Chapter XVIII: Introduction (18)

4 How such holy memories cluster,
Like the stars when storms are past;
Pointing up to that far heaven
We may hope to gain at last.

1205 8s & 7s.
Fleeting moments.

Faintly flow, thou falling river,
Like a dream that dies away;
Down to ocean gliding ever,
Keep thy calm, unruffled way:
Time with such a silent motion,
Floats along on wings of air,
To eternity’s dark ocean,
Burying all its treasure there.

2 Roses bloom and then they wither;
Cheeks are bright, then fade and die;
Shapes of light are wafted hither,
Then, like visions, hurry by:
Quick as clouds at evening driven
O’er the many-colored west,
Years are bearing us to heaven—
Home of happiness and rest.

1206 8s, 7s & 7s.
Sweet it is to trust in thee.

Through the day thy love hath spared us,
Wearied, we lie down to rest;
Through the silent watches guard us,
Let no foe our peace molest.
Father! thou our guardian be;
Sweet it is to trust in thee.

2 Wandering in the land of strangers,
Dwelling in the midst of foes,
Us and ours preserve from dangers:
In thy love we all repose.
Father! thou our guardian be;
Sweet it is to trust in thee.

1207 8s & 7s.
A child’s prayer.

Jesus, tender Shepherd, hear me;
Bless thy little lamb to-night:
Through the darkness be thou near me;
Keep me safe till morning light.

2 All this day thy hand has led me,
And I thank thee for thy care;
Thou hast clothed me, warmed me, fed me,
Listen to my evening prayer!

3 May my sins be all forgiven;
Bless the friends I love so well;
Take me, when I die, to heaven,
Happy there with thee to dwell.

1208 10s & 6s.
At peace with all the world, etc.

The day is ended. Ere I sink to sleep,
My weary spirit seeks repose in thine;
Father! forgive my trespasses, and keep
This little life of mine.

2 With loving kindness curtain thou my bed,
And cool in rest my burning pilgrim feet;
Thy pardon be the pillow for my head—
So shall my sleep be sweet.

3 At peace with all the world, dear Lord, and thee,
No fears my soul’s unwavering faith can shake;
All’s well, whichever side the grave for me
The morning light may break!

1209 10s & 4s.
I will sing of the mercies, etc.

Father supreme! thou high and holy One!
To thee we bow;
Now, when the burden of the day is gone,
Devoutly, now.

2 From age to age unchanging, still the same
All-good thou art;
Hallowed for ever be thy reverend name
In every heart!

3 When the glad morn upon the hills was spread,
Thy smile was there;
Now, as the darkness gathers overhead,
We feel thy care.

4 Night spreads her shade upon another day
For ever past;
So, o’er our faults, thy love, we humbly pray,
A vail may cast.

5 Silence and calm, o’er hearts by earth distrest,
Now sweetly steal;
So every fear that struggles in the breast
Shall faith conceal.

6 Thou, through the dark, wilt watch above our sleep
With eye of love;
And thou wilt wake us, when the sunbeams leap
The hills above.

7 O, may each heart its gratitude express
As life expands,
And find the triumph of its happiness
In thy commands!

1210 P. M.
Fading, still fading.

Fading, still fading, the last beam is shining;
Father in heaven! the day is declining;
Safety and innocence flee with the light,
Temptation and danger walk forth with the night;
From the fall of the shade till the morning bells chime,
Shield us from danger and keep us from crime!
Father! have mercy, thro’ Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!

2 Father in heaven! O, hear when we call,
Hear for Christ’s sake, who is Saviour of all!
Feeble and fainting, we trust in thy might;
In doubting and darkness, thy love be our light!
Let us sleep on thy breast while the night taper burns,
Wake in thy arms when morning returns.
Father! have mercy, thro’ Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!

YOUTH AND AGE.

1211 C. M.
By cool Siloam’s shady rill.

By cool Siloam’s shady rill
How fair the lily grows!
How sweet the breath, beneath the hill,
Of Sharon’s dewy rose!

2 Lo! such the child, whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod,
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Is upward drawn to God.

3 By cool Siloam’s shady rill
The lily must decay;
The rose that blooms beneath the hill,
Must shortly fade away.

4 And soon, too soon, the wintry hour
Of man’s maturer age,
Will shake the soul with sorrow’s power,
And stormy passions rage.

5 O, thou who givest life and breath,
We seek thy grace alone,
In childhood, manhood, age and death,
To keep us still thine own.

1212 C. M.
A child’ sprayer.

Dear Jesus! ever at my side,
How loving must thou be,
To leave thy home in heaven, to guard
A little child like me.

2 Thy beautiful and shining face
I see not, though so near;
The sweetness of thy soft low voice
I am too deaf to hear.

3 I can not feel thee touch my hand
With pressure light and mild,
To check me, as my mother did
When I was but a child.

4 But I have felt thee in my thoughts,
Fighting with sin for me;
And when my heart loves God, I know
The sweetness is from thee.

5 And when, dear Saviour! I kneel down,
Morning and night, to prayer,
Something there is within my heart
Which tells me thou art there.

6 Yes! when I pray, thou prayest too—
Thy prayer is all for me;
But when I sleep, thou sleepest not,
But watchest patiently.

1213 C. M.
Out of the mouth of babes.
Psalm 8:2.

Come, let us join the hosts above,
Now in our youngest days,
Remember our Creator’s love,
And lisp our Father’s praise.

2 His majesty will not despise
The day of feeble things;
Grateful the songs of children rise,
And please the King of kings.

3 He loves to be remembered thus,
And honored for his grace;
Out of the mouth of babes likes us,
His wisdom perfects praise.

4 Glory to God, and praise, and power,
Honor and thanks be given!
Children and cherubim adore
The Lord of earth and heaven.

1214 C. M.
Lead us not into temptation.
Matt. 6:13.

While in the slippery paths of youth,
I run secure and free!
O let thy blesséd word of truth,
My guide and counsel be.

