1404 Christ loved the Church. Eph. v.
1 CHURCH of the everlasting God,
The Father's gracious choice,
Amidst the voices of this earth
How feeble is thy voice!

2 Thy words, amidst the words of earth,
How noiseless and how low;
Amidst the hurrying crowds of time,
Thy step how calm and slow!

3 But 'mid the wrinkled brows of earth,
Thy brow how free from care;
'Mid the flushed cheeks of riot here,
Thy cheek how pale and fair!

4 Amidst the restless eyes of earth,
How stedfast is thine eye,
Fixed on the silent loneliness
Of the far eastern sky!

PART II.

5 A little flock! So calls He thee, Who bought thee with His blood; A little flock, disowned of men,

But owned and loved of God.

6 A little flock! So calls He thee;

Church of the first-born, hear;
Be not ashamed to own the name;
It is no name of fear.

7 A little flock! Not many rich,
Not many great or wise;

They whom God makes His kings and priests

Are poor in human eyes.

8 A little flock! Yes, even so;

A handful among men:

Such is the purpose of thy God;
So willeth He. Amen.

PART III.

9 A little flock! 'Tis well, 'tis well; Such be her lot and name; Through ages past it has been so,

And now 'tis still the same.

10 But the chief Shepherd comes at length;

Her feeble days are o'er;

No more a handful on the earth,
A little flock no more;

11 No more a lily among thorns,
Weary, and faint, and few,

But countless as the stars of heaven,
Or as the early dew.

12 Then entering the eternal halls
In robes of victory,

That mighty multitude shall keep
The joyous jubilee.

13 Unfading palms they bear aloft,
Unfaltering songs they sing,
Unending festivals they keep,
In presence of the King.

1405 Eternal in the heavens. 2 Cor. v.

1 THERE is an hour of peaceful rest
To mourning wanderers given;
There is a joy for souls distrest,
A balm for every wounded breast:
'Tis found above, in heaven.

2 There is a home for weary souls
By sin and sorrow driven,
When tost on life's tempestuons shoals,
Where storms arise and ocean rolls,
And all is dark but heaven.

3 There faith looks up with courage high,
That long and well hath striven:
And lo, the evening shadows fly,
The muttering storm rolls swiftly by,
And all is calm in heaven.

4 There fragrant flowers immortal bloom,
And joys supreme are given;
There rays divine disperse the gloom
Beyond the confines of the tomb
Appears the dawn of heaven.

1406

Ye are fellow-citizens with the saints.
Eph. ii.

1 YE that put on the heavenly crown,
And sing with seraphim,
Brethren in glory, bend ye down,

And aid our faltering hymn.
Come let us sing the one great Head,
The selfsame power to save,
Ye who in bliss are perfected,

And we beside the grave.

2 Glory to Him who tasted death
That all might life receive;
Who trusts in Him with stedfast faith,
Though he were dead, shall live.
Glory to Him who won the strife
And is gone up on high,

The Resurrection and the Life,

In whom we never die.

3 Glory from us, who think Him long
And for His coming wait;

And glory from yon palm-crowned throng
Within the pearly gate.

When wilt Thou be at once adored
By one Church, in one home?
O speed the time; delay not, Lord:-
Lord Jesus, quickly come.

1407 Them also which sleep in Jesus will

God bring with Him. 1 Thess. iv. 1 FRIEND after friend departs;

Who hath not lost a friend?
There is no union here of hearts.

That finds not here an end.
Were this frail world our final rest,
Living or dying none were blest.
2 Beyond the flight of time,

Beyond the reign of death,
There surely is some blessèd clime
Where life is not a breath,
Nor life's affections transient fire,
Whose sparks fly upward and expire.

3 There is a world above

Where parting is unknown,
A long eternity of love

Formed for the good alone;
And faith beholds the dying here
Translated to that glorious sphere.
4 Thus star by star declines,
Till all are past away,

As morning high and higher shines
To pure and perfect day;

Nor sink those stars in empty night,

But hide themselves in heaven's own light.

1408 Damsel, I say to thee, Arise. Mark v. 1 FRIENDS and parents lingered weeping Round her body where it lay; Was she dead or only sleeping? Had the spirit left the clay? 2 By her side the Saviour standeth; Minstrels, mourners, all have fled (So the Lord of life commandeth)

From the chamber of the dead. 3 Gently now her hand He taketh,

Saith unto her, 'Maid, arise;'
Lo, she stirreth, she awaketh,

Fixeth on the Lord her eyes.
4 He the word divine hath spoken
Which both death and hell obey;
He the captive's chain hath broken,
Spoiled the spoiler of his prey.

