INTRODUCTION AND CLOSE OF WORSHIP.
1. 7s. M. Bowring.
Humble Worship
1When before thy throne we kneel,
Filled with awe and holy fear,
Teach us, O our God! to feel
All thy sacred presence near.
2Check each proud and wandering thought
When on thy great name we call;
Man is nought--is less than nought:
Thou, our God, art all in all.
3Weak, imperfect creatures, we
In this vale of darkness dwell;
Yet presume to look to thee,
'Midst thy light ineffable.
4O, receive the praise that dares
Seek thy heaven-exalted throne;
Bless our offerings, hear our pray'rs,
Infinite and Holy One!
2. P. M. Anonymous.
Solemn Invocation.
1Come, thou Almighty King!
Help us thy name to sing;
Help us to praise!
Father all glorious,
O'er all victorious,
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of days!
2Come, thou all gracious Lord!
By heaven and earth adored,
Our prayer attend!
Come, and thy children bless;
Give thy good word success;
Make thine own holiness
On us descend!
3Never from us depart;
Rule thou in every heart,
Hence, evermore!
Thy sovereign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore.
3. S. M. Montgomery.
Exhortation to Praise.
1Stand up and bless the Lord,
Ye people of his choice;
Stand up, and bless the Lord your God,
With heart, and soul and voice.
2Though high above all praise,
Above all blessing high,
Who would not fear his holy name,
And laud and magnify?
3O for the living flame
From his own altar brought,
To touch our lips, our minds inspire,
And wing to heaven our thought!
4There, with benign regard,
Our hymns he deigns to hear;
Though unrevealed to mortal sense,
The spirit feels him near.
5Stand up and bless the Lord,
The Lord your God adore;
Stand up and bless his glorious name,
Henceforth for evermore.
4. L. M. Watts.
Public Worship.
1Before Jehovah's awful throne,
Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and he destroy.
2His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay, and formed us men;
And when, like wandering sheep we strayed,
He brought us to his fold again.
3We are his people; we his care;
Our souls, and all our mortal frame:
What lasting honors shall we rear,
Almighty Maker, to thy name?
4We'll crowd thy gates, with thankful songs
High as the heaven our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.
5Wide as the world is thy command;
Vast as eternity thy love;
Firm as a rock thy truth shall stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.
5. L. M. Tate & Brady.
The Same.
1O, Come, loud anthems let us sing,
Loud thanks to our Almighty King;
For we our voices high should raise,
When our salvation's Rock we praise.
2Into his presence let us haste,
To thank him, for his favors past;
To him address, in joyful songs,
The praise that to his name belongs.
3O, let us to his courts repair,
And bow with adoration there;
With joy and fear devoutly all
Before the Lord, our Maker, fall!
6. L. M. Watts.
"How amiable are thy Tabernacles, O Lord of Hosts."
1Great God! attend, while Zion sings
The joy that from thy presence springs;
To spend one day with thee, on earth,
Exceeds a thousand days of mirth.
2Might I enjoy the meanest place
Within thy house, O God of grace,
Not tents of ease, nor thrones of power,
Should tempt my feet to leave thy door.
3God is our Sun--he makes our day;
God is our shield--he guards our way;
All needful grace he will bestow,
And crown that grace with glory too.
4O God! our king, whose sovereign sway
The glorious hosts of heaven obey,
Thy willing servants may we be,
For blest are they who trust in thee.
7. C. M. Edmeston.
The Lord's Day.
1When the worn spirit wants repose,
And sighs her God to seek,
How sweet to hail the evening's close
That ends the weary week!
2How sweet to hail the early dawn
That opens on the sight,
When first that soul-reviving morn
Beams its new rays of light!
3Blest day! thine hours too soon will cease
Yet, while they gently roll,
Breathe, Heavenly Spirit, source of peace,
A sabbath o'er my soul!
8. C. M. Codman's Coll.
The Blessing of the Sabbath.
1Blest day of God! most calm, most bright,
The first and best of days;
The laborer's rest, the saint's delight,
The day of prayer and praise.
2My Saviour's face made thee to shine;
His rising thee did raise;
And made thee heavenly and divine
Beyond all other days.
3The first fruits oft a blessing prove
To all the sheaves behind;
And they who do the Sabbath love,
A happy week will find.
4This day I must to God appear;
For, Lord, the day is thine;
Help me to spend it in thy fear,
And thus to make it mine.
9. C. M. Mrs. Follen.
Love of Sabbath Service.
1How sweet, upon this sacred day,
The best of all the seven,
To cast our earthly thoughts away,
And think of God and heaven!
