When shall thy love constrain, And force me to thy breast? When shall my soul return again To her eternal rest? To me did freely move; And stoops to ask my love. Distraction, grief, and woe! Thou bast the words of endless life: To thee then let me go. Lord, at thy feet I fall, groan to be set free; I fain would now obey thy call, And give up all for thee. To rescue me from woe, Thou didst with all things part; Didst lead a life of grief below, To gain my worthless heart. My worthless heart to gain, The God of all that breathe Was found in fashion as a man, And died a cursed death. Take, then, () Saviour, take, And keep me ever thine; Though late, I all for thee forsake, And more than life resign. Come, and possoss me whole, Nor hence again renove; Settle and fix my wavering soul With all thy weight of love. Thy love alone to know, No other good below. My Life, my Portion, thou, Thou all-sufficient art; My Hope, my heav'nly Treasure, now Enter, and keep my heart. Rather than let it burn For earth, () quench its heat; And when it would to earth return, O let it cease to beat. Snatch me from ill to come, When I from thee would fly; And grant me then to die. Sinking underneath my load, Darkly feeling after thee, Why, O why, am I forgot ? Lord, I seek, but find thee not. Still I ask, nor yet receive, Knock at the unopen'd door ; Still I struggle to believe, Hope, though urg'd to hope no more, Bearing what I cannot bear, Yielding, fighting with despair. Hear, and hasten to my aid ; Still I at thy footstool keep, Pray and hope, despair and weep. Struggling in temptation's snare, Lo! I ever look to thee ; True an faithful is his word, Come, then, O my Saviour, come! God of truth, no longer stay; God of love, dispel the gloom, Point me out the promis'd way ; Let me from the trial ily, Waft me to that happy shore, Port of ease, and end of care; Surely of my God possest, Rise, my soul, the dawn appears Of that eternal day : And mount and soar away. Darting through this lower sphere, Quick as a seraphic flame; Rise, the marriage feast to share Of Moses and the Lamb. In the wedding garb of love, By heav'nly pity drest; At the celestial feast. To mine elder Brother join'd, I shall there my partner see ; In the arms of Jesus find The soul that twin'd with me. There we shall with transport meet, And see our Saviour's face; There the heav'nly song repeat, In ecstacy of praise. Bright as his, our bodies are; Like the Head, the members shine ; The glorious stamp divine. We dwell in bliss supreme; And taste the crystal stream; Father, Son, and Spirit know; And shall for ever flow. A FRAGMENT. Mixt with the guardian angels, bend The heirs of glorious grace ; And still behold thy face. Which thy true widows share; A life of faith and prayer. Delightfully alone ; Till all my course be run. Within thine arms I am; Of my triumphant Lamb. I feel the answer given ; To meet my Lord in heaven. LETTERS. TO MRS. GRANDIDIER. St. John's, Antigua, 1775. My dear Mrs. G The long and steady friendship which has subsisted between us in sickness and in health, in prosperity and in adversity, ever the same, without change or diminution, leaves me no room to doubt that it will extend to my little family, and that you will be as ready, to the utmost of your power, to befriend them, as you have been the dear father already gone, and your friend, who is, perhaps, about to follow. If it should please God to take me away in my approaching confinement, I leave you and Captain G. full power to dispose of every thing in this house, and belonging to me in this island, as you shall think most for the advantage of my little family. You know that my extreme tenderness for their dear father, made me unable to part with any of his clothes; but these can be of no consequence to me when I shall again have joined him for whose sake I kept them; you may therefore dispose of them, and also my own, if you think that what they will fetch will be of more service to the children. But I do not choose to leave any particular directions about my trifling effects; you will consult with other friends; and I am certain that you will act for them to the best of your judgment. It is of |