RHYMES

See how apt the old rhymes:
The One who loved me
Set me free.

For the Son of God
Humbly trod to the place
Where God's judgment-rod
Wreaked justice.

All was in grace; we love to trace His path
When His face was set
To the cross where He died.

He was crucified;
He is glorified
I am justified: the rhymes
Neat as a glove.

For all was in love
High above our thought; rest now
For the dove's feet!

16/06/2019

WEALTH

When I was as impoverished as a beggar in a ditch

The Son of God came up to me, raised me, and made me rich;

He gave me treasures far surpassing all that I had lost

And told me in His grace that He Himself had borne the cost.

When I came to the Father, impecunious and distressed,

He welcomed me, He kissed me and He clothed me in the best;

He took away the filthy rags worn from the distant land

And gave me sandals for my feet, His ring to deck my hand.

The Holy Spirit has the wealth of heaven in His care

Available for all the saints who own Christ Lord to share;

He decorates and dignifies the features of the bride,

Then helps her grace the place that she will have at Jesus’ side.

Now unto God who made us rich, whose giving is immense,

There rises our responsive praise, our nard and frankincense;

To Him who is the source of all we gladly bow the knee

And willingly acknowledge “of Thine own we give to Thee”.

BOUND

Learning daily more
Of "the faith of Jesus Christ",
'It makes one's heart bound'.

Considering the perfect Bondman
'It makes one's heart bound'
By the bands of a Man.

'It makes one's heart bound'
To a heavenly land to be
Accepted in Christ Jesus.

WORK

For the work of God
We must be weak, that the strength
May be of Himself.

Wheaton             18 May 2019
(See JND Vol 25 p 43)

NEXT TIME?

Next time we’re in America
Perhaps we’ll go
Across the fertile prairie-land
To Idaho
To see the ripening corncobs
Underneath blue skies:
But only if the Lord will
And the creek don’t rise.

Or maybe take the highway
On the northern fork
Until we reach the Atlantic
And we see New York
And end up with the folks there
To our own surprise:
But only if the Lord will
And the creek don’t rise.

Or maybe take the south fork
To the sands and sun:
To see the folks in Florida
Would be great fun,
To chase the alligators
Or the butterflies
But only if the Lord will
And the creek don’t rise.

Wheaton             17 May 2019

Try the tune “All Granny left me was her old armchair”!

Kingdom Poets (a blog by D.S. Martin): Ann Griffiths

Kingdom Poets (a blog by D.S. Martin): Ann Griffiths: Ann Griffiths (1776—1805) is a Welsh hymnwriter who, as a young woman, was deeply influenced by the Methodist Revival. There are no pictures...