Chapter 17

4 If thou, my Saviour, still be nigh, Cheerful I live, and joyful die; Secure, when mortal comforts flee, To find ten thousand worlds in thee.

456. C. M. Watts.

Sincerity and Hypocrisy.

1 God is a spirit just and wise, He sees our inmost mind; In vain to heaven we raise our cries, And leave our souls behind.

2 Nothing but truth before his throne With honor can appear; The painted hypocrites are known Through the disguise they wear.

3 Their lifted eyes salute the skies, Their bending knees the ground; But God abhors the sacrifice Where not the heart is found.

4 Lord, search my thoughts, and try my ways, And make my soul sincere; Then shall I stand before thy face, And find acceptance there.

457. C. P. M. Wesley's Coll.

True Wisdom.

1 Be it my only wisdom here, To serve the Lord with filial fear, With loving gratitude; Superior sense may I display, By shunning every evil way, And walking in the good.

2 O may I still from sin depart! A wise and understanding heart, Father, to me be given! And let me through thy Spirit know To glorify my God below, And find my way to heaven.

458. L. M. 6l. Merrick.

For the Understanding and Influence of God's Word.

1 While here as wandering sheep we stray, Teach us, O teach us, Lord, thy way! Dispose our hearts, with willing awe, To love thy word, to keep thy law; That, by thy guiding precepts led, Our feet the paths of truth may tread.

2 Great Source of light to all below! Teach us thy holy will to know: Teach us to read thy word aright, And make it our supreme delight; That, purged from vain desires, our mind In thee its only good may find.

3 Maker, instructer, judge of all, O hear us when on thee we call! To us, all-bounteous Lord, dispense Thy grace, and guiding influence! Preserve us in thy holy ways, And teach our hearts to speak thy praise!

459. C. M. Montgomery.

Solomon's Prayer for Wisdom.

1 Almighty God! in humble prayer To thee our souls we lift; Do thou our waiting minds prepare For thy most needful gift.

2 We ask not golden streams of wealth Along our path to flow; We ask not undecaying health, Nor length of years below.

3 We ask not honors, which an hour May bring and take away; We ask not pleasure, pomp, and power, Lest we should go astray.

4 We ask for wisdom;--Lord, impart The knowledge how to live; A wise and understanding heart To all before thee give.

5 The young remember thee in youth, Before the evil days! The old be guided by thy truth In wisdom's pleasant ways!

460. C. M. Cowper.

Walking with God.

1 O, for a closer walk with God! A calm and heavenly frame! A light to shine upon the road That leads me to the Lamb!

2 What peaceful hours I once enjoyed! How sweet their memory still! But now I find an aching void The world can never fill.

3 Return, O holy Dove, return, Sweet messenger of rest; I hate the sins that made thee mourn, And drove thee from my breast.

4 The dearest idol I have known, Whate'er that idol be, Help me to tear it from thy throne, And worship only thee.

461. C. M. Doddridge.

For Freedom from Secret Sin.

1 Searcher of hearts! before thy face I all my soul display; And, conscious of its innate arts, Entreat thy strict survey.

2 If, lurking in its inmost folds, I any sin conceal, O, let a ray of light divine The secret guile reveal.

3 If tinctured with that odious gall Unknowing I remain, Let grace, like a pure silver stream, Wash out the hateful stain.

4 If, in these fatal fetters bound, A wretched slave I lie, Smite off my chains, and wake my soul To light and liberty.

5 To humble penitence and prayer Be gentle pity given; Speak ample pardon to my heart, And seal its claim to heaven.

462. S. M. Grünbeck.

Self-abandonment to God.

1 Lord! bring me to resign My doubting heart to thee; And, whether cheerful or distressed, Thine, thine alone to be.

2 My only aim be this,-- Thy purpose to fulfil, In thee rejoice with all my strength, And do thy holy will.

3 Lord! thy all-seeing eye Keeps watch with sleepless care: Thy great compassion never fails; Thou hear'st my needy prayer.

4 So will I firmly trust, That thou wilt guide me still, And guard me safe throughout the way That leads to Zion's hill.

463. C. M. Cowper.

Religious Retirement.

1 Far from the world, O Lord! I flee, From strife and tumult far; From scenes, where sin is waging still Its most successful war.

2 The calm retreat, the silent shade, With prayer and praise agree; And seem, by thy sweet bounty, made For those who follow thee.

3 There, if thy spirit touch the soul, And grace her mean abode; O with what peace, and joy, and love, She communes with her God.

4 There, like the nightingale, she pours Her solitary lays; Nor asks a witness of her song, Nor thirsts for human praise.

5 Author and Guardian of my life, Sweet Source of light divine, And all harmonious names in one, My Father--thou art mine!

464. C. M. J. J. Gurney.

Silent Worship.

