Chapter X: Introduction: And Close of Worship (3)

2 Thy glory beams in every star,
Which gilds the gloom of night,
And decks the smiling face of morn
With rays of cheerful light.

3 Great nature's God! still may these scenes
Our serious hours engage!
Still may our grateful hearts consult
Thy works' instructive page!

4 And while, in all thy wondrous ways,
Thy varied love we see:
Oh, may our hearts, great God, be led
Through all thy works to thee.

173. L. M. 6l. Montgomery's Coll.

The Beauties of Creation.

1 Ours is a lovely world, how fair
Thy beauties e'en on earth appear!
The seasons in their courses fall,
And bring successive joys. The sea,
The earth, the sky, are full of thee,
Benignant, glorious Lord of all!

2 There's beauty in the heat of day;
There's glory in the noon-tide ray;
There's sweetness in the twilight shades--
Magnificence in night. Thy love
Arch'd the grand heaven of blue above,
And all our smiling earth pervades.

3 And if thy glories here be found,
Streaming with radiance all around,
What must the fount of glory be!
In thee we'll hope, in thee confide,
Thou, mercy's never ebbing tide,
Thou, love's unfathomable sea!

174. L. M. 6l. Moore.

All Things are of God.

1 Thou art, O God, the life and light
Of all this wondrous world we see;
Its glow by day, its smile by night,
Are but reflections caught from thee;
Where'er we turn, thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are thine.

2 When day, with farewell beam delays
Among the opening clouds of even,
And we can almost think we gaze,
Through opening vistas into heaven,--
Those hues that mark the sun's decline,
So soft, so radiant, Lord, are thine.

3 When night, with wings of starry gloom,
O'ershadows all the earth and skies,
Like some dark, beauteous bird, whose plume
Is sparkling with unnumbered eyes,--
That sacred gloom, those fires divine,
So grand, so countless, Lord, are thine.

4 When youthful spring around us breathes,
Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh;
And every flower that summer wreathes
Is born beneath thy kindling eye:
Where'er we turn, thy glories shine,
And all things fair and bright are thine.

175. L. M. Addison.

The Heavens declare the Glory of God.

1 The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim.
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Doth his Creator's power display;
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.

2 Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening earth
Repeats the story of her birth:
Whilst all the stars which round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

3 What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amidst their radiant orbs be found;
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing, as they shine,--
"The hand that made us is divine."

176. C. M. Zinzendorf.

The Creator, God.

1 Lord, when thou said'st, "So let it be,"
The heavens were spread and shone,
And this whole earth stood gloriously;
Thou spak'st and it was done.

2 The whole creation still records,
Unto this very day,
That thou art God, the Lord of lords;
Thee all things must obey.

177. C. M. Bowring.

Nature's Evening Hymn.

1 The heavenly spheres, to thee, O God,
Attune their evening hymn;
All wise, all holy, thou art praised,
In song of seraphim!
Unnumbered systems, suns and worlds,
Unite to worship thee,
While thy majestic greatness fills
Space, time, eternity.

2 Nature,--a temple worthy thee,
That beams with light and love;
Whose flowers so sweetly bloom below,
Whose stars rejoice above,
Whose altars are the mountain cliffs
That rise along the shore;
Whose anthems, the sublime accord
Of storm and ocean roar;

3 Her song of gratitude is sung
By spring's awakening hours;
Her summer offers at thy shrine
Its earliest, loveliest flowers;
Her autumn brings its ripened fruits,
In glorious luxury given;
While winter's silver heights reflect
Thy brightness back to heaven.

4 On all thou smil'st; and what is man
Before thy presence, God;
A breath, but yesterday inspired,
To-morrow but a clod.
That clod shall mingle in the vale,
But, kindled, Lord, by thee,
The spirit to thy arms shall spring,
To life, to liberty.

178. L. M. 6l. Bowring.

"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."

1 The heavens, O Lord! thy power proclaim,
And the earth echoes back thy name;
Ten thousand voices speak thy might,
And day to day, and night to night,
Utter thy praise--thou Lord above!
Thy praise, thy glory, and thy love.

2 And nature with its countless throng,
And sun, and moon, and planets' song,
And every flower that light receives,
And every dew that tips the leaves,
And every murmur of the sea--
Tunes its sweet voice to worship Thee.

3 Thy name thy glories they rehearse,
Great Spirit of the universe;
Sense of all sense, and soul of soul,
Nought is too vast for thy control;
The meanest and the mightiest share
Alike thy kindness and thy care.

179. 8s. & 7s. M. Heber.

"Consider the lilies of the field;--behold the fowls of the air."

1 Lo! the lilies of the field!
How their leaves instruction yield!
Hark to nature's lesson given
By the blessed birds of heaven!
Every bush and tufted tree
Warbles trust and piety:
Children, banish doubt and sorrow,--
God provideth for the morrow.

2 One there lives, whose guardian eye
Guides our earthly destiny;
One there lives, who, Lord of all,
Keeps his children lest they fall:
Pass we, then, in love and praise,
Trusting him, through all our days,
Free from doubt and faithless sorrow,--
God provideth for the morrow.

180. L. M. Peabody.

Religious Influences of Nature.

1 God of the fair and open sky!
How gloriously above us springs
The tented dome, of heavenly blue,
Suspended on the rainbow's rings!
Each brilliant star, that sparkles through
Each gilded cloud that wanders free
In evening's purple radiance, gives
The beauty of its praise to thee.

2 God of the rolling orbs above,
Thy name is written clearly bright
In the warm day's unvarying blaze,
Or evening's golden shower of light:
For every fire that fronts the sun,
And every spark that walks alone
Around the utmost verge of heaven,
Were kindled at thy burning throne.

3 God of the world, the hour must come,
And nature's self to dust return;
Her crumbling altars must decay;
Her incense-fires shall cease to burn;
But still her grand and lovely scenes
Have made man's warmest praises flow,
For hearts grow holier as they trace
The beauty of the world below.

