7 " Thou canst not entertain a king,
Unworthy thou of such a guest!
But I my own provisions bring,
To make thy soul a heavenly feast. "
141.
The Little Book.[1]—ReV. x.
1 WHEN the beloved disciple took
The angel s little open book,
Which by the Lord s command he eat,
It tasted bitter after sweet.
2 Thus when the gospel is embraced,
At first tis sweeter to the taste
Than honey or the honey-comb,
But there s a bitterness to come.
3 What sweetness does the promise yield,
When by the Spirit s power seal d!
The longing soul is fill d with good,
Nor feels a wish for other food.
4 By these inviting tastes allured,
We pass to what must be endured ;
For soon we find it is decreed,
That bitter must to sweet succeed.
5 When sin revives and shows its power,
When Satan threatens to devour,
When God afflicts, and men revile,
We draw our steps with pain and toil.
6 When thus deserted, tempest-toss d,
The sense of former sweetness lost,
We tremble lest we were deceived
In thinking that we once believed.
7 The Lord first makes the sweetness known,
To win and fix us for his own ;
And though we now some bitter meet,
We hope for everlasting sweet.
- ↑ Book iii, Hymn 27.
