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Chapter 5 - Numbers 81 - 100 Hymns and Meditations by Chapman, Robert Cleaver
81. 11.8.
"Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning."
IN Egypt, at midnight, the blood of the Lamb
Was seen by the eye of the Lord;
How faithful is He, the "I Am that I Am,"
The seed He had chosen to show forth His name
Was safe by that blood from the sword.
His nation of pilgrims, the pillar their guide,
Went forth and encamp'd by the sea;
Then under the cloud, with a wall on each side,
For the arm of His strength did the waters divide,
They journey'd in haste to be free.
Triumphant when out of that tomb they arose,
His name they all joined to adore;
His measure and weight had determin'd their woes,
The sea overwhelm'd the whole host of their foes,
But they sang His praise on the shore.
The manna from heaven He gave them for bread,
He brought them out streams from the Rock,
Forty years, like a Father, supplying their need,
About in the desert His ransom'd He led,
His secrets of love to unlock.
At Sinai they trembled His thunder to hear,
Then worshipp'd the calf as their God;
By their provocations His grace did appear,
They still were His people, to Him ever dear,
Belov'd, while rebuk'd with His rod.
Jehovah their sicknesses promis'd to heal,
His name was their banner in war;
And He did the hireling Balaam compel,
That enchanter expert in devices of hell,
Their glory and bliss to declare.
The ark went before them, and Jordan ran dry,
They enter'd the land of their rest;
Seven nations they conquer'd, because the Most High
In battle and siege to His people was nigh,
And Canaan by grace they possest.
Our Father, we praise Thee, yet burden'd we groan,
O teach us Thy word to believe;
That boasting Thy might and Thy wisdom alone,
And rejoicing in Thee, at Thy heavenly throne,
We may cease Thy free Spirit to grieve.
82. L. M.
"Blessed are they that dwell in Thy house, they will be still praising Thee."
A PILGRIM and a stranger here,
Upward I look, my God, to Thee;
O when shall Christ the Lord appear-
The Prince of Life, why tarries He?
How amiable the house and home
Of perfect love, which faith espies;
Glorious the city yet to come,
Pleasant the land where nothing dies.
Here death and darkness long have reign'd,
Earth to her sons is but a grave;
Earth with her Maker's blood was stain'd
When Jesus came the lost to save.
The fainting of my homesick heart,
My Father and my God, forgive;
May I for Thee be set apart,
Nor to myself one moment live.
My great High-priest, Thy well belov'd,
Nows sits enthron'd with Thee on high;
To tenderest human pity mov'd,
Whene'er I weep, whene'er I sigh.
Patient His coming will I wait,
Content awhile in tears to sow;
Sure is my harvest, rich and great,
Of all my sorrows here below.
83. 11.8.
"The Good Shepherd."
MY Shepherd enthron'd with the Father on high,
Who gave Him His flock and His staff,
Delights and rejoices my need to supply-
How blest in the fulness of Jesus am I,
At famine and death I can laugh.
I call Him my Lord, the "I Am that I Am,"
His love by His cross He has shown;
The angels obey Him, adoring His name,
His enemies soon He shall cover with shame
And be King on His durable throne.
The Father and Son through the Spirit abide
In me, and my pastures are green,
Like crystal my streams, ever peaceful they glide,
So precious to me is the Shepherd who died-
The despis'd and rejected of men.
He brings me safe back if I err from His ways,
His grace is my life and my light;
'Tis in weakness the strength of His arm He displays,
In wisdom He guides me, His name will I praise,
His paths are all pleasant and right.
O my Shepherd! Thou art, in this valley of woe,
A friend and companion to me;
Thy rod and Thy staff are my joy here below,
Through death's darkest shadows with singing I go,
Embolden'd by converse with Thee.
Thy friendship and love, in the face of my foes,
A banquet before me prepare!
My head Thou anointest, my cup overflows,
I ponder the depths of Thy manifold woes,
And with Thee in Thy gladness I share.
My days to the end shall with blessings abound,
Of goodness and mercy divine;
And when songs of the fulness of joy shall resound
In the house of the Father, there I must be found,
That home shall for ever be mine.
84. C.M.
"I will commune with thee from above the mercy-seat."
WELL pleas'd, 0 Lord, our God! wast Thou
Thy mercy seat to frame;
That we might in Thy temple bow,
And magnify Thy name.
In heav'n Thou dost by blood divine
Thy thoughts of love express;
All Thy perfections there combine
Thy worshippers to bless.
To Thee, whose mercy makes us bold,
We pour out all the heart;
Its secrets we can ne'er unfold
To creatures but in part.
Thou bringest us within the vail,
Thy Spirit guides our feet;
We taste of joys that cannot fail
Before Thy mercy-seat.