181. 7s. & 6s. M. Conder.

"Day unto day uttereth speech."

1 The heavens declare his glory,
Their Maker's skill the skies:
Each day repeats the story,
And night to night replies.
Their silent proclamation
Throughout the earth is heard;
The record of creation,
The page of nature's word.

2 There, from his bright pavilion,
Like eastern bridegroom clad,
Hailed by earth's thousand million,
The sun sets forth; right glad,
His glorious race commencing,
The mighty giant seems;
Through the vast round dispensing
His all-pervading beams.

3 So pure, so soul-restoring
Is truth's diviner ray;
A brighter radiance pouring
Than all the pomp of day:
The wanderer surely guiding,
It makes the simple wise;
And evermore abiding,
Unfailing joy supplies.

182. L. M. 6l. Heber.

The Visible World a Shadow of the Invisible.

1 I praised the earth in beauty seen,
With garlands gay of various green;
I praised the sea, whose ample field
Shone glorious as a silver shield;
And earth and ocean seemed to say,
"Our beauties are but for a day."

2 I praised the sun, whose chariot rolled
On wheels of amber and of gold;
I praised the moon, whose softer eye
Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;
And moon and sun in answer said,
"Our years are told when we must fade."

3 O God, O, good beyond compare!
If thus thy meaner works are fair,--
If thus thy bounties gild the span
Of sinful earth and mortal man,--
How glorious must thy mansion be
Where thy redeemed shall dwell with thee.

183. L. M. Moore.

Nature a Temple.

1 The turf shall be my fragrant shrine;
My temple, Lord, that arch of thine,
My censor's breath the mountain airs,
And silent thoughts my only prayers.
My choir shall be the moonlight waves,
When murmuring homeward to their caves,
Or when the stillness of the sea,
E'en more than music breathes of thee.

2 I'll seek, by day, some glade unknown.
All light and silence like thy throne,
And the pale stars shall be, at night,
The only eyes that watch my rite.
Thy heaven, on which 'tis bliss to look,
Shall be my pure and shining book,
Where I can read, in words of flame,
The glories of thy wondrous name.

3 There's nothing bright, above, below,
From flowers that bloom, to stars that glow,
But in its light my soul can see
Some feature of thy Deity.
There's nothing dark, below, above,
But in its gloom I trace thy love,
And meekly wait that moment, when
Thy touch shall turn all bright again.

THE SCRIPTURES.

184. C. M. Tate & Brady.

Perfection of God's Law.

1 God's perfect law converts the soul,
Reclaims from false desires;
With sacred wisdom his sure word
The ignorant inspires.

2 The statutes of the Lord are just,
And bring sincere delight;
His pure commands, in search of truth,
Assist the feeblest sight.

3 His perfect worship here is fixed,
On sure foundations laid;
His equal laws are in the scales
Of truth and justice weighed.

4 Of more esteem than golden mines,
Or gold refined with skill;
More sweet than honey, or the drops
That from the comb distil.

5 My trusty counsellors they are,
And friendly warnings give;
Divine rewards attend on those,
Who by thy precepts live.

185. L. M. Watts.

Nature and Scripture. Ps. 19.

1 The heavens declare thy glory, Lord!
In every star thy wisdom shines;
But, when our eyes behold thy word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.

2 The rolling sun, the changing light,
And nights, and days, thy power confess;
But the blest volume thou hast writ
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.

3 Sun, moon, and stars, convey thy praise
Round the whole earth, and never stand;
So when thy truth began its race,
It touched and glanced on every land.

4 Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest
Till through the world thy truth has run;
Till Christ has all the nations blest,
That see the light, or feel the sun.

186. C. M. Cowper.

Light and Glory of the Word.

1 A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun:
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none.

2 The hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat:
His truths upon the nations rise;
They rise, but never set.

3 Let everlasting thanks be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.

4 My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of Him I love,
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.

187. L. M. 6l. Spirit of the Psalms.

Praise to God for his Word.

1 Join, all ye servants of the Lord,
To praise him for his sacred word,--
That word, like manna, sent from heaven,
To all who seek it freely given;
Its promises our fears remove,
And fill our hearts with joy and love.

2 It tells us, though oppressed with cares,
The God of mercy hears our prayers;
Though steep and rough th' appointed way,
His mighty arm shall be our stay;
Though deadly foes assail our peace,
His power shall bid their malice cease.

3 It tells who first inspired our breath,
And who redeemed our souls from death;
It tells of grace,--grace freely given,--
And shows the path to God and heaven:
O, bless we, then, our gracious Lord,
For all the treasures of his word.

188. S. M. Watts.

Nature and Scripture. Ps. 19.

1 Behold! the lofty sky
Declares its Maker, God:
And all his starry works on high
Proclaim his power abroad.

2 Ye Christian lands, rejoice!
Here he reveals his word;
We are not left to nature's voice
To bid us know the Lord.

3 His statutes and commands
Are set before our eyes;
He puts his gospel in our hands,
Where our salvation lies.

4 While of thy works I sing,
Thy glory to proclaim,
Accept the praise, my God, my King,
In my Redeemer's name.

189. C. M. Rippon's Coll.

The Value of the Scriptures.

1 How precious is the book divine,
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine,
To lead our souls to heaven.

2 O'er all the strait and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last.

3 It sweetly cheers our fainting hearts
In this dark vale of tears;
Life, light, and comfort it imparts,
And calms our anxious fears.

4 This lamp through all the dreary night
Of life shall guide our way,
Till we behold the glorious light
Of never-ending day.

190. C. M. Episcopal Coll.

Sufficiency of the Scriptures.

1 Great God, with wonder and with praise
On all thy works I look;
But still thy wisdom, power, and grace,
Shine brightest in thy book.

2 Here are my choicest treasures hid;
Here my best comfort lies;
Here my desires are satisfied;
And here my hopes arise.

3 Lord, make me understand thy law;
Show what my faults have been;
And from thy gospel let me draw
The pardon of my sin.

191. S. M. Beddome.

Superiority of the Scriptures.

