Part 9

4 May this blest volume ever lie Close to my heart, and near my eye, Till life's last hour my soul engage, And be my chosen heritage.

193. C. M. Watts.

Revelation. Ps. 119.

1 Let all the heathen writers join To form one perfect book, Great God, if once compared with thine, How mean their writings look!

2 Not the most perfect rules they gave Could show one sin forgiven, Nor lead a step beyond the grave; But thine conduct to heaven.

3 I've seen an end of what we call Perfection here below; How short the powers of nature fall, And can no farther go!

4 Our faith, and love, and every grace, Fall far below thy word; But perfect truth and righteousness Dwell only with the Lord.

194. L. M. Anonymous.

The Scriptures.

1 Lamp of our feet! whose hallowed beam Deep in our hearts its dwelling hath, How welcome is the cheering gleam Thou sheddest o'er our lowly path! Light of our way! whose ways are flung In mercy o'er our pilgrim road, How blessed, its dark shades among, The star that guides us to our God.

2 In the sweet morning's hour of prime, Thy blessed words our lips engage, And round our hearths at evening time Our children spell the holy page; The waymark through long distant years, To guide their wandering footsteps on, Till thy last loveliest beam appears, Inscribed upon the churchyard stone.

3 Lamp of our feet! which day by day Are passing to the quiet tomb, If on it fall thy peaceful ray, Our last low dwelling hath no gloom. How beautiful their calm repose To whom thy blessed hope is given Whose pilgrimage on earth is closed By the unfolding gates of heaven!

195. C. M. Watts.

Comfort from the Bible.

1 Lord, I have made thy word my choice, My lasting heritage; There shall my noblest powers rejoice, My warmest thoughts engage.

2 I'll read the histories of thy love, And keep thy laws in sight, While through the promises I rove, With ever-fresh delight.

3 'T is a broad land of wealth unknown, Where springs of life arise, Seeds of immortal bliss are sown, And hidden glory lies.

4 The best relief that mourners have, It makes our sorrows blest; Our fairest hope beyond the grave, And our eternal rest.

196. L. M. Anonymous.

The Same.

1 Thou Book of life!--in thee are found The mysteries of my Maker's will; Treasures of knowledge here abound, The deepest, loftiest mind to fill.

2 Thou art a banquet;--choicest food I'll seek in thee: thou art a rock, Whence pour sweet waters; every good From thee doth flow for Christ's own flock.

3 Light of the world! thy beams impart To lead my feet through life's dark way; O shine on this benighted heart, Nor let me from thy guidance stray.

4 Healer of all the woes of life! The balm of souls diseased; to save From all earth's pain; and end the strife Of death, with victory o'er the grave!

197. S. M. E. Taylor.

The Bible.

1 It is the one true light, When other lamps grow dim, 'T will never burn less purely bright, Nor lead astray from Him. It is Love's blessed band, That reaches from the throne To him--whoe'er he be--whose hand Will seize it for his own!

2 It is the golden key Unto celestial wealth, Joy to the sons of poverty, And to the sick man, health! The gently proffer'd aid Of one who knows and best Supplies the beings he has made With what will make them blessed.

3 It is the sweetest sound That infant years can hear, Travelling across that holy ground, With God and angels near. There rests the weary head, There age and sorrow go; And how it smooths the dying bed, O! let the Christian show!

CHRIST; HIS CHARACTER AND OFFICES.

198. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

The Saviour Foretold.

1 Behold my servant; see him rise Exalted in my might! Him have I chosen, and in him I place supreme delight.

2 On him in rich effusion poured, My spirit shall descend; My truth and judgment he shall show To earth's remotest end.

3 Gentle and still shall be his voice; No threats from him proceed; The smoking flax shall he not quench, Nor break the bruised reed.

4 The feeble spark to flames he'll raise; The weak will not despise; Judgment he shall bring forth to truth, And make the fallen rise.

5 The progress of his zeal and power Shall never know decline, Till foreign lands and distant isles Receive the law divine.

199. 11s. M. Drummond.

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord."

1 A voice from the desert comes awful and shrill; The Lord is advancing! prepare ye the way! The word of Jehovah he comes to fulfil, And o'er the dark world pour the splendor of day.

2 Bring down the proud mountain though towering to heaven, And be the low valley exalted on high; The rough path and crooked be made smooth and even, For, Zion! your King, your Redeemer is nigh.

3 The beams of salvation his progress illume; The lone, dreary wilderness sings of her Lord; The rose and the myrtle there suddenly bloom, And the olive of peace spreads its branches abroad.

200. 7s. M. Bowring.

Report of the Watchman.

1 Watchman! tell us of the night, What its signs of promise are. Traveller! o'er yon mountain's height, See that glory-beaming star. Watchman! does its beauteous ray Aught of joy or hope foretell? Traveller! yes; it brings the day, Promised day of Israel.

