HYMNS. (continued 3)

2 I bless Thee for the ministry Of sorrow’s lonely hour, When darkly o’er my stricken head I see the storm-clouds lower; Thy love can still the billows’ roar, And whisper, “Peace; be still!” While faith doth on Thy promise rest, And bless the Father’s will.

3 The shadow and the storm must come; O, grant that faith divine Which triumphs o’er the might of grief, And moulds man’s will to Thine! In hours of deepest gloom, mine eye One blessed ray can see; A sunlit side that cloud must have, Which hides Thy face from me.

1 Thy will be done! I will not fear The fate provided by Thy love; Though clouds and darkness shroud me here, I know that all is bright above.

2 The stars of heaven are shining on, Though these frail eyes are dimmed with tears; And though the hopes of earth be gone, Yet are not ours the immortal years?

3 Father! forgive the heart that clings, Thus trembling, to the things of time; And bid the soul, on angel wings, Ascend into a purer clime.

4 There shall no doubts disturb its trust, No sorrows dim celestial love; But these afflictions of the dust, Like shadows of the night, remove.

5 That glorious life will well repay This life of toil and care and woe; O Father! joyful on my way, To drink Thy bitter cup, I go.

1 Ye servants of the Lord! Each in your office wait, Observant of His heavenly word, And watchful at His gate.

2 Let all your lamps be bright, And trim the golden flame: Gird up your loins, as in His sight; For holy is His name.

3 Watch! ’tis your Lord’s command; And while we speak, He’s near: Mark the first signal of His hand, And ready all appear.

4 O happy servant he In such a posture found! He shall his Lord with rapture see, And be with honor crowned.

1 Shall we grow weary in our watch, And murmur at the long delay, Impatient of our Father’s time And his appointed way?

2 O, oft a deeper test of faith Than prison-cell, or martyr’s stake, The self-renouncing watchfulness Of silent prayer may make.

3 We gird us bravely to rebuke Our erring brother in the wrong; And in the ear of pride and power Our warning voice is strong.

4 Easier to smite with Peter’s sword Than watch one hour in humbling prayer; Life’s great things, like the Syrian lord, Our hearts can do and dare:

5 But, O, we shrink from Jordan’s side, From waters which alone can save; And murmur for Abana’s banks And Pharpar’s brighter wave.

6 O Thou, who in the garden’s shade Didst wake thy weary ones again, Who slumbered at that fearful hour, Forgetful of thy pain,—

7 Bend o’er us now, as over them, And set our sleep-bound spirits free, Nor leave us slumbering in the watch Our souls should keep with thee!

1 How happy is he born or taught Who serveth not another’s will; Whose armor is his honest thought, And simple truth his highest skill;

2 Whose passions not his masters are; Whose soul is still prepared for death; Not tied unto the world with care Of public fame or private breath;

3 Who God doth late and early pray More of His grace than goods to lend, And walks with man, from day to day, As with a brother and a friend!

4 This man is freed from servile bands Of hope to rise, or fear to fall; Lord of himself, though not of lands, And having nothing, yet hath all.

1 O! know ye not that ye The temple are of God? Revere the earth-built shrine, where He Should find a meet abode!

2 Immortal man, keep pure Thyself, that mystic shrine; Let hate of all that's dark endure, And love of all divine.

3 Let saintly thoughts be shown In act by saintly things; Like glories through the temple thrown, From cherub’s curtained wings.

4 Let life, a holy stream, Its fountain holy show; Reflecting, with a softened gleam, Heaven’s purity below.

1 Blest are the pure in heart, For they shall see our God; The secret of the Lord is theirs; Their soul is His abode.

2 Still to the lowly soul God doth Himself impart, And for His temple and His throne Doth choose the pure in heart.

1 Quiet from God! how beautiful to keep This treasure, the All-merciful hath given; To feel, when we awake and when we sleep, Its incense round us, like a breath from heaven!

2 To sojourn in the world, and yet apart; To dwell with God, and still with man to feel; To bear about forever in the heart The gladness which His spirit doth reveal!

3 Who shall make trouble, then? Not evil minds Which like a shadow o’er creation lower; The soul which peace hath thus attunéd finds How strong within doth reign the Calmer’s power.

4 What shall make trouble? Not the holy thought Of the departed; that will be a part Of those undying things His peace hath wrought Into a world of beauty in the heart.

5 What shall make trouble? Not slow-wasting pain, Nor even the threatening, certain stroke of death; These do but wear away, then break, the chain Which bound the spirit down to things beneath.

1 O, who shall say he knows the folds Which veil another’s inmost heart,— The hopes, thoughts, wishes, which it holds, In which he never bore a part? That hidden world no eye can see,— O, who shall pierce its mystery?

2 There may be hope as pure, as bright, As ever sought eternity,— There may be light,—clear, heavenly light, Where all seems cold and dark to thee; And when thy spirit mourns the dust, There may be trust,—delightful trust.

3 Go, bend to God, and leave to Him The mystery of thy brother’s heart, Nor vainly think his faith is dim, Because in thine it hath no part; He, too, is mortal,—and, like thee, Would soar to immortality.

4 And if in duty’s hallowed sphere, Like Christ, he meekly, humbly bends,— With hands unstained, and conscience clear, With life’s temptations still contends,— O, leave him that unbroken rest, The peace that shrines a virtuous breast!

5 But if his thoughts and hopes should err, Still view him with a gentle eye,— Remembering doubt, and change, and fear, Are woven in man’s destiny; And when the clouds are passed away, That truth shall dawn with brightening day.

1 Think gently of the erring one! O, let us not forget, However darkly stained by sin, He is our brother yet! Heir of the same inheritance, Child of the self-same God, He hath but stumbled in the path We have in weakness trod.

2 Speak gently to the erring ones! We yet may lead them back, With holy words, and tones of love, From misery’s thorny track. Forget not, brother, thou hast sinned, And sinful yet may’st be; Deal gently with the erring heart, As God hath dealt with thee.

1 Speak gently,—it is better far To rule by love than fear; Speak gently,—let no harsh word mar The good we may do here.

2 Speak gently to the young,—for they Will have enough to bear; Pass through this life as best they may, ’Tis full of anxious care.

3 Speak gently to the aged one, Grieve not the careworn heart; The sands of life are nearly run, Let them in peace depart.

4 Speak gently to the erring ones; They must have toiled in vain; Perchance unkindness made them so; O, win them back again!

5 Speak gently,—’tis a little thing, Dropped in the heart’s deep well; The good, the joy, that it may bring, Eternity shall tell.

1 Turn not from him who asks of thee A portion of thy store; Thou poor in worldly goods may’st be, Yet canst give what is more.

2 The balm of comfort thou canst pour Into his grieving mind, Who oft is turned from wealth’s proud door, With many a word unkind.

3 Does any from the false world find Naught but reproach and scorn? Does any, stung by words unkind, Wish that he ne’er was born?

4 Do thou raise up his drooping heart, Restore his wounded mind; Though naught of wealth thou canst impart Yet still thou may’st be kind.

5 And oft again thy words shall wing Backward their course to thee, And in thy breast will prove a spring Of pure felicity.

1 O, if thy brow, serene and calm, From earthly stain is free, View not with scorn the erring one,— He once was pure like thee.

2 O, if the smiles of love are thine, Its joyous ecstasy, Shun not the poor forsaken one,— He once was loved like thee!

3 And still, ’mid shame, and guilt, and woe, One Being loves him still, Who, blessing thee, hath poured on him The world’s extremest ill.

4 He knows the secret lure which led Those youthful steps astray; He knows that they who holiest are Might fall from Him away.

5 Then, with the love of him who said “Go thou, and sin no more,” Save, save, the sinner from despair, And peace and hope restore.

1 All-seeing God! ’tis Thine to know The springs whence wrong opinions flow,— To judge, from principles within, When frailty errs, and when we sin.

2 Who, among men, great Lord of all, Thy servant to his bar shall call? Judge him, for modes of faith, Thy foe, Or doom him to the realms of woe?

3 Who with another’s eye can read, Or worship by another’s creed? Trusting Thy grace, we form our own, And bow to Thy commands alone.

4 If wrong, correct; accept, if right; While, faithful, we improve our light, Condemning none, but zealous still To learn and follow all Thy will.

1 ’Tis not the gift, but ’tis the spirit With which ’tis given, That on the gift confers a merit, As seen by Heaven.

2 ’Tis not the prayer, however boldly It strikes the ear; It mounts in vain, it falls but coldly If not sincere.

3 ’Tis not the deeds the loudest lauded That brightest shine; There’s many a virtue unapplauded, And yet divine.

4 ’Tis not the word that sounds the sweetest That’s soonest heard; A sigh, when humbled thou retreatest, May be preferred.

5 The outward show may be delusive,— A cheating name; The inner spirit is conclusive Of worth or shame.

1 O, not alone on the mount of prayer Must the Christian serve his God; But the burden of daily life must bear, And tread where his Saviour trod.

2 Yet with him through every changing scene Doth the spirit of prayer abide; When earth is lovely, and heaven serene, That spirit his course shall guide.