1 O Lord, thy perfect word
Directs our steps aright;
Nor can all other books afford
Such profit or delight.

2 Celestial light it sheds,
To cheer this vail below;
To distant lands its glory spreads,
And streams of mercy flow.

3 True wisdom it imparts;
Commands our hope and fear;
O, may we hide it in our hearts,
And feel its influence there.

192. L. M. Beddome.

The Gospel Revelation.

1 God, in the Gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known;
'Tis here his richest mercy shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.

2 Wisdom its dictates here imparts,
To form our minds, to cheer our hearts;
Its influence makes the sinner live;
It bids the drooping saint revive.

3 Our raging passions it controls,
And comfort yields to contrite souls;
It brings a better world in view,
And guides us all our journey through.

4 May this blest volume ever lie
Close to my heart, and near my eye,
Till life's last hour my soul engage,
And be my chosen heritage.

193. C. M. Watts.

Revelation. Ps. 119.

1 Let all the heathen writers join
To form one perfect book,
Great God, if once compared with thine,
How mean their writings look!

2 Not the most perfect rules they gave
Could show one sin forgiven,
Nor lead a step beyond the grave;
But thine conduct to heaven.

3 I've seen an end of what we call
Perfection here below;
How short the powers of nature fall,
And can no farther go!

4 Our faith, and love, and every grace,
Fall far below thy word;
But perfect truth and righteousness
Dwell only with the Lord.

194. L. M. Anonymous.

The Scriptures.

1 Lamp of our feet! whose hallowed beam
Deep in our hearts its dwelling hath,
How welcome is the cheering gleam
Thou sheddest o'er our lowly path!
Light of our way! whose ways are flung
In mercy o'er our pilgrim road,
How blessed, its dark shades among,
The star that guides us to our God.

2 In the sweet morning's hour of prime,
Thy blessed words our lips engage,
And round our hearths at evening time
Our children spell the holy page;
The waymark through long distant years,
To guide their wandering footsteps on,
Till thy last loveliest beam appears,
Inscribed upon the churchyard stone.

3 Lamp of our feet! which day by day
Are passing to the quiet tomb,
If on it fall thy peaceful ray,
Our last low dwelling hath no gloom.
How beautiful their calm repose
To whom thy blessed hope is given
Whose pilgrimage on earth is closed
By the unfolding gates of heaven!

195. C. M. Watts.

Comfort from the Bible.

1 Lord, I have made thy word my choice,
My lasting heritage;
There shall my noblest powers rejoice,
My warmest thoughts engage.

2 I'll read the histories of thy love,
And keep thy laws in sight,
While through the promises I rove,
With ever-fresh delight.

3 'T is a broad land of wealth unknown,
Where springs of life arise,
Seeds of immortal bliss are sown,
And hidden glory lies.

4 The best relief that mourners have,
It makes our sorrows blest;
Our fairest hope beyond the grave,
And our eternal rest.

196. L. M. Anonymous.

The Same.

1 Thou Book of life!--in thee are found
The mysteries of my Maker's will;
Treasures of knowledge here abound,
The deepest, loftiest mind to fill.

2 Thou art a banquet;--choicest food
I'll seek in thee: thou art a rock,
Whence pour sweet waters; every good
From thee doth flow for Christ's own flock.

3 Light of the world! thy beams impart
To lead my feet through life's dark way;
O shine on this benighted heart,
Nor let me from thy guidance stray.

4 Healer of all the woes of life!
The balm of souls diseased; to save
From all earth's pain; and end the strife
Of death, with victory o'er the grave!

197. S. M. E. Taylor.

The Bible.

1 It is the one true light,
When other lamps grow dim,
'T will never burn less purely bright,
Nor lead astray from Him.
It is Love's blessed band,
That reaches from the throne
To him--whoe'er he be--whose hand
Will seize it for his own!

2 It is the golden key
Unto celestial wealth,
Joy to the sons of poverty,
And to the sick man, health!
The gently proffer'd aid
Of one who knows and best
Supplies the beings he has made
With what will make them blessed.

3 It is the sweetest sound
That infant years can hear,
Travelling across that holy ground,
With God and angels near.
There rests the weary head,
There age and sorrow go;
And how it smooths the dying bed,
O! let the Christian show!

CHRIST; HIS CHARACTER AND OFFICES.

198. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

The Saviour Foretold.

1 Behold my servant; see him rise
Exalted in my might!
Him have I chosen, and in him
I place supreme delight.

2 On him in rich effusion poured,
My spirit shall descend;
My truth and judgment he shall show
To earth's remotest end.

3 Gentle and still shall be his voice;
No threats from him proceed;
The smoking flax shall he not quench,
Nor break the bruised reed.

4 The feeble spark to flames he'll raise;
The weak will not despise;
Judgment he shall bring forth to truth,
And make the fallen rise.

5 The progress of his zeal and power
Shall never know decline,
Till foreign lands and distant isles
Receive the law divine.

199. 11s. M. Drummond.

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord."

1 A voice from the desert comes awful and shrill;
The Lord is advancing! prepare ye the way!
The word of Jehovah he comes to fulfil,
And o'er the dark world pour the splendor of day.

2 Bring down the proud mountain though towering to heaven,
And be the low valley exalted on high;
The rough path and crooked be made smooth and even,
For, Zion! your King, your Redeemer is nigh.

3 The beams of salvation his progress illume;
The lone, dreary wilderness sings of her Lord;
The rose and the myrtle there suddenly bloom,
And the olive of peace spreads its branches abroad.

200. 7s. M. Bowring.

Report of the Watchman.

1 Watchman! tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveller! o'er yon mountain's height,
See that glory-beaming star.
Watchman! does its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveller! yes; it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.

2 Watchman! tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveller! blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman! will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveller! ages are its own;
See, it bursts o'er all the earth.

3 Watchman! tell us of the night,
For the morning seems to dawn.
Traveller! darkness takes its flight;
Doubt and terror are withdrawn.

