719. C. M. Doddridge.
For a Meeting of Ministers.
1Let Zion's watchmen all awake,
And take the alarm they give:
Now let them, from the mouth of God,
Their solemn charge receive.
2'Tis not a cause of small import
The pastor's care demands;
But what might fill an angel's heart,
And filled a Saviour's hands.
3May they, that Jesus whom they preach,
Their own Redeemer see;
And watch thou daily o'er their souls,
That they may watch for thee.
720. 8s. & 7s. M. Anonymous.
Burden and Conflict of the Ministry.
1Onward, Christian, though the region
Where thou art be drear and lone;
God hath set a guardian legion
Very near thee,--press thou on!
2By the thorn-wood, and none other,
Is the mount of vision won;
Tread it without shrinking, brother!
Jesus trod it,--press thou on!
3By thy trustful, calm endeavor,
Guiding, cheering, like the sun,
Earth-bound hearts thou shalt deliver
O, for their sake, press thou on!
4Be this world the wiser, stronger,
For thy life of pain and peace;
While it needs thee, O, no longer
Pray thou for thy quick release.
5Pray thou, Christian, daily, rather,
That thou be a faithful son;
By the prayer of Jesus,--"Father,
Not my will, but thine, be done!"
721. L. M. A. Balfour.
Ministers Charged and Encouraged.
1Go, messengers of peace and love,
To people plunged in shades of night;
Like angels sent from fields above,
Be yours to shed celestial light.
2Go to the hungry,--food impart;
To paths of peace the wanderer guide;
And lead the thirsty panting heart
Where streams of living water glide.
3O faint not in the day of toil,
When harvest waits the reaper's hand;
Go, gather in the glorious spoil,
And joyous in his presence stand.
4Thy love a rich reward shall find
From him who sits enthroned on high;
For they who turn the erring mind
Shall shine like stars above the sky.
722. S. M. Wesleyan.
Call to Labor in God's Vineyard.
1The vineyard of the Lord
Before his laborers lies;
And, lo! we see the vast reward
Which waits us in the skies.
2O let us then proceed
In God's great work below,
And following our triumphant Head,
To further conquests go.
3And let our heart and mind
Continually ascend,
That haven of repose to find,
Where all our labors end.
4What honor to behold,
In that sublime abode,
The patriarchs and prophets old,
And all the men of God!
5Then spend our days beneath,
Toiling in cheerful hope;
And fearless pass the vale of death,
And gain the mountain top.
723. L. M. Episcopal Coll.
For Laborers in God's Harvest.
1O Spirit of the living God,
In all thy plenitude of grace,
Where'er the foot of man hath trod,
Descend on our degenerate race!
2Give tongues of fire and hearts of love,
To preach the reconciling word;
Give power and unction from above,
Where'er the joyful sound is heard.
3Be darkness, at thy coming, light;
Confusion, order, in thy path;
Souls without strength inspire with might;
Bid mercy triumph over wrath.
4Convert the nations; far and nigh
The triumphs of the cross record;
The name of Jesus glorify,
Till every people call him Lord.
724. 7s. M. Byrant.
A Blessing invoked on Christian Teachers.
1Mighty One, before whose face,
Wisdom had her glorious seat,
When the orbs that people space
Sprang to birth beneath thy feet;
2Source of truth, whose rays alone
Light the mighty world of mind;
God of love, who from thy throne
Kindly watchest all mankind;
3Shed on those, who in thy name
Teach the way of truth and right,
Shed that love's undying flame,
Shed that wisdom's guiding light.
725. L. M. H. Ballou.
At an Annual Convention.
1Dear Lord, behold thy servants, here,
From various parts together meet,
To tell their labors through the year,
And lay the harvest at thy feet.
2The reapers cry, "Thy fields are white,
All ready to be gathered in,
And harvests wave in changing light,
Far as the eye can trace the scene."
3Lord, bless us while we here remain;
With holy love our bosoms fill;
O may thy doctrine drop like rain,
And like the silent dew distil.
