«n tit B ■F :;.• ' < mmm Jib II J ■>'"; rllBRARY OF CONGRKSS. i\ If UNITED STATE8 OK AMERICA. i\ n 1 mp flf tge Glratg; A SELECTION OF LYRICS FOR PUBLIC WORSHIP, WITH TUNES FOR CONGREGATIONAL USE. BOSTON: SHEPARD, CLARK AND BROWN. 1859. . H.+ Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1859, by SHEPARD, CLARK AND BROWN, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. Tag Library ok CotrGkg§§ ELECTROTYPED AT THE BOSTON STEREOTYPE FOUNDRY. Pamrell & ilcwe, Printers, Boston. ttfatt. This Book of Songs has been made for the use of the Church of the Unity in Boston. The word Songs has been taken in preference to Hymns, the conventional designation of such collections, for the obvious reason that the chosen term is generic, while the other is specific. We had already noticed that the title Hymn Book was a misnomer for most collections of poetry for lyrical worship ; and after a careful revision of our own selection, we saw how inappropriate the term hymn (a song of adoration) would be to such a large portion as referred to Christ and his mission, and to the outward and inward life. We felt constrained to discard much that is usually found in hymn books, as either not needful or unable to stand the test of poetical criticism ; and because of the designation we have adopted, we have felt at liberty to take a freer scope in our choice, and to examine the great body of English poetry. At the same time we deemed a small selection, carefully made, to be much better than a larger concourse of promiscuous worth. (iii) PREFACE. We have also, in every possible instance, taken the songs from the original text of the author. No change has been made, except •when it was necessary to give the proper cadence for singing, and in a few instances to make a local allusion general. We hold ourselves responsible for some new versions of The Psalms, in which we have disregarded rhyme, and simply endeav- ored to fit the original words of Scripture to established metres. We found that the slightest change usually effected 'it, and could but remark how the constraints of rhyme had forced the authors of previous versions to alter language that was most fit, to add what was superfluous, and, in some cases, to change a grand rhapsody to a ludicrous paraphrase. A number of tunes, the best adapted for congregational use, will be found at the close of the volume; and they have been selected and arranged under the direction of Mr. B. F. Baker. George H. Hepworth, Justin Winsor. J\ r ovcmber 1, 1859. (ir) itbti of Jfirsl lints. No. According to thy gracious word 141 Acquaint thee, O spirit, acquaint thee with God 67 All around us, fair with flowers 190 All is of God ! if he but wave his hand. 61 All men are equal in their birth 210 All-moving Spirit, freely forth 146 All over life's shadowy border flow 117 All thoughts of ill ; all evil deeds 181 Almighty Father ! thou hast many a blessing 43 Almighty God, in humble prayer 44 Ancient of ages ! humbly bent before thee. . . . . 32 Another life the life of day overwhelms 112 Answer me, burning stars of night 116 As every day thy mercy spares 75 A spirit goldens every hour 138 Be doers of the word, not hearers only 182 Before Jehovah's awful throne 2 Before the mountains were brought forth 86 Behold the sun, how bright 133 Behold the western evening light 218 Behold, where breathing love divine , 127 Be still, my soul ! the Lord is on thy side 175 a* (v) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. Beyond, beyond that boundless sea 94 Birds have their quiet nest. 130 Bread and wine he bade us take. 142 Breast the wave, Christian, when it is strongest 205 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning 250 Brother, the angels say, peace to thy heart 225 But how shall we be glad • 173 By cool Siloam's shady rill 171 Calm on the listening ear of night, 243 Centre of our hopes thou art 68 Come, thou Almighty King. 31 Come to the house of prayer 7 Come to the land of peace 110 Come unto me when shadows darkly gather 215 Come, ye disconsolate, where'er ye languish 213 Commit thou all thy griefs 174 Daughter of Zion, awake from thy sadness 135 Doomed and forgotten ! these are sounds attuned 193 Down the dark future, through long generations 256 Earth is the Lord's and all thereof 19 Earth's children cleave to earth; her frail Ill Ere mountains reared their forms sublime 85 Every day hath toil and trouble 188 Fading, still fading, the last beam is shining 81 Faith, hope, and charity, these three 162 Father and Friend, thy light, thy love 95 Father divine ! this deadening power control 47 Father, in thy mysterious presence kneeling 35 9^9 Father, in thy presence now ^* Father of all! in every age • 26 Father of light, conduct my feet 39 (Yi) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. Father of our feeble race, 196 Father supreme, thou high and holy one 74 Father, there is no change to live with thee 102 Father, that in the olive shade 223 Father, the watches of the night are o'er 23 Father, thy paternal care 90 Father, to us thy children humbly kneeling 36 Father, whate'er of earthly bliss .. 38 Feeble, helpless, how shall I 169 Flung to the heedless winds 254 For man a garden rose in bloom. 158 Forth from the dark and stormy sky 29 From all that dwell below the skies 71 From the recesses of a lowly spirit 51 Give to the winds thy fears ....• 172 God calling yet ! and I not yet arising 6 God gave the germ to earth 120 God is love ; his mercy brightens 65 God is our refuge and our strength 255 God moves in a mysterious way 99 God, named love, whose fount thou art 48 God of eternity, from thee 46 God of the changing year, whose arm of power 233 God of the sighing breeze 107 God's law demands one living faith 184 God, that madest earth and heaven 82 God, thou art good ; each perfumed flower 104 Gone are those great and good 240 Go to the grave in all thy glorious prime 224 Go to thy rest, fair child 228 Gray wanderer in a homeless world 144 Great God, how vain our lives can be 114 Great God, my Father and my Friend. 34 (vii) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. Great God, the followers of thy Son . 