Love Constrained to Obedience

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1. Psalm 33 part 1 Works of creation and providence. Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord, This work belongs to you; Sing of his name, his ways, his word, How holy, just, and true! His mercy and his righteousness Let heav’n and earth proclaim; His works of nature and of grace Reveal his wondrous name. His wisdom and almighty word […]...
2. Sardis (Revelations, iii. 1-6) “Write to Sardis,” saith the Lord, “And write what He declares, He whose Spirit, and whose word, Upholds the seven stars: All thy works and ways I search, Find thy zeal and love decay’d; Thou art call’d a living church, But thou art cold and dead. “Watch, remember, seek, and strive, Exert […]...
3. Hymn 85 Salvation, righteousness, and strength in Christ. Isa. 45:21-25. The Lord on high proclaims His Godhead from his throne: “Mercy and justice are the names By which I will be known. “Ye dying souls that sit In darkness and distress, Look from the borders of the pit To my recov’ring grace.” Sinners shall hear the sound; […]...
4. Self-Love He that cannot choose but love, And strives against it still, Never shall my fancy move, For he loves ‘gainst his will; Nor he which is all his own, And can at pleasure choose, When I am caught he can be gone, And when he list refuse. Nor he that loves none but fair, For […]...
5. Hymn 94 Justification by faith, not by works. Rom. 3:19-22. Vain are the hopes the sons of men On their own works have built; Their hearts by nature all unclean, And all their actions guilt. Let Jew and Gentile stop their mouths Without a murm’ring word, And the whole race of Adam stand Guilty before the Lord. […]...
6. Hymn 84 Salvation, righteousness, and strength in Christ. Isa. 45:21-25. Jehovah speaks! let Isr’el hear; Let all the earth rejoice and fear, While God’s eternal Son proclaims His sovereign honors and his names. “I am the last, and I the first, The Savior God, and God the just; There’s none beside pretends to show Such justice and […]...
7. Psalm XXXIII: Rejoice, Ye Righteous Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord, This work belongs to you; Sing of his name, his ways, his word, How holy, just, and true. His mercy and his righteousness Let heav’n and earth proclaim; His works of nature and of grace Reveal his wondrous name. His wisdom and almighty word The heav’nly arches spread, And […]...
8. Sonnet 43 – How do I love thee? Let me count the ways How do I love thee? Let me count the ways. I love thee to the depth and breadth and height My soul can reach, when feeling out of sight For the ends of Being and ideal Grace. I love thee to the level of everyday’s Most quiet need, by sun and candle-light. I love thee […]...
9. Jehovah-Nissi. The Lord My Banner (Exodus, xvii.15) By whom was David taught To aim the deadly blow, When he Goliath fought, And laid the Gittite low? Nor sword nor spear the stripling took, But chose a pebble from the brook. ‘Twas Israel’s God and King Who sent him to the fight; Who gave him strength to sling, And skill to […]...
10. The Future Peace and Glory of the Church (Isaiah, ix. 15-20) Hear what God the Lord hath spoken, “O my people, faint and few, Comfortless, afflicted, broken, Fair abodes I build for you. Thorns of heartfelt tribulation Shall no more perplex your ways; You shall name your walls, Salvation, And your gates shall all be Praise. “There, like streams that feed the garden, […]...
11. Hymn 154 Self-righteousness insufficient. “Where are the mourners,” saith the Lord, “That wait and tremble at my word, That walk in darkness all the day? Come, make my name your trust and stay. [“No works nor duties of your own Can for the smallest sin atone The robes that nature may provide Will not your least pollutions […]...
12. Afflictions Sanctified by the Word Oh how I love Thy holy Word, Thy gracious covenant, O Lord! It guides me in the peaceful way; I think upon it all the day. What are the mines of shining wealth, The strength of youth, the bloom of health! What are all joys compared with those Thine everlasting Word bestows! Long unafflicted, undismay’d, […]...
13. Psalm 145 part 3 v.14,17ff C. M. Mercy to sufferers; or, God hearing prayer. Let every tongue thy goodness speak, Thou sovereign Lord of all; Thy strength’ning hands uphold the weak, And raise the poor that fall. When sorrow bows the spirit down, Or virtue lies distressed Beneath some proud oppressor’s frown, Thou giv’st the mourners rest. The Lord […]...
