Principles concerning Heaven

F

and Earth.

SECT. I. The Work and Contention of Heaven.

IN heav'nly choirs a question rose,
That ftirr'd up ftrife will never clofe,
What rank of all the ranfor'd race
Owes highest praife to fov'reign grace?
Babes thither caught from womb and breast,
Claim'd right to fing above the rest;
Because they found the happy fhore

They never faw nor fought before.
Thofe that arrive at riper age
Before they left the dusky stage,

Thought grace deferv'd yet higher praise,
That wash'd the blots of num'rous days.
Anon the war more close began,

What prafing harp fhould lead the van?
And which of grace's heav'nly peers
Was deepest run in her arrears ?
""Tis I (faid one,) 'bove all my race,
"Am debtor chief to glorious grace."
"Nay, (faid another,) hark, I trow,
"I'm more oblig'd to grace than you."
"Stay, (faid a third,) I deepest share
"In owing praise beyond compare :
"The chief of finners, you'll allow,
"Muft be the chief of fingers now.”
"Hold (faid a fourth,) I here protest
My praises muft outvie the best

;