2 This is the day which God hath blest,
The brightest of the seven;
Type of that everlasting rest,
The saints enjoy in heaven.
Preparation for the Lord's Day.
1 COME, dearest Lord, and bless this day,
Come, bear our thoughts from earth away:
Now, let our noblest passions rise
With ardour to their native skies.
2 Come, Holy Spirit, all divine,
With rays of light upon us shine;
And let our waiting souls be blest,
On this sweet day of sacred rest.
3 Then, when our Sabbaths here are o'er,
And we arrive on Canaan's shore,
With all the ransomed, we shall spend
A Sabbath which shall never end.
Lord's Day Morning.
1 ON this illustrious joyful morn,
Our Saviour left the grave;
Was then declared the Son of God,
With mighty power to save.
2 Come humble souls, and see the place
Where once the Saviour lay;
New string your harps, attune your songs,
And hail the solemn day.
3 In lofty accents praise his name,
Who thus in triumph rose;
Who broke the iron bands of death,
And trampled on his foes.
4 Sing loud hosannas to your King,
The Lamb that once was slain;
For you the royal victim died,
For you he rose again.
1 MAY we, throughout this day of thine,
Be in thy Spirit, Lord,
Spirit of humble fear divine,
That trembles at thy word.
2 We yield our hearts to thee alone,
Nor would receive another guest;
Eternal King! erect thy throne,
And reign sole monarch in each breast.
3 Oh bid this trifling world retire,
And drive each carnal thought away;
Nor let us feel one vain desire-
One sinful thought-through all the day.
4 Then, to thy courts when we repair,
Our souls shall rise on joyful wing,
The wonders of thy love declare,
And join the strains which angels sing.
L. M. STENNETT.
The rest of the Lord's Day.
1 ANOTHER six days' work is done;
Another Sabbath is begun :
Return, our souls-enjoy your rest;
Improve the day your God has blest.
2 Oh that our thoughts and thanks may rise, As grateful incense, to the skies;
And draw from heaven that sweet repose,
Which none but he that feels it knows.
3 This heavenly calm within the breast!
The dearest pledge of glorious rest,
Which for the church of God remains-
The end of cares-the end of pains.
4 With joy, great God, thy works we view,
In varied scenes, both old and new;
With praise, we think on mercies past;
With hope, we future pleasures taste.
5 In holy duties, let the day-
In holy pleasures, pass away:
How sweet, a Sabbath thus to spend,
In hope of one that ne'er shall end!
56. C. M. DE COURCY'S COLL.
COME, let us join with sweet accord
In hymns around the throne:
This is the day our rising Lord
Hath made, and called his own.
2 This is the day which God hath blest,
The brightest of the seven;
Type of that everlasting rest,
The saints enjoy in heaven.
Preparation for the Lord's Day. 1 COME, dearest Lord, and bless this day, Come, bear our thoughts from earth away: Now, let our noblest passions rise With ardour to their native skies. 2 Come, Holy Spirit, all divine, With rays of light upon us shine; And let our waiting souls be blest, On this sweet day of sacred rest. 3 Then, when our Sabbaths here are o'er, And we arrive on Canaan's shore, With all the ransomed, we shall spend A Sabbath which shall never end.
Lord's Day Morning.
1 ON this illustrious joyful morn,
Our Saviour left the grave;
Was then declared the Son of God,
With mighty power to save.
2 Come humble souls, and see the place
Where once the Saviour lay;
New string your harps, attune your songs,
And hail the solemn day.
3 In lofty accents praise his name,
Who thus in triumph rose;
Who broke the iron bands of death,
And trampled on his foes.
4 Sing loud hosannas to your King,
The Lamb that once was slain;
For you the royal victim died,
For you he rose again.
1 MAY we, throughout this day of thine,
Be in thy Spirit, Lord,
Spirit of humble fear divine,
That trembles at thy word.
2 Spirit of faith, our hearts to raise,
And fix on things above;
Spirit of sacrifice and praise,
Of holiness and love.
L. M. MRS. BARBAULD.
The Sacrifice of the Heart.
1 WHEN, as returns this solemn day,
Man comes to meet his Maker, God,
What rites, what honours shall he pay?
How spread his sovereign's praise abroad?
2 From marble domes and gilded spires
Shall curling clouds of incense rise?
And gems, and gold, and garlands deck
The costly pomp of sacrifice?
3 Vain, sinful man! creation's Lord
Thy golden offerings well may spare:
But give thy heart, and thou shalt find
Here dwells a God who heareth prayer.
Lord's Day Evening.
1 FREQUENT the day of God returns,
To shed its quickening beams;
And yet how slow devotion burns;
How languid are its flames!
2 Accept our faint attempts to love,
Our frailties, Lord, forgive;
We would be like thy saints above,
And praise thee while we live.
3 Increase, O Lord, our faith and hope,
And fit us to ascend,
Where the assembly ne'er breaks up,
The sabbath ne'er shall end.
4 Where we shall breathe in heavenly air,
With heavenly lustre shine;
Before the throne of God appear,
And feast on love divine.
The Eternal Sabbath,
ORD of the Sabbath, hear our vows,
in this thy day, in this thy house;
And own, as grateful sacrifice,
The songs which from thy churches rise.
2 Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love;
But there's a nobler rest above;
To that our longing souls aspire,
With earnest hope and strong desire.
3 No more fatigue, no more distress;
Nor sin nor death shall reach the place;
No groans to mingle with the songs
Which warble from immortal tongues.
4 No rude alarms of raging foes;
No cares to break the long repose;
No midnight shade, no clouded sun,
But sacred, high, eternal noon.
5 O long expected day, begin;
Dawn on these realins of wo and sin;
Fain would we leave this weary road,
And sleep in death, to rest with God.
463..
1 AND now another week begins,
This day we call the Lord's;
This day he rose, who bore our sins,
For so his word records.
2 Hark, how the angels sweetly sing!-
Their voices fill the sky-
They hail their great victorious King,
And welcome him on high.
3 We'll catch the note of lofty praise;
Their joys oh may we feel;
Our thankful song with them we'll raise, And emulate their zeal.
4 Come, then, ye saints, and grateful sing Of Christ, our risen Lord;
Of Christ, the everlasting King,
Of Christ, th' beloved Word.
5 Hail, mighty Saviour, thee we hail!
High on thy throne above;
Till heart and flesh together fail,
We'll sing thy matchless love.
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