37.
Jericho; or, The Waters healed.—2 Kings, ii, 19 22.
1 THOUGH Jericho pleasantly stood,
And look d like a promising soil,
The harvest produced little food,
To answer the husbandman s toil.
The water some property had
Which poisonous proved to the ground,
The springs were corrupted and bad,
The streams spread a barrenness round.
2 But soon by the cruse and the salt
Prepared by Elisha s command
The water was cured of its fault,
And plenty enriched the land.
An emblem sure this of the grace
On fruitless dead sinners bestow cl;
For man is in Jericho s case
Till cured by the mercy of God.
3 How noble a creature he seems !
What knowledge, invention, and skill !
How large and extensive his schemes !
How much can he do if he will !
His zeal to be learned and wise
Will yield to no limits or bars ;
He measures the earth and the skies,
And numbers and marshals the stars.
4 Yet still he is barren of good ;
In vain are his talents and art ;
For sin has infected his blood,
And poison d the streams of his heart.
Though cockatrice eggs he can hatch*
Or, spider-like, cobwebs can weave,
Tis madness to labour and watch
For what will destroy and deceive.
5 But grace, like the salt in the cruse,
When cast in the spring of the soul,
A wonderful change will produce,
Diffusing new life through the whole :
