DEDICATIONS AND ORDINATIONS.

HYMN 478. S. P. M. [#]

On opening a Place of Worship.
1 How does my heart rejoice

To hear the public voice,
Come, let us seek our God to-day !

Yes, with a cheerful zeal,

We'll haste to Zion's hill,
And there our vows and honours pay.
2 Zion, thrice happy place!

Adorned with wondrous grace,
And walls of strength enclose thee round;

In thee our souls appear,
To pray, and praise, and hear
The sacred gospel's joyful sound.
3 May peace attend thy gate,

And joy within thee wait,
To bless the soul of every guest :

The man who seeks thy peace,

And wishes thine increase,
A thousand blessings on him rest.
4 My tongue repeats her vows,

Peace to this sacred house,
For here my friends and brethren dwell;

And, since my glorious God

Makes this his blest abode,
My soul shall ever love thee well.

HYMN 479. C. M. [#]

Consecration of a Place of Worship.
1 GREATEST of beings, Source of good,

We bow before thy throne,
Which from eternity hath stood,

And worship thee alone. 2 Wilt thou vouchsafe thy presence here,

And shed propitious rays,
While with united hands we rear

An altar to thy praise ?
3 Here, then, in every heart be found

The dwelling of thy choice;
And here be heard that sweetest sound,

The cheerful, thankful voice. 4 Here may the mind, while sunk in woes,

And comfort long delays,
On Mercy's gentle breast repose,

And change its sighs for praise.
5 May love, with sweet, resistless force,

Compel her guests to come;
Arrest the sinner's downward course,

And call the wanderer home.
6 While life eternal all pursue,
Here
may
the
way

be shown, To know thyself, God only true,

And Christ, thy chosen Son.

HYMN 480. L. M. [#]

Worship acceptable in all Places.
1 O THOU, to whom, in ancient time,

The lyre of Hebrew bards was strung,
Whom kings adored in song sublime,

And prophets praised with glowing tongue; 2 Not now on Zion's height alone,

Thy favoured worshipper may dwell;
Not where, at sultry noon, thy Son

Sat, weary, by the patriarch's well: 3 From every place below the skies,

The grateful song, the fervent prayer,
The incense of the heart, may rise

To heaven, and find acceptance there. 4 In this thy house, whose doors we now

For social worship first unfold,
To thee the suppliant throng shall bow,

While circling years on years are rolled. 5 To thee shall age, with snowy hair,

And strength and beauty, bend the knee, And childhood lisp, with reverent air,

Its praises and its prayers to thee. 6 O thou, to whom, in ancient time,

The lyre of prophet bards was strung,
To thee, at last, in every clime,
Shall temples rise, and praise be sung:

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HYMN 481. L. M. [#]

Ardent Homage.
1 JEHOVAH, God, our heavenly King,

This temple to thy name we raise ;
In strains as pure as angels sing,

O may its walls resound thy praise. 2 Here may thy truth in radiance shine,

And grateful hearts its influence feel;
And at its pure and holy shrine,

In ardent homage may we kneel. 3 May virtue's bright and living flame,

From souls renewed by heavenly love,
Waft its sweet incense to thy name,
A sacrifice thou wilt

approve.
4 When, in thine earthly dwelling-place,

We meet to mingle praise and prayer,
May we in love the world embrace,

And all to thy remembrance bear :
5 And when thy love our souls shall raise,
When
every

knee to thee shall bend, O, then, we'll give thee deathless praise,

Eternal Father, changeless Friend.

HYMN 482. L. M. [#]

Temple of Praise. 1 PRAISE ye the Lord, around whose throne

All heaven in ceaseless worship waits ; Whose glory fills the worlds unknown;

Praise ye the Lord, from Zion's gates.

2 With mingling souls and voices join,

To him the swelling anthem raise ;
Repeat his name with joy divine,

And fill the temple with his praise. 3 All-gracious God, to thee we owe

Each joy and blessing time affords;
Light, life and health, and all below,

Spring from thy presence, Lord of lords. 4 Thine be the praise, for thine the love,

That freely all our sins forgave, Pointed our dying eyes above,

And showed us life beyond the grave. 5 Immortal life ! this thought disarms The terrors of our mortal shore

; It brings to view eternal charms,

When other comforts are no more.

HYMN 483. C. M. [#]

House of Prayer dedicated to God.
1 SUPREME in power, O God of grace,

Thy throne is fixed on high ;
Yet to thy wanting, suppliant race,

Art thou forever nigh,
2 Before thy mercy-seat we bend,

Implore thy smiles divine,
Where justice, truth and mercy blend,

And in full splendour shine.
3 Wilt thou, our Father and our Friend,

Accept this house of prayer ?
And may thy potent arm defend

This temple of thy care,