368

L. M.

WATTS.

Nothing on Earth to satisfy the Desires of the Mind.

1 I SEND the joys of earth away;

Away, ye tempters of the mind,
False as the smooth, deceitful sea,
And empty as the whistling wind.

2 There's nothing round this spacious earth
That satisfies my large desire;
To boundless joy and solid mirth
My nobler, purer thoughts aspire.

3 Now to the shining realms above

I stretch my hands and glance mine eyes; O for the pinions of a dove

To bear me to the upper skies!

4 There, from the bosom of my God,
Oceans of endless pleasures roll;
There would I fix my last abode,
And drown the sorrows of my soul.

WATTS.

369

L. M.

No Rest on Earth.

1 MAN has a soul of vast desires;
He burns within with restless fires;
Tossed to and fro, his passions fly
From vanity to vanity.

2 In vain on earth we hope to find
Some solid good to fill the mind;
We try new pleasures, but we feel
The inward thirst and torment still.

3 So, when a raging fever burns,
We shift from side to side by turns;
And 'tis a poor relief we gain,

To change the place, but keep the pain.

4 Great God, subdue this vicious thirst,
This love to vanity and dust;

Cure the vile fever of the mind,
And feed our souls with joys refined.

370

C. M.

MRS. STEELE.

God our Portion. Ps. 4.

1 IN vain the erring world inquires
For true, substantial good;

Whilst earth confines their low desires,
They live on airy food.

2 Not all the good which earth bestows
Can fill the craving mind;

Its highest joys have mingled woes,
And leave a sting behind.

3 Begone, ye gilded vanities;
I seek some solid good;
To real bliss my wishes rise
The favor of my God.

4 To thee, my God, my soul aspires;
Dispel these shades of night;
Enlarge and fill these vast desires
With infinite delight.

296

371

C. M.

WATTS.

God my only Happiness. Ps. 73.

1 MY God, my Portion, and my Love,
My everlasting All,

I've none but thee in heaven above,
Or on this earthly ball.

2 In vain the bright, the burning sun
Scatters his feeble light;

'Tis thy sweet beams create my noon; If thou withdraw, 'tis night.

3 And whilst, upon my restless bed,
Amongst the shades I roll,

If my Redeemer shows his head,
'Tis morning with my soul.

4 To thee we owe our wealth and friends, And health and safe abode ;

Thanks to thy name for meaner things,
But they are not my God.

5 Were I possessor of the earth,
And called the stars my own,
Without thy graces and thyself,
I were a wretch undone.

6 Let others stretch their arms like seas,
And grasp in all the shore,-
Grant me the visits of thy face,
And I desire no more.

297

372

L. M.

WATTS.

God the Source of Joy here and hereafter.

1 LORD, when I quit this earthly stage,
Where shall I fly but to thy breast?
For I have sought no other home,
For I have learned no other rest.

2 I cannot live contented here

Without some glimpses of tny face; And heaven, without thy presence there, Will be a dark and tiresome place.

3 When earthly cares engross the day,

And hold my thoughts aside from thee, The shining hours of cheerful light Are long and tedious years to me.

4 And if no evening visit's paid

Between my Savior and my soul, How dull the night! how sad the shade! How mournfully the minutes roll!

373

C. M.

Retirement.

COWPER.

1 FAR from the world, O Lord, I flee,
From strife and tumult far;

From scenes where Satan wages still
His most successful war.

2 The calm retreat, the silent shade,
With prayer and praise agree,
And seem by thy sweet bounty made
For those who follow thee.

3 There, if thy Spirit touch the soul,
And grace her mean abode,

O, with what peace, and joy, and love,
She communes with her God!

4 There, like the nightingale, she pours
Her solitary lays;

Nor asks a witness of her song,
Nor thirsts for human praise.

5 Author and Guardian of my life!
Sweet Source of light divine!

And, all harmonious names in one,
My Savior! thou art mine!

6 What thanks I owe thee, and what love,— A boundless, endless store,

Shall echo through the realms above,
When time shall be no more.

374

C. M.

Secret Prayer.

Doddridge.

1 FATHER divine, thy piercing eye
Shoots through the darkest night;
In deep retirement thou art nigh,
With heart-discerning sight.

2 There shall that piercing eye survey
My duteous homage paid,
With every morning's dawning ray,
And every evening's shade.

3 0, may thy own celestial fire
The incense still inflame,

While my warm vows to thee aspire,
Through my Redeemer's name.