PREFACE TO THE FIRST EDITION.

THE following Hymns were composed partly from several passages of scripture, laid on my heart, or opened to my understanding, from time, to time, by the Spirit of God, or else hinted to me by other christians (of which latter there are indeed but very few) ; partly from impressions felt under different frames of spirit, at the times when they were respectively written: and partly from spontaneous impulses or serious reflections on such subjects as accidentally occurred to my mind. There are also passages interspersed here and there that were written many years ago on various occasions, but now thought worthy, after a long suppression, of being revived and brought to light; but these are likewise very few.

They were begun almost two years ago ; but have been greatly impeded and often interrupted by disorder and darkness of soul, afflictions and temptations of various kinds, and other hinderances. They are published not only in the same order, but almost in the manner, in which they were first written: for, though they have since undergone a cursory revisal, and have been lightly retouched, the iterations I have made .in them are neither very numerous nor material.

I desire wholly to submit them, with myself, to the ail-wise disposal of that God, the) -sweet enlivening influences of whose blessed Spirit [ often felt while they were composing. All I would humbly wish, is, that Jesus ol Nazareth, the mighty God, the friend of sinners would be pleased to make them in some measure (weak and mean as they are) instrumental in setting forth his glory, propagating and enforcing the truths of his gospel, cheering the hearts of his people, and exalting his inestimable righteousness, upon which alone the unworthy author desires to rest the whole of his salvation.

Through the rich displays of God's free sovereign grace and electing love to me, the chief of sinners, may be seen, by an enlightened eye, in several parts of the compositions, and though one of them in particular (No. 16 entitled, The Author's own Confession) be written professedly with that view; I shall nevertheless lay hold on the present occasion; to make my public acknowledgment of God’s unmerited merey to me by giving a brief anl summary account of the great things he had done for my soul: I say, a brief and summary account; for a minute and circumstantial detail of them would more than fill an ainpl -- volume i

TO THE READER.

 IN the Second Edition of my Hymns, the Preface was omitted for several reasons, the chief of which were these.

I thought the account of my experience was sufficiently published and dispersed in the First Edition, and therefore there needed no repetition of it; especially as the book was now more adapted (by the addition of the Supplement) to public worship, where narratives of any kind are not very necessary; nor was I without apprehension that some ill use might be made of it, as there are several passages in it that may not suit the condition of many christians. It was therefore to be feared that some foolish men might take liberty from it to turn the grace of God into lasciviousuess; and that what was designed to display the infinite mercy of God to his children, might be made, by the Tempter's craft, an occasion of falling.

But the earnest and repeated inquiries that were made after the Preface, and the longing desire some expressed for it, and (what was above all) the several accounts I received from serious christians, to whom it had been much blessed, did at last (as so many calls of providence, which I mas unwilling to resist) prevail upon me to reprint it in the Tliird Edition; and for the same reasons it was judged proper to continue it.

 I beseech Almighty God to make it further useful to his children, in making them see by it the riches of his free grace to the worst of men: for which intent it was written. And let those who may be tempted thereby to tempt God, or to backslide, in hopes of being so miraculously reclaimed, consider that the repentance to salvation given me may not be given to them. I charge them, therefore, in the name of God, to beware of any such diabolical delusion; for they who say, let us sin that grace may abound,

AUTHOR’S ACCOUNT OF HIS OWN EXPERIENCE.

As I had the happiness of being born of believing parents, I imbibed the sound doctrines of the Gospel from my infancy; nor was I, without touches of heart, checks of conscience, and meltings of affections by the secret strivings of God's Spirit with me while very young; but the impressions were not deep, nor the influences lasting, being frequently defaced, and quenched by the vanities and vices of childhood and youth.

About the twenty-first year of my age I began to be under great anxiety concerning my soul. The spirit of bondage distressed me sore; though I endeavoured (as I believe most under legal convictions do) to commend myself to God's favour by amendment of life, virtuous resolutions, moral rectitude, and a strict attendance on religious ordinances. I strove to subdue my flesh by fasting, and other rigorous acts of penance and mortification; and, whenever I was captivated by its lusts (which indeed was often the case,) I endeavoured to reconcile myself again to God by sorrow for my faults; which, if attended with tears, I hoped would pass as current coin with heaven; and then I judged myself whole again, and to stand on, equal terms with my foes, till the next fall, which generally succeeded in a short time.