1 Let deepest silence all around Its peaceful shelter spread; So shall the living word abound, The word that wakes the dead.

2 How sweet to wait upon the Lord In stillness and in prayer! What though no preacher speak the word A minister is there:

3 He knows to bend the heart of steel, He bows the loftiest soul; O'er all we think and all we feel, How matchless his control!

4 And, O, how precious is his love In tender mercy given; It whispers of the blest above, And stays the soul on heaven.

5 From mind to mind, in streams of joy, The holy influence spreads; 'T is peace, 'tis praise without alloy, For God that influence sheds.

6 To thee, O God, we still will pray, And praise thee as before; For this thy glorious gospel-day, Teach us to praise thee more.

465. L. M. 6l. Bowring.

"Help thou my unbelief."

1 If listening, as I listen still, O God! to thine instructive word, In spite of all my spirit's will, Some whispering voice of doubt is heard,-- That voice spontaneous from the soul, Which nought can check and nought control;

2 If when most earnestly I pray For light, for aid, for strength from thee, Some struggling thoughts will force their way, And break my soul's serenity;-- If reason, thy best gift, will hold The sceptre only half controlled:--

3 Help and forgive! heaven's alphabet Hath many a word of mystery; I read not all thy record yet, Though perseveringly I try; But teach me, Lord! and none shall be More prompt, more pleased to learn of thee.

466. S. M. Herbert.

Doing all to the Glory of God.

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, Even servile labors shine; Hallowed is toil, if this the cause, The meanest work divine.

467. 8s. 7s. & 4s. M. Oliver.

God the Pilgrim's Guide and Strength.

1 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, Pilgrim through this mortal land: I am weak, but thou art mighty; Hold me with thy powerful hand: Bread of heaven, Feed me till I want no more.

2 Open now the crystal fountain, Whence the healing streams do flow; Let the fiery, cloudy pillar Lead me all my journey through: Strong Deliverer, Be thou still my strength and shield.

3 When I tread the verge of Jordan, Bid my anxious fears subside; Bear me through the swelling current; Land me safe on Canaan's side: Songs of praises I will ever give to thee.

468. C. M. Wreford.

Prayer for Faith.

1 Lord! I believe; thy power I own, Thy word I would obey; I wander comfortless, and lone, When from thy truth I stray.

2 Lord! I believe; but gloomy fears Sometimes bedim my sight; I look to thee with prayers and tears, And cry for strength and light.

3 Lord! I believe; but oft, I know, My faith is cold and weak; Strengthen my weakness, and bestow The confidence I seek!

4 Yes, I believe; and only thou Canst give my soul relief; Lord! to thy truth my spirit bow, Help thou my unbelief!

469. S. M. Watts.

Safety in God.

1 When overwhelmed with grief, My heart within me dies; Helpless and far from all relief, To heaven I lift mine eyes.

2 O lead me to the rock That's high above my head; And make the covert of thy wings My shelter and my shade.

3 Within thy presence, Lord, I ever would abide; Thou art the tower of my defence, The refuge where I hide.

470. C. M. Montgomery.

Prayer for Grace in Trial.

1 Father of all our mercies, thou In whom we move and live, Hear us in heaven, thy dwelling, now, And answer, and forgive.

2 When, harassed by ten thousand foes, Our helplessness we feel, O, give the weary soul repose, The wounded spirit heal.

3 When dire temptations gather round And threaten or allure, By storm or calm, in thee be found A refuge strong and sure.

4 When age advances, may we grow In faith, in hope, and love, And walk in holiness below To holiness above.

5 When earthly joys and cares depart, Desire and envy cease, Be thou the portion of our heart,-- In thee may we have peace.

471. L. M. Roscoe.

The Solace of Faith.

1 When human hopes and joys depart, I give thee, Lord, a contrite heart; And on my weary spirit steal The thoughts that pass all earthly weal.

2 I cast above my tearful eyes, And muse upon the starry skies; And think that He who governs there Still keeps me in his guardian care.

3 I gaze upon the opening flower, Just moistened with the evening shower; And bless the love which made it bloom, To chase away my transient gloom.

4 I think, whene'er this mortal frame Returns again to whence it came, My soul shall wing its happy flight To regions of eternal light.

472. C. M. Wesleyan.

For Purity of Heart.

1 O, for a heart to praise my God, A heart from sin set free; A heart that always feels how good, Thou, Lord, hast been to me.

2 O for a humble, contrite heart, Believing, true, and clean, Which neither life nor death can part From him who dwells within;--

3 A heart in every thought renewed, And full of love divine, Perfect, and right, and pure and good, Conformed, O Lord, to thine.