2How sweet to be allowed to pray
Our sins may be forgiven!
With filial confidence to say,
"Father, who art in heaven!"
3How sweet the words of peace to hear
From him to whom 'tis given
To wake the penitential tear,
And lead the way to heaven!
4And if, to make our sins depart,
In vain the will has striven,
He who regards the inmost heart
Will send his grace from heaven.
10. L. M. 6l. Mrs. Steele.
A Prayer for Lord's Day.
1Great 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.
2Hence, 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.
3The 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.
4Thy 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.
11. C. M. H. Ware, Jr.
Invoking God's Aid.
1Father in heaven, to thee my heart
Would lift itself in prayer;
Drive from my soul each earthly thought
And show thy presence there.
2Each moment of my life renews
The mercies of my Lord,
Each moment is itself a gift
To bear me on to God.
3O, help me break the galling chains,
This world has round me thrown,
Each passion of my heart subdue,
Each darling sin disown.
4O Father, kindle in my breast
A never dying flame
Of holy love, of grateful trust
In thine almighty name.
12. H. M. Hayward.
Invocation for Lord's Day Morning.
1Welcome, 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.
2Now 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.
3Descend, celestial Dove,
With all thy quickening powers;
Disclose a Saviour's love,
And bless these sacred hours:
Then shall our souls new life obtain,
Nor sabbaths be enjoyed in vain.
13. C. P. M. Day.
Attendance on Worship.
1I'll bless Jehovah's glorious name,
Whose goodness heaven and earth proclaim,
With every morning light;
And at the close of every day,
To him my cheerful homage pay,
Who guards me through the night.
2Then in his churches to appear,
And pay my humble worship there,
Shall be my sweet employ:
The day that saw my Saviour rise
Shall dawn on my delighted eyes
With pure and holy joy.
3With grateful sorrow in my breast,
I'll celebrate the dying feast
Of my exalted Lord;
And, while his perfect love I view,
His bright example I'll pursue,
And meditate his word.
14. S. P. M. Watts.
Delight in the House of God.
1How pleased and blest was I
To hear the people cry,
"Come, let us seek our God to-day!"
Yes, with a cheerful zeal,
We haste to Zion's hill,
And there our vows and honors pay.
2Zion, thrice happy place,
Adorned with wondrous grace,
And walls of strength embrace thee round;
In thee our tribes appear,
To pray, and praise, and hear
The sacred gospel's joyful sound.
3May peace attend thy gate,
And joy within thee wait,
To bless the soul of every guest;
The man who seeks thy peace,
And wishes thine increase,
A thousand blessings on him rest.
15. 8 & 7s. M. Wesley's Coll.
Divine Love.
1Love divine, all love excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down!
Fix in us thy humble dwelling,
All thy faithful mercies crown.
Father! thou art all compassion,
Pure, unbounded love thou art;
Visit us with thy salvation,
Enter every longing heart.
2Breathe, O breathe thy loving spirit
Into every troubled breast;
Let us all in thee inherit,
Let us find thy promised rest.
Come, almighty to deliver,
Let us all thy life receive,
Graciously come down, and never,
Never more thy temples leave.
16. L. M. Pierpont.
Universal Worship.
1O Thou, to whom, in ancient time,
The lyre of Hebrew bards was strung,
Whom kings adored in song sublime,
And prophets praised with glowing tongue!
2Not now on Zion's height alone
Thy favored worshipper may dwell;
Nor where, at sultry noon, thy Son,
Sat weary, by the Patriarch's well.
3From every place below the skies,
The grateful song, the fervent prayer--
The incense of the heart--may rise
To Heaven, and find acceptance there.
4To thee shall age, with snowy hair,
And strength and beauty bend the knee,
And childhood lisp, with reverent air,
Its praises and its prayers to thee.
5O Thou, to whom, in ancient time,
The lyre of prophet-bards was strung,
To thee, at last, in every clime
Shall temples rise, and praise be sung.
17. C. M. Presbyterian Coll.
Prayer for special Favor.
1Within thy house, O Lord, our God,
In glory now appear;
Make this a place of thine abode,
And shed thy blessings here.
2When we thy mercy-seat surround,
Thy Spirit, Lord, impart;
And let thy gospel's joyful sound
With power reach every heart.
3Here let the blind their sight obtain;
Here give the mourners rest;
Let Jesus here triumphant reign,
Enthroned in every breast.
4Here let the voice of sacred joy
And humble prayer arise,
Till higher strains our tongues employ
In realms beyond the skies.
18. C. M. Watts.
Daily and nightly Devotion.
