A COLLECTION OF HYMNS AND TUNES FOR ALL OCCASIONS OF SOCIAL WORSHIP. BY JOHN G. ADAMS. "Let us come before his presence with singing."-PSALMS. BOSTON: UNIVERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE. 1868. BV Cap:/ PREFACE. This work has been issued to meet a demand. Its title indicates its character. It is the result of much careful selection, and of the examination of competent judges as to its adaptedness to the uses for which it is intended. In the Vestry-room meeting-now one of the essential religious helps with most of the Christian sects; in the devotional services of the family; and in all seasons of social Christian worship, this collection, we hope, may be found to be an aid and inspiration. The compiler has sought to present in this little volume, as great a variety of Hymns as the size of the book would allow. Although many of them are fully expressive of the distinctive theology of a Christian sect, it is believed that nearly if not all of them can be sung in the spirit by all true lovers of Christ and Christianity. The tunes, it will be seen, are both old and new; some of them being among the few enduring, if not "immortal," ones, "that were not born to die." The compiler gratefully acknowledges his indebtedness to the authors and publishers who have so readily and kindly granted him the use of their tunes and hymns for this work. While their generous "permission" has added richness to his book, it will be the means of extending still more widely their claims on the Christian public as contributors to its spiritual enjoyment and improvement. A few introductory exercises are added to the book, for use in meetings conducted by laymen, or in which a brief liturgical service would be agreeable. Entered according to Act of Congress in the year 1868, by the UNIVERSALIST PUBLISHING HOUSE, in the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts. EDWARD L. BALCH, Music Typographer, No. 14 Kilby St., Boston. OPENING EXERCISES FOR A MEETING OF CHRISTIAN CONFERENCE, PRAYER AND PRAISE. FIRST SERVICE. HYMN. SCRIPTURE LESSON. SERVE the Lord with gladness; come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God; it is he that hath made us and not we ourselves: We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth to all generations. How lovely are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house; they will be still praising thee. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. RESPONSES. Minister.-How excellent is thy loving kindness, O God! Congregation. Therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings. |