1 IN Thee we live, and move, and are; Thou dealest out our days:

As thou renew'st our being, Lord,

May we renew Thy praise.

2 Thy bounty gives us bread with peace, A table free from strife;

Thy blessing is the staff of bread,
Which is the staff of life.

3 The daily favours of our God
We cannot sing at large;
Yet let us make this holy boast,
We are the Almighty's charge.

4 Lord, in the day Thou art about
The paths wherein we tread;
And in the night, when we lie down,
Thou art about our bed.

O let each house a temple be,
That we and ours may sing
Hosannas to Thy majesty,

And praise our heavenly King.

1410

Your Father knoweth that ye have
need of these things. Luke xii.

1 AUTHOR of good, to Thee we turn,
To Thee for help we cry :
Thine eye can all our wants discern,
Thy hand alone supply.
O let Thy fear within us dwell,

Thy love our footsteps guide:
That love shall vain desires expel,
That fear, all fear beside.

2 Alas, by passion's force subdued,
Too oft, with stubborn will,
We blindly shun the offered good,
And grasp the specious ill.
Not to our wish, but to our want,
Do Thou Thy gifts supply:
The good, unasked, in mercy grant,
The ill, though asked, deny.

3 Food, raiment, dwelling, health, and friends,

Thou, Lord, hast made our lot;
With Thee our bliss begins and ends,

As we are Thine, or not.

For these we bend the humble knee, Our thankful spirits bow;

Yet from Thy gifts we turn to Thee: Be Thou our portion, Thou.

1411

Gather up the fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. John vi.

1 His are the cattle on the steep,

The beasts that roam the wood,
The fowls that skim the airy deep,

The tenants of the flood;

Yet He who owns this countless host

Of earth and sea and sky,
Commands that nothing should be lost,
No fragment useless lie.

2 Hence may we learn unceasing care
Of all our gifts to take,
And grace to seek, in earnest prayer,
Right use of all to make.
This earthly store, or less or more,
But for a day is lent;
In selfish use, or waste profuse,
No portion must be spent.
3 Of whatsoever gift possest,
What grace soe'er is given,
So let us use it as may best

Prepare our souls for heaven.
To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God whom we adore,

From men and from the heavenly host
Be glory evermore. Amen.

5 Dark scenes of sorrow come; and lo,
In Salem's courts, in Kedron's vale,
On that sad hill of shame and woe,
Thee Sufferer for our sins we hail.
6 Loosed from the tomb that held Thee dead,
Ascended to Thy seat on high,
And thence Thy holy Spirit shed,
We hail Thee crowned with majesty.
7 Hail, blest Redeemer; as we store
From feast to feast Thy works in
mind,

The more we praise and love, the more
In Thee the Father's Image find.

1413 The messenger of the covenant.

Mal. iii.

10 THOU who holdest in Thine hand The stars of light and worlds above, And sendest forth in every land

The messengers of truth and love; 2 As he did once prepare Thy way,

Who came with roughest raiment clad, The herald of that glorious day

Which made the gloomy regions glad, 3 So bless again, Thou Saviour dear,

Thy servants, who Thy word proclaim;
So let Thine arm again appear,
Make known on earth Thy glorious

name.

4 Let sinners turn from evil ways,

And all Thy saving truth adore;
Fill mourning hearts with joyful praise,
And spread Thy light from shore to
shore.

1414 The Word was made flesh. John i.

1 Or the Father's love begotten
Ere the worlds began to be,
He is Alpha and Omega,

He the source, the ending He,
Of the things that are, that have been,
And that future years shall see,
Evermore and evermore.

20 that birth for ever blessed,
When the Virgin, full of grace,
By the Holy Ghost conceiving,

Bare the Saviour of our race;
And the Babe, the world's Redeemer,
First revealed His sacred face,

Evermore and evermore.

3 This is He whom seers in old time

Chanted of with one accord,
Whom the voices of the prophets
Promised in their faithful word:
Now He shines, the long-expected;
Let creation praise its Lord

Evermore and evermore.

4 O ye heights of heaven, adore Him,
Angel hosts, His praises sing;
All dominions, bow before Him,
And extol our God and King:
Let no tongue on earth be silent,
Every voice in concert ring
Evermore and evermore.

5 Thee let old men, Thee let young men,
Thee let boys in chorus sing,
Matrons, virgins, little maidens
With glad voices answering;
Let their guileless songs re-echo,
And the heart its praises bring
Evermore and evermore.