1Ye that obey the immortal King,
Attend his holy place;
Bow to the glories of his name,
And sing his wondrous grace.
2Lift up your hands by morning light,
And raise your thanks on high;
Send your admiring thoughts, by night,
Above the starry sky.
3The God of Zion cheer your hearts
With rays of quickening grace:
'Tis he that spreads the heavens abroad,
Whose presence fills the place.
19. S. M. Montgomery.
The Delight of Worship.
1Glad was my heart to hear
My old companions say
Come, in the house of God appear,
For 'tis a holy day.
2Our willing feet shall stand
Within thy temple-door;
While young and old in many a band
Shall throng the sacred floor.
3Within these walls be peace
And harmony be found:
Zion, in all thy palaces,
Prosperity abound!
4For friends and brethren dear,
Our prayer shall never cease
Oft as they meet for worship here,
God send his people peace!
20. S. M. E. Taylor.
Call to the House of Prayer.
1Come to the house of prayer,
O ye afflicted, come:
The God of peace shall meet you there--
He makes that house his home.
2Come to the house of praise,
Ye who are happy now;
In sweet accord your voices raise,
In kindred homage bow.
3Ye aged, hither come,
For ye have felt his love:
Soon shall your trembling tongues be dumb,
Your lips forget to move.
4Ye young, before his throne,
Come, bow; your voices raise;
Let not your hearts his praise disown
Who gives the power to praise.
5Thou, whose benignant eye
In mercy looks on all--
Who see'st the tear of misery,
And hear'st the mourner's call--
6Up to thy dwelling-place
Bear our frail spirits on,
Till they outstrip time's tardy pace,
And heaven on earth be won.
21. H. M. Watts.
Delight in Public Worship.
1Lord of the worlds above,
How pleasant and how fair
The dwellings of thy love,
Thine earthly temples, are!
To thine abode my heart aspires,
With warm desires to see my God.
2O happy souls that pray
Where God appoints to hear!
O happy men that pay
Their constant service there!
They praise thee still; and happy they
Who love the way to Zion's hill.
3They go from strength to strength,
Throughout these mortal years,
Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heaven appears:
O glorious seat, when God, our King,
Shall thither bring our willing feet!
22. 7s. Hammond.
A Blessing humbly requested.
1Lord, we come before thee now;
At thy feet we humbly bow;
O, do not our suit disdain;
Shall we seek thee, Lord, in vain?
2In thine own appointed way,
Now we seek thee; here we stay;
Lord, from hence we would not go,
Till a blessing thou bestow.
3Comfort those who weep and mourn;
Let the time of joy return;
Those that are cast down, lift up;
Make them strong in faith and hope.
4Grant that all may seek and find
Thee a God supremely kind;
Heal the sick; the captive free;
Let us all rejoice in thee.
23. L. M. Anonymous.
For Opening or Close of Service.
1Thy presence, gracious God, afford;
Prepare us to receive thy word;
Now let thy voice engage our ear,
And faith be mixed with what we hear.
2Distracting thoughts and cares remove,
And fix our hearts and hopes above;
With food divine may we be fed,
And satisfied with living bread.
3To us the sacred word apply
With sovereign power and energy;
And may we, in thy faith and fear,
Reduce to practice what we hear.
4Father, in us thy Son reveal;
Teach us to know and do thy will;
Thy saving power and love display,
And guide us to the realms of day.
24. L. M. 6l. Heber.
Seeking Refuge.
1Forth from the dark and stormy sky,
Lord, to thine altar's shade we fly;
Forth from the world, its hope and fear,
Father, we seek thy shelter here:
Weary and weak, thy grace we pray;
Turn not, O Lord, thy guests away.
2Long have we roamed in want and pain;
Long have we sought thy rest in vain;
Wildered in doubt, in darkness lost,
Long have our souls been tempest-tost:
Low at thy feet our sins we lay;
Turn not, O Lord, thy guests away.
25. 11s. M. Edmeston.
The House of God.
1There's a refuge of peace from the tempests that beat,
From the dark clouds that threaten, the wild wind that blows;
A holy, a sweet and a lovely retreat,
A spring of refreshment, a place of repose.
2'Tis the house of my God, 'tis the dwelling of prayer,
The temple all hallowed by blessing and praise;
If sorrow and faithlessness conquer me, there
My heart to the throne of his grace I can raise.
3For a refuge like this, ah, what praises are due!
For a rest so serene, for a covert so fair:
Ah, why are the seasons of worship so few?
And why are so seldom the meetings of prayer?