4 Watchman! let thy wanderings cease;
Hie thee to thy quiet home.
Traveller! lo! the Prince of Peace,
Lo! the Son of God, is come.

201. 8s. & 7s. M. Cawood.

Song of the Angels of Bethlehem.

1 Hark! what mean those holy voices,
Sweetly sounding through the skies?
Lo! th' angelic host rejoices;
Heavenly hallelujahs rise.

2 Listen to the wondrous story
Which they chant in hymns of joy:
"Glory in the highest, glory!
Glory be to God most high!

3 "Peace on earth, good-will from heaven,
Reaching far as man is found:
Souls redeemed and sins forgiven:--
Loud our golden harps shall sound.

4 "Christ is born, the great Anointed;
Heaven and earth his praises sing!
O, receive whom God appointed,
For your Prophet, Priest and King."

5 Let us learn the wondrous story
Of our great Redeemer's birth;
Spread the brightness of his glory,
Till it cover all the earth.

202. C. M. E. H. Sears.

Christmas Hymn.

1 Calm on the listening ear of night
Come heaven's melodious strains,
Where wild Judea stretches far
Her silver-mantled plains!

2 The answering hills of Palestine
Send back the glad reply;
And greet, from all their holy heights,
The dayspring from on high

3 O'er the blue depths of Galilee
There comes a holier calm,
And Sharon waves, in solemn praise,
Her silent groves of palm.

4 "Glory to God!" the sounding skies
Loud with their anthems ring,--
Peace to the earth,--good-will to men,
From heaven's eternal King!"

5 Light on thy hills, Jerusalem!
The Saviour now is born!
And bright on Bethlehem's joyous plains
Breaks the first Christmas morn.

203. S. M. E. H. Chapin.

The Same.

1 Hark! hark! with harps of gold,
What anthem do they sing?--
The radiant clouds have backward rolled,
And angels smite the string.
"Glory to God!"--bright wings
Spread glist'ning and afar,
And on the hallowed rapture rings
From circling star to star.

2 "Glory to God!" repeat
The glad earth and the sea;
And every wind and billow fleet,
Bears on the jubilee.
Where Hebrew bard hath sung,
Or Hebrew seer hath trod,
Each holy spot has found a tongue;
"Let glory be to God."

3 Soft swells the music now
Along that shining choir,
And every seraph bends his brow
And breathes above his lyre.
What words of heavenly birth
Thrill deep our hearts again,
And fall like dew-drops to the earth?
"Peace and good-will to men!"

4 Soft!--yet the soul is bound
With rapture, like a chain:
Earth, vocal, whispers them around,
And heav'n repeats the strain.
Sound, harps, and hail the morn
With ev'ry golden string;--
For unto us this day is born
A Saviour and a King!

204. S. H. M. T. H. Bayley.

The Same.

1 No loud avenging voice
Proclaimed Messiah's birth;
The Son of God came down to teach
Humility on earth,
And by his sufferings to efface
The errors of a sinful race.

2 Not on a purple throne,
With gold and jewels crowned,
But in the meanest dwelling place
The precious babe was found:
Yet star-directed sages came,
And kneeling, glorified his name.

3 To shepherds first was shown
The promised boon of heaven,
Who cried, "To us a child is born--
To us a Son is given!"
Death from his mighty throne was hurled,
Faith hailed Salvation to the world.

4 Lord! may thy holy cross
Bear peace from clime to clime,
Till all mankind at length are freed
From sorrow, shame and crime:
Dispel the unbeliever's gloom,
And end the terrors of the tomb!

205. L. M. Campbell.

The Same.

1 When Jordan hushed his waters still,
And silence slept on Zion's hill;
When Bethlehem's shepherds through the night
Watched o'er their flocks by starry light:

2 Hark! from the midnight hills around,
A voice of more than mortal sound,
In distant hallelujahs stole,
Wild murm'ring o'er the raptured soul.

3 "O Zion! lift thy raptured eye,
The long expected hour is nigh;
The joys of nature rise again,
The Prince of Salem comes to reign.

4 "He comes, to cheer the trembling heart,
Bids Satan and his host depart;
Again the day-star gilds the gloom,
Again the bowers of Eden bloom."

206. S. M. Watts.

The Same.

1 Behold, the grace appears,
The blessing promised long;
Angels announce the Saviour near,
In this triumphant song:--

2 "Glory to God on high
And heavenly peace on earth;
Good-will to men, to angels joy,
At the Redeemer's birth."

3 In worship so divine
Let men employ their tongues;
With the celestial host we join,
And loud repeat their songs:--

4 "Glory to God on high,
And heavenly peace on earth;
Good-will to men, to angels joy,
At our Redeemer's birth."

207. H. M. Salisbury Coll.

The Same.

1 Hark! what celestial notes,
What melody, we hear!
Soft on the morn it floats,
And fills the ravished ear.
The tuneful shell,
The golden lyre,
And vocal choir,
The concert swell.

2 Angelic hosts descend,
With harmony divine;
See, how from heaven they bend,
And in full chorus join!
"Fear not," say they;
Jesus, your King,
"Great joy we bring:
Is born to day."

3 "Glory to God on high!
Ye mortals, spread the sound,
And let your raptures fly
To earth's remotest bound!
For peace on earth,
From God in heaven,
To man is given,
At Jesus' birth."

208. 7s. M. Anonymous.

The Same.

1 Hail, all hail the joyful morn:
Tell it forth from earth to heaven,
That to us a child is born,
That to us a Son is given.

2 Angels, bending from the sky,
Chanted, at the wondrous birth,
"Glory be to God on high,
Peace--good-will to man on earth."

3 Join we then our feeble lays
To the chorus of the sky;
And, in songs of grateful praise,
Glory give to God on high.

209. 11s. & 10s. M. Heber.

Star of the East.

1 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,--
Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

2 Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining;
Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall;
Angels bend o'er him, in slumber reclining,--
Monarch, Redeemer, Restorer of all.