4While we attend thy churches' care
O grant us wisdom from above;
With prudent thought and humble prayer,
May we fulfil the works of love.
726. L. M. Hymns of Zion.
The Same.
1Brethren, beloved for Jesus' sake,
A hearty welcome here receive;
May we together now partake
The joys which he alone can give.
2May he by whose kind care we meet,
Send his good Spirit from above,
Make our communion pure and sweet,
And cause our hearts to burn with love.
3Forgotten be each worldly theme,
When thus we meet, to pray and praise;
We but desire to speak of him,
And of his holy word and ways.
4Thus as the moments pass away,
We'll love, and wonder and adore;
Then hasten on, the glorious day,
When we shall meet to part no more.
727. C. M. Hymns of Zion.
The Same.
1Joined in a union firm and strong,
No foe our ranks can break;
To victory we press along,
And glorious warfare make.
Our fervent prayers shall still prevail
Against a host of sins;
And angels every Christian hail
Whose love a conquest wins.
2Then let our ranks, more closely joined,
With shield and buckler stand;
A kingdom we at last shall find,
The promised spirit-land.
Let all with harmony of voice,
In lofty praises join;
Let every soul in Christ rejoice,
With rapture all divine.
3The kindling flame begins to glow,
Each heart grows warm with love;
And we enjoy on earth below,
The bliss of heaven above!
O thus forever may we feel,
And evermore display
Devotion's pure and holy zeal,
In Zion's chosen way.
728. 7s. & 6s. M. J. G. Adams.
The Same.
1Our Father--ever living!
Once more thy children come,
In joy and true thanksgiving,
To this their gospel home.
United--from dissension
Kept by thy goodness free--
Again in glad Convention
Our vows we pay to thee.
2The Past! Its ways are beaming
With thy sure mercies, Lord--
Thy truth and grace redeeming,
Sent o'er the earth abroad,
The hoary shrines of error
Have cast aside; and free
From darkness, doubt, and terror
Its children come to thee.
3The Present! Loudly sounding,
Its cheering tones are heard;
Be our full hearts abounding
In its strong Hope and Word!
Be strength and wisdom, Father!
Bestowing what we need,
Truth's harvest-sheaves to gather--
Christ's kingdom here to speed.
4The Future! Indications
Of mightier works are there:--
Truth's promised revelations;
Thine arm of power made bare;
From sin's dread reign exemption:
Man's life in Christ, divine;
The erring world's redemption;
The glory, Father, thine!
729. C. M. Mrs. Sawyer.
The Same.
1We gather in the name of God,
And, bowing down the head,
We stretch our waiting hands abroad,
And humbly ask for aid:
For aid, when o'er the spirit's day,
Thick clouds of darkness rest,
That we may chase the gloom away,
And light the darkened breast.
2For strength to lead the poor, the weak
Who tread the vale of years,--
For pity's hand to dry the cheek
Where sorrow sits in tears;
For hope, the beautiful and bright,
That whispers, "Ne'er despond!"
For faith, that through the darkest night
Still sees a star beyond.
3Bold heralds of the cross, O God,
Undaunted send us forth;
Salvation be our rallying word,--
Our field, the boundless earth;
Love on our lips, and in our soul,
Our labors never done;
O Sovereign Helper! till the goal
By all at last be won.
730. 7s. M. H. K. White.
Closing Hymn at an Association.
1Christians! brethren! ere we part,
Every voice and every heart
Join, and to our Father raise
One last hymn of grateful praise.
2Though we here should meet no more,
Yet there is a brighter shore;
There, released from toil and pain,
There we all may meet again.
3Now to him who reigns in heaven
Be eternal glory given;
Grateful for thy love divine,
O may all our hearts be thine!
731. C. M. Sutton.
The Same.
1Hail, sweetest, dearest tie that binds
Our glowing hearts in one;
Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds
To sing what God hath done.
