To-day with pleasure Chriftians meet
To pray, and hear the word:

And I would go with cheerful feet
To learn thy will, O Lord.
I'll leave my fport to read and pray,
And to prepare for heaven;
O may I love this bleffed day
The beft of all the feven!

If we had been ducks, we might dabble in mudy,
Or dogs, we might play till it ended in blood;
So foul and fo fierce are their natures:
But Thomas and William,andfuch prettynames,
Should be cleanly and harmless as doves or as

Those lovely sweet innocent creatures.[lambs,
Not a thing that we do, nor a word that we fay,
Should hinder another in jefting or play;

For he's still in earnest that's hurt: [mire! How rude are the boys that throw pebbles and Watts. There's none but a madman willfling about fire, And tell you ""Tis all but in fport."

go;

80. For the Lord's Day Evening.
LORD, how delightful 'tis to fee
A whole affembly worship thee!
At once they fing, at once they pray;
They hear of heav'n, and learn the way.
I have been there, and ftill would
'Tis like a little heav'n below:
Not all my pleafure and my play
Shall tempt me to forget this day.
O write upon my mem'ry, Lord,
The texts and doctrines of thy word;
That I may break thy laws no more,
But love thee better than before.

With thoughts of Chrift, and things divine,
Fill up this foolish heart of mine;

That, hoping pardon thro' his blood,

I may lie down and wake with God.

But thanks to my

breeding,

That man's but a picture of what I might be; }

friends for their care in my
[reading!"

§ 83. The Rofe. Watts.

How fair is the Rofe ! what a beautiful flow`r!
The glory of April and May!

But the leaves are beginning to fade in an hour,
And they wither and die in a day.

Yet the rofe has one powerful virtue to boast,
Above all the flow'rs of the field: [loft,
When its leaves are all dead, and fine colours are
Still how fweet a perfume it will yield!
So frail is the youth and the beauty of men,

Tho' they bloom and look gay like the rofe;
But all our fond care to preserve them is vain;
Time kills them as fast as he goes.

81. The Sluggard, Watts.

'Tis the voice of a fluggard-I heard him
complain,
[again."
"You have wak'd me too foon, I must lumber
As the door on its hinges, fo lie on his bed [head. WHY fhould I deprive my neighbour
Turns his fides and his fhoulders, and his heavy
Of his goods against his will?

$84. The Thief. Watts,

A little more leep and a little more flumber." Hands were made for honeft labour,

Thus he waltes half his days, and his hours

without number;

Not to plunder or to steal. 'Tis a foolish felf-deceiving,

And when be gets up, he fits folding his hands,
Or walks about fauntring,
or trifling he stands.
•I pafs'd by his garden and faw the wild brier,
The thorn & the thittle grow broader & higher; Have not Eve and Adam taught us

By fuch tricks to hope for gain:
All that's ever got by thieving
Turns to forrow, fhame, and pain.

Their fad profit to compute?

The clothes thathang onhim are turning to rags;
And hismoney ftill waftes, till heftarves or hebegs To what difmal itate they brought us,
I made him a vifit, ftill hoping to find
When they stole forbidden fruit!

Hetidne kisdreams,talk'd of eating &drinking,
He had took better care for improving his mind; Oft we fee a young beginner
But he carce reads his Bible, and never loves Till grown up a harden'd finner:
Practife little pilfering ways,

thinking.

Then the gallows ends his days.

Said I then to my heart, " Here's a leffon for me; Theft will not be always hidden,

Though we fancy none can spy:
When we take a thing forbidden,
God beholds it with his eye.

Then I'll not be proudof my youth or mybeauty,
Since both of them wither and fade;
But gain a good name by well doing my duty:
This will fcent like a rofe when I'm dead.

Who taught me betimes to love working and Guard my heart, O God of heaven,

Left I covet what's not mine;
Left I fteal what is not given,

Guard my heart and hands from fin.

Innocent Play. Watts.

ABROAD in the meadows, tofee the younglambs,

Run (porting about by the fide of their dams,
With fleets to clean and fo white;

§ 85. The Ant, or Emmet. Watts.

Or a neft of young

doves in a large open cage, THESE emmets, howlittle they are in our eyes!

Where they playall in love, without anger or rage; We tread them to dust, and a troop of them How much we may learn from the light!

dies,

Without

Without our regard or concern:

Yet as wife as we are, if we went to their school,
There's many a fluggard, and many a fool,
Some leffons of wisdom might learn.
They don'twear their time out infleeping or play,
But gather up corn in a fun-fhiny day.

And for winter they lay up their stores:
They manage their work in fuch regular forms,
One would think they forefaw all the frofts and
the ftorms,

And fo brought their food within doors.
But I have lefs sense than a poor creeping ant,
If I take not due care for the things I fhall want,
Nor provide againft dangers in time :
When death or old age shall ftare in my face,
What a wretch shall I be in the end of my days,
If I trifle away all their prime!

