Old HYMNS of the English CHURCH.
Doctrinal Articles out of the Thirty
Atonement, being a Sacrifice
For th' old Guilt, and new Sins likewife.
S our Lord Jefus for us dy'd, And also in a Grave was hid,
1. THE living, true God is but So 'tis to be believ'd as well,
No Body, Parts, nor Paffion:
Of Power infinite he is,
All Wisdom, and all Graciousness.
2. The Maker and Preferver he
Of th' invifible and what we fee.
And of this Godhead bleft there be
Three Perfons quite in unity;
3. They're of one Substance verily,
One pow'r, and one Eternity,
One Lord of all the heav'nly hoft:
The Father, Son and holy Ghost.
That he went likewife down to Hell.
Of the bleft Virgin, and partook
Of her true Substance, to that point, 1.
That two whole Natures then were
HE holy Scripture all con
What to Salvation appertains,
And whatsoever is not couch'd
Therein, nor thereby to be vouch'd,
2. Is not to be relied on,
Nor be requir'd of any man,
That it fhould be believ'd or laid
As an Article of the Faith,
3. Or that it be thought requifite,
Or to Salvation contribute.
4 Mark,that by Scriptures we intend,
Of the Old and New Teftament
Only the Books canonical,
Not fcrupled by the Church at all.
5. The other Books, as Jerome fays
The Church does read for Inftances,
And as being for inftruction fit,
But not t' establish Truth by it.
6. The Books of the New covenant,
As they are commonly at hand,
We do receive, and do them all
Account to be canonical.
Riginal Sin ftandeth not
In Following of Adam's plot:
HE Old and the New The fault and the Corruption
Of Nature, 'tis of ev`ry one.
2. As many Men as ever were,
Who from that Root engender'd are,
So many fwerved have, alas!
A great way off from Righteoufnefs.
3. Each from the nature of his Mind
To evil doing is inclin'd,
Each other never contradict;
Mankind is but in both advis'd
Eternal life to seek in Christ.
2. The only Mediator he
"Tween God and Man is faid to be ;
The reason you may eas'ly guefs,
Because both God and Man he is.
3. Wherefore they are not to be
Who feign, that the old Fathers
fear'd,
The Promises they got in fee,
But tranfitory ones to be.
4. Altho' the Law how to behave,
Which our Lord God by Mofes gave,
As touching Ceremonies and rites,
No Chriftian man binds or befits;
5. Nor Mofes' regulations
Muft of neceffity be bonds
To any Chriftian Commonwealth :
'Tis notwithstanding to be held,
6. That Chriftians here on no ac-
Get loofe, but conftantly are bound Of God's Commandments to keep all.
Which we the Moral ufe to call.
So that the Flesh lufteth always
Against that which the Spirit fays.
Whom in this world his mother bore,
4. In ev'ry perfon now therefore,
Downright Damnation it had
Deferv'd, and God almighty's Wrath.
5. This Nature's deep infection
Does still remain in ev'ry one,
Yea clofely to us doth adhere,
Tho' we regenerated are.
6. The Luft of Flesh (xxs
Expres'd by φρόνημα σαρκός)
One Author doth expound to be
The fleshly Senfuality.
The Wisdom of the flesh, fays one,
The other fays, Affection;
Defire, calls it another fill:
But let it be ftii'd what it will,
8. The point in the Refult is this,
It to God's Law not fubject is.
Tho' there's no cond. mnation
For a baptiz'd, believing one,
9. Yet
9. Yet the Apoftle doth confefs,
Concupifcence has ne'ertheless
(Or Luft, which truly are but twins)
The nature, of itself, of Sin.
Uch is now the Condition
After the Fall, of every one,
That he cannot himself prepare
By his own nat'ral Strength or care;
2. Nor can by good works Faith be
earn'd,
Nor calling upon God be learnt,
We have no Pow'r to't, nor are able
To do Good to God acceptable.
3. Without Help fo propitious
Of God by Chrift preventing us,
There's no fuch thing as a good Will,
And when we've will'd, He must ful-
fil.
3. Infomuch that it may be faid,
Here furely was a living Faith.
'Cause here right good Works have
As by the Fruit the Tree is known.
Works Jefus done,
Orks 'fore the Grace of
And Spirit's inspiration,
Are to God an unpleasant thing,
As they of faith in Christ not spring.
2. They mankind neither meet do
make
Grace to receive and to partake,
Nor, as School-authors rafhly cry,
Deferve it of Congruity.
3. Such works not only are as
nought,
But,'caufe they are not as they ought,
And as God willed that they were,
WE are accounted righteous They of the nature of fin are.
Before our Lord God only
thus, Namely for Chrift's rich Merits fake By Faith, and not by what we make. 2. No Work deferveth that at all, What we Faith's juftifying call. This a most wholesome Doctrine is, And full of comfort and of blifs. 3. But you may find this copiously Expounded in the Homily Made on Juftification,
Which is of our chief leffons one.
HE works above God's
Ordinance,
What are they all but Arrogance ?
Such Supererogation
Can't without pride be thought upon.
2. For by them mankind, as it were,
To render unto God declare
Not only as much as they should,
But much more than he of them
would.
3. Whereas our Lord's plain Saying
Lbeit that good Works, as Quite to the contrary of this,
Of Faith, Juftification fuit,
Still they can neither wash nor hide
Our fins, nor God's ftri&t Judgment
'bide
2. Yet may they Pleasure to the Lord
In Jesus Christ, his Son, afford:
And if Faith true and lively be,
They fpring thence neceffarily;
2. He came to be th' unspotted | 3. Whom he, of mankind's finful
Lamb, Who, whilft he once himself became A Sacrifice, fhould take away The Sins of all the World and pay. 3. Sin,as John said, him ne'er biass'd: But tho' baptized, all the reft, Tho' born again in Chrift and bred, Offend in many things as yet. 4. And should we e'er to think incline,
Or rafhly say, we have no Sin, We should deceive our own felves thus,
And truth indeed were not in us.
In Jefus Chrift has chosen out,
And to eternal Joys once bade,
As Veffels he to Honour made.
4. Wherefore thofe for whom he hath
A benefit fo excellent,
He calls according to his view
By th' Spirit's deed in feafon due.
5. His heav'nly Call thro' grace
obey'd,
He has them freely justify'd,
And makes them Sons of God anon
By fovereign Adoption.
6. They to the Image are made then
Of Chrift th' only begotten Son,
And fo they walk accordingly
In all good Works religiouíly.
So doing, they attain at length Not by their own Deed, right or ftrength,
But by on Mercy laying stress,
The everlasting Happiness.
8. As the confideration
Of God's Predeftination
And our election in Chrift,
If thou all this right godly ey'ft,
9. Is full of Sweets, a pleafant word,
Of an unfpeakable comfort
To godly Perfons, fuch as feel
In them the holy Spirit's feal,
10. And Working, whereby he doth
try
The Flefh's works to mortify,
Their earthly members faft to bind,
And draw to higher things their
Mind;
11. As it does stablish and employ
Their Faith of everlasting joy
Thro' Chrift, and kindle fervently
Their Love for th' holy Trinity:
12. So for curious but carnal, ftill
To have that Sentence or God's will
Before their eyes continually;
That will not do affuredly.
|