26. 8 & 7s. M. J. Taylor.
The Fount of Blessing.
1Far from mortal cares retreating,
Sordid hopes, and vain desires,
Here our willing footsteps meeting,
Every heart to heaven aspires.
2From the fount of glory beaming,
Light celestial cheers our eyes,
Mercy from above proclaiming
Peace and pardon from the skies.
3Who may share this great salvation?
Every pure and humble mind,
Every kindred, tongue, and nation,
From the stains of guilt refined.
4Blessings all around bestowing,
God withholds his care from none,
Grace and mercy ever flowing
From the fountain of his throne.
27. C. M. Newton.
A Blessing sought.
1Great Shepherd of thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;
We kneel within thy house of prayer;
O, give us hearts to pray.
2The clouds which veil thee from our sight,
In pity, Lord, remove;
Dispose our minds to hear aright
The message of thy love.
3Help us, with holy fear and joy,
To kneel before thy face;
O, make us, creatures of thy power,
The children of thy grace.
28. 7s. M. J. Taylor.
Preparation for Worship.
1Lord, before thy presence come,
Bow we down with holy fear;
Call our erring footsteps home,
Let us feel that thou art near.
2Wandering thoughts and languid powers
Come not where devotion kneels;
Let the soul expand her stores,
Glowing with the joy she feels.
3At the portals of thine house,
We resign our earth-born cares;
Nobler thoughts our souls engross,
Songs of praise and fervent prayers.
29. C. M. Rippon's Coll.
"Hallowed be Thy name."
1Holy and reverend is the name
Of our eternal King;
Thrice holy Lord, the angels cry;
Thrice holy, let us sing.
2The deepest reverence of the mind
Pay, O my soul, to God;
Lift with thy hands a holy heart
To his sublime abode.
3With sacred awe pronounce his name,
Whom words nor thoughts can reach;
A broken heart shall please him more
Than the best forms of speech.
4Thou holy God! preserve my soul
From all pollution free;
The pure in heart are thy delight,
And they thy face shall see.
30. S. M. Urwick's Coll.
Pleasures of Spiritual Worship.
1How sweet to bless the Lord,
And in his praises join,
With saints his goodness to record,
And sing his power divine!
2These seasons of delight
The dawn of glory seem,
Like rays of pure, celestial light,
Which on our spirits beam.
3O, blest assurance this;
Bright morn of heavenly day;
Sweet foretaste of eternal bliss,
That cheers the pilgrim's way.
4Thus may our joys increase,
Our love more ardent grow,
While rich supplies of Jesus' grace
Refresh our souls below.
31. C. M. Watts.
God present in the Sanctuary.
1My Soul, how lovely is the place
To which thy God resorts!
'Tis heaven to see his smiling face,
Though in his earthly courts.
2There the great Monarch of the skies
His saving power displays;
And light breaks in upon our eyes
With kind and quickening rays.
3With his rich gifts the heavenly Dove
Descends and fills the place,
While Christ reveals his wondrous love,
And sheds abroad his grace.
4There, mighty God, thy words declare
The secrets of thy will;
And still we seek thy mercy there,
And sing thy praises still.
32. C. M. Pratt's Coll.
A Blessing sought.
1Again our earthly cares we leave,
And to thy courts repair;
Again, with joyful feet we come
To meet our Saviour here.
2The feeling heart, the melting eye,
The humble mind, bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
To make our graces grow.
3May we in faith receive thy word,
In faith present our prayers,
And in the presence of our Lord
Unbosom all our cares.
4Show us some token of thy love,
Our fainting hope to raise,
And pour thy blessing from above,
That we may render praise.
33. L. M. Tate & Brady.
Public Worship.
1For thee, O God, our constant praise
In Zion waits, thy chosen seat;
Our promised altars there we'll raise,
And all our zealous vows complete.
2O thou, who to my humble prayer
Didst always bend thy listening ear,
To thee shall all mankind repair,
And at thy gracious throne appear.
3Our sins, though numberless, in vain
To stop thy flowing mercy try;
For thou wilt cleanse the guilty stain,
And wash away the crimson dye.
4Blest is the man, who, near thee placed,
Within thy sacred dwelling lives;
Whilst we at humbler distance taste
The vast delight thy worship gives.
34. L. M. Frothingham.
Truth and Love.
1O God, whose presence glows in all,
Within, around us, and above!
Thy word we bless, thy name we call,
Whose word is Truth, whose name is Love.
2That truth be with the heart believed
Of all who seek this sacred place;
With power proclaimed, in peace received--
Our spirits' light, thy Spirit's grace.
