Chapter VII: Introduction (7)

We ask for peace, O Lord!
Thy children ask thy peace;
Not what the world calls rest,
That toil and care should cease,
That through bright sunny hours
Calm life should fleet away,
And tranquil night should fade
In smiling day—
It is not for such peace that we would pray.

2 We ask for peace, O Lord!
Yet not to stand secure,
Girt round with iron pride,
Contented to endure:
Crushing the gentle strings,
That human hearts should know,
Untouched by others’ joys
Or others’ woe;
Thou, O dear Lord, wilt never teach us so.

3 We ask thy peace, O Lord!
Through storm, and fear, and strife,
To light and guide us on,
Through a long struggling life:
While no success or gain
Shall cheer the desperate fight,
Or nerve, what the world calls,
Our wasted might:
Yet pressing through the darkness to the light.

4 It is thine own, O Lord!
Who toil while others sleep,
Who sow with loving care
What other hands shall reap:
They lean on thee entranced
In calm and perfect rest:
Give us that peace, O Lord!
Divine and blest,
Thou keepest for those hearts who love thee best.

424 H. M.
He will give the Holy Spirit, etc.
Luke 11:13.

O Thou that hearest prayer,
Attend our humble cry,
And let thy servants share
Thy blessings from on high:
We plead the promise of thy word;
Grant us thy Holy Spirit, Lord.

2 If earthly parents hear
Their children when they cry—
If they, with love sincere,
Their varied wants supply—
Much more wilt thou thy love display,
And answer when thy children pray.

425 C. H. M.
The world knoweth us not.
1 John 3:1.

Let others boast their ancient line,
In long succession great;
In the proud list let heroes shine,
And monarchs swell the state,
Descended from the King of kings,
Each saint a nobler title sings.

2 Pronounce me, gracious God, thy son,
Own me an heir divine;
I’ll pity princes on the throne,
When I can call thee mine:
Scepters and crowns unenvied rise,
And lose their luster in my eyes.

3 Content, obscure, I pass my days,
To all I meet unknown,
And wait till thou thy child shalt raise,
And seat me near thy throne:
No name, no honors here I crave,
Well pleased with those beyond the grave.

4 Jesus, my elder brother, lives;
With him I, too, shall reign;
Nor sin, nor death, while he survives,
Shall make the promise vain;
In him my title stands secure,
And shall while endless years endure.

5 When he, in robes divinely bright,
Shall once again appear,
Thou, too, my soul, shalt shine in light,
And his full image bear:
Enough!—I wait th’ appointed day—
Blessed Saviour, haste, and come away!

THE HOPE OF ETERNAL LIFE.

426 L. M.
Our life is a vapor.
James 4:14.

How vain is all beneath the skies!
How transient every earthly bliss!
How slender all the fondest ties
That bind us to a world like this!

2 The evening cloud, the morning dew,
The withering grass, the fading flower,
Of earthly hopes are emblems true,
The glory of a passing hour.

3 But though earth’s fairest blossoms die,
And all beneath the skies is vain,
There is a brighter world on high,
Beyond the reach of care and pain.

4 Then let the hope of joys to come
Dispel our cares and chase our fears;
If God be ours, we’re traveling home,
Though passing through a vale of tears.

427 L. M.
Fight the good fight of faith.
1 Tim. 6:12.

Stand up, my soul, shake off thy fears,
And gird the gospel armor on;
March to the gates of endless joy,
Where Jesus, the great Captain’s gone.

2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course;
But hell and sin are vanquished foes;
Thy Saviour nailed them to the cross,
And sung the triumph when he rose.

3 Then let my soul march boldly on,
Press forward to the heavenly gate;
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glittering robes for conquerors wait.

4 There shall I wear a starry crown,
And triumph in almighty grace,
While all the armies of the skies
Join in my glorious Leader’s praise.

428 C. M.
The land of promise.

There is a land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign,
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures banish pain.

2 There everlasting spring abides,
And never withering flowers;
Death, like a narrow sea, divides
This heavenly land from ours.

3 Sweet fields, beyond the swelling flood,
Stand dressed in living green;
So to the Jews old Canaan stood,
While Jordan rolled between.

4 But timorous mortals start and shrink
To cross this narrow sea,
And linger, shivering on the brink,
And fear to launch away.

5 O! could we make our doubts remove,
Those gloomy doubts that rise,
And see the Canaan that we love,
With unbeclouded eyes;

6 Could we but climb where Moses stood,
And view the landscape o’er;
Not Jordan’s stream, nor death’s cold flood,
Should fright us from the shore.

429 C. M.
The land that is afar off.
Isaiah 33:17.

Far from these narrow scenes of night,
Unbounded glories rise;
And realms of infinite delight,
Unknown to mortal eyes.

2 Celestial land! could our weak eyes
But half thy charms explore,
How would our spirits long to rise;
And dwell on earth no more:

3 There pain and sickness never come,
And grief no place obtains;
Health triumphs in immortal bloom,
And endless pleasure reigns!

4 No cloud these blissful regions know,
For ever bright and fair!
For sin, the source of every woe,
Can never enter there.

5 There no alternate night is known,
Nor sun’s faint sickly ray;
But glory from the sacred throne
Spreads everlasting day.

430 C. M.
We all shall meet in heaven.

Hail, sweetest, dearest tie, that binds
Our glowing hearts in one;
Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds
To harmony divine.
It is the hope, the blissful hope,
Which Jesus’ grace has given—
The hope, when days and years are past,
We all shall meet in heaven.

2 What though the northern wintry blast
Shall howl around our cot;
What though beneath an eastern sun
Be cast our distant lot;
Yet still we share the blissful hope,
Which Jesus’ grace has given—
The hope, when days and years are past,
We all shall meet in heaven.

3 From eastern shores, from northern lands,
From western hill and plain,
From southern climes, the brother-bands
May hope to meet again;
It is the hope, the blissful hope,
Which Jesus’ grace has given—
The hope, when life and time are o’er,
We all shall meet in heaven.