2 If near the tempter’s wily snare
In heedlessness I tread;
O be thy kind protecting care,
To save me overspread.

3 Thus o’er my life let mercy move,
And guide my feet the way
That leads me to thy throne above—
To everlasting day.

1215 C. M. D.
Remember thy Creator, etc.
Eccl. 12:1.

Ye joyous ones, upon whose brow
The light of youth is shed,
O’er whose glad path life’s early flowers
In glowing beauty spread;
Forget not him whose love hath poured
Around that golden light,
And tinged those opening buds of hope
With hues so softly bright.

2 Thou tempted one, just entering
Upon enchanted ground,
Ten thousand snares are spread for thee,
Ten thousand foes surround:
A dark and a deceitful band,
Upon thy path they lower;
Trust not thine own unaided strength
To save thee from their power.

3 Thou whose yet bright and joyous eye
May soon be dimmed with tears,
To whom the hours of bitterness
Must come in coming years;
Teach early thy confiding eye
To pierce the cloudy screen,
To look above the storms, where all
Is holy and serene.

1216 C. M.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom.
Prov. 3:13.

O happy is the man who hears
Instruction’s warning voice;
And who celestial wisdom makes
His early, only choice.

2 For she has treasure greater far
Than east or west unfold,
And her reward is more secure
Than all the gain of gold.

3 In her right hand she holds to view
A length of happy years;
And in her left the prize of fame
And honor bright appears.

4 She guides our youth with innocence
In pleasure’s path to tread;
A crown of glory she bestows
Upon the hoary head.

5 According as her labors rise,
So her rewards increase;
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

1217 S. M.
The Child Jesus.
Luke 2:27.

Hail, gracious, heavenly Prince!
To thee let children fly:
And on thy kindest providence,
O may we all rely.

2 Jesus will take the young
Beneath his special care;
And he will keep their youthful days
From every woe and snare.

3 He knows their tender frame,
Nor will their youth contemn;
For he a little child became,
To love and pity them.

4 Nor does he now forget
His youthful days on earth:
Nor would we ever cease our praise
For the Redeemer’s birth.

1218 8s & 7s.
From my youth up.
Matt. 19:20.

Lord, a little band, and lowly,
We are come to sing to thee;
Thou art great, and high, and holy,
O how solemn should we be!

2 Fill our hearts with thoughts of Jesus,
And of heaven, where he is gone;
And let nothing ever please us
He would grieve to look upon.

3 For we know the Lord of glory
Always sees what children do,
And is writing now the story
Of our thoughts and actions too.

4 Let our sins be all forgiven;
Make us fear whate’er is wrong;
Lead us on our way to heaven,
There to sing a nobler song.

1219 8s & 7s.
Give me thy heart.

Take my heart, O Father! mold it
In obedience to thy will;
And as ripening years unfold it,
Keep it true and childlike still.

2 Father, keep it pure and lowly,
Strong and brave, yet free from strife,
Turning from the paths unholy
Of a vain or sinful life.

3 Ever let thy might surround it;
Strengthen it with power divine;
Till thy cords of love have bound it,
Father, wholly unto thine.

1220 11s & 8s.
I think when I read that sweet story, etc.

I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.
I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
That his arm had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said,
“Let the little ones come unto me.”

2 Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go,
And ask for a share in his love;
And if I thus earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above—
In that beautiful place he is gone to prepare
For all who are washed and forgiven;
And many dear children are gathering there—
“For of such is the kingdom of heaven.”

3 But thousands and thousands who wander and fall,
Never heard of that heavenly home;
I should like them to know there is room for them all,
And that Jesus has bid them to come;
I long for the joy of that glorious time,
The sweetest, and brightest, and best,
When the dear little children of every clime
Shall crowd to his arms and be blessed.

1221 L. M. 6 lines.
Thy sun shall no more go down.
Isaiah 50:20.

At evening time, when day is done,
Life’s little day is near its close,
And all the glare and heat are gone,
And gentle dews foretell repose—
To crown my faith before the night,
At evening time let there be light.

2 At evening time when labor’s past,
Though storms and toils have marred my day,
Mercy has tempered every blast,
And love and hope have cheered the way:
Now let the parting hour be bright;
At evening time let there be light.

3 God doth send light at evening time,
And bid the fears, the doubtings, flee.
I trust his promises sublime;
His glory now is risen on me;
His full salvation is in sight;
At evening time there now is light.

1222 C. M. D.
At evening there shall be light.
Zech. 14:7.

Our pathway oft is wet with tears,
Our sky with clouds o’ercast,
And worldly cares and worldly fears
Go with us to the last;—
Not to the last! God’s word hath said,
Could we but read aright:
O pilgrim! lift in hope thy head—
At eve it shall be light!

2 Though earth-born shadows now may shroud
Our toilsome path awhile,
God’s blesséd word can part each cloud,
And bid the sunshine smile.
If we but trust in living faith,
His love and power divine,
Then, though our sun may set in death,
His light shall round us shine.

3 When tempest-clouds are dark on high,
His bow of love and peace
Shines beauteous in the vaulted sky—
A pledge that storms shall cease.
Then keep we on with hope unchilled,
By faith and not by sight,
And we shall own his word fulfilled—
At eve it shall be light.

1223 C. M.
When I am old—forsake me not.
Psalm 71:18.

God of my childhood and my youth,
The Guide of all my days,
I have declared thy heavenly truth,
And told thy wondrous ways.

2 Wilt thou forsake my hoary hairs,
And leave my fainting heart?
Who shall sustain my sinking years,
If God, my strength, depart?

3 Let me thy power and truth proclaim
To the surviving age,
And leave a savor of thy name
When I shall quit the stage.

4 The land of silence and of death
Attends my next remove;
O, may these poor remains of breath
Teach the wide world thy love.

1224 C. H. M.
Watch and pray.

Go watch and pray; thou canst not tell
How near thine hour may be;
Thou canst not know how soon the bell
May toll its notes for thee:
Death’s countless snares beset thy way;
Frail child of dust, go watch and pray.

