4 We walk by faith of joys to come;
Faith lives upon his word;
But whilst the body is our home,
We're absent from the Lord.
5 'Tis pleasant to believe thy grace,
But we had rather see;
We would be absent from the flesh,
And present, Lord, with thee.
HYMN 450. L. M.
Remembrance of Christ.
"Tsuch was the Saviour's last request,
HIS do in memory of friend."
Who all the pangs of death endur'd,
That we might live forever blest.
2 Yes, we'll record thy matchless love,
Thou dearest, tend'rest, best of friends!
Thy dying love the noblest praise
Of long eternity transcends.
3 'Tis pleasure more than earth can give,
Thy goodness through these veils to see;
Thy table food celestial yields,
And happy they who sit with thee.
4 But oh what vast transporting joys
Shall fill our breasts, our tongues inspire,
When, join'd with the celestial train,
Our grateful souls thy love admire!
5 When these vile bodies, all refin'd,
Perfect and glorious as thy own,
Unwearied shall our minds obey,
And join in worship near thy throne.
HYMN 451. L. M.
The Vanity of Forms without Virtue.
Trebut vaiy homage, Lord, to thee;
H' uplifted eye and bended knee
In vain our lips thy praise prolong,
The heart a stranger to the song.
2 Can rites, and forms, and flaming zeal,
The breaches of thy precepts heal?
Can fasts and penance reconcile
Thy justice, and obtain thy smile?
3 The pure, the humble, contrite mind,
Thankful, and to thy will resign'd,
To thee a nobler off'ring yields,
Than Sheba's groves or Sharon's fields:
4 Than floods of oil, or costly wine,
Rolling by thousands to thy shrine ;
Or than, if to thine altar led,
A first-born son the victim bled.
5 "Be just and kind and humble too,
In all you say, in all you do ;
To men, your charity impart,
And love your God with all your heart."
6 This truth, by ancient prophets given,
Was by thy Son confirm'd from heaven :
And deep engrav'd, this great command
Doth on eternal pillars stand. Reformed Liturgy.
THUS saith the first, the great command,
"Let all thy inward powers unite
To love thy Maker and thy God,
With sacred fervour and delight.
2 Then shall thy neighbour, next in place,
Share thine affections and esteem;
And let thy kindness to thyself
Measure and rule thy love to him."
3 This is the sense that Moses spoke,
This did the prophets preach and prove;
For want of this the law is broke,
And the whole law's fulfill'd by love.
4 But oh, how base our passions are!
How cold our charity and zeal!
Lord, fill our souls with heavenly fire,
Or we shall ne'er perform thy will.
HUS saith the high and lofty One,
"I sit upon my holy throne;
My name is God, I dwell on high,
Dwell in my own eternity.
2 But I descend to worlds below,
On earth I have a mansion too;
The humble spirit and contrite
Is an abode of my delight.
3 The hunible soul my words revive,
I bid the mourning sinner live:
Heal all the broken hearts I find,
And ease the sorrows of the mind.
4 When I contend against their sin,
I make them know how vile they've been;
But should my wrath for ever smoke,
Their souls would sink beneath the stroke."
5 O may thy pard'ning grace be nigh,
Lest we should faint, despair and die!
Thus shall our better thoughts approve
The methods of thy chast'ning love. WATTS.
HYMN 454. L. M.
Christ's Commission to preach the Gospel.
HUS spake the Saviour, when he sent
His ministers to preach his word ;
They through the world obedient went,
And spread the gospel of their Lord.
2 "Go forth, ye heralds, in my name,
Bid the whole earth my grace receive;
The gospel jubilee proclaim, And call them to repent and live. 3 The joyful news to all impart,
And teach them where salvation lies;
Bind up the broken, bleeding heart,
And wipe the tear from weeping eyes.
4 Be wise as serpents where you go,
But harmless as the peaceful dove;
And let your heaven-taught conduct show
That you're commission'd from above.
5 Freely from me ye have receiv'd,
Freely in love to others give;
Thus shall your doctrines be believ'd,
And, by your labours, sinners live.
6 All power is trusted in my hands,
I will protect you and defend;
Whilst thus you follow my commands,
I'm with you till the world shall end.".
7 Happy those servants of the Lord,
Who thus their Master's will obey!
How rich, how full is their reward,
Reserv'd until the final day!
ELCOME, thou day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise:
Welcome to this reviving breast,
And these rejoicing eyes.
The King himself comes near
To feast his saints to-day ;
Here we may sit, and see him here,
And love, and praise, and pray.
One day amidst the place,
Where Jesus is within,
Is better than ten thousand days
Of pleasure and of sin.
My willing soul would stay
In such a frame as this,
Till it is call'd to soar away
To everlasting bliss.
HYMN 456.
Repentance and Pardon. Isa. Iv.
HEN sinners quit their wicked ways,
Their evil thoughts forego,
The God to whom their steps return,
Returning grace will show.
2 He pardons with o'erflowing love;
For, hear the voice divine;
My nature is not like to yours,
Nor like your ways are mine.
3 But, far as heaven's resplendent orbs
Beyond this earth extend,
So far my thoughts, so far my ways,
Your thoughts and ways transcend.
4 Like as the show'rs from heaven distil,
Nor thither rise again,
But swell the earth with fruitful juice,
And all its tribes sustain;
5 So not a word that flows from me
Shall ineffectual fall;
But universal nature prove
Obedient to my call.
6 Where briars grew in barren wilds,
Shall firs and myrtles spring;
And nature through her utmost bounds
Eternal praises sing." Scotch Paraphrases.
HYMN 457. L. M.
The Influence of the Divine Spirit.
WHEN the blest Comforter is nigh,
'Tis he sustains my sinking heart;
Else would my hopes for ever die,'
And ev'ry cheering ray depart.
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