3 Say, shall we yield him in costly devotion,
Odors of Edom, and offerings divine?
Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?

4 Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
Vainly with gold would his favor secure;
Richer by far is the heart's adoration,
Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

5 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,--
Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

210. L. M. 6l. Moore.

Christ's Birth.

1 Arrayed in clouds of golden light,
More bright than heaven's effulgent bow,
Jehovah's angel came by night,
To bless the sleeping world below.
How soft the music of his tongue!
How sweet the hallowed strains he sung!

2 Good-will henceforth to man be given,
The light of glory beams on earth:
Let angels tune the harps of heaven,
And saints rejoice in Shiloh's birth;
In him all nations shall be blest,
And his shall be a glorious rest.

211. C. P. M. Miss Roscoe.

Christmas Hymn.

1 O, let your mingling voices rise,
In grateful rapture, to the skies,
And hail a Saviour's birth:
Let songs of joy the day proclaim,
When Jesus all-triumphant came
To bless the sons of earth.

2 He came to bid the weary rest,
To heal the sinner's wounded breast,
To bind the broken heart,
To spread the light of truth around,
And to the world's remotest bound
The heavenly gift impart.

3 He came our trembling souls to save
From sin, from sorrow, and the grave,
And chase our fears away;
Victorious over death and time,
To lead us to a happier clime,
Where reigns eternal day.

212. C. M. Doddridge.

The Mission of Christ.

1 Hark, the glad sound! the Saviour comes!
The Saviour promised long!
Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song.

2 On him the Spirit largely poured,
Exerts its sacred fire;
Wisdom and might, and zeal and love,
His holy breast inspire.

3 He comes, from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray;
And on the eye-balls of the blind
To pour celestial day.

4 He comes, the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure;
And with the treasure of his grace
Enrich the humble poor.

5 Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace!
Thy welcome shall proclaim;
And heaven's eternal arches ring
With thy beloved name.

213. C. M. Watts.

The Kingdom of Christ.

1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare him room,
And heaven and nature sing!

2 Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy.

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make his blessings flow
As far as sin is found.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of his righteousness,
And wonders of his love.

214. C. M. Watts.

John the Herald of Christ.

1 John was the prophet of the Lord
To go before his face;
The herald which the Prince of Peace
Sent to prepare his ways.

2 "Behold the Lamb of God," he cries,
"That takes our guilt away;
I saw the Spirit o'er his head,
On his baptizing day.

3 "Be every vale exalted high,
Sink every mountain low;
The proud must stoop, and humble souls
Shall his salvation know.

4 "Behold the Morning Star arise,
Ye that in darkness sit;
He marks the path that leads to peace,
And guides our doubtful feet."

215. C. M. Exeter Coll.

The Baptism of Jesus.

1 See, from on high, a light divine
On Jesus' head descend!
And hear the sacred voice from heaven
That bids us all attend.

2 "This is my well-beloved Son,"
Proclaimed the voice divine;
"Hear him," his heavenly Father said,
"For all his words are mine."

3 His mission thus confirmed from heaven,
The great Messiah came,
And heavenly wisdom showed to man
In God his Father's name.

4 The path of heavenly peace he showed
That leads to bliss on high;
Where all his faithful followers here
Shall live, no more to die.

216. S. M. Needham.

Christ the Light of the World.

1 Behold! the Prince of Peace,
The chosen of the Lord,
God's well-beloved Son, fulfils
The sure prophetic word.

2 No royal pomp adorns
This King of righteousness:
Meekness and patience, truth and love,
Compose his princely dress.

3 The spirit of the Lord,
In rich abundance shed,
On this great Prophet gently lights,
And rests upon his head.

4 Jesus, the light of men,
His doctrine life imparts;
O, may we feel its quickening power
To warm and glad our hearts.

5 Cheered by its beams, our souls
Shall run the heavenly way;
The path which Christ has marked and trod,
Will lead to endless day.

217. L. M. Bowring.

Jesus Preaching the Gospel.

1 How sweetly flowed the gospel's sound
From lips of gentleness and grace,
When listening thousands gathered round,
And joy and reverence filled the place!

2 From heaven he came--of heaven he spoke
To heaven he led his followers' way;
Dark clouds of gloomy night he broke,
Unveiling an immortal day.

3 "Come, wanderers, to my Father's home,
Come, all ye weary ones, and rest!"
Yes! sacred teacher,--we will come--
Obey thee, love thee, and be blest!

4 Decay, then, tenements of dust!
Pillars of earthly pride, decay!
A nobler mansion waits the just,
And Jesus has prepared the way.

218. L. M. Butcher.

Miracles of Christ.

1 On eyes that never saw the day
Christ pours the bright celestial ray;
And deafened ears, by him unbound,
Catch all the harmony of sound.

2 Lameness takes up its bed, and goes
Rejoicing in the strength that flows
Through every nerve; and, free from pain,
Pours forth to God the grateful strain.

3 The shattered mind his word restores,
And tunes afresh the mental powers;
The dead revive, to life return,
And bid affection cease to mourn.

4 Canst thou, my soul, these wonders trace,
And not admire Jehovah's grace?
Canst thou behold thy Prophet's power,
And not the God he served adore?

219. L. M. Russell.

"That ye through his poverty might be rich."

1 O'er the dark wave of Galilee
The gloom of twilight gathers fast,
And on the waters drearily
Descends the fitful evening blast.

2 The weary bird hath left the air,
And sunk into his sheltered nest;
The wandering beast has sought his lair,
And laid him down to welcome rest.

3 Still, near the lake, with weary tread,
Lingers a form of human kind;
And on his lone, unsheltered head,
Flows the chill night-damp of the wind.

4 Why seeks he not a home of rest?
Why seeks he not a pillowed bed?
Beasts have their dens, the bird its nest;
He hath not where to lay his head.

5 Such was the lot he freely chose,
To bless, to save the human race;
And through his poverty there flows
A rich, full stream of heavenly grace.