2 Fond youth, while free from blighting care,
Does thy firm pulse beat high?
Do hope’s glad visions, bright and fair,
Dilate before thine eye?
Soon these must change, must pass away;
Frail child of dust, go watch and pray.

3 Thou aged man, life’s wintry storm
Hath seared thy vernal bloom;
With trembling limbs, and wasting form,
Thou’rt bending o’er thy tomb;
And can vain hope lead thee astray?
Go, weary pilgrim, watch and pray.

4 Ambition, stop thy panting breath:
Pride, sink thy lifted eye!
Behold the caverns, dark with death,
Before you open lie:
The heavenly warning now obey;
Ye sons of pride, go watch and pray.

1225 C. P. M.
Thou art my trust from my youth.
Psalm 71:5.

Thy mercy heard my infant prayer,
Thy love, with all a mother’s care,
Sustained my childish days;
Thy goodness watched my ripening youth,
And formed my heart to love thy truth,
And filled my lips with praise.

2 Then e’en in age and grief, thy name
Shall still my languid heart inflame,
And bow my faltering knee:
O! yet this bosom feels the fire,
This trembling hand and drooping lyre
Have yet a strain for thee!

3 Yes! broken, tuneless, still, O Lord,
This voice transported shall record
Thy goodness, tried so long;
Till, sinking slow, with calm decay,
Its feeble murmurs melt away
Into a seraph’s song.

1226 8s & 7s.
Only waiting.

Only waiting till the shadows
Are a little longer grown;
Only waiting till the glimmer
Of the day’s last beam is flown;
Till the night of earth is faded
From the heart once full of day;
Till the stars of heaven are breaking
Through the twilight soft and gray.

2 Only waiting till the reapers
Have the last sheaf gathered home;
For the summer time is faded,
And the autumn winds have come.
Quickly, reapers, gather quickly
The last ripe hours of my heart,
For the bloom of life is withered,
And I hasten to depart.

3 Only waiting till the shadows
Are a little longer grown;
Only waiting till the glimmer
Of the day’s last beam is flown;
Then, from out the gathered darkness,
Holy, deathless stars shall rise,
By whose light my soul shall gladly
Tread its pathway to the skies.

1227 10s.
Abide with me.

Abide with me! fast falls the eventide;
The darkness thickens; Lord! with me abide!
When other helpers fail, and comforts flee,
Help of the helpless! O abide with me!

2 Swift to its close ebbs out life’s little day;
Earth’s joys grow dim, its glories pass away;
Change and decay in all around I see;
O thou who changest not! abide with me.

3 I need thy presence every passing hour;
What but thy grace can foil the tempter’s power?
Who like thyself my guide and stay can be?
Through cloud and sunshine, O abide with me!

4 Hold thou thy cross before my closing eyes;
Shine through the gloom, and point me to the skies;
Heaven’s morning breaks, and earth’s vain shadows flee;
In life, in death, O Lord! abide with me.

1228 11s & 10s.
Come unto me.

Come unto me, when shadows darkly gather,
When the sad heart is weary and distrest,
Seeking for comfort from your heavenly Father,
Come unto me, and I will give you rest!

2 Ye who have mourned when the spring flowers were taken,
When the ripe fruit fell richly to the ground,
When the loved slept, in brighter homes to waken,
Where their pale brows with spirit-wreaths are crowned.

3 Large are the mansions in thy Father’s dwelling,
Glad are the homes that sorrows never dim;
Sweet are the harps in holy music swelling,
Soft are the tones which raise the heavenly hymn.

4 There, like an Eden, blossoming in gladness,
Bloom the fair flowers the earth too rudely pressed;
Come unto me, all ye who droop in sadness,
Come unto me, and I will give you rest.

1229 8s & 7s.
For old age.

Gracious Source of every blessing!
Guard our breast from anxious fears;
Let us, each thy care possessing,
Sink into the vale of years.

2 All our hopes on thee reclining,
Peace companion of our way,
May our sun, in smiles declining,
Rise in everlasting day.

TIMES AND SEASONS—SEED-TIME AND HARVEST.

1230 L. M.
Seed-time and harvest.

Eternal Source of every joy,
Well may thy praise our lips employ,
While in thy temple we appear,
Whose goodness crowns the circling year.

2 The flowery spring at thy command
Embalms the air and paints the land;
The summer rays with vigor shine,
To raise the corn and cheer the vine.

3 Thy hand in autumn richly pours
Through all our coasts redundant stores,
And winters, softened by thy care,
No more a face of horror wear.

4 Seasons and months, and weeks and days,
Demand successive songs of praise;
Still be the cheerful homage paid
With opening light and evening shade!

5 O! may our more harmonious tongues
In worlds unknown pursue the songs;
And in those brighter courts adore,
Where days and years revolve no more!

1231 C. M.
Psalm 147.

With songs and honors sounding loud,
Address the Lord on high;
Over the heaven’s he spreads his cloud,
And waters vail the sky.

2 He sends his showers of blessings down
To cheer the plains below;
He makes the grass the mountains crown,
And corn in valleys grow.

3 His steady counsels change the face
Of the declining year;
He bids the sun cut short his race,
And wintery days appear.

4 His hoary frost, his fleecy snow,
Descend and clothe the ground;
The liquid streams forbear to flow,
In icy fetters bound.

5 He sends his word, and melts the snow,
The fields no longer mourn;
He calls the warmer gales to blow,
And bids the spring return.

6 The changing wind, the flying cloud,
Obey his mighty word;
With songs and honors sounding loud,
Praise ye the sovereign Lord.

1232 C. M.
Thou crownest the year with thy goodness.
Psalm 65:3.

Fountain of life, and God of love!
How rich thy bounties are!
The rolling seasons, as they move,
Proclaim thy constant care.

2 When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.

3 The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was thine,
Its mild, refreshing showers;
Thou gavest the ripening suns to shine,
And summer’s golden hours.

4 Thy quickening life, for ever near,
Matured the swelling grain;
The bounteous harvest crowns the year,
And plenty fills the plain.

