Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heav'n appears:
O glorious seat,
When God our King
Shall thither bring
Our willing feet!
4. L. M. MRS STEELE.
The pleasure and advantage of divine worship.
1 Happy the men, whom strength divine
With ardent love and zeal inspires!
Whose steps to thy blest way incline,
With willing hearts and warm desires.
2 Still they pursue the painful road;
Increasing strength surmounts their fear;
Till all at length, before their God,
In Zion's glorious courts appear.
3 One day within thy sacred gate
Affords more real joy to me,
Than thousands in the tents of state:
The meanest place is bliss with thee.
4 GOD is a sun; our brightest day
From his reviving presence flows:
GOD is a shield, through all the way
To guard us from surrounding foes.
5 He pours his kindest blessings down,
Profusely down, on souls sincere;
And grace shall guide, and glory crown
The happy fav'rites of his care.
60 LORD of hosts, thou God of grace!
How blest, divinely blest, is he,
Who trusts thy love, and seeks thy face,
And fixes all his hopes on thee.
5. C. M. Doddridge.
Asking the way to Zion.
1 INQUIRE, ye pilgrims, for the way
That leads to Zion's hill;
And thither set your steady face,
With a determin'd will.
2 Invite the strangers all around,
Your pious march to join;
And spread the sentiments you feel
Of faith and love divine.
3 Come, let us to his temple haste,
And seek his favour there;
Before his footstool humbly bow,
And pour out fervent pray'r.
4 Come, let us join our souls to God,
In everlasting bands;
And seize the blessings he bestows,
With eager hearts and hands.
5 Come, let us seal, without delay,
The cov'nant of his grace;
Nor shall the years of distant life
Its memory efface.
6 Thus may our rising offspring hastc
To seek their fathers' GOD;
Nor e'er forsake the happy path,
Their youthful feet have trod.
6. P. M. WATTS.
Going up to worship.
HOW pleas'd and blest was I,
To hear the people cry,
"Come, let us seek our GoD to-day!"
Yes, with a cheerful zeal,
We haste to Zion's' hill,
And there our vows and honours pay.
2 Zion, thrice happy place!
Adorn'd with wondrous grace,
And walls of strength embrace thee round;
In thee our tribes appear
To pray, or praise, or hear
The sacred gospel's joyful sound.
3 May Peace attend thy gate,
And Joy within thee wait,
To bless the soul of ev'ry guest!
The man that seeks thy peace,
And wishes thine increase,
A thousand blessings on him rest!
My tongue repeats her vows,
"Peace to this sacred house!"
For there my friends and kindred dwell;
And since my glorious GoD
Makes thee his blest abode,
My soul shall ever love thee well.
7. C. M. WATTS.
Attendance on divine worship. 1 HOW did my heart rejoice to hear My friends devoutly say,
In God's own house let us appear,
And keep the solemn day.
2 My soul shall pray for Zion still,
While life or breath remains:
There my best friends, my kindred dwell,
There GoD my saviour reigns.
3 Peace be within this sacred place,
And joy a constant guest!
With holy gifts and heav'nly grace
Be her attendants blest!
The church our delight and safety.
1 THE LORD of glory is my light,
And my salvation too;
GOD is my strength, nor will I fear
What all my foes can do.
2 One privilege my heart desires:
O! grant me an abode,
Among the churches of thy Son,
The temples of my God.
3 There shall I offer my requests,
And see thy beauty still;
Shall hear thy messages of love,
And there inquire thy will.
4 When troubles rise, and storms appear,
There may his children hide;
GOD has a strong pavilion, where
He makes my soul abide.
5 Now shall my head be lifted high
Above my foes around,
And songs of joy and victory
Within thy temple sound.
The church the garden of GoD.
1 LORD! 'tis a pleasant thing to stand
In gardens planted by thy hand;
Let me within thy courts be seen,
Like a young cedar, fresh and green.
2 There grow thy saints in faith and love,
Blest with thine influence from above;
Not Lebanon, with all its trees,
Yields such a comely sight as these.
3 The plants of grace shall ever live;
Nature decays, but grace must thrive;
Time, that doth all things else impair,
Still makes them flourish strong and fair.
4 Laden with fruits of age, they show
The LORD is holy, just, and true:
None that attend his courts shall find
A GOD unfaithful or unkind.
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