320. 8s. & 7s. M. Urwick's Coll.
Desiring Christ's Triumph.
1O thou Sun of glorious splendor,
Shine with healing in thy wing;
Chase away these shades of darkness;
Holy light and comfort bring.
2Let the heralds of salvation
Round the world with joy proclaim,
"Death and hell are spoiled and vanquished
Through the great Immanuel's name."
3Take thy power, almighty Saviour;
Claim the nations for thine own;
Reign, thou Lord of life and glory,
Till each heart becomes thy throne.
4Then the earth, o'erspread with glory,
Decked with heavenly splendor bright
Shall be made Jehovah's dwelling--
As at first, the Lord's delight.
321. H. M. Brown.
Millennium Hymn.
1Isles of the south, awake!
The song of triumph sing;
Let mount, and hill, and vale,
With hallelujahs ring:
Shout, for the idol's overthrown,
And Israel's God is God alone.
2Wild wastes of Afric, shout!
Your shackled sons are free;
No mother wails her child
'Neath the banana-tree:
No slave-ship dashes on thy shore;
The clank of chains is heard no more.
3Shout, vales of India, shout!
No funeral fires blaze high;
No idol song rings loud,
As rolls the death-car by:
The banner of the cross now waves
Where Christian heralds made their graves.
4Shout, hills of Palestine!
Have you forgot the groan,
The spear, the thorn, the cross,
The wine-press trod alone,
The dying prayer that rose from thee,
Thou garden of Gethsemane?
5Hail, glad, millennial day!
O, shout, ye heavens above!
To-day ye nations sing
The song, redeeming love:
Redeeming love the song shall be:
Hail, blessed year of jubilee!
322. L. P. M. H. Ballou.
Kingdom of Christ.
1To Christ, the Son, the Father spake:
Lo, ask of me, and I will make
The heathen to thy sceptre bend;
The utmost parts of all the earth
Are thine inheritance by birth,
And wide thine empire shall extend.
2Now Jesus waves his sceptre high,
Unfurls his banners in the sky,
While loud the gospel trumpets sound:
His enemies with sore dismay,
Retire in haste and yield the day,
While trophies to the Lord abound.
3Before him kings and tyrants fall,
Detest their crowns, and on him call,
And he a pardon free doth give:
The world in sin was dead before;
To life the world he will restore,
And in him all the world shall live.
4O Lord, thy government shall be
Extended wide from sea to sea,
And long thy sceptre thou shalt hold;
As long as sun or moon shall shine,
Thou King of earth shalt reign divine,
The mysteries of thy grace unfold.
323. 7s. M. Milman.
Prayer for Mercy in Spiritual Need.
1Lord, have mercy when we pray
Strength to seek a better way;
When our wakening thoughts begin
First to loathe their cherished sin;
When our weary spirits fail,
And our aching brows are pale;
When our tears bedew thy word;
Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.
2Lord, have mercy when we lie
On the restless bed and sigh,--
Sigh for death, yet fear it still;
From the thought of former ill;
When the dim, advancing gloom
Tells us that our hour is come;
When is loosed the silver cord;
Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.
3Lord, have mercy, when we know
First how vain this world below:
When its darker thoughts oppress,
Doubts perplex, and fears distress;
When the earliest gleam is given
Of the bright but distant heaven;
Then thy fostering grace afford;
Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.
324. C. M. Village Hymns.
The Prodigal's Return.
1The long-lost son, with streaming eyes,
From folly just awake,
Reviews his wanderings with surprise;
His heart begins to break.
2"I starve," he cries, "nor can I bear
The famine in this land,
While servants of my Father share
The bounty of his hand.
3"With deep repentance I'll return
And seek my Father's face;
Unworthy to be called a son,
I'll ask a servant's place."
4Far off the Father saw him move,
In pensive silence mourn,
And quickly ran with arms of love,
To welcome his return.