5 With thankful hearts we trace thy way
Through all our smiling vales;
Thou, by whose love, nor night nor day,
Seed-time nor harvest, fails!

1233 S. M.
Psalm 126:6.

The harvest dawn is near,
The year delays not long;
And he who sows with many a tear,
Shall reap with many a song.

2 Sad to his toil he goes,
His seed with weeping leaves;
But he shall come, at twilight’s close,
And bring his golden sheaves.

1234 6s & 4s.
The God of harvest praise.

The God of harvest praise;
In loud thanksgiving raise
Hand, heart and voice;
The valleys smile and sing,
Forests and mountains ring,
The plains their tribute bring,
The streams rejoice.

2 Yea, bless his holy name,
And purest thanks proclaim
Through all the earth;
To glory in your lot
Is duty—but be not
God’s benefits forgot,
Amidst your mirth.

3 The God of harvest praise;
Hands, hearts, and voices raise,
With sweet accord:
From field to garner throng,
Bearing your sheaves along,
And in your harvest song,
Bless ye the Lord.

1235 7s, 6 lines.
The little hills rejoice on every side.
Psalm 65:12.

Praise, and thanks, and cheerful love,
Rise from everything below,
To the mighty One above,
Who his wondrous love doth show:
Praise him, each created thing!
God, your Maker; God of spring!

2 Praise him, trees so lately bare;
Praise him, fresh and new-born flowers;
All ye creatures of the air,
All ye soft-descending showers,
Praise, with each awakening thing,
God, your Maker; God of spring!

3 Praise him, man!—thy fitful heart
Let this balmy season move
To employ its noblest part,
Gentlest mercy, sweetest love;
Blessing, with each living thing,
God, your Father; God of spring!

1236 7s, double.
Harvest-Home.

Come, ye thankful people, come,
Raise the song of Harvest-home!
All is safely gathered in,
Ere the winter-storms begin;
God, our Maker, doth provide
For our wants to be supplied;
Come to God’s own temple, come,
Raise the song of Harvest-home!

2 We ourselves are God’s own field,
Fruit unto his praise to yield;
Wheat and tares together sown,
Unto joy our sorrow grown:
First the blade, and then the ear,
Then the full corn shall appear:
Lord of harvest, grant that we
Wholesome grain and pure may be!

3 For the Lord our God shall come,
And shall take his harvest home!
From his field shall purge away
All that doth offend, that day;
Give his angels charge at last
In the fires the tares to cast,
But the fruitful ears to store
In his garner evermore.

4 Then, thou Church triumphant, come,
Raise the song of Harvest-home!
All are safely gathered in,
Free from sorrow, free from sin;
There for ever, purified,
In God’s garner to abide;
Come, ten thousand angels, come,
Raise the glorious Harvest-home!

1237 8s & 4s.
Thy paths drop fatness.
Psalm 65:11.

Lord of the harvest! thee we hail;
Thine ancient promise doth not fail;
The varying seasons haste their round,
With goodness all our years are crowned;
Our thanks we pay
This holy day;
O let our hearts in tune be found!

2 If spring doth wake the song of mirth;
If summer warms the fruitful earth;
When winter sweeps the naked plain,
Or autumn yields its ripened grain;
Still do we sing
To thee, our King;
Through all their changes thou dost reign.

3 But chiefly when thy liberal hand
Scatters new plenty o’er the land,
When sounds of music fill the air,
As homeward all their treasures bear;
We too will raise
Our hymn of praise,
For we thy common bounties share.

4 Lord of the harvest! all is thine!
The rains that fall, the suns that shine,
The seed once hidden in the ground,
The skill that makes our fruits abound!
New, every year,
The gifts appear;
New praises from our lips shall sound!

1238 13s & 14s.
All thy works praise thee.
Psalm 145:10.

When spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil,
When summer’s balmy showers refresh the mower’s toil;
When winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and the flood,
In God the earth rejoiceth still, and owns his Maker good.

2 The birds that wake the morning, and those that love the shade;
The winds that sweep the mountain, or lull the drowsy glade;
The sun that from his amber bower rejoiceth on his way,
The moon and stars their Maker’s name in silent pomp display.

3 Shall man, the lord of nature, expectant of the sky—
Shall man, alone unthankful, his little praise deny!
No, let the year forsake his course, the seasons cease to be,
Thee, Father, must we always love—Creator! honor thee.

4 The flowers of spring may wither, the hope of summer fade,
The autumn droop in winter, the bird forsake the shade;
The winds be lulled—the sun and moon forget their old decree;
But we, in nature’s latest hour, Lord, will cling to thee!

OLD AND NEW YEAR.

1239 L. M.
The opening year.

Great God, we sing that mighty hand
By which supported still we stand:
The opening year thy mercy shows;
Thy mercy crown it till it close!

2 By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still we are guarded by our God;
By his incessant bounty fed,
By his unerring counsel led.

3 With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future, all to us unknown,
We to thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before thy feet.

4 In scenes exalted or depressed,
Be thou our joy, and thou our rest:
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored through all our changing days.

1240 C. M.
Psalm 90:12.

And now, my soul, another year
Of thy short life is past;
I can not long continue here,
And this may be my last.

2 Much of my hasty life is gone,
Nor will return again:
And swift my passing moments run,
The few that yet remain.

3 Awake, my soul; with utmost care
Thy true condition learn;
What are thy hopes? how sure? how fair?
What is thy great concern?

4 Behold, another year begins;
Set out afresh for heaven;
Seek pardon for thy former sins,
In Christ so freely given.

5 Devoutly yield thyself to God,
And on his grace depend;
With zeal pursue the heavenly road,
Nor doubt a happy end.

1241 S. M.
Thou hast made my days, etc.
Psalm 39:5.

My few revolving years,
How swift they glide away!
How short the term of life appears,
When past—but as a day.

2 Lord, through another year,
If thou permit my stay,
With watchful care may I pursue
The true and living way.

1242 5s & 12s.
Come let us anew.

