I see my natal hour return,
And bless the day that I was born.
2 A clod of living earth,
I glorify thy name,
From whom alone my birth,
And all my blessings came;
Creating and preserving grace,
Let all that is within me praise.
3 Long as I live beneath,
To thee O let me live!
To thee my every breath,
In thanks and praises give:
Whate'er I have, whate'er I am,
Shall magnify my Maker's name.
4 My soul and all its powers,
Thine, wholly thine shall be;
All, all my happy hours
I consecrate to thee:
Me to thine image now restore,
And I shall praise thee evermore.
5 I wait thy will to do,
As angels do in heaven;
In Christ a creature new,
Eternally forgiven;
I wait thy righteous will to prove
All sanctified by perfect love.
6 Then when the work is done,
The work of faith with power,
Receive thy favour'd son,
In death's triumphant hour:
Like Moses to thyself convey,
And kiss my raptur'd soul away.
WAY with our fears,
The glad morning appears, When an heir of salvation was born!
And to him I with singing return
Thee, Jesus, alone
The fountain I own
Of my life and felicity here;
And cheerfully sing
My Redeemer and King,
Till his signs in the heavens appears
3 With thanks I rejoice
In thy fatherly choice
Of my state and condition below;
If of parents I came,
Who honour'd thy name,
'Twas thy wisdom appointed it so
O the infinite cares,
And temptations and snares,
Thy hand hath conducted me through:
O the blessings bestow'd
By a bountiful God,
And the mercies eternally new!
5 What a mercy is this,
What a heaven of bliss,
How unspeakably happy am I!
Gather'd into the fold,
With thy people enroll'd;
With thy people to live and to die.
6 All honour and praise
To the Father of grace,
To the Spirit and Son, I return :
I the business pursue,
He hath made me to do,
And rejoice that I ever was born.
7 In a rapture of joy
My life I employ,
The God of my life to proclaim;
'Tis worth living for this,
To administer bliss,
And salvation in Jesus's name.
8 My remnant of days
I spend in his praise,
Who died the whole world to redeem:
Be they many or few;
My days are his due,
And they all are devoted to him!
PARENTS AND MASTERS.
Hymn 311. C. М. 1 COD, only wise, almighty, good,
Send forth thy truth and light,
To point us out the narrow road, And guide our steps aright; 2 To steer our dang'rous course between The rocks on either hand;
And fix us in the golden mean,
And bring our charge to land.
3 Made apt by thy sufficient grace
To teach as taught by thee,
We come to train in all thy ways
Our rising progeny.
4 Their selfish will in time subdue,
And mortify their pride;
And lend their youth a sacred clue
To find the Crucified.
5 We would in every step look up,
By thine example taught,
T' alarm their fear, excite their hope,
And rectify their thought.
6 We would persuade their hearts t' obey,
With mildest zeal proceed:
And never take the harsher way,
When love will do the deed.
7 For this we ask in faith sincere,
The wisdom from above;
To touch their hearts with filial fear,
And pure ingenuous love!
8 To watch their will, to sense inclin'd, Withhold the hurtful food:
And gently bend their tender mind,
And draw their souls to God.
Hymn 312. P. М.
OW shall I walk my God to please,
And spread content and happiness
O'er all beneath my care?
A pattern to my household give,
And as a guardian angel live,
As Jesu's messenger?
2 The opposite extremes I see,
Remissness and severity,
And know not how to shun
The precipice on either hand,
While in the narrow path I stand,
And dread to venture on.
3 Shall I through indolence supine,
Neglect, betray the charge divine,
My delegated power?
The souls I from my Lord receive,
Of whom I an account must give,
At that tremendous hour ?
4 Lord over all, and God most high!
Jesus, to thee for help 1 fly,
For constant power and grace;
That by thy Spirit taught and led,
I may with confidence proceed,
And all thy footsteps trace.
5 O teach me my first lesson now!
That I to thy sweet yoke may bow,
Thine easy service prove,
Lowly and meck in heart I see,
The art of governing like thee,
Is governing by love.
Hymn 313. C. М.
1 FATHER of lights, thy needful aid
us that ask impart; Mistrustful of ourselves, afraid Of our own treacherous heart.
|