Chapter 25

1 Brethren, beloved for Jesus' sake, A hearty welcome here receive; May we together now partake The joys which he alone can give.

2 May he by whose kind care we meet, Send his good Spirit from above, Make our communion pure and sweet, And cause our hearts to burn with love.

3 Forgotten be each worldly theme, When thus we meet, to pray and praise; We but desire to speak of him, And of his holy word and ways.

4 Thus as the moments pass away, We'll love, and wonder and adore; Then hasten on, the glorious day, When we shall meet to part no more.

727. C. M. Hymns of Zion.

The Same.

1 Joined in a union firm and strong, No foe our ranks can break; To victory we press along, And glorious warfare make. Our fervent prayers shall still prevail Against a host of sins; And angels every Christian hail Whose love a conquest wins.

2 Then let our ranks, more closely joined, With shield and buckler stand; A kingdom we at last shall find, The promised spirit-land. Let all with harmony of voice, In lofty praises join; Let every soul in Christ rejoice, With rapture all divine.

3 The kindling flame begins to glow, Each heart grows warm with love; And we enjoy on earth below, The bliss of heaven above! O thus forever may we feel, And evermore display Devotion's pure and holy zeal, In Zion's chosen way.

728. 7s. & 6s. M. J. G. Adams.

The Same.

1 Our Father--ever living! Once more thy children come, In joy and true thanksgiving, To this their gospel home. United--from dissension Kept by thy goodness free-- Again in glad Convention Our vows we pay to thee.

2 The Past! Its ways are beaming With thy sure mercies, Lord-- Thy truth and grace redeeming, Sent o'er the earth abroad, The hoary shrines of error Have cast aside; and free From darkness, doubt, and terror Its children come to thee.

3 The Present! Loudly sounding, Its cheering tones are heard; Be our full hearts abounding In its strong Hope and Word! Be strength and wisdom, Father! Bestowing what we need, Truth's harvest-sheaves to gather-- Christ's kingdom here to speed.

4 The Future! Indications Of mightier works are there:-- Truth's promised revelations; Thine arm of power made bare; From sin's dread reign exemption: Man's life in Christ, divine; The erring world's redemption; The glory, Father, thine!

729. C. M. Mrs. Sawyer.

The Same.

1 We gather in the name of God, And, bowing down the head, We stretch our waiting hands abroad, And humbly ask for aid: For aid, when o'er the spirit's day, Thick clouds of darkness rest, That we may chase the gloom away, And light the darkened breast.

2 For strength to lead the poor, the weak Who tread the vale of years,-- For pity's hand to dry the cheek Where sorrow sits in tears; For hope, the beautiful and bright, That whispers, "Ne'er despond!" For faith, that through the darkest night Still sees a star beyond.

3 Bold heralds of the cross, O God, Undaunted send us forth; Salvation be our rallying word,-- Our field, the boundless earth; Love on our lips, and in our soul, Our labors never done; O Sovereign Helper! till the goal By all at last be won.

730. 7s. M. H. K. White.

Closing Hymn at an Association.

1 Christians! brethren! ere we part, Every voice and every heart Join, and to our Father raise One last hymn of grateful praise.

2 Though we here should meet no more, Yet there is a brighter shore; There, released from toil and pain, There we all may meet again.

3 Now to him who reigns in heaven Be eternal glory given; Grateful for thy love divine, O may all our hearts be thine!

731. C. M. Sutton.

The Same.

1 Hail, sweetest, dearest tie that binds Our glowing hearts in one; Hail, sacred hope, that tunes our minds To sing what God hath done. It is the hope, the blissful hope, Which gospel grace hath given; The hope, when days and years are past, We all shall meet in heaven.

2 From eastern shores, from northern lands, From western hill and plain, From southern climes, the brother-bands May hope to meet again; It is the hope, the blissful hope, Which love divine hath given: The hope, when life and time are o'er, We all shall meet in heaven.