4 From Burmah’s shores, from Afric’s strand,
From India’s burning plain,
From Europe, from Columbia’s land,
We hope to meet again;
It is the hope, the blissful hope,
Which Jesus’ grace has given—
The hope, when days and years are past,
We all shall meet in heaven.

5 No lingering look, nor parting sigh,
Our future meeting knows;
There friendship beams from every eye,
And love immortal glows.
O sacred hope! O blissful hope!
Which Jesus’ grace has given—
The hope, when days and years are past
We all shall meet in heaven.

431 C. M.
The heavenly Canaan.

On Jordan’s stormy banks I stand,
And cast a wishful eye
To Canaan’s fair and happy land,
Where my possessions lie.

2 O the transporting, rapturous scene,
That rises to my sight!
Sweet fields arrayed in living green,
And rivers of delight!

3 There generous fruits that never fail
On trees immortal grow;
There rocks and hills, and brooks and vales,
With milk and honey flow.

4 All o’er these wide, extended plains,
Shines one eternal day;
There God, the Son, for ever reigns,
And scatters night away.

5 No chilling winds nor poisonous breath
Can reach that healthful shore;
Sickness and sorrow, pain and death,
Are felt and feared no more.

6 When shall I reach that happy place,
And be for ever blest!
When shall I see my Father’s face,
And in his bosom rest!

7 Filled with delight, my raptured soul
Would here no longer stay;
Though Jordan’s waves around me roll,
Fearless I’d launch away.

432 C. M.
Hope in trouble.

When musing sorrow weeps the past,
And mourns the present pain,
’Tis sweet to think of peace at last,
And feel that death is gain.

2 ’Tis not that murmuring thoughts arise,
And dread a Father’s will;
’Tis not that meek submission flies,
And would not suffer still.

3 It is that heaven-born faith surveys
The path that leads to light,
And longs her eagle plumes to raise,
And lose herself in sight.

4 It is that troubled conscience feels
The pangs of struggling sin,
And sees, though far, the hand that heals,
And ends the strife within.

5 O, let me wing my hallowed flight
From earth-born woe and care,
And soar above these clouds of night,
My Saviour’s bliss to share.

433 C. M.
Light in darkness.

O there’s a better world on high;
Hope on, thou pious breast;
Faint not, thou traveler; on the sky
Thy weary feet shall rest.

2 Anguish may rend each vital part;
Poor man, thy strength how frail!
Yet heaven’s own strength shall shield thy heart,
When flesh and heart shall fail.

3 Through death’s dark vale, of deepest shade,
Thy feet must surely go;
Yet there, e’en there, walk undismayed;
’Tis thy last scene of woe.

4 Thy God—and with the tenderest hand—
Shall guard the traveler through;
“Hail!” shalt thou cry: “hail! promised land!
And, wilderness, adieu!”

5 O Father, make our souls thy care,
And bring us safe to thee;
Where’er thou art—we ask not where—
But there ’tis heaven to be.

434 C. M.
Abiding in hope.

Since I can read my title clear
To mansions in the skies,
I bid farewell to every fear,
And wipe my weeping eyes.

2 Should earth against my soul engage,
And fiery darts be hurled,
Then I would smile at Satan’s rage,
And face a frowning world.

3 Let cares, like a wild deluge, come,
And storms of sorrow fall,
May I but safely reach my home,
My God, my heaven, my all.

4 There shall I bathe my weary soul
In seas of heavenly rest;
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast.

435 C. M.
God our only hope.

When reft of all, and hopeless care
Would sink us to the tomb,
What power shall save us from despair,
What dissipate the gloom?

2 No balm that earthly plants distill
Can soothe the mourner’s smart,
No mortal hand, with lenient skill,
Bind up the broken heart.

3 But One alone, who reigns above,
Our woe to joy can turn,
And light the lamp of life and love,
That long has ceased to burn.

4 Then, O my soul! to that One flee,
To God thy woes reveal;
His eye alone thy wounds can see,
His power alone can heal.

436 C. M.
Hope thou in God.
Psalm 42:5.

My soul! triumphant in the Lord,
Proclaim thy joys abroad,
And march with holy vigor on,
Supported by thy God.

2 Through every winding maze of life,
His hand has been my guide;
And in his long-experienced care,
My heart shall still confide.

3 His grace through all the desert flows,
An unexhausted stream;
That grace, on Zion’s sacred mount,
Shall be my endless theme.

4 Beyond the choicest joys of time,
Thy courts on earth I love;
But O! I burn with strong desire
To view thy house above.

5 There, joined with all the shining band,
My soul would thee adore;
A pillar in thy temple fixed,
To be removed no more.

437 8s & 4s.
Vain world, adieu.

When for eternal worlds we steer,
And seas are calm, and skies are clear,
And faith, in lively exercise,
Sees distant fields of Canaan rise,
The soul for joy then spreads her wings,
And loud her lovely sonnet sings,
Vain world, adieu.

2 With cheerful hope, her eyes explore
Each land-mark on the distant shore,
The trees of life, the pastures green,
The golden streets, the crystal stream;
Again for joy she spreads her wings,
And loud her lovely sonnet sings,
I’m going home.

3 The nearer still she draws to land,
More eager all her powers expand;
With steady helm, and free bent sail,
Her anchor drops within the vail;
And now for joy she folds her wings,
And her celestial sonnet sings,
I’m safe at home.

438 C. M.
Hope maketh not ashamed.
Rom. 5:5.

The world may change from old to new,
From new to old again;
Yet hope and heaven, for ever true,
Within our hearts remain.

2 Hope leads the child to plant the flower,
The man to sow the seed;
Nor leaves fulfillment to her hour—
But prompts again to deed.

3 And ere upon the old man’s dust
The grass is seen to wave,
We look through falling tears, to trust
Hope’s sunshine on the grave.

4 O, no, it is no flattering lure,
No fancy weak or fond,
When hope would bid us rest secure
In better life beyond.

5 Nor love, nor shame, nor grief, nor tears,
Her promise may gainsay;
The voice divine speaks through our years,
To cheer us on our way.

