53.

3 Or, if 't is e'er denied thee
In solitude to pray,

Should holy thoughts come o'er thec,
When friends are round thy way,
E'en then the silent breathing
Thy spirit raised above,
Will reach his throne of glory,
Who is Mercy, Truth, and Love.

4 Oh! not a joy nor blessing
With this can we compare,
The power that he hath given us
To pour our souls in prayer!
Whene'er thou pin'st in sadness,
Before his footstool fall,
Remember, in thy gladness,
His love who gave thee all.

Prayer.

Woodstock.

1 WHEN daily I kneel down to pray,
As I am taught to do,

God will not answer what I say,
Unless I feel it too.

2 Some idle play, or childish toy,
Can send my thoughts abroad;
Though it should be my greatest joy
To love and seek the Lord.

3 0, let me never, never dare
To act the trifler's part,

Or think that God will hear a prayer
Which comes not from the heart.

4 But if I make his ways my choice,
As holy children do,

C. M.

Then while I seek him with my voice,
My heart will love him too.

54.

Arlington.

55.

1 PRAYER is the soul's sincere desire,

Unuttered or expressed;

The motion of a hidden fire,

That trembles in the breast.

2 Prayer is the simplest form of speech,
That infant lips can try;

Prayer, the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

3 0 thou, by whom we come to God,
The Life, the Truth, the Way,
The path of prayer thyself hast trod;
Lord, teach us how to pray.

A Child's Evening Prayer.

Ballerma.

C. M.

Barton.

in sleep,

1. BEFORE I close my eyes
Lord, hear my evening prayer;
And deign a helpless child to keep,
By thy protecting care.

2 The little birds, that sing all day,
In many a leafy wood,

By thee are clothed in plumage gay,
By thee supplied with food.

3. And when at night they cease to sing,
By thee protected still,

Their young ones sleep beneath their wing,
Secure from every ill.

4 Thus wilt Thou guard with gracious arm
The couch whereon I lie,

And keep thy child from every harm
Beneath thy watchful eye.

5 For night and day to thee are one,
The helpless are thy care;

56.

And we are sure, through thy dear Son,
Thou hear'st an infant prayer.

A Child's Prayer.

Arlington.

1 SEE Israel's gentle Shepherd stand,
With all-engaging charms:

Hark, how he calls the tender lambs,
And folds them in his arms.

2 "Permit them to approach," he cries,
Nor scorn their humble name,

For 't was to bless such souls as these,
The Lord of angels came.

3 Ye little flock, with pleasure hear,
Ye children, seek his face,
And fly with transport to receive
The blessings of his grace.

57.

The heart-searching God.

C. M.

L. M.

Uxbridge.
W. B. O. Peabody.
1 HIGH in the heavens God dwells alone,
And glorious light surrounds his throne;
No night is there, his piercing eye
Looks through the darkness of the sky.

2 Before the tongue the mind declares,
He knows our thoughts, designs and cares;
In daily toil and evening rest,

He sees the secrets of our breast.

ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRAY.

3 He sees his suffering children weep Far in the desert and the deep;

58.

He gives them strength when hope departs,
And heals the sorrows of their hearts.

4 He keeps the book of life, and there
Writes every wish and every prayer,
There keeps our crimes and follies past
To use in judgment at the last.

58.

Encouragement to Pray.
J. Taylor.

1 I SAW the glorious sun arise
From yonder mountain grey;

And as he travelled through the skies,
The darkness fled away;

And all around me was so bright,
1 wished it would be always light.

2 But when his shining course was done,
The gentle moon drew nigh,

And stars came twinkling one by one,
Upon the shady sky.

Who made the sun to shine so far,
The moon and every twinkling star?

3 God made the sun that blazes high,
The moon more pale and dim,
And all the stars that fill the sky
Are made and ruled by him;
And yet a child may ask his care,
And call upon his name in prayer.

4 And this large world of ours below,
The waters and the land,

P. M.

With all the trees and flowers that grow,
Were fashioned by his hand;

And yet this God will condescend
To be a little infant's friend.

5 O yes, when little children cry,
He hearkens to their prayer;
His throne of grace is always nigh,
And I will venture there;

I'll go, depending on his word,

And seek his grace through Christ our Lord.

59.

Dundee.

Prayer for Wisdom.

C. M.

Montgomery.

1 ALMIGHTY God, in humble prayer
To thee our souls we lift;

Do thou our waiting minds prepare
For thy most needful gift.

2 We ask not golden streams of wealth,
Along our path to flow;
We ask not undecaying health,
Nor length of years below.

3 We ask not honors, which an hour
May bring and take away;

We ask not pleasure, pomp, or power,
Lest we should go astray.

4 We ask for wisdom;-Lord, impart
The knowledge how to live;
A wise and understanding heart
To all before thee give.

5 The young remember thee in youth,
Before the evil days!

The old be guided by thy truth
In wisdom's pleasant ways!