3 No hope deferred, no parting sigh, That blessed meeting knows; There friendship beams from every eye, And hope immortal grows. It is the hope, the precious hope, Which boundless grace hath given: The hope, when time shall be no more, We all shall meet in heaven.

732. C. M. W. Ward.

Prayer for the Success of the Gospel.

1 Great God, the nations of the earth Are by creation thine; And in thy works, by all beheld, Thy radiant glories shine.

2 But, Lord, thy greater love has sent Thy gospel to mankind, Unveiling what rich stores of grace Are treasured in thy mind.

3 O, when shall these glad tidings spread The spacious earth around, Till every tribe and every soul Shall hear the joyful sound?

4 Smile, Lord, on each divine attempt To spread the gospel's rays, And build on sin's demolished throne The temples of thy praise.

733. 7s. & 6s. M. Heber.

Missionary Hymn.

1 From Greenland's icy mountains, From India's coral strand,-- Where Afric's sunny fountains Roll down their golden sand,-- From many an ancient river, From many a palmy plain,-- They call us to deliver Their land from error's chain.

2 What though the spicy breezes Blow soft o'er Ceylon's isle; Though every prospect pleases, And only man is vile; In vain with lavish kindness The gifts of God are strown; The heathen in his blindness Bows down to wood and stone.

3 Shall we, whose souls are lighted By wisdom from on high, Shall we to men benighted The lamp of life deny? Salvation! O, salvation! The joyful sound proclaim, Till each remotest nation Has learnt Messiah's name.

734. 7s. M. Pratt's Coll.

The Same.

1 Go! ye messengers of God, Like the beams of morning, fly; Take the wonder-working rod, Wave the Banner-Cross on high! Where th' lofty minaret Gleams along the morning skies, Wave it till the crescent set, And the "Star of Jacob" rise.

2 Go! to many a tropic isle, In the bosom of the deep; Where the skies forever smile, And th' oppressed forever weep! O'er the negro's night of care Pour the living light of heaven; Chase away the fiend despair, Bid him hope to be forgiven!

3 When the golden gates of day Open on the palmy east, Wide the bleeding cross display, Spread the gospel's richest feast: Circumnavigate the ball, Visit every soil and sea; Preach the Cross of Christ to all-- Jesus' love is full and free!

735. C. M. S. W. Livermore.

The Western Churches.

1 Our pilgrim brethren dwelling far,-- O God of truth and love, Light thou their path with thine own star, Bright beaming from above.

2 Wide as their mighty rivers flow, Let thine own truth extend; Where prairies spread and forests grow, O Lord, thy gospel send.

3 Then will a mighty nation own A union firm and strong;-- The sceptre of th' eternal throne Shall rule its councils long.

736. C. P. M. Episcopal Coll.

On Western Missions.

1 When, Lord, to this our western land, Led by thy providential hand, Our wandering fathers came, Their ancient homes, their friends in youth Sent forth the heralds of thy truth, To keep them in thy name.

2 Then, through our solitary coast, The desert features soon were lost; Thy temples there arose; Our shores, as culture made them fair, Were hallowed by thy rites, by prayer, And blossomed as the rose.

3 And O, may we repay this debt To regions solitary yet Within our spreading land! There brethren, from our common home, Still westward, like our fathers, roam, Still guided by thy hand.

4 Father, we own this debt of love; O, shed thy Spirit from above, To move each Christian breast, Till heralds shall thy truth proclaim, And temples rise, to fix thy name, Through all our boundless West!

737. L. M. Winchell's Sel.

Missionaries Encouraged.

1 Ye Christian heralds,--go, proclaim Salvation in Immanuel's name: To distant climes the tidings bear, And plant the rose of Sharon there.

2 He'll shield you with a wall of fire, With holy zeal your hearts inspire, Bid raging winds their fury cease, And calm the savage breast to peace.

3 And when our labors all are o'er, Then shall we meet to part no more,-- Meet, with the ransomed throng to fail, And crown the Saviour Lord of all.