No song like ours--we were but clay,
Guilty and doomed to die;
Who now by Jesus' living way;
To Thee, our God, draw nigh.
85. C.M.
"Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, to-day, and for ever."
YON gloomy clouds that vail the sky,
Are they of heav'nly birth?
Those vapours, climb they e'er so high
Are children of the earth.
They hide the glorious orb of day,
But do they quench his light?
Above them he pursues his way,
Rejoicing in his might.
If clouds of dark temptation hide
My Saviour from my soul,
My Saviour who was crucified,
Whose sorrows made me whole,
Not His the darkness, but my own
His love is still the same;
O then, with ev'ry tear and groan,
Let me still bless His name.
86. 7S.
"Go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father and your Father, unto my God and your God."
GOD of our exalted Lord,
Father of our glorious Head,
He is Thine Eternal Word,
By His Spirit we are led!
Thy delight and first-born He
Who redeem'd us on the tree.
Dust and ashes were we all,
Prostrate we adore Thy name;
Thee we Abba, Father, call,
Thou Omnipotent I AM;
Ransom'd now from death and hell,
We must in Thy bosom dwell.
Jesus, Thy beloved Son,
Did our flesh and blood partake;
With Thy first-born we are one;
Can this bond of kindred break?
Can the love and friendship die
Of this holy, heav'nly tie?
Thou, His Father and His God,
Dost in equal love embrace,
For Thy sanctified abode,
Him, with all Thy chosen race,
Head and members in Thee blest
Are thy everlasting rest.
87. C.M.
"The Throne of Grace."
BLESSED be Thou, the God of grace;
We boast in Thee alone,
Whose Spirit joins Thy chosen race
To Jesus Thy dear Son.
Thy Son, whom men beheld with scorn
And slew upon the tree,
Joyful awaits the cloudless morn,
Enthron'd in heaven with Thee.
Thou, by Thine oath, didst consecrate
That Priest for evermore;
He rais'd us up from low estate
To bless Thee and adore.
In Thy Melchizedek complete,
Wean Thy glory gaze;
To Thee our voice of joy is sweet,
Our heav'nly song of praise.
88. C.M.
"If thou be righteous, what givest thou Him? or what receiveth He of thine hand?"
"Thy wickedness may hurt a man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the Son of Man."
"God is love."
"The good pleasure of His goodness."
ETERNAL God, why set Thine heart
On creatures of a day?
And give whate'er Thou hast and art
To us that were but clay?
Thy riches and Thy majesty,
O Lord! were infinite;
Thy own perfections were to Thee
All fulness of delight.
A wondrous fellowship was Thine:
Thy fellows were Thy Son
And Spirit in that bliss divine,
Nor didst Thou dwell alone.
Why, then, the heav'ns and earth create,
Thou self-sufficing God?
Why look upon our low estate,
And ransom us with blood?
Thy children, by Thy Spirit led,
Once heirs of death and hell,
Soon, glorified with Christ their Head,
Must in Thy bosom dwell.
They all before Thy throne will cast
Their crowns and bless Thy name,
Thou God of Love, the first and last,
Th' Omnipotent I AM.
89. C.M.
"He is not ashamed to call them brethren."
JESUS, Thy toil obtains reward,
Thou art for ever blest;
Thy cross the Father's name declared,
His bosom is Thy rest.
The friend and the companion still
Of pilgrims here below,
Thou hast, 0 Lord! a perfect skill
To soothe our pain and woe.
In heav'n the angels worship Thee,
Our kinsman, on the throne;
And creatures all must bow the knee
To God's beloved Son.
But chiefest sweetness to Thine ear
Is in Thy brethren's voice;
And, Lord, with Thee, Thy mourners here
Do in Thy joy rejoice.
90. 7.6.
"Not a bone of Him shall be broken."
N0 bone of Thee was broken,
Thou spotless Paschal Lamb;
Of life and peace a token
To us who know Thy name;
The head for all the members,
The curse of Sinai bore,
And God, our God, remembers
His people's sins no more.
We, Thy redeem'd, are reaping
What Thou didst sow in tears.
This feast which we are keeping
Thy name to us endears;
It tells of justice hiding
The face of God from Thee,
Proud men around deriding
Thy sorrows on the tree.
No angel's message cheering,
Hell's power Thy soul assail'd ;
Thy friends and lovers fearing,
Lest all Thy truth had fail'd:
Thy heart, so meek and lowly,
O Lord! was broken then,
For Israel's God is holy,
Who makes His people clean.
Thy death of shame and sorrow
Was like unto Thy birth,
Which would no glory borrow,
No majesty from earth.