3 And when the storm rages, and woe and wrath Would an earth-born courage quell, He knows that his God is around his path, And ordereth all things well.

1 One cup of healing oil and wine, One tear-drop shed on mercy’s shrine, Is thrice more grateful, Lord, to Thee, Than lifted eye or bended knee.

2 In true and genuine faith we trace The source of every Christian grace; Within the pious heart it plays, A living fount of joy and praise.

3 Kind deeds of peace and love betray Where’er the stream has found its way; But where these spring not rich and fair, The stream has never wandered there.

1 Thus said Jesus:—“Go and do As thou wouldst be done unto:” Here thy perfect duty see, All that God requires of thee.

2 Wouldst thou, when thy faults are known, Wish that pardon should be shown? Be forgiving, then, and do As thou wouldst be done unto.

3 Shouldst thou helpless be and poor, Wouldst thou not for aid implore? Think of others, then, and be What thou wouldst they should to thee.

4 For compassion if thou call, Be compassionate to all; If thou wouldst affection find, Be affectionate and kind.

5 If thou wouldst obtain the love Of thy gracious God above, Then to all His children be What thou wouldst they should to thee.

1 Who is thy neighbor? he whom thou Hast power to aid or bless; Whose aching heart or burning brow Thy soothing hand may press.

2 Thy neighbor? ’tis the fainting poor, Whose eye with want is dim; O, enter thou his humble door, With aid and peace for him.

3 Thy neighbor? he who drinks the cup When sorrow drowns the brim; With words of high, sustaining hope, Go thou and comfort him.

4 Thy neighbor? ’tis the weary slave, Fettered in mind and limb; He hath no hope this side the grave; Go thou and ransom him.

5 Thy neighbor? pass no mourner by; Perhaps thou canst redeem A breaking heart from misery; Go, share thy lot with him.

1 Pour forth the oil,—pour boldly forth; It will not fail, until Thou failest vessels to provide Which it may largely fill.

2 Make channels for the streams of love, Where they may broadly run; And love has overflowing streams, To fill them every one.

3 But if at any time we cease Such channels to provide, The very founts of love for us Will soon be parched and dried.

4 For we must share, if we would keep That blessing from above; Ceasing to give, we cease to have;— Such is the law of love.

1 Beneath the thick but struggling clouds, We talk of Christian life; The words of Jesus on our lips, Our hearts with man at strife.

2 Traditions, forms, and selfish aims, Have dimmed the inner light; Have closely veiled the spirit-world And angels from our sight.

3 Strong souls and willing hands we need, Our temple to repair; Remove the gathering dust of years, And show the model fair.

4 We slumber while the present calls, But darkness grows with rest; Wouldst thou see truth? To action wake,— Do the divine behest.

1 This world is not a fleeting show, For man’s illusion given; He that hath soothed a widow’s woe, Or wiped an orphan’s tear, doth know There’s something here of heaven.

2 And he who walks life’s thorny way With feelings calm and even, Whose path is lit, from day to day, By virtue’s bright and steady ray, Feels something here of heaven.

3 He that the Christian course hath run, And all his foes forgiven, Hath measured out this life’s short span In love to God and love to man, On earth has tasted heaven.

1 O, be not faithless! with the morn Cast thou abroad thy grain! At noontide faint not thou forlorn, At evening sow again! Blessed are they, whate’er betide, Who thus all waters sow beside.

2 Thou knowest not which seed shall grow, Or which may die, or live; In faith, and hope, and patience, sow! The increase God shall give, According to His gracious will,— As best his purpose may fulfil.

3 O, could our inward eye but view, Our hearts but feel aright, What faith, and love, and hope, can do, By their celestial might, We should not say, till these be dead, The power of miracle is fled.

1 Love on! love on! but not the things that own The fleeting beauty of a summer day; Truth, virtue, spring from God’s eternal throne, Nor quit the spirit when it leaves the clay: Love them! love them!

2 Love on! love on! though death and earthly change Bring mournful silence to a darkened home; Still let the heart rest where no eye grows strange, Where never falls a shadow from the tomb: Love there! love there!

3 Love on! love on! the voice of grief and wrong Comes from the palace and the poor man’s cot; Bid the proud bend, and bid the weak be strong, And life’s tired pilgrim meekly bear his lot: Give strength! give peace!

4 Love on! love on! and though the evening still Wear the stern clouds that veiled thy noonday sun, With changeless trust, with calm, unwavering will, Work! bravely work! till the last hour be done: Love God! love Man!

1 O, still trust on, if in the heart A holy inspiration rest,— Though painful be the chosen part, With doubts, and fears, and cares opprest! O, shrink not, brothers, though Christ’s call Demand our youth, our strength, our all!

2 No offering is made in vain; Some human soul shall feel our love; E’en weary hours of toil and pain Shall help to lift our souls above: And may our recompense be given, In leading many souls to heaven!

3 And still trust on! with trembling hand, ’Tis ours a little seed to sow; It springs at the divine command,— Shall, if God will, to ripeness grow; Beauty and fragrance it shall bring, And breathe an everlasting spring.

1 The bud will soon become a flower, The flower become a seed; Then seize, O youth, the present hour,— Of that thou hast most need.

2 Do thy best always,—do it now,— For in the present time, As in the furrows of a plough, Fall seeds of good or crime.

3 The sun and rain will ripen fast Each seed that thou hast sown; And every act and word at last By its own fruit be known.

4 And soon the harvest of thy toil Rejoicing thou shalt reap; Or o’er thy wild, neglected soil Go forth in shame to weep.

1 Hast thou, ’midst life’s empty noises, Heard the solemn steps of Time, And the low, mysterious voices Of another clime?

2 Early hath life’s mighty question Thrilled within thy heart of youth, With a deep and strong beseeching,— What, and where, is truth?

3 Not to ease and aimless quiet Doth the inward answer tend; But to works of love and duty, As our being’s end.

4 Earnest toil and strong endeavor Of a spirit which within Wrestles with familiar evil And besetting sin;

5 And without, with tireless vigor, Steady heart, and purpose strong, In the power of Truth assaileth Every form of wrong.

1 Teach me, my God and King, In all things Thee to see; And what I do in anything, To do it as for Thee!

2 To scorn the senses’ sway, While still to Thee I tend; In all I do be Thou the way; In all be Thou the end.

3 All may of Thee partake; Nothing so small can be, But draws, when acted for Thy sake, Greatness and worth from Thee.

4 If done beneath Thy laws, E’en servile labors shine; Hallowed is toil, if this the cause; The meanest work divine.

1 Thou, Lord, who rear’st the mountain’s height, And mak’st the cliffs with sunshine bright; O, grant that we may own Thy hand No less in every grain of sand!

2 With forests huge, of dateless time, Thy will has hung each peak sublime; But withered leaves beneath the tree Have tongues that tell as loud of Thee.

3 Teach us that not a leaf can grow, Till life from Thee within it flow; That not a grain of dust can be, O Fount of being! save by Thee;

4 That every human word and deed, Each flash of feeling, will, or creed, Hath solemn meaning from above, Begun and ended all in love.

1 If on our daily course our mind Be set, to hallow all we find, New treasures still, of countless price, God will provide for sacrifice.

2 Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, As more of heaven in each we see; Some softening gleam of love and prayer Shall dawn on every cross and care.

3 O could we learn that sacrifice, What light would all around us rise! How would our hearts with wisdom talk Along life’s dullest, dreariest walk!

4 The trivial round, the common task, Will furnish all we ought to ask; Room to deny ourselves, a road To bring us daily nearer God.

1 The uplifted eye and bended knee Are but vain homage, Lord, to Thee: In vain our lips Thy praise prolong, The heart a stranger to the song.

2 Can rites, and forms, and flaming zeal, The breaches of Thy precepts heal? Or fasts and penance reconcile Thy justice, and obtain Thy smile?

3 The pure, the humble, contrite mind, Sincere, and to Thy will resigned, To Thee a nobler offering yields Than Sheba’s groves, or Sharon’s fields.

4 Love God and man,—this great command Doth on eternal pillars stand; This did Thine ancient prophets teach, And this Thy well-beloved preach.

1 All around us, fair with flowers, Fields of beauty sleeping lie; All around us clarion voices Call to duty stern and high.

2 Thankfully we will rejoice in All the beauty God has given; But beware it does not win us From the work ordained of Heaven.

3 Following every voice of mercy With a trusting, loving heart; Let us in life’s earnest labor Still be sure to do our part.

4 Now, to-day, and not to-morrow, Let us work with all our might, Lest the wretched faint and perish In the coming stormy night.

5 Now, to-day, and not to-morrow,— Lest, before to-morrow’s sun, We too, mournfully departing, Shall have left our work undone.

1 Scorn not the slightest word or deed, Nor deem it void of power; There’s fruit in each wind-wafted seed, That waits its natal hour.

2 A whispered word may touch the heart, And call it back to life; A look of love bid sin depart, And still unholy strife.

3 No act falls fruitless; none can tell How vast its power may be, Nor what results infolded dwell Within it silently.

4 Work on, despair not; bring thy mite, Nor care how small it be; God is with all that serve the right, The holy, true, and free.

