Christian Songs, Song III

Shall earth-born man with GOD contend, To him his parts display; Hold his dim beaming reason up, And rival his full day?

2 Form'd by his hand, so might a bowl Against the potter speak; Ask why for baser use design'd, Why fitted up to break?

3 Did God thy reason frame, to tax His attributes divine; Or was it to insure his wrath, And make damnation thine?

4 Do men presumptuous rush on God, With guilt deform'd, and foul; Ask for that favour they deserve, And bid his thunder roll?

5 Speak not of worth, nor cloud his grace, But let his mercy shine: Mercy's a stranger to thy worth, All sov'reign, all divine!

6 He wills, for why? because he wills, To save the sinking soul: Nor can the whole creation's pow His sov'reign will controul.

7 Hail! sov'reign Grace, divinely bright, Beneath whose ample wing, The guilty myriads raise their voice, Th' angelic myriads sing!

8 Sin's in the picture, but the shade, To make thy features rise In all the charms of God, and shew Th' Almighty to our eyes.

9 When awful justice threat'ning, flames With unauspicious ray; Thou tak'st the sinner by the hand, And wip'st his tears away:

10 For thee a thousand songs await, A thousand ages shine, Start forth to view, and cry aloud, Eternity is thine.