14. Hymn 98 Christ our wisdom, righteousness, etc. 1 Cor. 1:30. How heavy is the night That hangs upon our eyes, Till Christ with his reviving light Over our souls arise! Our guilty spirits dread To meet the wrath of Heav’n; But, in his righteousness arrayed, We see our sins forgiv’n. Unholy and impure Are all our thoughts […]...
15. Give Me Strength This is my prayer to thee, my lord – strike, Strike at the root of penury in my heart. Give me the strength lightly to bear my joys and sorrows. Give me the strength to make my love fruitful in service. Give me the strength never to disown the poor or bend my knees before […]...
16. Psalm 107 part 2 Correction for sin, and release by prayer. From age to age exalt his name; God and his grace are still the same; He fills the hungry soul with food, And feeds the poor with every good. But if their hearts rebel and rise Against the God that rules the skies; If they reject his heav’nly […]...
17. Psalm 119 part 3 Professions of sincerity, repentance, and obedience. Ver. 57,60 Thou art my portion, O my God; Soon as I know thy way, My heart makes haste t’ obey thy word, And suffers no delay. Ver. 30,14 I choose the path of heav’nly truth, And glory in my choice; Not all the riches of the earth Could […]...
18. Psalm 4 v. 1-3,5-7 L. M. Hearing of prayer. O God of grace and righteousness, Hear and attend when I complain; Thou hast enlarged me in distress, Bow down a gracious ear again. Ye sons of men, in vain ye try To turn my glory into shame; How long will scoffers love to lie, And dare reproach […]...
19. Dependence To keep the lamp alive, With oil we fill the bowl; ‘Tis water makes the willow thrive, And grace that feeds the soul. The Lord’s unsparing hand Supplies the living stream; It is not at our own command, But still derived from Him. Beware of Peter’s word, Nor confidently say, “I never will deny Thee, […]...
20. Jehovah Our Righteousness My God, how perfect are Thy ways! But mine polluted are; Sin twines itself about my praise, And slides into my prayer. When I would speak what Thou hast done To save me from my sin, I cannot make Thy mercies known, But self-applause creeps in. Divine desire, that holy flame Thy grace creates in […]...
21. Unlyric Love Song It is time to give that-of-myself which I could not at first: To offer you now at last my least and my worst: Minor, absurd preserves, The shell’s end-curves, A document kept at the back of a drawer, A tin hidden under the floor, Recalcitrant prides and hesitations: To pile them carefully in a desparate […]...
22. Hymn 33 Absurdity of infidelity. 1 Cor. 1:26-31. Shall atheists dare insult the cross Of our Redeemer, God? Shall infidels reproach his laws, Or trample on his blood? What if he choose mysterious ways To cleanse us from our faults? May not the works of sovereign grace Transcend our feeble thoughts? What if his gospel bids us […]...
23. Hymn 111 Salvation by grace. Titus 3:3-7. [Lord, we confess our num’rous faults, How great our guilt has been! Foolish and vain were all our thoughts, And all our lives were sin. But, O my soul! for ever praise, For ever love his name, Who turns thy feet from dangerous ways Of folly, sin, and shame.] [‘Tis […]...
24. Psalm 111 part 2 The perfections of God. Great is the Lord; his works of might Demand our noblest songs: Let his assembled saints unite Their harmony of tongues. Great is the mercy of the Lord; He gives his children food; And, ever mindful of his word, He makes his promise good. His Son, the great Redeemer, came To […]...
25. Psalm 9 part 1 Wrath and mercy from the judgment-seat. With my whole heart I’ll raise my song, Thy wonders I’ll proclaim; Thou, sovereign Judge of right and wrong, Wilt put my foes to shame. I’ll sing thy majesty and grace; My God prepares his throne To judge the world in righteousness, And make his vengeance known. Then shall […]...
26. Not Works Grace, triumphant in the throne, Scorns a rival, reigns alone; Come and bow beneath her sway; Cast your idol works away! Works of man, when made his plea, Never shall accepted be; Fruits of pride (vainglorious worm!) Are the best he can perform. Self, the god his soul adores, Influences all his powers; Jesus is […]...