Come let us anew
Our journey pursue—
Roll round with the year,
And never stand still till the Master appear;
His adorable will
Let us gladly fulfill,
And our talents improve
By the patience of hope, and the labor of love.

2 Our life is a dream;
Our time, as a stream,
Glides swiftly away,
And the fugitive moment refuses to stay:
The arrow is flown;
The moment is gone;
The millennial year
Rushes on to our view, and eternity’s near.

3 O that each in the day
Of his coming, may say,
“I have fought my way through;
I have finished the work thou didst give me to do;”
O that each from his Lord,
May receive the glad word,
“Well and faithfully done;
Enter into my joy, and sit down on my throne.”

1243 7s.
All below is but a dream.

While with ceaseless course the sun
Hasted through the former year,
Many souls their race have run,
Never more to meet us here.
Fixed in an eternal state,
They have done with all below,
We a little longer wait,
But how little, none can know.

2 As the wingéd arrow flies
Speedily the mark to find;
As the lightning from the skies
Darts, and leaves no trace behind—
Swiftly thus our fleeting days
Bear us down life’s rapid stream;
Upward, Lord, our spirits raise,
All below is but a dream.

3 Thanks for mercies past receive,
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us henceforth how to live,
With eternity in view;
Bless thy word to old and young,
Fill us with a Saviour’s love;
When our life’s short race is run,
May we dwell with thee above.

1244 7s.
The way of man is not in himself.
Jer. 10:23.

For thy mercy and thy grace,
Faithful through another year,
Hear our song of thankfulness,
Father, and Redeemer, hear!

2 In our weakness and distress,
Rock of strength! be thou our stay!
In the pathless wilderness
Be our true and living way!

3 Who of us death’s awful road
In the coming year shall tread?
With thy rod and staff, O God!
Comfort thou his dying head!

4 Keep us faithful, keep us pure,
Keep us evermore thine own!
Help, O help us to endure!
Fit us for the promised crown!

5 So, within thy palace gate,
We shall praise, on golden strings,
Thee, the only Potentate,
Lord of lords, and King of kings!

THANKSGIVING.

1245 L. M.
Praise for national blessings.

Almighty Sovereign of the skies,
To thee let songs of gladness rise,
Each grateful heart its tribute bring,
And every voice thy goodness sing.

2 From thee our choicest blessings flow,
Life, health and strength, thy hands bestow;
The daily good thy creatures share,
Springs from thy providential care.

3 The rich profusion nature yields,
The harvest waving o’er the fields,
The cheering light, refreshing shower,
Are gifts from thy exhaustless store.

4 At thy command the vernal bloom
Revives the world from winter’s gloom;
The summer’s heat the fruit matures,
And autumn all her treasures pours.

5 From thee proceed domestic ties,
Connubial bliss, parental joys;
On thy support the nations stand,
Obedient to thy high command.

6 Let every power of heart and tongue
Unite to swell the grateful song;
While age and youth in chorus join,
And praise the Majesty divine.

1246 L. M.
Offer unto God thanksgiving.
Psalm 50:14.

Thanks be to him who built the hills;
Thanks be to him the streams who fills;
Thanks be to him who lights each star
That sparkles in the blue afar.

2 Thanks be to him who makes the morn,
And bids it glow with beams new-born;
Who draws the shadows of the night,
Like curtains, o’er our wearied sight.

3 Thanks be to him who sheds abroad,
Within our hearts, the love of God—
The spirit of all truth and peace,
Fountain of joy and holiness.

1247 7s.
Praise for deliverance and peace.

Peace! the welcome sound proclaim;
Dwell with rapture on the theme;
Loud, still louder swell the strain;
Peace on earth, good-will to men!

2 Breezes! whispering soft and low,
Gently murmur as ye blow,
Now, when war and discord cease,
Praises to the God of peace.

3 Ocean’s billows, far and wide
Rolling in majestic pride!
Loud, still louder swell the strain;
Peace on earth! good-will to men.

4 Vocal songsters of the grove,
Sweetly chant in notes of love,
Now, when war and discord cease,
Praises to the God of peace.

5 Mortals, who these blessings feel!
Christians, who before him kneel!
Loud, still louder swell the strain;
Peace on earth, good-will to men!

1248 P. M.
Magnify him with thanksgiving.
Psalm 69:30.

Let every heart rejoice and sing;
Let choral anthems rise;
Ye reverend men, and children, bring
To God your sacrifice;
For he is good—the Lord is good,
And kind are all his ways;
With songs and honors sounding loud,
The Lord Jehovah praise;
While the rocks and the rills,
While the vales and the hills,
A glorious anthem raise,
Let each prolong the grateful song,
And the God of our fathers praise.

2 He bids the sun to rise and set;
In heaven his power is known;
And earth, subdued to him, shall yet
Bow low before his throne;
For he is good—the Lord is good,
And kind are all his ways, etc.

1249 7s.
The memory of thy great goodness.
Psalm 145:7.

Praise to God, immortal praise,
For the love that crowns our days!
Bounteous source of every joy,
Let thy praise our tongues employ.

2 For the blessings of the field,
For the stores the gardens yield;
For the vine’s exalted juice,
For the generous olive’s use:

3 Flocks that whiten all the plain;
Yellow sheaves of ripened grain;
Clouds that drop their fattening dews;
Suns that temperate warmth diffuse:

4 All that Spring with bounteous hand
Scatters o’er the smiling land;
All that liberal Autumn pours
From her rich o’erflowing stores:

5 These to thee, my God, we owe,
Source whence all our blessings flow;
And for these my soul shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise.

1250 6s & 4s.
He shall bless thee in the land.
Deut. 28:8.

God bless our native land!
Firm may she ever stand
Through storm and night;
When the wild tempests rave,
Ruler of wind and wave,
Do thou our country save
By thy great might.

2 For her our prayer shall rise
To God, above the skies;
On him we wait:
Thou who art ever nigh,
Guarding with watchful eye,
To thee aloud we cry,
God save the State!

