Part 28 (2/2)

I saw no comeliness in you, To bid my grace such wonders do.

”Not for your sakes; for when my love And grace should your affections move, The working of an evil heart Still makes you from my truth depart.

”Not for your sakes; for, bold and blind, To l.u.s.t and avarice inclined, Each shadowy idol you obey, Disowning my paternal sway.

”Not for your sakes; with heaven in view, For sin you sell your souls anew; You barter, for a gilded bait, The joys of an eternal state.

”Not for your sakes; for though you eyed The cross of Christ on which he died, You scorn his love for worldly ends, And wound him in the house of friends.

”Not for your sakes; with Jesus' name, You put him to an open shame; And by your sins, consent again To have the dear Redeemer slain.

”Not for your sakes; 'tis my free grace That grants you pardon, life, and peace; And works a change on all your frame, And binds you to adore my name.

”Not for my sake!--I hail the sound; Let power of grace my pride confound: Salvation is a work divine; Confusion and the shame be mine.

”Not for my sake!--did I but trust To weakness, vanity, and dust, I ne'er could reach the heavenly prize, Nor hope a mansion in the skies.

”Not for my sake!--yet save and call; Let Jesus be my all in all: When glory comes I'll self disown, And grace, free grace shall wear the crown.”

”'Praise ye the Lord. O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever.' Psalm 106:1.

”'Remember me, O Lord, with the favor that thou bearest unto thy people: O visit me with thy salvation, that I may see the good of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine inheritance.' Psalm 106:4, 5.

”'At that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without G.o.d in the world; but now, in Christ Jesus, ye who sometime were far off, are made nigh by the blood of Christ.' Eph. 2:12, 13.

”'Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear: to judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.' Psalm 10:17.

”'Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy G.o.d led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, to prove thee, to know what was in thy heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the Lord doth man live. Thy raiment waxed not old upon thee, neither did thy foot swell, these forty years.'

”'Thou shalt also consider in thy heart, that as a man chasteneth his son, so the Lord thy G.o.d chasteneth thee. Therefore thou shalt keep the commandments of the Lord thy G.o.d, to walk in his ways, and to fear him.' Deut. 8:2-6.

”'Thou, G.o.d, seest me.' Gen. 16:13.

”'Blessed be the G.o.d and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ; according as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: having predestinated us to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved; in whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; wherein he hath abounded towards us in all wisdom and prudence; having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: that in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him, in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: that we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.' Eph. 1:3-12.

”'G.o.d, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved,) and hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus; that in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness towards us, through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved, through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of G.o.d: not of works, lest any man should boast; for we are his workmans.h.i.+p, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which G.o.d hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Now therefore ye,'

Gentiles, 'are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of G.o.d; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of G.o.d through the Spirit.' Eph. 2:4, etc.

'I,' Paul, 'bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that he would grant you according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and to know the love of Christ, which pa.s.seth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of G.o.d. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.' Eph. 3:14-21.

”'I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one G.o.d and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. That we may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: from whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth'--ministers and people in the use of all appointed means--'according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love.' Eph. 4:1, etc.

”'I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.' John 15:5, 7.

”'And Moses said, The Lord heareth your murmurings that ye murmur against him; and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord. And Moses said, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. And the children of Israel did eat manna until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan.' Exodus 16.

”'I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him.

The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.'

John 6:51, etc.

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