872    S.M.     J. Hart
Chastisement. Zech. 13. 9; Mal. 3. 3; Prov. 3. 11

1 Gold in the furnace tried
  Ne’er loses aught but dross;
  So is the Christian purified
  And bettered by the cross.

2 Afflictions make us see,
  What else would ’scape our sight.
  How very foul and dim are we,
  And God how pure and bright.

3 [The punished child repents;
  The parent’s bowels move;
  The offended father soon relents,
  And turns with double love.]

4 If God rebuke for pride,
  He’ll humble thy proud heart;
  If for thy want of love he chide,
  That love he will impart.

5 He shall by means like these
  Thy stubborn temper break;
  Soften thy heart by due degrees,
  And make thy spirit meek.

6 His chastening, therefore, prize,
  The privilege of a saint;
  Their hearts are hard who that despise,
  And theirs too weak who faint.