1 O’er the mount and through the moor Glide the Christian’s steps secure; Day and night, no fear he knows; Lonely, but with God, he goes: For the coat of mail, bedight In his spotless robe of white; For the sinful sword, his hand Bearing high the olive-wand.

2 Through the camp, and through the court, Through the dark and deadly fort, On the mission of the dove, Speeds the minister of love; By his word the wildest tames, And the world to God reclaims; War, and wrath, and famine cease, Hushed around his path of peace.

1 Nay, tell us not of dangers dire That lie in duty’s path; A warrior of the cross can feel No fear of human wrath.

2 Where’er the Prince of Darkness holds His earthly reign abhorred, Sword of the spirit, thee we draw, And battle for the Lord.

3 We go! we go, to break the chains That bind the erring mind, And give the freedom that we feel To all of human kind.

4 But, O, we wear no burnished steel, And seek no gory field; Our weapon is the word of God, His promise is our shield.

5 And still serene and fixed in faith, We fear no earthly harm; We know it is our Father’s work, We rest upon His arm.

1 Tell me not, in mournful numbers, Life is but an empty dream; For the soul is dead that slumbers, And things are not what they seem.

2 Life is real! life is earnest! And the grave is not its goal; Dust thou art, to dust returnest, Was not spoken of the soul.

3 Not enjoyment, and not sorrow, Is our destined end and way; But to act, that each to-morrow Find us further than to-day.

4 Lives of true men all remind us We can make our lives sublime, And, departing, leave behind us Footprints on the sands of time;

5 Footprints which perhaps another, Sailing o’er life’s solemn main, A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, Seeing, shall take heart again.

6 Let us, then, be up and doing, With a heart for any fate; Still achieving, still pursuing, Learn to labor and to wait.

1 Am I a soldier of the cross, And pledged to bear its shame? And shall I fear to own Christ’s 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 Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood? Shall sloth and faintness win Thy peace, O Thou, the martyr’s God?

4 The fearless heart Thou wilt sustain; Increase my courage, Lord! I’ll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy word.

5 The saints in all this glorious war Shall conquer, though they die; They see the triumph from afar, And seize it with their eye.

6 When Thy illustrious day shall rise, And all Thy armies shine In robes of victory through the skies, The glory shall be Thine.

1 Press on, press on! ye sons of light, Untiring in your holy fight, Still treading each temptation down, And battling for a brighter crown.

2 Press on, press on! through toil and woe, With calm resolve, to triumph go, And make each dark and threatening ill Yield but a higher glory still.

3 Press on, press on! still look in faith To him who vanquished sin and death; Then shall ye hear God’s word, “Well done!” True to the last, press on, press on!

1 Onward, Christian, though the region Where thou art be drear and lone; God hath set a guardian legion Very near thee,—press thou on!

2 Listen, Christian, their Hosanna Rolleth o’er thee,—“God is Love.” Write upon thy red-cross banner, “Upward ever,—heaven’s above.”

3 By the thorn-road, and none other, Is the mount of vision won; Tread it without shrinking, brother! Jesus trod it,—press thou on!

4 By thy trustful, calm endeavor, Guiding, cheering, like the sun, Earth-bound hearts thou shall deliver; O, for their sake, press thou on!

5 Be 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;

6 Pray thou, Christian, daily, rather, That thou be a faithful son; By the prayer of Jesus,—“Father, Not my will, but Thine, be done!”

1 Sleep not, soldier of the cross! Foes are lurking all around; Look not here to find repose, This is but thy battle-ground.

2 Up! and take thy shield and sword; Up! it is the call of Heaven; Shrink not faithless from thy Lord, Nobly strive as he hath striven.

3 Break through all the force of ill; Tread the might of passion down; Struggle onward, upward still, To the conquering Saviour’s crown!

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 ’Tis God’s all-animating voice That calls thee from on high; ’Tis 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.

1 O, speed thee, Christian, on thy way! And to thine armor cling; With girded loins the call obey That love and mercy bring!

2 There is a battle to be fought, An upward race to run, A crown of glory to be sought, A victory to be won.

3 O, faint not, Christian! for thy sighs Are heard before God’s throne; The race must come before the prize, The cross before the crown.

1 Breast the wave, Christian! when it is strongest; Watch for day, Christian! when the night’s longest; Onward and onward still be thine endeavor; The rest that remaineth will be forever.

2 Fight the fight, Christian! Jesus is o’er thee; Run the race, Christian! heaven is before thee; He who hath promised faltereth never; The love of eternity flows on forever.

3 Lift the eye, Christian! just as it closeth; Raise the heart, Christian! ere it reposeth; Thee from the love of Christ nothing shall sever; Mount when the work is done,—praise God forever!

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 Here giant danger threatening stands, Mustering his pale, terrific bands; There, pleasure’s silken banners spread, And willing souls are captives led.

3 See where rebellious passions rage, And fierce desires and lusts engage; The meanest foe of all the train Has thousands and ten thousands slain.

4 Come, then, my soul! now learn to wield The weight of thine immortal shield; Put on the armor from above Of heavenly truth and heavenly love.

5 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 There’s a strife we all must wage, From life’s entrance to its close; Blest the bold who dare engage! Woe for him who seeks repose!

2 Honored they who firmly stand, While the conflict presses round; God’s own banner in their hand, In his service faithful found.

3 What our foes? Each thought impure Passions fierce, that tear the soul; Every ill that we can cure; Every crime we can control;

4 Every suffering which our hand Can with soothing care assuage; Every evil of our land; Every error of our age.

5 On, then, to the glorious field! He who dies his life shall save; God himself shall be our shield, He shall bless and crown the brave.

1 Cheek grow pale, but heart be vigorous! Body fall, but soul have peace! Welcome, pain! thou searcher rigorous! Slay me, but my faith increase.

2 Sin, o’er sense so softly stealing; Doubt, that would my strength impair; Hence at once from life and feeling!— Now my cross I gladly bear.

3 Up, my soul! with clear sedateness Read heaven’s law, writ bright and broad, Up! a sacrifice to greatness, Truth, and goodness,—up to God!

4 Up to labor! from thee shaking Off the bonds of sloth, be brave! Give thyself to prayer and waking; Toil some fainting heart to save!

1 Go, suffering pilgrim of the earth, Go, conscious of thy heavenly birth, And, ’midst the storms that round thee rise, Retrace thy journey to the skies.

2 What though the wild winds rage around? Thou wilt not tremble at the sound; What though the waters o’er thee roll? They touch not thine immortal soul.

3 See where, arrayed on either hand, The direful train of passions stand; See hatred, envy, bar thy way, And foes more subtle still than they.

4 But, robed in innocence and truth, From all temptation guard thy youth; And from thy vestment’s sacred bound Shake the dread fiends that cling around.

5 Go with pure heart and steadfast eyes, Strive on till that bright morn shall rise That gives thee to thy blest abode, To rest forever with thy God.

1 Faint not, poor traveller, though the way Be rough, like that thy Saviour trod; Though cold and stormy lower the day, This path of suffering leads to God.

2 Nay, sink not, though from every limb Are starting drops of toil and pain; Thou dost but share the lot of Him With whom his followers are to reign.

3 Christian! thy friend, thy master, prayed, While dread and anguish shook his frame, Then met his sufferings undismayed; Wilt thou not strive to do the same?

4 O, thinkest thou his Father’s love Shone round him then with fainter rays Than now, when, throned all height above, Unceasing voices hymn his praise?

5 Go, sufferer, calmly meet the woes Which God’s own mercy bids thee bear; Then, rising as thy Saviour rose, Go, his eternal victory share.

1 Be still, my heart! these anxious cares To thee are burdens, thorns, and snares, They cast dishonor on thy Lord, And contradict His gracious word.

2 Brought safely by His hand thus far, Why wilt thou now give place to fear? How canst thou want if He provide, Or lose thy way with such a guide?

3 Did ever trouble yet befall, And He refuse to hear thy call? And has He not His promise past, That thou shalt overcome at last?

4 He who has helped me hitherto Will help me all my journey through, And give me daily cause to raise New trophies to His endless praise.

1 We would leave, O God, to Thee, Every anxious care and fear; Thou the troubled thought canst see, Thou canst dry the bitter tear.

2 Thou dost care for us, we know,— Care with all a Father’s love; Thou canst make each earthly woe Work to higher bliss above.

3 On this faith we fain would rest; Strengthen Thou its blessed power! Steadfast keep it in our breast, Through each dark and trying hour.

1 How little of ourselves we know, Before a grief the heart has felt! The lessons that we learn of woe Make strong the soul, as well as melt.

2 The energies too stern for mirth, The reach of thought, the strength of will, ’Mid cloud and tempest have their birth, Though blight and blast their course fulfil.

3 And yet ’tis when it mourns and fears, The laden spirit feels forgiven; And through the mist of falling tears We catch the clearest glimpse of heaven.

1 Deem not that they are blest alone Whose days a peaceful tenor keep; The God who loves our race has shown A blessing for the eyes that weep.