In this uneasy, restless round of sinning and repenting, working and dreading, I went on for above seven years; when a great domestic atfliction befalling me (in which I was a moderate sufferer, but a monstrous sinner,) I began to sink deeper and deeper into conviction of my nature's evil, the deceitfulness and hardness of my heart, the wickedness of my life, the shallowness of my christianity, and the blindness of my devotion. I saw that I was in a dangerous state, and that I must have a better religion than I had yet experienced, before I could with any propriety call myself a christian. How did I now long to feel the merits of Christ applied to my soul by the Holy Spirit! How often did I make my strongest efforts to call God my God! But alas! I could no more do this than I could raise the dead. I found now, by woeful experience, that faith was not in my power; and the question wiih me now was, not whether I would be a christian or no; but whether I might; not whether I should repent and believe; but whether God would give me true repentance and a living faith.

After some weeks passed in this gloomy, dreadful state, the Lord was pleased to comfort me a little, by enabling me to appropriate, in some measure, the merits of the Saviour to my own soul. This comfort increased for some time; and my understanding was also wonderfully illuminated in reading the Holy Scriptures, so that I could see Christ in many passages where before I little imagined to find him, and was encouraged to hope I had an interest in his merits, and the benefits by him procured to his people.

In this blessed state my continuance was but short; for, rushing impetuously into notions bevond my experience, I hastened to make myself a christian by mere doctrine, adopted other men's opinions before I had tried them; and set up for a great light in religion, disregarding the internal work of grace begun in my soul by the Holy Ghost. This liberty assumed by myself, and not given by Christ, soon grew to libertinism ; in which I took large progressive strides, and advanced to a dreadful height both in principle and practice. In a word, I ran such dangerous lengths both of carnal and spiritual wickedness, that I even outwent professed infidels, and shocked the irreligious and profane with my horrid blasphemies and monstrous impieties. Hardness of heart was, with me, a sign of good confidence; carelessness went for trust; empty notions for great light; a seared conscience for assurance ef faith; and rash presumption for christian courage.

My actions were in a great measure conformable to my notions. for having (as I imagined) obtained by Christ a liberty of sinning, I was revived to make, use of it; and thought the more I.would sin without remorse, the greater hero I was in faith. A tender conscience I deemed weakness; prayer I left for novices and bigots; and a broken and contrite heart was a thing too low and legal for me to approve, much more to desire. Not to dwell on particulars, I shall only say (what, though shocking to hear, is too true !) that I " committed ail uneleanncss with greediness."

In this abominable state I continued, a loose backslider and audacious apostate, a bold-faced rebel. for nine or ten years, not only cemmitting acts of lewdness myself, but infecting others with the poison of my delusions. I published several pieces on different subjects, chiefly translations of the ancient heathens; to which I prefixed prefaces, and subjoined notes of a pernicious tendency; and indulged a freedom of thought far unbecoming a christian. But God, who is rich in mercy, and whose grace is like himself, ali mighty, did not altogether give me up to hardness and impenitence: I felt from time to time, meltings of heart, and inward compunction, and had a secret hope at the bottom (which often rose above my gross corruptions,) that I should not always go on in this abandoned manner, and run a reprobate to final perdition.

About seven or eight years ago I began by degrees to reform a little, and to live in a more sober and orderly manner. And now as I retained the form of sound words, and held the doctrines of free grace, justification by faith, and other orthodox tenets, I was tolerably confident of the goodness of my state; especially as I could now also add that other requisite, a moral behaviour. Surely thought I, though 1 have been so profligate and profane, yet, as I am now reclaimed, and am not only sound in principles, but sober and honest in practice, I cannot but be in the right way to the favour of God.

　For several years I went on in this easy, cool, smooth and indolent manner, with a lukewarm, insipid kind of religion, yet not without some secret whispers of God's love, and visitations of his grace, and now and then warm addresses to him in private prayer. But alas! all this while my heart was whole; the fountains of the great deeps of my sinful nature were not broken up. I was therefore conscious that the written word of God was against me, especially those parts of it that represent the children of God, as a poor, afflicted, mourning, broken-hearted people; of which characteristics I was destitute; nor was the blood of Christ effectually applied to my souL I looked on his death indeed as the grand sacrifice for sin; and always thought on him with respect and reverence; but did not see the inestimable value of his blood and righteousness clearly enough to make me abhor myself, and count all things elso but dung and dross. On the contrary, when I used to read the scriptures (which I now did constantly, both in English and the Oriental languages,) though my mind was often affected, and my understanding illuminated by many passages that treated of the Saviour, yet I was so far from swing or owning that there was such a necessity for his death, and that it could be of such infinite value as is represented, that I have often resolved (O! the horrible depth of man's fall, and the desperate wickedness of the human heart!) that I never would believe it; and have been templed to tell God himself that he could not make me, without injuring my reason, and imposing on my understanding by downright violence and perversive power.

