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FOR THE

N E. W Y R'S M O ‘R ‘N E N (3

YER M 5571 as,

GREAT GEORGE STREET CHAPEL, LIVERPOOL.

BY THE LATE. REV.

THOMAS RAFFLES, D.D., LL.D.,

PA‘STO R.

27-" ‘mzammw EI.MWIWMWMM ‘ M .-MfimMfwg; .52.,

 A/A/Hv

JEN/0.2,
.

C
 THOMAS RAFFLES. DD., LL.D..
THE ELOQUENT PREACHER. THE SOUND DIVINE, THE FAITHFUL AND GENIAL FRIEND.
FOR FORTY-NINE YEARS THE HONOURED AND BELOVED MINISTER OF THIS CHURCH AND CONGREGATION.

DIED AUGUST XVIII, MDCCCLXIII.

HE BEING DEAD. YET SPEAKETH.

— — - - — — — -
p
"E:

HYMNS
W R ITTEN FOR THE

NEW ‘TEAR‘S MORNING PRAYER MEETINGS;

IN GREAT GEORGE STREET CHAPEL.

BY THE LATE

REV. THOMAS RAF__F_L_ES, D.D.. LL.D.

“'l'l'll A PREFACE BY THE

REV. JAMES BALDWIN BROWN, B.A.

LIVERPOOL:
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY DAVID MARPL‘ES.
LONDON: JACKSON, WALFORD, & HODDER.
MDCCCLXVIH.
 f']

L]
 ‘.

TO THE MEMBERS

"F TIII'

CHURCH AND CONGREGATION

ASSEMBLING IN GREAT GEORGE STREET CHAPEL, LIVERPOOL.

THIS REPUBLICATION OF THEIR FORMER PASTOR'S

NEW YEAR'S HYMNS,

IS DEDICATED, BY THEIR ATTACHED FRIEND,

D. MARPLES.

lll'llldf)', 1 868.

L_l
LJ
 PREFACE.

‘ HE Members of the‘ Church and Congregation at

Great George Street Chapel will not need to be
reminded that it was the custom of their pastor,
maintained with unbroken regularity during thirty-six years of
his ministry, and maintained to the last, to address to them,
each New Year's Morning, an affectionate greeting, under the
form of a New 'Year's Hymn. It was his wont to read it
at the Early Morning Prayer Meeting, at which the congre
gation were accustomed to assemble, to begin the New Year
in holy fellowship with each other and with God; and many
hearts cherish the memory of those special meetings with
peculiar tenderness, as among the holiest, happiest, and most
stimulating seasons which they have ever enjoyed.
DR. RAFFLEs, varied as were his gifts and faculties as a
public teacher, was never in happier mood, or more fully en
rapport with a congregation, than at such special seasons,
whether of solemnity or rejoicing, when we are called by
a voice above us to meditation, prayer, and praise. There
was that in his nature which fell readily into the rhythm
of those "times and seasons,” by which Our Father marks
_l

vi.

for us the stations of our life course, as the stream bears

us along. He was a vividly sympathetic man; easily
touched himself, he had the power of touching others. The
full impression of any event, whether of joy or of sorrow,
entered into his heart; he caught readily its key note, and
had the art to attune others to the strain. His thoughts
at such times clothed themselves naturally in a poetic form.
He had a real vein of music in his nature; and some of
his happiest efforts, both in point of thought and expression,
are poems of which some great season or occasion, temporal,
social or domestic, was the inspiration; and in which he was
able to give free and happy expression to the thoughts and
emotions, which at such times rise spontaneously in all warm
and sympathetic hearts.
Among the briefer, but not therefore the weaker, productions
of his prolific pen, are these New Year's Hymns. The
composition of them was a source of great interest and
pleasure to him as the years rolled on, and each New Year's
Morning approached, laden with a benediction which he felt
with deep thankfulness; the sense of which, and of the duty
to which it stirs us, he sought by these verses to express
to his friends. Those who heard them read, will remember
the deep feeling which breathed in his tones, and the glad,
thankful heart with which he was wont to read these New
 ' .- vii.

Year's devotions, and make the service an act of consecration

for the year. How splendid the beauty, how radiant the
brightness, how boundless the love, which each new morning
unveils to us! The veil seems to be lifted more fully, the
light to shine more brightly, and the love to drop its
benediction more freely, on the morning of each New Year.
These fugitive pieces are gathered together, in the_hope
that to many they will prove pleasant memorials of one of
whom they contain much that is strongly characteristic. It
may happen, too, that they will re-awaken some beautiful
memories, and strike some chords of association which will
recal the holiest and the happiest hours. The voice of the
Author is silent, but as the years roll on, and his form fades
in the distance, we look round and see, sadly enough, how
few are left who are like him. Gladly and thankfully we
gather up these fragments of his teachings, to hallow for us
the morning of another New Year.
J. B. B.

J‘
 D. MARPLES regrets that, after extended enquiries, he has been unable to
obtain copies of the Hymns for 1827, 1828, and 1831. Mr. RAPE-‘LES has,
therefore, kindly allowed him to select, from a MS. volume of his Father's
Poems, the three which are substituted.
It may be interesting to many to know that, commencing with an
impression of 500 copies of the first poem in the series, “A Happy New
Year," the interest in them increased year by year, until of many of the
later ones 2,500 copies were printed, and presented to his fellow-worshippers
by the Printer of this volume.
___l
RAFFLES MEMORIAL MISSION ROOMS.
GREENLAND §TREFT

ERECTED
IN MEMORY OF

THOMAS RAFFLES. D.D.. LL.D.

MDCCCLXIH.
‘Q'
 r‘h

ft jVIAPPY NEW YEAP‘

_ HAPPY new year—‘t is our custom to say,

.: When we meet with our friends on the mom of
. this day; '
And thus, as your friend, I fain would appear,
And wish you in verse a happy new year.

But what shall I wish you ?—the vigour of health,

The pageants of pleasure. the splendours of wealth,—
Whatever the world yields the spirits to cheer,
Shall I wish you all these.'—with a nappy new ymr?

But happiness lies not in things such as these,

Oft where they abound the heart 's ill at ease;
Though the tongue ne'er complains, though the eye sheds
no tear, '
Oh! still it may not be a happy new year.

Far higher and purer the sources of bliss

My pen would reveal, on a page such as this:
In the favour of GOD, in his love and his fear,
Go seek, and enjoy, a nappy new year.
‘B
 2

\Nith you, life is young—‘t is the brightness of morn-—

'T is a path strewed with roses, with scarcely a thorn;
You dream not that sickness or sorrow is near,
But welcome with gladness the happy new year.

Yet should they‘ approach you, with sadness and grief,

May He who appoints them afford sweet relief;
And then, though the trial be long and severe.
It need not embitter the happy new year.

And thus, while for you the years still roll round,
\Vith joys such as these may they ever abound.
Till seasons and times shall all disappear,
And Eternity crown earh /zappy new year.

fa/mary mi, 1826.

 [SUBSTITUTED]

THE )SEA.

.9" ~ THOU deep, mysterious Sea.

‘f How I love to gaze on thee;
k <6, How I love to hear thy roar
On the lone resounding shore;
How I love to see the foam
On thy crested billows come;
How I love the changing hue
Of thy waters, green or blue;
0 I love thee, boundless Sea,
Emblem of Eternity!

Times and seasons make no change

Through thy vast, thy ample range;
_ Ages roll, but thou the same
As at first dost still remain.
Cities rise and fall; but thou,
As in periods past, art now;
Empires sink into decay,
Dynasties have passed away;
Things like these affect not thee,
O thou all unchanging Sea!
 a
4

Various realms thy waters lave,

Giant rocks thy billows brave,
Crowded marts of merchandise
From thy busy shores arise,
Deserts vast, and solitudes
Where no foot of man intrudes;
Dark abysses, caverns deep,
W here the weary tempests sleep ;—'
All are visited by thee,
Restless, all exploring Sea!

Ah! what tempests o'er thee roll;

Thunders, pealed from pole to pole,
Hurricanes, tornadoes dire,
And the lightning's withering fire;
All that on the solid ground
Blasts and scatters death around;
All that shuddering mortals fear,—
Ruin, in its wild career,—
Moves, nor harms, nor troubles thee.
O thou all enduring Sea!

0 how sweet, at twilight hour

Musing, to confess thy power;
\V hen the sun has sunk to rest
Glorious in the golden west;
And the moon's more gentle ray
Follows on the blaze of day;

. F‘_
 5

Stern and terrible no more,

Murmuring, rippling on the shore,
Dearest then thou art to me,
O thou monitory Sea!

