5 Swift as an eagle cuts the air,

492

We'll mount aloft to Thine abode;
On wings of love our souls shall fly,
Nor tire amid the heavenly road.

Watts. 1709.

1 STAND up, my soul, shake off thy fears, And gird the Gospel armor on; March to the gates of endless joy,

L.M.

Where Jesus thy great Captain's gone. 2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course,

But hell and sin are vanquished foes;
Thy Jesus 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.
Watts. 1709. a.

493

1 AM I a soldier of the Cross,

A follower of the Lamb?

And shall I fear to own His cause,

Or blush to speak His Name?

2 Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,

Whilst others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vain world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

C. M.

4 Sure I must fight, if I would reign:
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

5 Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they die;
They see the triumph from afar,
By faith they bring it nigh.

6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thine armies shine

494

1

2

3

4

In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.

SOLDIERS of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on,

Watts. 1709. a.

S. M.

Strong in the strength which God supplies
Through His eternal Son;

Strong in the Lord of Hosts,
And in His mighty power:
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
Is more than conqueror.

Stand then in His great might,
With all His strength endued;
But take, to arm you for the fight,
The panoply of God:

That having all things done,
And all your conflicts past,

Ye may o'ercome through Christ alone,
And stand entire at last.

5 From strength to strength go on,
Wrestle, and fight, and pray:

Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.

495

496

6

2

3

Still let the Spirit cry,

In all his soldiers, "Come,"

Till Christ the Lord descends from high,
And takes the conquerors home.

C. Wesley. 1749.

My soul, be on Thy guard;
Ten thousand foes arise,

And hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies.

O watch, and fight, and pray,
The battle ne'er give o'er;

Renew it boldly every day,

And help divine implore.

Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor once at ease sit down;
Thine arduous work will not be done,
Till thou receive thy crown.

4 Fight on, my soul, till death
Shall bring thee to thy God;

He'll take thee, at thy parting breath,
To His divine abode.

S. M.

Heath.

Mein Jesu, Dem die Seraphinen. L. M.

1 INTO Thy gracious hands I fall,

And with the arms of faith embrace;

O King of glory, hear my call!

O raise me, heal me by Thy grace!

Now righteous through Thy wounds I am:
No condemnation now I dread;
I taste salvation in Thy Name,
Alive in Thee, my living Head!
2 Still let Thy wisdom be my guide,

Nor take Thy Light from me away:
Still with me let Thy grace abide,
That I from Thee may never stray.

Let Thy Word richly in me dwell;
Thy peace and love my portion be;
My joy to endure and do Thy will,
Till perfect I am found in Thee.

3 Arm me with Thy whole armor, Lord!
Support my weakness with Thy might;
Gird on my thigh Thy conquering sword,
And shield me in the threatening fight:
From faith to faith, from grace to grace,
So in Thy strength shall I go on;
Till heaven and earth flee from Thy face,
And glory end what grace begun.

497

3

John Wesley. 1739.

Tr. Wolfgang Christopher Deszler. 1692.

YE servants of the Lord,

Each in his office wait,

Observant of His heavenly word,

And watchful at His gate.

Let all your lamps be bright,
And trim the golden flame;

Gird up your loins, as in His sight,
For awful is His Name.

S. M.

Watch! 'tis your Lord's command;
And while we speak, He's near.
Mark the first signal of His hand,
And ready all appear.

O happy servant he,

In such a posture found!

He shall His Lord with rapture see,
And be with honor crowned.

Doddridge. 1755.

498

WISDOM AND SELF-KNOWLEDGE.

1 ALMIGHTY God, in humble prayer
To Thee our souls we lift:
Do Thou our waiting minds prepare
For Thy most needful gift.

2. We ask not golden streams of wealth
Along our path to flow;

We ask not undecaying health,
Nor length of years below.

3 We ask not honors, which an hour
May bring and take away;
We ask not pleasure, pomp, and
Lest we should go astray.

C. M.

power,

4 We ask for wisdom :-Lord, impart
The knowledge how to live;

A wise and understanding heart
To all before Thee give.

5 The young remember thee in youth,
Before the evil day!

499

The old be guided by Thy truth
In wisdom's pleasant way!

James Montgomery. 1825.

C. P. M.

1 Be it my only wisdom here
To serve the Lord with filial fear,
With loving gratitude!
Knowledge divine may I display,
By shunning every evil way,
And walking in the good.

20 may I still from sin depart!
A wise and understanding heart,
Jesus, to me be given!