439 P. M.
The Rock of Salvation.

If life’s pleasures charm you, give them not your heart,
Lest the gift ensnare you from your God to part;
His favor seek, his praises speak;
Fix here your hope’s foundation;
Serve him, and he will ever be
The Rock of your Salvation.

2 If distress befall you, painful though it be,
Let not grief appall you—to your Saviour flee;
He ever near, your prayer will hear,
And calm your perturbation;
The waves of woe shall ne’er o’erflow
The Rock of your Salvation.

3 When earth’s prospects fail you, let it not distress,
Better comforts wait you—Christ will surely bless;
To Jesus flee—your prop he’ll be,
Your heavenly consolation;
For griefs below can not o’erthrow
The Rock of your Salvation.

4 Dangers may approach you; let them not alarm;
Christ will ever watch you, and protect from harm,
He near you stands, with mighty hands
To ward off each temptation;
To Jesus fly; he’s ever nigh,
The Rock of your Salvation.

5 Let not death alarm you, shrink not from his blow;
For your God shall arm you, and victory bestow,
For death shall bring to you no sting,
The grave no desolation:
’Tis sweet to die with Jesus nigh,
The Rock of your Salvation.

440 6s & 4s.
Jesus is mine.

Now I have found a friend,
Jesus is mine;
His love shall never end,
Jesus is mine.
Though earthly joys decrease;
Though human friendships cease,
Now I have lasting peace;
Jesus is mine.

2 Though I grow poor and old,
Jesus is mine;
He will my faith uphold,
Jesus is mine;
He shall my wants supply,
His precious blood is nigh,
Nought can my hope destroy,
Jesus is mine!

3 When earth shall pass away,
Jesus is mine.
In the great Judgment day,
Jesus is mine.
O! what a glorious thing
Then to behold my King,
On tuneful harp to sing,
Jesus is mine.

4 Farewell mortality!
Jesus is mine.
Welcome eternity!
Jesus is mine,
He my Redemption is,
Wisdom and Righteousness,
Life, Light and Holiness,
Jesus is mine.

THE CHURCH—DIVINE CONSTITUTION.

441 L. M.
God is the midst of her.
Psalm 46:5.

Happy the church, thou sacred place,
The seat of thy Creator’s grace!
Thine holy courts are his abode,
Thou earthly palace of our God!

2 Thy walls are strength, and at thy gates
A guard of heavenly warriors waits;
Nor shall thy deep foundations move,
Fixed on his counsels and his love.

3 Thy foes in vain designs engage;
Against his throne in vain they rage:
Like rising waves, with angry roar,
That dash and die upon the shore.

4 God is our shield, and God our sun;
Swift as the fleeting moments run,
On us he sheds new beams of grace,
And we reflect his brightest praise.

442 L. M.
God is our refuge.
Psalm 46:1.

God is the refuge of his saints,
When storms of sharp distress invade;
Ere we can offer our complaints,
Behold him present with his aid.

2 Let mountains from their seats be hurled
Down to the deep, and buried there;
Convulsions shake the solid world;
Our faith shall never yield to fear.

3 Zion enjoys her monarch’s love,
Secure against a threatening hour;
Nor can her firm foundations move,
Built on his truth, and armed with power.

443 C. M.
A kingdom which can not be moved.
Heb. 12:28.

Thy kingdom, Lord, for ever stands,
While earthly thrones decay;
And time submits to thy commands,
While ages roll away.

2 Thy sovereign bounty freely gives
Its unexhausted store;
And universal nature lives
On thy sustaining power.

3 Holy and just in all thy ways,
Thy providence divine;
In all thy works, immortal rays
Of power and mercy shine.

4 The praise of God—delightful theme!
Shall fill my heart and tongue;
Let all creation bless his name,
In one eternal song.

444 C. M.
A sure foundation.
Isaiah 28:16.

Behold the sure foundation-stone,
Which God in Zion lays,
To build our heavenly hopes upon,
And his eternal praise!

2 Chosen of God, to sinners dear,
And saints adore the name;
They trust their whole salvation here,
Nor shall they suffer shame.

3 The foolish builders, scribe, and priest,
Reject it with disdain;
Yet on this rock the church shall rest,
And envy rage in vain.

4 What though the gates of hell withstood,
Yet must this building rise:
’Tis thy own work, almighty God,
And wondrous in our eyes.

445 C. M.
Let us go into the house of the Lord.
Psalm 122:1.

How did my heart rejoice to hear
My friends devoutly say,
“In Zion let us all appear,
And keep the solemn day.”

2 I love her gates, I love the road:
The church, adorned with grace,
Stands like a palace, built for God,
To show his milder face.

3 Up to her courts, with joys unknown,
The holy tribes repair;
The Son of David holds his throne,
And sits in judgment there.

4 He hears our praises and complaints;
And while his awful voice
Divides the sinners from the saints,
We tremble and rejoice.

5 Peace be within this sacred place,
And joy a constant guest!
With holy gifts and heavenly grace,
Be her attendants blest!

6 My soul shall pray for Zion still,
While life or breath remains;
There my best friends, my kindred, dwell,
There God, my Saviour reigns.

446 C. M.
Yet will I not forget thee.
Isaiah 49:15.

A mother may forgetful be,
For human love is frail;
But thy Creator’s love to thee,
O Zion! can not fail.

2 No! thy dear name engraven stands,
In characters of love,
On thy almighty Father’s hands,
And never shall remove.

3 Before his ever watchful eye
Thy mournful state appears;
And every groan, and every sigh,
Divine compassion hears.

4 O Zion! learn to doubt no more,
Be every fear suppressed;
Unchanging truth, and love, and power,
Dwell in thy Saviour’s breast.

447 C. M.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Psalm 27:1.

The Lord of glory is my light,
And my salvation too;
God is my strength, nor will I fear
What all my foes can do.