Solemn is the stillness now,

Not a creature speaks, but thou;
And thy voice a low and deep
Whisper, 'mid creation's sleep;
No intruder is abroad,
I 'm alone with thee and God;
0! I feel the solitude,
And my spirit, rapt, subdued,
While it thus communes with thee,
Proves its own Eternity.

Mighty Ocean, I shall be,

When no trace remains of thee.
When thy billows all are fled,
Scorched and bare thy deepest bed;
All thy darkest haunts explored,
All thy long lost dead restored;
Then, when thou hast passed away,
In that great, that dreadful day,
I shall triumph over thee,
Live through all Eternity.

A‘ml Brig/don [rirra 1844].

 [SUBSTITUTED]

THE j’iEAVENLY MANSIONS.

-9661.342719—

“ In my Father's House are many Mansions."

JOHN xiv. z.

—-~nn~—

“ ES, many mansions are in heaven,

And one there is reserved for me;
I know there is, for He hath given
Me full, assuring certainty;
Yes, Christ hath said it, and He 's there,
That promised mansion to prepare.

\IVhy should I doubt? if Him I love,

Though faint and feeble be the flame,
He 'll fan the smoking flax, and prove
Himself the source from whence it came:
And perfect in that world of bliss
The feeble'spark that grows in this.
 7

Then rise, my soul, with hope elate,

And, strong in faith, the promise hold,
The coming bliss anticipate,
The pearly gates and streets of gold;
Where sin and sorrow never come,
There is my everlasting Home!

Hail, peaceful seats and genial clime!

The abodes of purity and joy;
Beyond the boundary-line of time,
And all the ills that here annoy—
Angelic haunts, celestial bowers,
Imperishable fruits and flowers!

A few more suns may rise and set,

A few more moons may wax and wane,
‘Then I shall leave without regret
This prison'house of grief and pain.
And soar on seraph wings to share
My portion with the ransomed there.

‘Yew Brig/lion, April 2151‘, 1862.

 F1

FYjVIN.

“ Tlzose thal seek me early shal/ find me."

PROVERRS viii. l7.

. .} x y . .

‘,f EEK me early, saith the Lord,

I Early seek my pardoning love,
Early learn to read my word,
Early my commands approve—
And I early will impart
Joy and gladness to your heart!

For I love the early prayer,

Lisping from an infant's tongue;
And I bow with joy, to hear
Little children's artless song;
And, though angels sing my praise,
I delight in infants' lays!
 9

Take me early for your Friend,

None will prove so kind and true;
On my grace and care depend —
I will guide you safely through
All the storms and snares of time,
Till you reach the heavenly clime.

Then, removed from earth and sin,

In my presence you shall dwell,
You the glorious prize shall win,
Rescued by my grace from hell;
While to angels you declare,
God will hear an infant's prayer.

fanuary 1x1, 1829.

 l_'l

j’IYjVlN.

- P

“ IVi/t than not from t/n's time cry unto me, My Father,
Tlwu art the guide 0f my youth ? "
JERE.\UAH iii. 4.

H???"

. ‘Y Father, the guide of my‘ youth,

‘ To Thee for direction I fly—
0, grant me T/zy [zlg/zt and Tby truth,
Nor ever Thy presence deny;
My Pillar of Cloud, and of Fire,
While destined to journey below ——
\Nhat more can a pilgrim desire,
Or Thou in Thy goodness bestow?

My Pillar of Cloud through the day,

I 'll follow where'er Thou shalt lead:
My heart shall not yield to dismay,
Though rugged the path that I tread;
l__l
F"!

II

And, what though the night fall in gloom,

In darkness I 'll not be afraid—
Thy light shall the darkness illume,
Thy presence the midnight pervade.

My Father, Jehovah, Most High!

Since Thou art my portion, my all,
No good will Thy bounty deny,
No evil can ever befall:
The prize of my calling in view,
And, blest with Thy care and Thy love,
The journey of life I 'll pursue,
And press to the mansions above!

fannary ul, 1830.

\x,
 [SUBSTITUTED]

THE )SILENT )SABBATH.

-—~uu»--

God, I bow at Thy behest,

.3 And silent sit, Thy prisoner here;
If Thou art with me, I am blest,
For Thou my solitude wilt cheer;
Nor would Thy servant once complain,
‘Mid weakness, weariness and pain.

I know that, from Thy gracious hand,

In mercy every stroke is sent;
Then teach me, Lord, to understand
The meaning of Thy chastisement;
0 search and try my inmost soul,
Correct and sanctify the whole.

I would be as a little child

In meekness, gentleness and love,
Would yield to Thee subjection mild,
Till Thy afflicting hand remove;
Would not in thought or word repine,
And entertain no will but Thine.
 F' L_

13

For well I know Thy will is best,

Thou canst not err. nor be unkind;
Then will I in the promise rest,
And there my consolation find.
All things by Thee are understood,
And work together for my good.

IVr/tten about 1823.

 l__| l'"!
J

“ l was in the spirit on the Lord's day.”

REV. i. 10.

12%’

"'N the same spirit, on Thy day,

Thy waiting servant, Lord, would be;
0, send Thy Spirit down, I pray:
The heavenly gift must‘come from Thee!

Spirit of PRAYER, that I may plead,

Like one of wrestling Jacob's race;
For much, alas! I feel my need
Of pardoning love, and strengthening grace.

Spirit of LIFE, again to blow

Upon this languid heart of mine,
To make my drooping graces grow,
And breathe a fragrance all divine.
 l__l

I5

Spirit of POWER, to bring again

The things that all inactive lie;
To strengthen what may yet remain,
Though faint, and ready soon to die.

Spirit of HEARING, to retain

The truths Thy faithful servants preach;
For 0, the outward hearing 's vain,
Unless the inspiring Spirit teach.

Spirit of T ENDERNESS, to flow

In pity for the human race,
And pant that all the world may know
And taste the great Redeemer's grace.

Spirit of ZEAL, to work for Him

Who shed his precious blood for me;
And light and easy to esteem
His blessed yoke, who set me free.

And O, my God! to me impart

Whate'er Thy Spirit does approve:
Descend, and fill this panting heart
With light, and, liberty, and love!

.1
L.|
 16

Thus, in the spirit, on Thy day,

Thy waiting servant, Lord, shall be:
And read, and meditate, and pray,
And sweet communion hold with Thee.

Till, rapt in ecstasy sublime.

The exulting spirit mount and rise.
Eager to leave this earthly clime,
And spend the sabbath of the skies!

fam/my Isl, 1832.

‘J
I”!

jVIY/VIN.

>_ - “H-I-h—‘Q

“ In every thing give thanks."

1 Tm-zss. v. I8.

IVE thanks in every thing,

For all demands my praise;
My soul shall still His goodness sing,
Whose mercy crowns my days.

I 'll give Him thanks in ease,

Nor silent be in pain;
I 'll bless Him, when He sends disease,
Or makes me strong again.

I 'll give Him thanks for friends,

To cheer me on the way;
And bless Him when the tie He rends,
And takes those friends away.
D

w
 18

I 'll give Him thanks in wealth;

Or, should He wealth deny,
I 'll thank Him that He gives Himself,
To cheer my poverty.

I 'll thank Him in His courts,

For all my springs are there,—
The place to which my God resorts, —
I love His house of prayer.

And, thankful still, would I

Adore His righteous ways,
Though public means He should deny.
In lonely sabbath days.

For He can chase the gloom.

The loneliness dispel,
And with His glory fill the room
Where His afflicted dwell.

I 'll thank Him, then, in life,

With all its griefs and cares;
My safety 'midst its noise and strife,
And its ten thousand snares.
 I9

I 'll thank Him too in death,

For all His wondrous ways;
And still, with my expiring breath,
Will celebrate His praise!

fanumy Isl, 1833.

 1833 AND 189)4,

OR

THE
jDARTING AND THE FO/VIING 7mm‘

k‘ ' ‘*vr1

-3 5:1." IGHTEEN hundred thirty-three,

Thou art in eternity!
All thy days are past and gone,
F led and vanished, every one,
From the evil,—from the good,—
With the years beyond the flood.

Thou hadst weeks, and months, and hours,

Times and seasons, fruits and flowers;
Summer, Winter, Autumn, Spring.
Each with blessings on its wing;
But those seasons are, with thee.
Passed into eternity!
 21

Eighteen hundred thirty-three,

I must give account of thee;
And, with pleasure or with pain,
Meet thy days and hours again,
And their story must repeat
At the Saviour's judgment-seat.

