6s, 8s & 4s.
The Warning.
1 THE awful message came;
The Lord of spirits said,
"I know thou hast a living name,
But thou art dead.
Thy dying gifts revive,
And strengthen what remain;
Repent, remember, watch, and strive
To live again.
2 "But if thou wilt not hear
This warning of my grace,
Nor bow, with penitential fear,
Before my face,
Lo! as a thief I come,—
―
The hour thou canst not tell, -
To drive thee from thy peaceful home
In flames to dwell.
3 "The undefiled shall see
My promise fixed and sure;
And he who conquers walk with me
In garments pure:
Recorded by my love,
His name I will declare
Before my Father's throne above,
And angels there."
688.
C. M.
Difficulty and Dependence.
1 STRAIT is the way, the door is strait,
That leads to joys on high:
"Tis but a few that find the gate,
While crowds mistake and die.
2 Beloved self must be denied,
The mind and will renewed,
Passion suppressed, and patience tried,
And vain desires subdued.
3 Lord, can a feeble, helpless worm Fulfil a task so hard?
Thy grace must all the work perform,
And give the free reward.
S. M.
Grateful Acknowledgment.
1 MY Maker and my King,
To thee my all I owe;
Thy sovereign bounty is the spring
Whence all my blessings flow.
2 The creature of thy hand,
On thee alone I live;
My God, thy benefits demand
More praise than I can give.
3 Lord, what can I impart,
When all is thine before?
Thy love demands a thankful heart, —
The gift, alas! how poor!
4 Shall I withhold thy due?
And shall my passions rove?
Lord, form this wretched heart anew,
And fill it with thy love.
5 O, let thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine;
Let all my powers to thee aspire,
And all my days be thine.
690.
C. M.
Pardoning Love.
1 HOW oft, alas! this wretched heart
Has wandered from the Lord!
How oft my roving thoughts depart,
Forgetful of his word!
2 Yet sovereign mercy calls, "Return;"
Dear Lord, and may I come?
My vile ingratitude I mourn;
O, take the wanderer home.
3 And canst thou, wilt thou, yet forgive,
And bid my crimes remove?
And shall a pardoned rebel live
To speak thy wondrous love?
O, keep me at thy sacred feet,
And let me rove no more.
4 Thy pardoning love, so free, so sweet,
Blest Saviour, I adore;
C. M.
Walking with God.
1 O FOR a closer walk with God!
A calm and heavenly frame!
A light to shine upon the road
That leads me to the Lamb!
2 Where is the blessedness I knew
When first I saw the Lord?
Where is the soul-refreshing view
Of Jesus and his word?
3 What peaceful hours I then enjoyed!
How sweet their memory still!
But now I find an aching void
The world can never fill.
4 Return, O holy Dove, return,
Sweet messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made thee mourn,
And drove thee from my breast.
5 The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from thy throne,
And worship only thee.
6 So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
C. M.
Prayer for quickening Grace.
1 MY soul lies cleaving to the dust;
Lord, give me life divine;
From vain desires, and every lust,
Turn off these eyes of mine.
2 I need the influence of thy grace
To speed me in thy way,
Lest I should loiter in my race,
Or turn my feet astray.
3 Are not thy mercies sovereign still,
And thou a faithful God?
Wilt thou not grant me warmer zeal
To run the heavenly road?
4 Does not my heart thy precepts love,
And long to see thy face?
And yet how slow my spirits move
Without enlivening grace!
5 Then shall I love thy gospel more,
And ne'er forget thy word,
When I have felt its quickening power
To draw me near the Lord.
C. M.
Gratitude.
1 WHEN all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.
2 Unnumbered comforts on my soul Thy tender care bestowed, Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.
3 When in the slippery paths of youth With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm, unseen, conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.
4 Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy.
5 Through every period of my life,
Thy goodness I'll pursue;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.
6 Through all eternity, to thee
A grateful song Ï'll raise:
But, O, eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise.
S. M.
Union and Peace.
1 BLEST are the sons of peace,
Whose hearts and hopes are one,
Whose kind designs to serve and please
Through all their actions run.
2 Blest is the pious house
Where zeal and friendship meet;
Their songs of praise, their mingled vows,
Make their communion sweet.
3 From those celestial springs
Such streams of pleasure flow,
As no increase of riches brings,
Nor honors can bestow.
4 Thus, when on Aaron's head
They poured the rich perfume,
The oil through all his raiment spread,
And fragrance filled the room.
5 Thus, on the heavenly hills,
The saints are blest above,
Where joy, like morning dew, distils,
And all the air is love.
7s.
Joined to God's People.
1 PEOPLE of the living God,
I have sought the world around,
Paths of sin and sorrow trod,
Peace and comfort nowhere found.
--
2 Now to you my spirit turns, -
Turns, a fugitive unblest;
Brethren, where your altar burns,
O, receive me into rest.
3 Lonely I no longer roam,
Like the cloud, the wind, the wave;
Where you dwell shall be my home,
Where you die shall be my grave.
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