FOUNDED ON VARIOUS TEXTS IN THE HOLY SCRIPTURES. BY THE LATE REV. P. DODDRIDGE, D.D. PUBLISHED FROM THE AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPTS, BY JOB ORTON. A NEW EDITION. I esteem Nepos for his faith and diligence, his comments PREFACE. THE Author of the following Hymns, well known to the world by many excellent and useful writings, was much solicited by his friends to print them in his lifetime, from a hope they might be serviceable to the interest of religion, by assisting the devotion of Christians in their social and secret worship and, had God continued his life, till his "Family Expositor on the Epistles" had been published, it is probable he would have complied with their request : but this, and many other pious and benevolent purposes, were broken off by his much-lamented death. During the last hour I spent with him, a few weeks before that mournful event, he honoured me with some particular directions about transcribing and publishing them. have, at length, through the good hand of my God upon me, finished them; and present them to the world with a cheerful hope, that they will promote and diffuse a spirit of devotion; and, together with other assistances, human and divine, prepare many to join with the devout Author in the nobler and everlasting anthems of heaven. I These Hymns being composed to be sung, after the Author had been preaching on the texts prefixed to them, it was his design, that they should bring over again the leading thoughts in the sermon; and naturally express, and warmly enforce, those devout sentiments, which, he hoped, were then rising in the minds of his hearers, and help to fix them on the memory and heart: accordingly, the attentive reader will observe, that most of them illustrate such sentiments as a skilful preacher would principally insist upon, when discoursing from the texts on which they are founded. There is a great variety in the form of them some are devout paraphrases on the texts; others expressive of lively acts of devotion, faith, and trust in GOD, love to CHRIST, desire of divine influences, and good resolutions of cultivating the temper, and practising the duties recommended; others proclaim an humble joy and triumph in the gracious promises and encouragements of |