Shall I then with joy appear,

And review the parted year?
Shall I stand confessed, approved,
By the Saviour owned and loved?
Conscience, speak—thy right assume.
Warn me of my coming doom!

Eighteen hundred thirty-three.

Thou must give account of me;
All my reckless hands have wrought.
All my foolish heart has thought.
All the idle words I 've spoke- —
“Hit in God's eternal book!

Eighteen hundred thirty-three,

O, what waste and vanity
In thy busiest days appear,
Injured, but departed year:
And repentance now is vain,
Thou wilt not return again!

I“!
 22

Yet my past neglect shall be

Like a monitor to me.
While, with sorrow, I lament
Blessings spurned and hours mispent;
O, for grace, in wisdom's ways
To employ my future days!

Eighteen hundred thirty-three,

Thus I bid adieu to thee;
\Vhile I view the past, and mourn,
To the coming year I turn —
Welcome, all thou hast in store,
Eighteen hundred thirty-four.

Welcome, days of toil and care,

Peaceful sabbaths, hours of prayer;
Welcome, sickness, pain and woe,
If my Father will it so—
Grace, is all that I implore,
Eighteen hundred thirty-four!

"III'IIIIIIIQ/Il, Dea'mlier 3 1st, 1 83 3 .

 RESOLUTIONS FOP\ THE NEW YEARL

*Qni‘ 1mm v

.1 ‘,HIS year, I will begin

My life to live afresh;
Forsake each old, besetting sin.
And crucify the flesh.

This year, I will begin

Anew, to watch and pray;
And stir up all my powers within,
To walk in VVisdom's way.

This year, I will begin

To speak, and work for God;
And labour, so that I may win
His last approving Word.

This year, I will renew

My diligence and zeal;
And plans of usefulness pursue,
And seek my neighbour's weal.

LJ
 24
This year, I 'll strive to live,
And all my powers employ;
That I my great account may give
\Vith thankfulness and joy.

This year, I 'll ponder well

My footsteps, lest I err;
And shun the path that leads to hell,
Though crowds that path prefer.

This year, I will redeem

The time that God supplies;
And consecrate each hour to Him—
Each moment, as it flies.

For I this year may die,

flly grave may be prepared:
I see the Sovereign Judge draw nigh,
The great white throne upreared!

I see the Roll unfurled,

The Volumes opened wide,
While, all around, the Assembled World
Are ranged on either side!
 LJ
|_

25

But where shall I appear,

And what my sentence be?
O, Thou Eternal! hear my prayer,
And grant Thy grace to me!

Then my resolves shall stand,

And Thou my purpose own:
While I, from the Redeemer's hand,
Receive the Immortal Crown!

Edge Hill, famlary 1:1, I83 5.

.
 F"!

FAREWELL TO THE PEPARTED YEAR

“(,4 "a $1 “_ '

AREWELL, departed year —

We ne'er again shall meet,
Till time is past, and I appear
Before the judgment-seat.

Farewell, departed year—

I leave thee with regret;
And round the blessings thou didst hear,
I fa'in would linger yet.

Thy peaceful sabbath days,

Thy hours of praise and prayer,
Refreshing seasons, days of grace.
And rest from worldly care.

Farewell, departed year—

Thine errand now is done,
And thou must thy account prepare,
Before the Eternal throne.
 27

But O, my soul, to thee

Another year is given,
From paths of sin and hell to flee,
And run the road to heaven.

Then gird thee for the Race,

And arm thee for the F ight,
Strong. in the power of Sovereign grace,
And in the Spirit's might.

For, ere this year has fled,

And ere another come,
I may be numbered with the dead,
And meet my final doom.

0, then 't will be in vain

My mispent years to mourn;
Lost sabbaths come no more again,
Nor days of grace return.

My God! the power impart,

My inmost soul incline
To yield the empire of my heart,
And be, for ever, Thine.

Then roll, ye rapid years,

More rapidly away,
When ye are spent, l0, heaven appears.
And an eternal dayi
 28

—A day all clear and bright;

No pale and waning moon,
No setting sun, no gloomy night,
But everlasting noon!

Departed year, farewell~

We meet again in heaven;
Then, through eternal years I'll tell
The blessings thou hast given.

fanuary 1st, 1836.

LJ ‘.l

THE FARR-EN fIG TREE.

LUKE xiii. 6.

*W"

Lo, it cumbers still the ground:

g V _ Culture it has had, for years,
But as yet no fruit appears—
Cut it down—why all this toil?
It no more shall curse the soil!"

But the Dresser cries, “ Forbear,

Let it stand another year;
Still it shall my care employ,
Then, if fruit appear, with joy
At Thy feet it shall be laid,
And my toil be well repaid.”
 30

Lord, this parable 's for me;

I'm that barren, fruitless tree;
I within the vineyard stand,
Planted by Thy gracious hand,
But. with all the Dresser's care,
Scanty is the fruit I bear.

I have peaceful sabbath days,

I have hours of prayer and praise;
Faithful sermons, they are mine,
Threatenings, promises divine;
All that wisdom could devise,
Sent, in mercy, from the skies!

Yet my heart is cold and dead,

Like a branch that 's withered:
Yet my hands inactive prove,
To promote the cause I love:
Blessed Jesus, can there be
Life. in such a barren tree!

But. another year is given—

Granted by indulgent Heaven:
Sabbaths, sermons, hours of prayer,
Granted for another year—
Still deserved wrath delays:
Goodness lengthens out my days.
If'r F‘! L.

3I

O, for grace, this year to be

All that God delights to see:
0, for wisdom from above,
Every moment to improve:
And, when time is past away,
0, for mercy in that day!

Edge 1lill, fannary In‘, 1837.

l_‘ I‘?

JDIFE.

*' ‘Sem. —

HAT is Life? A rapid stream,

Rolling onward to the ocean.
What is Life? A troubled dream.
Full of incident and motion.

What is Life? The arrow's flight,

That mocks the keenest gazer's .eye.
What is Life? A gleam of light,
Darting through a stormy sky.

What is Life? A varied tale,

Deeply moving— quickly told.
\Vhat is Life? A vision pale,
Vanishing while we behold.

What is Life? A smoke, a vapour,

Swiftly mingled with the air.
What is Life? A dying taper,
A spark that glows to disappear.
 F1 |_

33

\IVhat is Life? A flower that blows,

N ipped by the frost, and quickly dead.
What is Life? The full-blown rose,
That ‘s scorched at noon, and withered.

Such is Lifeéa breath, a span,

A moment, quickly gone from thee.
What is DEATH? 0, mortal man!
Thy entrance on Eternity!

Edge 1117/, fil/lllalj' Isl, 1338.

 l'“!

)EBENEZER.

- a \‘J‘; 'zb'r‘

l SAMUEL vii. 12.

--<;°4\. .

f [Y BENEZER—let me raise.
Here, a monument of praise;
.__ a_’ While I gratefully record
All the mercies of the Lord.

Ebenezer— how shall I,

Him, so glorious, glorify?
Feel, or, as I feel, express
A becoming thankfulness!

Through another year His arm

Hath sustained me, safe from harm:
Death and danger all around,
He, my guardian still was found.
 35

What, though sickness did molest,

Pain invade my bed of rest;
He the fell disease subdued,
And my wasted strength renewed.

Vl'hat though dark affliction's hour

Came, with agonising power;
Soon the gloom was chased'away;
Sorrow's night was turned to day l

What, though Death, with fatal blow,

Laid my friends and kindred low;
I have found, beneath the rod,
Friends and kindred ——— all in God!

Ebenezer—days gone by
To His goodness testify;
Nor shall coming seasons less
His unchanging love express.

Ebenezer—praise the Lord.

Ever faithful to His word;
Ever is His promise sure,
While the sun and moon endure!

Ebenezer—- thus I bow,

Lowly, at thy footstool now;
Early in thy courts appear,
Thus commence another year.

H]
 36

Ebenezer—while I live.
Grateful praises I will give;
Ebenezer—when I die,
Nobler anthems in the sky.

Edge 1li/l, fauna/y 1st, 1839.

L.J

THE FPQQVITY OF }_/IFE.

~-‘ Wat-1, *‘r!’

“ Remcméer /zow shorl my lime is."

PsAL“ lxxxix. 47.

‘Avon; ¢

v EMEMBER how short is the time

" Allotted to man upon earth:
How quickly he passes his prime»
But a span to the grave, from his birth;
His days are in vanity passed,
Just here, when, behold, they are fled!
And scarce with the living he 's classed,
When his place is assigned with the dead.