2 The light of smiles shall fill again The lids that now o’erflow with tears, And weary hours of woe and pain Are earnests of serener years.

3 O, there are days of hope and rest For every dark and troubled night! And grief may bide, an evening guest, But joy shall come with morning light.

4 And ye, who o’er a friend’s low bier Now shed the bitter drops like rain, Know that a brighter, happier sphere Will give him to your arms again.

1 My God, I thank Thee! may no thought E’er deem Thy chastisements severe; But may this heart, by sorrow taught, Calm each wild wish, each idle fear.

2 Thy mercy bids all nature bloom; The sun shines bright, and man is gay; Thine equal mercy spreads the gloom That darkens o’er his little day.

3 Full many a throb of grief and pain Thy frail and erring child must know; But not one prayer is breathed in vain, Nor does one tear unheeded flow.

4 Thy various messengers employ; Thy purposes of love fulfil; And, ’mid the wreck of human joy, Let kneeling faith adore Thy will.

1 The darkened sky, how thick it lowers! Troubled with storms, and big with showers, No cheerful gleam of light appears, But nature pours forth all her tears.

2 Yet let the sons of God revive; He bids the soul that seeks Him live, And from the gloomiest shade of night Calls forth a morning of delight.

3 The seeds of ecstasy unknown Are in these watered furrows sown; See the green blades, how thick they rise, And with fresh verdure bless our eyes!

4 In secret foldings they contain Unnumbered ears of golden grain; And heaven shall pour its beams around, Till the ripe harvest load the ground.

5 Then shall the trembling mourner come, And bind his sheaves, and bear them home, The voice long broke with sighs shall sing, Till heaven with hallelujahs ring.

1 Affliction’s faded form draws nigh, With wrinkled brow and downcast eye; With sackcloth on her bosom spread, And ashes scattered o’er her head.

2 But deem her not a child of earth; From heaven she draws her sacred birth; Beside the throne of God she stands To execute his kind commands.

3 The messenger of love, she flies To train us for our sphere, the skies; And onward as we move, the way Becomes more smooth, more bright the day.

4 Her weeds to robes of glory turn, Her looks with kindling radiance burn; And from her lips these accents steal,— “God smites to bless, he wounds to heal!”

1 Thou that art strong to comfort, look on me! I sit in darkness and behold no light; Over my soul the waves of agony Have gone, and left me in a rayless night.

2 A bruised and broken reed sustain! sustain! Divinest Comforter, to Thee I fly, To whom no soul hath ever fled in vain; Support me with thy love, or else I die.

3 Father, what’er I had, it all was thine; A God of mercy Thou hast ever been; O, help me what I most loved to resign, And if I murmur, count it not for sin.

4 My soul is strengthened now, and it shall bear All that remains, whatever it may be; And from the very depths of my despair I will look up, O God, and trust in Thee!

1 Our pathway oft is wet with tears, Our sky with clouds o’ercast, And worldly cares and worldly fears Go with us to the last;— Not to the last! God’s word hath said, Could we but read aright: O pilgrim! lift in hope thy head, At eve it shall be light!

2 Though earth-born shadows now may shroud Our toilsome path a while, God’s blessed word can part each cloud, And bid the sunshine smile. If we but trust in living faith, His love and power divine, Then, though our sun may set in death, His light shall round us shine.

3 When tempest-clouds are dark on high, His bow of love and peace Shines beauteous in the vaulted sky, Token that storms shall cease. Then keep we on, with hope unchilled, By faith and not by sight, And we shall own his word fulfilled,— “At eve it shall be light.”

1 Thy way is on the deep, O Lord! E’en there we’ll go with Thee; We’ll meet the tempest at Thy word, And walk upon the sea.

2 Poor tremblers at His rougher wind, Why do we doubt Him so? Who gives the storms a path will find The way our feet shall go.

3 A moment may His hand seem lost, Drear moment of delay;— We cry, “Lord, help the tempest-tost!” And safe we’re borne away.

4 O happy soul, of faith divine! Thy victory how sure! The love that kindles joy is thine, The patience to endure.

1 Thou, infinite in love! Guide this bewildered mind, Which, like the trembling dove, No resting-place can find On the wild waters,—God of light, Through the thick darkness lead me right!

2 Bid the fierce conflict cease, And fear and anguish fly; Let there again be peace, As in the days gone by: In Jesus’ name I cry to Thee, Remembering Gethsemane.

3 Fain would earth’s true and dear Save me in this dark hour; And art not Thou more near? Art Thou not love and power? Vain is the help of man,—but Thou Canst send deliverance even now.

4 Though through the future’s shade Pale phantoms I descry, Let me not shrink dismayed, But ever feel Thee nigh; There may be grief, and pain, and care But, O my Father! Thou art there.

1 In trouble and in grief, O God, Thy smile hath cheered my way; And joy hath budded from each thorn That round my footsteps lay.

2 The hours of pain have yielded good Which prosperous days refused; As herbs, though scentless when entire, Spread fragrance when they’re bruised.

3 The oak strikes deeper as its boughs By furious blasts are driven; So life’s tempestuous storms the more Have fixed my heart in heaven.

4 All gracious Lord! whate’er my lot In other times may be, I’ll welcome still the heaviest grief That brings me near to Thee.

1 Gently fall the dews of eve, Raising still the languid flowers; Sweetly flow the tears that grieve O’er a mourner’s stricken hours.

2 Blessed dews and tears that yet Lift us nearer unto heaven! Let us still His praise repeat, Who in mercy all hath given.

1 Though lonely be thy path, fear not, for He Who marks the sparrow fall is guarding thee; And not a star shines o’er thy head by night, But He hath known that it will reach thy sight.

2 And not a grief can darken or surprise, Swell in thy heart, or dim with tears thine eyes, But it is sent in mercy and in love, To bid thy helplessness seek strength above.

1 My Father, when around me spread I see the shadows of the tomb, When life’s bright visions droop and fade, And darkness veils the days to come,—

2 O, in that anguished hour I turn With a still trusting heart to Thee, And holy thoughts arise and burn Amid that cold, sad destiny!

3 They fill my soul with heavenly light, While all around is pain and woe; And strengthened by them, in Thy sight, Father, to drink Thy cup I go.

1 Let me not wander comfortless, My Father, far from Thee; But still beneath Thy guardian wing In holy quiet be.

2 The storms of grief, the tears of woe, Soothed by Thy love, shall cease; And all the trembling spirit breathe A deep, unbroken peace.

3 The power of prayer shall o’er me shed A deep, celestial calm; More soft than evening’s twilight dews, My soul shall feel its balm.

4 For there Thy still, small voice shall speak Thy great, Thy boundless love; And tears and smiles, and grief and joy, Shall lift my soul above.

1 We love this outward world, Its fair sky overhead,— Its morning’s soft, gray mist unfurled, Its sunsets rich and red.

2 But there’s a world within That higher glory hath; A life the immortal soul must win,— The life of joy and faith.

3 For this the Father’s love Doth shade the world of sense, The bounding play of health remove, And dim the sparkling glance;

4 That, though the earth grows dull And earthly pleasures few, The spirit gain its wisdom full To suffer and to do.

5 Holy its world within, Unknown to sound or sight,— The world of victory o’er sin, Of faith, and love, and light.

1 Weep thou, O mourner! but in lamentation Let thy Redeemer still remembered be; Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation, Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.

2 Cold though the world be, in the way before thee Wail not in sadness o’er the darkling tomb; God in His love still watcheth kindly o’er thee, Light shineth still above the clouds of gloom.

3 Dimmed though thine eyes be with the tears of sorrow Night only known beneath the sky of time, Faith can behold the dawning of a morrow Glowing in smiles of life and joy sublime.

4 Change, then, O mourner, grief to exultation; Firm and confiding should thy spirit be; Strong is His arm, the God of thy salvation, Strong is His love to cheer and comfort thee.

1 Father! who in the olive shade, When the dark hour came on, Didst, with a breath of heavenly aid, Strengthen thy Son;

2 O, in the anguish of our night, Send us down blest relief; And to the chastened, let Thy might Hallow the grief!

3 And thou, that, when the starry sky Saw the dread strife begun, Didst teach adoring faith to cry, “Thy will be done!”—

4 By thy meek spirit, thou, of all That e’er have mourned the chief, Our Saviour! when the stroke doth fall, Hallow our grief!

1 With silence only as their benediction, God’s angels come Where, in the shadow of a great affliction, The soul sits dumb.

2 Yet would we say, what every heart approveth,— Our Father’s will, Calling to Him the dear ones whom he loveth, Is mercy still.

3 Not upon us or ours the solemn angel Hath evil wrought; The funeral anthem is a glad evangel; The good die not!

4 God calls our loved ones, but we lose not wholly What He has given; They live on earth in thought and deed, as truly As in His heaven.

1 O, not when the death-prayer is said, The life of life departs; The body in the grave is laid, Its beauty in our hearts.

2 At holy midnight, voices sweet, Like fragrance, fill the room; And happy ghosts, with noiseless feet, Come brightening through the gloom.

3 We know who sends the visions bright, From whose dear side they came; We veil our eyes before Thy light, We bless our Father’s name!