1251 6s & 4s.
National hymn.

My country! ’tis of thee,
Sweet land of liberty,
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died;
Land of the pilgrim’s pride;
From every mountain-side
Let freedom ring.

2 My native country! thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills,
Like that above.

3 Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet freedom’s song;
Let mortal tongues awake,
Let all that breathes partake,
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

4 Our father’s God! to thee,
Author of liberty!
To thee we sing;
Long may our land be bright
With freedom’s holy light;
Protect us by thy might,
Great God, our King.

1252 8s & 7s.
Psalm 148.

Praise the Lord! ye heavens, adore him;
Praise him, angels in the hight;
Sun and moon, rejoice before him;
Praise him, all ye stars of light!

2 Praise the Lord—for he hath spoken;
Worlds his mighty voice obeyed;
Laws which never shall be broken,
For their guidance he hath made.

3 Praise the Lord—for he is glorious;
Never shall his promise fail;
God hath made his saints victorious,
Sin and death shall not prevail.

4 Praise the God of our salvation;
Hosts on high his power proclaim;
Heaven and earth, and all creation,
Laud and magnify his name!
Hallelujah, Amen.

1253 8s & 7s.
Anniversary hymn.

God of mercy, do thou never
From our offering turn away,
But command a blessing ever
On the memory of this day.

2 Light and peace do thou ordain it;
O’er it be no shadow flung;
Let no deadly darkness stain it,
And no clouds be o’er it hung.

3 May the song this people raises,
And its vows to thee addressed,
Mingle with the prayers and praises
That thou hearest from the blest.

4 When the lips are cold that sing thee,
And the hearts that love thee, dust,
Father, then our souls shall bring thee
Holier love and firmer trust.

FASTS.

1254 L. M.
National judgments deprecated.

While o’er our guilty land, O Lord,
We view the terrors of thy sword;
O! whither shall the helpless fly;
To whom but thee direct their cry?

2 The helpless sinner’s cries and tears
Are grown familiar to thy ears;
Oft has thy mercy sent relief,
When all was fear and hopeless grief.

3 On thee, our guardian God, we call;
Before thy throne of grace we fall;
And is there no deliverance there,
And must we perish in despair?

4 See, we repent, we weep, we mourn,
To our forsaken God we turn;
O spare our guilty country, spare
The church which thou hast planted here.

5 We plead thy grace, indulgent God;
We plead thy Son’s atoning blood;
We plead thy gracious promises;
And are they unavailing pleas?

6 These pleas, presented at thy throne,
Have brought ten thousand blessings down
On guilty lands in helpless woe;
Let them prevail to save us too.

1255 L. M.
Public humiliation.

Great Maker of unnumbered worlds,
And whom unnumbered worlds adore,
Whose goodness all thy creatures share,
While nature trembles at thy power,—

2 Thine is the hand that moves the spheres,
That wakes the wind, and lifts the sea;
And man who moves, the lord of earth,
Acts but the part assigned by thee.

3 While suppliant crowds implore thy aid,
To thee we raise the humble cry;
Thy altar is the contrite heart,
Thy incense, the repentant sigh.

4 O may our land, in this her hour,
Confess thy hand and bless the rod,
By penitence make thee her Friend,
And find in thee a guardian God.

1256 L. M.
Confession and prayer.

O may the power which melts the rock,
Be felt by all assembled here!
Or else our service will but mock
The God whom we profess to fear.

2 Lord, while thy judgments shake the land,
Thy people’s eyes are fixed on thee!
We own thy just, uplifted hand,
Which thousands can not, will not see.

3 How long hast thou bestowed thy care
On this indulged, ungrateful spot;
While other nations, far and near,
Have envied and admired our lot.

4 Here peace and liberty have dwelt,
The glorious gospel brightly shone;
And oft our enemies have felt
That God has made our cause his own.

5 But, ah! both heaven and earth have heard
Our vile requital of his love!
We, whom like children he has reared,
Against his goodness rebels prove.

6 His grace despised, his power defied,
And legions of the blackest crimes,
Profaneness, riot, lust and pride,
Are signs that mark the present times.

7 The Lord, displeased, hath raised his rod;
Ah, where are now the faithful few,
Who tremble for the ark of God,
And know what Israel ought to do?

8 Lord, hear thy people everywhere,
Who meet to mourn, confess and pray;
The nation and thy churches spare,
And let thy wrath be turned away.

1257 L. P. M.
For all that are in authority.
1 Tim. 2:2.

Lord! thou hast bid thy people pray
For all who bear the sovereign sway,
And as thy servants rule and reign;
Ordained by thee, these ruling powers;
Behold! in faith we pray for ours;
Nor let us for them pray in vain.

2 Our rulers with thy favor bless;
’Stablish their seats in righteousness,
Let wisdom ever hold the helm;
The counsels of our senates guide;
Let justice in our courts preside;
Rule thou! and guard our widespread realm.

1258 L. M.
He maketh wars to cease.
Psalm 46:9.

O God of love! O King of peace!
Make wars throughout the world to cease;
The wrath of sinful man restrain;
Give peace, O God! give peace again.

2 Remember, Lord! thy works of old,
The wonders that our father’s told,
Remember not our sins’ dark stain;
Give peace, O God! give peace again.

3 Whom shall we trust but thee, O Lord!
Where rest but on thy faithful word?
None ever called on thee in vain;
Give peace, O God! give peace again.

4 Where saints and angels dwell above,
All hearts are knit in holy love;
O bind us in that heavenly chain;
Give peace, O God! give peace again.

1259 L. P. M.
Be instructed ye judges of the earth.
Psalm 2:10.

Judges, who rule the world by laws,
Will ye despise the righteous cause,
When the oppressed before you stands?
Dare ye condemn the righteous poor,
And let rich sinners go secure,
While gold and greatness bribe your hands?