Remember how short is my time,

0 Thou, that dost give it to me:
And teach me the wisdom, sublime,
Of devoting it wholly to Thee.

[Tl
 38

For Thee, may each moment be spent—

Thy service each talent employ—
That I, when my summons is sent.
May approach the tribunal with joy.

Remember how short is my time,

But mighty the work I 've to do!
From error, pollution, and crime,
O Saviour! my spirit renew;
Thus, fit me Thy work to fulfil—
Whatever of service is given,
And then, when I 've suffered Thy will,
I 'll rest from my labours in heaven.

Remember how short is my time,

The moments, how quickly they fly:
O teach my affections to climb,
And daily, in spirit, to die;
To die to the world, and to sin,
To earth, with its turmoil and care—
To look on the glories unseen,
And live as Eternity's heir!

Remember how short is my time,

While here, but a stranger, unknown, —
Allured by the ravishing chime
Of the songs that encompass the throne.
l__|

39

I 'll haste to the regions above,

The abodes of the holy and blest,—
To join in their circles of love.
And dwell in their mansions of rest!

Edge 1117/, fa/mar] Isl, 1840.

F']
 J_IFE WORK.
e,‘ W_-_, »_.

“ In the morning‘ sow thy seed, and in the evening‘ withhold

not thy hand; for thou huowest not whether shall prosper,
either this or that, or whether they hoth shall he a/M'e good."

EccLEs1As'rEs xi. 6.

11.‘- the morning sow thy seed,

i Nor at eve withhold thy hand,
\Yho can tell which may succeed.
Or if both alike shall stand,
And a glorious harvest bear
To reward the sower's care?

In the morning sow thy seed—

In the morning of thy youth;
Prompt to every generous deed,
Scatter wide the seeds of truth;
He whose sun may set at noon
Never can begin too soon!
 41

Nor withhold thy willing hand

In the eventide of age;
E'en to life's last lingering sand,
In thy closing pilgrimage,
Seed may yet be sown by thee, ——
Sown for immortality!

“By all waters " be it sown —

Every where enrich the ground,
Till the soil, with thorns o'ergrown,
Shall with fruits and flowers abound;
Pregnant with a sweet perfume,
Decked in Eden's loveliest bloom!

Sow it in the youthful mind;

Can you have a fairer field?
Be it but in faith consigned,
Harvest, doubtless, it shall yield,~
Fruits of early piety,
All that God delights to see.

Sow it on the waters wide,

Where the seaman ploughs the deep;
Then, with every flowing tide,
You the blessed fruit shall reap,
And the thoughtless sailor prove
Trophy to the cause you love.
G

.
 42

Sow it 'mid the crowded street—

Lanes and alleys, dark and foul,
Where the teeming masses meet—
Each with an immortal soul,
Sunk in deepest moral gloom,
Reckless of the coming doom.

Sow it 'mid the haunts of vice~

Scenes of infamy and crime;
Suddenly, may paradise
Burst, as in the northern clime
Spring, with all its verdant race,
Starts from W inter's cold embrace.

Sow it with unsparing hand,

'T is the Kingdom's precious seed;
'T is the Master's great command,
And His grace shall crown the deed;
He hath said, the precious grain
Never shall be sown in vain!

Long, indeed, beneath the clod,

It may lie, forgot, unseen—
Noxious weeds may clothe the sod,
Changing seasons intervene,
Summer's heat, and Winter's‘ frost—
Yet that seed shall ne'er be lost.
 43

But, at length, it shall appear,

Rising up o'er all the plain—
“First the blade, and then the ear,"
Then the ripe, the golden grain;
Joyous reapers gladly come,
Angels shout the harvest home.

Eng’: 1717/, fanuary 1st, 1841.

F.
)EIGHTEEN j‘IUNDRED jIOPQY-QNE.

- dGHTEEN hundred forty-one,

" . O, how swift thy course has run!
How does each succeeding year
Seem more “prompt to disappear;"
Hurrying, like a troubled sea,
Onward to Eternity!

I am on that torrent borne.

To the land whence none return:
I am, as my fathers were,
Sojourner and stranger here;
Travelling, wheresoe'er I be.
To that dread Eternity!
 45

Life will quickly pass away,

Like a stormy winter's day,
Like a wild and varied dream,
Like a bubble on the stream,
Like the fleetest things that be—
Nothing to Eternity!

But, while time is in my power,

Let me husband every hour.
0, for wisdom from above.
Every talent to improve:
Then, at length, I shall not be
Outcast, through Eternity!

For the past will God demand,

Time and talents— at my hand;
Bibles — Sabbaths — all I have,
From the cradle to the grave;
Each an item then will be
Written for Eternity!

When that awful day shall come—

Day of reckoning— day of doom—
0, for mercy in that day!
W’ hen these heavens have passed away,
Then, may there remain to me
Bright and blest Eternityf

"1
.
 46

Yes; there is a happy land,

Where celestial mansions stand;
Where immortal spirits dwell,
Glad, with joys unspeakable:
'Mid their circles may I be,
With them spend Eternity!

Edge [Ii/l, fanuary 1st, 1842.

‘fine
 “ How PLD AP\T THOU c?”

-"\ W4“

GENEsIs xlvii. 8.

-—<§a0s_>—

" HAT 's thy age? My friend. I ask,

Not in curiosity,
'T is a self-denying task
Custom has imposed on me,
With the monitory lay.
Thus to meet the New-Year's Day.

Thou art young, perhaps, and life

Is but opening on thy view;
And thy busy thoughts are rife
With the deeds thy hands shall do;
With the active and the gay,
Welcoming the New-Year's Day.

L_l
 48

But the young, you know, may die,

Young as you are in the tomb —
Brilliant once, as thine, their eye,
On their cheek as bright a bloom —
But for them, with cheering ray,
Breaks no more the New-Year's Day.

And, amidst the coming year,

Such an early grave may be,
With the shroud and funeral bier,
Suddenly prepared for thee,
Nor, on earth, thy future stay
Reach another New-Year's Day.

Thou art old, perhaps, and age

In thy tottering steps appears;
Lengthened is thy pilgrimage,
Few and chequered are its years;
Thou hast seen, ere this decay,
Many a joyous New-Year's Day.

\Nell— if but prepared to go,

It will be thy gain to die;
Joy, the glad exchange for wo,
In a blest eternity,
 49

\IVhere, in regions far away,

Reigns an endless New Year's Day.

Or, in life's meridian, thou,

With commercial toils oppressed;
Lines of thought'upon thy brow,
Anxious cares within thy breast,
Varied schemes before thee lay
Plans for many a New Year's Day;

“Yes, tomorrow, I 'll repair

To the mart of merchandise;
There I ‘ll stay—a month, a year—
Buy and sell, and gain the prize; "‘
And, exulting, bear away
Wealth for many a New Year's Day.

Thus you speak. But ah, how vain

Is the boast of days to come:
Days, perhaps, of grief and pain,
Days of sickness and the tomb;
All thy hopes have fled away,
Ere the coming New Year's Day.

' James iv. 13.

T._l
 50

Then, my spirit, rise above

This dark scene of toil and care;
Rise, on wings of faith and love,
To the glorious regions, where
Months and years are past away.
Lost in One Eternal Day!

Edge Hill, fam/(try 1st, 1843.

 i“!

TIME AND )ETERNITY.

-;~—")(M—"M
.

“ T/ze mgrht is far spent, the day is at /zmzd."

RoMANs xiii. 12.

at‘ filflms

l night is far spent, and the day is at hand,

‘3 The day of Eternity quickly will dawn;
And each fleeting year brings us nearer to land.
As o'er the dark billows of time we are borne:
The land of reality, substance, and truth,
Where all is unchanging, enduring, and firm;
Where the spirit ne'er loses the dew of its youth,
Nor the body again is the food of the worm.

The night is far spent; 0 then let us arise,

And shake us from slumber, ere effort is vain;
There 's a voice from the tomb —- there 's a voice from the skies,
That forbids us to loiter, or slumber again.

_I
I
 52

With a soul to be saved, and a hell to avoid,

To trifle were madness—to slumber is death;
Ah! be not, my soul, by earth's trifles decoyed,
For issues eternal depend on each breath!

The night is far spent, with its terrible dreams —

Its watching and weariness—sadness and gloom;
And the day is at hand, that will soon shed its beams
On the valley of tears, and the night of the tomb.
The battle once over— the victory won—
The warrior shall welcome the conqueror's crown;
While he shines with a glory transcending the sun,
In the records of heaven's unfading renown.