5O, let thy boundless mercy shine
On my benighted soul,
Correct my passions, mend my heart,
And all my fears control.
325. L. M. 6l. Wesley's Coll.
Imploring Forgiveness and Renewal of Heart.
1Forgive us for thy mercy's sake;
Our multitude of sins forgive;
And for thy own possession take,
And bid us to thy glory live;
Live in thy sight and gladly prove
Our faith by our obedient love.
2The covenant of forgiveness seal,
And all thy mighty wonders show;
Our hidden enemies expel,
And conquering them to conquer go,
Till all of pride and wrath be slain,
And not one evil thought remain.
3O, put it in our inward parts
The living law of perfect love:
Write the new precept on our hearts;
We shall not then from thee remove,
Who in thy glorious image shine,
Thy people, and forever thine.
326. L. M. Beddome.
Inconstancy Lamented.
1The wandering star and fleeting wind
Are emblems of the fickle mind;
The morning cloud and early dew
Bring our inconstancy to view.
2But cloud and wind and dew and star,
Only a faint resemblance bear;
Nor can there aught in nature be
So changeable and frail as we.
3Our outward walk and inward frame
Are scarcely through an hour the same:
We vow, and straight our vows forget,
And then those very vows repeat.
4With contrite hearts, Lord, we confess
Our folly and unsteadfastness:
When shall these hearts more stable be,
Fixed by thy grace alone on thee?
327. S. M. Jervis.
God's Mercy to the Penitent.
1Sweet is the friendly voice
Which speaks of life and peace;
Which bids the penitent rejoice,
And sin and sorrow cease.
2No balm on earth like this
Can cheer the contrite heart;
No flattering dreams of earthly bliss
Such pure delight impart.
3Still merciful and kind,
Thy mercy, Lord, reveal:
The broken heart thy love can bind,
The wounded spirit heal.
4Thy presence shall restore
Peace to my anxious breast:
Lord, let my steps be drawn no more
From paths which thou hast blessed.
328. L. M. Doddridge.
Returning to God.
1Lord, we have wandered from thy way,
Like foolish sheep have gone astray,
Our pleasant pastures we have left,
And of their guard our souls bereft.
2Exposed to want, exposed to harm,
Far from our gentle Shepherd's arm;
Nor will these fatal wanderings cease,
Till thou reveal the paths of peace.
3O seek thy thoughtless servants, Lord,
Nor let us quite forget thy word;
Our erring feet do thou restore,
And keep us that we stray no more.
329. L. M. Steele.
Sense of Sin.
1Jesus demands this heart of mine,
Demands my love, my joy, my care,
But ah, how dead to things divine,
How cold my best affections are!
2'Tis sin, alas! with dreadful power,
Divides my Saviour from my sight;
O, for one happy, shining hour
Of sacred freedom, sweet delight!
3Come, gracious Lord; thy love can raise
My captive powers from sin and death,
And fill my heart and life with praise,
And tune my last, expiring breath.
330. C. M. Breviary.
The True Penitent.
1O sinner! bring not tears alone,
Or outward form of prayer:
But let it in thy heart be known
That penitence is there.
2To beat the breast, the clothes to rend,
God asketh not of thee:
Thy secret soul he bids thee bend
In true humility.
3O righteous Judge! if thou wilt deign
To grant us what we need;
We pray for time to turn again,
And grace to turn indeed.
331. L. M. Richter.
Translated by J. Wesley.
Devout Penitence.
1My soul before thee prostrate lies;
To thee, her source, my spirit flies;
My wants I mourn, my chains I see;
O let thy presence set me free.
2In life's short day, let me yet more
Of thy enlivening power implore;
My mind must deeper sink in thee,
My foot stand firm from wandering free.
3Take full possession of my heart;
The lowly mind of Christ impart;
I still will wait, O Lord, on thee,
Till, in thy light, the light I see.
4One only care my soul should know,
Father, all thy commands to do;
Oh! deep engrave it on my breast,
That I in thee alone am blest.