220. C. M. Mrs. Hemans.

"Peace! be still!"

1 Fear, was within the tossing bark,
When stormy winds grew loud,
And waves came rolling high and dark,
And the tall mast was bowed.

2 And men stood breathless in their dread,
And baffled in their skill--
But One was there, who rose and said
To the wild sea, "Be still!"

3 And the wind ceased; it ceased! that word
Passed through the gloomy sky,
The troubled billows knew their Lord,
And sank beneath his eye.

4 Thou that didst rule the angry hour,
And tame the tempest's mood--
Oh! send, thy Spirit forth in power
O'er our dark souls to brood!

5 Thou that didst bow the billows' pride,
Thy mandates to fulfil--
Speak, speak to passion's raging tide,
Speak and say--"Peace, be still!"

221. L. M. 6l. Barton.

The Pool of Bethesda.

1 Around Bethesda's healing wave
Waiting to hear the rustling wing,
Which spoke the angel nigh, who gave
Its virtue to that holy spring,
With patience, and with hope endued
Were seen the gathered multitude.

2 Had they who watched and waited there
Been conscious who was passing by,
With what unceasing anxious care
Would they have sought his pitying eye;
And craved with fervency of soul,
His Power Divine to make them whole!

3 Bethesda's pool has lost its power!
No angel, by his glad descent,
Dispenses that diviner dower
Which with its healing waters went.
But he, whose word surpassed its wave,
Is still omnipotent to save.

222. L. M. Heber.

The Holy Guest.

1 Messiah Lord! who, wont to dwell
In lowly shape and cottage cell,
Didst not refuse a guest to be
At Cana's poor festivity.

2 O when our soul from care is free,
Then, Saviour, would we think on thee;
And, seated at the festal board,
In fancy's eye behold the Lord.

3 Then may we seem, in fancy's ear,
Thy manna-dropping tongue to hear,
And think,--"if now his searching view
Each secret of our spirit knew!"

4 So may such joy, chastised and pure,
Beyond the bounds of earth endure;
Nor pleasure in the wounded mind
Shall leave a rankling sting behind.

223. C. M. Cowper.

"He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

1 The Saviour, what a noble flame,
Was kindled in his breast,
When hasting to Jerusalem,
He marched before the rest!

2 Good-will to men, and zeal for God,
His every thought engross;
He goes to be baptized with blood;
He goes to meet the cross.

3 With all his sufferings full in view,
And woes to us unknown,
Forth to the task his spirit flew;
'Twas love that urged him on.

4 And while his holy sorrows here
Engage our wondering eyes,
We learn our lighter cross to bear,
And hasten to the skies.

224. L. M. Milman.

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem.

1 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry!
Thy humble beast pursues his road,
With palms and scattered garments strowed.

2 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
In lowly pomp ride on to die!
O Christ, thy triumphs now begin,
O'er captive death and conquered sin.

3 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
The winged squadrons of the sky
Look down with sad and wondering eyes,
To see the approaching sacrifice.

4 Ride on, ride on in majesty!
Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
The Father on his glorious throne
Expects his own anointed Son!

225. C. M. Mrs. Barbauld.

Christ's New Command to his Disciples.

1 Behold where, breathing love divine,
Our dying Master stands!
His weeping followers, gathering round,
Receive his last commands.

2 "Blest is the man whose softening heart
Feels all another's pain;
To whom the supplicating eye
Was never raised in vain;

3 "Peace from the bosom of his God,
My peace to him I give;
And when he kneels before his throne,
His trembling soul shall live.

4 "To him protection shall be shown;
And mercy from above
Descend on those who thus fulfil
The perfect law of love."

226. C. H. M. Hemans.

The Agony in Gethsemane.

1 He knelt; the Saviour knelt and prayed,
When but his Father's eye
Looked, through the lonely garden's shade,
On that dread agony:
The Lord of high and heavenly birth
Was bowed with sorrow unto death.

2 He knew them all,--the doubt, the strife,
The faint perplexing dread;
The mists that hang o'er parting life
All darkened round his head;
And the Deliverer knelt to pray;
Yet passed it not, that cup, away.

3 It passed not, though the stormy wave
Had sunk beneath his tread;
It passed not, though to him the grave
Had yielded up its dead;
But there was sent him, from on high,
A gift of strength, for man to die.

4 And was his mortal hour beset
With anguish and dismay?
How may we meet our conflict yet
In the dark, narrow way?
How, but through him that path who trod?
"Save, or we perish, Son of God."

227. L. M. Montgomery.

Christ's Passion.

1 The morning dawns upon the place,
Where Jesus spent the night in prayer;
Through brightening glooms behold his face,
No form or comeliness is there.

2 Last eve by those he called his own,
Betrayed, forsaken or denied,
He met his enemies alone,
In all their malice, rage, and pride.

3 But hark! he prays;--'tis for his foes;
He speaks;--'tis comfort to his friends;
Answers;--and Paradise bestows;
"'Tis finished!"--here the conflict ends.

4 "Truly, this was the Son of God!"
--Though in a servant's mean disguise,
And bruised beneath the Father's rod,
Not for himself,--for man he dies.

228. L. M. W. B. Tappan.

Christ in Gethsemane.

1 'T is midnight; and on Olive's brow
The star is dimmed that lately shone;
'T is midnight; in the garden, now,
The suffering Saviour prays alone.

2 'T is midnight; and from all removed,
The Saviour wrestles lone, with fears;
E'en that disciple whom he loved
Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.

3 'T is midnight; and for others' guilt
The man of sorrows weeps in blood;
Yet he that hath in anguish knelt
Is not forsaken by his God.

4 'T is midnight; from celestial plains
Is borne the song that angels know;
Unheard by mortals are the strains
That sweetly soothe the Saviour's woe.

229. C. M. Haweis.

Agony in the Garden.

