That glory never hence depart!
Yet choose not, Lord, this house alone; Thy kingdom come to every heart, In every bosom fix thy throne.
LORD of Hosts, to Thee we raise
Here a house of prayer and praise;
Thou thy people's hearts prepare,
Here to meet for praise and prayer.
Let the living here be fed
With thy Word, the heavenly Bread;
Here, in hope of glory bless'd,
May the dead be laid to rest.
Hallelujah!-earth and sky
To the joyful sound reply:
Hallelujah!—hence ascend
Prayer and praise till time shall end.
CONSECRATION OF A CHURCH.
LORD of the worlds above,
How pleasant and how fair
The dwellings of thy love,
Thy earthly temples, are!
To thine abode
My heart aspires,
With warm desires
To see my God.
Oh! happy souls that pray
Where God appoints to hear!
Oh! happy men that pay
Their constant service there!
They praise Thee still;
And happy they
That love the way
To Zion's hill.
They go from strength to strength,
Through this dark vale of tears,
Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heaven appears:
Oh! glorious seat!
When God, our King,
Shall thither bring
Our willing feet.
God is our Sun and Shield,
Our Light and our Defence;
With gifts his hands are fill'd
We draw our blessings thence.
He shall bestow
Upon our race
His saving grace,
And glory too.
The Lord his people loves,
His hand no good withholds
From those his heart approves,
From pure and pious souls:
Thrice happy he,
O God of Hosts,
Whose spirit trusts
Alone in Thee.
BEFORE Jehovah's awful throne
Ye nations bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create and He destroy.
His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay and form'd us men;
And when, like wand'ring sheep, we stray'd,
He brought us to his fold again,
We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heavens our voices raise ;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.
Wide as the world is thy command,
Vast as eternity thy love;
Firm as a rock thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.
GREAT Shepherd of thy people, hear,
Thy presence now display:
As Thou hast given a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.
Within these walls let holy peace,
And love and concord dwell:
Here give the troubled conscience ease,
The wounded spirit heal.
May we in faith receive thy word
In faith present our prayers; And in the presence of our Lord Unbosom all our cares.
The hearing ear, the seeing eye,
The contrite heart bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
That we in grace may grow.
FROM Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand;
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain!
What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Java's isle,
Though every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile;
In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown;
The heathen, in his blindness,
Bows down to wood and stone!
Can we, whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Can we to men benighted
The lamp of life deny?
Salvation! oh! salvation!
The joyful sound proclaim,
Till each remotest nation
Has learned Messiah's Name!
Waft, waft, ye winds, his story,
And you, ye waters, roll,
Till like a sea of glory,
It spreads from pole to pole;
Till o'er our ransom'd nature
The Lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator,
In bliss returns to reign!
O SPIRIT of the living God,
In all the fulness of thy grace,
Where'er the foot of man hath trod,
Descend on our apostate race.
Give tongues of fire and hearts of love,
To preach the reconciling Word;
Give power and unction from above,
Whene'er the joyful sound is heard.
Be darkness, at thy coming, light;
Confusion, order in thy path;
Souls without strength inspire with might;
Bid mercy triumph over wrath.
Baptize the nations far and nigh,
The triumphs of the cross record;
The name of JESUS glorify,
Till every kindred call Him Lord.
LORD, a Saviour's love displaying,
Show the heathen lands thy way;
Millions still like sheep are straying
In the dark and cloudy day.
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