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[The Church's Words.]

Ver. So be't, for grace made me a wall;

10

Grace form'd my breasts tow'r high: Then found I (as my fifter fhall,)

Great favour in his eye.

II Here likewife our king Solomon,
A vineyard did poffefs,

To keepers care (O be it shown)
He let it out to drefs:

If each for fruit his Lord affigns
Proportion'd tribute brings;
He'd render for a thousand vines,
A thousand filverlings.

[Cbriff's Words.]

12 My vineyard, Love, the object is
Of my peculiar care;
My heart and eye is fix'd on this
More close than any-where.

[The Church's Words.]

To thee O Solomon, I'll bring
The grateful rent I owe;
The vineyard's revenue, O King,
Belongs to thee, I know :

And while to thee alone pertains,
A thousand fold is due ;
To underkeepers for their pains,
Two hunder fhall accrue.

[Chrift's Words.]

13 O thou that haft in gardens choice,
Thy dwelling here below,

As thy companions hear thy voice;
So let me here it too.

So pleasant unto them and me,

Is thy delicious strain,

I'll joy how oft I hear from thee
Until we meet again.

Nn4

[The Church's Words.]

Ver. O hafte again, dear Lord, and be A fpeedy roe, or hart,

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Upon the fpicy hills, that we
May meet, and never part,

PART IV.

POEMS Selected from the Prophet ISAIAH,&c.

INTRODUCTION.

All Scripture is given by inspiration, and is profitable for instruction; and those paffages that are poetical are well calculated for gaining the attention, enlivening the affection, exciting devotion, and affisting the memory. Our Saviour divides the books of the Old Teftament into the Law, the Prophets, and the Pfalms, Luke xxiv. 44. which teaches us to diftinguish those books and paffages that are poetical. The prophetical writings abound with a variety of poctical compofitions. The Prophets of the LORD were themselves all holy men, vested with a divine miffion, had a great interest in, and intimacy with Heaven. Prophefy is venerable for its antiquity, for it came of old time; and to be efteemed for its excellence, being put for all divine revelation. All the prophets bare witness of Christ, and testified before-hand of his fufferings, and the glory that should follow. Of all the prophets none spoke fo clearly and fully of Christ, as the prophet Ifaiah; for which he is juftly ftiled, the evangelical prophet; and by fome of the antients, a fifth evangelift. The whole of his prophefy is tranfcendently excellent and useful, and contains much of the grace of the gofpel; and it abounds with more poetical paffages, facred odes, and evangelical fongs, than all the other prophets befides. And if thofe divine hymns and poetical paffages are viewed with proper attention, they will be found to have in them as lofty and sublime strokes of poetry as are to be met with; carrying in them a poetic force and flame, without a poetic fury and fiction; and ftrangely command and move the affections, without corrupting and putting a cheat upon the imagination; and are well adapted to gratify the car, edify the mind, captivate the heart, and yield both profit and pleasure. Of all this the following fongs will exhibit a fpecimen.

SONG I.

Morning and Evening Mercies to be acknowledged
Pfalm xcii. 2. Lam. iii. 23.

THY gifts, O God, of endless love,
Each evening tide are new;

And morning mercies from above
Diftill like early dew.

Ver. Thou fpread'ft the curtains of the night,
To guard our fleeping hours:
Thy fov'reign word reftores the light,
To raise our drowsy pow'rs.

We yield our pow'rs to thy command,
To thee devote our days;
For conftant bleffings from thy hand,
We owe thee conftant praise.

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The Day of Youth, and the Day of Judgment.
Eccl. xi. 9.

REJOICE, ye ftriplings, vain and young,

That full of frolics rove;

Indulge your hearts, and eyes, and tongues,
In merriment you love.

Tafte the delights your fouls defire,

And pleasures you defign;
And give a loose to all your fire,
In wantonnefs and wine.
Enjoy your foolish fading blifs,
And lawless joys; but know,
Befide the day of mirth, there is
A day of judgment too.

[The judge will all your works record,
Till you the doom fhall hear;
O let the thunder of his word

Awake your fouls to fear!

Wrath, to your follies due by law,

Should ftrike your hearts with dread:

The vice you hug will furely draw

The vengeance on your head.

Think how you'll bear that dreadful day,
And ftand the fiery test:

O give your mortal joys away
For everlasting reft!]

SONG III.

The young and old Sinner warned; and Death dreadful to the unconverted. Eccl. xii. 1.7. Ifa.lxv.20. Ver. YOUR Maker and Redeemer, God,

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Mind ere the months come on,

When you fhall fay, your youthful blood
And merry days are gone.
The aged, wicked finner goes
To regions of the dead,
Laden with guilt and heavy woes,
And curfes on his head..

His duft defcends; his foul to God
Afcends; not there to dwell,
But to be doom'd to his abode;
Then down fhe finks to hell.
[Lord, put thy fear into my heart;
And when I hence remove,
Provide my foul a better párt,
A manfion in thy love.]

SONG IV.

The Glory, Peace, and Piety of the Gospel Church, in the latter Days. Ifa. ii. 2,-6.

N latter days, God's holy hill,

IN

His houfe fhall fo be rais'd,

'Bove hills and mountains high, as will
Make men, that fee, amaz'd.

3 All nations then fhall thither flow
In throngs, and fay aloud,

Come let us up to Sion go,

The houfe of Jacob's God.
We'll learn his easy yoke to draw,
His facred path to trace;
From Zion fhall go forth the law,
From Salem news of grace.

4 He fhall, as Judge, his throne erect,
Among the nations rude,

To make them friends; or juftly check
The rebel multitude.

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