2 One blessing, Lord, my heart desires;
O, grant me my abode
Among the churches of thy saints,
The temples of my God.

3 There shall I offer my requests,
And see thy glory still;
Shall hear thy messages of love,
And learn thy holy will.

4 When troubles rise, and storms appear,
There may his children hide;
God has a strong pavilion, where
He makes my soul abide.

5 Now shall my head be lifted high
Above my foes around,
And songs of joy and victory
Within thy temple sound.

448 C. M.
Fear not, little flock.
Luke 12:32.

There is a little, lonely fold,
Whose flock one Shepherd keeps,
Through summer’s heat and winter’s cold,
With eye that never sleeps.

2 By evil beast, or burning sky,
Or damp of midnight air,
Not one in all that flock shall die
Beneath that Shepherd’s care.

3 For if, unheeding or beguiled,
In danger’s path they roam,
His pity follows through the wild,
And guards them safely home.

4 O, gentle Shepherd, still behold
Thy helpless charge in me;
And take a wanderer to thy fold,
That, trembling, turns to thee.

449 C. M.
You are come unto Mount Zion.
Heb. 12:22.

Not to the terrors of the Lord,
The tempest, fire, and smoke—
Not to the thunder of that word
Which God on Sinai spoke;—

2 But we are come to Zion hill,
The city of our God,
Where milder words declare his will,
And spread his love abroad.

3 Behold the great, the glorious host
Of angels clothed in light!
Behold the spirits of the just,
Whose faith is turned to sight!

4 Behold the blest assembly there,
Whose names are writ in heaven!
And God, the Judge, who doth declare
Their vilest sins forgiven!

5 Saints here, and those in Jesus dead,
But one communion make;
All join in Christ, their living head,
And of his grace partake.

6 In such society as this
My weary soul would rest;
The man that dwells where Jesus is
Must be for ever blessed.

450 C. M.
Rev. 1:20.

Our Christ hath reached his heavenly seat,
Through sorrows and through scars;
The golden lamps are at his feet,
And in his hand the stars.

2 O God of life, and truth, and grace,
Ere nature was begun!
Make welcome to our erring race
Thy Spirit and thy Son.

3 We hail the Church, built high o’er all
The heathens’ rage and scoff;
Thy providence its fenced wall,
“The Lamb the light thereof.”

4 O, may he walk among us here,
With his rebuke and love—
A brightness o’er this lower sphere,
A ray from worlds above!

451 C. M.
His kingdom is everlasting.
Danl. 7:27.

O where are kings and empires now,
Of old that went and came?
But holy Church is praying yet,
A thousand years the same.

2 Mark ye her holy battlements,
And her foundations strong:
And hear within, the solemn voice,
And her unending song.

3 For not like kingdoms of the world,
The Holy Church of God!
Though earthquake shocks are rocking her,
And tempests are abroad;

4 Unshaken as eternal hills,
Unmovable she stands—
A mountain that shall fill the earth,
A fane unbuilt by hands.

452 S. M.
The Lord is great in Zion.
Psalm 99:2.

Great is the Lord our God,
And let his praise be great;
He makes his churches his abode,
His most delightful seat.

2 These temples of his grace,
How beautiful they stand!
The honors of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.

3 In Zion God is known,
A refuge in distress;
How bright has his salvation shone,
Through all her palaces!

4 When kings against her joined,
And saw the Lord was there,
In wild confusion of the mind,
They fled with hasty fear.

5 Oft have our fathers told,
Our eyes have often seen,
How well our God secures the fold
Where his own sheep have been.

6 In every new distress
We’ll to his house repair;
We’ll call to mind his wondrous grace,
And seek deliverance there.

453 S. M.
I love thy kingdom, Lord.

I Love thy kingdom, Lord—
The house of thine abode,
The church our blest Redeemer saved
With his own precious blood.

2 I love thy Church, O God!
Her walls before thee stand,
Dear as the apple of thine eye,
And graven on thy hand.

3 For her my tears shall fall,
For her my prayers ascend;
To her my cares and toils be given,
Till toils and cares shall end.

4 Beyond my highest joy
I prize her heavenly ways,
Her sweet communion, solemn vows,
Her hymns of love and praise.

5 Jesus, thou Friend divine,
Our Saviour and our King,
Thy hand from every snare and foe
Shall great deliverance bring.

6 Sure as thy truth shall last,
To Zion shall be given
The brightest glories earth can yield,
And brighter bliss of heaven.

454 S. M.
How amiable are thy tabernacles.
Psalm 84:1.

How charming is the place
Where my Redeemer God
Unvails the beauties of his face,
And sheds his love abroad!

2 Not the fair palaces
To which the great resort,
Are once to be compared with this,
Where Jesus holds his court.

3 Here on the mercy-seat,
With radiant glory crowned,
Our joyful eyes behold him sit,
And smile on all around.

4 To him their prayers and cries
Each humble soul presents;
He listens to their broken sighs,
And grants them all their wants.

5 Give me, O Lord, a place
Within thy blessed abode,
Among the children of thy grace,
The servants of my God.

455 S. M.
It shall stand for ever.
Dan. 2:44.

Thy kingdom, gracious Lord,
Shall never pass away;
Firm as thy truth it still shall stand,
When earthly thrones decay.

2 Thy people here have found,
Through many weary years,
The sweet communion, joy and peace,
To banish all their fears.

3 And now while in thy courts,
Do thou our love increase;
Give us the food our spirits need,
And fill our hearts with peace.

456 S. M.
The ark of God.

Like Noah’s weary dove,
That soared the earth around,
But not a resting-place above
The cheerless waters found;

2 O cease, my wandering soul,
On restless wing to roam;
All the wide world, to either pole,
Has not for thee a home.

3 Behold the ark of God,
Behold the open door;
Hasten to gain that dear abode,
And rove, my soul, no more.

4 There safe thou shalt abide,
There sweet shall be thy rest,
And every longing satisfied,
With full salvation blest.

5 And when the waves of ire,
Again the earth shall fill,
The ark shall ride the sea of fire;
Then rest on Zion’s hill.

457 S. M.
The Lord loveth the gates of Zion.
Psalm 87:2.

How honored is the place,
Where we adoring stand!
Zion, the glory of the earth,
And beauty of the land.

