COME Christians, praise your Maker's goodness,
Rejoice in Him and in His gift;
To-day before the Lord of harvest,
In happy songs your voices lift; For He who cared for us of yore
Has blessed our fields and homes once more.
2 Accept, O Lord, our thankful praises
For all our Father doth bestow;
May it increase our faith, and lead us
Our praise by godly lives to show;
That every deed and word may prove
We trust and own our Father's love.
3 Thou feedest us in pure compassion;
Teach us to care for others' need;
Let each, as he is able, comfort
The sick and poor, the hungry feed: O Father Thou of all below,
On each what most he needs bestow.
4 Open Thy bounteous hands in blessing,
Thus to refresh us year by year,
Provide for us through all life's journey,
And make us faithful stewards here
Of all that to our care is given,
That greater trusts be ours in heaven.
5 Preserve to us what Thou hast sent us,
And grant us calm and peaceful days,
And grateful hearts that we may use it,
In quiet gladness to Thy praise:
And while our bodies thus are fed,
O grant our souls the Living Bread!
PRAISE, O praise our God and King!
Hymns of adoration sing:
For His mercies still endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
2 Praise Him that He gave the rain
To mature the swelling grain;
For His mercies still endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure:
3 And hath bid the fruitful field
Crops of precious increase yield;
For His mercies still endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
4 Praise Him for our harvest store,
He hath filled the garner floor;
For His mercies still endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
5 And for richer food than this,
Pledge of everlasting bliss;
For His mercies still endure,
Ever faithful, ever sure.
6 Glory to cur bounteous King,
Glory let creation sing;
Glory to the Father, Son,
And the Spirit, Three in One.
REAT is our God, and merciful:
His ev'ry work His power displays;
The earth is of His goodness full;
The seasons celebrate His praise.
2 O bow ye lowly at His feet,
And come into His courts with fear:
Our God is good, as He is great,
And with His goodness crowns the year.
3 The seasons in their turn display
His wisdom and His power divine;
They all confess His sov'reign sway,
And in them does His goodness shine.
4 When in the summer's heat we faint,
Our Shepherd and our God is near:
He never lets His creatures want,
But with His goodness crowns the year.
5 He sends the plenteous shower from heaven: He bids the earth produce us food:
By Him all happiness is given,
And all His works declare Him good.
BRIGHT rays of autumn quiver
On fields of fretted gold,
By purple hill and river
Wide o'er the land unrolled,
And while the reapers gather
The wealth of harvest days,
To Thee, O bounteous Father,
Through Christ we offer praise.
2 The precious things of heaven,
Warm days and dewy nights,
Soft rain in season given,
Bright clouds and tender lights,
Their genial influence blending,
Matured the sower's boon,
Till heavy ears were bending
Beneath the harvest moon.
3 And now, like hands uplifted,
The sheaves in order stand,
To praise the Lord, who gifted
With plenteous store the land;
Our lips shall own His kindness,
And tell His love abroad,
To shame the willful blindness
Of those who know not God.
4 Lord, while the whole creation
Bears witness to Thy care,
O hear our supplication,
And grant Thy children's prayer;
While thus our wants supplying,
Our table Thou dost spread,
O feed our souls undying
With Christ, the Living Bread!
LORD of the harvest! Thee we hail,
Thine ancient promise doth not fail;
The varying seasons haste their round,
With goodness all our years are crowned;
Our thanks we pay this festal day;
O let our hearts in tune be found.
2 Lord of the harvest! all is Thine,
The rains that fall, the suns that shine,
The seed once hidden in the ground,
The skill that makes our fruits abound:
New every year Thy gifts appear;
New praises from our lips shall sound.
3 Immortal honor, endless fame,
Attend th' Almighty Father's name;
Like honor to th' Incarnate Son,
Who for lost man redemption won,
And equal praise we thankful raise
To Thee, blest Spirit! with them One.
SUMMER ended, harvest o'er,
Lord, to Thee our song we pour,
For the valley's golden yield,
For the fruits of tree and field;
2 For the promise ever sure
That while heaven and earth endure
Seed time, harvest, cold and heat
Shall their yearly round complete;
3 For the care, which, while we slept,
Watch o'er field and furrow kept,
Watch o'er all the buried grain,
Soon to burst to life again.
4 When the reaping angels bring,
Tares and wheat before the King,
Jesus! may we gathered be
In the heavenly barn to Thee.
5 Then the angel cry shall sound:
Praise the Lamb: the lost are found!
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