452. The Minister's Strength, Office, and Reward.
(Ephes. iv. 7-13.) L. M.
1 POUR down Thy Spirit from on high;
Lord, Thine appointed servants bless;
Thy promis'd power to each supply,
And clothe Thy priests with righteousness.
2 Wisdom, and zeal, and faith impart,
Firmness and meekness from above,
To bear Thy people in their heart,
And love the souls whom Thou dost love:
3 To watch, and pray, and never faint;
By day and night their guard to keep
To warn the sinner, cheer the saint,
Protect Thy lambs, and feed Thy sheep.
4 And, when their work is finish'd here,
Let them in hope their charge resign;
Before the throne with joy appear,
And there with endless glory shine.
453.The Minister's Vows and Responsibility. C. M.
1 AND now the solemn rite is past,
And these are set apart,
To serve the Lord from first to last
With undivided heart.
2 And they a soleinn pledge have given,
Which God and man have heard,
To learn and speak the truth of heaven,
In action, and in word.
3 0 Thou, who in Thy holy place
Hast set Thine Orders three,
Grant these, Thy chosen servants, grace
To win a good degree ;
4 That so replenish'd from above,
And in their office tried,
Thou may'st be honor'd, and in love
Thy Church be edified.
"Will God in very deed dwell with Men?”
(2 Chron. vi. 18-21.) L. M.
1 AND will, indeed, Jehovah deign
Here to abide, no transient guest?
Here will the world's Redeemer reign?
And here the Holy Spirit rest?
2 That glory never hence depart!
Yet choose not, Lord, this house alone :
Thy kingdom come to ev'ry heart,
In ev'ry bosom fix Thy throne.
3 Here, when Thy people seek Thy face,
And dying sinners pray to live,
Hear Thou in heaven, Thy dwelling place,
And when Thou hearest, O forgive.
4 Here when Thy messengers proclaim
The blessed gospel of Thy Son,
Still by the power of His great name
Be mighty deeds of mercy done.
"Where Two or Three, &c." C.M. (Matt. xviii. 20.)
1 GREAT Shepherd of Thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;
As Thou hast giv'n a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.
2 Show us some token of Thy love
Our feeble hope to raise;
And pour Thy blessings from above,
That we may render praise.
3 The hearing ear, the watchful eye,
The contrite heart bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
To make our graces grow.
4 May we in faith receive Thy word,
In faith address our prayers;
And in the presence of the Lord
Unbosom all our cares.
5 And may Thy gospel's joyful sound,
Enforc'd by grace divine,
Awaken many sinners round,
And bend their wills to Thine.
For the Restoration of the Jews. L. M.
(Psalm lxxxv.)
1 ARISE O God! and let Thy grace
Diffuse its beams on Jacob's race:
Restore the long-lost scatter'd band
And call them to their native land.
2 How long shall Jacob's offspring prove
The sad suspension of Thy love?
For ever shall Thine anger burn?
And wilt thou never, Lord, return?
3 In pity their backslidings heal,
Their trespass hide, their pardon seal :
Check in mid course Thy dreadful ire,
And bid its kindled flames expire.
4 Thy quick'ning spirit now impart,
And wake to joy each grateful heart :
May Israel's ransom'd tribes in Thee
Their bliss and full salvation see.
457. "Ye shall seek Me, &c." (John vii. 34.) L. M.
1 GREAT God of Abr'am! hear our prayer;
Let Abr'am's seed Thy mercy share :
Oh! may they now at length return,
And look on Him they pierc'd and mourn.
2 Remember Jacob's flock of old;
Bring home the wand'rers to Thy fold
Remember too Thy promis'd word,
"Israel at last shall seek the Lord."
3 Though outcasts still, estranged from Thee,
Cut off from their own olive-tree,
Why should they longer such remain?
For Thou canst graft them in again.
4 Lord! put Thy law within their heart;
Cause them to choose the better part;
The veil of darkness rend in two,
Which hides Messiah from their view.
5 Oh! haste the day, foretold so long,
When Jew and Greek (a glorious throng)
One house shall seek, one prayer shall pour,
And one Redeemer shall adore.
"He shall enter into Peace." L. M.
(Isia. Ivii. 2)
1 HOW sweet the hour of closing day,
When all is peaceful and serene,
And the broad sun's retiring ray
Sheds a mild lustre o'er the scene!
2 Such is the Christian's parting hour,
So peacefully he sinks to rest;
And faith, rekindling all its power,
Lights up the languor of his breast.
3 There is a radiance in his eye,
A smile upon his wasted cheek,
That seems to tell of glory nigh,
In language that no tongue can speak.
4 A beam from heaven is sent to cheer
The pilgrim on his gloomy road;
And angels are attending near,
To bear him to their bright abode
5 Who would not wish to die like those
Whom God's own Spirit deigns to bless ?
Then sink into that soft repose,
Than wake to perfect happiness!
6 O Lord! that we may thus depart,
Thy joys to share, Thy face to see,
Impress Thine image on our heart,
And teach us now to walk with Thee.
"It is appointed unto Men once to Die." C. M. (Heb. ix. 27.)
1 ONCE all must die, let all in time
The solemn purport weigh;
And know, that heaven and hell depend
On that important day.
2 Those eyes, though long in darkness veil'd,
Must wake the Judge to see;
And ev'ry deed, and word, and thought,
Must pass His scrutiny.
3 May we in Thee, the Judge, behold
Our Saviour and our Friend,
And far above the reach of death,
With all Thy saints ascend!
"In Christ shall all be made Alive." C. M.
(1 Cor. xv.
1 WHY do we mourn departing friends,
Or shake at death's alarms?
'Tis but the voice that Jesus sends
To call them to His arms.
2 Why should we tremble to convey
Their bodies to the tomb?
There the Redeemer's body lay,
And left a long perfume.
3 The graves of all His saints He blest,
And soften'd every bed:
Where should the dying members rest
But with their dying Head?
4 Then let the last loud trumpet sound,
And bid our kindred rise:
Awake! ye nations under ground;
Ye saints, ascend the skies.
441." Sorrow not even as others which have no Hope.” (1 Thess. iv. 13.) 11th P. M.
1 THOU❜rt gone to the grave! but we will not deplore thee, Though sorrows and darkness encompass the tomb; Thy Saviour has past through its portals before thee; The lamp of His love was thy guide thro' the gloom. 2 Thou art gone to the grave! we no longer behold thee, Nor tread the rough path of the world by thy side; But the wide arms of mercy are spread to unfold thee, And sinners may hope, since the Saviour hath died. 3 Thou art gone to the grave! and, its mansion forsaking, Perhaps thy tried spirit in doubt linger'd long ;
But the sunshine of heaven beam'd bright on thy waking, And the song which thou heard'st was the seraphim's song. 4 Thou art gone to the grave! but we will not deplore thee, Since God was thy ransom, thy guardian, and guide; He gave thee, He took thee, and He will restore thee, And death has no sting, for the Saviour has died.
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