Now, now, while my ftrength and my youth are
in bloom,
Let me think what will ferve me when ficknets
[fhall come,
And pray that my fins be forgiven:
Let me read in good books,and believe and obey,
That, when death turns me out of this cottage
I may dwell in a palace in heaven. [of clay,

§ 86. Good Refolutions. Watts.
THOUGH I am now in younger days,
Nor can tell what fhall befal me,
I'll prepare for ev'ry place

Where my growing age fhall call me.
Should I e'er be rich or great,

Others fhall partake my goodness; I'll fupply the poor with meat, Never fhewing fcorn or rudeness. Where I fee the blind or lame,

Deaf or dumb, I'll kindly treat them;
I deferve to feel the fame;

If I mock, or hurt, or cheat them.
If I meet with railing tongues,
Why fhould I return them railing?
Since Í best revenge my wrongs

By my patience never failing.
When I hear them telling lies,
Talking foolish, curfing, fwearing;
First I'll try to make them wife,

Or I'll foon go out of hearing. What though I be low and mean,

I'll engage the rich to love me,
While I'm modeft, neat and clean,
And fubmit when they reprove me.
If I fhould be poor and fick,

I fhail meet, I hope, with pity;
Since I love to help the weak,
Though they're neither fair ror witty.
I'll not willingly offend,

Nor be easily offended:
What's amifs I'll strive to mend,

And endure what can't be mended.

May I be fo watchful still
O'er my humours and my paffion,
As to speak and do no ill,

Though it should be all the fashion!
Wicked fashions lead to hell;
Ne'er may I be found complying;
But in life behave fo well,
Not to be afraid of dying.

§87. A Summer Evening. Watts. How fine has the day been, how bright w the fun,

How lovely and joyful the course that he ru
Though he rofe in a mist whenhis race he begi

And there followed fome droppings of rai
But now the fair traveller's come to the wel
His rays all are gold, and his beauties are be
He paints the sky gay as hè sinks to his rest,
Juft fuch is the Christian: his course he begi
And foretels a bright rifing again.
Like the fun in a mist,whenhemourns for his
And melts into tears; thenhe breaks out &thin
But, when he comes nearer to finish his race
And travels his heavenly way:
Like a fine fetting fun, he looks richer in
And gives a fure hope at the end of his day
gra
Of rifing in brighter array!

§ 88. A Cradle Hymn,

Watts.

HUSH! my dear, lie ftill and flumber,
Holy angels guard thy bed!
Heav'nly bleffings, without number,
Gently falling on thy head.

Sleep, my babe! thy food and raiment,
House and home, thy friends provide;
All without thy care or payment,

All thy wants are well supplied.
How much better thou'rt attended
Than the Son of God could be;
When from heav'n he defcended,
And became a child like thee !
Soft and eafy is thy cradle,

Coarfe and hard thy Saviour lay;
When his birth-place was a stable,
And his fofteft bed was hay.
Bleffed babe! what glorious features
Spotless fair divinely bright!
Mut he dwell with brutal creatures!
How could angels bear the fight?
Was there nothing but a manger
Curfed finners could afford,
To receive the heav'nly stranger?

Did they thus affront their Lord!
Soft, my child! I did not chide thee,
Though my fong might found too hard!

"Tis thy { mother

nurfe that

}fits be fide thee,

And her arms shall be thy guard.

• Here you may use the words Brother, Sifter, Neighbour, Friend, &C.

Ye

Yet to read the fhameful ftory,
How the Jews abus'd their King,
How they ferv'd the Lord of glory,
Makes me angry while I fing.
See the kinder thepherds round him,
Telling wonders from the sky!

Where they fought him there they found him, Praise him, ye bleft æthereal plains,
With his Virgin mother by.
Where, in full majefty, he deigns
See the lovely babe a-dreifing,
To fix his awful throne:
Lovely Infant, bow be fmil'd!
When he wept, the Mother's bleffing
Sooth'd and huth'd the holy child.

Lo, he Cumbers in his manger,
Where the horned oxen fed:
Peace, my darling, here's no danger,
Here's no ox a-near thy bed.
'Twas to fave thee, child, from dying,
Save my dear from burning flaine,
Biter groans, and endless crying,

That thy bleft Redeemer came.
May it thou live to know and fear him,
Truft and love him all thy days;
Then go dweil for ever near him,

See his face, and fing his praise!
I could give thee thousand kiffes,
Hoping what I must defire;
Not a mother's fondeft wishes
Can to greater joys afpire.

89. The Nanc Dimitis.
Tis enough-the hour is come:
Now within the filent tomb
Let this mortal frame decay,
Mingled with its kindred clay
Since thy mercies, oft of old
By thy chofen feers foretold,
Faithful now and fedfait prove,
God of truth, and God of love!
Since at length my aged eye
Sees the day-spring from on high!
Son of righteoufnels, to thee,
Lo! the nations bow the knee;
And the realms of diftant kings
Own the healing of thy wings.
Those whom death had overspread
With bis dark and dreary fhade,
Lift their eyes, and from afar
Hail the light of Jacob's Star;
Waiting till the promis'd ray
Tam their darkness into day.
See the beams, intenfely thed,
Stine o'er Sion's favour'd head!
Never may they hence remove,
God of truth, and God of love!

Merrick.

Ye angels, that with loud acclaim
Admiring view'd the new-born frame,
And hail'd the Eternal King,
Again proclaim yonr Maker's praise;
Again your thankful voices raise,
And touch the tuneful string.

go. The Benedicite paraphrafed. Merrick.
Ya works of God, on him alone,
In earth his footstool, heav'n his throne,
Whofe hand the beauteous fabric made,
Be all your praife beftow'd;
Whole eye the finish'd work furvey'd,

And law that all was good.

Ye waters that above him roll,
From orb to orb, from pole to pole,
O make his praises known!

Praise him who, when the heav'ns he fpread,Ye Darkness his thick pavilion made,