Part 15

1 God of our mercy and our praise, Thy glory is our song; We'll speak the honors of thy grace With a rejoicing tongue.

2 When Christ among the sons of men In humble form was found, With cruel slanders, false and vain, They compassed him around.

3 Their miseries his compassion moved, Their peace he still pursued; They rendered hatred for his love, And evil for his good.

4 Their malice raged without a cause; Yet, with his dying breath, He prayed for murderers on his cross, And blest his foes in death.

5 O, may his conduct, all divine, To us a model prove: Like his, O God, our hearts incline Our enemies to love.

387. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

Faith, Hope and Charity.

1 Faith, hope, and love, now dwell on earth, And earth by them is blest; But faith and hope must yield to love, Of all the graces best.

2 Hope shall to full fruition rise, And faith be sight above; These are the means, but this the end, For saints forever love.

388. L. M. Montgomery.

The Christian Graces.

1 Faith, hope, and charity, these three, Yet is the greatest charity; Father of lights, these gifts impart To mine and every human heart.

2 Faith, that in prayer can never fail, Hope, that o'er doubting must prevail, And charity, whose name above Is God's own name, for God is love.

3 The morning star is lost in light, Faith vanishes at perfect sight, The rainbow passes with the storm And hope with sorrow's fading form.

4 But charity, serene, sublime, Beyond the reach of death and time, Like the blue sky's all-bounding space, Holds heaven and earth in its embrace.

389. C. M. Watts.

A Living and a Dead Faith.

1 Mistaken souls! that dream of heaven, And make their empty boast Of inward joys, and sins forgiven, While they are slaves to lust.

2 Vain are our fancies, airy flights, If faith be cold and dead; None but a living power unites To Christ the living head.

3 'T is faith that purifies the heart; 'T is faith that works by love; That bids all sinful joys depart, And lifts the thoughts above.

4 This faith shall every fear control By its celestial power, With holy triumph fill the soul In death's approaching hour.

390. L. M. Scott.

"Two men went up into the temple to pray."

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

2 The pure, the humble, contrite mind, Sincere, and to thy will resigned, To thee a nobler offering yields, Than Sheba's groves, or Sharon's fields.

3 Love God and man--this great command, Doth on eternal pillars stand; This did thine ancient prophets teach, And this thy Well-Belovéd preach.

391. H. M. Montgomery.

Brotherly Love. Ps. 133.

1 How beautiful the sight Of brethren who agree In friendship to unite, And bonds of charity! 'T is like the precious ointment shed O'er all his robes from Aaron's head.

2 'Tis like the dews that fill The cups of Hermon's flowers; Or Zion's fruitful hill, Bright with the drops of showers; When mingling odors breathe around, And glory rests on all the ground.

3 For there the Lord commands Blessings, a boundless store, From his unsparing hands, Yea, life for evermore. Thrice happy they who meet above To spend eternity in love!

392. 7s. M. C. Wesley.

The Harmony of Love.

1 Lord! subdue our selfish will; Each to each our tempers suit, By thy modulating skill, Heart to heart, as lute to lute.

2 Sweetly on our spirits move; Gently touch the trembling strings: Make the harmony of love, Music for the King of kings!

393. S. M. Watts.

The Bond of Peace.

1 Blest are the sons of peace, Whose hearts and hopes are one; Whose kind designs to serve and please Through all their actions run.

2 Blest is the pious house Where zeal and friendship meet; Their songs of praise, their mingled vows, Make their communion sweet.

3 Thus on the heavenly hills The saints are blest above, Where joy like morning dew distils, And all the air is love.

394. C. M. Montgomery.

"The unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

1 The glorious universe around, The heavens with all their train, Sun, moon, and stars, are firmly bound In one mysterious chain.

2 The earth, the ocean, and the sky, To form one world agree, Where all that walk, or swim, or fly, Compose one family.

3 In one fraternal bond of love, One fellowship of mind, The saints below and saints above Their bliss and glory find.

4 Here in their house of pilgrimage, Thy statutes are their song; There, through one bright, eternal age, Thy praises they prolong.

395. C. M. C. Wesley.

The Church on Earth and in Heaven, One.

1 The saints on earth and those above But one communion make: Joined to their Lord in bonds of love, All of his grace partake.

2 One family, we dwell in him; One church above, beneath; Though now divided by the stream, The swelling stream of death.

3 One army of the living God,-- To his command we bow; Part of the host have crossed the flood, And part are crossing now.

4 O God, be thou our constant guide! And when the word is given, Sustain us o'er the fearful tide, And bring us safe to heaven.

