3 Thou the contrite sinner's stay,
Who thy goodness can display?
How to those who seek thee kind!
What, ah! what, to those who find?

4 Tongue can speak not their delight, Nor can pen of man indite;

None can know, but they who prove, What it is their Lord to love.

1

God's Mercy in Christ.

RAISE your triumphant songs
To an immortal tune;

Let all the earth resound the deeds

Celestial grace has done.

2 Sing how eternal love

3

Its best Belovèd chose,

And bade him raise our ruined race

From their abyss of woes.

His hand no thunder bears,
No terror clothes his brow,
No bolts to drive our guilty souls
To fiercer flames below.

4 Now, sinners, dry your tears;
Let hopeless sorrow cease;
Bow to the sceptre of his love,
And take the offered peace.

222

7s. M.

313.

C. WESLEY.

Christ a Refuge.

1 JESUS, Lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the nearer waters roll,
While the tempest still is high:
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life be past;
Safe into the haven guide;
O receive my soul at last!

2 Other refuge have I none;
Helpless hangs my soul on thee;
Leave, O leave me not alone!
Still support and comfort me.
All my trust on thee is stayed,
All my help from thee I bring;
Cover my defenceless head
With the shadow of thy wing.

3 Thou, O Christ, art all I want;
More than all in thee I find;
Raise the fallen, cheer the faint,
Heal the sick, and lead the blind.
Thou of life the fountain art;
Freely let me take of thee;
Spring thou up within my heart;
Rise to all eternity.

C. M.

314.

R. BAXTER.

Christ our Guide and our Wisdom.

1 CHRIST leads me through no darker rooms Than he went through before:

He that into God's kingdom comes
Must enter by this door.

2 Come, Lord, when grace hath made me meet Thy blessed face to see;

For if thy work on earth be sweet,
What must thy glory be?

3 Then I shall end my sad complaints,
And weary, sinful days,

And join with those triumphant saints
That sing Jehovah's praise.

4 My knowledge of that life is small;
The eye of faith is dim;

But 't is enough that Christ knows all,
And I shall be with him!

C. M.

315.

GASKELL.

The Heralds of the Cross.

1 FORTH Went the heralds of the cross,
No dangers made them pause;
They counted all the world but loss,
For their great Master's cause.

2 Through looks of fire, and words of scorn,
Serene their path they trod;

And, to the dreary dungeon borne,
Sang praises unto God.

3 Friends dropped the hand they clasped before, Love changed to cruel hate;

And home to them was home no more;
Yet mourned they not their fate.

4 In all his dark and dread array,
Death rose upon their sight;
But calmly still they kept their way,
And shrank not from the fight.

5 They knew to whom their trust was given, They could not doubt his word;

Before them beamed the light of heaven,
The presence of their Lord.

S. M.

316.

ANCIENT HYMNS.

Thanks for all Saints.

1 FOR all thy saints, O God,
Who strove in Christ to live,
Who followed him, obeyed, adored,
Our grateful hymn receive.

2 For all thy saints, O God,
Accept our thankful cry,

4

Who counted Christ their great reward,
And strove in him to die.

3 They all, in life and death,
With him, their Lord, in view,
Learned from thy Holy Spirit's breath
To suffer and to do.

For this, thy name we bless,
And humbly beg that we

May follow them in holiness,
And live and die in thee.

C. M.

317.

ANONYMOUS.

"We look for new heavens and a new earth."

1 WE wait in faith, in prayer we wait,
Until the happy hour

When God shall ope the morning gate,
By his almighty power.

2 We wait in faith, and turn our face To where the daylight springs;

Till Christ shall come earth's gloom to chase,
With healing on his wings.

3 And even now, amid the gray,
The East is brightening fast,
And kindling to that perfect day
Which never shall be past

4 We wait in faith, we wait in prayer,
Till that blest day shall shine,
When earth shall fruits of Eden bear,
And all, O God, be thine!

5 O, guide us till our night is done!
Until, from shore to shore,
Thou, Lord, our everlasting sun,
Art shining evermore!

• C. M.

318.

SPIRIT OF THE PSALMS.

The Christian Zion. Psalm 48.

1 WITH stately towers and bulwarks strong,
Unrivalled and alone,

Loved theme of many a sacred song,
God's holy city shone.

2 Thus fair was Zion's chosen seat,
The glory of all lands;

Yet fairer, and in strength complete,
The Christian temple stands.

3 The faithful of each clime and age
This glorious Church compose;
Built on a rock, with idle rage
The threatening tempest blows.