2 Have ye forgot, or never knew,
That God will judge the judges, too?
High in the heavens his justice reigns;
Yet you invade the rights of God,
And send your bold decrees abroad,
To bind the conscience in your chains!

3 The Almighty thunders from the sky—
Their grandeur melts, their titles die—
They perish like dissolving frost;
As empty chaff, when whirlwinds rise,
Before the sweeping tempest flies,
So shall their hopes and names be lost.

4 Thus shall the vengeance of the Lord
Safety and joy to saints afford;
And all that hear shall join and say—
“Sure there’s a God that rules on high,
A God that hears his children cry,
And will their sufferings well repay.”

1260 L. M. 6 lines.
Let the wickedness of the wicked, etc.
Psalm 7:9.

Our earth we now lament to see
With floods of wickedness o’erflowed,
With violence, wrong, and cruelty,
One wide-extended field of blood,
Where men like fiends each other tear
In all the hellish rage of war.

2 O might the universal Friend
This havoc of his creatures see;
Bid our unnatural discord end,
Declare us reconciled in thee;
Write kindness on our inward parts,
And chase the murderer from our hearts!

1261 C. M.
During a pestilence.

Let the land mourn through all its coasts!
And humble all its state;
Princes and rulers, at their posts,
Awhile sit desolate.

2 Let all the people, high and low,
Rich, poor, and great and small,
Invoke, in fellowship of woe,
The Maker of them all.

3 For God hath summoned from his place,
Death, in a direr form,
To waken, warn, and scourge our race,
Than earthquakes, fire, or storm.

4 Let churches weep within their pale,
And families apart;
Let each in secrecy bewail
The plague of his own heart.

5 So while the land bemoans its sin,
The pestilence may cease,
And mercy, tempering wrath, bring in
God’s blesséd health and peace.

1262 C. M.
He is a God that judgeth in the earth.
Psalm 58:11.

Lord, Lord, defend the desolate,
And rescue from the hands
Of wicked men the low estate,
Of him that help demands.

2 Visit the weak and fatherless,
Defend the poor man’s cause,
And raise the man in deep distress
By just and equal laws.

3 Yea, Lord, judge thou the world in might,
The wrongs of earth redress;
For thou art he who shall by right,
The nations all possess.

1263 C. M.
Turn us again, O God of hosts.
Psalm 80:7.

See, gracious God, before thy throne
Thy mourning people bend;
’Tis on thy sovereign grace alone
Our humble hopes depend.

2 Dark, frowning judgments from thy hand,
Thy dreadful powers display;
Yet mercy spares this guilty land,
And still we live to pray.

3 O, turn us, turn us, mighty Lord,
By thy convincing grace;
Then shall our hearts obey thy word,
And humbly seek thy face.

1264 C. M.
The Lord reigneth, let the people tremble.
Psalm 99:1.

High as the heavens above the ground,
Reigns the Creator, God:
Wide as the whole creation’s bound,
Extends his awful rod.

2 Let princes of exalted state,
To him ascribe their crown,
Render their homage at his feet,
And cast their glories down.

3 Know that his kingdom is supreme,
Your lofty thoughts are vain;
He calls you gods, that awful name,
But ye must die like men.

4 Then let the sovereigns of the globe,
Not dare to vex the Just;
He puts on vengeance like a robe,
And treads the worms to dust.

5 Ye judges of the earth, be wise,
And think of heaven with fear;
The meanest saint that you despise
Has an avenger there.

1265 C. M.
Our land.

Lord, while for all mankind we pray,
Of every clime and coast,
O hear us for our native land—
The land we love the most.

2 O guard our shores from every foe,
With peace our borders bless,
With prosperous times our cities crown,
Our fields with plenteousness.

3 Unite us in the sacred love
Of knowledge, truth, and thee;
And let our hills and valleys shout
The songs of liberty.

4 Lord of the nations, thus to thee
Our country we commend;
Be thou her refuge and her trust,
Her everlasting friend.

1266 C. M.
Gen. 18:23.

Thus Abraham, full of sacred awe,
Before Jehovah stood,
And with a humble, fervent prayer,
For guilty Sodom sued.

2 And could a single holy soul
So rich a boon obtain?
Great God! and shall a nation pray,
And plead with thee in vain?

3 Still we are thine; we bear thy name;
Here yet is thine abode;
Long has thy presence blessed our land;
Forsake us not, O God!

MISSIONARY ASSEMBLIES.

1267 L. M.
All the ends of the world.
Psalm 22:27.

Come from the east, with gifts, ye kings!
With gold, and frankincense, and myrrh;
Where’er the morning spreads her wings,
Let man to God his vows prefer.

2 Come from the west! the bond, the free;
His easy service make your choice;
Ye isles of the Pacific sea,
Like halcyon nests, in God rejoice.

3 Come from the south! through the desert sands
A highway for the Lord prepare;
Let Ethiopia stretch her hands,
And Libya pour her soul in prayer.

4 Come from the north! let Europe raise
In all her languages one song;
Give God the glory, power, and praise,
That to his holy name belong.

1268 L. M.
Isaiah 51:9.

Arm of the Lord, awake! awake!
Put on thy strength, the nations shake,
And let the world, adoring, see
Triumphs of mercy wrought by thee.

2 Say to the heathen, from thy throne,
“I am Jehovah—God alone!”
Thy voice their idols shall confound,
And cast their altars to the ground.

3 No more let human blood be spilt—
Vain sacrifice for human guilt!
But to each conscience be applied
The blood that flowed from Jesus’ side.

4 Let Zion’s time of favor come;
O bring the tribes of Israel home!
And let our wondering eyes behold
Gentiles and Jews in Jesus’ fold.

5 Almighty God, thy grace proclaim
In, every land, of every name!
Let adverse powers before thee fall,
And crown the Saviour Lord of all.

1269 L. M.
Rev. 11:15.

Soon may the last glad song arise
Through all the millions of the skies;
That song of triumph, which records
That all the earth is now the Lord’s.

2 Let thrones and powers and kingdoms be
Obedient, mighty God! to thee;
And over land, and stream, and main,
Now wave the scepter of thy reign.