2 Bulwarks of grace defend
The city where we dwell;
While walls of strong salvation made,
Defy th’ assaults of hell.

3 Lift up th’ eternal gates,
The doors wide open fling;
Enter, ye nations, that obey
The statutes of our King.

4 Here taste unmingled joys,
And live in perfect peace;
You that have known Jehovah’s name,
And ventured on his grace.

5 Trust in the Lord, ye saints;
And banish all your fears,
Strength in the Lord Jehovah dwells,
Eternal as his years.

458 S. M.
The joy of the whole earth.
Psalm 48:2.

Far as thy name is known
The world declares thy praise;
The saints, O Lord, before thy throne
Their songs of honor raise.

2 With joy, thy people stand
On Zion’s chosen hill,
Proclaim the wonders of thy hand,
And counsels of thy will.

3 Let strangers walk around
The city where we dwell,
Compass and view thy holy ground,
And mark the building well.

4 How comely and how wise!
How glorious to behold!
Beyond the pomp that charms the eyes,
And rites adorned with gold.

5 The God we worship now
Will guide us till we die;
Will be our God while here below,
And ours above the sky.

459 S. M.
The church in the wilderness.

Far down the ages now,
Much of her journey done,
The pilgrim church pursues her way,
Until her crown be won.

2 The story of the past
Comes up before her view:
How well it seems to suit her still—
Old, and yet ever new!

3 It is the oft-told tale
Of sin and weariness—
Of grace and love yet flowing down
To pardon and to bless.

4 No wider is the gate,
No broader is the way,
No smoother is the ancient path,
That leads to life and day.

5 No sweeter is the cup,
Nor less our lot of ill:
’Twas tribulation ages since,
’Tis tribulation still.

6 No slacker grows the fight,
No feebler is the foe,
Nor less the need of armor tried,
Of shield, and spear, and bow.

7 Thus onward still we press,
Through evil and through good—
Through pain, and poverty, and want,
Through peril and through blood.

8 Still faithful to our God,
And to our Captain true,
We follow where he leads the way,
The kingdom in our view.

460 8s & 7s.
Glorious things are spoken of thee.
Psalm 87:3.

Glorious things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God!
He, whose word can not be broken,
Formed thee for his own abode:
On the Rock of ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation’s wall surrounded,
Thou mayst smile at all thy foes.

2 See the streams of living waters,
Springing from Eternal Love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of drought remove:
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t’ assuage!
Grace, which like the Lord, the giver,
Never fails from age to age.

3 Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear,
For a glory and a covering,
Showing that the Lord is near:
Thus deriving from their banner
Light by night, and shade by day,
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which he gives them when they pray.

4 Blest inhabitants of Zion,
Washed in the Redeemer’s blood,
Jesus, whom their souls rely on,
Makes them kings and priests to God:
’Tis his love his people raises
With himself to reign as kings;
And, as priests, his solemn praises
Each for a thank-offering brings.

5 Saviour, since of Zion’s city,
I through grace a member am,
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name:
Fading is the worldling’s treasure,
All his boasted pomp and show!
Solid joys and lasting pleasure
None but Zion’s children know.

461 10s.
When the Lord shall bring again Zion.
Isaiah 52:8.

Restore, O Father! to our times restore
The peace which filled thine infant Church of yore,
Ere lust of power had sown the seeds of strife,
And quenched the new-born charities of life.

2 O, never more may different judgments part
From kindled sympathy a brother’s heart!
But, linked in one, believing thousands kneel,
And share with each the sacred joy they feel.

3 From soul to soul, quick as the sunbeam’s ray,
Let concord spread one universal day;
And faith by love lead all mankind to thee,
Parent of peace, and Fount of harmony!

462 8s, 7s & 4s.
Living waters.

See, from Zion’s sacred mountain,
Streams of living water flow;
God has opened there a fountain
That supplies the world below;
They are blesséd
Who its sovereign virtues know.

2 Through ten thousand channels flowing,
Streams of mercy find their way:
Life, and health, and joy bestowing,
Waking beauty from decay.
O, ye nations,
Hail the long-expected day.

3 Gladdened by the flowing treasure,
All-enriching as it goes,
Lo! the desert smiles with pleasure,
Buds and blossoms as the rose;
Lo! the desert
Sings for joy where’er it flows.

463 12s.
The house of the Lord.

You may sing of the beauty of mountain and dale,
Of the silvery streamlets and flowers of the vale;
But the place most delightful this earth can afford,
Is the place of devotion, the house of the Lord.

2 You may boast of the sweetness of day’s early dawn,
Of the sky’s softening graces when day is just gone;
But there’s no other season or time can compare,
With the hour of devotion, the season of prayer.

3 You may value the friendships of youth and of age,
And select for your comrades the noble and sage;
But the friends that most cheer me on life’s rugged road,
Are the friends of my Master, the children of God.

4 You may talk of your prospects, of fame, or of wealth,
And the hopes that oft flatter the favorites of health;
But the hope of bright glory, of heavenly bliss—
Take away every other, and give me but this.

5 Ever hail, blessed temple, abode of my Lord!
I will turn to thee often, to hear from his word;
I will walk to thine altar with those that I love,
And rejoice in the prospects revealed from above.

464 8s, 7s & 4s.
Mount Zion, etc.
Psalm 125:1.

Zion stands with hills surrounded—
Zion kept by power divine;
All her foes shall be confounded,
Though the world in arms combine:
Happy Zion,
What a favored lot is thine.

2 Every human tie may perish;
Friend to friend unfaithful prove;
Mothers cease their own to cherish;
Heaven and earth at last remove;
But no changes
Can attend Jehovah’s love.

3 In the furnace God may prove thee,
Thence to bring thee forth more bright,
But can never cease to love thee;
Thou art precious in his sight:
God is with thee—
God, thine everlasting light.

