Both faints and angels join'd to crown their King,
Whom God hath fet on Zion's holy hill:
They prais'd his name in fuch exalted notes,
So fweet the mufic, and fo grand the fongs,
In vain I ftrive at all to imitate;
My tongue is much too feeble, and my pen,
Too weak to reprefent the airs of Heav'n,
Suffice it that I have attempted greater things
Than painter ever painted, poet fang ;
And if I have not fail'd in my attempt,
To fhew the great exploits by Jefus done;
And his exalted ftate: let God be prais'd.
THE INTERCESSION.
O DEAR Redeemer, or by what lov'd name
Shall I addrefs thee? how fhall I exprefs
The thoughts within my heart, that labor there?
Oh, how my soul, beneath th' amazing load
Of gratitude opprest, would fain have vent!
O Jefus, help me raise my thoughts to heav'n ;
Teach me to meditate, (in spite of all
Impediments that weigh my sprits down)
Upon thy glorious interceffion there.
Thou knoweft all my weakneffes and wants; *
O help me through this work, and I will raise
A monument of gratitude to thee,
Who canst inspire my foul to fing thine acts,
Thy noble acts, the wonders of thy love,
Which thou haft wrought in favor of mankind.
Begin my foul to trace the glorious theme,
The interceffion of thy Lord and King :
In Heav'n's high court above he pleads for thee
He knows thy frame, thy weakness, and thy faults,
Yet loves thee ftill, and interceding fits
At God's right hand, and gains the Father's ear,
In spite of all the accufations strong
Which Satan urges, who accufes thee
Before Jehovah, ceafelefs night and day:
And oh, his charges are but oft too true,
Though aggravated fore; but Jefus cries,
Father forgive the sinner, I have dy'd,
My blood hath made atonement for his faults:
For him I liv'd, dy'd, fuffer'd, rofe again,
Afcended and will interceffion make.
Befides, O Father, ftill he loves us well;
His heart rejoices in our words and ways;
He is a brand pluck'd from the burning fire.
Satan to fuch a foul can lay no claim;
Therefore the fiend deserves thy just rebuke.
Thus oft my Savior pleads, nor pleads in vain :
His plea well founded, always must fucceed.
Who fhall fupport a charge against those souls
Who love the Lord, and whom the Lord approves
God justifies; and who shall dare condemn ?
'Tis Chrift that dy'd, but ftill we glory more
In that he rose, and lives at God's right hand,
And for us conftant interceffion makes.
This chain of grand events emboldens us
To bid this challenge to our num'rous foes;
Who will attempt to break the union firm
Between the faithful faints, and Chrift their head?
And separate their fouls from Jefu's love?
Shall tribulation? or fhall fore distress ?
Or perfecution fell? or famine drear ?
Shall nakedness? or peril? or the fword?
'Tis for thy fake we're martyr'd all the day;
As fheep unto the flaughter we are led.
The num'rous pains and cruel wounds we bear,
Are fuch as none but faithful chriftians feel.
Without are fightings, and within are fears,
And none but God can know what we endure.
But we in all things more than conqu❜rors are
Through him that lov'd us. He can sympathize.
He bore our fins, our forrows carry'd too;
He felt our pains, he knows our bitter griefs.
For we have not in heav'n a great high priest,
That cannot feel for our infirmities ;
He still remembers what he once enḍur'd:
For he like us was tempted in all points,
Our inbred fins except, for he had none.
O therefore let us ever boldly come
To his rich throne of grace, and thus obtain
Mercy and grace, to help in time of need.
And fince our great high priest, the Son of God, 70
Jefus, our Savior, into Heav'n is gone,
O let us hold our good profeffion fast!
Our hope's an anchor fure within the vail;
Whither our great forerunner for our fakes
Hath enter'd; and our courfe doth thither tend:
There through God's grace we shall arrive at last.
For we are well perfuaded, neither death,
Nor life, nor angels, principalities,
Nor pow'rs, things prefent nor thofe things to come, Nor heighth, nor depth, nor any creature, fhall 80 Be able to divide our fouls from God,
Or feparate us from our Savior's love.
Jefus is gone to plead our cause on high. He fits enthron'd above, rememb'ring ftill, His fiery trials in our lower world;
For it behov'd him in all things to be
Made like his brethren, that he might become
A merciful and faithful priest for us,
In things pertaining to the Deity;
To make atonement for the people's fins,
And then to plead for them before the Lord.
As once he suffer'd being tempted fore,
He's therefore able to relieve the fouls,
The tempted fouls, who truft his faithful care.
Jefus behold me, fee my great distrèss;
No comfort can I find but in thy love;
If thou forfakeft me, where shall I
I am a wretched pilgrim, far from home,
No friend I find in whom my foul can trust
But thee alone, O Savior leave me not;
Thou feeft how I fall without thine aid.
Jefus, thou art our glorious advocate,
Exalted high to intercede for nren,
O help me, fave me, fiatch me from despair.
My foul must perish if thou doft deny.
But thou haft lov'd me, and giv'n thyself
A ranfom for my life, and fully made
Propitiation for my num'rous crimes.
Nor me alone, thy church was purchas'd too,
By the fame price; nor didft thou die in vain, 11●
Thy chosen bride fhall hear thy pow'rful voice:
Nor was thy pity bounded on that day
When thou fo freely didft thy life lay down,
For all mankind thou fhed'ft thy precious blood,
Not one excluded, all were bought by thee;
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