3That love its holy influence pour,
To keep us meek, and make us free,
And throw its binding blessing more
Round each with all, and all with thee.
4Send down its angel to our side--
Send in its calm upon the breast;
For we would know no other guide,
And we can need no other rest.
35. L. M. Montgomery.
Invoking a Blessing.
1Lord! when thy people seek thy face,
And dying sinners pray to live,
Hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place,
And, when thou hearest, O forgive!
2Here, when thy messengers proclaim
The blessed Gospel of thy Son,
Still, by the power of his great name,
Be mighty signs and wonders done.
3But will indeed Jehovah deign
Here to abide, no transient guest?
Here will the world's Redeemer reign,
And here the Holy Spirit rest?
4That glory never hence depart!
Yet choose not, Lord, this house alone;
Thy kingdom come to every heart,
In every bosom fix thy throne.
36. 7s. M. 6l. J. Newton.
A Prayer for Lord's Day.
1Safely through another week
Thou hast brought us on our way;
Let us now thy blessing seek,
Waiting in thy courts to-day:
Day, of all the week the best--
Emblem of eternal rest.
2Mercies multiplied each hour
Through the week our praise demand:
Guarded by almighty power,
Fed and guided by thy hand,
May we not forgetful be,
Nor ungrateful, Lord, to thee.
3While we seek supplies of grace
Through the dear Redeemer's name,
Show thy reconciling face,
Take away our sin and shame.
From our worldly cares set free,
May we rest this day in thee.
4May 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.
37. L. M. Bowring.
Evening Worship.
1How shall we praise thee, Lord of light!
How shall we all thy love declare!
The earth is veiled in shades of night,
But heaven is open to our prayer,--
That heaven so bright with stars and suns--
That glorious heaven which has no bound,
Where the full tide of being runs,
And life and beauty glow around.
2We would adore thee, God sublime!
Whose power and wisdom, love and grace,
Are greater than the round of time,
And wider than the bounds of space,
O how shall thought expression find,
All lost in thine immensity!
How shall we seek thee, glorious Mind,
Amid thy dread infinity!
3But thou art present with us here,
As in thy glittering, high domain;
And grateful hearts and humble fear
Can never seek thy face in vain.
Help us to praise thee, Lord of light!
Help us thy boundless love declare;
And, here within thy courts to-night,
Aid us, and hearken to our prayer.
38. C. M. Mrs. Barbauld.
The Sabbath of the Soul.
1O Father! though the anxious fear
May cloud to-morrow's way,
No fear nor doubt shall enter here,--
All shall be thine to-day.
2We will not bring divided hearts
To worship at thy shrine;
But each unworthy thought departs,
And leaves this temple thine.
3Then sleep to-day, tormenting cares,
Of earth and folly born;
Ye shall not dim the light that streams
From this celestial morn.
4To-morrow will be time enough
To feel your harsh control;
Ye shall not violate this day,
The Sabbath of the soul.
39. 7s. M. Bowring.
Lowly Praise.
1Lord, in heaven, thy dwelling-place,
Hear the praises of our race,
And, while hearing, let thy grace
Dews of sweet forgiveness pour;
While we know, benignant King,
That the praises which we bring
Are a worthless offering
Till thy blessing makes it more.
2More of truth, and more of might,
More of love, and more of light,
More of reason, and of right,
From thy pardoning grace be given!
It can make the humblest song
Sweet, acceptable, and strong,
As the strains the angels' throng
Pour around the throne of heaven.
40. L. M. M. W. Hale.
The Day of Rest.
1This day let grateful praise ascend
To thee, our Father, and our Friend,
Thee, Author of this holy light,
Thee, throned in boundless power and might.
2O, let the sacred hours be given
To truth, to duty, and to heaven;
While trusting faith and holy love
Rise fervent to thy throne above.
3Grant that our earthly Sabbaths be
But dawnings of eternity,
To shadow forth the glorious rest,
The heavenly quiet of the blest.
41. L. M. Bathurst.
Improvement of the Sabbath.
1This day the Lord hath called his own;
O, let us, then, his praise declare,
Fix our desires on him alone,
And seek his face with fervent prayer.
2Lord, in thy love we would rejoice,
Which bids the burdened soul be free,
And, with united heart and voice,
Devote these sacred hours to thee.
3Now let the world's delusive things
No more our grovelling thoughts employ
But Faith be taught to stretch her wings,
In search of heaven's unfailing joy.
4O, let these earthly Sabbaths, Lord,
Be to our lasting welfare blest;
The purest comfort here afford,
And fit us for eternal rest.