About three or four years ago I fell into a deep despondency of mind, because I had never experienced grand revelations and miraculous discoveries. I was very melancholy, and shunned all company, walking pensively alone, or sitting in private, and bewaihng my sad and dark condition, not having a friend in the world to whom I could communicate the burden of my soui; which was so heavy, that I sometimes hesitated even to take my necessary food. But, after many a gloomy, doleful hour spent in solitude and sorrow, not without strong and frequent cries and tears to God, and beseeching him to reveal himself to me in a clearer manner, I thought he asked me, in the midst of one of my prayers, whether I rather choose the visionary revelations of which I had formed some wild idea, or to be content with trusting to the low despised mystery of a crucified pian? I was enabled to prefer the latter; and felt great comfort in expecting the future eifects of rny choice.

But gloom of mind and dejection of spirit still frequently overwhelmed me: from which I used to be relieved by pouring out my soul to Christ, and beseeching him with cries, and groans, and tears, to reveal himself to me; praying at the same time it might be done without pain: for I was so much a coward, that I preferred ease to every other consideration. I was often answered by such portions of scriptures as these: Behold. I come quickly; and my reward is with me -That which thou hast already, hold fast till I come. To the latter of these I closed my hands fast, and cried, I would sooner part with every drop of blood, than let go the hopes i already had in a crucified Saviour: and to the former I used to reply (after considering the words, my reward is with me,) " Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly." For though I expected some sore visitation; yet believing that Christ would bring strength and power with him, I waited and longed for his coming.

The week before Easter 1757, I had such an amazing view of the agony of Christ in the Garden, as I know not well how to describe. I was lost in wonder and adoration, and the impression it made was too deep, I believe, ever to be obliterated. - I shall say no more of this, but only remark that, notwithstanding all that is talked about the sufferings of Jesus, none can know anything of them but by the Holy Ghost, and I believe he that knows most, knows but very little. It was upon this I made the first part of Hymn 1. On the Passion; which, however, I afterwards multilated and altered.

I used to be often terribly cut down with those words. And cast the unprofitable servant into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing ef teeth, Matt. xxv.30 ; which sometimes sunk me almost to utter despair; and then again I used to receive some comfort. At length despair began to make dreadful head against me: hopes grew fainter, and terrors stronger: which latter were increased by a faithful letter ! received from my friend; who had also run great lengths of impiety with me formerly, but was now reclaimed. The convictions I now laboured under were not like those legal convictions I had formerly felt, but far worse, horrible beyond expression. I looked on myself as a Gospel sinner; one that had trampled under foot the blood of Jesus, and for whom there remained no more sacrifice for sin. I shall not enlarge here, choosing rather to suppress than exaggerate; as I do not lay aiiy stress on my own sufferings, or those of any other man, except the man Christ Jesus, but surely what I felt was very grievous. For so deep was my despair, that I found in me a kind of wish that I might only be damned with the common damnation of transgressors of God's law. But, O! I thought the hottest place in hell must be my portion. All the evangelical promises were so far from comforting me, that they were my greatest tormentors, because they would only increase my condemnation. The distress and anguish of soul was likewise attended with great infirmity of body. One morning I was waked with intolerable pain, as it balls of fire were burning my reins. Amidst this excruciating torture, which lasted near an hour, one of the first things I thought on was the pierced side of Jesus, and what pain of body, as was of sou!, he underwent. Soon after this fiery stroke, I was seized in the evening with a cold shivering, which I concluded to be the icy damp of death, and that after that must come everlasting damnation. In this condition I went to my bed, but dared not close my eyes, even when nature was overcharged, lest I should awake in hell.

