THINE earthly sabbaths, Lord, we love,
But there's a nobler rest above;
To that our longing souls aspire
With eager hope and fond desire.
For there we shall for ever be
From sin, and pain, and sorrow free;
No sighs shall mingle with the songs
There utter'd by immortal tongues.
No rude alarms of raging foes,
No cares to break the long repose,
No midnight shade, no clouded sun,
But sacred, high, eternal noon.
Thine earthly sabaths, Lord, we love,
But there's a nobler rest above,
To that our longing souls aspire,
With eager hope and fond desire.
TIVERTON. C. M. Psalm cxviii.
THIS is the day the Lord hath made,
He calls the hours his own;
Let heav'n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.
To-day he rose, and left the dead,
And Satan's empire fell;
To-day the saints his triumph spread,
And all his wonders tell.
Blest be the Lord, who comes to men
With messages of grace:
Who comes in God his Father's name,
To save our sinful race.
Hosannah in the highest strains
The church on earth can raise !
The highest heav'ns, in which he reigns
Shall give him nobler praise.
2 Chron. vi. 21.
THIS stone to thee in faith we lay;
To thee this temple, Lord, we build;
Thy power and goodness here display,
And be it with thy presence fill'd!
Here, when thy people seek thy face,
And dying sinners pray to live,
Hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling place;
And when thou hearest, Lord, forgive!
Here, when thy messengers proclaim
The blessed gospel of thy Son,
Still, by the power of his great name,
Be mighty signs and wonders done.
Thy glory never hence depart;
Yet choose not, Lord, this house alone;
Thy kingdom come to ev'ry heart;
In ev'ry bosom fix thy throne!
BRUNSWICK. L. M. Heb. iv. 15-16.
THOUGH now ascended up on high,
Christ bends on earth a brother's eye,
Pursues in heav'n his mighty plan,
The Saviour, and the friend, of man.
Our fellow suff'rer yet retains
A fellow-feeling of our pains;
And still remembers in the skies
His tears, his agonies, and cries.
In every pang that rends the heart,
The Man of Sorrows had a part;
He sympathizes with our grief,
And to the suff'rer sends relief.
With boldness, therefore, at the throne
Let us make all our sorrows known,
And ask the aids of heavenly power
To help us in the evil hour.
THOU, that sitt'st enthron'd above!
Thou in whom we live and move!
Thou that art Most Great, Most High,
Lord from all eternity!
O! how good, how excellent,
'Tis when tongue and heart consent,
Grateful hearts and joyful tongues,
Hymning thee in tuneful songs.
When the morning gilds the skies,
When the stars of ev'ning rise,
We thy praises will record,
Sov'reign Ruler! Mighty Lord!
Sov'reign Ruler! Mighty Lord!
We thy praises will record;
Giver of these blessings! we
Pour the grateful song to thee.
THY name, Almighty Lord,
Shall sound through distant lands:
Great is thy grace, and sure thy word,
Thy truth for ever stands.
Far be thine honour spread,
And long thy praise endure,
Till morning light and evening shade
Shall be exchang'd no more.
MOUNT CALVARY. C. M. John xix. 30. "TIS finish'd-'twas Christ's latest voice; These sacred accents o'er,
He bow'd his head, gave up the ghost,
And suffer'd pain no more.
"Tis finish'd-the Messiah dies
For sins, but not his own;
The great redemption is complete,
And Satan's power o'erthrown.
"Tis finish'd-all his groans are past,
His blood, his pain, and toils,
Have fully vanquished our foes,
And crown'd him with their spoils.
'Tis finish'd-legal worship ends,
And gospel ages run;
All old things now are past away,
And a new world begun.
MANSFIELD. 8. M.
TO God, the only wise,
Our Saviour, and our King,
Let all the saints below the skies
Their humble praises bring.
"Tis his almighty love,
'Tis his protecting care,
That brings us blessings from above,
That saves from ev'ry snare.
He doth our souls defend,
And chase our fears away;
He will confirm us to the end,
And own us at his day.
Then all the ransom'd race,
Assembled round the throne,
Shall bless the guidance of his grace,
And make his wonders known.
TO hail thy rise, thou better Sun!
The gath'ring nations come,
Joyous, as when the reapers bear
The harvest-treasures home.
To us a Child of Hope is born,
To us a Son is giv'n;
Him shall the tribes of earth obey,
Him, all the hosts of heav'n.
His name shall be the Prince of Peace,
For evermore ador'd;
The Wonderful, the Counsellor,
The great and mighty Lord.
His power increasing still shall spread,
His reign no end shall know;
Justice shall guard his throne above,
And peace abound below.
"TWAS in the watches of the night
I thought upon thy pow'r:
I kept thy faithfulness in sight
Amidst the darkest hour.
My flesh lay resting on my bed,
My soul arose on high;
"My God, my life, my hope," I said,
'Bring thy salvation nigh."
My spirit labours up thine hill,
And climbs the heav'nly road;
But thy right hand upholds me still,
While I pursue my God.
Thy mercy stretches o'er my head
The shadow of thy wings;
My heart rejoices in thine aid,
My tongue awakes and sings.
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