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THE PRINCIPLES OF THE CHRISTIAN RELIGION.
LESSON I. Of our Nature, and its Chief Happiness.
I Am the creature of the Lord,
He made me by his pow'rful word,
O may I love and serve him still,
And form my actions by his will.
Then he will bless me while I live,
And when I die my soul receive.
To dwell for ever in his sight,
In perfect knowledge & delight.
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LESSON II. The knowledge of God to be learnt from the Bible.
HOW shall I know my Maker's will,
And learn my duty to fulfil?
I bless my God for what I hear,
His word of life and truth is near.
That sacred book inspir'd by God,
In our own tongue is spread abroad;
That book may little children read,
And learn the knowledge which they need.
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LESSON III. Of the Nature of the blessed God.
GOD is a spirit none can see;
He ever was, and e'er shall be
Present where'er his creatures dwell,
Through earth and sea, thro' heaven and hell.
All that is glorious, good and great,
Does in the Lord Jehovah meet:
Then to his name be glory given
by all on earth, and all in heaven.
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LESSON IV. Of God's Relation to us.
AT home, abroad, by night, by day,
God is my guardian and my stay,
And sure 'tis fit my soul should know
He is my Lord and Sovereign too.
O may that voice that speaks his law,
My heart to sweet obedience draw;
That when I see the Judge descend,
I in that Judge may see my friend.
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LESSON V. Of our Duty to God and Man.
WITH all my soul, with all my might,
In God I ever should delight;
Well should I love my neighbors too,
And what I wish from them should do.
How short and sweet, how good and plain,
Easy to learn and to retain!
O may thy grace my soul renew,
And 'twill be sweet to practice too.
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LESSON VI. How love to God is to be shewn.
SINCE love is as my duty known,
How must my love to God be shown?
To him be constant worship paid,
And all his sacred laws obey'd.
His word with diligence I'll hear,
To him present my daily prayer,
And while new mercies I implore,
For blessings past I will adore.
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LESSON VII. How love to our Neighbour is to be shewn.
I By my love to men must prove
How cordially my God I love,
In all my feeble hands can do,
The good of all I would pursue.
To those whom God hath cloth'd with power.
I would be subject every hour;
To parents, and to rathers too,
Pay honour and obedience due.
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LESSON VIII. All Sins to be avoided.
GUARD me, O God, from every sin,
Let heart, and tongue and life be clean;
Let me not use an oath profane,
Nor takethy holy namein vain.
No sacred thing should I deride,
Nor scoff, nor rail, nor brawl, nor chide:
My soul should every lie detest
And every base and filthy jest.
O may I learn to lay aside
The wanton eye, and thoughts of pride:
And that which leads to every crime, The vain mispence of sacred time.
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LESSON IX. The sin of our nature confessed.
LORD when my wretched soul surveys
The various follies of my ways,
Well may I tremble to appear,
Laden with horror shame and fear.
Adam, our common head, alas,
brought sin and death on all our race;
From him my ruin'd nature came, Heir to his sorrow, and his shame.
My body weak, and dark my mind, To good averse, to sin inclin'd:
Vainly I seek to plead a word,
Silent in guilt before the Lord.
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LESSON X. The misery brought by sin.
WHO can abide God's wrath, or stand before the terrors of his hand?
And yet his frowns, and vengeance too, I by my sins have made my due.
Is there no hope! and must I die! Is there no friend, nor helper nigh!
Is it beyond repeal decreed, That every soul that sins must bleed!
O let my longing trembling ear, Some sound of grace and pardon hear, My soul would the first news embrace, And turn its tremblings into praise.
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LESSON XI. Salvation by Christ.
WHAT joyful tidings do I hear? The gospel grace salutes my ear;
And by that gentle sound I find, This righteous God is good and kind.
Jesus, his only Son, displays The wonders of his Father's grace;
By the blest message brought from heaven, Pardon and peace to men are given.
O may I know that Saviour dear, Whom God hath represented there!
And that eternal life receive Which he was sent by God to give.
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LESSON XII. Who is Christ, and how he appeared in the world.
JESUS! how bright his glories shine! The great Emmanuel is divine.
Yet he to bring salvation down
Had put our mortal nature on.
He in a humble virgin's womb
A feeble infant did become:
A stable was his logding made
And the rude manger was his bed.
Growing in life he still was seen, Humble, labourious, poor and mean.
The Son of God, from year to year, Did as a carpenter appear.
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LESSON XIII. What Christ did in the World.
CHRIST labor'd with unwearied zeal, God's will and nature to reveal.
To prove the heavenly truths he taught, Unnumbered miracles he wrought.
Through all his life his doctrine shines, Drawn in the plainest, fairest lines:
And death at length did he sustain, Our pardon and our peace to gain.
All honour then ascribed be, to him who liv'd and died for me.
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LESSON XIV. Christ's Sufferings and Death.
JESUS the righteous! lo, he dies, For sin a spotless sacrifice;
Justice has on his sacred head, The weight of our transgressions laid.
If God's own Son would sinners save, He must be humbled to the grave;
That so a pardoning God might shew, What vengeance to our crimes was due.
