1 Peter 4:18: Lf the righteous scarcely be saved

WueErgE then shall I appear,
A mere, mere sinner I!
O may I always fear,
As at the point to die,
Till Thou my sinking soul surprise,
And snatch me up to paradise.
t WueEN all Thy waves and storms are pass'd,
Shall I, shall I, be saved at last?
I eee ee
Then let my Lord conceal His face,
Withhold the knowledge of His grace,
Leave me in doubts, in darkness leave,
And at my latest hour forgive.
Deliver from the wrath to come,
And scourge me, Saviour, to the tomb,
I to Thy nghteous will submit,
And weep unanswerd at Thy feet;
But when my dying head I bow,
Assure me then, Thou heard'st me now.
1. Witness thou righteous man,
If now redeem'd from sin,
What agony and pain
It cost to enter in,
Didst thou not knock, and call, and wait,
And long besiege the sacred gate?

The heavenly way to find,
Didst thou not seek and strive;
And cast thyself behind,
And rather die than live;
The fruits of sad repentance bear,
And sink at last in self-despair?

When thou hadst found the grace,
And gift unspeakable,
All in a moment's space,
Wouldst thou consent to sell?
Or didst thou toil and. suffer on
Before thou mad'st the pearl thine own?

When the old Adam was
With Jesus crucified,
Expiring on the cross,
What frequent deaths he died, —
SE eee eee
And feign'd himself entirely slain,
Yet soon revived, and fought again.
The flesh and Spirit's strife
Subsisting still within,
The struggling after life,
The strength of inbred sin,
How did it to the utmost prove
Thy feeble faith, and childish love!
By endless conflicts tried,
Thy patience seem'd to fail,
Thy weary steps to slide,
And sin and hell prevail;
The tempter thrust at thee so sore,
So near each moment to devour.
Almost o'erpower'd, compell'd,
Throughout the evil day,
A thousand times to yield,
And cast thy faith away,
Thy soul was ready to expire,
And scarcely saved as through the fire.
Now in the wilderness,
Now in the garden pain'd;
Thy Lord's extreme distress
How oft hast thou sustain'd?
Thy soul perspired His bloody sweat,
And fainted at the Saviour's feet.
Didst thou at once spring up
Into a sinless saint?
Or on the mountain's top
Renew His deep complaint,
And cry in lingering misery,
"Why hath my God forsaken me!"
to Down to the gates of hell,
Times without number brought,
Thy spirit, as it fell,
In mercy's arms He caught,
And after countless falls restored,
And show'd Himself thy God and Lord.

Thy trials yet behind,
Only to Him are known;
And when thy soul is join'd
To saints around the throne,
Thy soul shall sink with theirs above,
Lost in astonishment and love.
12. Thy God's mysterious grace,
Thou wilt in heaven adore,
And wonder on, and praise
His love's stupendous power;
The face of thy Redeemer see,
And gaze through all eternity.