4 Oh! spread thy covering wings around,
Till all our wanderings cease,
And at our Father's loved abode,
Our souls arrive in peace.

5 Such blessings, from thy gracious hand, Our humble prayers implore;

And thou shalt be our chosen God,-
Our portion evermore.

431.

7s.

Christ's Presence invoked.

1 LIGHT of life!-seraphic fire!-
Love divine!-thyself impart;
Every fainting soul inspire;
Shine in every drooping heart.
2 Every mourning sinner cheer;
Scatter all our guilty gloom:
Saviour-Son of God! appear;
To thy living temples come.
3 Come, in this accepted hour,
Bring thy heavenly kingdom in :
Fill us with thy glorious power-
Rooting out the love of sin.

4 Nothing more can we require,
We will covet nothing less;
Be thou all our heart's desire,-
All our joy and all our peace.

432.

C. M.

The Nature of Prayer.

1 PRAYER is the soul's sincere desire, Uttered or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

2 Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,

The upward glancing of an eye,-
When none but God is near.

3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try ;-

Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

4 Prayer is the Christian's vital breath, The Christian's native air;

His watchword at the gates of death,-
He enters heaven with prayer.

5 Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways;

While angels, in their songs, rejoice,
And cry,-"Behold he prays!"

6 O Thou! by whom we come to God, The life, the truth, the way,

The path of prayer thyself hast trod :-
Lord! teach us how to pray.

433.

7s.

Sin bewailed.

1 COME, my soul! thy suit prepare,
Jesus loves to answer prayer;
He himself has bid thee pray;
Rise, and ask without delay.
2 With my burden I begin ;-
Lord! remove this load of sin;
Let thy blood, for sinners spilt,
Set my conscience free from guilt.
3 Lord! I come to thee for rest,
Take possession of my breast;
There, thy sovereign right maintain,
And, without a rival, reign.

4 While I am a pilgrim here,
Let thy love my spirit cheer;
Be my guide, my guard, my friend ;-
Lead me to my journey's end.

5 Shew me what I have to do,
Every hour my strength renew;
Let me live a life of faith,

Let me die thy people's death.

434.

C. M.

Prayer for needed Grace.

1 FATHER! whate'er of earthly bliss,

Thy sovereign will denies,

Accepted, at thy throne of grace,
Let this petition rise

2 "Give us a calm, a thankful heart,
From every murmur free;
The blessings of thy grace impart,
And make us live to thee.

3 "Let the sweet hope, that we are thine, Our life and death attend;

Thy presence through our journey shine,
And crown our journey's end."

435.

C. M.

Seeking God.

1 AUTHOR of good! to thee we turn;
Thine ever-wakeful eye

Alone can all our wants discern,-
Thy hand alone supply.

2 Oh! let thy love within us dwell,
Thy fear our footsteps guide;
That love shall vainer loves expel,-
That fear, all fears beside.

3 Not what we wish-but what we want, Let mercy still supply;

The good we ask not, Father! grant;
The ill we ask-deny.

436.

C. M.

Prayer for Wisdom.

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 power,
Lest we should go astray:-

4 We ask for wisdom;-Lord! impart
The knowledge how to live:
A wise and understanding heart,
To all thy servants give;-

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

The old-be guided by thy truth,
In wisdom's pleasant ways!

437.

C. M.

Prayer for Sincerity.

1 LORD! when we bend before thy throne, And our confessions pour,

Oh! may we feel the sins we own,
And hate what we deplore.
2 Our contrite spirits pitying see;-
True penitence impart;

And let a healing ray, from thee,
Beam hope on every heart.

3 When we disclose our wants in prayer,
Oh! let our wills resign;
And not a thought our bosom share,
Which is not wholly thine.

4 Let faith each meek petition fill,
And waft it to the skies;

And teach our hearts-'t is goodness still
That grants it, or denies.

438.

S. M.

Christ will hear Prayer.

1 JESUS, who knows full well
The heart of every saint,
Invites us, all our griefs to tell,
To pray, and never faint.

2 He bows his gracious ear,-
We never plead in vain;
Then let us wait till he appear,
And pray, and pray again.

3 Jesus, the Lord, will hear

His chosen when they cry;
Yes, though he may a while forbear
He'll help them from on high.

4 Then let us earnest cry,

And never faint in prayer,

He sees, he hears, and, from on high,
Will make our cause his care.

APPROPRIATE FOR SEAMEN.

439.

L. M.

God's Dominion.

1 GOD of the seas! thine awful voice
Bids all the rolling waves rejoice;
And one soft word of thy command
Can sink them silent in the sand.
2 If but a Moses wave thy rod,

The sea divides, and owns its God,
The stormy floods their Maker know,
And let his chosen armies through.
3 The smallest fish that swims the seas,
Sportful, to thee a tribute pays;
And larger monsters of the deep,
At thy command, or rage or sleep.
4 Thus is thy glorious power adored
Among the watery nations, Lord!

Yet men, who trace the dangerous waves,
Forget the mighty God who saves.

440.

L. M.

Divine Guidance,

1 BESET with dangers, and with fear,
In life's uncertain sea I steer;
Saviour divine! diffuse thy light;
O Spirit, guide my vessel right.

2 Engage this roving treacherous heart
To fix on Christ the better part;
To scorn the trifles of a day,

For joys that none can take away.
3 Then let the wildest storms arise;
Let tempest mingle earth and skies;
No fatal shipwreck shall I fear,
But all my treasures with me bear.

441.

C. M.

There's Hope for thee.

1 BLEST be that voice, now heard afar, O'er the dark, rolling sea,