EARLY RELIGIOUS CULTURE.

738. 7s. M. Campbell's Coll.

Prayer for Children.

1 God of mercy, hear our prayer For the children thou hast given; Let them all thy blessings share-- Grace on earth and bliss in heaven.

2 In the morning of their days May their hearts be drawn to thee; Let them learn to lisp thy praise In their earliest infancy.

3 When we see their passions rise, Sinful habits unsubdued, Then to thee we lift our eyes, That their hearts may be renewed.

4 For this mercy, Lord, we cry; Bend thine ever-gracious ear; While on thee our souls rely, Hear our prayer--in mercy hear.

739. C. M. Bp. Heber.

Early Religion.

1 By cool Siloam's shady rill How sweet the lily grows! How sweet the breath beneath the hill Of Sharon's dewy rose!

2 Lo, such the child whose early feet The paths of peace have trod; Whose secret heart, with influence sweet, Is upward drawn to God!

3 By cool Siloam's shady rill The lily must decay; The rose that blooms beneath the hill Must shortly fade away.

4 And soon, too soon, the wintry hour Of man's maturer age Will shake the soul with sorrow's power, And stormy passion's rage!

5 O Thou, who giv'st us life and breath, We seek thy grace alone, In childhood, manhood, age, and death; To keep us still thine own!

740. 7s. & 6s. M. S. F. Smith.

"Remember thy Creator."

1 "Remember thy Creator" While youth's fair spring is bright, Before thy cares are greater, Before comes age's night; While yet the sun shines o'er thee, While stars the darkness cheer, While life is all before thee, Thy great Creator fear.

741. C. M. Watts.

Early Piety.

1 When children give their hearts to God, 'Tis pleasing in his eyes; A flower, when offered in the bud, Is no vain sacrifice.

2 It saves us from a thousand snares To mind religion young; Grace will preserve our following years, And make our virtues strong.

3 To thee, Almighty God, to thee May we our hearts resign; 'Twill please us to look back and see, That our whole lives were thine.

742. C. M. Gibbons.

The Same.

1 In the soft season of thy youth, In Nature's smiling bloom, Ere age arrive, and trembling wait Its summons to the tomb;

2 Remember thy Creator, God; For him thy powers employ; Make him thy fear, thy love, thy hope, Thy confidence, thy joy.

3 He shall defend and guide thy course Through life's uncertain sea, Till thou art landed on the shore Of blessed eternity.

4 Then seek the Lord betimes, and choose The path of heavenly truth: The earth affords no lovelier sight Than a religious youth.

743. L. M. Landon.

Permanence of Early Religious Impressions.

1 While yet the youthful spirit bears The image of its God within, And uneffaced that beauty wears So soon to be destroyed by sin;--

2 Then is the time for faith and love To take in charge their precious care, Teach the young eye to look above, Teach the young knee to bend in prayer.

3 The world will come with care and crime, And tempt too many a heart astray; Still the seed sown in early time Will not be wholly cast away.

4 The infant prayer, the infant hymn, Within the darkened soul will rise, When age's weary eye is dim, And the grave's shadow round us lies.

5 Lord, grant our hearts be so inclined, Thy work to seek, thy will to do; And while we teach the youthful mind, Our own be taught thy lessons too.

744. C. M. Watts.

Importance of the Bible to the Young.

1 How shall the young secure their hearts, And guard their lives, from sin? Thy word the choicest rules imparts To keep the conscience clean.

2 'Tis, like the sun, a heavenly light, That guides us all the day, And, through the dangers of the night, A lamp to lead our way.

3 Thy precepts make us truly wise; We hate the sinner's road: We hate our own vain thoughts that rise, But love thy law, O God!

4 Thy word is everlasting truth: How pure is every page! That holy book shall guide our youth, And well support our age.

745. S. M. Anonymous.

Youth and the Spring-time.