4 This frame, O God, this feeble breath, Thy hand may soon destroy; We think of Thee, and feel in death A deep and holy joy.

5 Dim is the light of vanished years In glory yet to come; O idle grief, O foolish tears, When Jesus calls us home!

1 Lowly and solemn be Thy children’s cry to Thee, Father divine! A hymn of suppliant breath, Owning that life and death Alike are Thine.

2 O Father, in that hour When earth all helping power Shall disavow; When spear, and shield, and crown, In faintness are cast down, Sustain us Thou!

3 By him who bowed to take The death-cup for our sake, The thorn, the rod; From whom the last dismay Was not to pass away, Aid us, O God!

4 And now beside the grave, We call on Thee to save, Father divine! Hear, hear our suppliant breath; Keep us, in life and death, Thine, only Thine!

1 Thanks, thanks unto God! who in mercy hath spoken The truths which have pierced through the spirit’s sad gloom; Whose love with the light of its presence hath broken The darkness which hung o’er the desolate tomb.

2 What now shall affright us? A Father almighty Keeps watch round our footsteps wherever we go; His mercy is sleepless,—His wisdom unfailing,— He knoweth each want and regardeth each woe.

3 Where now is death’s terror? he comes as an angel To carry the spirit away to its rest; The gloom which he weareth is lost in the message He brings from the Being who loveth us best.

4 May we live ever true to the hopes He hath given, While they shed o’er our path a still holier light; Ever making us nearer and nearer to heaven, More pure our affections, our spirits more bright.

1 O, stay thy tears! for they are blest Whose days are past, whose toil is done; Here midnight care disturbs our rest, Here sorrow dims the morning sun.

2 For laboring virtue’s anxious toil, For patient sorrow’s stifled sigh, For faith that marks the conqueror’s spoil, Heaven grants the recompense,—to die.

3 How blest are they whose transient years Pass like an evening meteor’s flight, Not dark with guilt, nor dim with tears, Whose course is short, unclouded, bright!

4 O, cheerless were our lengthened way, But heaven’s own light dispels the gloom, Streams downward from eternal day, And sheds a glory round the tomb!

5 Then stay thy tears,—the blest above Have hailed a spirit’s heavenly birth, Sung a new song of joy and love; Then why should anguish reign on earth?

1 The mourners came, at break of day, Unto the garden sepulchre, With saddened hearts to weep and pray For him, the loved one, buried there. What radiant light dispels the gloom? An angel sits beside the tomb.

2 The earth doth mourn her treasures lost, All sepulchred beneath the snow, When wintry winds and chilling frost Have laid her summer glories low; The spring returns, the flow’rets bloom,— An angel sits beside the tomb.

3 Then mourn we not beloved dead, E’en while we come to weep and pray; The happy spirit hath but fled To brighter realms of heavenly day; Immortal hope dispels the gloom;— An angel sits beside the tomb.

1 Blessed, blessed are the dead In the Lord who die; Radiant is the path they tread Upward to the sky.

2 All their deeds of virtue done, Deeds of peace and love, Now are stars of glory strewn, Lighting them above.

1 Where is thy sting, O death? Grave! where thy victory? The clod may sleep in dust beneath, The spirit will be free!

2 Both man and time have power O’er suffering, dying men; But death arrives, and in that hour The soul is freed again.

3 Then, death, where is thy sting? And where thy victory, grave? O’er your dark bourn the soul will spring To Him who loves to save.

1 How blest the righteous when he dies! When sinks a trusting soul to rest, How mildly beam the closing eyes, How gently heaves the expiring breast!

2 So fades a summer cloud away; So sinks the gale when storms are o’er; So gently shuts the eye of day; So dies a wave along the shore.

3 A holy quiet reigns around, A calm which life nor death destroys; And naught disturbs that peace profound Which his unfettered soul enjoys.

4 Farewell, conflicting hopes and fears, Where lights and shades alternate dwell! How bright the unchanging morn appears! Farewell, inconstant world, farewell!

5 Life’s duty done, as sinks the clay, Light from its load the spirit flies; While guardian angels gently say, “How blest the righteous when he dies!”

1 O spirit, freed from earth, Rejoice, thy work is done! The weary world’s beneath thy feet, Thou brighter than the sun!

2 Arise, put on the robes That the redeemed win; Now sorrow hath no part in thee, Thou sanctified within!

3 Awake, and breathe the air Of the celestial clime! Awake to love which knows no change, Thou who hast done with time!

4 Awake, lift up thine eyes! See, all heaven’s host appears! And be thou glad exceedingly,— Thou, who hast done with tears.

5 Ascend! thou art not now With those of mortal birth; The living God hath touched thy lips, Thou who hast done with earth!

1 “No more, on earth no more, Shall beam for us that eye; Closed in a strange forgetfulness Forever it must lie.

2 “No more, on earth no more, Shall we behold that face; Within the mournful halls of death Must be its dwelling-place.

3 “No more, on earth no more, Shall those dear lips be heard; Cold silence there hath fixed its seal, Breathed is their latest word.”

4 ’Tis so fond Nature mourns Affection’s broken ties; But Faith stands forth, she points on high, Serenely she replies:—

5 “No more, in heaven no more, That eye is dim with tears; But bright, and brighter still, the scene Before its view appears.

6 “No more, in heaven no more, That face a shadow bears; But looks of light, born of a bliss Unknown to earth, it wears.

7 “No more, in heaven no more, That voice is faint with pain; It mingles with angelic bands, In their enraptured strain.

8 “No more, in heaven no more, The parting grief is known; But love has all eternity To look through as its own.”

1 The dead are like the stars by day, Withdrawn from mortal eye, Yet holding unperceived their way Through the unclouded sky.

2 By them, through holy hope and love, We feel, in hours serene, Connected with a world above, Immortal and unseen.

8 For death his sacred seal hath set On bright and bygone hours; And they we mourn are with us yet, Are more than ever ours;—

4 Ours, by the pledge of love and faith, By hopes of heaven on high; By trust, triumphant over death, In immortality.

1 The spirits of the loved and the departed Are with us, and they tell us of the sky, A rest for the bereaved and broken-hearted, A house not made with hands, a home on high; Holy monitions,—a mysterious breath,— A whisper from the marble halls of death.

2 They have gone from us, and the grave is strong, Yet in night’s silent watches they are near; Their voices linger round us, as the song Of the sweet bird that lingers on the ear, When, floating upward in the flush of even, Its form is lost from earth and swallowed up in heaven.

1 How dear is the thought, that the angels of God May bow their bright wings to the world they once trod; Will leave the sweet songs of the mansions above, To breathe o’er our bosoms some message of love!

2 They come, on the wings of the morning they come, Impatient to lead some poor wanderer home; Some sinner to save from his darkened abode, And lay him to rest in the arms of his God.

3 They come when we wander, they come when we pray, In mercy to guard us wherever we stray; A glorious cloud, their bright witness is given; Encircling us here are these angels of heaven.

1 It is a faith sublime and sure, That ever round our head Are hovering, on noiseless wing, The spirits of the dead.

2 It is a faith sublime and sure, When ended our career, That it will be our ministry To watch o’er others here;

3 To bid the mourners cease to mourn, The trembling be forgiven, To bear away from ills of clay The deathless soul to heaven.

1 There is a state unknown, unseen, Where parted souls must be; And but a step doth lie between That world of souls and me.

2 I see no light, I hear no sound, When midnight shades are spread; Yet angels pitch their tents around, And guard my quiet bed.

3 The things unseen, O God, reveal; My spirit’s vision clear, Till I shall feel, and see, and know, That those I love are near.

4 Impart the faith that soars on high, Beyond this earthly strife; That holds sweet converse with the sky, And lives eternal life.

1 Brother, the angels say, Peace to thy heart! We, too, O brother, have Been as thou art,— Hope-lifted, doubt-depressed, Seeing in part, Tried, troubled, tempted, Sustained, as thou art.

2 Brother, they softly say, Be our thoughts one; Bend thou with us and pray, “Thy will be done!” Our God is thy God; He willeth the best; Trust Him as we trusted— Rest as we rest!

3 Ye, too, they gently say, Shall angels be; Ye, too, O brothers, From earth shall be free: Yet in earth’s loved ones Ye still shall have part, Bearing God’s strength and love To the torn heart.

4 Thus when the spirit, tried Tempted and worn, Finding no earthly aid, Heavenward doth turn,— [285] Come these sweet angel-tones, Falling like balm, And on the troubled heart Steals a deep calm.

1 When, on devotion’s seraph wing, The spirit soars above, And feels Thy presence, Father, Friend, God of eternal love! The joys of earth, how swift they fade Before that living ray, Which gives to the rapt soul a glimpse Of pure and perfect day!

2 A gleam of Heaven’s own light, though now Its brightness scarce appears Through the pale shadows that are spread Around our earthly years; But Thine unclouded smile, O God! Fills that all-glorious place, Where we shall know as we are known, And see Thee, face to face.

1 Come to the land of peace! From shadows come away; Where all the sounds of weeping cease, And storms no more have sway!

