3 To thee, O our unerring Guide!
We would ourselves resign;
In all our ways acknowledge thee,
And form our will to thine.
1 AUTHOR of good-to thee we turn:
Thine ever-wakeful eye
Alone can all our wants discern-
Thy hand alone supply.
2 Oh let thy love within us dwell,
Thy fear our footsteps guide;
That love shall vainer love expel,
That fear all fears beside.
3 Not what we wish-but what we want, Let mercy still supply:
The good we ask not, Father, grant→→→
The ill we ask-deny.
Imploring the constant Presence of God.
1 WHEN Israel, of the Lord beloved,
Out from the land of bondage came,
Her father's God before her moved,
An awful guide in smoke and flame.
2 By day, along the astonished lands
The cloudy pillar glided slow;
By night, Arabia's crimsoned sands
Returned the fiery column's glow.
3 Thus present still, though now unseen,
When brightly shines the prosperous day,
Be thoughts of thee a cloudy screen,
To temper the deceitful ray!
4 And O, when gathers on our path
In shade and storm the frequent night,
Be thou, long suffering, slow to wrath,
A burning and a shining light!
C. M. MONTGOMERY.
For General Mercies.
1 FATHER of all our mercies,-thou, In whom we move and live,
Hear us in heaven, thy dwelling, now,
And answer, and forgive.
2 When harassed by ten thousand foes,
Our helplessness we feel,
O give the weary souls repose,
Our wounded spirits heal.
3 When dire temptations gather round,
And threaten or allure,
By storm or calm, in thee is found
A refuge strong and sure.
4 When age advances, may we grow
In faith, in hope, and love;
And walk in holiness below
To holiness above.
5 When earthly joys and cares depart,
Desire and envy cease,
Be thou the portion of each heart,
In thee may we have peace.
C. M. SALISBURY COLL
Divine Aid Implored.
1 THINE influence, mighty God! is felt, Through nature's ample round;
In heaven, on earth, through air, and skies, Thy energy is found.
2 Thy sacred influence, Lord! we need
To form our hearts anew;
O cleanse our souls from every sin,
And thy salvation show!
3 Father of light! thine aid impart
To guide our doubtful way;
Thy truth shall scatter every cloud,
And make a glorious day.
4 Supported by thy heavenly grace,
We'll do and bear thy will;
That grace shall make each burden light,
And
every murmur still.
5 Cheer'd by thy smiles, we'll fearless tread The gloomy path of death;
And with the hopes of endless bliss,
To thee resign our breath.
Divine Light and Guidance Implored.
1 THOU Source of uncreated light!
By whom the worlds were raised from night,
Come, visit every pious mind;
Come, pour thy joys on human kind.
2 Plenteous in grace, descend from high,
Rich in thy matchless energy;
From sin and sorrow set us free,
And make us temples worthy thee.
3 Chase from our path each noxious foe,
And peace, the fruit of love, bestow;
And, lest our feet should step astray,
Protect and guide us in our way.
Steadfastness and Watchfulness Implored. 1 GREAT God! our Father and our Friend, On whom we cast our constant care, On whom for all things we depend! To thee we raise our humble prayer. 2 Endue us with a holy fear;
The frailty of our hearts reveal;
Sin and its snares are always near,
Thee may we always nearer feel.
3 0 that to thee the constant mind,
May with a steady flame aspire;
Pride in its earliest motions find,
And check the rise of wrong desire!
4 0 that our watchful souls may fly
The first perceived approach of sin;
Look up to thee when danger's nigh,
And feel thy fear control within!
5 Search, gracious God! each inmost heart; From guilt and error set us free;
Thy light and truth and peace impart,
And guide us safe to heaven and thee.
L. M. HENRY MOORE.
Wisdom and Virtue sought from God.
1 SUPREME and universal light! Fountain of reason! judge of right!
Parent of good! whose blessings flow
On all above, and all below:
2 Assist us, Lord! to act, to be,
What nature and thy laws decree;
Worthy that intellectual flame,
Which from thy breathing spirit came.
3 No slave to profit, shame, or fear,
O may our steadfast bosoms bear
The stamp of heaven, an upright heart,
Above the mean disguise of art!
4 May our expanded souls disclaim
The narrow view, the selfish aim;
But with a Christian zeal embrace
Whate'er is friendly to our race.
5 O Father! grace and virtue grant;
No more we wish, no more we want:
To know, to serve thee, and to love,
Is peace below,-is bliss above.
C. M. J. HUMPHREYS.
Lord, remember me.
1 O THOU, from whom all goodness flows, I lift my soul to thee;
In all my sorrows, conflicts, woes,
Good Lord, remember me.
2 When on my aching burdened heart
My sins lie heavily,
Thy pardon grant, new peace impart:
Good Lord, remember me.
3 When trials sore obstruct my way
And ills I cannot flee,
O let my strength be as my day:
Good Lord, remember me.
4 When worn with pain, disease, and grief, This feeble body see;
Grant patience, rest, and kind relief;
Good Lord, remember me.
5 When in the solemn hour of death
I wait thy just decree,
Be this the prayer of my last breath,
Good Lord, remember me.
276. L. M. CHRISTIAN PSALMIST. For the continued Help of God.
1 BE with us, Lord, where'er we go;
Teach us what thou wouldst have us do;
Suggest whate'er we think or say;
Direct us in thy narrow way.
2 Prevent us, lest we harbour pride,
Lest we in our own strength confide;
Show us our weakness, let us see
We have our power, our all from thee.
3 Enrich us alway with thy love;
Our kind protection ever prove;
Thy signet put upon each breast,
And let thy spirit on us rest.
4 Assist and teach us how to pray;
Incline our natures to obey;
What thou abhorrest let us flee,
And only love what pleases thee.
5 0 may we never do our will,
But thine and only thine fulfil;
Let all our time, and all our ways
Be spent and ended to thy praise.
C. M. MONTGOMERY.
Solomon's prayer for Wisdom.
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 honours, which an hour
May bring and take away;
We ask not pleasure, pomp and 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.
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