1 Sweet is the time of spring, When nature's charms appear; The birds with ceaseless pleasure sing, And hail the opening year: But sweeter far the spring Of wisdom and of grace, When children bless and praise their King, Who loves the youthful race.

2 Sweet is the dawn of day, When light just streaks the sky; When shades and darkness pass away, And morning's beams are nigh: But sweeter far the dawn Of piety in youth; When doubt and darkness are withdrawn, Before the light of truth.

3 Sweet is the early dew, Which gilds the mountain tops, And decks each plant and flower we view, With pearly, glittering drops; But sweeter far the scene On Zion's holy hill, When there the dew of youth is seen Its freshness to distil.

746. C. M. Episcopal Coll.

"Remember thy Creator."

1 In the glad morn of life, when youth With generous ardor glows, And shines in all the fairest charms That beauty can disclose;

2 Deep on thy soul,--before its powers Are yet by vice enslaved,-- Be thy Creator's lofty name And character engraved.

3 For soon the shades of grief may cloud The sunshine of thy days; And cares and toils, an endless round, Encompass all thy ways.

4 True wisdom, early sought and gained, In age will give thee rest; O then, improve the morn of life, To make its evening blest!

747. 8s. & 7s. M. R. Streeter.

Children's Prayer.

1 God of mercy and of wisdom, Hear thy children's lisping cry; Let thy presence, Lord, be with them, Teaching lessons from on high.

2 Here, beneath thy wing, we seat us, Up to heaven for wisdom look; Lord, in mercy deign to meet us,-- Meet us in thy sacred book.

3 Since thy truth doth gild its pages, May that truth, Lord, make us free; On the Rock of endless ages Let our faith established be.

4 To our faith we'll add the graces, Virtue, knowledge, patience, love; When on earth we leave our places, Raise us all to seats above.

748. 7s. M. Grey.

Sabbath School Hymn.

1 Suppliant, lo! thy children bend, Father, for thy blessing now; Thou canst teach us, guide, defend,-- We are weak, almighty thou.

2 With the peace thy word imparts, Be the taught and teacher blest; In their lives and on their hearts, Father, be thy laws imprest.

3 Pour into each longing mind Light and knowledge from above: Charity for all mankind-- Trusting faith, enduring love.

749. 8s. & 7s. M. Anonymous.

Opening of the School.

1 We have met in peace together In this house of God again; Constant friends have led us hither, Here to chant the solemn strain, Here to breathe our adoration, Here the Saviour's praise to sing: May the Spirit of salvation Come with healing in his wing.

2 We have met, and Time is flying; We shall part, and still his wing, Sweeping o'er the dead and dying, Will the changeful seasons bring: Let us, while our hearts are lightest, In our fresh and early years, Turn to Him whose smile is brightest, And whose grace will calm our fears.

3 He will aid us, should existence With its sorrows sting the breast; Gleaming in the onward distance, Faith will mark the land of rest: There, 'midst day-beams round him playing, We our Father's face shall see, And shall hear him gently saying, "Little children, come to me."

750. C. M. William Cutter.

Youthful Example.

1 What if the little rain should say, So small a drop as I Can ne'er refresh these thirsty fields, I'll tarry in the sky?

2 What if a shining beam of noon Should in its fountain stay, Because its feeble light alone Cannot create a day?

3 Doth not each rain-drop help to form The cool, refreshing shower, And every ray of light to warm And beautify the flower?

4 Go thou, and strive to do thy share-- One talent,--less than thine,-- Improved with steady zeal and care, Would gain rewards divine.

751. L. M. Montgomery.

Sabbath School Anniversary.

1 From year to year in love we meet; From year to year in peace we part; The tongues of children uttering sweet The thrilling joy of every heart.

2 But time rolls on; and, year by year, We change, grow up, or pass away; Not twice the same assembly here Have hailed the children's festal day.

3 Death, ere another year, may strike Some in our number marked to fall: Be young and old prepared alike; The warning is to each, to all.