27. Psalm 106 part 2 v.7,8,12ff S. M. Israel punished and pardoned; or, God’s unchangeable love. God of eternal love, How fickle are our ways! And yet how oft did Isr’el prove Thy constancy of grace! They saw thy wonders wrought, And then thy praise they sung; But soon thy works of power forgot, And murmured with their tongue. Now […]...
28. You love the Lord you cannot see You love the Lord you cannot see You write Him every day A little note when you awake And further in the Day. An Ample Letter How you miss And would delight to see But then His House is but a Step And Mine’s in Heaven You see....
29. Praise (I) To write a verse or two is all the praise That I can raise: Mend my estate in any ways, Thou shalt have more. I go to Church; help me to wings, and I Will thither fly; Or, if I mount unto the sky, I will do more. Man is all weakness; there is no […]...
30. Psalm 119 part 9 Desire of knowledge; or, The teachings of the Spirit with the word. Ver. 64,68,18 Thy mercies fill the earth, O Lord; How good thy works appear! Open mine eyes to read thy word, And see thy wonders there. Ver. 73,125 My heart was fashioned by thy hand; My service is thy due: O make thy […]...
31. Psalm 15 Characters of a saint. Who shall inhabit in thy hill, O God of holiness? Whom will the Lord admit to dwell So near his throne of grace? The man that walks in pious ways, And works with righteous hands; That trusts his Maker’s promises, And follows his commands. He speaks the meaning of his heart, […]...
32. Psalm 37 part 3 v.23-87 C. M. The way and end of the righteous and the wicked. My God, the steps of pious men Are ordered by thy will; Though they should fall, they rise again, Thy hand supports them still. The Lord delights to see their ways, Their virtue he approves; He’ll ne’er deprive them of his grace, […]...
33. Psalm 8 God’s sovereignty and goodness. O Lord, our heav’nly King, Thy name is all divine; Thy glories round the earth are spread, And o’er the heav’ns they shine. When to thy works on high I raise my wondering eyes, And see the moon, complete in light, Adorn the darksome skies When I survey the stars, And […]...
34. Hymn 97 Christ our wisdom, righteousness, etc. 1 Cor. 1:30. Buried in shadows of the night We lie till Christ restores the light; Wisdom descends to heal the blind, And chase the darkness of the mind. Our guilty souls are drowned in tears Till his atoning blood appears; Then we awake from deep distress, And sing, “The […]...
35. Psalm 51 part 3 The backslider restored. O Thou that hear’st when sinners cry, Though all my crimes before thee lie, Behold them not with angry look, But blot their mem’ry from thy book. Create my nature pure within, And form my soul averse to sin: Let thy good Spirit ne’er depart, Nor hide thy presence from my heart. […]...
36. Modern Love XLVIII: Their Sense Their sense is with their senses all mixed in, Destroyed by subleties these women are! More brain, O Lord, more brain! or we shall mar Utterly this fair garden we might win. Behold! I looked for peace, and thought it near. Our inmost hearts had opened, each to each. We drank the pure daylight of […]...
37. The Narrow Way What thousands never knew the road! What thousands hate it when ’tis known! None but the chosen tribes of God Will seek or choose it for their own. A thousand ways in ruin end, One only leads to joys on high; By that my willing steps ascend, Pleased with a journey to the sky. No […]...
38. Psalm 26 Self-examination; or, Evidences of grace. Judge me, O Lord, and prove my ways, And try my reins, and try my heart My faith upon thy promise stays, Nor from thy law my feet depart. I hate to walk, I hate to sit, With men of vanity and lies The scoffer and the hypocrite Are the […]...
39. Psalm 119 part 7 Imperfection of nature, and perfection of scripture. Ver. 96, paraphrased. Let all the heathen writers join To form one perfect book; Great God! if once compared with thine, How mean their writings look! Not the most perfect rules they gave Could show one sin forgiv’n, Nor lead a step beyond the grave; But thine conduct […]...
40. Psalm 92 part 1 A Psalm for the Lord’s day. Sweet is the work, my God, my King, To praise thy name, give thanks and sing, To show thy love by morning light, And talk of all thy truth at night. Sweet is the day of sacred rest, No mortal cares shall seize my breast; O may my heart […]...