2 Watchman! tell us of the night; Higher yet that star ascends. Traveller! blessedness and light, Peace and truth its course portends. Watchman! will its beams alone Gild the spot that gave them birth? Traveller! ages are its own; See, it bursts o'er all the earth.

3 Watchman! tell us of the night, For the morning seems to dawn. Traveller! darkness takes its flight; Doubt and terror are withdrawn.

4 Watchman! let thy wanderings cease; Hie thee to thy quiet home. Traveller! lo! the Prince of Peace, Lo! the Son of God, is come.

201. 8s. & 7s. M. Cawood.

Song of the Angels of Bethlehem.

1 Hark! what mean those holy voices, Sweetly sounding through the skies? Lo! th' angelic host rejoices; Heavenly hallelujahs rise.

2 Listen to the wondrous story Which they chant in hymns of joy: "Glory in the highest, glory! Glory be to God most high!

3 "Peace on earth, good-will from heaven, Reaching far as man is found: Souls redeemed and sins forgiven:-- Loud our golden harps shall sound.

4 "Christ is born, the great Anointed; Heaven and earth his praises sing! O, receive whom God appointed, For your Prophet, Priest and King."

5 Let us learn the wondrous story Of our great Redeemer's birth; Spread the brightness of his glory, Till it cover all the earth.

202. C. M. E. H. Sears.

Christmas Hymn.

1 Calm on the listening ear of night Come heaven's melodious strains, Where wild Judea stretches far Her silver-mantled plains!

2 The answering hills of Palestine Send back the glad reply; And greet, from all their holy heights, The dayspring from on high

3 O'er the blue depths of Galilee There comes a holier calm, And Sharon waves, in solemn praise, Her silent groves of palm.

4 "Glory to God!" the sounding skies Loud with their anthems ring,-- Peace to the earth,--good-will to men, From heaven's eternal King!"

5 Light on thy hills, Jerusalem! The Saviour now is born! And bright on Bethlehem's joyous plains Breaks the first Christmas morn.

203. S. M. E. H. Chapin.

The Same.

1 Hark! hark! with harps of gold, What anthem do they sing?-- The radiant clouds have backward rolled, And angels smite the string. "Glory to God!"--bright wings Spread glist'ning and afar, And on the hallowed rapture rings From circling star to star.

2 "Glory to God!" repeat The glad earth and the sea; And every wind and billow fleet, Bears on the jubilee. Where Hebrew bard hath sung, Or Hebrew seer hath trod, Each holy spot has found a tongue; "Let glory be to God."

3 Soft swells the music now Along that shining choir, And every seraph bends his brow And breathes above his lyre. What words of heavenly birth Thrill deep our hearts again, And fall like dew-drops to the earth? "Peace and good-will to men!"

4 Soft!--yet the soul is bound With rapture, like a chain: Earth, vocal, whispers them around, And heav'n repeats the strain. Sound, harps, and hail the morn With ev'ry golden string;-- For unto us this day is born A Saviour and a King!

204. S. H. M. T. H. Bayley.

The Same.

1 No loud avenging voice Proclaimed Messiah's birth; The Son of God came down to teach Humility on earth, And by his sufferings to efface The errors of a sinful race.

2 Not on a purple throne, With gold and jewels crowned, But in the meanest dwelling place The precious babe was found: Yet star-directed sages came, And kneeling, glorified his name.

3 To shepherds first was shown The promised boon of heaven, Who cried, "To us a child is born-- To us a Son is given!" Death from his mighty throne was hurled, Faith hailed Salvation to the world.

4 Lord! may thy holy cross Bear peace from clime to clime, Till all mankind at length are freed From sorrow, shame and crime: Dispel the unbeliever's gloom, And end the terrors of the tomb!

205. L. M. Campbell.

The Same.

1 When Jordan hushed his waters still, And silence slept on Zion's hill; When Bethlehem's shepherds through the night Watched o'er their flocks by starry light:

2 Hark! from the midnight hills around, A voice of more than mortal sound, In distant hallelujahs stole, Wild murm'ring o'er the raptured soul.

3 "O Zion! lift thy raptured eye, The long expected hour is nigh; The joys of nature rise again, The Prince of Salem comes to reign.

4 "He comes, to cheer the trembling heart, Bids Satan and his host depart; Again the day-star gilds the gloom, Again the bowers of Eden bloom."

206. S. M. Watts.

The Same.

1 Behold, the grace appears, The blessing promised long; Angels announce the Saviour near, In this triumphant song:--

2 "Glory to God on high And heavenly peace on earth; Good-will to men, to angels joy, At the Redeemer's birth."

