HYMN 25. L. M.
Acceptable Worship.
NOME! pay the worship God requires,
Inflam'd with pure and holy fires;
When love celestial warms the breast,
Our homage, and our vows, are blest.
2 When piety, and truth refin'd,
Possess the temple of the mind,
With grateful flames the altars glow,
And God will visit man below.
HYMN 26. C. M.
The same Subject.
HEREWITH shall I approach the Lord,
And bow before his throne ?
Oh! how procure his kind regard,
And for my guilt atone?
2 Shall altars flame, and victims bleed,
And spicy fumes ascend?
Will these my earnest wish succeed,
And make my God my friend?
3 O no, my soul; 'twere fruitless all;
Such offerings are vain:
No fatlings from the field or stall
His favour can obtain.
4 To men their rights I must allow,
And proofs of kindness give;
To God with humble rev'rence bow,
And to his glory live.
5 Hands that are clean, and hearts sincere,
He never will despise ;
And cheerful duty he'll prefer
To costly sacrifice.
HYMN 27. C. M.
Sincerity and Hypocrisy. John iv. 24.
GOD is a spirit, just and wise,
He sees our inmost mind;
In vain to heaven we raise our cries,
And leave our souls behind.
2 Nothing but truth before his throne
With honour can appear;
The formal hypocrites are known
Through the disguise they wear.
3 Their lifted eyes salute the skies,
Their bended knees the ground:
But God abhors the sacrifice,
Where not the heart is found.
4 Lord! search my thoughts, and try my ways,
And make my soul sincere ;
Then I stand before thy face,
may
And find acceptance there.
Things below and Things above. Ps. ciii. 15, 16.
F mortal life, how short the date!
Like flow'rs, which in their brightest state
With gaudy hues the fields adorn,
But soon by passing storms are torn.
2 Their boasted beauty reft away,
How quick the vernal blooms decay!
Each in an hour its pride resigns,
And with'ring in the dust reclines.
3 So transient is the life of man,
At most a brief contracted span;
It blooms, it fades; and serves to show
How vain, how frail are things below.
4 To things above with fix'd desire
Then let our better hopes aspire;
To realms, where, in eternal day,
Nor mortals die, nor flow'rs decay.
HYMN 29. Eights and Sevens Metre.
Surrounding the Mercy Seat.
AR from mortal cares retreating,
Sordid hopes and fond desires,
Here, our willing footsteps meeting,
Ev'ry heart to heaven aspires.
From the Fount of glory beaming,
Light celestial cheers our eyes:
Mercy from above proclaiming
Peace and pardon from the skies.
2 Who may share this great salvation ?-
Ev'ry pure and humble mind;
Ev'ry kindred, tongue and nation,
From the dross of guilt refin'd:
Blessings all around bestowing,
God withholds his care from none,
Grace and mercy ever flowing
From the fountain of his throne.
3 Ev'ry stain of guilt abhorring,
Firm and bold in virtue's cause,
Still thy providence adoring,
Faithful subjects to thy laws.
Lord! with favour still attend us,
Bless us with thy wond'rous love;
Thou, our sun and shield, defend us;
All our hope is from above.
HYMN 30. L. M.
The love of God better than life. Ps. lxiii. 1-6.
REAT God, indulge my humble claim;
Thou art my joy, and thou my rest;
The glories that compose thy name,
Stand all engag'd to make me blest.
2 While in thy house I now appear
Among thy saints, and seek thy face;
0 may I see thy mercy here,
And taste the blessings of thy grace!
3 Not all by worldly men possess'd,
Nor all the joys our senses know,
Could make me so divinely blest,
Or raise my cheerful passions so.
4 My life itself, without thy love,
No real pleasure could afford;
"Twould but a tiresome burden prove
If I were banish'd from the Lord.
5 Amidst the wakeful hours of night,
When busy cares afflict my head,
One thought of thee gives new delight,
And adds refreshment to my bed.
6 I'll lift my hands, I'll raise my voice,
While I have breath to pray or praise;
This work shall make my heart rejoice,
And fill the remnant of my days.
ITH sacred joy we lift our eyes
To those bright realms above,
That glorious temple in the skies,
Where dwells eternal love.
2 Before the awful throne we bow
Of heaven's almighty King:
Here we present the solemn vow,
And hymns of praise we sing.
3 Thee we adore; and, Lord! to thee
Our filial duty pay:
Thy service, unconstrain'd and free,
Conducts to endless day.
4 While in thy house of pray'r we kneel
With trust and holy fear,
Thy mercy and thy truth reveal,
And lend a gracious ear.
5 With fervor teach our hearts to pray,
And tune our lips to sing;
Nor from thy presence cast away
The sacrifice we bring.
YREAT King of kings, eternal God,
Shall mortal creatures dare to raise,
Their songs to thy supreme abode,
And join with angels in thy praise ?
2 Man, O how far remov❜d below!
Wrapt in the shades of gloomy night;
His brightest day can only show
A few faint streaks of distant light.
3 But see! The bright, the morning star,
Rising shall chase the shades away;
His beams, resplendent from afar,
Promise a sweet immortal day.
4 To him our longing eyes we raise,
Our guide to Thee, the Great Unknown;
Through him, O may our humble praise
Accepted rise before thy throne.
The Sacrifice of the Heart.
HEN, as returns the 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?
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