4 Thy temper, gracious Lord, impart; Come quickly from above; O, write thy name upon my heart, Thy name, O God, is Love.

473. L. M. Bowring.

God's sustaining Presence.

1 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.

2 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.

3 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.

4 Thy children shall not faint nor fear, Sustained by this delightful thought,-- Since thou, their God, art everywhere, They cannot be where thou art not.

474. S. M. Episcopal Coll.

Ark of Safety.

1 O, cease, my wandering soul, On restless wing to roam; All this wide world, to either pole, Has not for thee a home.

2 Behold the ark of God; Behold the open door; O, haste to gain that dear abode, And rove, my soul, no more.

3 There, safe thou shalt abide, There, sweet shall be thy rest, And every longing satisfied, With full salvation blest.

475. C. M. Watts.

"O that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes."

1 O that the Lord would guide my ways To keep his statutes still! O that my God would grant me grace To know and do his will!

2 O send thy Spirit down to write Thy law upon my heart! Nor let my tongue indulge deceit, Nor act the liar's part.

3 Order my footsteps by thy word, And make my heart sincere; Let sin have no dominion, Lord, But keep my conscience clear.

4 Make me to walk in thy commands,-- 'Tis a delightful road; Nor let my head, or heart, or hands, Offend against my God.

476. C. M. T. Humphries.

"Lord, remember me."

1 O thou, from whom all goodness flows, I lift my soul to thee; In all my sorrows, conflicts, woes, Good Lord, remember me.

2 When on my aching, burdened heart My sins lie heavily, Thy pardon grant, new peace impart: Good Lord, remember me.

3 When trials sore obstruct my way, And ills I cannot flee, O let my strength be as my day: Good Lord, remember me.

4 And when before thy throne I stand, And lift my soul to thee, Then, with the saints at thy right hand, Good Lord, remember me!

477. L. M. Merrick.

Prayer for Divine Guidance.

1 Teach me, O teach me, Lord! thy way; So, to my life's remotest day, By thy unerring precepts led, My willing feet its paths shall tread.

2 Informed by thee, with sacred awe, My heart shall meditate thy law; And with celestial wisdom filled, To thee its full obedience yield.

3 Give me to know thy will aright,-- Thy will, my glory and delight.-- That, raised above the world, my mind In thee its highest good may find.

4 O turn from vanity mine eye; To me thy quickening strength supply; And with thy promised mercy cheer A heart devoted to thy fear.

478. 7s. M. C. Wesley.

The Repose of Faith.

1 Happy soul, that safe from harm Rests within his Shepherd's arm! Who his quiet shall molest? Who shall violate his rest?

2 Seek, O Lord, thy wandering sheep; Bring me back, and lead, and keep; Take on thee my every care; Bear me, on thy bosom bear.

3 Let me know thy gracious voice; More and more in thee rejoice; More and more of thee receive; Ever in thy spirit live:--

4 Live, till all thy love I know, Perfect in my Lord below; Gladly then from earth remove, Gathered to the fold above.

479. C. M. C. Wesley.

A Rest Remaineth.

1 Lord! we believe a rest remains To all thy people known; A rest where pure enjoyment reigns;-- For thou art served alone:--

2 A rest where all our souls desire Is fixed on things above; Where fear, and sin, and grief expire, Cast out by perfect love.

3 O that we now that rest might know, Believe and enter in! Thou Holiest! now the power bestow, And let us cease from sin.

4 Remove this hardness from our heart, This unbelief remove: The rest of perfect faith impart, The sabbath of thy love.

480. L. M. Anonymous.

Angels from Heaven Strengthening Him.

1 Lord! in thy garden agony, No light seemed on thy soul to break, No form of seraph lingered nigh, Nor yet the voice of comfort spake;

2 Till, by thine own triumphant word, The victory over, ill was won; Till the sweet, mournful cry was heard, "Thy will, O God, not mine, be done!"

3 Lord, bring these precious moments back, When, fainting, against sin we strain; Or in thy counsels fail to track Aught but the present grief and pain.

4 In weakness, help us to contend; In darkness, yield to God our will; And true hearts, faithful to the end, Cheer by thine holy angels still!

481. C. M. Steele.

Filial Submission.

1 And can my heart aspire so high, To say, "My Father," God? Lord, at thy feet, I fain would lie, And learn to kiss the rod.

2 I would submit to all thy will, For thou art good and wise; Let each rebellious thought be still, Nor one faint murmur rise.

3 Thy love can cheer the darkest gloom, And bid me wait serene, Till hopes and joys immortal bloom, And brighten all the scene.

4 "My Father, God," permit my heart To plead her humble claim, And ask the bliss those words impart, In my Redeemer's name.

482. C. M. Pope.

Universal Prayer.