54 Great God, we feel the burden of thine eye 246 Grown wiser for the lesson given 197 Guard us, thou who never sleepest 79 Hark ! an anthem in the sky 249 Hast thou 'midst life's empty noises 203 Hath not thy heart within thee burned 148 Have you not seen the eternal mountains nod 191 Hear my prayer, Lord, my God 13 Hear thou my cry, God 16 He comes with succor speedy 124 He is alone my help and hope 103 He knelt ; the Saviour knelt and prayed 125 He sendeth sun, he sendeth shower 155 He was there alone, when even 10 Holy Father, thou hast taught me 60 How happy is he born and taught 199 How swift, alas ! the moments fly 237 I cannot always trace the way 98 If but a cloud in heaven appears 100 If, listening, as I listen still ■. 170 I lift mine eyes unto the hills 17 In the long vista of the years to roll , 243 In this dim world of clouding cares 229 In this our parting hour 70 Is there no guerdon for the brave 194 I will extol thee, O my God, O King 21 Know, my soul, thy full salvation 66 Leaves have their time to fall 115 Life has import more inspiring 183 ( viii ) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. Like morning when her early breeze 150 Like shadows gliding o'er the plain 198 Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing 72 Lord, have mercy when we strive 37 Lord, in heaven, thy dwelling-place . 30 Lord of the world, who hast preserved 83 Lord, many times I am a-weary quite 55 Lord, thou didst arise and say » 66 Lord, unto thee I cry 15 Lo, the glory of thine hills 247 Love on, love on, but not the things that own 206 Love's very grief is gain 227 Lowly and solemn be 221 My country, 'tis of thee 242 My God, all nature owns thy sway 106 My soul was dark, my soul was dark 64 Nearer, my God, to thee 222 No human eyes thy face may see 101 None loves me, Father, with thy love 52 Not always as the whirlwind's rush 4 Not in the solitude 93 Not with terrors do we meet 137 O, bless the Lord, my soul 18 O blest Creator of the light 77 O, draw me, Father, after thee 41 O fairest born of love and light • 134 O for a faith that will not shrink 160 O God, I have trodden the wine-press alone 92 O God, whose presence glows in all. • 28 O, guard our shores from every foe 239 0, he whom Jesus loved has truly spoken 164 (ix) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. O holy Father, just and true 244 O, I will bless the Lord for aye 12 O, know ye not that ye , 163 Lord my God, how great art thou 14 Lord, our Lord, how excellent 89 O, make a noise unto the Lord 22 One knows us as none other does 105 O, not alone on the mount of prayer 9 0, strong upwelling prayers of faith 177 suffering friend of human kind 126 Thou, at whose dread name we bend 212 thou great friend to all the sons of men 122 thou great Spirit, who along 69 O Thou to whom in ancient time ..., 27 O Thou to whose all-searching sight 40 O Thou that sittest in heaven and seest 53 Thou true life of all that live 80 Thou who hast at thy command * 33 Thou whose power o'er moving worlds presides 62 Our heavenly Father, hear 58 Our pathway oft is wet with tears 153 0, what though our feet may not tread where Christ stood 143 0, where shall rest be found 113 Part in peace ! Is day before us 73 Pour, blessed gospel, glorious news for man 131 Pour forth the oil, pour boldly forth ; 207 Praise ye the Lord ! Praise ye the Lord ! 20 Prayer is the soul's sincere desire 179 Prune thou thy words, thy thoughts control 185 Quiet from God ! how beautiful to keep 178 King out, wild bells, to the wild sky 238 INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. Sad soul, dear heart, O, why repine 235 Say not the law divine 149 Scorn not the slightest word or deed 192 Send kindly light amid the encircling gloom 49 Shall we, who sit beneath that tree 157 She's gone to dwell in heaven 231 Sister, thou wast mild and lovely 230 Soft as fades the sunset splendor 76 Sovereign and transforming grace 24 Sow in the morn thy seed 201 Spirit of knowledge, grant me this 195 Steep, and hung with clouds of strife 159 Sunned in the radiance of high good 108 Supreme and universal light 45 Sweet day ! so cool, so calm, so bright 8 The broken ties of happier days 217 The desert flower afar may bloom 96 The God of glory walks his round 204 The heavenly spheres to thee, O God 78 The heavens declare the high glory of God 87 The laws of Christian light 209 The Lord is arisen ! 5 The Lord is my Shepherd ; I never shall want 11 The more we live, more brief appear, 236 The ocean looketh up to heaven 109 The path of life we walk to-day 63 There is no flock, however watched and tended 216 There's beauty all around our paths 200 The snow-plumed angel of the north 234 The Son of God gave thanks ...... 140 The spacious firmament on high 88 The wish, that of the living whole 118 The word, it is written 1 (xi) INDEX OF FIRST LINES. No. The world may change from old to new 161 They are all gone into the world of light 232 They who seek the throne of grace 91 Thou art, God, the life and light 97 Thou art the way, and he who sighs 123 Thou dost come, all-healing Lord 129 Though sorrows rise and dangers roll 128 Thou lookest forward in the coming days 211 Thou unrelenting past 220 Thou, whose almighty word 50 'Tis not the gift, but 'tis the spirit 147 To prayer, to prayer ! for the morning breaks 3 Thou hidden love of God, whose height 145 To be resigned when ills betide 176 To thee, God, in heaven, 251 To thine eternal arms, God 42 To weary hearts, to mourning homes 152 Thy law is perfect, Lord of Light 57 Thy name be hallowed evermore 59 Thy task may well seem overhard * 208 Unchangeable, all-perfect Lord 84 Upon the gospel's sacred page 132 "We have no recollection 226 We have strength to mate our faith 168 We know 'tis Christ-like to prefer 245 We own but what the conscience saith 180 We shape ourselves the joy or fear 121 What if the cup be bitter 156 What no human eye hath seen 119 What's that which heaven to man endears 202 What's hallowed ground ? Has earth a clod 187 When adverse winds and waves arise 165 (xii) IXDEX OF FIRST LINES-. No. Whene'er the clouds of sorrow roll 166 When he, who from the scourge of wrong 219 When I am weak, I'm strong 167 When long the soul had slept in chains 253 When morning sunbeams round me shed 154 When on the midnight of the east 139 While thee I seek, protecting power 25 Why thus longing, thus forever sighing 151 Wild was the day ; the wintry sea 241 Within thine altar's shade 189 Without haste and without rest 186 With silence only as their benediction 214 Ye followers of the Prince of Peace 136 (xiii) jjnopis. NUMBERS. Opening Service 1 — 10 Psalms 11 — 22 Prayers 23 — 59 Closing Worship 60 — 73 Evening Service 74 — 83 God and his Nature 84 — 109 Life, Death, and Futurity 110 — 121 Christ and his Gospel 122 — 135 Communion . 