Then let the night hasten more quickly away.

And these rapid years more rapidly roll;
Each one, as it flies, brings us nearer the day,
And lessens the space between us and the goal.
Then, cast off these garments, so frail and so foul,
This body of sin, and pollution, and shame;
Disembodied, enraptured, transported, the soul
Shall bow with the myriads that compass the Lamb.

No winter is there—neither sunset nor shade,

But spring everlasting, perpetual noon;
Unspeakable joy shall each bosom pervade,
And a harp in each hand, for ever in tune;
 53

\Nhile they suffer no more either hunger or thirst—

No shivering cold, and no feverish heat;
But, age after age, the full chorus shall burst.
As their crowns are cast down at Emmanuel's feet.

0 blessed transition from darkness to light ! —‘

Pollution to purity l—sorrow to bliss!—
Ah! well may the bosom beat high with delight,
And the heart leap with joy at a prospect like this!
Then I 'll murmur no more, no more I 'll repine.
At the deep tribulation allotted me here;
But wait the glad summons, the order divine,
\Vhen night has all vanished and day shall appear.

T. R.

Edge 1717/, fanuary 1st, 1844.

w
 THE WoFQLD's JIUBILEE.
/
A HYMN FOR THE jluBILEE YEAR OF‘ THE jvhss1Omuav ,SOc1E-rY.

-/xj=I~e9”»e—r+= (- .

ARK! ten thousand, thousand voices

Sing the Song of jubilee;
Earth, through all her tribes, rejoices,
Broke her long captivity!
Hail, Emmanuel! Great Deliverer!
Hail, Emmanuel! praise to Thee!
Now the theme, in pealing thunders,
Through the universe is rung,
Now, in gentler tones, the numbers
Of redeeming grace are sung.

\Vider now, and louder rising,

Swells and soars th' enraptured strain;
Earth's unnumbered tongues comprising,
Hark! the Conqueror's praise again.
 55

Hail, Emmanuel! Great Deliverer!

Stones shall speak, if we refrain.
Thus while heart and pulse are beating,
To His name let praise arise,
Till, from earth, the soul, retreating,
Joins the chorus in the skies.

Then in loftier, sweeter numbers,

We shall sing Emmanuel's praise:
Freed from all that now encumbers.
N obler songs our voices raise.
Hail, Emmanuel! Great Deliverer!
Live for ever, in our lays!
\Vhile, our crowns of glory casting
At His feet, in rapture lost,
We, in anthems everlasting,
Mingle with th' angelic host!

But, till that great consummation,

That bright Sabbath of mankind—
Till each distant tribe and nation
Taste the bliss by God designed,—
Speed the Gospel! let its tidings
Gladden every human mind!
Be its silver trumpet sounded,
Let the joyous echoes roll,
Till a sea of bliss unbounded
Spreads o'er earth, from pole to pole!
 56

Then shall come the Great Messiah,

In Millennial glory crowned;
“ Israel's Hope." and “Earth's Desire,"
Now triumphant and renowned.
Hail, Messiah! Reign for ever!
Heaven to earth reflects the sound;
Heaven and earth, with all their regions.
At His footstool prostrate fall:
Heaven and earth, with all their legions,
Crown Emmanuel, Lord of All!

Edge 1117/, [annary 1st, 1845.

 FI-IPQSTIAN UNION.

A HYMN FOR THE EvANc-ELICAL fiLL1ANcE. *1

. ‘w--513.1%’. -} - 1' »

“ T/zai they all may 6e one; as 1/1o11, Fal/u'r. a1't in me.

and I 1'11 I/la'. Mal‘ f/ay also may 60 one in us : Illat fhr world
may éclz'e'tlc Mat thou /zast sent me."

JonN xvii. 2r

--—x=.<>,>'

in Christ His people are,

All indissolubly one:
(Q I
I Each, in His right hand, a star.
Bright with glories not his own.
Each. withdrawn from nature's mine,
An inestimable gem,
Destined evermore to shine
In Emmanuel's diadem!

" “'ritten in anticipation of the formation of the British Organization in connexion

with the Evangelical Alliance, formed in London, August 23rd, 1846. -
I
 58

Mingled hues one Bow compose, —

God's own sign to mortals given;
One vast Ocean ebbs and flows,
Though in countless billows driven.
So, One Church-the Ransomed prove.
Though from varied realms they come;
One community of love,
Bound for one eternal home!

Then, while pilgrims here below.

Why should they divided be?
Why should sharp contentions grow
To disturb their unity?
Why apart should they remain,
Each within his sect confined?
Nor their Master's law maintain.
Nor display His heavenly mind?

Was not this His fervent prayer ;——

“Father, let My people be
One in Us, as One We are.
Thou in Me, and l in Thee.
Then shall all the world believe
My commission is divine;
All My Gospel shall receive,
All within My fold recline!"
 I‘ |_

59

Happy period! joyful day!

When shall thy bright morning rise?
Lo! before thy kindling ray
Every fiend of discord flies:
Rise, Thou Sun of Righteousness!
Wide Thy healing wings outspread;
With Thy light the nations bless;
O'er Thy Church Thine influence shed.

Hallowed influence from above!

Source of concord and of peace!
In Thy bond of perfect love
Let our sad divisions cease:
Heart to heart, and hand to hand,
Each shall then his brother own;
An indissoluble band,
Christians be for ever one!

Euige 17z7!, fanuary 1st, 1846.

L__l
 j‘TY/VIN

FOR THE

‘EARLY ‘SERVICE AT _QREAT PEOPQE _STREET CHAPEL, JAN. 1, 1847.

- --‘7_)l-1r—"

“ The living, the living. he shall praise Thee, as I do

i this day : the father to the ehi/dreu shall mahe hnowu Thy

truth. ”
ISAIAH xxxviii. 19.

.W
J "'

. ' living, the living," to praise,

We all in Thy presence appear—
Our glad Ebenezer to raise,
And hail the approach of the year.
Of mercy and judgment we sing,
So chequered and mingled our way;
Yet still, in the tribute we bring,
'T is mercy that sweetens the lay.
‘

61

What mercy. for earth and for time,

Our Father has freely bestowed;
With blessings— the choice and the prime —
Each day. has our cup overflowed:
Each moment has shed, in its flight,
More mercies than numbers can count ;
\Vhat tongue can the story recite?
What pen can record the amount?

There was health for the body, and strength

For life, with its care and turmoil;
And peaceful repose when, at length.
\Ve ceased from its labour and toil;
Each day, has the pillar of cloud
Conducted our footsteps aright,
While, over the night's gloomy shroud.
The pillar of flame shed its light.

And what is the bread that we eat?

And what is the raiment we wear?
And what is the light, and the heat,
The breath, and the balm of the air?
Each pulse, as it throbs in the veins,
Each beat of the heart in the breast,
All tell of the mercy that reigns,
To make us thus happy and blest!

L...l
 62

But, O, if for earth and for time

So rich is the boon He bestows,
How deeper, and still more sublime,
The river of mercy that flows;
That, fraught with compassion and grace,
With purity, pardon, and love,
The ransomed for ever shall trace—
Eternity only can prove!

There 's the gift of His Son, who expired

In darkness, desertion and woe;
The victim that justice required,
That man might escape from its blow.
There 's the gift of His Spirit, to shine
On the darkness that broods in the heart,
And there, with the image divine,
Unspeakable joy to impart.

And then, there 's the Book He inspired,

To teach us the way to His throne:
Our rest when the spirit is tired;
Our storehouse of treasures unknown;
Our lamp, and our light, and our song,
As the journey of life we pursue,
That gives, as we travel along,
The home we would reach to our view.
 63
Thou, “Father of Lights " and of love.
Our reconciled Father in Him
Who came from the glory above.
The soul from its guilt to redeem;
Our covenant now we renew;
Ourselves we, this moment, resign:
“Spirit, body. and soul."—' t is Thy due.
O take them, and seal them as Thine!

T.
Edge Hill, fanuary 1st, 1847.

L..!
 jvlYjViN

FOR THE

EARLY SERVICE AT GREAT pEORGE STREET FHAPEL. IAN. 1. 1848.

~ - “b'e'ezr4>**r~\.q’

“ And I said, Oh that 1 had wings, like a (love ./ for then

would 1 fly away, and he at rest."

PSALM lv. 6.

,3‘) 0m» r~ e

3H, had I but wings, like a dove!

l I 'd fly to the realms of the blest;

l 'd soar to the mansions above.