4 Oft broke, our failing ranks renew; Send teachers, children, in our place, More humble, docile, faithful, true, More like thy Son, from race to race.

752. L. M. Anonymous.

For the Close of a Sabbath School.

1 Father, once more let grateful praise And humble prayer to thee ascend; Thou Guide and Guardian of our ways, Our early and our only Friend.

2 Since every day and hour that's gone Has been with mercy richly crowned, Mercy, we know, shall still flow on, Forever sure as time rolls round.

3 Hear then the parting prayers we pour, And bind our hearts in love alone; And if we meet on earth no more, May we at last surround thy throne.

753. 6s. & 4s. M. J. G. Adams.

Sabbath School Anniversary.

1 Creation's sovereign Lord! Be thy glad name adored Through earth and sky! Hear, as in youthful days To thee we humbly raise Songs of our grateful praise, Holy and high!

2 Thanks for thy light so free, Causing our eyes to see Thy truth and grace; Love, that dispels our fear, Mercy, to sinners dear, Life, dying souls to cheer, For all our race.

3 Thanks, that on hearts like ours Thy loving kindness showers Knowledge divine; O let its influence be Fruitful in works for thee, Causing in purity Our lives to shine.

4 Bless this our childhood band, And let us ever stand Truthful and strong; Christians in deed and love, Such as thou wilt approve, Till we in worlds above Thy praise prolong!

754. 7s. & 6s. M. S. S. Choir.

The Same.

1 When, his salvation bringing, To Zion Jesus came, The children all stood singing Hosanna to his name. Nor did their zeal offend him, But, as he rode along, He bade them still attend him, And smiled to hear their song.

2 And since the Lord retaineth His love for children still, Though now as king he reigneth On Zion's heavenly hill, We'll flock around his banner, Who sits upon the throne; And cry aloud, "Hosanna To David's royal Son."

3 For should we fail proclaiming Our great Redeemer's praise, The stones, our silence shaming, Might well hosanna raise. But shall we only render The tribute of our words? No! while our hearts are tender, They, too, shall be the Lord's.

755. 7s. & 6s. M. Boston S. S. H. Book.

Anniversary of Independence.

1 We come with joy and gladness To breathe our songs of praise, Nor let one note of sadness Be mingled in our lays; For 'tis a hallowed story, This theme of freedom's birth: Our fathers' deeds of glory Are echoed round the earth.

2 The sound is waxing stronger, And thrones and nations hear-- Proud men shall rule no longer, For God the Lord is near: And he will crush oppression, And raise the humble mind, And give the earth's possession Among the good and kind.

3 And then shall sink the mountains Where pride and power are crowned, And peace, like gentle fountains, Shall shed its pureness round. O God! we would adore thee, And in thy shadow rest; Our fathers bowed before thee, And trusted and were blest.

756. 8s. & 7s. M. Horne.

Autumn Warnings.

1 See the leaves around us falling, Dry and withered, to the ground; Thus to thoughtless mortals calling, In a sad and solemn sound:--

2 "Youth, on length of days presuming, Who the paths of pleasure tread,-- View us, late in beauty blooming, Numbered now among the dead.

3 "What though yet no losses grieve you, Gay with health and many a grace, Let not cloudless skies deceive you: Summer gives to autumn place."

4 On the tree of life eternal, Let our highest hopes be staid: This alone, forever vernal, Bears a leaf that shall not fade.

757. C. M. Anonymous.

Death of a Teacher.

1 Farewell, dear friend! a long farewell! For we shall meet no more Till we are raised with thee to dwell On Zion's happy shore.

2 Our friend and brother, lo! is dead! The cold and lifeless clay Has made in dust its silent bed, And there it must decay.

3 Farewell, dear friend, again farewell,-- Soon we shall rise to thee; And when we meet, no tongue can tell How great our joys shall be.

4 No more we'll mourn thee, parted friend, But lift our ardent prayer, And every thought and effort bend To rise and join thee there.