1 SWEET is the prayer whose holy stream
In earnest pleading flows!
Devotion dwells upon the theme,
And warm and warmer glows.
2 Faith grasps the blessing she desires;
Hope points the upward gaze;
And Love, celestial Love, inspires
The eloquence of praise.
3 But sweeter far the still, small voice,
Unheard by human ear,
When God has made the heart rejoice,
And dried the bitter tear.
4 No accents flow, no words ascend;
All utterance faileth there;
But Christian spirits comprehend,
And God accepts the prayer.
The Warfare of the Soul.
1 AWAKE, my soul! lift up thine eyes
See where thy foes against thee rise,
In long array a numerous host;
Awake, my soul! or thou art lost.
2 See where rebellious passions rage,
And fierce desires and lusts engage;
The meanest foe of all the train
Has thousands and ten thousands slain.
3 Come then, my soul! now learn to wie.d
The weight of thine immortal shield,
Put on the armor from above,
Of heavenly truth and heavenly love
4 The terror and the charm repel,
And powers of earth and powers of hell,
The man of Calvary triumphed here;-
Why should his faithful followers fear?
1 AWAKE, my soul! stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.
2 A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey;
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.
3 T is God's all-animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
"T is his own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye;-
4 That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems
Shall blend in common dust.
Christian Courage and Self-denial.
1 AM I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?
2 Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?
3 Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.
4 Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they 're slain
They see the triumph from afar,
And soon with Christ shall reign.
5 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine.
I AWAKE, our souls, away, our fears;
Let every trembling thought be gore;
Awake and run the heavenly race,
And put a cheerful courage on.
2 True 't is a strait and thorny road,
And mortal spirits tire and faint;
But they forget the mighty God,
That feeds the strength of every saint.
3 From thee, the overflowing spring,
Our souls shall drink a fresh supply, While such as trust their native strength Shall melt away, and droop, and die.
4 Swift as an eagle cuts the air,
We'll mount aloft to thine abode,
On wings of love our souls shall fly,
Nor tire amidst the heavenly road.
1 PRAYER is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast.
2 Prayer is the burden of a sigh
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.
3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try,
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.
4 Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
The watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.
5 Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways;
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And cry "Behold, he prays!"
"I will that men pray everywhere."
1 CHILD, amidst the flowers at play,
While the red light fades away;
Mother, with thine earnest eye
Ever following silently;
Father, by the breeze of eve
Called thy daily work to leave;
Pray! ere yet the dark hours be,
Lift the heart and bend the knee!
2 Traveller, in the stranger's land,
Far from thine own household band;
Mourner, haunted by the tone
Of a voice from this world gone;
Captive, in whose narrow cell
Sunshine hath not leave to dwell,
Sailor, on the darkening sea-
Lift the heart and bend the knee!
7s. & 6s. M. EDIN. LIT. Review.
Pray without ceasing.
1 Go when the morning shineth,
Go when the noon is bright,
Go when the eve declineth,
Go in the hush of night;
Go with pure mind and feeling,
Cast earthly thought away,
And, in thy closet kneeling,
Do thou in secret pray.
2 Remember all who love thee,
All who are loved by thee;
Pray, too, for those who hate thee
any such there be;
Then for thyself, in meekness,
A blessing humbly claim,
And blend with each petition
Thy great Redeemer's name.
3. Or, if 't is e'er denied thee
In solitude to pray,
Should holy thoughts come o'er thes
When friends are round thy way,
E'en then the silent breathing,
Thy spirit raised above,
Will reach his throne of glory,
Where dwells eternal love.
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