679

The firm foundation.

11.

OW firm a foundation, ye saints of the
Lord,

How

Is laid for your faith in his excellent word! What more can he say, than to you he hath said,

To you, who for refuge to Jesus have fled?

2 "Fear not, I am with thee, O be not dismayed,

For I am thy God, I will still give thee aid; I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand,

Upheld by my gracious, omnipotent hand.

3 "When through the deep waters I call thee

to go,

The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; For I will be with thee thy trials to bless, And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. 4 "When through fiery trials thy pathway shall lie,

My grace, all-sufficient, shall be thy supply, The flame shall not hurt thee; I only design Thy dross to consume, and thy gold to refine. 5 "E'en down to old age all my people shall

prove

My sovereign, eternal, unchangeable love; And when hoary hairs shall their temples adorn, Like lambs they shall still in my bosom be borne.

6 "The soul that on Jesus hath leaned for re

pose,

I will not, I will not desert to his foes;
That soul, though all hell should endeavor to

I'll

shake,

never, no never, no never forsake!"

George Keith.

680

,

Fearless in tribulation. 7, 8, 7. ITEAD of the Church triumphant, We joyfully adore thee;

HE

Till thou appear, thy members here
Shall sing like those in glory:
We lift our hearts and voices
With blest anticipation;
And cry aloud, and give to God
The praise of our salvation.

2 Thou dost conduct thy people
Through torrents of temptation;
Nor will we fear, while thou art near,
The fire of tribulation:

The world, with sin and Satan,
In vain our march opposes;

By thee we shall break through them all,
And sing the song of Moses.

3 By faith we see the glory

To which thou shalt restore us:
The cross despise for that high prize
Which thou hast set before us:
And if thou count us worthy,
We each, as dying Stephen,

Shall see thee stand at God's right hand,
To take us up to heaven.

681

Charles Wesley.

Passionate longing for heaven.

STILL out of the deepest abyss

8.

Of trouble, I mournfully cry; And pine to recover my peace, And see my Redeemer, and die. I cannot, I cannot forbear,

These passionate longings for home; O when shall my spirit be there? O when will the messenger come?

2 Thy nature I long to put on,
Thine image on earth to regain;
And then in the grave to lay down
This burden of body and pain.
O Jesus, in pity draw near,

And lull me to sleep on thy breast,
Appear, to my rescue appear,
And gather me into thy rest!
3 To take a poor fugitive in,
The arms of thy mercy display,
And give me to rest from all sin,
And bear me triumphant away;
Away from a world of distress,
Away to the mansions above;
The heaven of seeing thy face,
The heaven of feeling thy love.

682

Lead, kindly Light.

Charles Wesley.

10, 4, 10.

EAD, kindly Light, amid the encircling

LE

gloom,

Lead thou me on!

The night is dark, and I am far from home; Lead thou me on!

Keep thou my feet; my feet; I do not ask to see The distant scene; one step enough for me. 2 I was not ever thus, nor prayed that thou Shouldst lead me on;

I loved to choose and see my path; but now Lead thou me on!

I loved the garish day, and, spite of fears, Pride ruled my will. will. Remember not past

years!

3 So long thy power hath blest me, sure it still Will lead me on

O'er moor and fen, o'er crag and torrent, till The night is gone,

And with the morn those angel faces smile Which I have loved long since, and lost awhile!

John H. New man.

683

Come, ye disconsolate.

11, 10.

COME, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish;

Come to the mercy-seat, fervently kneel; Here bring your wounded hearts, here tell

anguish ;

your

Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot heal.

2 Joy of the desolate, light of the straying, Hope of the penitent, fadeless and pure, Here speaks the Comforter, tenderly saying, "Earth has no sorrow that Heaven cannot cure."

3 Here see the bread of life; see waters flowing Forth from the throne of God, pure from above;

Come to the feast of love; come, ever knowing Earth has no sorrow but Heaven can remove.

Thomas Moore.

PRAYER, PRAISE, AND COMMUNION WITH GOD.

684

The mercy-seat.

L. M.

FROM every stormy wind that blows,

From every swelling tide of woes,
There is a calm, a sure retreat :
"Tis found beneath the mercy-seat.

2 There is a place where Jesus sheds
The oil of gladness on our heads;
A place than all besides more sweet:
It is the blood-bought mercy-seat.

3 There is a scene where spirits blend,
Where friend holds fellowship with friend:
Though sundered far, by faith they meet
Around one common mercy-seat.

4 Ah! whither could we flee for aid,
When tempted, desolate, dismayed;
Or how the hosts of hell defeat,
Had suffering saints no mercy-seat?

5 There, there on eagle wings we soar, And sin and sense molest no more;

And heaven comes down our souls to greet, While glory crowns the mercy-seat.

685

Dedication to the Lord.

Hugh Stowell.

L. M.

LORD, thy heavenly grace impart,
my frail, inconstant heart;
Henceforth my chief desire shall be
To dedicate myself to thee.

2 Whate'er pursuits my time employ,
One thought shall fill my soul with joy:
That silent, secret thought shall be,
That all my hopes are fixed on thee.
3 Thy glorious eye pervadeth space;
Thy presence, Lord, fills every place;
And wheresoe'er my lot may be,
Still shall my spirit cleave to thee.
4 Renouncing every worldly thing,
And safe beneath thy spreading wing,
My sweetest thought henceforth shall be,
That all I want I find in thee.

686

JESU

Jean F. Oberlin. Tr. by Mrs. D. Wilson.

The Spirit's guidance.

L. M.

ESUS, my Saviour, Brother, Friend, On whom I cast my every care, On whom for all things I depend, Inspire, and then accept, my prayer. 2 If I have tasted of thy grace, The grace that sure salvation brings; If with me now thy Spirit stays,

And, hovering, hides me in his wings; 3 Still let him with my weakness stay, Nor for a moment's space depart; Evil and danger turn away,

And keep till he renews my heart.