Like bees his children feed and thrive,
And bring home honey to the hive.
5 There, spider- like, the wicked come,
And seem to taste the sweet perfume;
But the vile venom of their hearts
To poison all their food converts.
6 From the same truths believers prize
They weave vain refuges of lies ;
And from the promise license draw
To trifle with the holy law.
7 Lord, shall thy word of life and love
The means of death to numbers prove?
Unless thy grace our hearts renew[1]
We sink to hell with heaven in view.
92.
The Bee saved from the Spider.
1 THE subtle spider often weaves
His unsuspected snares
Among the balmy flowers and leaves,
To which the bee repairs.
2 When in his web he sees one hang,
With a malicious joy
He darts upon it with his fang,
To poison and destroy.
3 How welcome then some pitying friend,
To save the threaten d bee,
The spider s treach rous web to rend,
And set the captive free !
4 My soul has been in such a case :
When first I knew the Lord,
I hasted to the means of grace,
Where sweets I knew were stored.
5 Little I thought of danger near,
That soon my j oys would ebb ;
But ah ! I met a spider there,
Who caught me in his web.
- ↑ Book iii, Hymn 71.