While these horrors remained, I used to run backwards and forwards to places of religious worship, especially to the Tabernacle in Moorfields, and the Chapel in Tottenham Court Road, where indeed I received some comfort (whicn though little, was then highly prized, because deariy needed;) but in the general almost every thing served only to condemn me to make me rue my own blackslidings, and envy those children of God who had continued to walk honestly ever since their first conversion. Notions of religion I wanted no man to teach me — I had doctrine enough; but found by woeful experience that dry doctrine, though ever so sound, will not sustain a soul in the day of trial.

In this sad state I went moping about (and that I could was next to a miracle,) having some little hope at the bottom under all, which now and then would ghmmer, but was soon overwhelmed again wiih clouds of horror, till Whitsunday 1757, when I happened to go in the afternoon to the Moravian Chapel, in Fetter-Lane, where I had been several times before. The minister pieached from these words, Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. Rev. iii. 10. Though the text and most of what was said on it, seemed to make greatly against me, yet listened with much attention, and felt myself deeply impressed by it. When it was over, I thought of hastening to Tottenham-Court chapel, but presently altering my mind, returned to my own house.

I was hardly got home when I felt myself melting away into a strange softness of affection; which made me fling myself on my knees before God. My horrors were immediatelv dispelled, and such light and comfort flowed into my heart as no words can paint. The Lord by his Spirit of love came, not in a visionary manner into my brain, but with such divine power and energy into my soul, that I was lost with blissful amazement. I cried out, " What, I me, Lord?" His Spirit answered in me, Yes thee. ' I objected; " But I have been so unspeakably vile and wicked." 'His answer was; I pardon thee fully and freely. Thy (own goodness (for I had now set about a thorough amendment, if peradventure I might be spared) "cannot save thee, nor shall thy wickedness damn thee. I undertake to work all thy works in thee and for thee; and to bring thee safe through all. The alteration I then felt in my soul was as sudden and palpable as that which is experienced as a person staggering, and almost sinking, under a burden, wnen it is immediatly taken from his shoulders. Tears ran in streams from my eyes for a considerable while; and I was so swallowed up in joy and thankfulness, that I hardly knew where I was. I threw my soul willingly into my Saviour's hands; lay weeping at his feet, wholly resigned to his will: and only begging, that I might, if he was graciously pleased to permit it, be of some service to his church and people.

Thenceforth I enjoyed sweet peace in my soul; and had such clear and frequent manifestations of his love to me, that I longed for no other heaven. My horrors were banished, and have not, I think. returned since with equal violence. And, though I can see little signs as yet of his granting my request concerning usefulness;* though I am very barren of good and full of evil; though I have many sore trials and temptations in my soul; yet it pleases the Lord to reveal himself often in me, to open the mysteries of his cross, and give me to trust in his

precious blood. Not long alter this my—shall I call it re-conversion?— I was terribly infested with thoughts so monstrously obscene and blasphemous, that really cannot be spoken, nor so much as hinted; and, I believe, such as hardly ever entered into the heart of any other man; though I am sensible that most of God's children are sometimes attacked in like manner: but mine were foul and black beyond example, and seemed to be the master-pieces of hell. They haunted me some months; and used to make me weep bitterly and cry earnestly to my God to remove them: which at last he was pleased to do in a great measure; though they would often be returning still, like intruding visitants, but are not permitted to come with much power. In short, I feel myself now as poor, as weak, as helpless and dependant as ever; but now my weakness is my greatest strength; I now rejoice, though I rejoice with trembling. (* This was written before the Author’s call to the Ministry.)

I soon began to be visited by God's Spirit in a different manner from what I had ever felt before. I had constant communion with him in prayer. His sufferings, his wounds, his agonies of soul, were impressed upon me in an amazing manner. I now believed my name was sculptured deep in the Lord Jesus’s breast, with characters never to be erased. I saw him, with the eye of faith, stooping under the load of my sins; groaning and grovelling in Gethsemane for me. The incarnate God was more and more revealed to me; and I had far other notions of his sufferings than I had entertained before.

Now I saw that the grief of Christ was the grief of my Maker; that his wounds were the wounds of the Almighty God: and the least drop of his blood now appeared to me to be more valuable than ten thousands of worlds. As I had before thought his sufferings too little, they now appeared to me to be too great; and I often cried out, in transports of blissful astonishment, " Lord, 'tis too much, 'tis too much; surely my soul was not worth so great a price." I had also such a spirit of sympathetic love to the Lord Jesus given me that, after I had left off to sorrow for myself, for some months I grieved and mourned bitterly for when I looked on him whom I had pierced, and, felt such sharp compunction, mixed at the same lime with so much compassion, that the pain and the pleasure I experienced are much better felt than expressed.