1 Father of all! in every age, In every clime, adored, By saint, by savage, and by sage, Jehovah, Jove, or Lord!--

2 Save me alike from foolish pride, Or impious discontent At aught thy wisdom has denied, Or aught thy goodness lent.

3 This day be bread and peace my lot: All else beneath the sun Thou knowest if best bestowed or not And let thy will be done.

4 Yet not to earth's contracted span Thy goodness let me bound, Or think thee Lord alone of man, When thousand worlds are round.

5 To thee whose temple is all space, Whose altar, earth, sea, skies, One chorus let all beings raise, All nature's incense rise.

483. C. M. Pope.

The Same.

1 Father of all, whose cares extend To earth's remotest shore, Through every age let praise ascend, And every clime adore.

2 Mean though I am, not wholly so, Since quickened by thy breath; Lord, lead me wheresoe'er I go, Through this day's life or death.

3 Teach me to feel another's woe, To hide the fault I see; That mercy I to others show, That mercy show to me.

4 If I am right, thy grace impart Still in the right to stay; If I am wrong, O teach my heart To find that better way.

5 What conscience dictates to be done, Or warns me not to do, This teach me more than hell to shun, That more than heaven pursue.

484. 7s. M. Methodist Coll.

Seeking God.

1 Light of Life, Seraphic Fire, Love Divine, thyself impart; Every fainting soul inspire; Shine in every drooping heart! Every mournful sinner cheer; Scatter all our guilty gloom; Love of God, appear, appear! To thy human temples come.

2 Come, in this accepted hour; Bring thy heavenly kingdom in! Fill us with thy glorious power, Rooting out the seeds of sin: Nothing more can we require, We will covet nothing less; Be thou all our heart's desire, Be our heaven--in holiness.

485. C. M. Percy Chapel Coll.

"Thy Will be done."

1 Father, I know thy ways are just, Although to me unknown; O, grant me grace thy love to trust, And cry, "Thy will be done."

2 If thou shouldst hedge with thorns my path; Should wealth and friends be gone; Still with a firm and lively faith, I'll cry, "Thy will be done."

3 Although thy steps I cannot trace, Thy sovereign right I'll own; And, as instructed by thy grace; I'll cry, "Thy will be done."

4 'Tis sweet thus passively to lie Before thy gracious throne, Concerning everything to cry, "My Father's will be done."

486. C. M. Doddridge.

Confidence in God.

1 My God! the covenant of thy love Abides forever sure; And in thy matchless grace I feel My happiness secure.

2 What though my house be not with thee As nature could desire? To nobler joys than nature gives Thy servants all aspire.

3 Since thou, the everlasting God, My Father art become; Jesus my Guardian and my Friend, And heaven my final home:

4 I welcome all thy sovereign will, For all that will is love; And when I know not what thou dost, I wait the light above.

5 Thy covenant the last accent claims Of this poor faltering tongue; And that shall the first notes employ Of my celestial song.

487. L. M. Henry Moore.

Prayer for Religious Principle.

1 Amidst a world of hopes and fears, A wild of cares, and toils, and tears, Where foes alarm and dangers threat, And pleasures kill, and glories cheat:

2 Shed down, O Lord! a heavenly ray, To guide me in the doubtful way; And o'er me hold thy shield of power, To guard me in the dangerous hour.

3 Teach me the flattering paths to shun, In which the thoughtless many run, Who for a shade the substance miss, And grasp their ruin in their bliss.

4 May never pleasure, wealth or pride, Allure my wandering soul aside; But through this maze of mortal ill, Safe lead me to thy heavenly hill.

488. L. M. Christian Psalmist.

Prayer for Divine Help.

1 Be with me, Lord, where'er I go; Teach me what thou wouldst have me do; Show me my weakness,--let me see I have my power, my all from thee.

2 Enrich me always with thy love; My kind protection ever prove; Thy signet put upon my breast, And let thy spirit on me rest.

3 Assist and teach me how to pray; Incline my nature to obey; What thou abhorr'st that let me flee, And only love what pleases thee.

4 O may I never do my will, But thine, and only thine, fulfil; Let all my time and all my ways Be spent and ended to thy praise.

489. C. M. Anonymous.

Prayer for the Christian Temper.

1 Almighty Maker! Lord of all! Of life the only spring! Creator of unnumbered worlds! Supreme, Eternal King!

2 Drive from the confines of my heart Impenitence and pride; Nor let me, in forbidden paths, With thoughtless sinners glide.

3 Let not despair nor fell revenge Be to my bosom known: Oh! give me tears for others' woes, And patience for my own.

4 Feed me with necessary food; I ask not wealth or fame; Give me an eye to see thy will, A heart to bless thy name.

5 May still my days serenely pass, Without remorse or care; And growing holiness my soul For life's last hour prepare.

490. S. M. Methodist Coll.

For Holiness.