5 May the gospel's joyful sound
Conquer sinners, comfort saints;
Make the fruits of grace abound;
Bring relief from all complaints.
Thus let all our sabbaths prove,
Till we join the church above.
The Lord's Day Morning.
1 AGAIN the Lord of life and light
Awakes the kindling ray,
Unseals the eyelids of the morn,
And pours increasing day.
2 O, what a night was that which wrapped
The heathen world in gloom!
O, what a sun which broke, this day,
Triumphant from the tomb!
3 This day be grateful homage paid,
And loud hosannas sung;
Let gladness dwell in every heart,
And praise on every tongue.
4 Ten thousand differing lips shall join
To hail this welcome morn,
Which scatters blessings from its wings
To nations yet unborn.
5 Jesus, the friend of human kind,
Was crucified and slain :
Behold, the tomb its prey restores ;
Behold, he lives again.
6 And while his conquering chariot wheels
Ascend the lofty skies,
Broken beneath his powerful cross
Death's iron sceptre lies.
1 LORD of the sabbath, hear our vows,
On this thy day, in this thy house;
And let our songs and worship rise,
Like grateful incense, to the skies.
2 Thine earthly sabbaths, Lord, we love :
But there's a nobler rest above:
To that our laboring souls aspire
With ardent hope and strong desire.
3 No more fatigue, no more distress,
Nor sin, nor death, shall reach the place;
No groans shall mingle with the songs
That warble from immortal tongues.
4 No rude alarms, no raging foes,
To interrupt the long repose;
No midnight shade, no clouded sun,
To veil the bright, eternal noon.
5 O, long-expected day, begin;
Dawn on these realms of death and sin.
Fain would we quit this weary road,
And sleep in death, to rest with God.
A Prayer for Lord's Day.
GREAT God, this sacred day of thine
Demands our souls' collected powers.
May we employ in work divine
These solemn, these devoted hours,
O may our souls adoring own
The grace which calls us to thy throne.
2 Hence, ye vain cares and trifles, fly; Where God resides appear no more;
Omniscient God, thy piercing eye
Can every secret thought explore:
O may thy grace our hearts refine,
And fix our thoughts on things divine.
3 The word of life dispensed to-day
Invites us to a heavenly feast.
May every ear the call obey;
Be every heart a humble guest;
O bid the wretched sons of need
On soul-reviving dainties feed.
4 Thy Spirit's powerful aid impart;
O may thy word, with life divine,
Engage the ear, and warm the heart;
Then shall the day indeed be thine;
Then shall our souls adoring own
The grace which calls us to thy throne.
Sabbath on Earth, and in Heaven. Ps. 92.
1 SWEET is the work, my God, my King,
To praise thy name, give thanks, and sing;
To show thy love by morning light,
And talk of all thy truth at night.
2 Sweet is the day of sacred rest!
No mortal cares shall seize my breast.
O may my heart in tune be found,
Like David's harp of solemn sound.
3 My heart shall triumph in the Lord,
And bless his works, and bless his word:
Thy works of grace, how bright they shine!
How deep thy counsels, how divine!
4 And I shall share a glorious part
When grace hath well refined my heart,
And fresh supplies of joy are shed,
Like holy oil, to cheer my head.
5 Sin, my worst enemy before,
Shall vex my eyes and ears no more;
My inward foes shall all be slain,
Nor ever break my peace again.
6 Then shall I see, and hear, and know,
All I desired or wished below;
And every power find sweet employ
In that eternal world of joy.
Sabbath on Earth, and in Heaven.
1 FREQUENT the day of God returns
To shed its quickening beams;
And yet how slow devotion burns!
How languid are its flames!
2 Accept our faint attempts to love;
Our frailties, Lord, forgive;
We would be like thy saints above,
And praise thee while we live.
3 Increase, O Lord, our faith and hope,
And fit us to ascend
Where the assembly ne'er breaks up,
The sabbath ne'er shall end;
4 Where we shall breathe in heavenly air,
With heavenly lustre shine-
Before the throne of God appear,
And feast on love divine;
5 Where we, in high seraphic strains,
Shall all our powers employ-
th' ethereal plains,
Delighted range
And taste eternal joy.
Rejoicing in the Lord's Day.
1 WELCOME, Sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving breast,
And these rejoicing eyes.
2 The King himself comes near,
And feasts his saints to-day:
Here we may sit, and see him here,
And love, and praise, and pray.
3 One day amidst the place
Where my dear Lord hath been,
Is sweeter than ten thousand days
Of folly and of sin.
4 My willing soul would stay
In such a frame as this,
Till called to leave this house of clay
For everlasting bliss.
Invocation, for Lord's Day Morning.
1 WELCOME, delightful morn,
Thou day of sacred rest!
We hail thy glad return:
Lord, make these moments blest.
From low delights and mortal toys
We soar to reach immortal joys.
2 Now may the King descend,
And fill his throne of grace;
Thy sceptre, Lord, extend,
While we address thy face.
O let us feel thy quickening word,
And learn to know and fear the Lord.
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