136 — 143 The Inward Life 144 — 179 The Outward Life 180 — 212 Affliction 213 — 222 Funeral Occasions. 223 — 232 Occasional 233 — 256 Tunes for Congregational Use Page 257 (xiv) $nk* of ^ntjfors. Adams, J. Q., 237. Adams, Sarah F., 73, 155, 161, 222. Addison, Joseph, 88. Anonymous, 23, 31, 35, 43, 49, 60, 67, 74, 98, 123, 130, 135, 149, 175, 178, 190, 215, 225, 228, 239, 252. ASHWORTH, 131. AVELING, 166. Bailey, 188. Barbauld, Anna L., 127. Barton, J., 153. Bath Coll., 160. Beddome, Benj., 136. Bethune, G. W., 96. Bowring, John, 10, 30, 32, 51,65, 78, 90, 95, 132, 137, 147, 170. Breviary, 83. Briggs, C. A., 184. Browning, E. B., 48. Bryant, W. C, 93, 111, 117, 211, 219, 220, 241. Burder, G., 72. Bulfinch, S. G., 9, 126, 148. Campbell, Thomas, 187, 236. Case, Mrs., 206. Chapin, E. H., 253. Christian Psalmist, 75. Clarke, James F., 36, 251. conder, josiah, 94. Cotterill, Mrs., 33. Cotton, 176. Cowper, 99. Croswell, 64, 154. Cunningham, Allan, 231. Davis, E., 209. Dawson's Coll., 139. Doddridge, 46. Editors, 1, 5, 11-22, 70, 86, 87, 89, 92, 100, 105, 107, 108, 138, 142, 156, 168, 182, 189, 226, 245-247, 249, 255. Exeter Coll., 34. Follen, Mrs., 104. Frothingham, N. L., 28, 140, 167. Furness, 169. German, 6, 52, 84, 119, 152, 175, 186. GCETHE, 186. Grant, 66. Heber, Bishop, 29, 82, 128, 171, 204, 250. i Hedge, F. H., 24. (XV) INDEX OF AUTHORS. Hemans, Mrs., 110, 115, 116, 125, 200, 221, 223. Herbert, 8. Hioginson, T. W., 42, 101. Johns, 163. Johnson, Dr., 62. Keats, 243. Lange, 84, 119. Lamartine, 129, 146. Lays of a Lifetime, 120. London Athenaeum, 227. London Inquirer, 192. Longfellow, H. W., 61, 181, 216, 256 Longfellow, Samuel, 76, 77, 81. Lunt, George, 114. Luther, 254. Lynch, A. C, 183. Lyra, Apostolica, 185. Lyra, Cath., 89. Marriott, 50. Martineau, H., 210. Martineau's Coll., 69. Massey, Gerald, 229. Methodist Coll., 68, 91. Milman, 37, 56. Montgomery, 44, 57, 58, 113, 124, 141, 162, 179, 201, 217, 224. Moore, Thomas, 79, 97, 133, 150, 213. Moore, Henry, 45. Moravian, 40, 41, 59, 145, 172, 374. Parker, T., 122. Patmore, Coventry, 180, 195, 202. (xvi) Peabody, W. B. O., 218. Pierpont, 27, 240. Pope, 26. QUARLES, 53. Read, T. B., 144, 193, 235. Sears, 248. Sigourney, Mrs., 165. Smart, 39. Smith, S. F., 230, 242. Sprague, Charles, 158, 212. Spirit of the Psalms, 85. Staughton, 205. Steele, Mrs., 38. Taylor, J., 196, 198. Taylor, E., 7, 233. Taylor, Bayard, 112. Tennyson, Alfred, 118, 238. Tersteegen, Gerhard, 6. Trench, It. C, 55, 173, 207. TUCKERMAN, Dr., 47. Tuckerman, H. T., 194. Vaughan, Henry, 103, 232. Very, Jones, 102. "Ware, Henry, 3, 54. Watts, 2, 71. Whittier, J. G., 4, 63, 109, 121, 134, 143, 146, 152, 157, 159, 164, 177, 197, 203, 208, 214, 234, 244. Williams, H. M., 25, 106. Winslow, Miss, 151. Wotton, Sir Henry, 199. Young, Edward, 191. Hi jr. aup d t\t 5Enitg, OPENING WORSHIP. The word, it is written, One God is above ; The rock, it is smitten By the prophets of love. One God, who would rather Allure than inthrall ; A God, who is Father ; A heaven for all. w. A (1) 2. OPENING WORSHIP. L. M. ®Ij£ S§Dbe:mgn ggljobHlj. Before Jehovah's awful throne. "> Ye nations, bow with sacred joy ; Know that the Lord is God alone ; He can create, and he destroy. His sovereign power, without our aid, Made us of clay, and formed us men ; And when, like wandering sheep, we strayed, He brought us to his fold again. We are his people ; we his care ; Our souls, and all our mortal frame : What lasting honors shall we rear, Almighty Maker, to thy name ? We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs, High as the heaven our voices raise ; And earth, with her ten thousand tongues, Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise. Watts. (2) P.M. OPENING WORSHIP. 3, Co fjragsr. To prayer, to prayer ! — for the morning breaks, And earth in her Maker's smile awakes ; His light is on all below and above, The light of gladness, and life, and love : 0, then, on the breath of this early air, Send upward the incense of grateful prayer. To prayer ! — for the day that God has blest Comes tranquilly on with its solemn rest ; It speaks of creation's early bloom, — It speaks of the Prince who burst the tomb : Then summon the spirit's exalted powers, And devote to heaven the hallowed hours. Awake, awake, and gird up thy strength To join Christ's holy band at length ; To him who unceasing love displays, Whom the powers of nature unceasingly praise, To him thy heart and thy hours be given, For a life of prayer is the life of heaven. H. Ware. (3) 4- OPENING WORSHIP. CM. &\t Call. Not always as the whirlwind's rush On Horeb's mount of fear, Not always as the burning bush To Midian's shepherd seer, Nor as the awful voice which came To Israel's prophet bards, Nor as the tongues of cloven flame, Nor gifts of fearful words, — Not always thus, with outward sign Of fire, or voice from heaven, The message of a truth divine, The call of God, is given ! Awaking in the human heart Love for the true and right, Zeal for the Christian's better part, Strength for the Christian's fight. 0, then, if gleams of truth and light Flash o'er thy waiting mind, Unfolding to thy mental sight The wants of human kind ; If brooding over human grief, The earnest wish is known To soothe and gladden with relief An anguish not thine own ; (4) 11a M. OPENING WORSHIP. 