Thy pilgrims, we are hasting
To our eternal home,
Its joys already tasting,
Of victory o'er the tomb.
Thy life and death reviewing,
We tread the narrow way!
Our homeward path pursuing,
We watch the dawn of day:
We eat and drink with gladness
The living bread and wine,
And sing with sweetest sadness
Our song of love divine.
91. 6.8.
"My soul followeth hard after Thee; Thy right hand upholdeth me."
HARD after Thee I follow,
My light, and life, and joy;
This world, so false and hollow,
Allures but to destroy.
Thy death and resurrection
Have bound my heart to Thee;
Secure by Thy protection,
I hope Thy face to see.
I bow without dissembling
Before Thy mercy-seat;
There I rejoice with trembling-
There offer incense sweet.
The whispers of Thy Spirit
Are music to my soul;
They soothe it and bestir it-
They wound, and make it whole.
Thy battles daily fighting,
I prove how strong Thine arm;
My soul in Thee delighting,
Sees war without alarm.
With patience I am running
My race to win the prize;
The way of error shunning,
On Thee I fix mine eyes.
A foreign land I'm treading,
A wilderness unblest;
On hidden manna feeding,
I journey to my rest.
I publish Thy salvation,
My cross I gladly bear;
In steadfast expectation,
My promis'd crown to wear.
My watch by night while keeping,
I sing amid the gloom;
But cannot cease from weeping,
Till Thou in glory come.
That hope to me how cheering,
Else hopeless and forlorn;
O hasten Thine appearing,
And bring the cloudless morn.
92. 8.6.
"What is thy petition? and it shall be granted thee; or what is thy request further? and it shall be done." Esther xi.
ALLURING words of Jesus' love-
Fit words a sluggish soul to move,
And raise a drooping one to prove
What Jesus' pow'r can do.
Shall heaps of gold be my request?
Ah, no! for this is not my rest;
It is not here I built my nest--
My city lies above.
Nor pleasure's bait, nor glory's crown,
Nor aught this false world calls her own,
Enchants me now, nor is the boon
I would of Jesus crave.
Nor yet would I His hands control,
If o'er my head the billows roll;
Though earth and hell assault my soul,
His name shall be my stay.
I would not wish my battle done
Ere He shall bid me to be gone:
Already is the victory won--
The spoil, the triumph, mine.
What's then my suit?-O 'tis to know
The myst'ries of that solemn show,
When Christ endur'd the cross below
To win His crown above.
I would, my Saviour, go with Thee,
To watch in sad Gethsemane,
And dive into Thine agony,
The foretaste of the curse.
And I would by Thy Spirit trace
That hiding of Jehovah's face
From Thee, when in the sinner's place
Before the Holy Judge.
If Thou wilt hear when thus I call,
Before Thy cross I'll prostrate fall,
And gladly suffer loss of all
To know the love of God.
93. C.M.
"God is long-suffering to usward."
"The Saviour of all men."
"Ye are the salt of the earth."
GOD is the Just and Holy One
Man's guilt for vengeance cries,
I marvel to behold the sun
From morn to morn arise.
The lights of night and day appear,
Sun, moon, and stars combine
In course and order through the year
On vile mankind to shine.
The ocean passes not its bound,
Nor sweeps the earth again;
The heav'ns bedew the parched ground,
The clouds give timely rain.
The seasons fail not, and the fields
Are green and fruitful still;
Man's heart to God no harvest yields
Save a rebellious will.
God to the scorners of His love
May yet His kindness show;
For Jesus intercedes above,
Once crucified below.
And God has yet on earth a seed,
A family of grace;
They sing, "The Lord is ris'n indeed "-
They seek their Father's face.
94. L.M.
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus."
SHOW me Thy wounds, exalted Lord!
Thou hast the power and skill divine,
Since Justice smote Thee with the sword,
To make my heart resemble thine.
O grant me ever to behold,
With heavenly wisdom's piercing eye,
Thy pains of death-for they unfold
Thy name, Thou Son of God, Most High!
Show me Thy wounds, and by Thy skill
May I, my Saviour, be refin'd,
To do, like Thee, the Father's will,
And serve Him with a perfect mind.
95. C.M.
"My Son, God will provide Himself a Lamb for a burnt-offering."
THE Lamb of God to slaughter led,
The King of Glory see!
The crown of thorns upon His head,
They nail Him to the tree.
The Father gives His only Son,
The Lord of Glory dies
For us, the guilty and undone,
A spotless sacrifice.
Thy name is holy, O our God!
Before Thy throne we bow;
Thy bosom is Thy saints' abode-
We call Thee Father now.
Enthron'd with Thee now sits the Lord,
And in Thy bosom dwells;
Justice that smote Him with the sword
Our perfect pardon seals.
