The warmest thanks we owe
To thee, O God of grace,
Our heart should ever flow
In grateful love and praise;
Lead us, O Lord, to praise thee thus
For thine amazing love to us.
THE HEAVENLY REST.
There is an hour of peaceful rest,
To mourning wanderers given; There is a tear for souls distrest, A balm for every wounded breast, 'Tis found above in Heaven!
There is a soft, a downy bed,
'Tis sweet as breath of even:
A couch for weary mortals spread,
Where they may rest the aching head,
And find repose in Heaven!
There is a home for weary souls,
By sin and sorrow driven,
When toss'd on life's tempestuous shoals,
Where storms arise and ocean rolls,
And all is drear but Heaven.
There faith lifts up the tearful eye,
The heart with anguish riven,
And views the tempest passing by,
The evening shadows quickly fly,
And all serene in Heaven!
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.
When the nations toss and roar
Like the billows on the shore;
When their chains the people break,
Leaders tremble, monarchs quake,
'Mid the roaring of the sea,
Christ, our hope is all in thee.
When the nations are at peace,
And the sounds of conflict cease,
When each port is choked with wares,
And each field its harvest bears;
'Mid the world's prosperity,
Christ, our hope is all in thee.
While the ages, one by one,
Roll beneath the rolling sun,
No one happier than before,
No one wiser than of yore;
While the powers of death and life
Wage on earth a weary strife;
Till the coming dawn we see,
Christ, our hope is all in thee.
OUR REFUGE AND STRENGTH.
He who the rule to God hath yielded,
And evermore on him relies,
Will be in wondrous manner shielded
In straits and all adversities;
Who in the Highest makes his stand.
Builds not his hope upon the lard.
What are our heavy cares availing?
Why should we sigh our years away?
What profit is there in bewailing
Our lot with each returning day?
Such sorrow lends a string to care,
And gives a heavier cross to bear,
Rest thou in God amid all changes,
Be pleased with all he may ordain-
Wait patient till what he arranges
For thy best welfare shall be plain;
God, who hath chosen us as his
Knows best what our true welfare is.
He knows, if need be, how to measure
The hours of sunshine as of shade;
And when we wait on his good pleasure,
With heart sincere and spirit stayed,
He comes more quickly than we know,
And makes our cup to overflow.
ANTICIPATIONS OF HEAVEN. I see within a temple bright
The shining ones appear,
In sparkling robes of living light,
And crystal raiment clear;
And some upon the threshold stand,
With looks of love and outstretched hand.
They seem as when on earth awhile
Except their shining dress,
And then they wear a beaming smile
Of heavenly tenderness.
Their love lit eyes are plain to view,
Their eager hands are stretched to you.
As yet you may not wing your way
To that eternal zone;
Your trials are not yet complete,
Your duties are not done;
Perform your Saviour's kind commands,
Lie patient in his holy hands.
Wait but awhile, and thou shalt soar
To that celestial crowd,
With songs in your Redeemer's praise
And hallelujahs loud;
And meet where sorrows never pain,
With Christ, and with his saints to reign.
MAN FORMED TO PRAISE GOD.
Sun, moon and stars, by day and night,
At God's commandment give us light;
And when we wake and while we sleep
Their watch like guardian angels keep.
The bright blue sky above our heads,
The soft green earth on which we tread, The ocean rolling round the land,
Were made by God's almighty hand.
Sweet flowers that hill and dale adorn,
The fruit trees, fields of grass and corn, The clouds that rise, the showers that fall, The winds that blow, God made them all.
The beast that graze with downward eye,
The birds that perch and sing and fly,
The fishes swimming in the sea,
God's creatures are as well as we.
But us he formed for better things,
As servants of the King of Kings,
With lifted hands and open face,
And thankful hearts to seek his face.
Thus God loved man, and more than thus,
He sent his Son to die for us;
And now invites us when we die,
To come and live with him on high.
But we must live to him below,
For none but such to Heaven will go ;
Lord Jesus hear our humble prayer
And lead the little children there.
ALL MY SPRINGS ARE IN THEE.
When anguish tears my wounded heart
As from loved friends I'm called to part;
When I must watch the glazing eye,
The last sad pangs of agony;
When all around is dark and drear,
Then O my Saviour be thou near;
Thy hand, thy footsteps may I see,
And feel my springs are all in Thee.
When sinks my soul with fear and dread,
As sorrow's waves dash o'er my head;
When with sail torn and rudder lost,
On life's dark sea I'm tempest tossed;
Then Lord my pilot and my guide,
Steer my frail vessel through the tide,
That I once more my Lord may see,
And feel my springs are all in Thee.
And at the last dread hour of strife,
When worn out with the march of life,
When my glad spirit soars away,
Freed from her prison house of clay,
Then Jesus then be thou my might,
Waft me to realms of heavenly light;
There, there, for ever would I be,
And know my springs are all in Thee.
This did not once so trouble me,
That better I could not love Thee;
But now I feel and know,
That only when we love we find
How far our hearts remain behind
The love they should bestow.
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