OFFICERS.

465 L. M.
Go ye into all the world.
Mark 16:15.

Ye Christian heralds! go, proclaim
Salvation through Immanuel’s name;
To distant climes the tidings bear,
And plant the rose of Sharon there.

2 He’ll shield you with a wall of a fire,
With holy zeal your hearts inspire,
Bid raging winds their fury cease,
And hush the tempest into peace.

3 And when our labors all are o’er,
Then we shall meet to part no more—
Meet with the blood-bought throng, to fall,
And crown our Jesus—Lord of all!

466 L. M.
Go, teach all nations.
Matt. 28:19.

Go—messenger of peace and love!
To nations plunged in shades of night;
Like angels sent from fields above,
Be thine to shed celestial light.

2 Go—to the hungry food impart;
To paths of peace the wanderer guide,
And lead the thirsty, panting heart,
Where streams of living water glide.

3 Go—bid the bright and morning-star
From Bethlehem’s plains resplendent shine,
And, piercing through the gloom afar,
Shed heavenly light and love divine.

4 From north to south, from east to west,
Messiah yet shall reign supreme;
His name by every tongue confessed—
His praise—the universal theme.

467 L. M.
Pray for us.
2 Thess. 3:1.

Father of mercies, bow thine ear,
Attentive to our earnest prayer:
We plead for those who plead for thee;
Successful pleaders may they be.

2 How great their work! how vast their charge!
Do thou their anxious souls enlarge:
Their best endowments are our gain;
We share the blessings they obtain.

3 O, clothe with energy divine
Their words; and let those words be thine;
To them thy sacred truth reveal;
Suppress their fears, inflame their zeal.

4 Teach them to sow the precious seed;
Teach them thy chosen flock to feed;
Teach them immortal souls to gain—
And thus reward their toil and pain.

5 Let thronging multitudes around,
Hear from their lips the joyful sound,
In humble strains thy grace implore,
And feel thy Spirit’s living power.

468 C. M.
Ordination of elders or deacons.

Vouchsafe, O Lord, thy presence now,
Direct us in thy fear;
Before thy throne we humbly bow,
And offer fervent prayer.

2 Give us the men whom thou shalt choose,
Thy house on earth to guide;
Those who shall ne’er their power abuse,
Or rule with haughty pride.

3 Inspired with wisdom from above,
And with discretion blessed;
Displaying meekness, temperance, love—
Of every grace possessed;

4 These are the men we seek of thee,
O God of righteousness:
Such may thy servants ever be,
With such thy people bless.

469 C. M.
Ordination.

With joy we own thy servant, Lord,
Thy minister below,
Ordained to spread thy truth abroad,
That all thy name may know.

2 O may he now, and ever, keep
His eye intent on thee:
Do thou, great Shepherd of the sheep,
His bright example be.

3 With plenteous grace his heart prepare
To execute thy will;
And give him patience, love, and care,
And faithfulness and skill.

4 Inflame his mind with ardent zeal,
Thy flock to feed and teach;
And let him live, and let him feel,
The truths he’s called to preach.

5 As showers refresh the thirsty plain,
So let his labors prove:
By him extend thy righteous reign—
The reign of truth and love.

470 S. M.
On the departure of a missionary.

You messengers of Christ,
His sovereign voice obey;
Arise and follow where he leads—
And peace attend your way.

2 The master whom you serve
Will needful strength bestow;
Depending on his promised aid,
With sacred courage go.

3 Mountains shall sink to plains,
And hell in vain oppose;
The cause is God’s, and must prevail
In spite of all his foes.

4 Go, spread a Saviour’s fame,
And tell his matchless grace,
To the most guilty and depraved
Of Adam’s numerous race.

5 We wish you, in his name,
The most divine success;
Assured that he who sends you forth
Will your endeavors bless.

471 S. M.
The same.

Go with thy servant, Lord,
His every step attend;
All needful help to him afford,
And bless him to the end.

2 Preserve him from all wrong;
Stand thou at his right hand:
And keep him from the slanderous tongue
And persecuting band.

3 May he proclaim aloud
The wonders of thy grace;
And do thou, to the listening crowd,
His faithful labors bless.

4 Farewell, dear laborer, go;
We part with thee in love;
And if we meet no more below,
O may we meet above.

472 S. M.
Be ye therefore ready also.
Luke 12:40.

Ye servants of the Lord,
Each in his office wait;
With joy obey his heavenly word,
And watch before his gate.

2 Let all your lamps be bright,
And trim the golden flame;
Gird up your loins, as in his sight;
For awful is his name.

3 Watch! ’tis the Lord’s command;
And while we speak, he’s near;
Mark the first signal of his hand,
And ready all appear.

4 O happy servant he,
In such a posture found!
He shall his Lord with rapture see,
And be with honor crowned.

473 S. M. D.
Math. 9:38.

Lord of the harvest! hear
Thy needy servants’ cry;
Answer our faith’s effectual prayer,
And all our wants supply.
On thee we humbly wait;
Our wants are in thy view;
The harvest truly, Lord! is great,
The laborers are few.

2 Convert and send forth more
Into thy Church abroad;
And let them speak thy word of power,
As workers with their God.
Give the pure gospel-word,
The word of general grace;
Thee let them preach, the common Lord,
The Saviour of our race.

3 O, let them spread thy name;
Their mission fully prove;
Thy universal grace proclaim,
Thy all-redeeming love.
On all mankind, forgiven,
Empower them still to call,
And tell each creature under heaven,
That thou hast died for all.

474 5s & 6s.
Preach the word.
2 Tim. 4:2.

You servants of God,
Your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad
His wonderful name:
The name all victorious
Of Jesus extol;
His kingdom is glorious,
And rules over all.

2 Christ ruleth on high,
Almighty to save:
And still he is nigh—
His presence we have:
The great congregation
His triumph shall sing,
Ascribing salvation
To Jesus our King.

3 Salvation to him,
Who sits on the throne—
Let all cry aloud,
And honor the Son;
Our Saviour’s praises
The angels proclaim,
They fall on their faces
And worship the Lamb.