Eternal death was once our doom-
O death, where now Thy sting?
Father, with Jesus from the tomb
We rose Thy love to sing.
96. C.M.
"A name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow."
THE worldling's portion I refuse,
His glory I disdain;
My God was pleas'd His Son to bruise,
The Lamb for me was slain.
O'er Eden lost I sorrow not,
The Garden marr'd by sin;
To me is giv'n a happier spot,
A Paradise divine.
My Heavenly Father wakes mine ear,
His Holy Spirit's voice
Proclaims the day of glory near,
And greatly I rejoice.
God works at leisure and at ease,
In time and season due;
The pathway of His deep decrees
Jehovah will pursue.
The heav'ns and earth that wax not old,
Exalting faith surveys;
Where God can all His name unfold
And justify His ways.
His mansions are before mine eyes,
Where discord ne'er is known;
His pleasant land, His Paradise,
His city with His throne.
Now Jesus reaps His full reward,
His joy is now complete;
The Lamb, the universal Lord,
His foes beneath His feet.
Now God, my Heavenly Father's name,
Is hallow'd evermore;
His Glory shining in the Lamb,
I see it and adore.
97. P.M.
"I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine."
"Jesus Christ the same yesterday, to-day, and forever. "
"The blood of Christ, who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, shall purge your conscience from dead works, to serve the living God."
"Whoso eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me and I in him."
BY threefold title I am Thine,
Thou blessed Son of God;
The Father's choice, Thy blood divine,
Thy Holy Spirit's pow'r combine
To make me Thy abode.
Companion of my pilgrimage,
Jesus, exalted Lord;
Thou art the same from age to age,
My strength, my joy, my heritage,
My glory and reward.
From idols keep me by Thy grace,
Pure let my conscience be;
And every stain Thine eye can trace
Quickly by Thine own blood efface,
That I may dwell in Thee.
98. C.M.
"In that He Himself hath suffered, being tempted, He is able to succour them that are tempted."
"The wave-breast and the heave-shoulder." -Lev. vii. 34.
THOU, Lord, dost bid the storm arise,
When winds and waves assail,
My soul, which safe at anchor lies,
At rest within the vail.
The floods of death are known to Thee,
Thou Prince of Life and Peace;
Thy voice is full of majesty,
To bid the tempest cease.
My tears which Thou dost wipe away,
Are precious in Thy sight;
To use Thy pity and display
Thy power is Thy delight.
The record of Thy tender care
In glory I shall read,
And see Thine answer to my pray'r
In ev'ry time of need.
My joy, my true Melchizedek,
Thy fulness is complete;
I find the treasure that I seek
While prostrate at Thy feet.
99. 8.7.8.7.8.8.7
"Who is the King of Glory? "-Psalm xxv.
"I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised of the people."-Psalm xxii.
THE Lord of Glory, who is He?
Who is the King of Glory?
Only the Son of God can be
The Christ, and King of Glory.
Consider all His wounds and see
How Jesus' death upon the tree
Proclaims Him King of Glory.
Above all heav'ns, at God's right hand
Now sits the King of Glory:
The angels by His favour stand
Before the throne of glory;
Swiftly they fly at His command,
To guard His own of every land,
To keep the heirs of glory.
Death and the grave confess the Lamb
To be the King of Glory;
The powers of darkness dread His name,
All creatures show His glory.
He said, "'Ere Abra'am was, I Am:"
Jesus is evermore the same,
Th' Almighty King of Glory.
Thrice happy who in Him believe,
They soon will share His glory;
Born of His Spirit they receive
His secret pledge of glory;
Taught by His cross, for sin they grieve,
He calls them brethren, and they cleave
To Him, their hope of glory.
100. 7.6.
"Leaving us an example."
"He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor seen perverseness in Israel."
"Even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye."
"I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am there ye may be also."
ON Olivet Thy pity,
Great Shepherd of the sheep,
O'er the rebellious city
Made Thee lament and weep.
Thy pray'r in heaven resounded
For pardon of Thy foes,
When they Thy cross surrounded
And sported with Thy woes.
Israel, Thy outcast nation,
Thy joy and crown shall be,
Heirs of the great salvation,
Which Gentiles find in Thee.
Thy mighty love pursuing,
O'ertook us and possest,
Thy Spirit's power subduing,
Compell'd us to he blest.
We have but ill-requited
Thy love, our heav'nly Friend;
Yet is Thy heart delighted
To love us to the end.
First-born of God the Father,
Triumphant o'er the tomb;
Thou wilt appear and gather
Thine own into their home.
O for a heart deriving
Pure love from springs divine;
Love boundless in forgiving,
A mirror, Lord, of Thine.