2 Fear hath no dwelling here; But pure repose and love Breathe through the bright, celestial air The spirit of the dove.

3 Come to the bright and blest, Gathered from every land; For here thy soul shall find its rest, Amidst the shining band.

4 In this divine abode Change leaves no saddening trace; Come, trusting spirit, to thy God, Thy holy resting-place!

1 O, heaven is where no secret dread May haunt us by its power; Where from the past no gloom is shed Upon the present hour.

2 And there the living waters flow Along the radiant shore; The soul, now wandering here, shall know Its burning thirst no more.

3 The burden of the stranger’s heart, Which here unknown we bear, Like the night-shadow shall depart With our first wakening there.

4 And, borne on eagle’s wings afar, Free thought shall claim its dower, From every sphere, from every star, Of glory and of power.

1 Sweet morn! from countless cups of gold, Thou liftest reverently on high More incense fine than earth can hold, To fill the sky.

2 Where’er the vision’s boundaries glance, Existence swells with living power, And all the illumined earth’s expanse Inhales the hour.

3 In man, O morn! a loftier good, With conscious blessing, fills the soul,— A life by reason understood, Which metes the whole.

4 To thousand tasks of fruitful hope, With skill against his toil, he bends, And finds his work’s determined scope Where’er he wends.

5 From earth and earthly toil and strife To deathless aims his soul may rise, Each dawn may wake to better life, With purer eyes.

6 Such grace from Thee, O God, be ours, Renewed with every morning’s ray, And freshening still with added flowers Each future day.

7 To man is given one primal star; One dayspring’s beam has dawned below; From Thine our inmost glories are, With Thine we glow.

8 Like earth awake and warm and bright, With joy the spirit moves and burns; So up to Thee, O Fount of Light, Our light returns.

1 Now the shades of night are gone; Now the morning light is come: Lord, may we be Thine to-day; Drive the shades of sin away.

2 Fill our souls with heavenly light, Banish doubt, and clear our sight; In Thy service, Lord, to-day, May we stand, and watch, and pray.

3 Keep our haughty passions bound; Save us from our foes around; Going out and coming in, Keep us safe from every sin.

1 In the morning I will pray For God’s blessing on the day; What this day shall be my lot, Light or darkness, know I not.

2 Should it be with clouds o’ercast, Clouds of sorrow, gathering fast, Thou, who givest light divine, Shine within me, Lord, O, shine!

3 Show me, if I tempted be, How to find all strength in Thee, And a perfect triumph win Over every bosom sin.

4 Keep my feet from secret snares, Keep mine eyes, O God, from tears! Every step Thy love attend, And my soul from death defend!

1 Now that the sun is beaming bright, Implore we, bending low, That He, the uncreated Light, May guide us as we go.

2 No sinful word, nor deed of wrong, Nor thoughts that idly rove, But simple truth be on our tongue, And in our hearts be love.

3 And while the hours in order flow, Securely keep, O God, Our hearts, beleaguered by the foe That tempts our every road.

4 And grant that to Thine honor, Lord, Our daily toil may tend; That we begin it at Thy word, And in Thy favor end.

1 O God! I thank Thee that the night In peace and rest hath passed away, And that I see in this fair light My Father’s smile, that makes it day.

2 Be Thou my guide, and let me live As under Thine all-seeing eye; Supply my wants, my sins forgive, And make me happy when I die.

God that madest earth and heaven, Darkness and light! Who the day for toil hast given, For rest the night! May Thine angel guards defend us, Slumber sweet Thy mercy send us, Holy dreams and hopes attend us, This livelong night!

1 Source of light and life divine! Thou didst cause the light to shine; Thou didst bring Thy sunbeams forth O’er Thy new-created earth.

2 Shade of night and morning ray Took from Thee the name of day: Now again the shades are nigh, Listen to Thy children’s cry!

3 May we ne’er, by guilt depressed, Lose the way to endless rest; May no thoughts, corrupt and vain, Draw our souls to earth again.

4 Rather help them still to rise Where our dearest treasure lies; Help us in our daily strife, Make us struggle into life!

1 Up to the throne of God is borne The voice of praise at early morn, And He accepts the reverent hymn Sung as the light of day grows dim.

2 Look up to heaven! the obedient sun Already through his course hath run; He cannot halt or go astray, But our immortal spirits may.

3 Lord, since his rising in the east, If we have faltered or transgressed, Guide, from Thy love’s abundant source, What yet remains of this day’s course.

4 Help with Thy grace, through all life’s day, Our upward and our downward way; And glorify for us the west, When we shall sink into our rest.

1 Fading, still fading, the last beam is shining; Father in heaven! the day is declining; Safety and innocence flee with the light, Temptation and danger walk forth with the night; From the fall of the shade till the morning bells chime, Shield us from danger and keep us from crime! Father! have mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!

2 Father in heaven! O, hear, when we call, Through Jesus Christ, who is Saviour of all! Fainting and feeble, we trust in Thy might; In doubting and darkness Thy love be our light! Let us sleep on Thy breast while the night taper burns, And wake in Thy arms when the morning returns. Father! have mercy, through Jesus Christ our Lord! Amen!

1 Slowly, by God’s hand unfurled, Down around the weary world Falls the darkness; O, how still Is the working of His will!

2 Mighty spirit, ever nigh! Work in me as silently; Veil the day’s distracting sights, Show me heaven’s eternal lights.

3 Living stars to view be brought In the boundless realms of thought; High and infinite desires, Flaming like those upper fires!

4 Holy Truth, Eternal Right, Let them break upon my sight; Let them shine serene and still, And with light my being fill.

1 Another day its course hath run, And still, O God! Thy child is blest; For Thou hast been by day my sun, And Thou wilt be by night my rest.

2 Sweet sleep descends, mine eyes to close; And now, while all the world is still, I give my body to repose, My spirit to my Father’s will.

1 Lord of the Sabbath, hear our vows, On this Thy day, in this Thy house; And own, as grateful sacrifice, The songs which from Thy churches rise.

2 Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love; But there’s a nobler rest above; To that our longing souls aspire, With earnest hope and strong desire.

3 No more fatigue, no more distress; Nor sin nor death shall reach the place; No groans to mingle with the songs Which warble from immortal tongues.

4 No rude alarms of raging foes; No cares to break the long repose; No midnight shade, no clouded sun, But sacred, high, eternal noon.

5 O long expected day, begin; Dawn on these realms of woe and sin! Fain would we leave this weary road, And pass through death, to rest with God.

1 How sweet, how calm, this Sabbath morn! How pure the air that breathes! How soft the sounds upon it borne! How light its vapor wreathes!

2 It seems as if the Christian’s prayer, For peace and joy and love, Were answered by the very air That wafts its strain above.

3 Let each unholy passion cease, Each evil thought be crushed, And every care that mars our peace In Faith and Love be hushed.

1 Within Thy courts have millions met, Millions this day before Thee bowed; Their faces heavenward were set, Their vows to Thee, O God! they vowed.

2 Still as the light of morning broke O’er island, continent, and deep, Thy far-spread family awoke, Sabbath all round the world to keep.

3 From east to west the sun surveyed, From north to south, adoring throngs; And still where evening stretched her shade The stars came forth to hear their songs.

4 And not a prayer, a tear, a sigh, Hath failed this day some suit to gain; To hearts that sought Thee Thou wast nigh Nor hath one sought Thy face in vain.

5 The poor in spirit Thou hast fed, The feeble soul hath strengthened been. The mourner Thou hast comforted, The pure in heart their God have seen.

6 And Thou, soul-searching God! hast known The hearts of all that bent the knee, And all their prayers have reached Thy throne, In soul and truth who worshipped Thee.

1 When from the Jordan’s gleaming wave Came forth the Sinless One, A voice athwart the heavens flashed, “Lo! my beloved son!”

2 The Baptist, gazing on his face, With the soul’s radiance bright, Beheld upon his sacred head A snow-white dove alight.

3 Now with baptismal waters touched, Thy children, Father, see! While heart and soul, and mind and strength, They consecrate to Thee.

4 Send down on them Thy holy dove, Thy spirit undefiled; Be each in purity and faith Thy well-beloved child!

5 O help them in the wilderness To conquer doubt and sin; To see above them still Thy Peace, And hear Thy voice within!

1 This child we dedicate to Thee, O God of grace and purity! Shield it from sin and threatening wrong, And let Thy love its life prolong.

2 O, may Thy spirit gently draw Its willing soul to keep Thy law; May virtue, piety, and truth, Dawn even with its dawning youth!

3 We, too, before Thy gracious sight, Once shared the blest baptismal rite, And would renew its solemn vow, With love, and thanks, and praises, now.

4 Grant that, with true and faithful heart, We still may act the Christian’s part, Cheered by each promise Thou hast given, And laboring for the prize in heaven.

1 To Thee, O God in heaven, This little one we bring, Giving to Thee what Thou hast given, Our dearest offering.

2 Into a world of toil These little feet will roam, Where sin its purity may soil, Where care and grief may come.

3 O, then, let Thy pure love, With influence serene, Come down, like water, from above, To comfort and make clean!

1 To Him who children blest, And suffered them to come, To Him who took them to his breast, We bring these children home.