Cold in the tomb that mournful day, My Saviour's mangled body lay.
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LESSON XV. Christ's resurrection & ascention.
NOW, O my soul, thy grief refrain, Jesus the Saviour lives again.
On the third day the conqueror rose, And greatly triumph'd o'er his foes.
Exalted on a shining throne, At God's right hand he sits him down.
To plead the merits of his blood, And rule for all his people's good.
Wide o're all worlds his power extends, And well can he protect his friends.
May I in that blest band appear, Secure from danger and from sear.
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LESSON XVI. Of Faith and Repentance.
THEY must repent, and must believe, Who Christ's salvation would receive.
O may thy spirit faith impart, And work repentance in my heart.
The sins and follies I have done, Humbled in dust I would bemoan;
And while past guilt I thus deplore, I would repeat that guilt no more.
So shall thy grace my sins forgive, Jesus shall smile, and I shall live.
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LESSON XVII. The assistance of the blessed Spirit.
'TIS not in my weak power alone, To melt this stubborn heart of stone,
My soul to change, my life to mend, Or seek to Christ, that gen'rous friend.
'Tis God's own Spirit from above, Fixes our faith, inflames our love,
That most important gift of heaven, To those that ask and seek is given;
I'll seek it in a Saviour's name, Who will not turn my hopes to shame.
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LESSON XVIII. Of the means of Grace.
WHAT kind provision God has made, That we may safe to heaven be led!
For this the prophets preach'd and wrote, For this the blest apostles taught.
For this he churches did ordain, His truths and worship to maintain;
For this he pastors did provide, In those assemblies to preside.
He from the round of common days, Mark'd out our sabbaths to his praise.
Delightful day, when christians meet, To hear, and pray, and sing, how sweet!
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LESSON XIX. The design of Baptism.
In baptism wash'd we all must be, In honour of the sacred Three,
To shew how we are wash'd from sin, And born again by grace divine.
For God the Father, and the Son, And Holy Spirit, three in one,
Glorious beyond all speech and thought, Have jointly my salvation wrought.
Into these names was I baptiz'd, And be the honour justly priz'd: I'll join then in my songs of praise, Now, and thro' heaven's eternal days.
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LESSON XX. Of the Lord's Supper.
THE mem'ry of Christ's death is sweet, When saints around his table meet,
And break the bread, and pour the wine, Obedient to his word divine.
As they the bread and cup receive, So whilst on Christ their souls believe,
They eat his flesh, they drink his blood, Cordial divine, and heavenly food.
Well may their souls rejoice and thrive, O may the blessed hour arrive,
When ripe in knowledge and in grace, I at that board shall find a place.
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LESSON XXI. Of the Holy Angels.
My soul the heavenly world survey, The regions of eternal day.
There Jesus reigns, and round his seat Millions of glorious angels meet.
And little children in their arms, They gently bear, secure from harms.
O may I with such humble zeal, My heavenly Father's word fulfil.
That I, when time has run his race, May with bless'd angels find a place.
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LESSON XXII. On Death.
LORD, I confess thy sentence just, That sinful man should turn to dust;
That I ere long should yield my breath, The captive of all conquering death.
To distant worlds, and seats unknown, My naked spirit must be gone:
To God its maker must return, And ever joy, or ever mourn.
Awake, my soul, without delay, That if God summons thee this day.
Thou cheerful at his call may rise, And spring to life beyond the skies.
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LESSON XXIII. Resurrection of the Dead.
ALIKE both saints and sinners die, Mould'ring alike in dust they lie.
But there's a day shall change the scene, How awful to the sons of men!
Jesus enthorn'd in light appears, Circled with angels, bright as stars.
"Rise ye that sleep," the Lord shall say; and all the earth, and all the sea,
Yield up the nations of the dead, For ages in their bowels laid.
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LESSON XXIV. Of the Last Judgment.
WHEN Christ to judge the world descends, Thus shall he say to all his friends:
"Come blessed souls, that kingdom share, My Father did for you prepare."
Then to the wicked, "cursed crew, Depart; heaven is no place for you;
"To those eternal burnings go, whose pangs the rebel angels know."
I at that judgment must appear, and must this solomn sentence hear (as I'm with saints or sinners plac'd ("Depart ye curs'd," or, "come ye blest."
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LESSON XXV. Heaven and Hell.
THE judgment past, then down to hell The wicked go, in flames to dwell:
Justice divine the gates shall bar, With endless sorrow and dispair.
While Jesus rising from his throne, Shall lead the saints triumphant on,
To enter there divine abode In the fair city of their God.
There everlasting pleasures grow, Full rivers of salvation flow;
And all their happiness appears, Increasing with eternal years.
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LESSON XXVI. Reflections on the value of the soul.
ETERNAL God! what shall I do! My nature trembles at the view.
For me the fruits of glory grow, Or hell awaits my fall below.
My deathless soul herself surveys, With joy, and terror, and amaze:
O be thy shield around me spead, To guard the spirit thou hast made.
Save me from snares of earth and hell, And from myself preserve me well;
Lest all the heavenly truths I know, Increase my guilt, and shame, and woe.
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