332. C. M. C. Wesley.
Vain Repentance.
1Times without number have I prayed,
"This only once forgive;"
Relapsing when thy hand was stayed,
And suffered me to live.
2Yet now the kingdom of thy peace,
Lord, to my heart restore;
Forgive my vain repentances,
And bid me sin no more.
333. P. M. Heber.
"There is Joy in Heaven over one Sinner that Repenteth."
1There was joy in heaven!
There was joy in heaven!
When this goodly world to frame,
The Lord of light and mercy came:
Shouts of joy were heard on high,
And the stars sang from the sky,
"Glory to God in heaven!"
2There was joy in heaven!
There was joy in heaven!
When of love the midnight beam
Dawned on the towers of Bethlehem;
And along the echoing hill
Angels sang--"On earth good will,
And glory in the heaven!"
3There is joy in heaven!
There is joy in heaven!
When the sheep that went astray
Turns again to virtue's way;
When the soul by grace subdued
Sobs its prayer of gratitude,
Then is there joy in heaven!
334. 7s. M. Merrick.
Freedom from Error, Guilt and Folly.
1Blest Instructor! from thy ways
Who can tell how oft he strays?
Save from error's growth our mind,
Leave not, Lord, one root behind.
2Purge us from the guilt that lies
Wrapt within our heart's disguise;
Let us thence, by thee renewed,
Each presumptuous sin exclude.
3Let our tongues, from error free,
Speak the words approved by thee:
To thine all-observing eyes,
Let our thoughts accepted rise.
4While we thus thy name adore,
And thy healing grace implore,
Blest Instructor! bow thine ear:
God our strength! propitious hear.
335. 6s. & 4s. M. R. Palmer.
For Divine Guidance.
1O God, thy grace impart!
Revive my fainting heart;
My zeal inspire;
Reveal thyself to me,
And may my love to thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,--
A living fire.
2While life's dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be thou my guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow's tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From thee aside.
3When ends life's transient dream,
When death's cold sullen stream
Shall o'er me roll,
O Father, then in love,
Fear and distress remove,
And bear me safe above,--
A ransomed soul.
336. C. P. M. Henry Moore.
Pardon.
1Soft are the fruitful showers that bring
The welcome promise of the spring,
And soft the vernal gale:
Sweet the wild warblings of the grove,
The voice of nature and of love,
That gladden every vale.
2But softer in the mourner's ear
Sounds the mild voice of mercy near,
That whispers sins forgiven;
And sweeter far the music swells,
When to the raptured soul she tells
Of peace and promised heaven.
3Fair are the flowers that deck the ground;
And groves and gardens blooming round,
Unnumbered charms unfold:
Bright is the sun's meridian ray,
And bright the beams of setting day,
That robe the clouds in gold.
4But far more fair the pious breast,
In richer robes of goodness dressed,
Where heaven's own graces shine;
And brighter far the prospects rise,
That burst on faith's delighted eyes,
From glories all divine.
337. L. M. Cowper.
Peace after a Storm.
1When darkness long has veiled my mind,
And smiling day once more appears,
Then, my Creator! then I find
The folly of my doubts and fears.
2Straight I upbraid my wandering heart,
And blush that I should ever be
Thus prone to act so base a part,
Or harbor one hard thought of thee.
3O! let me then at length be taught,
What I am still so slow to learn,--
That God is love, and changes not,
Nor knows the shadow of a turn.
4Sweet truth, and easy to repeat!
But when my faith is sharply tried,
I find myself a learner yet,
Unskilful, weak, and apt to slide.
5But, O my God! one look from thee
Subdues the disobedient will,
Drives doubt and discontent away,
And thy rebellious child is still.
338. L. M. Mrs. Cotterill.
For a Life devoted to God's Glory.
1O thou, who hast at thy command
The hearts of all men in thy hand!
Our wayward, erring hearts incline
To have no other will but thine.
