101

The Soldier. H. M.

Hark! 'tis a martial sound!

To arms, ye saints, to arms!
Your foes are gathering round,
And peace has lost its charms;
Prepare the helmet, sword and shield,
The trumpet calls you to the field.

2 No common foes appear

To dare you to the fight,
But such as own no fear,

And glory in their might:

The powers of darkness are at hand;
Resist, or bow to their command.

3 An arm of flesh must fail
In such a strife as this;

He only can prevail,

Whose arm immortal is:

'Tis heaven itself the strength must yield, And weapons fit for such a field.

4 And heaven supplies them too;
The Lord, who never faints,

Is greater than the foe,

And he is with his saints:

Thus armed they venture to the fight,

Thus armed they put their foes to flight.

5 And when the conflict's past,

On yonder peaceful shore
They shall repose at last,

And see their foes no more;
The fruits of victory enjoy,

And never more their arms employ.

102

The Christian Soldier. 7s.

Much in sorrow,

oft in woe,

Onward, Christians, onward go;
Fight the fight, and worn with strife,
Steep with tears the bread of life.

2 Onward, Christians, onward go,
Join the war, and face the foe;
Faint not-much doth yet remain;
Dreary is the long campaign.

3 Shrink not, Christians—will ye yield?
Will ye quit the painful field?
Fight till all the conflict's o'er,
Nor your foemen rally more.

4 But when loud the trumpet blown
Speaks their forces overthrown,
Christ, your Captain, shall bestow
Crowns to grace the conqueror's brow.

103 Alarm for Conflict. S. M. D.

Hark! how the watchmen cry!
Attend the trumpet's sound;
Stand to your arms! the foe is nigh!
The powers of hell surround;
Who bow to Christ's command,
Your arms and hearts prepare;

The day of battle is at hand!
Go forth to glorious war!

2 Go up with Christ your head,
Your Captain's footsteps see;
Follow your Captain, and be led
To certain victory.

All power to him is given;

He ever reigns the same:
Salvation, happiness, and heaven

Are all in Jesus' name.

3 Only have faith in God;

In faith your foes assail;

Not wrestling against flesh and blood,

But all the powers of hell:

From thrones of glory driven,

By flaming vengeance hurled,

They throng the air, and darken heaven,

And rule the lower world.

104

Victory from God.

C. M.

We love thee, Lord, and we adore;

Now is thine arm revealed:

Thou art our strength, our heavenly tower;
Our bulwark and our shield.

2 We fly to our eternal rock,
And find a sure defence:
His holy name our lips invoke,
And draw salvation thence.

3 When God our leader shines in arms,
What mortal heart can bear

The thunder of his loud alarms?
The lightning of his spear?

4 He rides upon the winged wind;
And angels in array,

In millions, wait to know his mind,
And swift as flames obey.

5 He speaks, and at his fierce rebuke
Whole armies are dismayed;
His voice, his frown, his angry look
Strikes all their courage dead.

6 He forms our generals for the field,
With all their dreadful skill;

Gives them his awful sword to wield,
And makes their hearts of steel.

7 He arms our captains to the fight,
(Tho' there his name's forgot)

He girded Cyrus with his might,
When Cyrus knew him not.

8 Oft has the Lord whole nations blest
For his own children's sake:

The powers, that give his people rest,
Shall of his care partake.

105

The Conqueror's Song. C. M.

To thine almighty arm we owe
The triumphs of the day;
Thy terrors, Lord, confound the foe,
And melt his strength away.

2 "Tis by thine aid our troops prevail,
And break united powers:

Or burn their boasted fleets, or scale
The proudest of their towers.

3 How have we chased them through the field,
And trod them to the ground,
While thy salvation was our shield,
And they no shelter found!

4 In vain to idol saints they cry,
And perish in their blood:
Where is a rock so great, so high,
So powerful as our God?

5 The Rock of Israel ever lives,
His name be ever blest;

'Tis his own arm the victory gives,
He gives his people rest.