Prayer for God's presence in the sanctuary.
1 Kings viii, 27-29. Ps. lxxxvii, 2.
IN LOUD exalted strains
The King of glory praise;
O'er heaven and earth He reigns
Through everlasting days:
But Zion, with his presence blest,
Is his delight, his chosen rest.
O King of glory! come,
And with thy favour crown
This temple as thy dome,
This people as thine own:
Beneath this roof vouchsafe to show
How God can dwell with man below.
3 [Now let thine ear attend
Our supplicating cries:
Now let our praise ascend,
Accepted to the skies:
Now let the gospel's joyful sound
Spread its celestial influence round.]
4 Here may the list'ning throng
Imbibe thy truth and love:
Here Christians join the song
Of Seraphim above,
Till all, who humbly seek thy face,
Rejoice in thine abounding grace.
Jesus present with his assembled people.
Isa. lvii, 15; lix, 1. Matt. xviii, 20.
1 JESUS! where'er thy people meat,
There they behold thy mercy-seat;
Where'er they seek Thee, Thou art found,
And every place is hallow'd ground.
2 For Thou, within no walls confin'd,
Inhabitest the humble mind;
Such ever bring Thee where they come,
And going take Thee to their home.
3 Dear Shepherd of thy chosen few!
Thy former mercies here renew;
Here to our waiting hearts proclaim
The sweetness of thy saving name.
4 Here may we prove the power of pray'r
To strengthen faith, and sweeten care,
To teach our faint desires to rise,
And bring all heaven before our eyes.
5 Lord! we are few, but Thou art near,
Nor short thine arm, nor deaf thine ear;
Oh! rend the heavens, come quickly down,
And make a thousand hearts thine own!
The holiness of God's house.
Gen. xxviii, 16, 17. Ps. lxxxix, 7.
1 Lo! GOD is here! let us adore, And own how holy is this place; Let all within us feel his pow'r,
And humbly bow before his face: Who know his pow'r, his grace who prove, Serve Him with awe, with rev'rence love.
2 Lo! God is here! Him day and night
Th' united choirs of angels sing;
To Him, enthroned above all height,
Heaven's host their noblest praises bring:
Disdain not, Lord! our meaner song,
Who praise Thee with a feeble tongue.
3 Thou, God, art here! Oh! may our praise
Thy courts with grateful incense fill;
Still may we stand before thy face;
Still hear and do thy sovereign will:
To Thee may all our praises rise,
An ever-grateful sacrifice.
Neglected opportunities deplored.
Deut. xxix, 4. Ps. cxix, 25. Heb. v, 12.
1 LONG have we heard the joyful sound
Of thy salvation, Lord!
Yet still how weak our faith is found!
How slow to learn thy word!
2 Oft we frequent thy holy place,
Yet hear almost in vain;
Such faint impressions of thy grace
Our languid powers retain.
3 How cold and feeble is our love!
How negligent our fear!
How low our hopes of joys above!
How few affections there!
4 Great God! thy sovereign aid impart
To give thy word success;
Write all its precepts on our heart,
And deep its truths impress.
5 Oh! speed our progress in the way
That leads to joys on high;
Where knowledge grows without decay,
And love shall never die!
Prayer for the peace of God.
John xx, 19. 2 Cor. xiii, 14.
1 PEACE be to this congregation;
Peace to every soul therein;
Peace, the earnest of salvation;
Peace, the fruit of pardon'd sin;
Peace, that speaks its heavenly Giver;
Peace, that comes from God alone;
Peace divine, that lasts for ever;
Peace, to worldly minds unknown.
2 Prince of Peace! be present near us;
Fix in all our hearts thy home;
With thy gracious presence cheer us;
Let thy sacred kingdom come;
Raise to heaven our expectation;
Give our raptured souls to prove
Glorious and complete salvation
In the realms of bliss above.
3 May the grace of Christ our Saviour,
And the Father's boundless love,
With the Holy Spirit's favour,
Rest upon us from above:
Thus may we abide in union
With each other and the Lord;
And possess in sweet communion
Joys which earth can ne'er afford.
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