1 Dark was the night and cold the ground
On which the Lord was laid;
His sweat like drops of blood ran down;
In agony he prayed,--

2 "Father, remove this bitter cup,
If such thy sacred will;
If not, content to drink it up,
Thy pleasure I fulfil."

3 Go to the garden, sinner; see
Those precious drops that flow;
The heavy load he bore for thee;
For thee he lies so low.

4 Then learn of him the cross to bear;
Thy Father's will obey;
And, when temptations press thee near,
Awake to watch and pray.

230. 7s. M. 6l. Montgomery.

Christ our Example in Sufferings.

1 Go to dark Gethsemane,
Ye that feel temptation's power,
Your Redeemer's conflict see,
Watch with him one bitter hour.
Turn not from his griefs away,
Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

2 Follow to the judgment-hall,
View the Lord of life arraigned:
O the wormwood and the gall!
O the pangs his soul sustained!
Shun not suffering, shame or loss;
Learn of him to bear the cross.

3 Calvary's mournful mountain climb;
There, admiring at his feet,
Mark that miracle of time,
God's own sacrifice complete:
"It is finished," hear him cry;
Learn of Jesus Christ to die.

4 Early hasten to the tomb
Where they laid his breathless clay;
All is solitude and gloom;
--Who has taken him away?
Christ is risen; he meets our eyes--
Saviour, teach us so to rise.

231. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

The Crucifixion of Christ.

1 Behold the Saviour on the cross,
A spectacle of woe!
See from his agonizing wounds
The blood incessant flow;

2 Till death's pale ensigns o'er his cheek
And trembling lips were spread;
Till light forsook his closing eyes,
And life his drooping head.

3 'Tis finished--the Messiah dies
For sins, but not his own;
The great redemption is complete,
And death is overthrown.

4 'Tis finished--ritual worship ends,
And Gospel ages run;
All old things now are past away,
A new world is begun.

232. L. M. Steele.

A Dying Saviour.

1 Stretched on the cross, the Saviour dies,
Hark! his expiring groans arise;
See, from his hands, his feet, his side,
Descends the sacred, crimson tide.

2 And didst thou bleed?--for sinners bleed?
And could the sun behold the deed?
No; he withdrew his cheering ray,
And darkness veiled the mourning day.

3 Can I survey this scene of woe,
Where mingling grief and mercy flow,
And yet my heart so hard remain,--
Unmoved by either love or pain!

4 Come, dearest Lord, thy grace impart,
To warm this cold, this stupid heart,
Till all its powers and passions move,
In melting grief and ardent love.

233. L. M. Stennett.

Christ Suffering on the Cross.

1 "'T is finished!"--so the Saviour cried,
And meekly bowed his head and died:
"'T is finished!"--yes, the race is run,
The battle fought, the victory won.

2 "'T is finished!"--all that heaven foretold
By prophets in the days of old;
And truths are opened to our view,
That kings and prophets never knew.

3 "'T is finished!"--Son of God, thy power
Hath triumphed in this awful hour;
And yet our eyes with sorrow see
That life to us was death to thee.

4 "'T is finished!"--let the joyful sound
Be heard through all the nations round;
"'Tis finished!"--let the triumph rise,
And swell the chorus of the skies.

234. L. M. Watts.

Christ's Death and Resurrection.

1 He dies! the Friend of sinners dies!
Lo, Salem's daughters weep around!
A solemn darkness veils the skies!
A sudden trembling shakes the ground!

2 Come, saints, and drop a tear or two
For him who groaned beneath your load!
He shed a thousand drops for you--
A thousand drops of richest blood!

3 Here's love and grief beyond degree;
The Lord of glory dies for men;--
But lo, what sudden joys we see!
Jesus, the dead, revives again!

4 The rising Lord forsakes the tomb--
The tomb in vain forbids his rise;
Cherubic legions guard him home,
And shout him welcome to the skies!

235. 7s. M. Gibbons.

Christ's Resurrection.

1 Angels, roll the rock away;
Death, yield up thy mighty prey;
See! he rises from the tomb,
Glowing with immortal bloom.

2 'T is the Saviour! Angels, raise
Fame's eternal trump of praise;
Let the earth's remotest bound
Hear the joy-inspiring sound.

3 Now, ye saints, lift up your eyes;
Now to glory see him rise
In long triumph up the sky--
Up to waiting worlds on high.

4 Praise him, all ye heavenly choirs,
Praise, and sweep your golden lyres;
Shout, O earth, in rapturous song;
Let the strains be sweet and strong.

5 Every note with wonder swell,--
And the Saviour's triumph tell;
Where, O death, is now thy sting?
Where thy terrors, vanquished king?

236. 7s. M. Collyer.

The Same.

1 Morning breaks upon the tomb!
Jesus dissipates its gloom!
Day of triumph through the skies,
See the glorious Saviour rise!

2 Christians, dry your flowing tears;
Chase those unbelieving fears;
Look on his deserted grave;
Doubt no more his power to save.

3 Ye who are of death afraid,
Triumph in the scattered shade;
Drive your anxious fears away;
See the place where Jesus lay.

4 So the rising sun appears,
Shedding radiance o'er the spheres;
So returning beams of light
Chase the terrors of the night.

237. C. M. Watts.

Ascension and Reign of Christ.

1 O for a shout of sacred joy
To God the sovereign King!
Let every land their tongues employ,
And hymns of triumph sing.

2 Jesus, our God, ascends on high;
His heavenly guards around
Attend him rising through the sky,
With trumpet's joyful sound.

3 While angels shout and praise their King,
Let mortals learn their strains;
Let all the earth his honors sing;
O'er all the earth he reigns.

4 Speak forth his praise with awe profound;
Let knowledge guide the song;
Nor mock him with a solemn sound
Upon a thoughtless tongue.

238. L. M. Watts.

Example of Christ.

1 My dear Redeemer, and my Lord,
I read my duty in thy word:
But in thy life the law appears,
Drawn out in living characters.

2 Such was thy truth, and such thy zeal,
Such deference to thy Father's will,
Such love, and meekness so divine,
I would transcribe, and make them mine.

