By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another. JOHN xiii. 35.
1 Our God is love, and all His saints
His image bear below;
The heart with love to God inspired,
With love to man will glow.
2 O may we love each other, Lord,
As we are loved of Thee:
For none are truly born of God,
Who live in enmity.
3 Heirs of the same immortal bliss,
Our hopes and fears the same,
The cords of love our hearts should bind,
The fire of love inflame.
4 So shall the vain contentious world
Our peaceful lives approve,
And wond'ring say, as they of old,
"See how these Christians love."
And this commandment have we from Him, That he who loveth God love his brother also. 1 JOHN iv. 21.
1 O Lord, how joyful 'tis to see
The brethren join in love to Thee;
On Thee alone their heart relies,
Their only strength Thy grace supplies.
2 How sweet within Thy holy place
With one accord to sing Thy grace;
Besieging Thine attentive ear
With all the force of fervent prayer.
3 Oh, may we love the house of God,
Of peace and joy the blest abode;
Oh, may no angry strife destroy
That sacred peace, that holy joy.
Turn to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning. JOEL ii. 12.
1 O Lord, turn not Thy face from us,
Who lie in woeful state,
Lamenting sore our sinful life,
Before Thy mercy gate:
A gate, which opens wide to those
That do lament their sin;
Shut not that gate against us, Lord!
But let us enter in.
2 We need not to confess our fault,
For surely Thou canst tell;
What we have done, and what we are,
O Lord, Thou knowest well.
Wherefore, to beg and to entreat,
With tears we come to Thee,
As children that have done amiss,
Fall at their father's knee.
3 And need we then, O Lord, repeat
The blessing which we crave;
When Thou dost know, before we ask,
The thing that we would have?
Mercy, good Lord, mercy we seek :
This is of all the sum;
For mercy, Lord, is all our suit;
O let Thy mercy come!
1 From lowest depths of woe
To God I sent my cry;
Lord, hear my supplicating voice,
And graciously reply.
2 Shouldst Thou severely judge,
Who can the trial bear?
But Thou forgiv'st, lest we despond,
And quite renounce Thy fear.
3 My soul with patience waits
For Thee, the living Lord;
My hopes are on Thy promise built,
Thy never-failing word.
4 Let Israel trust in God,
No bounds His mercy knows;
The plenteous source and spring from whence
Eternal succour flows.
5 Whose friendly streams to us
Supplies in want convey;
A healing spring, a spring to cleanse,
And wash our guilt away.
PSALM CXXX.
(Second Version.)
1 From whelming depths of fear,
To God I sent my cry;
There lowly laid I found my need
Of succour from on high.
2 Lord, hear my suppliant prayer,
Ere yet my spirit faint;
O let Thine ears consider well
The voice of my complaint.
3 Shouldst Thou each error mark,
Who could Thy sentence bear?
But mercy dwells with Thee, that men
Thy righteous truth may fear.
4 For Thee, the gracious Lord,
I wait with trustful eyes;
On the sure comfort of Thy word
My firm-built hope relies.
5 O Israel, trust in God;
To Him thy offerings bring,
From whom, as from a living fount,
Redeeming mercies spring.
6 Return, to God return:
The grace, that thou shalt gain,
Shall with redemption's plenteous streams
Cleanse all thy guilty stain.
1 Have mercy, Lord, on me,
As Thou wert ever kind;
Let me, opprest with loads of guilt,
Thy wonted mercy find.
2 Wash off my foul offence,
And cleanse me from my sin;
For I confess my crime, and see
How great my guilt has been.
3 Against Thee, Lord, alone,
And only in Thy sight,
Have I transgress'd, and, though condemn'd,
Must own Thy judgment right.
4 Blot out my crying sins,
Nor me in anger view;
Create in me a heart that's clean,
An upright mind renew.
5 Withdraw not Thou Thy help,
Nor cast me from Thy sight;
Nor let Thy Holy Spirit take
His everlasting flight.
6 The joy Thy favour gives
Let me again obtain :
And Thy free Spirit's firm support
My fainting soul sustain.
If Thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it? Ps. cxxx. 3.
1 Out of the deep I cry to Thee:
O Lord God, hear my crying:
Incline Thy gracious ear to me,
With prayer to Thee applying.
For if Thou fix Thy searching eye
On all sin and iniquity,
Who, Lord, can stand before Thee?
2 But love and grace with Thee prevail,
O God, our sins forgiving!
The holiest deeds can nought avail
Of all before Thee living.
Before Thee none can boast him clear;
Therefore must each Thy judgment fear,
And live on Thy compassion.
3 For this my hope in God shall rest,
Nought building on my merit:
My heart confides, of Him possess'd:
His goodness stays my spirit.
His precious blood assureth me
My solace, my sure rock is He;
Hereon my soul abideth.
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