5 O may thy grace his heart enlarge,
To teach thy precepts given,
Till, with the people of his charge,
He shall be called to heaven.

HYMN 488. L. M. [#]

Pastoral Care.

1 GREAT God, before thy throne we bow; To thee we raise the fervent prayer; Do thou on us thy grace bestow,

And make us all thy tender care.

2 Him thou dost place as pastor here, Wilt thou, O Saviour, deign to bless : With firmness and with godly fear

May he declare thy truth and grace. 3 May no vain pride his heart possess, To wrest thy word, thy truth conceal; Be thou his Strength and Righteousness, And with thy love his bosom fill.

4 And on this people, gracious Lord,

Pour down thy blessings from above, Cause every heart to love thy word, And in thy paths their footsteps move. 5 We pray, O God, and we believe; We've seen thy kindness all our days; And long as we existence have,

We'll celebrate thy wondrous praise.

HYMN 489. L. M. [#]

Ordination or Installation.

10 THOU, who art above all height,

Our God, our Father and our Friend,
Beneath thy throne of love and light,
Let thine adoring children bend.

2 We kneel in praise, that here is set
A vine that by thy culture grew;
We kneel in prayer, that thou wouldst wet
Its opening leaves with heavenly dew.
3 Since this thy servant now hath given
Himself, his powers, his hopes, his youth,
To the great cause of truth and heaven,
Be thou his Guide, O God of truth.
4 Here may his doctrine drop like rain,

His speech like Hermon's dew distil,
Till green fields smile, and golden grain,
Ripe for the harvest, waits thy will.
5 And when he sinks in death, by care,
Or pain, or toil, or years oppressed,
O God, remember then our prayer,
And take his spirit to thy rest.

BAPTISM, AND EARLY INSTRUCTION.

HYMN 490. C. M. [bor #]

Dedication of Children.

1 Lo, Israel's gentle Shepherd stands
With all-engaging charms;

See how he takes the tender lambs,
And folds them in his arms!

2 Permit them to approach, he cries,
Nor scorn their humble name;
It was to bless such souls as these
The Lord of glory came.

3 We bring them, Lord, in thankful hands,
And yield them up to thee;
Joyful that we ourselves are thine,
Thine let our offspring be.

4 Ye little flock, with pleasure hear;
Ye children, seek his face;
And fly with transport to receive
The blessings of his grace.

5 If orphans they are left behind,
Thy guardian care we trust;

That care shall heal our bleeding hearts,
If weeping o'er their dust.

HYMN 491. C. M. [#]

Children blessed.

1 How large the promise, how divine,
To Abram and his seed!
I'll be a God to thee and thine,
Supplying all their need.

2 The words of his extensive love
From age to age endure;
The angel of the promise proves,
And seals, the blessing sure.

3 Jesus the ancient faith confirms,
To our great fathers given;
He takes young children in his arms,
And calls them heirs of heaven.

4 Our God, how faithful are his ways!
His love endures the same;
Nor from the promise of his grace
Blots out the children's name.

HYMN 492. S. M. [#]

Our Offspring the Care of God.

1 LORD, what our ears have heard
Our eyes delighted trace;
Thy love in long succession shown
To Zion's chosen race.

2 Our children thou dost claim,

And mark them out for thine : Ten thousand blessings to thy-name, For goodness so divine.

3 Thee let the fathers own,

And thee the sons adore ;
Joined to the Lord in solemn vows,
To be forgot no more.

4 How great thy mercies, Lord!
How plenteous is thy grace,
Which, in the promise of thy love,
Includes our rising race!

HYMN 493. C. M. [#]

Infants blessed of Christ.

1 THY life I read, my dearest Lord,
With transport all divine;
Thine image trace in every word,
Thy love in every line.

2 With joy I see a thousand charms
Spread o'er thy lovely face,
While infants, in thy tender arms,
Receive the smiling grace.

3 I take these little lambs, said he,
And lay them on my breast;
Protection they shall find in me,
In me be ever blest.

4 Death may the bands of life unloose, But can't dissolve my love;

Millions of infant souls compose
The family above.

5 His words, ye happy parents, hear,
And shout, with joys divine,

Dear Saviour, all we have and are
Shall be forever thine.