2 To Thee, O God, whose face Their spirits still behold, We bring them, praying that Thy grace May keep, Thine arms enfold.

3 And as this water falls On each unconscious brow, Thy holy spirit grant, O Lord, To keep them pure as now!

1 We join to pray, with wishes kind, A blessing, Lord, from Thee, On those who now the bands have twined, Which ne’er may broken be.

2 We know that scenes not always bright Must unto them be given; But let there shine o’er all the light Of love, and truth, and heaven.

3 Still hand in hand, their journey through, Meek pilgrims may they go; Mingling their joys as helpers true, And sharing every woe.

4 In faith, and trust, and heart, the same, The same their home above; May each in each still feed the flame Of pure and holy love.

1 Father, in Thy presence now Has been pledged the nuptial vow; Heart to heart, as hand in hand, Linked in one Thy children stand.

2 God of love! this union bless, Not with earth’s low happiness; But with joys whose heavenly spring Shall diviner raptures bring.

3 May these blended souls be found Firm in duty’s active round; Daily every burden share, Nightly seek Thy shadowing care.

4 When against their trembling forms Shoot the arrows of life’s storms; Or when age and sickness wait Heralds at life’s parting gate;—

5 In the fulness of belief, May they look beyond the grief; And together fearless tread In the path where Thou shall lead.

1 Where ancient forests widely spread, Where bends the cataract’s ocean-fall; On the lone mountain’s silent head, There are Thy temples, God of all!

2 The tombs Thine altars are; for there, When earthly loves and hopes have fled, To Thee ascends the spirit’s prayer, Thou God of the immortal dead!

3 All space is holy, for all space Is filled by Thee;—but human thought Burns clearer in some chosen place, Where Thine own words of love are taught.

4 Here be they taught; and may we know That faith Thy servants knew of old, Which onward bears, through weal or woe, Till death the gates of heaven unfold.

5 Nor we alone; may those whose brow Shows yet no trace of human cares Hereafter stand where we do now, And raise to Thee still holier prayers.

1 O Thou, whose own vast temple stands Built over earth and sea, Accept the walls that human hands Have raised to worship Thee!

2 Lord, from Thine inmost glory send, Within these courts to bide, The peace that dwelleth, without end, Serenely by Thy side!

3 May erring minds that worship here Be taught the better way; And they who mourn, and they who fear, Be strengthened as they pray.

4 May faith grow firm, and love grow warm, And pure devotion rise, While round these hallowed walls the storm Of earth-born passion dies.

1 O God! Thy children, gathered here, Thy blessing now we wait; Thy servant, girded for his work, Stands at the temple’s gate.

2 A holy purpose in his heart Has deepened calm and still; Now from his childhood’s Nazareth He comes, to do Thy will.

3 O Father! keep his soul alive To every hope of good; And may his life of love proclaim Man’s truest brotherhood!

4 O Father! keep his spirit quick To every form of wrong; And in the ear of sin and self May his rebuke be strong!

5 And as he doth Christ’s footsteps press, If e’er his faith grow dim, Then, in the dreary wilderness, Thine angels strengthen him!

6 And give him in Thy holy work Patience to wait Thy time, And, toiling still with man, to breathe The soul’s serener clime.

7 O grant him many hearts to lead Into Thy perfect rest; Bless Thou him, Father, and his flock: Bless! and they shall be blest!

1 Go, preach the gospel in my name, Said he of Bethlehem: Teach of a crown more glorious Than earthly diadem.

2 Teach ye as I have taught, in love; Be hate unthought, unspoken; Bind up the bleeding heart, nor let The bruised reed be broken.

3 If any scorn you for the truth Which ye shall publish free, Think of the lonely midnight hour In dark Gethsemane:

4 Think of my prayers on Olivet, My musings by the sea; And though the heavy chain may bind, That truth shall make you free.

1 Thy servant’s sandals, Lord, are wet With Jordan’s wave but lately met, And in that sacred river fall The olden thoughts, the spirit’s pall.

2 He stands upon the holy land, And angels take his trustful hand; The Jordan sanctifies his breast, And Christ now leads him to his rest.

3 His rest? his battle! he must win Fair Zion’s gate through ranks of sin; Why are these words, this solemn show, If sin be not his deadly foe?

4 There gathers here no heavenly host; No fiery tongues of Pentecost,— No gentle dove with winnowing wings The spirit to thy servant brings.

5 The still, small voice hath called him here, And thus is God himself most near:— My people, lift your hearts in prayer, And keep your God forever there.

1 “Is this a fast for me?” Thus saith the Lord our God; “A day for man to vex his soul, And feel affliction’s rod?

2 “No; is not this alone The sacred fast I choose: Oppression’s yoke to burst in twain, The bands of guilt unloose?

3 “To nakedness and want Your food and raiment deal, To dwell your kindred race among, And all their sufferings heal?

4 “Then, like the morning ray, Shall spring your health and light; Before you, righteousness shall shine, Around, my glory bright!”

1 O Thou, whose power stupendous Upholds the earth and sky, Thy grace preserving send us,— To Thee, O Lord! we cry.

2 From wilds of fearful error, Wherein we darkly stray, Oppressed with doubt and terror, For saving aid we pray.

3 O God of mercy, hear us! Our pain, our sorrow, see; Thy healing pity spare us, And bring us home to Thee!

1 Joy! joy! a year is born; A year to man is given, For hope, and peace, and love, For faith, and truth, and heaven. Though earth be dark with care, With death and sorrow rife, Yet toil, and pain, and prayer, Lead to our higher life.

2 Behold, the fields are white! No longer idly stand! Go forth in love and might; Man needs thy helping hand. Thus may each day and year To prayer and toil be given, Till man to God draw near, And earth become like heaven.

1 Our Father! through the coming year We know not what shall be, But we would leave without a fear Its ordering all to Thee.

2 It may be we shall toil in vain For what the world holds fair, And all its good we thought to gain Deceive, and prove but care.

3 It may be it shall darkly blend Our love with anxious fears, And snatch away the valued friend, The tried of many years.

4 It may be it shall bring us days And nights of lingering pain, And bid us take our farewell gaze Of these loved haunts of men.

5 But calmly, Lord, on Thee we rest; No fears our trust shall move; Thou knowest what for each is best, And Thou art perfect love.

1 Praise and thanks and cheerful love Rise from everything below, To the mighty One above, Who his wondrous love doth show: Praise him, each created thing! God, your Father! God of spring!

2 Praise him, trees so lately bare; Praise him, fresh and new-born flowers; All ye creatures of the air; All ye soft-descending showers: Praise, with each awakening thing, Praise your Maker,—God of spring!

3 Praise him, man!—thy fitful heart Let this balmy season move To employ its noblest part, Softest mercy, sweetest love,— Blessing, with each living thing, God the bounteous,—God of spring!

1 There cometh o’er the spirit, With each returning year, The thought that Thou, the Father, Art ever to us near; With hope of life dispelling The death that winter brought; And flowers and fruits foretelling, With fragrant beauty fraught.

2 ’Tis this which calls Thy children In sweet accord to raise, Beneath thy blue-domed temple, One general hymn of praise To Thee, the ever-living, The universal King, Who never ceasest giving Each good and perfect thing.

3 The streamlet from the mountain,— It speaketh, Lord, of Thee, As from its snow-capped fountain It rushes to the sea; The gentle dew descending, And cloud’s refreshing shower,— O God, our Heavenly Father, All, all, proclaim Thy power.

1 Praise the Lord, when blushing morning Wakes the blossoms fresh with dew! When the world, again created, Beams with beauties fair and new!

2 Praise the Lord, when early breezes Come so fragrant from the flowers! Praise, thou willow by the brookside! Praise, ye birds, among the bowers!

3 Praise the Lord! and may His blessing Guide us in the way of truth, Keep our feet from paths of error, Make us holy in our youth.

4 Praise the Lord, ye hosts of heaven! Angels, sing your sweetest lays! All things utter forth His glory! Sound your great Creator’s praise!

1 How glad the tone when summer’s sun Wreaths the gay world with flowers, And trees bend down with golden fruit, And birds are in their bowers!

2 The morn sends silent music down Upon each earthly thing; And always since creation’s dawn The stars together sing.

3 Shall man remain in silence, then, While all beneath the skies The chorus joins? no, let us sing, And while our voices rise,

4 O, let our lives, great God, breathe forth A constant melody; And every action be a tone In that sweet hymn to Thee!

1 The earth, all light and loveliness, In summer’s golden hours, Shines, in her bridal vesture clad, And crowned with festal flowers, So radiantly beautiful, So like to heaven above, We scarce can deem more fair that world Of perfect bliss and love.

2 Is this a shadow faint and dim Of that which is to come! What shall the unveiled splendor be Of our celestial home, Where waves the glorious tree of life, Where streams of bliss gush free, And all is glowing in the light Of immortality!

1 Fountain of life, and God of love! How rich Thy bounties are! The rolling seasons, as they move, Proclaim Thy constant care.

