in Advent.

4 O God! ere the day of thy mercy be past, With trembling our souls on thy mercy we cast: O guide us in wisdom! thine aid we implore; Till, sav'd with thy people, thy grace we adore.

4th Sunday in Advent.

19

Christ coming suddenly.

Luke xii, 35, 36. 1 Thess. v, 1-8.
1 LITTLE know we of the season,
When the world shall pass away;
But we know the saints have reason
To expect a glorious day,
When the Saviour will return,
And his people cease to mourn.

8.7.7.

2 While a careless world is sleeping,
Then it is the day will come;
Mirth shall then be turned to weeping;
Sinners then must meet their doom;
But the people of the Lord

Shall obtain their bright reward.

3 Waiting for our Lord's returning,
Be it ours his word to keep;
Let our lamps be always burning;
Let us watch while others sleep:
We're no longer of the night;
We are children of the light.

20

in Advent.

148th.

Rev. i, 18.

Rejoicing in Christ's reign.

Phil. iv, 4, 5. Heb. i, 3.

1 REJOICE! the Lord is King!
Your Lord and King adore:
Mortals, give thanks, and sing,
And triumph evermore.

Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice;
Rejoice! again I say, rejoice!

2 Jesus the Saviour reigns,

The God of truth and love;
When He had purg'd our stains,
He took his seat above.

Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice;
Rejoice! again I say, rejoice!

3[His kingdom cannot fail;

He rules o'er earth and heav'n:
The keys of death and hell

Are to our Jesus giv'n.

Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice;
Rejoice! again I say, rejoice!]

4 He sits at God's right hand,
Till all his foes submit;

And bow at his command,

And fall beneath his feet.

Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice;
Rejoice! again I say, rejoice!

in Advent.

5 Rejoice in glorious hope;

Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take his servants up

To their eternal home.

We soon shall hear th' archangel's voice;
The trump of God shall sound, Rejoice!

21

C. M.

Christ's second coming desired.

Rev. xxii, 20.

1 "BEHOLD, I come! I quickly come! "On clouds of glory fly!"

"E'en so, come Lord! O quickly come!"
Our waiting souls reply.

2 Come, raise thy servants' mould'ring dust,
And all their frames refine;
Till, fashion'd like thy glorious form,
They in full beauty shine.

3 Come, loose these bonds of flesh and sin,
And end our pains and cares;
Bear us to thy serene abode

Beyond the shining stars.

4 O come, amid thy heavenly hosts, Our humble names to own; And lead the full assembly on

To dwell around thy throne.

in Advent.

5 With winged speed, O Saviour! come;
Bring in the glorious day:
Our wearied spirits faint and fail
Beneath thy long delay.

22

8.8.6.

Readiness for Christ's coming implored.

Rev. xx, 11-15.

1 WHEN Thou, my righteous Judge, shalt come
To fetch thy ransom'd people home,
Shall I among them stand?
Shall such a worthless worm as I,
Who sometimes am afraid to die,
Be found at thy right hand?
2 I love to meet among them now,
Before thy gracious feet to bow,
Though vilest of them all:

But can I bear the piercing thought,
What if my name should be left out,
When Thou for them shalt call.

3 Prevent, prevent it by thy grace;
Be Thou, dear Lord, my hiding-place,
In this th' accepted day:

Thy pard'ning voice, O let me hear,
To still my unbelieving fear;

Nor let me fall away.

in Advent.

4 Let me among thy saints be found, Whene'er th' archangel's trump shall sound, To see thy glorious face:

Then loudest of the choir I'll sing,

While heaven's resounding mansions ring
With shouts of sov'reign grace.

23

L. M.

Christ our hope in the day of wrath.
Rom. viii, 1. 2 Pet. iii, 7-10. Rev. vi, 14.
1 THE day of wrath, that dreadful day,
When heaven and earth shall pass away!
What power shall be the sinner's stay?
How shall he meet that dreadful day?

2 When, shriv❜lling like a parched scroll,
The flaming heavens together roll,
And louder yet, and yet more dread,
Swells the high trump that wakes the dead:

3 Oh! on that day, that wrathful day,
When man to judgment wakes from clay;
Be Thou, O Christ! the sinner's stay,
Though heaven and earth shall pass away.