3 Cold mountains, and the midnight air,
Witnessed the fervor of thy prayer,
The desert thy temptations knew,
Thy conflict, and thy victory, too.

4 Be thou my pattern; may I bear
More of thy gracious image here;
Then God, the Judge, shall own my name
Among the followers of the Lamb.

239. C. M. Enfield.

The Same.

1 Behold, where, in a mortal form,
Appears each grace divine;
The virtues, all in Jesus met,
With mildest radiance shine.

2 To spread the rays of heavenly light,
To give the mourner joy,
To preach glad tidings to the poor,
Was his divine employ.

3 'Midst keen reproach and cruel scorn,
Patient and meek he stood;
His foes, ungrateful, sought his life;
He labored for their good.

4 In the last hour of deep distress,
Before his Father's throne,
With soul resigned, he bowed, and said,
"Thy will, not mine, be done!"

5 Be Christ our pattern and our guide!
His image may we bear!
O, may we tread his holy steps,
His joy and glory share!

240. C. P. M. Medley.

Excellency of Christ.

1 O, could we speak the matchless worth,
O, could we sound the glories forth,
Which in our Saviour shine,
We'd soar, and touch the heavenly strings,
And vie with Gabriel, while he sings,
In notes almost divine.

2 We'd sing the characters he bears,
And all the forms of love he wears,
Exalted on his throne:
In loftiest songs of sweetest praise,
We would, to everlasting days,
Make all his glories known.

3 O, the delightful day will come,
When Christ our Lord will bring us home
And we shall see his face;
Then, with our Saviour, Brother, Friend,
A blest eternity we'll spend,
Triumphant in his grace.

241. L. M. Doddridge.

Christ's Submission to his Father's Will.

1 "Father divine," the Saviour cried,
While horrors pressed on every side,
And prostrate on the ground he lay,
"Remove this bitter cup away.

2 "But if these pangs must still be borne
Or helpless man be left forlorn,
I bow my soul before thy throne,
And say, Thy will, not mine, be done."

3 Thus our submissive souls would bow,
And, taught by Jesus, lie as low;
Our hearts, and not our lips alone,
Would say, Thy will, not ours, be done.

4 Then, though like him in dust we lie,
We'll view the blissful moment nigh,
Which, from our portion in his pains,
Calls to the joy in which he reigns.

242. L. M. Bache.

"Greater love hath no man than this."

1 "See how he loved!" exclaimed the Jews,
As tender tears from Jesus fell;
My grateful heart the thought pursues,
And on the theme delights to dwell.

2 See how he loved, who travelled on,
Teaching the doctrine from the skies;
Who bade disease and pain be gone,
And called the sleeping dead to rise.

3 See how he loved, who never shrank
From toil or danger, pain or death;
Who all the cup of sorrow drank,
And meekly yielded up his breath.

4 Such love can we unmoved survey?
O may our breasts with ardor glow,
To tread his steps, his laws obey,
And thus our warm affections show.

243. L. M. Anonymous.

"I am the Way, the Truth and the Life."

1 Thou art the Way--and he who sighs
Amid this starless waste of woe
To find a pathway to the skies,
A light from heaven's eternal glow--
By thee must come, thou Gate of love,
Through which the saints undoubting trod,
Till faith discovers, like the dove,
An ark, a resting-place in God.

2 Thou art the Truth--whose steady day
Shines on through earthly blight and bloom,
The pure, the everlasting ray,
The lamp that shines e'en in the tomb;
The light that out of darkness springs,
And guideth those that blindly go;
The word whose precious radiance flings
Its lustre upon all below.

3 Thou art the Life--the blessed well,
With living waters gushing o'er,
Which those that drink shall ever dwell
Where sin and thirst are known no more.
Thou art the mystic pillar given,
Our lamp by night, our light by day;
Thou art the sacred bread from heaven;
Thou art the Life--the Truth--the Way.

244. L. M. 6l. Urwick's Col.

Christ All and in All.

1 Jesus, thou source of calm repose,
All fulness dwells in thee divine;
Our strength, to quell the proudest foes;
Our light, in deepest gloom to shine;
Thou art our fortress, strength, and tower,
Our trust and portion, evermore.

2 Jesus, our Comforter thou art;
Our rest in toil, our ease in pain;
The balm to heal each broken heart,
In storms our peace, in loss our gain;
Our joy, beneath the worldling's frown;
In shame our glory and our crown;--

3 In want our plentiful supply;
In weakness, our almighty power;
In bonds, our perfect liberty;
Our refuge in temptation's hour;
Our comfort, 'midst all grief and thrall;
Our life in death; our all in all.

245. C. M. Beddome.

Christ the Resting-Place.

1 Jesus! delightful, charming name!
It spreads a fragrance round;
Justice and mercy, truth and peace,
In union here are found.

2 He is our life, our joy, our strength;
In him all glories meet;
He is a shade above our heads,
A light to guide our feet.

3 When storms arise and tempests blow,
He speaks the stilling word;
The threatening billows cease to flow,
The winds obey their Lord.

4 The thickest clouds are soon dispersed,
If Jesus shows his face;
To weary, heavy-laden souls
He is the resting-place.

246. C. M. Duncan.

The Spiritual Coronation.

1 All hail the power of Jesus' name!
Let angels prostrate fall;
Bring forth the royal diadem,
And crown him Lord of all.

2 Ye chosen seed of Israel's race,--
A remnant weak and small,--
Hail him, who saves you by his grace,
And crown him Lord of all.

3 Let every kindred, every tribe,
On this terrestrial ball,
To him all majesty ascribe,
And crown him Lord of all.

4 O, that, with yonder sacred throng,
We at his feet may fall;
We'll join the everlasting song,
And crown him Lord of all.

247. S. M. Doddridge.

Attraction of the Cross.

1 Behold th' amazing sight,
The Saviour lifted high!
Behold the Father's chief delight
Expire in agony!