2 When in the bosom of the earth The sower hid the grain, Thy goodness marked its secret birth, And sent the early rain.

3 The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was Thine, Its mild, refreshing showers; Thou gav’st the ripening suns to shine, And summer’s golden hours.

4 Thy quickening life, forever near, Matured the swelling grain;— The bounteous harvest crowns the year, And plenty fills the plain.

5 With thankful hearts we trace Thy way Through all our smiling vales; Thou, by whose love, nor night nor day, Seed-time nor harvest, fails!

1 House of our God, with cheerful anthems ring, While all our lips and hearts His mercies sing; The fruitful year His bounties shall proclaim, And all its days be vocal with His name. The Lord is good, His mercy never-ending, His blessings in perpetual showers descending.

2 The earth, enlightened by His rays divine, Brought forth the grass, the corn, and oil, and wine; Crowned with His goodness, let the people meet, And lay their thankful offerings at his feet; With grateful love that hand divine confessing, Which on each heart bestoweth every blessing.

3 His mercy never ends; the dawn, the shade, Still see new beauties through new scenes displayed; Succeeding ages bless this sure abode, And children lean upon their fathers’ God: The soul of man, through its immense duration, Drinks from this source immortal consolation.

4 Burst into praise, my soul! all nature, join! Angels and men, in harmony combine! While human years are measured by the sun, And while eternity its course shall run, His goodness, in perpetual showers descending, Exalt in songs and raptures never-ending!

1 God of the year! with songs of praise, And hearts of love, we come to bless Thy bounteous hand, for Thou hast shed Thy manna o’er our wilderness.

2 In early spring-time Thou didst fling O’er earth its robe of blossoming; And its sweet treasures, day by day, Rose quickening in Thy blessed ray.

3 God of the seasons! Thou hast blest The land with sunlight and with showers; And plenty o’er its bosom smiles, To crown the sweet autumnal hours.

4 Praise, praise to Thee! Our hearts expand, To view these blessings of Thy hand, And on the incense-breath of love Ascend to their bright home above.

1 The heavenly spheres to Thee, O God, Attune their evening hymn; All-wise, all-holy, Thou art praised In song of seraphim. Unnumbered systems, suns, and worlds, Unite to worship Thee, While Thy majestic greatness fills Space, time, eternity.

2 Nature, a temple worthy Thee, Beams with Thy light and love; Whose flowers so sweetly bloom below, Whose stars rejoice above; Whose altars are the mountain-cliffs That rise along the shore; Whose anthems, the sublime accord Of storm and ocean-roar.

3 Her song of gratitude is sung By Spring’s awakening hours; Her Summer offers at Thy shrine Its earliest, loveliest flowers; Her Autumn brings its golden fruits, In glorious luxury given; While Winter’s silver heights reflect Thy brightness back to heaven.

1 God of the changing year, whose arm of power In safety leads through danger’s darkest hour,— Here in Thy temple bow Thy children down, To bless Thy mercy, and Thy might to own.

2 Thine are the beams that cheer us on our way, And pour around the gladdening light of day; Thine is the night, and the fair orbs that shine To cheer its hours of darkness,—all are Thine.

3 If round our path the thorns of sorrow grew, And mortal friends were faithless, Thou wast true Did sickness shake the frame, or anguish tear The wounded spirit, Thou wast present there.

4 O, lend Thine ear, and lift our voice to Thee; Where’er we dwell, still let Thy mercy be; From year to year, still nearer to Thy shrine Draw our frail hearts, and make them wholly Thine!

1 O God! to Thee our hearts would pay Their gratitude sincere, Whose love hath kept us, night and day, Throughout another year.

2 Of every breath, and every power, Thou wast the gracious source; From Thee came every happy hour Which smiled along its course.

3 And if sometimes across our path A cloud its shadows threw, Thou didst not waft it there in wrath, But loving-kindness true.

4 For joy and grief alike we pay Our thanks to Thee above; And only pray to grow each day More worthy of Thy love.

1 Like shadows gliding o’er the plain, Or clouds that roll successive on, Man’s busy generations pass; And while we gaze, their forms are gone.

2 O Father, in whose mighty hand The boundless years and ages lie, Teach us Thy boon of life to prize, And use the moments as they fly;—

3 To crowd the narrow span of life With wise designs and virtuous deeds; And so shall death but lead us on To nobler service that succeeds.

1 Brother, thou art gone before us, And thy saintly soul is flown, Where tears are wiped from every eye, And sorrows are unknown; From the burden of the flesh, And from care and fear, released, Where the wicked cease from troubling, And the weary are at rest.

2 Sin no more can taint thy spirit, Nor can doubt thy faith assail; Thy soul its welcome has received, Thy strength shall never fail; And thou’rt sure to meet the good, Whom on earth thou lovedst best, Where the wicked cease from troubling, And the weary are at rest.

3 To the grave thy body bearing, Low we place it mid the dead; And lay the turf above it now, And seal its narrow bed; But thy spirit soars away, Free, among the faithful blest, Where the wicked cease from troubling And the weary are at rest.

1 Another hand is beckoning us, Another call is given; And glows once more with angel steps The path that leads to heaven.

2 O, half we deemed she needed not The changing of her sphere, To give to heaven a shining one, Who walked an angel here.

3 Unto our Father’s will alone One thought hath reconciled; That He whose love exceedeth ours Hath taken home his child.

4 Fold her, O Father, in thine arms, And let her henceforth be A messenger of love between Our human hearts and Thee.

5 Still let her mild rebukings stand Between us and the wrong, And her dear memory serve to make Our faith in goodness strong.

1 Brother, though from yonder sky Cometh neither voice nor cry, Yet we know for thee to-day Every pain hath passed away.

2 Not for thee shall tears be given, Child of God, and heir of heaven; For he gave thee sweet release; Thine the Christian’s death of peace.

3 Well we know thy living faith Had the power to conquer death; As a living rose may bloom By the border of the tomb.

4 Brother, in that solemn trust, We commend thy dust to dust; In that faith we wait, till, risen, Thou shalt meet us all in heaven.

5 While we weep as Jesus wept, Thou shalt sleep as Jesus slept; Then with Jesus thou shalt rest, Crowned, and glorified, and blest.

1 Clay to clay, and dust to dust! Let them mingle,—for they must! Give to earth the earthly clod, For the spirit’s fled to God.

2 Never more shall midnight’s damp Darken round this mortal lamp; Never more shall noonday’s glance Search this mortal countenance.

3 Look aloft! The spirit’s risen; Death cannot the soul imprison: ’Tis in heaven that spirits dwell, Glorious, though invisible.

4 Thither let us turn our view; Peace is there, and comfort too; There shall those we love be found, Tracing life’s eternal round.

1 Dear as thou wast, and justly dear, We would not weep for thee; One thought shall check the starting tear,— It is—that thou art free.

2 And thus shall faith’s consoling power The tears of love restrain; O, who that saw thy parting hour Could wish thee here again?

3 Gently the passing spirit fled, Sustained by grace divine; O, may such grace on us be shed, And make our end like thine!

1 Go to the grave in all thy glorious prime, In full activity of zeal and power: A Christian cannot die before his time; The Lord’s appointment is the servant’s hour.

2 Go to the grave; at noon from labor cease; Rest on thy sheaves, thy harvest work is done; Come from the heat of battle, and in peace, Soldier, go home; with thee the field is won.

3 Go to the grave, for there thy Saviour lay, In death’s embraces, ere he rose on high; And all the ransomed, by that narrow way, Pass to eternal life beyond the sky.

4 Go to the grave,—no, to thy home above; Be thy pure spirit present with the Lord, Where thou for faith and hope hast perfect love, And open vision for the written word.

1 Thou art gone to the grave;—but we will not deplore thee, Though sorrows and darkness encompass the tomb; The Saviour has passed through its portals before thee, And the lamp of his love is thy guide through the gloom.

2 Thou art gone to the grave: we no longer behold thee, Nor tread the rough paths of the world by thy side; But the wide arms of mercy are spread to enfold thee, And sinners may hope, since the Sinless hath died.

3 Thou art gone to the grave; and, its mansion forsaking, Perchance thy tried spirit in doubt lingered long; But the sunshine of heaven beamed bright on thy waking, And the song that thou heard’st was the seraphim’s song.

4 Thou art gone to the grave; but we will not deplore thee, Since God was thy refuge, thy guardian, thy guide; He gave thee, He took thee, and He will restore thee; And death has no sting, since the Saviour hath died.

1 Calm on the bosom of thy God, Fair spirit, rest thee now! E’en while with us thy footstep trod, His seal was on thy brow.

2 Dust, to its narrow house beneath! Soul, to its home on high! They that have seen thy look in death No more may fear to die.

3 Lone are the paths, and sad the hours, Since thy meek spirit’s gone; But, O, a brighter home than ours, In heaven, is now thine own!

1 Fare thee well, our fondly cherished! Dear, dear blossom, fare thee well! He who lent thee hath recalled thee, Back with Him and His to dwell.

2 Like a sunbeam through our dwelling Shone thy presence, bright and calm; Thou didst add a zest to pleasure; To our sorrows thou wast balm.