396. S. M. Beddome.

Christian Unity.

1 Let party names no more The Christian world o'erspread; Gentile and Jew, and bond and free, Are one in Christ their head.

2 Among the saints on earth Let mutual love be found; Heirs of the same inheritance, With mutual blessings crowned.

3 Let envy and ill-will Be banished far away; Those should in holy friendship dwell, Who the same Lord obey.

4 Thus will the church below Resemble that above; Where streams of pleasure always flow, And every heart is love.

397. L. M. Barbauld.

Christian Friendship.

1 How blest the sacred tie that binds In union sweet according minds! How swift the heavenly course they run, Whose hearts, and faith, and hopes are one!

2 To each the soul of each how dear! What jealous love, what holy fear! How doth the generous flame within Refine from earth, and cleanse from sin!

3 Their streaming eyes together flow For human guilt and mortal woe; Their ardent prayers together rise Like mingling flames in sacrifice.

4 Together shall they seek the place Where God reveals his awful face: How high, how strong, their raptures swell There's none but kindred souls can tell.

398. L. M. Anonymous.

Charitable Judgment.

1 Omniscient God, 'tis thine to know The springs whence wrong opinions flow; To judge from principles within, When frailty errs, and when we sin.

2 Who with another's eye can read, Or worship by another's creed? Revering thy command alone, We humbly seek and use our own.

3 If wrong, forgive; accept, if right, Whilst faithful, we obey our light, And judging none, are zealous still To follow, as to learn, thy will.

4 When shall our happy eyes behold Thy people, fashioned in thy mould? And charity our kindred prove Derived from thee, O God of love?

399. L. M. Watts.

The Same.

1 Not different food, nor different dress, Compose the kingdom of our Lord; But peace, and joy, and righteousness, Faith, and obedience to his word.

2 When weaker Christians we despise, We do the gospel mighty wrong; For God, the gracious and the wise, Receives the feeble with the strong.

3 Let pride and wrath be banished hence, Meekness and love our souls pursue, Nor shall our practice give offence To saints, the Gentile or the Jew.

400. S. M. Scott.

Private Judgment and Accountability.

1 Imposture shrinks from light, And dreads the curious eye; But sacred truths the test invite, They bid us search and try.

2 With understanding blest, Created to be free, Our faith on man we dare not rest, Subject to none but thee.

3 Lord, give the light we need; With soundest knowledge fill; From noxious error guard our creed, From prejudice our will.

4 The truth thou shalt impart, May we with firmness own; Abhorring each evasive art, And fearing thee alone.

401. C. M. Newton.

True Zeal.

1 Zeal is that pure and heavenly flame The fire of love supplies; Whilst that which often bears the name, Is self but in disguise.

2 True zeal is merciful and mild, Can pity and forbear; The false is headstrong, fierce and wild, And breathes revenge and war.

3 While zeal for truth the Christian warms, He knows the worth of peace; But self contends for names and forms, Its party to increase.

4 Zeal has attained its highest aim, Its end is satisfied, If sinners love the Saviour's name,-- Nor seeks it aught beside.

5 This idol self, O Lord, dethrone, And from our hearts remove; And let no zeal by us be shown But that which springs from love.

402. C. M. Needham.

Moderation.

1 Happy the man whose cautious steps Still keep the golden mean; Whose life by wisdom's rules well formed, Declares a conscience clean.

2 To sect or party his large soul Disdains to be confined; The good he loves of every name, And prays for all mankind.

3 His business is to keep his heart; Each passion to control; Nobly ambitious well to rule The empire of his soul.

4 Not on the world his heart is set, His treasure is above; Nothing beneath the sovereign good Can claim his highest love.

403. L. M. Sir H. Wotton.

The Independent and Happy Man.

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

2 Whose passions not his masters are; Whose soul is still prepared for death; Not tied unto the world with care Of prince's ear or vulgar breath;

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

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

404. C. M. Logan.

Wisdom.

1 O happy is the man, who hears Instruction's warning voice; And who celestial wisdom makes His early, only choice.

2 Her treasures are of more esteem Than east or west unfold; And her rewards more precious are Than all their mines of gold.

3 In her right hand she holds to view A length of happy days; Riches with splendid honors joined, Her left hand full displays.

4 She guides the young with innocence In pleasure's path to tread; A crown of glory she bestows Upon the hoary head.

5 According as her labors rise, So her rewards increase; Her ways are ways of pleasantness, And all her paths are peace.

405. C. M. Campbell's Coll.

"They shall walk and not faint."