2Our wishes, our desires, control;
Mould every purpose of the soul;
O'er all may we victorious be
That stands between ourselves and thee.
3Thrice blest will all our blessings be,
When we can look through them to thee,
When each glad heart its tribute pays
Of love, and gratitude, and praise.
4And while we to thy glory live,
May we to thee all glory give,
Until the final summons come,
That calls thy willing servants home.
339. L. M. Watts.
"Ye shall know them by their Fruits."
1So let our lips and lives express
The holy gospel we profess:
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine.
2Thus shall we best proclaim abroad
The honors of our Saviour, God,
When the salvation reigns within.
And grace subdues the power of sin.
3Our flesh and sense must be denied,
Passion and envy, lust and pride,
While justice, temperance, truth and love,
Our inward piety approve.
4Religion bears our spirits up,
While we expect that blessed hope,
The bright appearance of the Lord,
And faith stands leaning on his word.
340. C. M. Gisborne.
The Christian's Life and his Hope.
1A soldier's course, from battles won
To new-commencing strife;
A pilgrim's, restless as the sun--
Behold the Christian's life!
2O! let us seek our heavenly home,
Revealed in sacred lore;
The land whence pilgrims never roam,
Where soldiers war no more;
3Where grief shall never wound, nor death,
Beneath the Saviour's reign;
Nor sin, with pestilential breath,
His holy realm profane;
4The land where, suns and moons unknown,
And night's alternate sway,
Jehovah's ever-burning throne
Upholds unbroken day;
5Where they who meet shall never part;
Where grace achieves its plan;
And God, uniting every heart,
Dwells face to face with man.
341. L. M. E. Taylor.
"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God."
1"Thus shalt thou love the Almighty Lord,
With all thy heart, and soul, and mind:"
So speaks to man that sacred word,
For counsel and reproof designed.
2"With all thy heart;" no idol thing,
Though close around the heart it twine,
Its interposing shade must fling,
To darken that pure love of thine.
3"With all thy mind;" each varied power,
Creative fancy, musings high,
And thoughts that glance behind, before,
These must religion sanctify.
4"With soul and strength;" thy days of ease,
While vigor nerves each youthful limb,
And hope and joy, and health and peace,
All must be freely brought to him.
342. C. M. Doddridge.
Walking with God.
1Thrice happy souls, who, born from heaven,
While yet they sojourn here,
Do all their days with God begin,
And spend them in his fear.
2'Midst hourly cares, may love present
Its incense to thy throne;
And while the world our hands employs,
Our hearts be thine alone.
3As sanctified to noblest ends,
Be each refreshment sought;
And by each various providence
Some wise instruction brought.
4When to laborious duties called,
Or by temptations tried,
We'll seek the shelter of thy wings,
And in thy strength confide.
5In solid, pure delights like these,
Let all our days be past;
Nor shall we then impatient wish,
Nor shall we fear, the last.
343. S. M. Heath.
Watchfulness and Prayer inculcated.
1My soul, be on thy guard;
Ten thousand foes arise;
The hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies.
2O, watch, and fight, and pray;
The battle ne'er give o'er;
Renew it boldly every day,
And help divine implore.
3Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor lay thine armor down:
Thy arduous work will not be done
Till thou obtain thy crown.
4Fight on, my soul, till death
Shall bring thee to thy God;
He'll take thee, at thy parting breath,
To his divine abode.
344. L. M. Watts.
The Beatitudes.
1Blest are the humble souls that see
Their emptiness and poverty;
Treasures of grace to them are given,
And crowns of joy laid up in heaven.
2Blest are the souls that thirst for grace,
Hunger and long for righteousness;
They shall be well supplied and fed
With living streams and living bread.
3Blest are the pure, whose hearts are clean
From the defiling power of sin;
With endless pleasure they shall see
A God of spotless purity.
4Blest are the men of peaceful life,
Who quench the coals of growing strife;
They shall be called the heirs of bliss,
The sons of God, the God of peace.
