Till thou shalt bid our spirits rise,

To worship thee above.

S. M.

Haverhill. Mornington.

562 Communion with the Father and Christ.

mf

OUR heavenly Father calls,
And Christ invites us near;

With both, our friendship shall be sweet,
And our communion dear.

2 God pities all our griefs:
He pardons every day;
Almighty to protect our souls,
And wise to guide our way.
3 How large his bounties are!
What various stores of good,
Diffused from our Redeemer's hand,
And purchased with his blood!
4 Jesus, our living head,

We bless thy faithful care;
Our advocate before the throne,
And our forerunner there.
5 Here fix, my roving heart!
Here wait, my warmest love!
Till this communion be complete
In nobler scenes above.

563

Sins and Sorrows laid before Gud.
OII, that I knew the secret place
Where I might find my God!
I'd spread my wants before his face,
And pour my woes abroad.

2 I'd tell him how my sins arise,
What sorrows I sustain;

How grace decays-and comfort dies,
And leaves my heart in pain.

3 He knows what arguments I'd take
To wrestle with my God-

I'd plead for his own mercy's sake-
I'd plead my Saviour's blood.

4 My God will pity my complaints,
And drive my foes away;

He knows the meaning of his saints,
When they in sorrow pray.

mf 5 Arise, my soul, from deep distress,
And banish every fear;

He calls thee to his throne of grace,
To spread thy sorrows there.

564

C. M.

Dedham. Grafton.

OH, could I find, from day to day,

A nearness to my God!

Then should my hours glide sweet away
While leaning on his word.

2 Lord, I desire with thee to live

Anew from day to day;

In joys the world can never give,
Nor ever take away.

3 Blest Jesus, come, and rule my heart,
And make me wholly thine,
That I may never more depart,
Nor grieve thy love divine.

4 Thus, till my last, expiring breath,
Thy goodness I'll adore;

And when my frame dissolves in death,
My soul shall love thee more.

565

Providence and Grace.

O THOU, my life, my joy,

My glory, and my all!

Unsent by thee, no good can come,
No evil can befall.

2 Such are thy wondrous works,
And methods of thy grace,
That I may safely trust in thee,
Through all this wilderness.
3 'Tis thine all-powerful arm
Upholds me in the way;
And thy rich bounty well supplies
The wants of every day.

4 For such compassions, Lord!
Ten thousand thanks are due,
For such compassions, I esteein
Ten thousand thanks too few.

566

C. M.

Medford. Walney
THANKS to my God for every gift
His bounteous hands bestow;

And thanks eternal for that love
Whence all those comforts flow.
2 Forever let my grateful heart
His boundless grace adore,
Which gives ten thousand blessings now,
And bids me hope for more.

3 Transporting hope! still on my soul
Let thy bright glories shine,

Till thou thyself art lost in joys
Eternal and divine.

BLEST be thou, O God of Israel,
Thou, our Father, and our Lord!
Blest thy majesty forever!

Ever be thy name adored.

Sicilian Hymn.

2 Thine, O Lord, are power and greatness;
Glory, victory, are thine own;
All is thine in earth and heaven,
Over all thy boundless throne.

3 Riches come of thee, and honor,
Power and might to thee belong;
Thine it is to make us prosper,

Only thine to make us strong.

4 Lord our God! for these, thy bounties,
Songs of gratitude we raise;

To thy name, forever glorious,
Ever we address our praise!

568

The Fearful encouraged.

YE trembling souls, dismiss your fears,
Be mercy all your theme ;
Mercy-which, like a river, flows

In one perpetual stream.

2 Fear not the powers of earth and hell-
Those powers will God restrain;

His arm shall all their rage repel,

And make their efforts vain.

3 Fear not the want of outward good,
For his he will provide;

Grant them supplies of daily food,
And give them heaven beside.

4 Fear not that he will e'er forsake,
Or leave his work undone;
He's faithful to his promises,
And faithful to his Son.

5 Fear not the terrors of the grave,
Or death's tremendous sting;

He will from endless wrath preserve,
To endless glory bring.

Refuge in God.

Covington. Spencer.

DEAR Refuge of my weary soul,
On thee, when sorrows rise,

On thee, when waves of trouble roll,
My fainting hope relies.

2 To thee I tell each rising grief,
For thou alone canst heal;

Thy word can bring a sweet relief,
For every pain I feel.

3 Hast thou not bid me seek thy face?
And shall I seek in vain?

And can the ear of sovereign grace
Be deaf when I complain?

4 No-still the ear of sovereign grace
Attends the mourner's prayer;

Oh may I ever find access

To breathe my sorrows there!
5 Thy mercy-seat is open still;
Here let my soul retreat;

With humble hope attend thy will,
And wait beneath thy feet.

570

f

IN every trouble, sharp and strong,
My soul to Jesus flies;

My anchor-hold is firm in him,
When swelling billows rise.

2 His comforts bear my spirits up;
I trust a faithful God;

The sure foundation of my hope
Is in my Saviour's blood.

3 Loud hallelujahs sing, my soul,
To thy Redeemer's name!

In joy, or sorrow-life, or death-
His love is still the same.

571

L. M. Mendon. 97th Ps. Tune.

PRAISE-everlasting praise be paid
To him who earth's foundations laid;
Praise to the God whose strong decrees
Sway the creation as he please.

2 Praise to the goodness of the Lord,
Who rules his people by his word;
And there, as strong as his decrees,
Reveals his kindest promises.

3 Whence then should doubts and fears arise?
Why trickling sorrows drown our eyes?
Slowly, alas! the mind receives

The comforts that our Maker gives. mf 4 Oh for a strong, a lasting faith! To credit what th' Almighty saith! T'embrace the message of his Son, And call the joys of heaven our own. 5 Then, should the earth's foundations shake, And all the wheels of nature break, Our steady souls shall fear no more Than solid rocks when billows roar.

572

C. M.

Litchfield, Spencer.

DEAR Father, to thy mercy-seat
My soul for shelter flies:
"Tis here I find a safe retreat

When storms and tempests rise.

2 My cheerful hope can never die,
If thou, my God, art near;
Thy grace can raise my comforts high,
And banish every fear.

3 My great Protector, and my Lord,
Thy constant aid impart;
Oh! let thy kind, thy gracious word
Sustain my trembling heart.

4 Oh! never let my soul remove
From this divine retreat;

Still let me trust thy power and love,
And dwell beneath thy feet.

573

Prayer for Protection and Guidance.

O THOU, to whose all-searching sight
The darkness shineth as the light,