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THE CHRISTIAN HERO.

MMORTAL God! whom men and angels own,

IMM

Thro' boundless firft and laft, I AM, alone!
Who fhall, approv'd, thy fearching test endure?
Or in thy blissful realms a place fecure--
He, who with care the word divine furveys,
And by the gospel-rule directs his ways;
Who looks to JESUS as his only guide,
And hopes to live because his SAVIOUR died:
O power fupreme! whence every gift proceeds,
Affift my mufe to fing his wond'rous deeds:
Say, whence fuch courage to the CHRISTIAN given,
As fpurns the earth, and burfts the gates of heaven?
Afham'd fo long a flave to fiends below,

And forc'd the downward way to endless woe;
He breaks his bands, and fnaps th' infernal chain,
And back for happier regions turns again.
Now conqueft after conqueft greets his eyes,
And battle after battle SATAN flies;

Till the whole man is to obedience brought,
And CHRIST, as Lord, prefides in every thought.
Now love, zeal, fear-dart forth their pow'rful rays,
Add beam to beam, and croud into a blaze;
Mortals admiring, every virtue fcan,

Revere th' ALMIGHTY, and approve the MAN;
Get round, in lift'ning throngs to hear him tell,
How bright the truth that guides his steps fo well;

Pleas'd

Pleas'd he relates the deeds his Lord hath done,
His high atchievements, and his battles won:
How he fubdu'd the proud infernal king,
And took from grifly DEATH his baneful sting;
In their own regions triumph'd o'er his foes,
Then left the dark fome fhades and greatly rofe.
Next, he ecstatic tells the blifs above,
The immediate vifion, the feraphic love,
The growing raptures of that facred place,
Where faints behold JEHOVAH face to face.
And while he fings tranfcendent glories there,
The heavenly music charms th' attentive ear;
Mortals attend, renounce the ways of fin,
Weep o'er paft faults, and upright lives begin.
Nor does his goodness end in things above,
For earthly things alike display his love;
His lib'ral hands to others wants extend,

And while he has, the POOR can't want a friend;
The wounded foul in him finds kind redrefs,
Th' afflicted widow, and the fatherless;
All he can give his needy brethren share,
And what he cannot give, he begs in prayer.
These pious deeds alarm the realms of dread,
And SATAN, trembling, rears his frightful head;
Sees the bold HERO fkim the heavenly way,
And thro' his regions fcatter deep difmay;
Nor dares approach in this surprising strait,
To quell the foe, or save his finking state:
Yet dreadful counfels, dreadful fears impart,
And forces vanquish'd, ftrength gives place to art.

The

The ferpent's feed is fummon'd from below,
To intercept the SAINT, and work his woe;
Storms after ftorms arise !the HERO'S griev'd
By MEN his bounteous hands have oft reliev'd;
By MEN, their hellish parents perfect spawn,
Who, like him know, when beft to frown or fawn:
Now, feeming friends would balmy sweets afford,
Now, raging foes whirl round the glitt'ring fword;
Here, wily HYPOCRITES intreat to turn,
And there, true fons of ROME cry-do, or burn.
Yet, tho' in murd'rous hands with woes oppreft,
No object dread, no rage disturbs his breaft;
But, while they scorn, he's singing heavenly lays,
And while they loud blafpheme-behold, he prays!
If GOD, to prove him, wonted aid denies,
Afflicts with fcorpions, or the fcourge applies;
He owns his hand, fubmiffive, like a son,
And fays no more, but-LORD, thy will be done!
'Tis true, he's plunged into deepest woes
When JESUS frowns, and wrath eternal glows;
"Tis then he pours out all his foul in tears,
'Tis then his GOD dispels his gloomy fears.

Thus does th' immortal man of heavenly birth, Purfue his warfare thro' this venal earth: Forgetting what's behind, he looks before,

And longs, and ftrives, to reach the blissful fhore;
Nor longs nor ftrives in vain ;-the prize is won!
His race is finifh'd, and his work is done!
Swift on a cherub's wings the HERO flies,
And flaming legions guard him thro' the skies:

The

The blazing portals of the realms of day,
At his approach, fly ope' to speed his way;
And fhining SAINTS in joyful crouds appear,
Commend his deeds, and bid him welcome there.
At laft, before IMMANUEL's throne he's brought,
And hears-WELL DONE-for every battle fought.
Receives the crown, and takes his bleft abode,
Where ftreams of life make glad the SONS of GOD.
Nor are his glories to that world confin'd,
But an exalted fplendor stays behind;
His worthy deeds, age does to age proclaim,
And childrens children join to bless his name;
Or, if a FEMALE thus obtains the prize,
Hark! how her fame thro' future ages Alies!
-There's many daughters worthy deeds have done,
But thou, in thine, excell'ft them every one.

TH

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HOU heaven-born gift of more exalted kind! Thou spotless virtue of the christian mind! Each other act inferior far to thee,

Shrinks with its causes, and refrains to be:
But thou affert'ft thy kindred birth from high,
Sublimely bright, beyond the power to die.

THOUGHTS

THOUGHTS ON PHILIP. 1. xxIII.

I AM IN A STRAIGHT BETWEEN TWO, HAVING A DESIRE TO BE DISSOLVED, AND TO BE WITH CHRIST.

H

FROM HUGO.

OW fhall I do to fix my doubtful love?
Shall I remain below, or foar above?
HERE, earth detains me, and retards my flight,
THERE, heaven invites me to fublime delight:
Heaven calls aloud, and bids me hafte away,
While earth allures, and gently whispers, stay!
But hence thou fly inchantress of my heart!
I'll break thy fetters, and defpife thy art.
Hafte, hafte, kind fate, unlock my prifon door!
Were I releas'd, my foul aloft should foar?
See, LORD! my struggling arms tow'rds thee are sent,
And strive to grasp thee in their wide extent.
Oh! had I power to mount above the pole,
And touch the centre of my longing foul!
Tho' torn in funder as I raptur'd flee,

I'd lose one half, might t'other reach but thee.
But thou above derid'ft my weak defigns,
And still opposest what thy word injoins.
Vainly I beg what thou doft ftill deny,

And stretch my hands to reach what's plac'd too high.
Oft to myself false hopes of thee I feign,

And think thou kindly com'ft to break my chain.

Now,

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