5Blest are the sufferers who partake
Of pain and shame for Jesus' sake;
Their souls shall triumph in the Lord;
Glory and joy are their reward.
345. L. M. Rippon's Coll.
Patience.
1Patience, O, 't is a grace divine,
Sent from the God of peace and love,
That leans upon our Father's arm,
As through the wilds of life we rove.
2By patience, we serenely bear
The troubles of our mortal state,
And wait, contented, our discharge,
Nor think our glory comes too late.
3O, for this grace to aid us on,
And arm with fortitude the breast,
Till, life's tumultuous voyage o'er,
We reach the shores of endless rest.
4Faith into vision shall resign,
Hope shall in full fruition die,
And patience in possession end,
In the bright worlds of bliss on high.
346. 7s. M. Merrick.
"Who shall abide in thy tabernacle?" Ps. 15.
1Who shall towards thy chosen seat
Turn, O Lord, his favored feet?
Who shall at thine altar bend?
Who shall Zion's hill ascend?
Who, great God, a welcome guest,
On thy holy mountain rest?
2He whose heart thy love has warmed,
He whose will, to thine conformed,
Bids his life unsullied run;
He whose word and thought are one;
Who, from sin's contagion free,
Lifts his willing soul to thee.
3He who thus, with heart unstained,
Treads the path by thee ordained,
He shall towards thy chosen seat
Turn, O Lord, his favored feet;
He thy ceaseless care shall prove,
He shall share thy constant love.
347. C. M. Tate & Brady.
The Same.
1Lord, who's the happy man, that may
To thy blest courts repair,
Not, stranger-like, to visit them,
But to inhabit there?
2'Tis he whose every thought and deed
By rules of virtue moves;
Whose generous tongue disdains to speak
The thing his heart disproves;
3Who never did a slander forge,
His neighbor's fame to wound;
Nor hearken to a false report,
By malice whispered round;
4Who to his plighted vows and trust
Has ever firmly stood;
And though he promise to his loss,
He makes his promise good.
5The man who by this steady course
Has happiness ensured,
When earth's foundations shake, shall stand
By Providence secured.
348. S. M. Anonymous.
"Blessed are the Meek."
1"Blest are the meek," he said,
Whose doctrine is divine;
The humble-minded earth possess,
And bright in heaven will shine.
2While here on earth they stay,
Calm peace with them shall dwell,
And cheerful hope and heavenly joy
Beyond what tongue can tell.
3The God of peace is theirs;
They own his gracious sway;
And yielding all their wills to him,
His sovereign laws obey.
4O gracious Father, grant,
That we this influence feel,
That all we hope, or wish, may be
Subjected to thy will.
349. L. M. Scott.
The Blessing of Meekness.
1Happy the meek, whose gentle breast,
Clear as the summer's evening ray,
Calm as the regions of the blest,
Enjoys on earth celestial day.
2His heart no broken friendships sting,
No storms his peaceful tent invade;
He rests beneath th' Almighty wing,
Hostile to none, of none afraid.
3Spirit of grace, all meek and mild,
Inspire our breasts, our souls possess;
Repel each passion rude and wild,
And bless us as we aim to bless.
350. C. M. M. W. Hale.
The Pure Heart.
1Whatever dims thy sense of truth,
Or stains thy purity,
Though light as breath of summer air
Count it as sin to thee.
2Preserve the tablet of thy thoughts
From every blemish free,
While the Redeemer's lowly faith
Its temple makes with thee.
3And pray of God, that grace be given
To tread time's narrow way:--
How dark soever it may be,
It leads to cloudless day.
351. S. M. Keble.
"Blessed are the Pure in Heart."
1Blest are the pure in heart
For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ's abode.
2Still to the lowly soul
He doth himself impart,
And for his temple and his throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.
352. C. M. Watts.
Prudence.