Jesus Christ, and him crucified, is now the only thing I desire to know. In that incarnant mystery are contained all the rich treasures of divine wisdom. This is the mark towards which I am still pressing forward. This is the cup of salvation, of which I wish to drink deeper and deeper. This is the knowledge, in which I long to grow; and desire at the same time a daily increase in all true grace and godliness. All duties, means, ordinances, &c. are to me then only rich, when they are enriched with the blood of the Lamb; in comparison of which all things else are but chaff and husks.

PHARASAIC ZEALand ANTINOMIAN SECURITY are the two engines of Satan, with which he grinds the church in all ages, as betwixt the upper and the nether millstone. The space between them is much narrower and harder to find than most men imagine. It is a path which the vulture's eye hath not seen; and none can shew it us but the Holy Ghost. Here let no one trust the directions of his own heart, or of any other man; lest, by being warned to shun the one, he be dashed against the other. The distinction is too fine for man to discern; therefore let the christian ask direction of his God. These two hideous monsters continually worry and perplex my soul; nor the former, though appearing in a holier shape, one whit less, but (if possible) more odious to me than the latter. Therefore, from the wonderful dealings of God towards me, I endeavoured to draw the following observations:

On the one hand, I would observe; That it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God who shemelh mercy—That none can make a christian but he that made the world— That it is the glory of God to bring good out of evil—That whom he loveth he loveth unto the end—That though all men seek, more or less, to recommend themselves to God's favour by their works, yet, to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness—That the blood of the Redeemer, applied to the soul by his Spirit, is the one thing needful—That prayer is the task and labour of a Pharisee, but the privilege and delight of a christian—That God grants not the requests of his people because they pray; buf tbey pray because he designs to answer their petitions—That self-righteousness and legal holiness rather keep the soul from, than draw it to Christ —That they who seek salvation by them pursue shadows, mistake the great end of the law, and err from the way, the truth, and the life—That God's design is to glorify his Son alone, and to debase the excellence of every creature—That no righteousness besides the righteousness of Jesus (that is the .righteousness of God) is of any avail towards acceptance—That to be a moral man, a zealous man, a devout man, is very short of being a christian—That the eye of faith looks more to the blood of Jesus than to the soul's victory over corruptions—That the dealings of God with his people, though similar in the general, are nevertheless so various, that there is no chalking out the paths of one child of God by those of another; no laying down regular plans of christian conversion, christian experience, christian usefulness, or christian conversation— That the will of God is the only standard of right and good—That the sprinkling of the blood of a crucified Saviour on the conscience, by the Holy Ghost, sanctifies a man; without which the most abstemious life and rigorous discipline is unholy. —Lastly, that faith and holiness, with every other blessing, are the purchase of the Redeemer's blood; and that he has a right to bestow them on who he will, in such a manner and in such a measure as he thinks best; though the spirit in all men lusteth to envy.

On the other hand, I would observe; that it is not so easy to be a christian as some men seem to think—That for a living soul really to trust in Christ alone, when he sees nothing in himself but evil and sin, is an act as supernatural as for Peter to walk on the sea—That mere-doctrine, though ever so sound, will not alter the heart; consequently, that to turn from one set of tenets to another, is no christian conversion— That as much as Lazarus coming out of his grave, and feeling himself restored to life, differed from those v/ho only saw the miracle, or believed the fact when told them; so great is the diiference between a soul's real coming out of himself, and having the righteousness of Christ imputed to hitn the precious faith of Cod's elect, and a man's bare believing the doctrine of imputed righteousness, because he sees it tontained in scripture, «r assenting to the truth of it, when proposed to his understanding by others—That a whole hearu.'d disciple can have but little communion with a broken hearted Lord—That if any man hiive' not the Spirit of C/irist, he is none of his—Tfeat a prayerless spirit is not the spirit of Christ j Lmt that prayer to a christian is as necessary and as natural as food to a natural man—That the usual way of going to heaven is through much tribulation—That the sinner who is drawn to Christ is not he that has learnt that he is a sinner by heart knowledge, but he feels himself such by heart contrition—That he that believeth hath an unction from the Holy One—That a true christian is as vitally united to Christ as my hand or foot to my body; consequently suffers and rejoices with him—That a believer talks and converses with God—That a dead faith can no more cherish the soul than a dead corpse can perforin the functions of life—That where there is true faith there will be obedience and the fear of God— That he that live\s, by the faith of the Son of God eateth his flesh and drinketh his blood—That he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hith not life—That many imagine themselves great believers, who have little or no true faith at all; and many who deem themselves void of faith, cleave to Christ by the faith of the operation of God—That faith like gold, must be tried in the fire before it can safely be depended on—Lastly, that christians are sealed by the Holy Ghost. to the day of redemption: and to this seal they trust their eternal welfare: not to naked knowledge, or speculative notions, though ever so deep. They dread to dream they are rich when they are blind and poor; to have a name to live, and yet be dead; or to be forced to fly for precarious refuge to the conjectural scheme of universal salvation with those who hope to be saved, because they think there will be none lost.

