Their alms, in blessings on their head,
A thousandfold restore;

O feed their souls with living bread,
And let their cup run o'er.

For ever in thy Christ built up,
Thy bounty let them prove,
Steadfast in faith, joyful through hope,

And rooted deep in love.

For those who kindly founded this,
A better house prepare;
Remove them to thy heavenly bliss,
And let us meet them there.

BEFORE GOING TO WORK.

Let us go forth, 'tis God commands,
Let us make haste away;

Offer to Christ our hearts and hands,
We work for Christ to-day.

When he vouchsafes our hands to use,

It makes the labor sweet;

If any now to work refuse,

Let not the sluggard eat.

Who would not do what God ordains,

And promises to bless ?

Who would not 'scape the toils and pains

Of sinful idleness?

In vain to Christ the slothful pray,

We have not learn'd him so;

No;

for he calls himself the Way,

And work'd himself below.

Then let us in his footsteps tread,

And gladly act our part;
On earth employ our hands and head,
But give him all our heart.

How exceedingly honorable are these hymns to the character of Mr. Charles Wesley! True, he and Mr.

Whitefield differed upon some doctrinal subjects, yet they were one in heart and affection; and heartily did Wesley enter into the spirit of his friend's benevolent plans, and do all in his power to promote them. What a noble example of Christian forbearance and charity does such conduct exhibit to the followers of a common Saviour! Would that it were more generally adopted!

The following verse from the eighth Psalm, containing a remarkably literal translation, is inserted as a specimen of the psalms, and for the gratification of the reader:

"Jesus, his Redeemer, dies,

The sinner to restore;
Falls that man may rise again,
And stand as heretofore;
Foremost of all created things,

Head of all thy works he stood,
Nearest the great King of kings,
And little less than God!"

There is a note referring to the italicized words in the last line, which says, So it is in the Hebrew."

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About the close of the year 1749, Mr. Charles Wesley published two additional volumes of "HYMNS AND SACRED POEMS." The Hymn-books which he and his brother had before given to the public, bore their joint names; but there was no other intimation respecting the authorship of the different compositions. The reader is not informed which were written by John, and which by Charles. The two volumes which were now first published, bore Charles's name only, and were thus authenticated as his own.

The friendship which subsisted between the two bro

thers was of the purest kind. They had no jealousy of rivalship, and neither of them claimed, previous to this time, the honor of his own productions. The superior merit of their hymns was felt by every reader of taste and judgment. In strength and elegance of diction, in poetic beauty, and in manliness of thought, they surpassed all similar compositions that had ever appeared in the English language.

The writer has seen two copies, one of the first, the other of the second, edition of this work. The first edition, as above stated, was published in the year 1749, and is without either preface or index; the second appeared in the years 1755 and 1756, with the addition of an index to the hymns, and a table of contents. It is unknown to the writer if any other editions were published. They are substantial duodecimo volumes of nearly 350 pages each, and contain 555 hymns and poems, many of which are of considerable length. While these volumes, says his biographer, exhibit Charles Wesley's piety and genius to great advantage, they throw much light upon his personal history, and his prevalent habits of thought.

Some of the poems are founded upon particular texts of Scripture; others express the author's religious feelings in peculiar states of mind; not a few were written upon special occasions, as the death of friends, providential deliverances, the success of the ministry, the persecution and opposition with which he had to contend. Several of them are intended for persons in peculiar circumstances, such as ministers of the gospel, medical practitioners, widows, the afflicted, and the dying. More than one-fourth of the second volume consists of "Hymns for Christian Friends."

There are two hymns "On the Death of Thomas Beard," a Methodist preacher, who was impressed for a soldier, and died in the hospital at Newcastle; one of which may serve as a specimen of these composures :— "Soldier of Christ, adieu!

Thy conflicts here are past,

Thy Lord hath brought thee through,

And given the crown at last:
Rejoice to wear the glorious prize,
Rejoice with God in paradise.

"There all thy suff'rings cease,
There all thy griefs are o'er,
The pris'ner is at peace,

The mourner weeps no more;
From man's oppressive tyranny
Thou liv'st, thou liv'st for ever free.

"Torn from thy friends below
In banishment severe,

A man of strife and wo,

No more thou wand'rest here;
Join'd to thy better friends above,
At rest in thy Redeemer's love.

"No longer now constrain'd

With human fiends to dwell,
To see their evil pain❜d,

Their blasphemies to feel:
Angels and saints thy comrades are,
And all adore the Saviour there.

"Thou canst not there bemoan

Thy friends' or country's loss,
Through sore oppression groan,
Or faint beneath the cross;
The joy hath swallow'd up the pain,
And death is thy eternal gain.
"What hath their malice done

Who hurried hence thy soul?

When half thy race was run,
They push'd thee to the goal;
Sent to the souls supremely bless'd,
And drove thee to thy earlier rest.
"Thou out of great distress

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To thy reward art past,

Triumphant happiness,

And joys that always last:

Thanks be to God, who set thee free,

And gave the final victory.

Thy victory we share,

Thy glorious joy we feel,
Parted in flesh we are,

But join'd in spirit still :

And still we on our brethren call
To praise the common Lord of all.

"Not for your needless aid,

Not for your useless prayers,
(Jesus for us hath pray'd,

And all our burdens bears ;)
Yet still on you we call, and cry,
Extol the Lord of earth and sky.

"Then let us still maintain

Our fellowship divine,

And till we meet again

In Jesus' praises join;

Thus, till we all your raptures know,
Sing you above, and we below!"

From these volumes were transferred a large number of hymns, which now constitute a part of the standard collection :

61. Author of faith, to thee I cry.

465. Are there not in the laborer's day.

569. Again we lift our voice.

152. Author of faith, we seek thy face.

590. All things are possible to him.