And enter the heavenly rest;
I 'd mingle with spirits no more
Entombed in this prison of clay—
With seraphim bow and adore.
As holy and happy as they!
 65

Oh, had I but wings, like a dove!

I 'd fly from this sadness and care;
My spirit no longer should prove
Depression, allied to despair.
No longer, with sickness of heart.
Would I see my hopes withered and torn,
Compelled from the Flower to part,
But doomed still to cherish the Thorn.

Oh. had I but wings, like a dove!

I 'd fly from this region of death;
No longer for friendship and love.
I would twine the dark cypress-wreath:
No longer I 'd gaze on the gloom
Of the couch that diseases invade,
Nor weep at the brink of the tomb,
Where the friend of my bosom islaid.

Oh, had I but wings, like a clove!

I 'd fly from contention and strife;
I 'd far from those quarrels remove
That ruffle the current of life.
I 'd dwell in a peaceful abode,
To detraction and slander unknown.
Where Envy no breast shall corrode,
But Love reigns supreme on the throne.
K
 66

Then. give me the wings of a dove;

My soul is in haste to be free;
I pant the salvation to prove.
Those mansions eternal to see:
Ye chains of mortality, break!
And crumble, thou prison of clay!
Then, spread my glad pinions, and take
My flight to the regions of day!

But, stay— not the wings of a dove,

Till jesus shall bid me arise;
I 'll wait, till the voice from above
Shall call me to rest in the skies;
Till then, I will work, watch, and pray.
Each talent with pleasure employ;
Thus waiting, I 'll welcome the day,
And hail the last summons with joy.

Edge Hill, Liter/tool, fanuary tst, I848.

F']
 f“!

HYfAN

fOi! New YEAIK's PAY, 1840.

O, another year has fled,

All its hours are past and gone,
And the record they have made
Is before the eternal throne.
In that awful Book it lies,
From within whose opened leaves,
Fraught with human destinies,
Each his final doom receives.

Pause and ponder, O my soul!

For thy name is written there;
And from that unerring scroll
Thou thy last award must hear.
Will it be for weal or woe?
Solemn secret! who can tell?
Tell me whither I shall go—
Rise to Heaven, or sink to Hell?

L_l
 68

For no middle state remains—

No alternative beside,
Endless joy, or endless pains,
Each his sentence must abide.
joy, unspeakable and vast,
Or the pangs that never die,
Ever present — never past —
Boundless as Eternity !

Narrow is the way, I know,

Strait the gate that leads to Life,
Hard the work that I must do.
Sharp the conflict, fierce the strife.
Every lust within me bred,
Every appetite, denied,
To the world's allurements dead,
With the Saviour crucified.

But a glorious rest remains,

In that world which is to come;
There the goal the racer gains,
There the pilgrim finds his home.
Lo! amid the radiant host,
Clad in robes of spotless white,
All his sorrow now is lost
In ineffable delight.
 69

Then, afresh, thine armour take.

Gird thee for the race anew,
With the new-born year, awake.
Rise, my soul! thy course pursue.
What should tempt thee to delay?
What should lure thee from the road?
Rise, and urge thy onward way,
To the Paradise of God!

T. R.
Edge 1Ii/l, Liverpool,
fanuary 1st, 1849.

LJ
 l__l

jVIYJVIN

FOR THE fiARLY SERVICE, PREAT PEORGE ,STREET FHAPEL.

NEW YEAR's PAY, I850.

i", songs of thanksgiving and praise,

' Again in Thy courts we appear;
The glad hallelujah to raise.
And welcome the dawn of the year
We have witnessed the last of the old,
Its days are all numbered and fled;
And now, with its mercies untold,
Another is sent in its stead!

Yes! we are the living to praise,

Though round are the dying and dead; ,
His mercy has lengthened our days,
And numbered the hairs of our head.
No arrow that flieth by day,
No pestilence walking in gloom,
Has weakened our strength in the way.
And hurried us quick to the tomb.
 71

Yet many we knew and esteemed

_Were smitten, and withered and died,
When the Pestilence rode, as it seemed.
Triumphant, with Death by its side.
And the grave ever opened its jaws,
Like a monster, intent on its prey.
Disdaining all natural laws,
And filling all hearts with dismay. _'

Then, well it behoves me to praise,

And sing-as’ I ‘journey ‘aldrig‘; ‘ "'1
His goodness the theme of my lays,
His mercy the scope of my song.
This God, who securely has kept.
Nor suffered my footsteps to slide;
Whose eye has ne'er slumbered nor slept,
Shall still be my keeper and guide.

While the hymn of thanksgiving I raise,

I fall at Thy feet and adore.
My spirit her orisons pays.
Thine only, and Thine evermore
This day, I resign the control,
This day, I surrender to Thee
My body. my spirit, my soul,
Thine now, and for ever to be!
 72

O, take me, and seal me Thine own,

And make me what Thou shalt approve.
O, dwell in this heart as Thy throne,
To rule and to reign in Thy love.
Thus, kept by Thy power divine,
“7 hen the day of Redemption shall rise,
Complete in Thy glory I 'll shine,
And join in the songs of the skies.

Edge 1Ii/l, [a/mary Ist, I850.

NOTF..—During the year 1849, the Cholera was fatally prevalent in Liverpool.

.Aiatt;
if‘?
A,
,_
 .‘

j‘TYf/IN

FOR THE

JZARLY ,SERv1cE AT PREAT FYEQRGE ,STREET FHAPEL. JAN. 1, 1851.

..-->~<-aig,-e~i_<,ue: -

O! another year is gone!

Pause and ponder, O my soul!
See the tide of time move on,
Mark its billows as they roll;
Each is bearing thee away
To the land where spirits dwell;
Nearer still by every day— '
Solemn thought!—to heaven or hell. ‘

0, what millions they have borne

To their final destiny,
Who the parted year's first morn
Heralded with mirth and glee:
Time is now to them no more,
Seasons, Sabbaths—all are fled;
Their brief day of grace is o'er,
They are numbered with the dead.
I.
 74

Why am I the Living still?

Wherefore yet do I survive?
Be it, Lord! to do Thy will;
Let me to Thy glory live:
Write Thy law upon my heart,
Make my life its transcript fair;
Ne'er from it may I depart,
Never lose its record there.

Make me active in Thy cause,

Make me all Thy word approves;
Hating what Thy soul abhors,
Loving what my Father loves:
More to me than light or air,
More than earth can ever give;
In Thy favour, Lord! to share,
In Thy smile, my God! to live.

Thus, as years their rapid tide

Onward urge and never stay,
Let me in my course abide,
Still pursue my upward way:
Till the arduous race is run,
Till the victory is given:
Then—the laurel Grace has won,
Then —-- the Crown laid up in heaven!
 75

Hark! even now I seem to hear

Voices from the eternal throne;
“Faithful servant! rest thee here,
Well thy Master's work is done!
Come up hither, dwell with me,
I 've prepared this blest abode:
Here, for ever, shalt thou be
\IVith thy Saviour and thy God!"

Edge 1117/, fanuary Isl, I851.

 HYjViN

fOR THE NEW YEAP‘ 1852.

. A. ._._)(-__.'‘E.

,HO can count the grains of sand

5 On the Ocean's shores that lie?
Who, the numbers understand
Of the gems that stud the sky?
Who can tell the leaves that strew
Earth, amid autumnal gloom?
Or the drops of pearly dew
From the morn's prolific womb?

Yet, more numerous far than these

Are the mercies I receive;
Sands, nor stars, nor forest leaves
Can the countless numbers give.
Mercies every morn renewed—
Fresh at ‘every evening's close;
From the boundless Source of good,
Ceaseless is the stream that flows.
1._ L_]

77

From my mother's anxious breast,

Where, a helpless babe, I hung,
He my onward path has blest,
Filled with songs of joy my tongue.
When, beset by every ill,
Danger lurked, and death was there,
He has been my guardian still,
Made my worthless life his care.

Through another year, so true,

He hath helped me on my way;
How, the thanks and praises due,
Shall my grateful spirit pay?
Language, thought, and feeling fail—
All too faint and feeble prove;
Endless is the wondrous tale
Of my heavenly Father's love!

Then, O take this heart of mine,

All I am I yield to Thee,
All I have I now resign—
Thine in life and death to be.
Thine, in poverty or wealth,
Thine, in sorrow or in joy,
Thine, in sickness and in health,
Scenes that gladden, or annoy.
 l—"l
"E:
78

Thine, through all the devious way

Yet, my feet are doomed to tread;
Thine, to serve from day to day,
Till I 'm numbered with the dead.
Then, whene'er the summons come,
Glad from earth my soul shall fly,
Rise, to claim my heavenly home;
Thine, for ever, in the sky!