5 % Though heralded with nought of fear, Or outward sign or show ; Though only to the inward ear It whispers soft and low ; Though dropping as the manna fell, Unseen, yet from above, Noiseless as dew-fall, heed it well, Thy Father's call of love ! Whittier. %\t |Torb is Hrisen! The Lord is arisen ! Hail, mortals, the day ! There's glory in heaven, There's glory for aye. There's dawn to the eastward, And the clouds of the night Are alive with the burning And glory of light ! w. A* (5) (3. OTENING WORSHIP. lis 31. (§ o b calling gci! God calling yet ! and I not yet arising ; So long his loving, faithful voice despising ; So falsely his unwearied care repaying ; He calls me still, and still I am delaying. God calling yet ! loud at my door is knocking, And I my heart, my ear, still firmer locking ; He still is ready, willing to receive me — Is waiting now, but ah ! he soon may leave me. Ah ! yield him all — all to his care confiding; Where but with him are rest and peace abiding ? Unloose, unloose, break earthly bonds asunder, And let this spirit rise in soaring wonder. God calling yet ! I can no longer tarry, Nor to my God a heart divided carry ; Now, vain and giddy world, your spells are broken ; Sweeter than all, the voice of God has spoken. Hymns from the Land of Luther. (Gerhard Tersteegek.) S.M. OPENING WORSHIP. Habitation:. Come to the house of prayer, thou afflicted, come ; The God of peace shall meet thee there ; He makes that house his home. Come to the house of praise, Ye who are happy now ; In sweet accord your voices raise, In kindred homage bow. Ye aged, hither come, For ye have felt his love ; Soon shall your trembling tongues be dumb. Your lips forget to move. Ye young, before his throne, Come, bow ; your voices raise ; Let not your hearts his praise disown Who gives the power to praise. Thou, whose benignant eye In mercy looks on all, Who seest the tear of misery, And hear'st the mourner's call, — Up to thy dwelling place Bear our frail spirits on, Till they outstrip time's tardy pace, And heaven on earth be won. E. Tayloh. (7) 8. OPENING WORSHIP. C. M. &ju foul's §tunt£ unfa Hug. Sweet day ! so cool, so calm, so bright, Bridal of earth and sky, The dew shall weep thy fall to-night, For thou, alas ! must die. Sweet rose ! in air whose odors wave, And color charms the eye, Thy root is ever in its grave, And thou, alas ! must die. Sweet spring ! of days and roses made, "Whose charms for beauty vie, Thy days depart, thy roses fade ; Thou, too, alas ! must die. Only a sweet and holy soul Hath tints that never fly ; While flowers decay, and seasons roll, This lives, and cannot die. Herbert, (altered.) (8) P.M. OPINING WORSHIP. 9 Mxuvtx a n b %ttion. 0, 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. But 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. And when the storm rages, and woe and wrath Would an earth-born. courage quell, He knows that his God surveys his path, And ordereth all things well. EULFIKCH. (9) lO. OPENING WORSHIP. P.M. ft foas there alone." s He was there alone, when even Had round earth its mantle thrown. Holding intercourse with heaven : He was there alone. There his inmost heart's emotion Made he to his Father known ; In the spirit of devotion Musing there alone. So let us, from earth retiring, Seek our God and Father's throne ; And, to other scenes aspiring, Train our hearts, alone. Bo-wring. (10) lis - M. THE PSALMS. IX. THE PSALMS. %\t ^orb is mg J§ {up jjerfr. • The Lord is my shepherd ; I never shall want ; Amid the green pastures he maketh me lie ; He leadeth beside the still waters of life ; In the paths of the righteous leadeth he me. Tho' I walk through the vale of the shadow of Death, Yet fear I no evil, for thou art with me ; Thou comfortest me with thy staff and thy rod ; Preparest my table in the sight of my foes. My cup overfloweth ; thou anointest with oil ; Thy goodness and mercy shall follow me still ; And blessing his name all the days of my life, Forever I dwell in the house of the Lord. Psalm XXJH. (11) 12. THE PSALMS. L. M. 0, 1 will bless the Lord for aye ; His praise shall be upon my lips ; My soul shall make her boast in him ; The humble, hearing, shall be glad. 0, magnify the Lord with me, And let us all exalt his name ; I sought the Lord, and he that heard Delivered me from all my fears. His eyes are on the righteous ones, His ears are open to their cry ; The righteous cry, and he shall hear, And lead them out of all their woes. The Lord redeemeth all his souls ; The contrite spirit doth he save ; And none of them that trust in him Shall evermore be desolate. Psalm XXXIV. (12) r 8 M. THE PSALMS. 13, Hear mg Jrager, D ^jTorbl Hear my prayer, Lord, my God ! Let my cry come unto thee ; Hide not from me in my woe ; In my trouble answer me. For my days they are like smoke ; Like a hearth my bones are burned ; Smitten is my heart, God ! Withered is my heart like grass. With my drink I mingle tears ; Like a shadow are my days ; Enemies reproach me sore ; Sworn against me are they all. Thou shalt rise, and mercy have, For our Zion's time is come ; Thou, Lord, shalt build her up ; Zion shall be builded up ! Thou shalt hear the prisoner's groan, Those to death appointed, loose, When thy people gather near, And the kingdoms serve the Lord ! Psalm CII. n (13) 14. THE PSALMS. L. M. fofo great art tljoa! Lord, my God, how great art thou ! With honor clothed and majesty ; Thou coverest thyself with light, And like a curtain stretchest heaven. Thou mak'st a chariot of the clouds, And walk'st upon the winged wind ; Thy angels are a spirit throng, Thy ministers a flaming fire. How manifold, Lord, thy works ! In wisdom hast thou made them all ; The earth is full of thy rich store, And the great sea, where go the ships. Thy creatures wait upon thee, Lord ; Thou giv'st, and we are filled with good ; Thou hidest, Lord, thy face from us, And we are troubled, and must die. 0, 1 will sing unto the Lord ! My meditations shall be sweet ; Yea, in the Lord will I be glad, And 0, my soul, bless thou the Lord ! PSAT,X civ. (14) S. M. THE PSALMS. 