1 SINCE Jesus freely did appear
To grace a marriage feast,
O Lord, we ask thy presence here,
To make a wedding guest.
2 Upon the bridal pair look down,
Who now have plighted hands;
Their union with thy favor crown,
And bless their nuptial bands.
3 With gifts of grace their hearts endow,
Of all rich dowries best!
Their substance bless, and peace bestow,
To sweeten all the rest.
4 In purest love their souls unite,
That they, with Christian care,
May make domestic burdens light,
By taking mutual share.
5 As Isaac and Rebecca give
A pattern chaste and kind,
So may this married couple live
And die in friendship joined.
6 On every soul assembled here
O make thy face to shine;
Thy goodness more our hearts can cheer
Than richest food or wine.
1 WITH cheerful voices rise and sing
The praises of our God and King;
For he alone can minds unite,
And bless with conjugal delight.
2 This wedded pair, O Lord, inspire
With heavenly love, that sacred fire;
And from this moment may they prove
The bliss divine of marriage-love.
3 O may they both increasing find
Substantial pleasures of the mind
Happy together may they be,
And both united, Lord, to thee.
4 To you, blest pair, your God hath given
To taste the love which reigns in heaven;
His gift with all your powers improve,
And cultivate that virtuous love.
5 So may you live as truly one;
And when your work on earth is done,
Rise, hand in hand, to heaven, and share
The joys of love forever there!
1 CLAY to clay, and dust to dust!
Let them mingle-for they must!
Give to earth the earthly clod,
For the spirit 's fled to God.
2. Never more shall midnight's damp
Darken round this mortal lamp;
Never more shall noonday's glance
Search this mortal countenance.
3 Deep the pit, and cold the bed,
Where the spoils of death are laid;
Stiff the curtains, chill the gloom,
Of man's melancholy tomb.
4 Look aloft! The spirit's risen-
Death cannot the soul imprison;
"Tis in heaven that spirits dwell,
Glorious, though invisible.
5 Thither let us turn our view;
Peace is there, and comfort too;
There shall those we love be found,
Tracing joy's eternal round.
1 UNVEIL thy bosom, faithful tomb!
Take this new treasure to thy trust;
And give these sacred relics room
To seek a slumber in the dust.
2 Nor pain, nor grief, nor anxious fear
Invade thy bounds. No mortal woes
Can reach the peaceful sleeper here,
While angels watch the soft repose.
3 So Jesus slept;- God's dying Son
Passed through the grave, and blessed the bed;
Rest here, blessed saint, till from his throne
The morning break, and pierce the shade.
4 Break from his throne, illustrious morn!
Attend, O earth! his sovereign word;
Restore thy trust-a glorious form
Called to ascend and meet the Lord.
On the Death of a Pastor.
1 Now let our drooping hearts revive,
And all our tears be dry;
Why should those eyes be drowned in grief Which view a Savior nigh?
2 What though the arm of conquering death
Does God's own house invade ?
What though the prophet and the priest
Be numbered with the dead?
3 Though earthly shepherds dwell in dust,
The aged and the young,-
The watchful eye in darkness closed,
And mute th' instructive tongue;-
4 Th' eternal Shepherd still survives
New comfort to impart;
His eye still guides us, and his voice
Still animates our heart.
5 'Lo, I am with you,' saith the Lord,
'My church shall safe abide;
For I will ne'er forsake my own,
Whose souls in me confide.'
6 Through every scene of life and death,
This promise is our trust;
And this shall be our children's song,
When we are cold in dust.
On the Loss of dear Friends.
1 THE God of love will sure indulge
The flowing tear, the heaving sigh,
When dear companions fall around,
When tender friends and kindred die.
2 Yet not one anxious murmuring thought
Should with our mourning passions blend;
Nor would our bleeding hearts forget
Th' almighty, ever-living friend.
3 Beneath a numerous train of ills,
Our feeble flesh and heart may fail;
Yet shall our hope in thee, our God,
O'er every gloomy fear prevail.
4 Parent and husband, guard and guide, -
Thou art each tender name in one;
On thee we cast our every care,
And comfort seek from thee alone.
5 Our Father, God, to thee we look,
Our rock, our portion, and our friend!
And on thy covenant-love and truth
Our sinking souls shall still depend.
On the Death of Children.
1 THY life I read, my dearest Lord,
With transport all divine;
Thine image trace in every word,
Thy love in every line.
2 'I take these little lambs,' said he,
'And lay them in my breast;
Protection they shall find in me,
In me be ever blest.
3'Death may the bands of life unloose,
But can't dissolve my love;
Millions of infant souls compose
4 Their feeble frames my power shall raise, And mould with heavenly skill;
I'll give them tongues to sing my praise,
And hands to do my will.'
5 His words the happy parents hear,
And say, with joys divine,
'Dear Savior, all we have and are
Shall be forever thine.'
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