And find these consecrated hours Sweet earnests of the joys above. 5 We thank Thee for Thy day, O Lord: Here we Thy promised presence seek; Open Thy hand with blessings stored, And give us manna for the week.

C.M.

835 I was in the Spirit on the Lord's

1

day.-Rev 1, 10.

FATHER! though the anxious fear
May cloud to-morrow's way,

Nor fear nor doubt shall enter here;
All shall be Thine to-day.

2 We will not bring divided hearts
To worship at Thy shrine;
But each unholy thought departs,
And leaves the temple Thine.

3 Sleep, sleep to-day, tormenting cares, Of earth and folly born;

Ye shall not dim the light that streams
From this celestial morn.

4 At least until to-morrow wait;
Keep back your harsh control;
To-day ye shall not desecrate
The Sabbath of the soul.

5 Sleep, sleep for ever, guilty thoughts; Let restless passions die:

And, cleansed from sin, may we behold The God of purity!

L.M.

836 There remaineth therefore a rest to

the people of God.-Heb. 4, 9.

ORD of the Sabbath, hear our vows

1 L on this Thy day, in this Thy house, And own, as grateful sacrifice,

The songs which from the desert rise. 2 Thine earthly sabbaths, Lord, we love, But there's a nobler rest above; To that our labouring souls aspire With ardent pangs of strong desire. 3 No more fatigue, no more distress, Nor sin, nor hell. shall reach the place; No groans, to mingle with the songs Which warble from immortal tongues.

4 No rude alarms of raging foes,
No cares to break the long repose:
No midnight shade, no clouded sun,
But sacred, high, eternal noon.
5 O long-expected day, begin!

Dawn on these realms of woe and sin;
Fain would we leave this weary road,
And sleep in death to rest with God.

837

FR

C.M.

Thou shalt rest.-Dan. 12, 13. 1 TREQUENT the day of God returns To shed its quickening beams. And yet how slow devotion burns! How languid are its flames!

2 Accept our faint attempts to love,
Our frailties, Lord, forgive;

We would be like Thy saints above,
And praise Thee while we live.
Increase, O Lord, our faith and hope,
And fit us to ascend

Where the assembly ne'er breaks up,
The Sabbath ne'er shall end:

4 Where we shall breathe in heavenly air,
With heavenly lustre shine;
Before the throne of God appear,
And feast on love divine:

5 Where we, in high seraphic strains,
Shall all our powers employ;
Delighted range the ethereal plains
And take our fill of joy.

838

1

C.M.

Then face to face.-1 Cor. 13, 12.

WHEN, O dear Jesus, when shall I

Behold Thee all serene;

Blest in perpetual Sabbath-day,
Without a veil between?

2 Assist me, while I wander here,
Amidst a world of cares;

Incline my heart to pray with love,
And then accept my prayers.

3 Release my soul from every chain-
No more sin's captive led;

And pardon a repenting child,
For whom the Saviour bled.

4 Spare me, my God, O spare the soul
That gives itself to Thee;
Take all that I possess below,
And give Thyself to me.

5 Thy Spirit, O my Father, give,
To be my Guide and Friend,
To light my paths to ceaseless joys,
To Sabbaths without end.

S.M.

839 Receive not the grace of God in

vain.-2 Cor. 6, 3.

1 THE light of Sabbath eve
Is fading fast away;
What pleasing record will it leave
To crown the closing day?

2 Is it a Sabbath spent,

3

4

Fruitless, and vain, and void,

Or have these precious moments lent
Been usefully employed?

How dreadful and how drear,
In yon dark world of pain,

Will Sabbath seasons lost appear,
That cannot come again!

God of these blissful hours,

O may we never dare

To waste, in worldly thoughts of ours, These sacred days of prayer!

C.M.

840 Thy word have I hid in mine heart.

-Ps. 119, 11.

1 THIS sacred day, great God, we close With gratitude and love,

And bless Thee for the joyful news,
Which hail us from above.

2 May we retain the glorious truths
Recorded in Thy word,

And, with obedient lives, adorn
The doctrines of the Lord.

3 Ere long we hope to meet and join
The ransomed throng in bliss;
With joy Thy earthly courts we'll leave
To dwell where Jesus is.

L.M.

841 Mine house shall be called an house

1

MIL

of prayer for all people.--Isa. 56,7. ILLIONS within Thy courts have met, Millions this day before Thee bowed; Their faces Zion-ward were set, [vowed: Vows with their lips to Thee they 2 People of many a tribe and tongue, Men of strange colours, climates, lands, Have heard Thy truth, Thy glory sung, And offered prayer with holy hands. 3 Soon as the light of morning broke O'er island, continent, or deep, Thy far-spread family awoke,

Sabbath all round the world to keep. 4 From east to west, the sun surveyed, From north to south, adoring throngs; And still, where evening stretched her shade,

The stars came out to hear their songs. 5 And not a prayer, a tear, a sigh,

Hath failed this day some suit to gain; To those in trouble Thou wert nigh; Not one hath sought Thy face in vain. 6 Thy poor have all been freely fed, Thy chastened sons have kissed the rod, Thy mourners have been comforted, The pure in heart have seen their God. 7 Yet one prayer more-and be it one, In which both heaven and earth accord; Fulfil Thy promise to Thy Son, Let all that breathe call Jesus, Lord.

7s.

842 Abide with us, for it is toward

evening.-Luke 24, 29.

1 H with imperfect accents here;

TOLY Father! whom we praise

Ancient of eternal days!

Lord of heaven and earth and air;
Stooping from amid the blaze

Of the flaming seraphim;

Hear and help us while we raise,
This our Sabbath evening hymn.

2 We have trod Thy temple, Lord;
We have joined the public praise;
We have heard Thy holy word;
We have sought Thy heavenly grace;
All Thy goodness we record,
All our powers to Thee we bring;
Let Thy faithfulness afford,
Now the shadow of Thy wing.
3 We have seen Thy dying love,
Jesus! once for sinners slain;
We would follow Thee above;
We like Thee would rise and reign.
Let revolving Sabbaths prove
Seasons of delight in Thee;
Let Thy presence, Holy Dove,
Fit us for eternity.

1

78.

843 The end of the Sabbath.-Matt.

ERE

28, 1.

RE another Sabbath close,
Ere again we seek repose,
Lord, our song ascends to Thee,
At Thy feet we bow the knee.
2 For the mercies of the day,
For this rest upon our way,
Thanks to Thee alone be given,
Lord of earth, and King of heaven.
3 Cold our services have been,
Mingled every prayer with sin;
But Thou canst and wilt forgive:
By Thy grace alone we live.

4 Whilst this thorny path we tread,
May Thy love our footsteps lead;
When our journey here is past,
May we rest with Thee at last.
5 Let these earthly Sabbaths prove
Foretastes of our joys above;

While their steps Thy children bend
To the rest which knows no end.