4 Him let us adore,
And give him his right;
All glory and power,
And wisdom and might;
All honor and blessing
With angels above,
And thanks never ceasing,
For infinite love.

475 7s.
Prayer for deacons.

Son of God, our glorious Head!
On us now thy blessing shed;
From thy throne let mercy flow
To thy waiting flock below.

2 Taught by thee, with prayer sincere,
We have called thy servants here,
For thy needy ones to care,
And thy holy feast to bear.

3 May the Spirit from above
Fill their hearts with faith and love;
Make them humble, zealous, wise,
Strife to shun, and good devise.

4 When their earthly work is done,
When the crown of life is won,
May they, with thy favor blest,
Pass from labor into rest.

476 7s & 6s.
The fields are white already to harvest.
John 4:35.

Ho, reapers of life’s harvest,
Why stand with rusted blade,
Until the night draws round thee,
And day begins to fade?
Why stand ye idle, waiting
For reapers more to come?
The golden morn is passing,
Why sit ye idle, dumb?

2 Thrust in your sharpened sickle,
And gather in the grain:
The night is fast approaching,
And soon will come again.
Thy Master calls for reapers;
And shall he call in vain?
Shall sheaves lie there ungathered,
And waste upon the plain?

3 Come down from hill and mountain,
In morning’s ruddy glow,
Nor wait until the dial
Points to the noon below;
And come with the strong sinew,
Nor faint in heat or cold;
And pause not till the evening
Draws round its wealth of gold.

4 Mount up the hights of wisdom,
And crush each error low;
Keep back no words of knowledge
That human hearts should know;
Be faithful to thy mission
In service of thy Lord;
And then a golden chaplet
Shall be thy just reward.

LOVE, UNITY AND FELLOWSHIP.

477 L. M.
Christian fellowship.

Kindred in Christ, for his dear sake
A hearty welcome here receive;
May we together now partake
The joys which only he can give.

2 May he, by whose kind care we meet,
Send his good spirit from above;
Make our communications sweet,
And cause our hearts to burn with love.

3 Forgotten be each worldly theme,
When Christians meet together thus;
We only wish to speak of him
Who lived, and died, and reigns for us.

4 We’ll talk of all he did, and said,
And suffered for us here below;
The path he marked for us to tread,
And what he’s doing for us now.

5 Thus—as the moments pass away—
We’ll love, and wonder, and adore;
And hasten on the glorious day
When we shall meet to part no more.

478 L. M.
Come in, thou blessed of the Lord.
Gen. 24:31.

Come in, thou blesséd of our God,
In Jesus’ name we bid thee come;
No more thy feet shall roam abroad,
Henceforth a brother—welcome home.

2 Those joys which earth can not afford,
We’ll seek in fellowship to prove,
Joined in one spirit to our Lord,
Together bound by mutual love.

3 And while we pass this vale of tears
We’ll make our joys and sorrows known;
We’ll share each other’s hopes and fears,
And count a brother’s cares our own.

4 Once more our welcome we repeat,
Receive assurance of our love;
O may we all together meet
Around the throne of God above.

479 L. M.
Christian affection.

How blest the sacred tie that binds,
In sweet communion, kindred minds!
How swift the heavenly course they run,
Whose hearts, whose faith, whose hopes are one!

2 To each the soul of each how dear!
What tender love, what holy fear!
How doth the generous flame within
Refine from earth, and cleanse from sin!

3 Their streaming eyes together flow
For human guilt and mortal woe;
Their ardent prayers together rise
Like mingling flames in sacrifice.

4 Nor shall the glowing flame expire,
When dimly burns frail nature’s fire;
Then shall they meet in realms above,
A heaven of joy, a heaven of love.

480 L. M.
The more excellent way.
1 Cor. 12:31.

Had I the tongues of Greeks and Jews,
And nobler speech than angels use,
If love be absent, I am found,
Like tinkling brass, an empty sound.

2 Were I inspired to preach and tell
All that is done in heaven and hell—
Or could my faith the world remove—
Still I am nothing without love.

3 Should I distribute all my store
To feed the hungry, clothe the poor—
Or give my body to the flame,
To gain a martyr’s glorious name—

4 If love to God and love to men
Be absent, all my hopes are vain;
Nor tongues, nor gifts, nor fiery zeal,
The work of love can e’er fulfill.

481 L. M.
The pilgrim band.

Come, you that love the Lord indeed,
Who are from sin and bondage freed,
Submit to all the ways of God,
And walk the narrow, happy road.
CHORUS.
We’re all united heart and hand,
Joined in one band completely;
We’re marching through Immanuel’s land,
Where waters flow most sweetly.

2 Great tribulation you shall meet,
But soon shall walk the golden street;
Though hell may rage and vent its spite,
Yet Christ will save his heart’s delight.

3 That happy day will soon appear
When Michael’s trumpet you shall hear
Sound through the earth—yea, down to hell,
And call the nations, great and small.

4 Behold the righteous marching home,
And all the angels bid them come,
While Christ the Judge these words proclaims,
“Here come my saints—I own their names!”

5 “You everlasting gates, fly wide,
Make ready to receive my bride;
You harps of heaven, now sound aloud,
Here come the ransomed by my blood!”

6 In grandeur see the royal line,
In glittering robes the sun outshine!
See saints and angels join in one,
And march in splendor to the throne.

7 They stand, and wonder, and look on:
They join in one eternal song,
Their great Redeemer to admire,
While rapture sets their souls on fire.

482 L. M.
Thy little flock in safety keep.

Jesus, thou Shepherd of the sheep,
Thy little flock in safety keep;
These lambs within thine arms now take,
Nor let them e’er thy fold forsake.

2 Secure them from the scorching beam,
And lead them to the living stream;
In verdant pastures let them lie,
And watch them with a shepherd’s eye!

3 O, teach them to discern thy voice,
And in its sacred sound rejoice!
From strangers may they ever flee,
And know no other guide but thee.