It is the hope, the blissful hope,
Which gospel grace hath given;
The hope, when days and years are past,
We all shall meet in heaven.
2From eastern shores, from northern lands,
From western hill and plain,
From southern climes, the brother-bands
May hope to meet again;
It is the hope, the blissful hope,
Which love divine hath given:
The hope, when life and time are o'er,
We all shall meet in heaven.
3No hope deferred, no parting sigh,
That blessed meeting knows;
There friendship beams from every eye,
And hope immortal grows.
It is the hope, the precious hope,
Which boundless grace hath given:
The hope, when time shall be no more,
We all shall meet in heaven.
732. C. M. W. Ward.
Prayer for the Success of the Gospel.
1Great God, the nations of the earth
Are by creation thine;
And in thy works, by all beheld,
Thy radiant glories shine.
2But, Lord, thy greater love has sent
Thy gospel to mankind,
Unveiling what rich stores of grace
Are treasured in thy mind.
3O, when shall these glad tidings spread
The spacious earth around,
Till every tribe and every soul
Shall hear the joyful sound?
4Smile, Lord, on each divine attempt
To spread the gospel's rays,
And build on sin's demolished throne
The temples of thy praise.
733. 7s. & 6s. M. Heber.
Missionary Hymn.
1From Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,--
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand,--
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,--
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain.
2What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle;
Though every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile;
In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown;
The heathen in his blindness
Bows down to wood and stone.
3Shall we, whose souls are lighted
By wisdom from on high,
Shall we to men benighted
The lamp of life deny?
Salvation! O, salvation!
The joyful sound proclaim,
Till each remotest nation
Has learnt Messiah's name.
734. 7s. M. Pratt's Coll.
The Same.
1Go! ye messengers of God,
Like the beams of morning, fly;
Take the wonder-working rod,
Wave the Banner-Cross on high!
Where th' lofty minaret
Gleams along the morning skies,
Wave it till the crescent set,
And the "Star of Jacob" rise.
2Go! to many a tropic isle,
In the bosom of the deep;
Where the skies forever smile,
And th' oppressed forever weep!
O'er the negro's night of care
Pour the living light of heaven;
Chase away the fiend despair,
Bid him hope to be forgiven!
3When the golden gates of day
Open on the palmy east,
Wide the bleeding cross display,
Spread the gospel's richest feast:
Circumnavigate the ball,
Visit every soil and sea;
Preach the Cross of Christ to all--
Jesus' love is full and free!
735. C. M. S. W. Livermore.
The Western Churches.
1Our pilgrim brethren dwelling far,--
O God of truth and love,
Light thou their path with thine own star,
Bright beaming from above.
2Wide as their mighty rivers flow,
Let thine own truth extend;
Where prairies spread and forests grow,
O Lord, thy gospel send.
3Then will a mighty nation own
A union firm and strong;--
The sceptre of th' eternal throne
Shall rule its councils long.
736. C. P. M. Episcopal Coll.
On Western Missions.
1When, Lord, to this our western land,
Led by thy providential hand,
Our wandering fathers came,
Their ancient homes, their friends in youth
Sent forth the heralds of thy truth,
To keep them in thy name.
2Then, through our solitary coast,
The desert features soon were lost;
Thy temples there arose;
Our shores, as culture made them fair,
Were hallowed by thy rites, by prayer,
And blossomed as the rose.
3And O, may we repay this debt
To regions solitary yet
Within our spreading land!
There brethren, from our common home,
Still westward, like our fathers, roam,
Still guided by thy hand.
4Father, we own this debt of love;
O, shed thy Spirit from above,
To move each Christian breast,
Till heralds shall thy truth proclaim,
And temples rise, to fix thy name,
Through all our boundless West!
737. L. M. Winchell's Sel.
Missionaries Encouraged.
1Ye Christian heralds,--go, proclaim
Salvation in Immanuel's name:
To distant climes the tidings bear,
And plant the rose of Sharon there.
