An Exhortation To Give God Thanks Poem by Rees Prichard

O Let's applaud with one accord,
And bless, from day to day, the Lord,
Who gave for us his only Son,
When we before were quite undone!

Fall on your knees, both morn and night,
Let adoration, pow'r, and might,
Be unto Him ascrib'd alone,
Who gave for us his only Son.

How vast the debt, did we but know,
Which we to our Redeemer owe,
Nought wou'd we do, by night or day,
But, on our knees, unto him pray.

When we to such a pass were brought,
By Satan's artifice, that nought
Besides cou'd save; God deign'd to give
His Son, lost mortals to reprieve.

By Satan's puissance subdu'd,
We still with groans our sins had ru'd,
Had we not been by Jesus bought,
Who our Redemption freely wrought.

There was no method to assuage
The God of justice in his rage,
But that his best-belov'd shou'd deign
For our Redemption to be slain.

There was no possibility,
A single soul from Hell to free,
Did not the Just-One for its sake,
An off'ring of his heart's blood make.

Christ gave his blood, of worth immense!
Unto his Sire a recompence
For us - his life He did bestow,
To free us from our mortal foe.

We were, like birds, caught in the net,
Which Satan for our souls had set -
The net, wherein inclos'd we lay,
Christ broke - and we flew far away.

We were, like sheep that go astray,
To wolves and rav'nous beasts a prey,
When from Christ's fold we dar'd to go,
And follow'd our fallacious foe.

Christ is the shepherd, that, among
The savage crew and hellish throng
To find us, ventur'd first to come,
And brought us on his shoulders home.

We were, like him, who on the way
To Jericho, was robb'd, and lay
O'erwhelm'd with wounds upon the ground,
Whilst none to lift us up was found.

Christ's the Samaritan, so kind,
Who on the road our wounds did bind,
And to the inn benignly led,
Where we were comforted, and fed.

The serpent (paradise within)
Transpierc'd us with the dart of sin,
But Christ the wound, made by its dart,
Heal'd with the blood, warm from his heart.

There was no med'cine to be found
To cure the fi'ry serpent's wound,
But that of brass intent to eye:
There was no other remedy!

So nothing cou'd allay the smart
We felt, when pierc'd by sin's keen dart,
Besides Christ Jesus crucify'd,
By the brass serpent typify'd.

In such a piteous case we stood,
As does the Pelican's young brood,
When by some pois'nous serpent gor'd,
E'er by their dam's own blood restor'd.

Christ saw us with his eye divine;
And, like the Pelican benign,
He gave the blood, warm from his heart,
To mitigate our wounds dire smart.

Let us consider then our case,
The vast advantage, and the grace,
That came unto a world undone,
From Jesus' sufferings alone.

The son of sin, the Devil's slave,
The child of wrath, and of the grave,
Each mortal was - and vermin's food -
'Till Christ redeem'd us with his blood.

What's man, without Christ's succour, say!
But the Fiend's vassal and his prey,
Already doom'd by God to go
From Eden to the realms of woe!

There's not a man, upon the whole,
Who can from Death defend his soul,
'Till he can Jesus' blood obtain
To cleanse him from each sinful stain.

Throughout the world, there is not one
That can for his own sins atone,
'Till the Lamb's blood he shall obtain,
To pay his price, and ease his pain.

Christ is the spotless Lamb, ordain'd
The crimes, wherewith the world is stain'd,
To take away - and to assuage,
With his heart's blood, his Father's rage.

Christ is the priest, who now on high
Resides, and with incessant cry
A constant intercession makes,
And sheds his heart's-blood for our sakes.

Christ light to ev'ry mortal gives -
Christ is the life of each that lives -
Christ is our comfort, and our guard -
Christ from the first, his aid prepar'd!

Without Christ's help, we're quite undone;
But we are sav'd, through Christ alone:
Without Him, we can't God perceive;
But through Him, we with God shall live.

All to the dismal realms of woe,
But they who trust in Christ, shall go:
Without Him, none shall scale the sky,
How much soe'er they toil and try.

Let us in Christ then learn to trust,
The great Redeemer of the just,
And mind his precepts to obey,
If we in heaven e'er think to stay.

With his heart's-blood, the world Christ bought,
And from fierce flames our freedom wrought;
Yet thousands in the world shall go,
For want of Faith, to Hell below.

Though Christ was slain, our souls to save -
Though a full price for us He gave -
Yet none salvation shall receive,
But who alone in Him believe.

We shall be saved, if we believe
In Christ - if not - we shall not live:
He lives, who does on Christ rely -
Who does not trust in Him shall die.

Not one, of any age, shall go
To the infernal realms below,
But he who shall refuse to trust
In the Redeemer of the just.

Heav'n's gate is open night and day,
(None such from it are turn'd away)
To ev'ry Christian, that's sincere,
Of what degree, or rank soe'er.

No more they of their faults shall hear,
No more their vices shall appear,
Which thro' Christ's Blood are all forgiven,
And blotted from the rolls of heaven.

Christ wash'd our sins and filth away,
Christ will to bliss our souls convey,
Christ bought those souls, when lost and gone,
And what he bought, shall be our own.

Let's ne'er forget, 'till turn'd to clay,
To praise our Saviour, night and day,
Who has our souls from ruin bought!
For us, what wonders has he wrought?

Let's to our Chief, our Saviour, shew
All praise, and ev'ry honour due,
All true respect, and worship fit -
Let heav'n and earth say - So be it!