4 Lord, bring thy sheep that wander yet,
And let their number be complete;
Then let the flock from earth remove,
And reach the heavenly fold above.

483 L. M.
Organization of a church.

Lord, bless thy saints assembled here,
In solemn covenant now to join;
Unite them in thy holy fear,
And in thy love their hearts combine.

2 O give this church a large increase
Of such as thou wilt own and bless;
Lord, fill their hearts with joy and peace,
And clothe them with thy righteousness.

3 Make her a garden walled with grace,
A temple built for God below,
Where thy blest saints may see thy face;
And fruits of thy blessed Spirit grow.

484 L. M.
You are all one in Christ Jesus.
Gal. 3:28.

Still one in life and one in death,
One in our hope of rest above;
One in our joy, our trust, our faith,
One in each other’s faithful love,

2 Yet must we part, and, parting, weep;
What else has earth for us in store?
Our farewell pangs, how sharp and deep!
But soon we’ll meet to part no more.

485 L. M.
Parting hymn.

My Christian friends in bonds of love,
Whose hearts the sweetest union prove;
Your friendship’s like the strongest band,
Yet we must take the parting hand.

2 Your presence sweet, our union dear,
What joys we feel together here!
And when I see that we must part,
You draw like chords around my heart.

3 How sweet the hours have passed away,
Since we have met to sing and pray;
How loath are we to leave the place
Where Jesus shows his smiling face!

4 O could I stay with friends so kind,
How would it cheer my fainting mind!
But pilgrims in a foreign land,
We oft must take the parting hand.

5 My Christian friends, both old and young,
I trust you will in Christ go on;
Press on, and soon you’ll win the prize—
A crown of glory in the skies.

6 A few more days, or years at most,
And we shall reach fair Canaan’s coast:
When, in that holy, happy land,
We’ll take no more the parting hand.

7 O blesséd day! O glorious hope!
My soul rejoices at the thought,
When, in that holy, happy land,
We’ll take no more the parting hand.

486 C. M.
Go on, you pilgrims.

Go on, you pilgrims, while below,
In the sure path of peace,
Determined nothing else to know
But Jesus and his grace.

2 Observe your leader, follow him;
He through this world has been
Often reviled; but like a lamb
Did ne’er revile again.

3 O! take the pattern he has given,
And love your enemies;
And learn the only way to heaven
Through self-denial lies.

4 Remember, you must watch and pray
While journeying on the road,
Lest you should fall out by the way,
And wound the cause of God.

5 Go on rejoicing night and day;
Your crown is yet before,
Defy the trials of the way,
The storm will soon be o’er.

6 Soon we shall reach the promised land,
With all the ransomed race,
And join with all the glorious band,
To sing redeeming grace.

487 C. M.
Planting a church.

Planted in Christ, the living vine,
This day, with one accord,
Ourselves, with humble faith and joy,
We yield to thee, O Lord.

2 Joined in one body may we be;
One inward life partake;
One be our heart; one heavenly hope
In every bosom wake.

3 In prayer, in effort, tears, and toils,
One wisdom be our guide;
Taught by one Spirit from above,
In thee may we abide.

4 Around this feeble, trusting band,
Thy sheltering pinions spread,
Nor let the storms of trial beat
Too fiercely on our head.

5 Then, when, among the saints in light,
Our joyful spirits shine,
Shall anthems of immortal praise,
O Lamb of God, be thine.

488 C. M.
The unity of the Spirit.
Eph. 4:3.

Blessed be the dear uniting love,
That will not let us part;
Our bodies may far off remove—
We still are one in heart.

2 Joined in one Spirit to our Head,
Where he appoints, we go;
And still in Jesus’ footsteps tread,
And show his praise below.

3 Partakers of the Saviour’s grace,
The same in mind and heart;
Nor joy, nor grief, nor time, nor place,
Nor life, nor death, can part.

489 C. M.
We will serve the Lord.
Josh. 24:15.

Ye men and angels, witness now—
Before the Lord we speak,
To him we make our solemn vow—
A vow we dare not break:

2 That, long as life itself shall last,
Ourselves to Christ we yield;
Nor from his cause will we depart,
Or ever quit the field.

3 We trust not in our native strength,
But on his grace rely;
May he, with our returning wants,
All needful aid supply.

4 O, guide our doubtful feet aright,
And keep us in thy ways;
And, while we turn our vows to prayers,
Turn thou our prayers to praise.

490 C. M.
Restore such a one, etc.
Gal. 6:1.

Think gently of the erring one!
O, let us not forget,
However darkly stained by sin,
He is our brother yet.

2 Heir of the same inheritance,
Child of the self-same God,
He hath but stumbled in the path
We have in weakness trod.

3 Speak gently to the erring ones!
We yet may lead them back,
With holy words and tones of love,
From misery’s thorny track.

4 Forget not, brother, thou hast sinned,
And sinful yet may be;
Deal gently with the erring heart,
As God hath dealt with thee.

491 C. M.
Before and behind the vail.

Happy the souls to Jesus joined,
And made in spirit one:
Walking in all his ways, they find
Their heaven on earth begun.

2 The church triumphant in thy love,
Their mighty joys we know;
They sing the Lamb in hymns above,
And we in hymns below.

3 Thee in thy glorious realm they praise,
And bow before thy throne;
We in the kingdom of thy grace;
The kingdoms are but one.

4 The holy to the holiest leads;
To heaven our spirits rise;
And he that in thy statutes treads,
Shall meet thee in the skies.

492 C. M.
Spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Eph. 1:3.

O happy they who know the Lord,
With whom he deigns to dwell!
He feeds and cheers them by his word,
His arm supports them well.

2 To them, in each distressing hour,
His throne of grace is near;
And when they plead his love and power,
He stands engaged to hear.

3 His presence sweetens all our cares,
And makes our burdens light;
A word from him dispels our fears,
And gilds the gloom of night.

4 Lord, we expect to suffer here,
Nor would we dare repine;
But give us still to find thee near,
And own us still for thine.