3 In worship so divine Let men employ their tongues; With the celestial host we join, And loud repeat their songs:--

4 "Glory to God on high, And heavenly peace on earth; Good-will to men, to angels joy, At our Redeemer's birth."

207. H. M. Salisbury Coll.

The Same.

1 Hark! what celestial notes, What melody, we hear! Soft on the morn it floats, And fills the ravished ear. The tuneful shell, The golden lyre, And vocal choir, The concert swell.

2 Angelic hosts descend, With harmony divine; See, how from heaven they bend, And in full chorus join! "Fear not," say they; Jesus, your King, "Great joy we bring: Is born to day."

3 "Glory to God on high! Ye mortals, spread the sound, And let your raptures fly To earth's remotest bound! For peace on earth, From God in heaven, To man is given, At Jesus' birth."

208. 7s. M. Anonymous.

The Same.

1 Hail, all hail the joyful morn: Tell it forth from earth to heaven, That to us a child is born, That to us a Son is given.

2 Angels, bending from the sky, Chanted, at the wondrous birth, "Glory be to God on high, Peace--good-will to man on earth."

3 Join we then our feeble lays To the chorus of the sky; And, in songs of grateful praise, Glory give to God on high.

209. 11s. & 10s. M. Heber.

Star of the East.

1 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid; Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,-- Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

2 Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining; Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall; Angels bend o'er him, in slumber reclining,-- Monarch, Redeemer, Restorer of all.

3 Say, shall we yield him in costly devotion, Odors of Edom, and offerings divine? Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean, Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?

4 Vainly we offer each ample oblation, Vainly with gold would his favor secure; Richer by far is the heart's adoration, Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

5 Brightest and best of the sons of the morning, Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid; Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,-- Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

210. L. M. 6l. Moore.

Christ's Birth.

1 Arrayed in clouds of golden light, More bright than heaven's effulgent bow, Jehovah's angel came by night, To bless the sleeping world below. How soft the music of his tongue! How sweet the hallowed strains he sung!

2 Good-will henceforth to man be given, The light of glory beams on earth: Let angels tune the harps of heaven, And saints rejoice in Shiloh's birth; In him all nations shall be blest, And his shall be a glorious rest.

211. C. P. M. Miss Roscoe.

Christmas Hymn.

1 O, let your mingling voices rise, In grateful rapture, to the skies, And hail a Saviour's birth: Let songs of joy the day proclaim, When Jesus all-triumphant came To bless the sons of earth.

2 He came to bid the weary rest, To heal the sinner's wounded breast, To bind the broken heart, To spread the light of truth around, And to the world's remotest bound The heavenly gift impart.

3 He came our trembling souls to save From sin, from sorrow, and the grave, And chase our fears away; Victorious over death and time, To lead us to a happier clime, Where reigns eternal day.

212. C. M. Doddridge.

The Mission of Christ.

1 Hark, the glad sound! the Saviour comes! The Saviour promised long! Let every heart prepare a throne, And every voice a song.

2 On him the Spirit largely poured, Exerts its sacred fire; Wisdom and might, and zeal and love, His holy breast inspire.

3 He comes, from thickest films of vice To clear the mental ray; And on the eye-balls of the blind To pour celestial day.

4 He comes, the broken heart to bind, The bleeding soul to cure; And with the treasure of his grace Enrich the humble poor.

5 Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace! Thy welcome shall proclaim; And heaven's eternal arches ring With thy beloved name.

213. C. M. Watts.

The Kingdom of Christ.

1 Joy to the world! the Lord is come! Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing!

2 Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns! Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy.

3 No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make his blessings flow As far as sin is found.

4 He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of his love.

214. C. M. Watts.

John the Herald of Christ.

1 John was the prophet of the Lord To go before his face; The herald which the Prince of Peace Sent to prepare his ways.

2 "Behold the Lamb of God," he cries, "That takes our guilt away; I saw the Spirit o'er his head, On his baptizing day.

3 "Be every vale exalted high, Sink every mountain low; The proud must stoop, and humble souls Shall his salvation know.

4 "Behold the Morning Star arise, Ye that in darkness sit; He marks the path that leads to peace, And guides our doubtful feet."

215. C. M. Exeter Coll.

The Baptism of Jesus.

1 See, from on high, a light divine On Jesus' head descend! And hear the sacred voice from heaven That bids us all attend.

2 "This is my well-beloved Son," Proclaimed the voice divine; "Hear him," his heavenly Father said, "For all his words are mine."

3 His mission thus confirmed from heaven, The great Messiah came, And heavenly wisdom showed to man In God his Father's name.

4 The path of heavenly peace he showed That leads to bliss on high; Where all his faithful followers here Shall live, no more to die.

216. S. M. Needham.

Christ the Light of the World.