1O, 't is a lovely thing to see
A man of prudent heart,
Whose thoughts and lips and life agree
To act a useful part.
2When envy, strife, and wars begin,
In fierce, contentious souls,
Mark how the sons of peace come in,
And quench the kindling coals.
3Their minds are humble, mild, and meek,
Nor let their anger rise;
Nor passion moves their lips to speak,
Nor pride exalts their eyes.
4Their lives are prudence mixed with love;
Good works employ their day;
They join the serpent with the dove,
But cast the sting away.
353. L. M. 6l. Montgomery.
Humility.
1The bird that soars on highest wing
Builds on the ground her lowly nest;
And she that doth most sweetly sing
Sings in the shade when all things rest:--
In lark and nightingale we see
What honor hath humility.
2When Mary chose the better part,
She meekly sat at Jesus' feet;
And Lydia's gently opened heart
Was made for God's own temple meet:--
Fairest and best adorned is she
Whose clothing is humility.
3The saint that wears heaven's brightest crown
In deepest adoration bends;
The weight of glory bows him down
Then most when most his soul ascends:--
Nearest the throne itself must be
The footstool of humility.
354. C. M. Watts.
Humility and Submission.
1Is there ambition in my heart?
Search, gracious God, and see;
Or do I act a haughty part?
Lord, I appeal to thee.
2I charge my thoughts, be humble still,
And all my carriage mild;
Content, my Father, with thy will
And quiet as a child.
3The patient soul, the lowly mind,
Shall have a large reward:
Let saints in sorrow lie resigned,
And trust a faithful Lord.
355. L. M. Watts.
Love to God and our Neighbor.
1Thus saith the first, the great command,
"Let all thy inward powers unite
To love thy Maker and thy God
With utmost vigor and delight.
2"Then shall thy neighbor next in place
Share thine affections and esteem;
And let thy kindness to thyself
Measure and rule thy love to him."
3This is the sense that Moses spoke;
This did the prophets preach and prove,
For want of this the law is broke,
And the whole law's fulfilled by love.
4But, O, how base our passions are!
How cold our charity and zeal!
Lord, fill our souls with heavenly fire,
Or we shall ne'er perform thy will.
356. S. M. L. H. Sigourney.
Active Piety.
1Servants of Christ, arise,
And gird you for the toil;
The dew of promise from the skies
Already cheers the soil.
2Go where the sick recline,
Where mourning hearts deplore;
And where the sons of sorrow pine,
Dispense your hallowed lore.
3Urge, with a tender zeal,
The erring child along,
Where peaceful congregations kneel,
And pious teachers throng.
4Be faith, which looks above,
With prayer, your constant guest,
And wrap the Saviour's changeless love
A mantle round your breast.
5So shall you share the wealth,
That earth may ne'er despoil,
And the blest gospel's saving health
Repay your arduous toil.
357. L. M. Steele.
Example of the Saviour.
1And is the gospel peace and love?
So let our conversation be;
The serpent blended with the dove,
Wisdom and meek simplicity.
2Whene'er the angry passions rise,
And tempt our thoughts or tongues to strife,
On Jesus let us fix our eyes,
Bright pattern of the Christian life!
3O, how benevolent and kind!
How mild! how ready to forgive!
Be this the temper of our mind,
And his the rules by which we live.
4Dispensing good where'er he came,
The labors of his life were love;
If, then, we love our Saviour's name
Thus let us our relation prove.
358. S. M. Doddridge.
"Again, I say--Watch!"
1Ye servants of the Lord,
Each in his office wait,
Observant of his heavenly word,
And watchful at his gate.
2Let all your lamps be bright,
And trim the golden flame;
Gird up your loins, as in his sight,
For awful is his name.
3Watch,--'tis your Lord's command;
And while we speak, he's near;
Mark the first signal of his hand,
And ready all appear.
4O, happy servant he,
In such a posture found!
He shall his Lord with rapture see
And be with honor crowned.