3 The dews and rains, in all their store, Drenching the pastures o'er and o'er, Are not so copious as that grace Which sanctifies and saves our race. 4 As, in soft silence, vernal showers Descend, and cheer the fainting flowers, So, in the secrecy of love,
Falls the sweet influence from above.
5 That heavenly influence let me find
In holy silence of the mind,
While every grace maintains its bloom,
Diffusing wide its rich perfume.
6 Nor let these blessings be confined
To me, but poured on all mankind,
Till earth's wild wastes in verdure rise,
And a young Eden bless our eyes.
HYMN 422. C. M. [# or b ]
Breathing after the holy Spirit.
1 COME, holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, With all thy quickening powers; Kindle a flame of sacred love
In these cold hearts of ours.
2 Look, how we grovel here below,
Fond of these trifling toys;
Our souls can neither fly nor go
To reach eternal joys.
3 In vain we tune our formal songs,
In vain we strive to rise;
Hosannas languish on our tongues,
And our devotion dies.
4 Dear Lord, and shall we ever live
At this poor dying rate?
Our love so faint, so cold to thee,
And thine to us so great?
5 Come, holy Spirit, heavenly Dove,
With all thy quickening powers;
Come, shed abroad a Saviour's love,
And that shall kindle ours.
HYMN 423. L. M. [#]
Pleasures of Devotion.
1 FAR from my thoughts, vain world, be gone; Let my religious hours alone:
Fain would my eyes my Saviour see;
I wait a visit, Lord, from thee.
2 My heart grows warm with holy fire,
And kindles with a pure desire;
Come, my dear Jesus, from above,
And feed my soul with heavenly love.
3 Blest Jesus, what delicious fare!
How sweet thine entertainments are!
Never did angels taste, above,
Redeeming grace and dying love.
4 Hail, great Immanuel, all divine!
In thee thy Father's glories shine,
Thou brightest, sweetest, fairest one,
That eyes have seen, or angels known!
HYMN 424. L. M. [#]
Spiritual Provisions devoutly acknowledged.
1 THE Lord, our Shepherd, feeds his flock,
And shades them with the towering rock;
Our God provides each heavenly good,
And fills our souls with lasting food.
2 Where pastures grow in living green,
And spread a rich and flowing scene,
There do we rest, when toil o'ercomes,
Inhaling all the sweet perfumes.
3 Where waters of salvation flow,
To cheer the humble vale below,
There doth our Shepherd kindly guide,
And for our parching thirst provide.
4 When from this fold we ever stray,
He marks our wandering, devious way,
Reclaims our souls to blissful rest,
And brings us leaning on his breast.
5 Shepherd and Bishop of my soul,
O make thy wounded servant whole;
Continue all thy gifts of love,
Till I shall reach thy fold above.
HYMN 425. 7s M. [# or b ]
Devout Thanks and Supplication.
1 THANKS for mercies past receive e;
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us, henceforth, how to live,
With eternity in view.
2 Bless thy word to old and young; Grant us, Lord, thy peace and love; And, when life's short race is run, Take us to thy house above,
1 ETERNAL Source of life and light,
Supremely good and wise,
To thee we bring our grateful vows,
To thee lift up our eyes.
2 Our dark and erring minds illume
With truth's celestial rays;
Inspire our hearts with sacred love,
And tune our lips to praise.
3 Safely conduct us by thy grace,
Through life's perplexing road,
To pleasures which forever flow
At thy right hand, O God.
HYMN 427. L. M. [#or b ]
God's Presence the Refuge of the Afflicted.
1 WHEN dread misfortune's tempests rise,
And roar through all the darkened skies,
Where shall the trembling pilgrim gain
A shelter from the wind and rain?
Within the covert of thy grace,
O Lord, there is a hiding-place,
Where, unconcerned, we hear the sound,
Though storm and tempest rage around.
2 When, wandering o'er the desert bare, Of burning sands and sultry air,
We've sought the cheerless region through,
But found no stream to meet our view,—
'Tis then the rivers of thy love,
Descending from thy throne above,
Supply our wants, and soothe our pain,
And raise our fainting souls again.
3 When in a weary land we tire,
And, all unnerved, our powers expire,
With toil, and care, and heat oppressed,
Where shall our languid spirits rest?
O, who could bear the blasting ray,
And all the burden of the day,
Did not a Rock in Zion stand,
O'ershading all this weary land!
HYMN 428. C. M. [#]
Constant Devotion.
1 BEFORE the rosy dawn of day,
To thee, my God, I'll sing;
Awake, my soft and tuneful lyre,
Awake, each charming string.
2 Awake, and let the flowing strains
Glide through the midnight air,
While high amidst the silent orbs
The silver moon rolls clear:
3 While all the glittering, starry lamps
Are lighted in the sky,
And set their Maker's greatness forth
To my admiring eye.
4 And, as the gloomy night returns,
Or smiling day renews,
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