6 Christ, to Thee, with God the Father,
And, O Holy Ghost, to Thee,

Hymn, and chant, and high thanksgiv-
ing,

And unwearied praises be,
Honour, glory, and dominion,

And eternal victory,

Evermore and evermore.

Amen.

1415 Glory to God in the highest. Luke ii.

1 HIGH let us swell our tuneful notes,

And join the angelic throng;
For angels no such love have known
To wake a cheerful song.
Good-will to sinful man is shown,

And peace on earth is given;
For lo, the incarnate Saviour comes
With light and life from heaven.
2 Mercy and truth with sweet accord
His rising beams adorn;

Let heaven and earth in concert join:

To us a Child is born.
Glory to God, in highest strains,
In all the world be paid,
Nor only by our lips proclaimed,
But in our lives displayed.

Ruler of the realms of glory,

How from heaven to earth He came: Holy Jesus, who was born

Early on the Christmas morn.

2 What though sun and moon adore Him
While the rolling ages move,
Yet a mortal maiden bore Him,

Graced by Heaven's peculiar love:
Lo, within a manger lies

He who built the starry skies.

3 Mother of the world's Creator,
Happy mother, maiden mild!
He, who holds the frame of nature

In His hands, became her Child:
Sacred Infant all-divine,

What a tender love was Thine!

1 THIS day we hail the holy Name,
The Name to which we bend;
Jesus the Saviour we proclaim;
Their voices angels blend.
For things above and things below
Their homage shall unite,

To bow the knee with all who know
The Lord of life and light.

2 From heaven He came to dwell on earth; Our flesh and blood He wore;

The rite which shadowed forth new
birth,

When eight days old, He bore.
The sterner law Thou didst fulfil,
And suffer in our stead;
To do Thy heavenly Father's will,
Thy infant blood was shed.

3 Thy first and last of earthly life
Was marked by pain and blood;
The nails and spear, the legal knife,
Were suffered for our good.
A bloodless, painless rite is ours;

Baptised, from guilt set free,
O may we consecrate our hours,
Our days, our years, to Thee!

1418 In Bethlehem of Judea. Matt. ii.

1 BETHLEHEM, of noblest cities

None can e'er with thee compare;
Thou alone the Lord from heaven
Didst for us, incarnate, bear.

2 Fairer than the sun at morning
Shone the star that told His birth,
To the lands their God announcing,
Veiled beneath a form of earth.

3 By its lambent beauty guided,

See the eastern kings appear,
See them bend their gifts to offer,
Gifts of incense, gold, and myrrh.
4 Offerings all of mystic meaning:

Incense doth the God disclose;
Gold a royal Child proclaimeth;
Myrrh the future tomb foreshows.

5 Holy Jesus, in Thy brightness

To the Gentile world displayed,
With the Father and the Spirit,

Endless praise to Thee be paid. Amen.

1419 Evermore give us this bread. John vi.

1 AWHILE in spirit, Lord, with Thee
Into the desert would we flee;
Awhile upon the desert steep
Our fast with Thee in spirit keep,
Awhile from Thy temptation learn
The dangerous snares of sin to spurn,
And in our hearts to feel and own,

Man liveth not by bread alone.'
2 Incarnate Lord, we come to Thee:
Thou knowest our infirmity;
Be Thou our helper in the strife,
Be Thou our true, our inward life.
And while at Thy command we pray
'Give us our bread from day to day,'
May we with Thee, O Christ, be fed,
Thou Word of God, Thou living Bread!

1420 They two shall be one flesh. Eph. v.

1 LORD, who at Cana's wedding feast
Didst as a guest appear,
Thou dearer far than earthly guest,

Vouchsafe Thy presence here;
For holy Thou indeed dost prove
The marriage vow to be,
Proclaiming it a type of love

Between the Church and Thee.

1422

For my love they are my adversaries; they rewarded me hatred for my love. Ps. cix.

1 WHAT grace, O Lord, and beauty shone Around Thy steps below;

What patient love was seen in all
Thy life and death of woe!

2 For ever on Thy burdened heart
A weight of sorrow hung,
Yet no ungentle murmuring word
Escaped Thy silent tongue.

3 Thy foes might hate, despise, revile,
Thy friends unfaithful prove;
Unwearied in forgiveness still,
Thy heart could only love.
4 O give us hearts to love like Thee,
Like Thee, O Lord, to grieve

Far more for others' sins than all
The wrongs that we receive.

5 One with Thyself, may every eye
In us, Thy brethren, see
The gentleness and grace that spring
From union, Lord, with Thee.