Should glory stimulate,
And daring deeds propose,
That only fame I’d emulate,
To triumph in the cross.
Or should my yielding powers
Acknowledge pleasure’s sway,
I’d think of sacred streams and bowers,
And sweets that ne’er decay.
Should soaring science me
Her votary avow,
My only excellence should be
Christ crucified to know.
Should wealth my mind impress,
With the desire of more,
In Christ the fullness I possess,
Of Heaven’s exhaustless store.
With all that nature craves,
Fully from thence supplied,
No aching want my bosom heaves
No wish unsatisfied.
[Rejoicing in Hope.]
Tost on the troubled sea of life,
On every side assailed,
Involved in passion’s stormy strife,
In irksome suff’rance held.
The faithful word of promise cheers
And bears my spirits up,
Dispels my dark desponding fears
And stablishes my hope.
Hope that shall every toil survive,
That smoothes the rugged path,
That mitigates the ills of life,
And soothes the hour of death.
And when the storms of life are o’er,
And all our conflicts cease,
When landed on the heavenly shore
To enjoy eternal peace.