Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephesus, Write, &C, Part 1

Revelation it. i, cry.

O THOU that dost the churches bear,
The stars in Thy right hand uphold,
Who walkest now with jealous care
Amidst the candlesticks of gold;

Poor, guilty, abject worms, to Thee
In our declining state we call;
See, Thy degenerate people see,
Nor let our tottering Sion fall.

Our works of faith Thou once didst know,
Our patient hope and labouring love;
We would not bear Thy Romish foe,
We dared that Antichrist reprove.

We tried him by the written word,
Through all his snares and fetters broke,
As Satan's successor abhorr'd,
And cast away his iron yoke.

Him and his god, and sin and death,
We more than conquer'd through Thy name;
The witnesses resign'd their breath,
And clapped their hands amidst the flame.

For their dear suffering Saviour's sake,
Immovable the champions stood,
Nor fainted at the rack, or stake,
But water'd all the church with blood.

Yet O! how quickly, Lord, hast Thou
Whereof Thy people to reprove!
Fallen, alas! Thou see'st us now,
We now have left our former love.

Our wine with water mixt, our gold
Is dim, our shipwreck'd faith is dead,
No more our tokens we behold,
Our martyrs all to heaven are fled.

O could we call to mind the grace,
The glorious grace from which we fell,
Live o'er again the ancient days,
And do the works Thou lov'st so well!

O that we might through Thee repent,
And timely turn to Thee, and live!
So should Thy grace our doom prevent,
Thou wouldst abundantly forgive.

Before Thou dost in vengeance come,
Our candlestick far off remove,
And fix the' unalterable doom,
O let us weep, believe, and love.

Call on us, by thy Spirit call,
Yet once again our church restore,
Show us Thy grace is over all,
And lift us up to fall no more.