Edge 1717/, fanuary 1st, 18 52.

 |__I
. ‘‘

FYI/IN

fOg THE New YEAR, 1853.

“And Yaeoh said unto Pharaoh, The days qf the years

of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and
evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not
attained unto the days of the years of the lzfe of my fathers
in the days of their pitgrz'mage.”

GENESIs xlvii. 9.

r_,--);.__ _

“ Have my years of travel been,

In this weary pilgrimage,
In this world of toil and sin;
Nor have I as yet attained
To the years my fathers knew.”
Thus the ancient saint complained,
Such the Patriarch's sad review.

I_1_I
 80

\Nas it thus to him? No less

Mingled, chequered is it still.
Mingled gladness and distress,
Chequered scenes of good and ill:
joy and sorrow, hope and fear,
Days of sunshine, nights of gloom,
Constitute our portion here,
Mark our journey to the tomb.

But we seek a land afar,

Glorious realms as yet unseen;
Skies where no malignant star
Sheds its influence o'er the scene;
Regions of perennial spring,
Lands where endless summer glows,
Autumn sheds no withered thing,
Wintry tempest never blows.

I/Vherefore then should we remain?

Give a world like this our heart?
Lo! the new-born year again
Warns us quickly to depart.
N o continuing city here ——
Here no portion, rest, or home;
Let us, with a soul sincere,
Seek a city yet to come.
L._I l"'l

81

There, be all our treasure stored,

Riches, durable and vast;
Better than the miser's hoard,
Wealth that evermore shall last.
Ceaseless ages, as they roll,
Cannot lessen or destroy:
Bliss, immortal as the soul,
Source of never-failing joy.

Hark! angelic voices sound,

Strains celestial greet my ear,
“Rise, and quit this earthly ground,
What should make thee linger here?
All things here shall fade away,
All around thee droop and die;
Gird thy loins, and haste away,
Seek thy mansion in the sky."
T.
Edge brill, fanuary Ist, 1853.

.l
l__l

j'IY/VIN

FOR THE NEW YEAR, 1854.

Q —-.v—-)(_-\——

'TESTERDAY is past and gone,

Numbered with the things that were:
And to-morrow is unknown;
None its story can declare.
None can what is past recal;
What is future, none secure;
One event awaits us all,
Only that event is sure.

'T is the present moment! Then,

This alone is surely mine;
To improve it wisely, when
Shall I learn the art divine?
For, what mighty interests may
On that single moment press—
All a dread eternity—
All its woe or blessedness!
 83

Should this moment be in vain,

Should it pass unheeded by,
Not another may remain;
Ere another I may die.
Then the past, unheeded yet,
No repentance can repair;
All beyond is vain regret;
All the future is despair.

Then awake to serious thought,

Deep reflection, calm review;
Let me ponder, as I ought,
All I 've done, or have to do.
Ponder well my business here,
Look, with anxious eye, at home,
Lest a loiterer I appear,
When the righteous Judge shall come.

Lo! He stands before the door;

Brief the warning He may give:
In the solemn midnight hour,
I the summons may receive : —
"Where is now the vast amount—
Time and talents lent to thee?
Render up thy great account;
Give my own, with usury."

LJ
 84

O, for mercy in that day:

Day of vengeance and of fear,
When these heavens shall pass away,
And the Judge of all appear.
In His righteousness arrayed,
Trusting in His faithful word,
May I meet Him undismayed!
Reign for ever with the Lord!

Edge flill, fanuary 1st, 1854.

 I__l
[_ r‘"|

j'IYjViN

FOR THE J‘Iew YEAR, 1855.

->'=H=>-TF-e-Er~_

JOD of Seasons, Thee we own,

Seated on Thy gracious throne;
‘ At Thy footstool we appear,
Thus to hail the new-born year.
All its sorrow, all its joy,
Scenes that gladden or annoy,
All alike shall welcome be:
All alike are sent by Thee.

Thou art infinitely good,

When by us least understood;
All Thy dealings are in love,
E'en when most they painful prove;
All Thy discipline is wise,
Faithful when Thou dost chastise;
While Thy erring children's smart
Moves the pity of Thine heart.

L_I
 86

“Fathers of our flesh ” there were,

And we owned their tender care,
Reverenced their paternal yoke,
Bowed to their chastising stroke;
Shall we not much rather be
In subjection, Lord, to Thee?
Bow to Thy more wise behest,
With Thy richer blessing blest!*

Chequered is the path of life;

Scenes of tumult and of strife;
Scenes of sorrow, toil, and care;
Every pilgrim has his share.
But, if Thou art Friend and Guide,
Nought but good can e'er betide:
Every grief shall mercy bring;
Goodness out of evil spring.

Then, let troubles spread around,

War and pestilence abound,
Hushed the lowing of the kine,
Blighted, withered be the vine,
Labour of the olive cease,
Flocks and herds no more increase,
I' ll adore Thy chastening rod;
Still my trust shall be in God H’
* Heb. xii. 9. + Habakkuk iii. 17, 18.
 l__I
|._ __

87

Earthly good I may resign,

Suffer loss, nor yet repine;
Happy, though my lot should be
What the world calls poverty,
If I heavenly treasure have —
Stores laid up beyond the grave,
Mansions there that can't decay,
Wealth that never wastes away,
Pleasures that can never pall,
God, my portion, and my All!

Edge Iii/l, Liverpool, fanuary 1st, 185 5.

 jVIYJVIN

FOR TH Ii

j-IARLY ,SERv1cE, ‘GREAT pEORGE )STREET FHAPEL.

J‘IEW YEAIQs MORNING, I856.

" HIRTY years have rolled away,

Since the morning of that day,
When, with simple lays like these,
Framed the youthful mind to please,
First we bade, assembled here,
Welcome to the new-born year.

O! what scenes have passed since then,

'Mid the busy haunts of men.
Thrones uprooted, sceptres riven,
Monarchs from their kingdoms driven,
Ancient glories quenched in night,
Infant empires sprung to light!
 I”!

89

See the rapid tide of men,

Like the torrent in the glen,
Quickly rise, and pass away,
Hurrying on from day to day;
While we pause, and gaze thereon,
Lo—a generation 's gone!

Yet, amongst the Living still,

We our destiny fulfil;
Children of our Father's love,
Guided, guarded, from above,
Once again we mingle here,
Spared to see another year.

Opening amid war's alarms,

Deadly strife and din of arms—
Widows' wailings, orphans' cries,
All its untold miseries;
Trust in God forbids our fear,
Entering on another year.

Ere its close, may Peace again

Bless the nations with her reign.
“Prince of Peace!” assert Thy right,
Rise in Thy millennial might;
Now Thy Sovereign power impart,
Reign in every human heart!
N

LT!
 90

Then no more shall rampant War

Scent the Battle from afar;
Then no more, on land or main,
Triumph in the thousands slain;
But the blood-stained weapon be
Turned to useful husbandry.

Then shall man his fellow greet,

Each in each a Brother meet;
Each to each a Neighbour prove;
All proclaim the Law of Love.
Peace to men, and God adored,
Earth a Paradise restored!

Edge 17z7/, Liverpool,

fanuary I st, I 8 5 6.
 L_I
,

‘ jDENIEL.

raw’ <0 ‘3.! ~$it /.

)& J'IYMN P\eAo AT THE jEAIQJr ,Serqnce, PREAT peoRGe )STReer FHAPEL.

JANUARY. i. 1857.

1 '- " FOR the power of wrestling prayer,

' That pleads, and cannot plead in vain:
i That doth its argument prepare,
And, oft repulsed, returns again.
O, bless me, and Thy mercy shew—
Bless -4 or I will not let Thee go!

Thus JACOB wrestled, and prevailed:

The livelong night he urged his plea,
He pressed his suit; Faith never failed;
The dawn beheld his agony; ‘
The unknown stranger still was there,
Held by the Patriarch's fervent prayer.

L.l
 Fl!
92

O, bless me, for I will not yield:

My hold of Thee I can't resign;
Assured I am Thou art not steeled
Against a prayer intent as mine.
On me Thy blessing now bestow;
I must not, cannot let thee go:

What though the night is passed away,

And vain, as yet, my prayer has been:
The hour is come; at dawn of day
Thou wouldst depart, and be unseen;
But I 'll not let Thee go, unless
Thou first shall condescend to bless.

