Communion with God. Ps. 63.
1 GREAT God, indulge my humble claim.
Thou art my hope, my joy, my rest;
The glories that compose thy name
Stand all engaged to make me blest.
2 Thou great and good! thou just and wise! Thou art my Father and my God:
And I am thine by sacred ties
Thy son, thy servant, bought with blood.
3 With heart, and eyes, and lifted hands,
For thee I long, to thee I look,
As travellers, in thirsty lands,
Pant for the cooling water-brook.
4 With early feet I love t' appear
Among thy saints, and seek thy face:
Oft have I seen thy glory here,
And felt the power of sovereign grace.
5 My life itself, without thy love,
No taste of pleasure could afford:
"Twould but a tiresome burden prove,
If I were banished from the Lord.
6 I'll lift my hands, I'll raise my voice,
While I have breath to pray or praise.
This work shall make my heart rejoice,
And spend the remnant of my days.
Communing with God. Ps. 63.
1 EARLY, my God, without delay,
I haste to seek thy face:
My thirsty spirit faints away
Without thy cheering grace.
2 So pilgrims, on the scorching sand,
Beneath a burning sky,
Long for a cooling stream at hand-
And they must drink or die.
3 I've seen thy glory and thy power
Through all thy temple shine:
My God, repeat that heavenly hour-
That vision so divine.
4 Not all the blessings of a feast
Can please my soul so well,
As when thy richer grace I taste,
And in thy presence dwell.
5 Not life itself, with all its joys,
Can my best passions move,
Or raise so high my cheerful voice,
As thy forgiving love.
6 Thus, till my last expiring day,
I'll bless my God and King;
Thus will I lift my hands to pray,
And tune my heart to sing.
Watchfulness and Brotherly Reproof. Ps. 141.
1 My God, accept my early vows,
Like morning incense, in thy house;
And let my nightly worship rise
Sweet as the evening sacrifice.
2 Watch o'er my lips, and guard them, Lord,
From every rash and heedless word;
Nor let my feet incline to tread
The guilty path where sinners lead.
3 0 may the righteous, when I stray,
Smite and reprove my wandering way:
Their gentle words, like ointment shed,
Shall never bruise, but cheer, my head.
4 When I behold them prest with grief
I'll cry to heaven for their relief;
And by my warm petitions prove
How much I prize their faithful love.
Prayer for Divine Manifestations.
1 PERMIT thy suppliants, gracious Lord,
Again to bend th' adoring knee,
And yield their grateful hearts, O God,
In fervent, solemn prayer to thee.
2 Thyself, the way, reveal to all
Of Adam's race the globe around;
And be thy love, in Jesus Christ,
Adored to nature's utmost bound.
3 For nothing less than light and truth The reign of sin and death can bound; And life and love alone can flood
The world with peace and joy around.
4 Hear, thou in heaven! and grant these prayers;
Then all thy churches, filled with light,
And full of truth, and love, and peace,
Shall come with songs to Zion's height,
5 Where light and truth forever shine;
Where life and love eternal reign;
And angels, men, in rapture cry,
'So be it, Lord, amen! amen!'
1 How shall we praise thee, Lord of light!
How shall we all thy love declare!
The earth is veiled in shades of night,
But heaven is open to our prayer,—
That heaven, so bright with stars and suns--
That glorious heaven which has no bound,
Where the full tide of being runs,
And life and beauty glow around.
2 We would adore thee, God sublime!
Whose power and wisdom, love and grace,
Are greater than the round of time,
And wider than the bounds of space.
O how shall thought expression find,
All lost in thine immensity!
How shall we seek thee, glorious Mind,
Amid thy dread infinity!
3 But thou art present with us here,
As in thy glittering, high domain;
And grateful hearts and humble fear
Can never seek thy face in vain.
Help us to praise thee, Lord of light!
Help us thy boundless love declare ;
And, while we crowd thy courts to-night,
Aid us, and hearken to our prayer.
For Opening or Close of Service.
1 THY presence, gracious God, afford;
Prepare us to receive thy word;
Now let thy voice engage our ear,
And faith be mixed with what we hear.
Thus, Lord, thy waiting servants bless,
And crown thy gospel with success.
2 Distracting thoughts and cares remove,
And fix our hearts and hopes above;
With food divine may we be fed,
And satisfied with living bread.
Thus, Lord, &c.
3 To us the sacred word apply
With sovereign power and energy;
And may we, in thy faith and fear,
Reduce to practice what we hear.
Thus, Lord, &c.
4 Father, in us thy Son reveal;
Teach us to know and do thy will;
Thy saving power and love display,
And guide us to the realms of day.
Thus, Lord, &c.
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