1 Behold! the Prince of Peace, The chosen of the Lord, God's well-beloved Son, fulfils The sure prophetic word.

2 No royal pomp adorns This King of righteousness: Meekness and patience, truth and love, Compose his princely dress.

3 The spirit of the Lord, In rich abundance shed, On this great Prophet gently lights, And rests upon his head.

4 Jesus, the light of men, His doctrine life imparts; O, may we feel its quickening power To warm and glad our hearts.

5 Cheered by its beams, our souls Shall run the heavenly way; The path which Christ has marked and trod, Will lead to endless day.

217. L. M. Bowring.

Jesus Preaching the Gospel.

1 How sweetly flowed the gospel's sound From lips of gentleness and grace, When listening thousands gathered round, And joy and reverence filled the place!

2 From heaven he came--of heaven he spoke To heaven he led his followers' way; Dark clouds of gloomy night he broke, Unveiling an immortal day.

3 "Come, wanderers, to my Father's home, Come, all ye weary ones, and rest!" Yes! sacred teacher,--we will come-- Obey thee, love thee, and be blest!

4 Decay, then, tenements of dust! Pillars of earthly pride, decay! A nobler mansion waits the just, And Jesus has prepared the way.

218. L. M. Butcher.

Miracles of Christ.

1 On eyes that never saw the day Christ pours the bright celestial ray; And deafened ears, by him unbound, Catch all the harmony of sound.

2 Lameness takes up its bed, and goes Rejoicing in the strength that flows Through every nerve; and, free from pain, Pours forth to God the grateful strain.

3 The shattered mind his word restores, And tunes afresh the mental powers; The dead revive, to life return, And bid affection cease to mourn.

4 Canst thou, my soul, these wonders trace, And not admire Jehovah's grace? Canst thou behold thy Prophet's power, And not the God he served adore?

219. L. M. Russell.

"That ye through his poverty might be rich."

1 O'er the dark wave of Galilee The gloom of twilight gathers fast, And on the waters drearily Descends the fitful evening blast.

2 The weary bird hath left the air, And sunk into his sheltered nest; The wandering beast has sought his lair, And laid him down to welcome rest.

3 Still, near the lake, with weary tread, Lingers a form of human kind; And on his lone, unsheltered head, Flows the chill night-damp of the wind.

4 Why seeks he not a home of rest? Why seeks he not a pillowed bed? Beasts have their dens, the bird its nest; He hath not where to lay his head.

5 Such was the lot he freely chose, To bless, to save the human race; And through his poverty there flows A rich, full stream of heavenly grace.

220. C. M. Mrs. Hemans.

"Peace! be still!"

1 Fear, was within the tossing bark, When stormy winds grew loud, And waves came rolling high and dark, And the tall mast was bowed.

2 And men stood breathless in their dread, And baffled in their skill-- But One was there, who rose and said To the wild sea, "Be still!"

3 And the wind ceased; it ceased! that word Passed through the gloomy sky, The troubled billows knew their Lord, And sank beneath his eye.

4 Thou that didst rule the angry hour, And tame the tempest's mood-- Oh! send, thy Spirit forth in power O'er our dark souls to brood!

5 Thou that didst bow the billows' pride, Thy mandates to fulfil-- Speak, speak to passion's raging tide, Speak and say--"Peace, be still!"

221. L. M. 6l. Barton.

The Pool of Bethesda.

1 Around Bethesda's healing wave Waiting to hear the rustling wing, Which spoke the angel nigh, who gave Its virtue to that holy spring, With patience, and with hope endued Were seen the gathered multitude.

2 Had they who watched and waited there Been conscious who was passing by, With what unceasing anxious care Would they have sought his pitying eye; And craved with fervency of soul, His Power Divine to make them whole!

3 Bethesda's pool has lost its power! No angel, by his glad descent, Dispenses that diviner dower Which with its healing waters went. But he, whose word surpassed its wave, Is still omnipotent to save.

222. L. M. Heber.

The Holy Guest.

1 Messiah Lord! who, wont to dwell In lowly shape and cottage cell, Didst not refuse a guest to be At Cana's poor festivity.

2 O when our soul from care is free, Then, Saviour, would we think on thee; And, seated at the festal board, In fancy's eye behold the Lord.

3 Then may we seem, in fancy's ear, Thy manna-dropping tongue to hear, And think,--"if now his searching view Each secret of our spirit knew!"

4 So may such joy, chastised and pure, Beyond the bounds of earth endure; Nor pleasure in the wounded mind Shall leave a rankling sting behind.

223. C. M. Cowper.

"He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

1 The Saviour, what a noble flame, Was kindled in his breast, When hasting to Jerusalem, He marched before the rest!

2 Good-will to men, and zeal for God, His every thought engross; He goes to be baptized with blood; He goes to meet the cross.