What though Omnipotent Thy power,

The Angel of the Covenant, Thou;
Instinct I feel, at this dread hour,
With energy that cannot bow;
A faith that will not, cannot fail,
Shall with Omnipotence prevail.

It shall—it does—the conflict 's o'er,

The battle '5 fought, the victory 's won.
The panting mortal strives no more,
The heavenly Visitant is gone:
But joy pervades the Patriarch's mind,
The blessing he has left behind.
 r-‘a

93

'T was like a prince of Israel's host,

'T was like a child of Abraham's race,
To triumph thus, when all seemed lost,
And strive with God, e'en face to face;
Henceforth shall Israel be thy name,
And distant ages learn thy fame.

O, Jacob, for a faith like thine!

O, Israel, for thy triumph too!
But weak and powerless still is mine,
A faith that ne'er such triumphs knew;
But Israel's God, who strengthened thee,
Can thus inspire a worm like me!

Edge 1717/, fanuary 1st, 1857.

~ ‘ ‘2'’ I._,\
.‘"’".,’. /I\V\‘:?a"
'Ehvflv
‘$1 , )1‘. K“ "

EErr ['_I .J
 No NIGHT 'IN' JVIEAVEN.

FOR THE EARLY J’RAYER MEETING, NEw YEAIK's MORNING, I858.

s-I-Ai-I - _

“And there shall he no Night there."

REV. xxii. 5.

¢;>~2/'N /‘\ "Ar-~ _ 5,“. .

"l O night shall be in heaven; no gathering gloom

‘ Shall o'er that glorious landscape ever come.
No tears shall fall in sadness o'er those flowers
That breathe their fragrance through celestial bowers.

No night shall be in heaven; no dreadful hour

Of mental darkness, or the tempter's power;
Across those skies no envious cloud shall roll,
To dim the sunlight of the enraptured soul.

No night shall be in heaven; forbid to sleep,

These eyes no more their mournful vigils keep:
Their fountains dried, their tears all wiped away.
They gaze undazzled on eternal day.
 A
95

No night shall be in heaven; no sorrow's reign,

No secret anguish, no corporeal pain,
No shivering limbs, no burning fever there,
N o soul's eclipse, no winter of despair.

No night shall be in heaven, but endless noon;

No fast declining sun, nor waning moon:
But there the LAMB shall yield perpetual light,
'Mid pastures green, and waters ever bright.

No night shall be in heaven; no darkened room,

No bed of death, nor silence of the tomb;
But breezes, ever fresh with love and truth,
Shall brace the frame with an immortal youth.

No night shall be in heaven! But night is here—

The night of sorrow, and the night of fear.
I mourn the ills that now my steps attend,
And shrink from others that may yet impend.

No night shall be in heaven! O had I faith

To rest in what the faithful Witness saith,
That Faith should make these hideous phantoms flee,
.And leave no night, henceforth, on earth to me.

T. R.
Edge Ali/l, Liver-peel,
fanuary 1st, 1858.
J_ L.! ‘!

MIDNIGHT, 1858—9.

-—<§*§O@>- -

FOR THE

EARLY )SERVICE, PREAT PEORGE )STIQEET pI-IAPEL,

NEW YEARs MORNING, 1859.

STAND upon a point sublime;

The parting and the coming year
Meet in this narrow speck of time,
And press upon my spirit here.
The past, with all its blessings gone,
Its gifts renewed from day to day;
The future, with its scenes unknown,
Its mingled cup, and chequered way.

Then, on the past let memory dwell,

Jehovah's goodness to recount.
But who the wondrous tale can tell,
Or reckon up the vast amount?

L...|
 97

The mercies, every evening new,

With every opening morn renewed,
More numerous than the drops of dew,
Or stars, in countless multitude!

In helpless infancy, His hand

My tottering footsteps well sustained,
And angel guards, a constant band,
Their ministry of love maintained;
'Mid childhood's wayward course, and youth,
Where perils lurked on every side,
He, with unfailing light and truth,
Has been my guardian and my guide.

When heavy on my troubled breast,

O'erwhelmed with burdens none could share,
A thousand anxious cares have pressed,
And sought to make their dwelling there;
I 've borne the burden to His throne,
I 've told Him all my tale of grief;
Nor did He e'er my claim disown,
Or fail to yield me prompt relief.

Such is the past. And to His praise

I thus His constant care record;
My EBENEZER here I raise,
And still I lean upon His word.
0
L_!

98

Strong in His strength I still endure,

Still happy in His power to bless;
Nor shall the future less ensure
His never-failing faithfulness.

And soon these scenes of time shall fade,

And all of life be fast to me;
The present—death's funereal shade;
The future— all Eternity;
Eternity ! that boundless sea,
That dark, unfathomed, dread abyss,
By faith in Christ shall prove to me
One vast Eternity of bliss!

fanuary Ist, 1859.

 F‘I

BEVIVAL.

é. PWX.‘ _

J~IYMN rosy THE FAP\LY ‘PKAYEK jvlee-rmc. A-r PKEAT peerage )S'rekee'r

pHAPeL, New YeAIK‘s jVIORN1NG, 1860.

‘(A are)» -

EE the little cloud arise,

Smaller than an infant's hand:
Now it spreads o'er all the skies,
Overshadows sea and land:
Heavy drops begin to fall,
Promise of the coming showers,
Harbingers of life to all—
Luscious fruits and fragrant flowers.

Now, the heavens are big with rain;

Now, they yield the precious boon;
Barrenness no more shall reign.
Earth shall bud and blossom soon.

ITJ
 IOO

Soon the verdure of the Spring

On the wintry waste shall rise;
Soon shall hills and valleys ring
With the songs of Paradise.

So on us the Spirit pour,

Blessed influence from above,
Pledge of the Redeemer's power,
Promise of the Father's love;
For the Spirit dwells with Thee;
Still, the Residue is Thine.
Hear our importunity,
Shed on us the gift divine.

In my heart the work begin,

In me first reveal Thy power.
Low and languid, all within
Pants for the refreshing shower.
Faith and Hope and Love remain,
Faint, and ready to expire:
Spirit, come; revive again;
All thy quickening grace require.

On the Church Thy influence pour,

Every Hill of Zion bless:
Let her sacred haunts no more
Be a barren wilderness:
 LJ
Ei

101

While, her gentle streams beside,

In her pastures, fresh and fair,
Happy flocks in peace abide,
Safe beneath the Shepherd's care.

Then, on all the earth descend

Fruitful showers of heavenly grace.
Bring the long expected End;
Let the world the Truth embrace.
Let the men of every clime,
All, the Great Revival prove,
Join in harmonies sublime,
Hail, the Jubilee of Love!
. R.

Edge ill/l, fanuary 1st, 1860.

 THE LAST j‘TY/VIN
FOR THE

EARLY PRAYER MEETING, AT pREAT pEORGE ,STIQEET FHAPEL,

NEw YEAR‘s MORNING, 1861.

flows the stream of Time,

" Bearing on its troubled wave,
Old and young, of every clime,
Onward, onward, to the grave:
Onward, onward, still it flows,
Not a moment will it stay;
No impediment it knows,
None can bribe it to delay.

On that torrent I am borne,

Onward to Eternity;
To the land, whence no return
E'er hath been, or e'er shall be;
 103

To the Sovereign Judge enthroned,

To the day of final doom,
To the grave, and all beyond,
Realms of light or endless gloom.

Since the year that 's closed began,

O, what myriads it has laid
In that last abode of man!
In that deep sepulchral shade!
All their work on earth is o'er,
All their labour, toil, and strife;
They are seen and heard no more
In the busy haunts of life.

But we still survive, and now

In Jehovah's courts appear,
Thus to pay our early vow,
Thus to hail the opening year.
Father, hear us while we pray,
Let our praise accepted be;
Be the year, begun to-day,
Consecrated all to Thee!

Should we live to see its close,

Number all its days and hours,
May the SPIRIT interpose,
Hallowing all our noblest powers:
 104

All we have and are is Thine,

Thine let all our BEING be;
Let us own Thy claim divine,
Let us live alone to Thee!

Should we die; and, ere the year

Finish its appointed race,
Should we at Thy Bar appear,
Stand before Thee face to face.
O, for mercy in that day,
All our worthless work to own!
While to each the Judge shall say,
“Faithful Servant, take thy crown!"

T. R.
Edge 1117/, fanuary 1st, 1861.

2 D1368

LIVERPOOL: —-PRINTED “Y D. MARPLES, LORD STREET.

we1'1’:~¢arer-w