1 Mere human power shall fast decay, And youthful vigor cease; But they who wait upon the Lord In strength shall still increase.

2 They with unwearied feet shall tread The path of life divine, With growing ardor onward move, With growing brightness shine.

3 On eagles' wings they mount, they soar; Their wings are faith and love; Till, past the cloudy regions here, They rise to heaven above.

406. C. M. Watts.

Hidden Life of the Christian.

1 O happy soul that lives on high, While men lie grovelling here! His hopes are fixed above the sky, And faith forbids his fear.

2 His conscience knows no secret stings, While grace and joy combine To form a life whose holy springs Are hidden and divine.

3 He waits in secret on his God; His God in secret sees; Let earth be all in arms abroad, He dwells in heavenly peace.

4 His pleasures rise from things unseen, Beyond this world and time; Where neither eyes nor ears have been, Nor thoughts of mortals climb.

5 He wants no pomp nor royal throne To raise his honors here; Content and pleased to live unknown, Till Christ, his life, appear.

407. 8s. M. C. Wesley.

"That they also may be one in us."

1 Lord, from whom all blessings flow, Perfecting the church below! Steadfast may we cleave to thee; Love the mystic union be. Join our faithful spirits, join Each to each, and all to thine: Lead us through the paths of peace, On to perfect holiness.

2 Sweetly may we all agree, Touched with softest sympathy: There is neither bond nor free, Great nor servile, Lord, in thee; Love, like death, hath all destroyed Rendered all distinctions void! Names, and sects, and parties fall: Thou, O Christ, art all in all!

408. S. M. Steele.

Religion a Support in Life.

1 Religion can assuage The tempest of the soul; And every fear shall lose its rage At her divine control.

2 Through life's bewildered way, Her hand unerring leads; And o'er the path her heavenly ray A cheering lustre sheds.

3 When reason, tired and blind, Sinks helpless and afraid, Thou blest supporter of the mind, How powerful is thine aid!

4 O, let us feel thy power, And find thy sweet relief, To brighten every gloomy hour And soften every grief.

409. C. M. Tate & Brady.

The Righteous and the Wicked.

1 How blest is he, who ne'er consents By ill advice to walk; Nor stands in sinners' ways, nor sits Where men profanely talk:

2 But makes the perfect law of God His business and delight; Devoutly reads therein by day, And meditates by night.

3 Like some fair tree, which, fed by streams, With timely fruit does bend, He still shall flourish, and success All his designs attend.

4 Ungodly men, and their attempts, No lasting root shall find; Untimely blasted, and dispersed Like chaff before the wind.

410. C. M. Exeter Coll.

The Influence of Habitual Piety.

1 Blest is the man who fears the Lord! His well established mind, In every varying scene of life, Shall true composure find.

2 Oft through the deep and stormy sea The heavenly footsteps lie; But on a glorious world beyond His faith can fix its eye.

3 Though dark his present prospects be, And sorrows round him dwell, Yet hope can whisper to his soul, That all shall issue well.

4 Full in the presence of his God, Through every scene he goes; And, fearing him, no other fear His steadfast bosom knows.

411. C. M. Proud.

The Happiness of a Christian.

1 When true religion gains a place, And lives within the mind, The sensual life subdued by grace, And all the soul refined:

2 The desert blooms in living green, Where thorns and briers grew; The barren waste is fruitful seen, And all the prospect new.

3 O happy Christian, richly blessed! What floods of pleasure roll! By God and man he stands confessed, In dignity of soul.

4 Substantial, pure, his every joy: His Maker is his friend; The noblest business his employ, And happiness his end.

412. 7s. & 8s. M. Bowring.

"He that walketh uprightly, walketh surely."

1 He who walks in virtue's way, Firm and fearless, walketh surely; Diligent, while yet 'tis day, On he speeds, and speeds securely.

2 Flowers of peace beneath him grow, Suns of pleasure brighten o'er him; Memory's joys behind him go, Hope's sweet angels fly before him.

3 Thus he moves from stage to stage, Smiles of earth and heaven attending; Softly sinking down in age, And at last to death descending.

4 Cradled in its quiet deep, Calm as summer's loveliest even, He shall sleep the hallowed sleep; Sleep that is o'erwatched by Heaven.

413. C. M. Burns.

The Happiness of the Righteous.

1 The man, in life wherever placed, Hath happiness in store, Who walks not in the wicked's way, Nor learns their guilty lore:

2 Nor from the seat of scornful pride Casts forth his eyes abroad, But with humility and awe, Still walks before his God.