15 ( JTorfr, nnto ijj.ec | erg! Lord, unto thee I cry ; Lord, unto me make haste ; Give ear unto my voice, God, When unto thee I cry. 0, let my prayer arise, As incense unto thee ; And as an evening sacrifice, My lifting up of hands. Set thou a constant watch Before my froward mouth ; And of thy servant's guilty lips Keep thou, Lord, the door. To any evil thing Incline not thou my heart, To practise wicked works with men That work iniquity. Mine eyes are unto thee ; In thee is all my trust ; Let not my soul be destitute, But keep me from all snares. Psalm CXLI. ( 15 ) 16. THE I'SALMS. S. M. Almighty Father, thou hast many a blessing In store for every erring child of thine ; For this I pray — let me, thy grace possessing, Seek to be guided by thy will divine. Not for earth's treasures, for her joys the dearest, Would I my supplications raise to thee ; Not for the hopes that to my heart are nearest, But only that I give that heart to thee. I pray that thou wouldst guide and guard me ever ; Cleanse, by thy power, from every stain of sin ; I will thy blessing ask on each endeavor, And thus thy promised peace my soul shall win. Anonymous. (44) CM. PRAYERS. 44. got IHisbom. Almighty God, in humble prayer To thee our souls we lift ; Do thou our waiting minds prepare For thy most needful gift. We ask not golden streams of wealth Along our path to flow ; We ask not undecaying health, Nor length of years below. We ask not honors which an hour May bring and take away ; We ask not pleasure, pomp, and power, Lest we should go astray. We ask for wisdom : Lord, impart The knowledge how to live ; A wise and understanding heart To all before thee give. The young remember thee in youth, Before the evil days ; The old be guided by thy truth In wisdom's pleasant ways ! Montgomery. (45) 45, PRAYERS. L.M. . Ere mountains reared their forms sublime, Or heaven and earth in order stood, Before the birth of ancient time, From everlasting thou art God. A thousand ages, in their flight, With thee are as a fleeting day ; Past, present, future, to thy sight At once their various scenes display. But our brief life's a shadowy dream, A passing thought, that soon is o'er, That fades with morning's earliest beam, And fills the musing mind no more. To us, Lord, the wisdom give Each passing moment so to spend, That we at length with thee may live Where life and bliss shall never end. Spirit of the Psalms. (80) L.M. GOD AND HIS NATURE, 86. (Hob's € tern it g. Before the mountains were brought forth, Or ever thou hadst formed the earth, Even from everlasting on To everlasting, thou art God. A thousand years unto thy sight Are but as yesterday when passed ; And they are as a sleep, Lord ; Our years are as a tale that's told. Teach us to number so our days That we apply our hearts to thee ; With mercy early satisfied, May we be glad through all our days. And let the beauty of the Lord Be on us all forevermore ; Establish thou the earthly work Our feeble hands, Lord, have done. Psalm XC. (81) 87. <*0D AND HIS NATURE. lis M. %\z dlorg 0f $00. The heavens declare the high glory of God ; The firmament showeth the work of his hand ; And day unto day ever uttereth speech, And night unto night showeth knowledge of him. There is not a speech where their voice is not heard ; The law of the Lord, it converteth the soul ; His statutes are right, it rejoiceth the heart ; His judgments are righteous and fast to endure ; Yea, better to have than the finest of gold, And sweeter than honey that filleth the comb ; Moreover by them is thy servant forewarned ; And great the reward in the keeping of them. Thy servant keep back from presumptuous sins ; 0, let them not have their dominion o'er me ; Let the words of my mouth be acceptable, Lord ; Thou art my redeemer, my strength, and my king. Psalm XIX. (82) L. M. GOD A&D HIS NATURE. gg^ £ {j e H tRbttiB h tt I arc the <$ 1 r g of § oh The spacious firmament on high, With all the blue, ethereal sky, And spangled heavens, a shining fram? , Their great Original proclaim. The unwearied sun, from day to day, Doth his Creator's power display, And publishes to every land The work of an almighty hand. Soon as the evening shades prevail, The moon takes up the wondrous tale, And nightly to the listening earth Repeats the story of her birth ; Whilst all the stars that round her burn, And all the planets in their turn, Confirm the tidings as they roll, And spread the truth from pole to pole. What though, in solemn silence, all Move round the dark terrestrial ball ? What though no real voice nor sound Amid their radiant orbs be found ? In reason's ear they all rejoice, And utter forth a glorious voice, Forever singing, as they shine, " The hand that made us is divine." Addison". (83) 89. GOD AND HIS NATURE. C. M. Pan Htrfc t\z UorKs of <§oi>. Lord, our Lord, how excellent Thy name in all the earth ! Thou, who hast set thy glory far Above the heavens and earth. Whene'er I look unto the skies, The work of thine own hands, The moon, the stars, thou hast ordained, - 0, what, Lord, is man ? Yet thou hast made him little lower Than angels ; and hast crowned His days with glory evermore, With honor in thy name. Thou gavest him dominion, Lord, O'er all thy handiwork, And all things on the earth that live, Hast put beneath his feet. Lord, our Lord, how excellent Thy name in all the earth ! Thou who hast set thy glory far Above the heavens and earth. Psalm vm. (84) 7s M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 90. gll from §ob. Father, thy paternal care Has my guardian been, my guide ! Every hallowed wish and prayer Has thy hand of love supplied ; Thine is every thought of bliss, Left by hours and days gone by ; Every hope thy offspring is, Beaming from futurity. Every sun of splendid ray ; Every moon that shines serene ; Every morn that welcomes day ; Every evening's twilight scene ; Every hour which wisdom brings ; Every incense at thy shrine ; These, — and all life's holiest things, And its fairest, — all are thine. And for all my hymns shall rise Daily to thy gracious throne ; Thither let my asking eyes Turn unwearied, righteous One ! Through life's strange vicissitude There reposing all my care, Trusting still, through ill and good, Fixed and cheered and counselled there. BOWRING. H ♦ (85) 91. ' GOD AND HIS NATURE. 