2He'll shield you with a wall of fire,
With holy zeal your hearts inspire,
Bid raging winds their fury cease,
And calm the savage breast to peace.
3And when our labors all are o'er,
Then shall we meet to part no more,--
Meet, with the ransomed throng to fail,
And crown the Saviour Lord of all.
EARLY RELIGIOUS CULTURE.
738. 7s. M. Campbell's Coll.
Prayer for Children.
1God of mercy, hear our prayer
For the children thou hast given;
Let them all thy blessings share--
Grace on earth and bliss in heaven.
2In the morning of their days
May their hearts be drawn to thee;
Let them learn to lisp thy praise
In their earliest infancy.
3When we see their passions rise,
Sinful habits unsubdued,
Then to thee we lift our eyes,
That their hearts may be renewed.
4For this mercy, Lord, we cry;
Bend thine ever-gracious ear;
While on thee our souls rely,
Hear our prayer--in mercy hear.
739. C. M. Bp. Heber.
Early Religion.
1By cool Siloam's shady rill
How sweet the lily grows!
How sweet the breath beneath the hill
Of Sharon's dewy rose!
2Lo, such the child whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod;
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Is upward drawn to God!
3By cool Siloam's shady rill
The lily must decay;
The rose that blooms beneath the hill
Must shortly fade away.
4And soon, too soon, the wintry hour
Of man's maturer age
Will shake the soul with sorrow's power,
And stormy passion's rage!
5O Thou, who giv'st us life and breath,
We seek thy grace alone,
In childhood, manhood, age, and death;
To keep us still thine own!
740. 7s. & 6s. M. S. F. Smith.
"Remember thy Creator."
1"Remember thy Creator"
While youth's fair spring is bright,
Before thy cares are greater,
Before comes age's night;
While yet the sun shines o'er thee,
While stars the darkness cheer,
While life is all before thee,
Thy great Creator fear.
741. C. M. Watts.
Early Piety.
1When children give their hearts to God,
'Tis pleasing in his eyes;
A flower, when offered in the bud,
Is no vain sacrifice.
2It saves us from a thousand snares
To mind religion young;
Grace will preserve our following years,
And make our virtues strong.
3To thee, Almighty God, to thee
May we our hearts resign;
'Twill please us to look back and see,
That our whole lives were thine.
742. C. M. Gibbons.
The Same.
1In the soft season of thy youth,
In Nature's smiling bloom,
Ere age arrive, and trembling wait
Its summons to the tomb;
2Remember thy Creator, God;
For him thy powers employ;
Make him thy fear, thy love, thy hope,
Thy confidence, thy joy.
3He shall defend and guide thy course
Through life's uncertain sea,
Till thou art landed on the shore
Of blessed eternity.
4Then seek the Lord betimes, and choose
The path of heavenly truth:
The earth affords no lovelier sight
Than a religious youth.
743. L. M. Landon.
Permanence of Early Religious Impressions.
1While yet the youthful spirit bears
The image of its God within,
And uneffaced that beauty wears
So soon to be destroyed by sin;--
2Then is the time for faith and love
To take in charge their precious care,
Teach the young eye to look above,
Teach the young knee to bend in prayer.
3The world will come with care and crime,
And tempt too many a heart astray;
Still the seed sown in early time
Will not be wholly cast away.
4The infant prayer, the infant hymn,
Within the darkened soul will rise,
When age's weary eye is dim,
And the grave's shadow round us lies.
5Lord, grant our hearts be so inclined,
Thy work to seek, thy will to do;
And while we teach the youthful mind,
Our own be taught thy lessons too.
744. C. M. Watts.
Importance of the Bible to the Young.
1How shall the young secure their hearts,
And guard their lives, from sin?
Thy word the choicest rules imparts
To keep the conscience clean.
2'Tis, like the sun, a heavenly light,
That guides us all the day,
And, through the dangers of the night,
A lamp to lead our way.
3Thy precepts make us truly wise;
We hate the sinner's road:
We hate our own vain thoughts that rise,
But love thy law, O God!
