f How pleasant, how divinely fair, O Lord of Hosts, Thy dwellings are! With long desire my spirit faints To meet the assemblies of Thy saints.

mf My flesh would rest in Thine abode, My panting heart cries out for God; [be My God, my King, why should I So far from all my joys and Thee? mf Blest are the saints who sit on high Around Thy throne of majesty : Thy brightest glories shine above,

high

Above my foes around; And songs of joy and victory Within Thy temple sound.

mf Let the many-peopled earth,

All, of high and humble birth, Worship our eternal King; f Hymns unto His honour sing. mf We, through fire, with flames embraced,

We, through raging floods, have passed;

f Yet, by Thy conducting hand. Brought into a wealthy land. mf We will to Thy house repair, Worship, and Thy power declare : Offerings on Thine altar lay; All our vows devoutly pay. dim Fervently to Thee we cried;

We His goodness magnified: cresSource of mercy, be Thou blest, f That hast granted our request. G. Sandys.

531

L.M.

f ALL people that on earth do dwell. Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice; [forth tell; Him serve with fear, His praise Come ye before Him and rejoice. mf The Lord ye know is God indeed: Without our aid He did us make: We are His flock, He doth us feed; And for His sheep He doth us take. O enter, then, His gates with praise, [unto : Approach with joy His courts Praise, laud, and bless His Name always,

For it is seemly so to do.

f For why? the Lord our God is good, His mercy is for ever sure;

cres His truth at all times firmly stood, And shall from age to age endure. W Kethe.

Know that the Lord is God alone; He can create and He destroy. mf His sovereign power, without our aid, [men ; Made us of clay and formed us p And when, like wandering sheep, we strayed,

cres He brought us to His fold again. f We are His people, we His care, Our souls, and all our mortal frame: [rear, What lasting honours shall we Almighty Maker, to Thy Name? ff We'll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs, [raise : High as the heavens our voices And earth with her ten thousand tongues [praise. Shall fill Thy courts with sounding f Wide as The world is Thy command; Vast as eternity Thy love; [stand, ff Firm as a rock Thy truth shall When rolling years shall cease to

533

move.

I. Watts, altd. C. Wesley.

C.M.

f OUR God! our God! Thou shinest here,

Thine own this latter day :
To us Thy radiant steps appear,
We watch Thy glorious way.

mf Thou tookest once our flesh; Thy face

Once on our darkness shone ; cresYet through cach age new births of grace

Still make Thy glory known.

mf Not only olden ages felt

The presence of the Lord :

Not only with the fathers dwelt
Thy Spirit and Thy Word.

mf Doth not the Spirit still descend And bring the heavenly fire? Doth not He still Thy Church extend,

And waiting souls inspire? mp Come, Holy Ghost! in us arise; Be this Thy mighty bour! And make Thy willing people wise To know Thy day of power! [mpPour down Thy fire in us to glow, Thy might in us to dwell; Again Thy works of wonder show, Thy blessed secrets tell!] cresBear us aloft, more glad, more strong

On Thy celestial wing, [long And grant us grace to look and For our returning King. mf He draweth near, He standeth by, He fills our eyes, our ears: [cry, cresCome, King of grace, Thy people And bring the glorious years! T. H. Gill.

f

[sublime,

ƒ O THOU, to Whom in ancient time The lyre of Hebrew bards was strung; Whom kings adored in song And prophets praised with glowing tongue;

f Not now on Zion's height alone, Thy favoured worshippers may dwell,

Nor where at sultry noon Thy Son Sat weary by the patriarch's well; f From every place below the skies, The grateful song, the fervent prayer,

The incense of the heart may rise To heaven, and find acceptance there.

mf To Thee shall age with snowy hair, And strength and beauty bend the knee;

[air,

And childhood lisp, with reverent
Its praises and its prayers to Thee.

ƒ O Thou, to Whom in ancient time, The lyre of prophet bard was strung,

To Thee at last, in every clime,
Shall temples rise, and praise be
sung.
J. Pierpont.

536

f

f

mp

6.6.8.6.6.8.

How pleased 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,

Zion, thrice happy place,

Adorned with wondrous grace, And walls of strength embrace thee round;

In thee our tribes appear,
To pray and praise and hear
The sacred Gospel's joyful sound.

There David's greater Son
Has fixed His royal throne,

He sits for grace and judgment
there :

He bids the saint be glad,

He makes the sinner sad,

And humble souls rejoice with fear.

May peace attend thy gate,
And joy within thee wait
To bless the soul of every guest:

The man that seeks thy peace,
And wishes thine increase,
cres A thousand blessings on him rest.
My tongue repeats her vows,

mp

Peace to this sacred house ! For there my friends and kindred

dwell;

cres And since my glorious God Makes thee His blest abode, f My soul shall ever love thee well. I. Watts.