3 That man shall flourish like the trees Which by the streamlets grow; The fruitful top is spread on high, And firm the root below.

4 But he whose blossom buds in guilt Shall to the ground be cast, And, like the rootless stubble, tossed Before the sweeping blast.

414. L. M. Keble.

"Not that thou wouldst take them out of the world, but keep them from its evil."

1 Sweet is the bliss of souls serene, When they have sworn and steadfast mean, Counting the cost, in all t' espy Their God, in all themselves deny.

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

3 We need not bid, for cloistered cell, Our neighbor and our work farewell, Nor strive to wind ourselves too high For sinful man beneath the sky:

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

415. 7s. & 6s. M. Cowper.

Joy and Peace in Believing.

1 Sometimes a light surprises The Christian while he sings: It is the Lord, who rises With healing in his wings: When comforts are declining, He grants the soul again A season of clear shining, To cheer it after rain.

2 In holy contemplation, We sweetly then pursue The theme of God's salvation, And find it ever new: Set free from present sorrow, We cheerfully can say, "E'en let the unknown morrow Bring with it what it may."

3 It can bring with it nothing, But he will bear us through: Who gives the lilies clothing, Will clothe his people too: Beneath the spreading heavens, No creature but is fed; And he who feeds the ravens, Will give his children bread.

4 Though vine, nor fig tree neither, Its wonted fruit should bear; Though all the field should wither, Nor flocks, nor herds be there: Yet God the same abiding, His praise shall tune my voice; For while in him confiding, I cannot but rejoice.

416. S. M. Anonymous.

For a Right Spirit.

1 I want a sober mind, A self-renouncing will, That tramples down and casts behind The baits of pleasing ill; A soul inured to pain, To hardship, grief and loss, Bold to take up, firm to sustain The consecrated cross.

2 I want a godly fear, A quick-discerning eye, That looks to thee when sin is near, And sees the tempter fly; A spirit still prepared, And armed with jealous care, Forever standing on its guard, And watching unto prayer.

3 I want a true regard, A single, steady aim, Unmoved by threatening or reward, To thee and thy great name; A zealous, just concern For thine immortal praise; A pure desire that all may learn And glorify thy grace.

417. S. M. Watts.

Heavenly Joy on Earth.

1 Come, ye that love the Lord, And let your joys be known; Join in a song with sweet accord, And thus surround the throne.

2 The sorrows of the mind Be banished from the place! Religion never was designed To make our pleasures less.

3 The men of grace have found Glory begun below; Celestial fruits on earthly ground From faith and hope may grow.

4 The hill of Sion yields A thousand sacred sweets, Before we reach the heavenly fields, Or walk the golden streets.

5 Then let our songs abound, And every tear be dry; We're marching through Immanuel's ground, To fairer worlds on high.

418. S. M. Miss Fletcher.

Where is Heaven?

1 Our heaven is everywhere, If we but love the Lord, Unswerving tread the narrow way, And ever shun the broad.

2 'T is where the trusting heart Bows meekly to its grief, Still looking up with earnest faith For comfort and relief.

3 Where guileless infancy In happiness doth dwell, And where the aged one can say "He hath done all things well."

4 Wherever truth abides Sweet peace is ever there; If we but love and serve the Lord, Our heaven is everywhere.

419. 8s. & 7s. M. J. G. Adams.

Heaven Here.

1 Heaven is here; its hymns of gladness Cheer the true believer's way, In this world where sin and sadness Often change to night our day.

2 Heaven is here; where misery lightened Of its heavy load is seen, Where the face of sorrow brightened By the deed of love hath been:

3 Where the bound, the poor, despairing Are set free, supplied and blest; Where, in others' anguish sharing, We can find our surest rest.

4 Where we heed the voice of duty Rather than man's praise, or rod; This is heaven,--its peace, its beauty, Radiant with the smile of God.

420. L. M. 6l. Mrs. Case.

God's Kingdom Here.

1 Oh, where, our Saviour! sweeps the line That marks thy kingdom's holy reign? Is it where northern meteors shine Or gilds the cross the southern main? Where breaks the dawn o'er spicy lands? Or twilight sleeps on desert sands?

2 Is it where sunny skies grow dim With smoke of heathen sacrifice? Or where, in costly domes, the hymn Is taught on incense clouds to rise? Nay, nay, thy blessed word has shown Thy kingdom is the heart alone!

3 That solemn world, whose bounds between Life's mysteries of birth and death, Are filled with warring hosts unseen, Beings of power, though not of breath-- The spirit realm, where'er it be, Is the dominion swayed by thee.