7s M. <$ b tbcx% fo ju r * . They who seek tlie throne of grace Find that throne in every place ; If we live a life of prayer, God is present every where. In our sickness and our health, In our want or in our wealth, If we look to God in prayer, God is present every where. When our earthly comforts fail, When the woes of life prevail, 'Tis the time for earnest prayer ; God is present every where. Then, my soul, in every strait, To thy Father come and wait ; He will answer every prayer ; God is present every where. Methodist. (86) 11, -U. GOD AND 1I1S NATURE, 92. <$ob i n n s God, I have trodden the wine-press alone ; With eyes to the clouds, I have sought thee in vain ; 1 have stood with my brow uncovered, and known The blight of the tempest, with none to sustain. But I heard not the quickening spirit of life — My God, — that within me was near and unknown ; The blazon of heaven was dimmed in the strife ; A voice that should triumph gave only a moan. God, thou abidest in hearts that are strong ; If thou art within us, there's nerve for the worst; A Christian is war-proof, and rights what is wrong, And craven the soul that is never athirst. W. (87) 93. GOD AND HIS NATUHE. 6 & 10s M. $ob in i\t Ciig. Not in the solitude Alone may man commune with heaven, or see Only in savage wood And sunny vale the present Deity ; Or only hear his voice Where the winds whisper and the waves rejoice. Even here do I behold Thy steps, Almighty ! here, amidst the crowd, Through the great city rolled, With everlasting murmur deep and loud — Choking the ways that wind 'Mongst the proud piles, the work of human kind. And when the hours of rest Come, like a calm upon the mid-sea brine, Hushing its billowy breast, — The quiet of that moment too is thine ; It breathes of him who keeps The vast and helpless city while it sleeps. Bryant. (88) C M. 6L. liOD AND HIS NATURE. 94. %\t l^xttttntz of <§ ob. Beyond, beyond that boundless sea, Above that dome of sky, Farther than thought itself can flee, Thy dwelling is on high ; Yet dear the awful thought to me, That thou, my God, art nigh. We hear thy voice when thunders roll Through the wide fields of air ; The waves obey thy dread control ; Yet still thou art not there. Where shall I find him, my soul, Who yet is every where ? 0, not in circling depth or height, But in the conscious breast ; Present to faith, though veiled from sight, There does his spirit rest. 0, come, thou Presence Infinite, And make thy creature blest. CONDER. H* (89) 95. GOD AND HIS NATURE. L. M. Soft's sustaining JJr*sent*. Father and Friend, thy light, thy love, Beaming through all thy works we see ; Thy glory gilds the heavens above, And all the earth is full of thee. Thy voice we hear, thy presence feel, Whilst thou, too pure for mortal sight, Involved in clouds, invisible, Reignest the Lord of life and light. We know not in what hallowed part Of the wide heavens thy throne may be ; But this we know, — that where thou art, Strength, wisdom, goodness, dwell with thee. And through the various maze of time, And through the infinity of space, We follow thy career sublime, And all thy wondrous footsteps trace. Thy children shall not faint nor fear, Sustained by this delightful thought, — Since thou, their God, art every where, They cannot be where thou art not. BOWRING. (90) 8&6sM. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 96, gtJotu, get not alone. The desert flower afar may bloom, Where foot of man ne'er trod ; Yet gratefully its soft perfume Ascendeth up to God ; And he will own the offering too, And fill its cup with living dew. Alone may sing the forest bird, Afar from human ear ; Yet there he singe th not unheard, For God is listening near ; And he will cheer the warbler's breast With pleasant food and quiet rest. Thus, when, before his gracious throne, With grateful praise I bend, I feel I am not all alone, For God is still my friend ; And humble though my love may be, He answeretli it with love to me. G. "W. Bethune. (91) 97. U l) AND II I S NATURE. L. M. 6 l. dob tfci Jigfci of i^ tttorlb. Thou art, God, the life and light Of all this wondrous world we see ; Its glow by day, its smile by night, Are but reflections caught from thee. Where'er we turn, thy glories shine, And all things fair and bright are thine. When day, with farewell beam, delays Among the opening clouds of even, And we can almost think we gaze Through golden vistas into heaven, Those hues that make the sun's decline So soft, so radiant, Lord, are thine. When youthful Spring around us breathes, Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh ; And every flower the" Summer wreathes Is born beneath thy kindling eye : Where'er we turn, thy glories shine, And all things fair and bright are thine. T. Moore. (92) P.M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 98. dob is ITobe. I cannot always trace the way Where thou, almighty One, dost move, But I can always, always say That God is love. When fear her chilling mantle flings O'er earth, my soul to heaven above, As to her native home, upsprings, For God is love. When mystery clouds my darkened path, I'll check my dread, my doubts reprove ; In this my soul sweet comfort hath, That God is love. Yes, God is love ; — a word like this Can every gloomy thought remove, And turn all tears, all woes, to bliss, For God is love. Anonymous. (93) 90. GOD AXD HIS NATURE. CM. Sigjrt seining out of garktuss God moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform ; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm. Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up his bright designs, And works his sovereign will. Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take ; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head. Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace ; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face. His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour ; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower. (94) L. P. M. GOD AND HIS NAT DUE. Blind unbelief is sure to err. And scan his work in vain ; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain. Copper. lOO. (Hob's ^lobibzntz. If but a cloud in heaven appears, A blur moves thwart the harvest gold ; The trailing shadows of our fears Brood o'er the summer of our years, And the chance breezes come a-cold. The cloud floats down the teeming west ; It groweth with a vapory fold ! To-morrow, and our crops are blest ; Rain is our God made manifest, God of the creature and the wold. There's not a day without its gain ; The sky, with all its garnered gold, But darkens with the pledge of rain ; And all God's creatures raise the strain, His bounties, 0, how manifold ! w. (95) 101. GOD AND HIS NATURE. L. M. No human eyes thy face may see ; No human thought thy form may know ; But all creation dwells in thee, And thy great life through all doth flow. And yet, strange and wondrous thought ! Thou art a God who hearest prayer, And every heart with sorrow fraught To seek thy present aid may dare. And though most weak our efforts seem Into one creed these thoughts to bind, And vain the intellectual dream, To see and know the Eternal Mind, — Yet thou wilt turn them not aside Who cannot solve thy life divine, But would give up all reason's pride To know their hearts approved by thine. And thine unceasing love gave birth To our dear Lord, thy holy Son, Who left a perfect proof on earth That duty, love, and truth are one. (96) 10s M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 103. So, though we faint on life's dark hill, And thought grow weak, and knowledge flee, Yet faith shall teach us courage still, And love shall guide us on to thee. T. "VV. HlGGINSON. dob's f aifjcrlg Care. Father, there is no change to live with thee, Save that in Christ I grow from day to day ; In each new word I hear, each thing I see, I but rejoicing hasten on my way. The morning comes, with blushes overspread, And I, new-wakened, find a morn within ; And in its modest dawn around me shed, Thou hear'st the prayer and the ascending hymn. Hour follows hour, the lengthening shades descend ; Yet they could never reach as far as me, Did not thy love its kind protection lend, That I, thy child, might sleep in peace with thee. Jones Very. I (97) 103. GOD AND HIS NATURE. (J. ?-L He is alone my help and hope, That I shall not be moved ; His watchful eye is ever ope, And guardeth his beloved. The glorious God is my sole stay, He is my sun and shade ; The cold by night, the heat by day, Neither shall me invade. He keeps me from the spite of foes ; Doth all their plots control ; And is a shield, not reckoning those, Unto my very soul. Whether abroad amidst the crowd, Or else within my door, He is my pillar and my cloud, Now and forcvermore. Henry Vatjghan", (98) L.M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 1Q4. #000tUS23 Of #00. God, thou art good ; each perfumed flower, The waving field, the dark green wood, The insect fluttering for an hour, — All things proclaim that God is good. I hear it in each breath of wind ; The hills that have for ages stood, And clouds with gold and silver lined, All still repeat that God is good. Each little rill, that many a year Has the same verdant path pursued, And every bird, in accents clear, Joins in the song that God is good. The countless hosts of twinkling stars, That sing his praise with light renewed ; The rising sun each day declares, In rays of glory, God is good. The moon, that walks in brightness, says That God is good ; and man, endued With power to speak his Maker's praise, Should still repeat that God is good. Mrs. Pollen. (99) 105. GOD AND HIS NATURE, L. M. (Hob's Command One knows us as none other does, And it is not in man to dare Gainsay the fiat of his God, That duty grows sublime with care ! To lay a hand upon the mouth, And idly stand in reverent awe, Were useless dwarfing of this life To magnify the eternal law. The master truths of life come forth, Like the undying lamps of night ; The world is full of godsends most When seemingly of murk and blight. To write in water evil thought, To watch the ruling of his hand, To love our neighbor as in heaven, — This is his strong and sweet command. W. (100) M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 106. ^ztxtxz' & $ oft. My God, all nature owns thy sway ; Thou giv'st the night and thou the day ; When all thy loved creation wakes, When morning, rich in lustre, breaks, And bathes in dew the opening flower, To thee we owe her fragrant hour ; And when she pours her choral song, Her melodies to thee belong. Or when, in paler tints arrayed, The evening slowly spreads her shade, That soothing shade, that grateful gloom, Can, more than day's enlivening bloom, Still every fond and vain desire, And calmer, purer thoughts inspire, From earth the longing spirit free, And lead the softened heart to thee. As o'er thy work the seasons roll, And soothe, with change of bliss, the soul, 0, never may their smiling train Pass o'er the human sense in vaki ! But, oft as on their charms we gaze, Attune the wondering soul to praise ; And be the joys that most we prize The joys that from thy favor rise ! Miss PL M. Williams. I* (101) io v GOD AND HIS NATURE. C & 4s M. dob in Uatuo. God of the sighing breeze, God of the waving trees, To thee we soar. In field, and fruit, and flower, In summer's sunny hour, And winter's sleeting shower, Thee we adore. Now from the shimmering sky, Now from thy throne on high, In mercy look, That rightly we may heed, And rightly we may read The lessons we may need From Nature's book. Each trembling field of grass, Each weird and wild morass, Each tree and sod, Each bud in beauty wrought, Each blossom quickly sought, Is but the embodied thought Of nature's God. (102) ' L.M. GOD AND HIS NATURE. 108. Then let our faith be deep, As climb we steep by steep To holiness : And when, Father divine, We seek thy love benign, And would be wholly thine, Hear us, and bless. H. Sunned in the radiance of high good, All nature owns a bounteous God ; Man and the worm that thrids the sod Are one in life's beatitude. What mind can compass his intents, Or phrase a fitting prayer for aught ? Such revelry of grateful thought Doth wilder all our meekened sense. And can we, going to our task, When in life's thick our senses swim, Brush ^ff, like dawn-dew, thoughts of him Who grants us what we dare not ask ? w. (103) 109. GOD AND HIS NATUEE. CM. Saturn's Moxb^i^. The ocean looketh up to heaven As 'twere a living thing ; The homage of its waves is given In ceaseless worshipping. They kneel upon the sloping sand As bends the human knee — A beautiful and tireless band, The priesthood of the sea. The mists are lifted from the rills, Like the white wing of prayer ; They kneel above the ancient hills, As doing homage there. The forest tops are lowly cast O'er breezy hill and glen, As if a prayerful spirit passed On nature as on men. The sky is as a temple's arch ; The blue and wavy air Is glorious with the spirit march Of messengers at prayer. Whittieb, (104) 6&10sM. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. HQ. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. ®fe* &«0«rs Call. Come to the land of peace ! Come where the tempest has no longer sway, The shadow passes from the soul away, The sounds of weeping cease. Fear hath no dwelling there ; Come to the mingling of repose and love, Breathed by the silent spirit of the dove Through the celestial air. Come to the bright, and blest, And crowned forever ; 'midst that shining band, Gathered to heaven's own wreath from every land, The spirit shall find rest. Mrs. Hemans. (105) HI. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. L. M. dUjeabxng to (Eartjr. Earth's children cleave to earth ; her frail, Decaying children dread decay ; Yon wreath of mist that leaves the vale, And lessens in the morning ray, — Look, how by mountain rivulet It lingers as it upward creeps, And clings to fern and copsewood set Along the green and dewy steeps. Yet all in vain — it passes still From hold to hold ; it cannot stay ; And in the very beams that fill The world with glory, wastes away, — Till, parting from the mountain's brow, It vanishes from human eye, And that which sprung of earth is now A portion of the glorious sky. Bryant. (106) 10&esM. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. H^. %\z (ft o it fl u * of ifao (Eternities. Another life the life of day o'erwhelms ; The past from present consciousness takes hue, And we remember vast and cloudy realms Our feet have wandered through. So oft some moonlight of the mind makes dumb The stir of outer thought ; wide open seems The gate where thro' strange sympathies have come, The secret of our dreams ; — The source of fine impressions, shooting deep Below the failing plummet of the sense ; Which strike beyond all time, and backward sweep Through all intelligence. We touch the lower life of beast and clod, And the long process of the ages see From blind old chaos, ere the breath of God Moved it to harmony. All outward wisdom yields to that within, Whereof nor creed nor canon holds the key ; We only feel that we have ever been, And evermore shall be. Bayard Taylor. (107) 113. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. S. M. %\t Issues of 'gxit aitb 9*atjj. 0, where shall rest be found, Rest for the weary soul ? 'Twere vain the ocean depths to sound. Or pierce to either pole. The world can never give The bliss for which we sigh ; 'Tis not the whole of life to live, Nor all of death to die. Beyond this vale of tears, There is a life above, Unmeasured by the flight of years ; And all that life is love. Here would we end our quest ; Alone are found in thee The life of perfect love — the rest Of immortality. Montgomery. (108) L.M. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. H4. (Bsrilj art br |Uabeit» Great God, how vain our lives can be, Forgetful of their true estate ! Our wandering spirits fly from thee, Relinquish heaven, and tempt their fate. Yet what a dream, if this were all — To gain the world and win but loss ; To feel its chiefest pleasures pall, To grasp its gold, and find it dross ! 0, could we taste those living springs That flow through all the heavenly road, And feel the soul's expanded wings, Reviving, mount to thine abode ! But doubts and fears, like cloud on cloud, Around us fling their gloomy screen, And sin grows up, a frightful shroud, Our hearts, and 0, our heaven between. Yet thus we cling to time's control, And wasted hopes to earth are given, Till God recalls the wandering soul, And to the weary opens heaven. Geo. Lunt. J (109) 115. LIFE, DEATH, A^D FUTURITY. 6 & 10s M. $jj,e flour of j) eat {j. Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, And stars to set ; but all, Thou hast all seasons for thine own, Death ! Youth and the opening rose May look like things too glorious for decay ; But thou art not of those That wait the ripened bloom to seize their prey. We know when moons shall wane, When summer birds from far shall cross the sea, When autumn pales the grain ; But who shall teach us when to look for thee ? Thou art where billows foam, Thou art where music melts upon the air, Art in our peaceful home, And the world calls us forth, and thou art there. Leaves have their time to fall, And flowers to wither at the north wind's breath, And stars to set ; but all, Thou hast all seasons for thine own, Death ! Mrs. IIemaxs. (HO) CM. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. H6. Wihzxt is tfyz Spirit %anz? Answer me, burning stars of night, Where is the spirit gone, That past the reach of human sight, E'en as a breeze, hath flown ? And the stars answered me, " We roll In light and power on high, But of the never-dying soul Ask things that cannot die ! " Ye clouds that gorgeously repose Around the setting sun, Answer : have ye a home for those Whose earthly race is run ? The bright clouds answered, " We depart ; We vanish from the sky ; Ask what is deathless in thy heart For that which cannot die ! " Speak then, thou voice of God within ; Thou of the deep low tone ; Answer me through life's restless din, Where is the spirit flown ? And the voice answered, " Be thou still ! Enough to know is given ; Clouds and the stars their task fulfil, — Thine is to trust in heaven ! " Mrs. Hemans. (ill) 117. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. P.M. All over life's shadowy border flow Sweet rays from the world of endless morn, And the nearer mountains catch the glow, And flames in the nearer fields are born. The souls of the happy dead repair, From their bowers of light, to that bordering land, And walk in the fainter glory there, With the souls of the living hand in hand. One calm sweet smile, in that shadowy sphere, From eyes that open on earth no more — One warning word from a voice once dear — How they rise in the memory o'er and o'er ! Far off from those hills that shine with day, And fields that bloom in the heavenly gales, This land of dreams goes stretching away To dimmer mountains and darker vales. Bryant. (112) L. M. LIFE, DEATH, AND FUTURITY. US.