« Dear Professor, Let's Be Buds | Main | gifts for the gods »
February 22, 2006
Generosity in Contentment
God gives His mercies to be spent;
Your hoard will do your soul no good.
Gold is a blessing only lent,
Repaid by giving others food.
The world's esteem is but a bribe,
To buy their peace you sell your own;
The slave of a vainglorious tribe,
Who hate you while they make you known.
The joy that vain amusements give,
O! sad conclusion that it brings!
The honey of a crowded hive,
Defended by a thousand stings.
Oh fearful thought! be timely wise;
Delight but in a Savior's charms,
And God shall take you to the skies,
Embraced in everlasting arms.
-- William Cowper, "God Gives His Mercies to be Spent"
I enjoy Cowper; he is somehow able to articulate and answer the anxieties that I often weave about myself. The first two stanzas here just make sense to me. I'm learning to live the last two.
Faith | By elissa | 12:55 PM
Trackback Pings
TrackBack URL for this entry:
http://chattablogs.com/mt/mt-tb.cgi/29940
Listed below are links to weblogs that reference Generosity in Contentment:
Comments
Defended by a thousand stings... a good image. I like it.
Posted by: jb at February 22, 2006 02:40 PM
I love Cowper too. One of my more recent favorite hymns was written by him (or at least jointly by him and Newton, I get conflicting stories) - Let Us Love and Sing and Wonder.
Let us wonder; grace and justice
Join and point to mercy's store;
When through grace in Christ our trust is,
Justice smiles and asks no more:
"You have washed us with your blood;
you are worthy, Lamb of God!"
Posted by: Luther at February 23, 2006 11:39 AM
