DESIRING his DESCENT to EARTH.

JESUS, I love. Come, dearest name,
Come and poffefs this heart of mine;
I love, though 'tis a fainter flame,
And infinitely lefs than thine.

O! if my Lord would leave the skies,
Dreft in the rays of mildeft grace,
My foul should hasten to my eyes
To meet the pleasures of his face.

How would I feast on all his charms,
Then round his lovely feet entwine!
Worship and love, in all their forms,
Should honour beauty fo divine.
In vain the tempter's flattering tongue,
The world in vain fhall bid me move,
In vain; for I fhould gaze fo long
Till I were all transform'd to love.

Then (mighty God) I'd fing and fay,
"What empty names are crowns and kings!
"Amongst them give thefe worlds away,
"Thefe little defpicable things."

would not ask to climb the sky
Nor envy angels their abode,
I have a heaven as bright and high
In the bleft vifion of my God.

ASCENDING to him in HEAVEN.

"TIS pure delight, without alloy,
Jefus, to hear thy name,

My fpirit leaps with inward joy,
I feel the facred flame.

My paffions hold a pleafing reign,
While love infpires my breast,
Love, the divinest of the train,
The fovereign of the reft.

This is the grace must live and fing,
When faith and fear fhall cease,
Muft found from every joyful ftring
Through the sweet groves of blifs.

Let life immortal feize my clay;
Let love refine my blood;
Her flames can bear my foul away,
Can bring me near my God.

Swift I afcend the heavenly place,
And haften to my home,

I leap to meet thy kind embrace,
I come, O Lord, I come.

Sink down, ye feparating hills,

Let guilt and death remove:

'Tis love that drives my chariot-wheels,

And death muft yield to love.

The

The PRESENCE of GOD worth dying for:
Or, the DEATH of MOSES.

LORD, 'tis an infinite delight

To fee thy holy face,

To dwell whole ages in thy fight,

And feel thy vital

rays.

This Gabriel knows; and fings thy name

With rapture on his tongue;

Mofes the faint enjoys the same,

And heaven repeats the song.

While the bright nation founds thy praise

From each eternal hill,

Sweet odours of exhaling grace

The happy region fill.

Thy love, a fea without a fhore,
Spreads life and joy abroad:
O'tis a heaven worth dying for
To fee a fmiling God!

Shew me thy face, and I'll away

From all inferior things;

Speak, Lord, and here I quit my clay,

And stretch my airy wings.

Sweet was the journey to the sky,

The wondrous prophet try'd;

"Climb up the mount," fays God," and die;"

The prophet climb'd and dy'd.

Softly

Softly his fainting head he lay
Upon his Maker's breast,
His Maker kifs'd his foul away,
And laid his flesh to reft.

In God's own arms he left the breath
That God's own spirit gave;
His was the nobleft road to death,
And his the fweetest grave.

LONG for his RETURN,

'TWAS a mournful parting day!
Farewell, my Spouse, he faid;
(How tedious, Lord, is thy delay!
How long my Love hath staid !)

Farewell! at once he left the ground,
And climb'd his Father's fky;
Lord, I would tempt thy chariot down,
Or leap to thee on high.

Round the creation wild I rove,

And fearch the globe in vain;

There's nothing here that's worth my love

Till thou return again.

My paffions fly to feek their King,

And fend their groans abroad,

They beat the air with heavy wing,

And mourn an abfent God;

With inward pain my heart-strings found,

My foul diffolves away :

Dear Sovereign, whirl the seasons round,

And bring the promis'd day.

HOPE IN DARKNESS.

ET, gracious God,

YET,

Yet will I feek thy fmiling face;

What though a fhort eclipse his beauties fhrowd
And bar the influence of his rays,

He is

'Tis but a morning vapour, or a fummer cloud :
fun though he refuse to shine,
'Though for a moment he depart

my

I dwell for ever on his heart,
For ever he on mine.

Early before the light arise
I'll fpring a thought away to God;
The paffion of my heart and eyes
Shall fhout a thousand groans and fighs,
A thoufand glances ftrike the fkies,
The floor of his abode.

Dear Sovereign, hear thy fervant pray,
Bend the blue heavens, Eternal King,
Downward thy chearful graces bring;

Or fhall I breathe in vain and pant my hours away?
Break, glorious Brightness, through the gloomy veil,
Look how the armies of defpair

Aloft their footy banners rear

Round my poor captive foul, and dare

Pronounce me prifoner of hell.