4Thy word is everlasting truth:
How pure is every page!
That holy book shall guide our youth,
And well support our age.
745. S. M. Anonymous.
Youth and the Spring-time.
1Sweet is the time of spring,
When nature's charms appear;
The birds with ceaseless pleasure sing,
And hail the opening year:
But sweeter far the spring
Of wisdom and of grace,
When children bless and praise their King,
Who loves the youthful race.
2Sweet is the dawn of day,
When light just streaks the sky;
When shades and darkness pass away,
And morning's beams are nigh:
But sweeter far the dawn
Of piety in youth;
When doubt and darkness are withdrawn,
Before the light of truth.
3Sweet is the early dew,
Which gilds the mountain tops,
And decks each plant and flower we view,
With pearly, glittering drops;
But sweeter far the scene
On Zion's holy hill,
When there the dew of youth is seen
Its freshness to distil.
746. C. M. Episcopal Coll.
"Remember thy Creator."
1In the glad morn of life, when youth
With generous ardor glows,
And shines in all the fairest charms
That beauty can disclose;
2Deep on thy soul,--before its powers
Are yet by vice enslaved,--
Be thy Creator's lofty name
And character engraved.
3For soon the shades of grief may cloud
The sunshine of thy days;
And cares and toils, an endless round,
Encompass all thy ways.
4True wisdom, early sought and gained,
In age will give thee rest;
O then, improve the morn of life,
To make its evening blest!
747. 8s. & 7s. M. R. Streeter.
Children's Prayer.
1God of mercy and of wisdom,
Hear thy children's lisping cry;
Let thy presence, Lord, be with them,
Teaching lessons from on high.
2Here, beneath thy wing, we seat us,
Up to heaven for wisdom look;
Lord, in mercy deign to meet us,--
Meet us in thy sacred book.
3Since thy truth doth gild its pages,
May that truth, Lord, make us free;
On the Rock of endless ages
Let our faith established be.
4To our faith we'll add the graces,
Virtue, knowledge, patience, love;
When on earth we leave our places,
Raise us all to seats above.
748. 7s. M. Grey.
Sabbath School Hymn.
1Suppliant, lo! thy children bend,
Father, for thy blessing now;
Thou canst teach us, guide, defend,--
We are weak, almighty thou.
2With the peace thy word imparts,
Be the taught and teacher blest;
In their lives and on their hearts,
Father, be thy laws imprest.
3Pour into each longing mind
Light and knowledge from above:
Charity for all mankind--
Trusting faith, enduring love.
749. 8s. & 7s. M. Anonymous.
Opening of the School.
1We have met in peace together
In this house of God again;
Constant friends have led us hither,
Here to chant the solemn strain,
Here to breathe our adoration,
Here the Saviour's praise to sing:
May the Spirit of salvation
Come with healing in his wing.
2We have met, and Time is flying;
We shall part, and still his wing,
Sweeping o'er the dead and dying,
Will the changeful seasons bring:
Let us, while our hearts are lightest,
In our fresh and early years,
Turn to Him whose smile is brightest,
And whose grace will calm our fears.
3He will aid us, should existence
With its sorrows sting the breast;
Gleaming in the onward distance,
Faith will mark the land of rest:
There, 'midst day-beams round him playing,
We our Father's face shall see,
And shall hear him gently saying,
"Little children, come to me."
750. C. M. William Cutter.
Youthful Example.
1What if the little rain should say,
So small a drop as I
Can ne'er refresh these thirsty fields,
I'll tarry in the sky?
2What if a shining beam of noon
Should in its fountain stay,
Because its feeble light alone
Cannot create a day?
3Doth not each rain-drop help to form
The cool, refreshing shower,
And every ray of light to warm
And beautify the flower?
4Go thou, and strive to do thy share--
One talent,--less than thine,--
Improved with steady zeal and care,
Would gain rewards divine.
751. L. M. Montgomery.
Sabbath School Anniversary.