For my own part, I confess myself a sinner still; and, though I am not much tempted of outward gross acts of iniquity, yet inward corruptions and spiritual wickedness continually harass and perplex my soul, and often make me cry out, " O wretched man that I am; who shall deliver me from the body of this death!" From me they are not yet removed; though I once hoped, with many others, that I should soon get rid of them. All I can do is to look to Jesus through them all; cling fast to his wounded side; long to be clothed with his righteousness; pray him to plead my cause against those spiritual enemies that rise up against me; and though I feel myself leprous from head to foot, believe that I am clean through the word which he hath spoken unto me. in short, I rejoice, not because the spirits are always subject to me (for alas ! I find they are often too strong for me to controul,) but because my name is written in heaven.

I am daily more and more convinced that the promises of God to his people are absolute: and desire to build my hopes on the free electing love of God in Christ Jesus to my soul before the world began; which I can experimentally and feelingly say, he hath delivered from the lowest hell. He hath plucked me as a brand out of the fire. Though my ways were dreadfully dangerous to the last degree, his eye was all along upon me for good. He hath excited me to love much by forgiving me much. He hath shewed me, and still daily shews me, the abominable deceit, lust, enmity, and pride of my heart, and the inconceivable depths of his mercy; how far I was fallen, and how much it cost him of sweat and blood to bring me up. He hath proved himself stronger than I, and his goodness superior to all my unworthiness. He gives me to know, and to feel too, that without him I can do nothing. He tells me (and he enables me to believe it) that I am all fair, and there is no spot in me. Though an enemy, he calls rne his friend; though a traitor, his child; though a beggar'd prodigal, he clothes me with the best robe, and has put a ring of endless love and mercy on my hand. And though I am often sorely distrest by spiritual internal foes, afflicted, tormented, and bowed down almost to death, with the sense of my own present barrenness, ingratitude, and proneness to evil, he secretly shews me his bleeding wounds; and softly, but powerfully, whispers to my soul, " I am thy great salvation."

His free distinguishing grace is the bottom on which is fixed the rest of my poor weary tempted soul. On this I ground my hope, oftentimes when unsupported by any ether evidence, save only by the spirit of adoption received from him. He hath chosen me out from everlasting, in whom to make known the inexhaustible riches of his free grace and long suffering. Though I am a stranger.to others, and a wonder to myself, yet I know him, or rather am known of him. Though poor in myself, I am rich enough in him. When my dry, empty, barren soil is parched with thirst, he kindly bids me come to him, and drink my fill at the fountain head. In a word, he empowers me to say, with experimental evidence, Where sin abounded, grace did much more abound. Amen and Amen.

April, 1759.

Their damnation is just. And the damnation which men incur, by a presumptuous, wilful abuse and contempt of the Gospel, is worse titan that of Sodom and Gomorrah: for our God is a consuming fire.

THE DEDICATION.

JESUS, Jehovah, Lord, of heav'n and earth,

To whom I owe my first, and second birth;

Whose hands first form'd me; and whose precious blood

Redeem'd my soul, and gives me peace wilh God;

My faithful Friend, my Father reconciled

Accept an off'ring from thy feeble child:

Whose helpless hand this token mean and small,

Would fondly give to thee, who gives him all.

Take both the gift and giver to thy care:

May both thy bounty, and thy love declare.

By thee be both directed to fulfil

The holy counsels of thy Heav'nly Will .

On the Passion.

PART I.