3 O let that glorious anthem swell;
Let host to host the triumph tell,
That not one rebel heart remains,
But over all the Saviour reigns.

1270 C. M.
Go unto all the world.
Mar. 16:15.

Go, and the Saviour’s grace proclaim,
Ye messengers of God;
Go, publish through Immanuel’s name,
Salvation bought with blood.

2 What though your arduous task may lie
Through regions dark as death;
What though your faith and zeal to try,
Perils beset your path!

3 Yet, with determined courage, go;
And armed with power divine,
Your God will needful aid bestow,
And on your labors shine.

4 He who has called you to the war
Will recompense your pains;
Before Messiah’s conquering car
Mountains shall sink to plains.

5 Shrink not though earth and hell oppose,
But plead your Master’s cause;
Nor doubt that e’en your mighty foes
Shall bow before his cross.

1271 C. M.
The morning cometh.
Isaiah 21:12.

Light of the lonely pilgrim’s heart;
Star of the coming day!
Arise, and with thy morning beams
Chase all our griefs away!

2 Come, blesséd Lord! let every shore
And answering island sing
The praises of thy royal name,
And own thee as their King.

3 Bid the whole earth responsive now,
To the bright world above,
Break forth in sweetest strains of joy
In memory of thy love.

4 Jesus! thy fair creation groans,
The air, the earth, the sea,
In unison with all our hearts,
And calls aloud for thee.

5 Thine was the cross, with all its fruits
Of grace and peace divine;
Be thine the crown of glory now,
The palm of victory thine!

1272 S. M.
Matt. 13:8.

God of the prophets’ power!
God of the gospel’s sound!
Move glorious on—send out thy voice
To all the nations round.

2 With hearts and lips unfeigned,
We bless thee for thy word;
We praise thee for the joyful news,
Which our glad ears have heard.

3 O may we treasure well
The counsels that we hear,
Till righteousness and holy joy
In all our hearts appear.

4 Water the sacred seed,
And give it large increase;
May neither fowls, nor rocks, nor thorns,
Prevent the fruits of peace.

5 And though we sow in tears,
Our souls at last shall come,
And gather in our sheaves with joy,
At heaven’s great harvest-home.

1273 S. M.
Rise, gracious God, and shine.

Rise, gracious God, and shine
In all thy saving might;
Now prosper every good design,
To spread thy glorious light.

2 O bring the nations near
That they may sing thy praise;
Thy word let all the heathen hear,
And learn thy holy ways.

3 Send forth thy glorious power;
All nations then shall see,
And earth present her grateful store,
In converts born to thee.

1274 8s, 7s & 4s.
Love of God, all love excelling.

Love of God, all love excelling!
How can I its wonders tell!
Now, my troubled spirit quelling,
Now, it breaks the powers of hell:
O what mercies
Start beneath its magic spell!

2 Love of God, all love embracing
In its wide extended arms;
All our doubts and fears displacing,
Saves our souls from death’s alarms:
O what sweetness
Dwells within its blissful charms!

3 Love of God, all love possessing!
Filling all our souls with joy;
Pouring on each heart a blessing,
Which no time can e’er destroy:
Now may praises
All our hearts and tongues employ.

4 Love of God, all love extending
Far o’er sea and ocean strands;
Thou art on the breezes sending
Joyful news to distant lands:
May thy triumphs
Bind the world within thy bands.

1275 8s & 7s.
Onward!

Onward, onward, men of heaven!
Bear the gospel banner high;
Rest not till its light is given—
Star of every pagan sky;
Send it where the pilgrim stranger
Faints beneath the torrid ray;
Bid the hearty forest ranger
Hail it ere he fades away.

2 Where the Arctic ocean thunders,
Where the tropics fiercely glow,
Broadly spread its page of wonders,
Brightly bid its radiance flow;
India marks its luster stealing;
Shivering Greenland loves its rays,
Afric, ’mid her deserts kneeling,
Lifts the untaught strain of praise.

3 Rude in speech, or wild in feature,
Dark in spirit, though they be,
Show that light to every creature—
Prince or vassal, bond or free:
Lo! they haste to every nation;
Host on host the ranks supply:
Onward! Christ is your salvation,
And your death is victory.

1276 8s & 7s.
Shout the tidings of salvation.

Shout the tidings of salvation,
To the agéd and the young;
Till the precious invitation
Waken every heart and tongue.
CHORUS.
Send the sound
The earth around,
From the rising to the setting of the sun,
Till each gathering crowd
Shall proclaim aloud,
The glorious work is done.

2 Shout the tidings of salvation,
O’er the prairies on the west;
Till each gathering congregation,
With the gospel sound is blest.

3 Shout the tidings of salvation,
Mingling with the ocean’s roar;
Till the ships of every nation,
Bear the news from shore to shore.

4 Shout the tidings of salvation
O’er the islands of the sea;
Till, in humble adoration,
All to Christ shall bow the knee.

1277 8s & 7s.
Quit you like men; be strong.
1 Cor. 16:13.

We are living, we are dwelling
In a grand and awful time,
In an age on ages telling;
To be living is sublime.

2 Hark! the onset! will ye fold your
Faith-clad arms in lazy lock?
Up! O, up! thou drowsy soldier;
Worlds are charging to the shock.

3 Worlds are charging, heaven beholding;
Thou hast but an hour to fight;
Now, the blazoned cross unfolding,
On! right onward for the right.

4 On! let all the soul within you
For the truth’s sake go abroad:
Strike! let every nerve and sinew
Tell on ages—tell for God.

1278 P. M.
God speed the right!

Now to heaven our prayer ascending,
God speed the right!
In a noble cause extending,
God speed the right!
Be their zeal in heaven recorded,
With success on earth rewarded,
God speed the right!

2 Be that prayer again repeated,
God speed the right!
Ne’er despairing, though defeated,
God speed the right!
Like the good and great in story,
If they fail, they fail with glory;
God speed the right!