1From year to year in love we meet;
From year to year in peace we part;
The tongues of children uttering sweet
The thrilling joy of every heart.
2But time rolls on; and, year by year,
We change, grow up, or pass away;
Not twice the same assembly here
Have hailed the children's festal day.
3Death, ere another year, may strike
Some in our number marked to fall:
Be young and old prepared alike;
The warning is to each, to all.
4Oft broke, our failing ranks renew;
Send teachers, children, in our place,
More humble, docile, faithful, true,
More like thy Son, from race to race.
752. L. M. Anonymous.
For the Close of a Sabbath School.
1Father, once more let grateful praise
And humble prayer to thee ascend;
Thou Guide and Guardian of our ways,
Our early and our only Friend.
2Since every day and hour that's gone
Has been with mercy richly crowned,
Mercy, we know, shall still flow on,
Forever sure as time rolls round.
3Hear then the parting prayers we pour,
And bind our hearts in love alone;
And if we meet on earth no more,
May we at last surround thy throne.
753. 6s. & 4s. M. J. G. Adams.
Sabbath School Anniversary.
1Creation's sovereign Lord!
Be thy glad name adored
Through earth and sky!
Hear, as in youthful days
To thee we humbly raise
Songs of our grateful praise,
Holy and high!
2Thanks for thy light so free,
Causing our eyes to see
Thy truth and grace;
Love, that dispels our fear,
Mercy, to sinners dear,
Life, dying souls to cheer,
For all our race.
3Thanks, that on hearts like ours
Thy loving kindness showers
Knowledge divine;
O let its influence be
Fruitful in works for thee,
Causing in purity
Our lives to shine.
4Bless this our childhood band,
And let us ever stand
Truthful and strong;
Christians in deed and love,
Such as thou wilt approve,
Till we in worlds above
Thy praise prolong!
754. 7s. & 6s. M. S. S. Choir.
The Same.
1When, his salvation bringing,
To Zion Jesus came,
The children all stood singing
Hosanna to his name.
Nor did their zeal offend him,
But, as he rode along,
He bade them still attend him,
And smiled to hear their song.
2And since the Lord retaineth
His love for children still,
Though now as king he reigneth
On Zion's heavenly hill,
We'll flock around his banner,
Who sits upon the throne;
And cry aloud, "Hosanna
To David's royal Son."
3For should we fail proclaiming
Our great Redeemer's praise,
The stones, our silence shaming,
Might well hosanna raise.
But shall we only render
The tribute of our words?
No! while our hearts are tender,
They, too, shall be the Lord's.
755. 7s. & 6s. M. Boston S. S. H. Book.
Anniversary of Independence.
1We come with joy and gladness
To breathe our songs of praise,
Nor let one note of sadness
Be mingled in our lays;
For 'tis a hallowed story,
This theme of freedom's birth:
Our fathers' deeds of glory
Are echoed round the earth.
2The sound is waxing stronger,
And thrones and nations hear--
Proud men shall rule no longer,
For God the Lord is near:
And he will crush oppression,
And raise the humble mind,
And give the earth's possession
Among the good and kind.
3And then shall sink the mountains
Where pride and power are crowned,
And peace, like gentle fountains,
Shall shed its pureness round.
O God! we would adore thee,
And in thy shadow rest;
Our fathers bowed before thee,
And trusted and were blest.
756. 8s. & 7s. M. Horne.
Autumn Warnings.
1See the leaves around us falling,
Dry and withered, to the ground;
Thus to thoughtless mortals calling,
In a sad and solemn sound:--
2"Youth, on length of days presuming,
Who the paths of pleasure tread,--
View us, late in beauty blooming,
Numbered now among the dead.
3"What though yet no losses grieve you,
Gay with health and many a grace,
Let not cloudless skies deceive you:
Summer gives to autumn place."
4On the tree of life eternal,
Let our highest hopes be staid:
This alone, forever vernal,
Bears a leaf that shall not fade.