Holy Trinity, be nigh:
Mystery of love, adored,
Help to live, and help to die;
Lighten all our darkness, Lord.

301

1 JESUS, tender Shepherd, hear me,
Bless Thy little lamb to-night;
Through the darkness be Thou near me,
Keep me safe till morning light.

"Thy sleep shall be sweet."
PROV. iii. 24.

302

2 Through this day Thy hand has led me,
And I thank Thee for Thy care;
Thou hast guarded, clothed, and fed me,-
Listen to my evening prayer.,

3 Let my sins be all forgiven;

Bless the friends I love so well;
Take me, when I die, to heaven,-
Happy there with Thee to dwell.

"Blessed are they that keep My ways."
PROV. viii. 32.

1 HAPPY would it be for me,

In the morning of my youth,
To devote my life to Thee,
O Thou God of love and truth!

2 May I anxious be to know

More of Thee, and things above;
Lord, upon a child bestow
Light and knowledge, joy and love.

303

1

3 Lord, forbid the tempter's wiles
To direct my feet aside;

Save me from whate'er defiles,-
Sin and folly, lust and pride.

4 Let Thy will in me be done;

Let Thy sacred will be mine;
Fix my heart on Thee alone,
To evince I'm truly Thine.

"He careth for you."
1 PET. V. 7.

8&7.

COME, let us join the hosts above,

Now in our youngest days;
Remember our Creator's love,

And sing our Father's praise.

? His majesty will not despise,
The day of feeble things;

Grateful the songs of children rise,
And please the King of kings.

8 He loves to be remembered thus,
And honoured for His grace;
Out of the mouths of babes like us
His wisdom perfects praise.

4 Glory to God, and praise and power,
Honour and thanks be given;
Children and cherubim adore
The Lord of earth and heaven.
"Lord, remember me!"
LUKE Xxiii. 42.

304

1 SOON

as my infant's lips can speak
Their feeble prayer to Thee,

Thus should my heart Thy favour seek,
Dear "Lord, remember me!"

2 In childhood's following years, my tongue
Tuned to Thy praise shall be,

And this the expressive, humble song,
Dear "Lord, remember me!"

3 From every sin that wounds the heart,
May I be taught to flee,-

Or bid the tempter else depart:
Dear "Lord, remember me !"

4 When, with life's heavy load opprest,
I bend the trembling knee,
Then give my suffering spirit rest,
Dear "Lord, remember me."

5 O let me, on the bed of death,
Thy great salvation see;
And cry, with my expiring breath,
Dear "Lord, remember me!"

305

1

"I thank Thee, and praise Thee."
DAN. ii. 23.

LORD, I would own Thy tender care,

And all Thy love to me;

The food I eat, the clothes I wear,
Are all bestowed by Thee.

2 'Tis Thou preservest me from death
And dangers, every hour;

I cannot draw another breath,
Unless Thou give me power.

C.M.

O.M.

3 My health, and friends, and parents dear,
To me, by God, are given;

I have not any blessing here,

But what is sent from heaven.

4 Such goodness, Lord, and constant care,
A child can ne'er repay;
But may it be my daily prayer
To love Thee and obey.

306

"The Lord is faithful."
2 THESS. iii. 3.

1 NOW that my journey's just begun,
My course so little trod,

I'll stay before I further run,
And give myself to God.

2 What sorrows may my steps attend,
I cannot now foretell;

But, if the Lord will be my Friend,
I know that all is well.

8 If all my earthly friends should die,
And leave me mourning here,-
Since God regards the orphan's cry,
O, what have I to fear?

4 If I am rich, He'll guard my heart,
Temptation to withstand;

And make me willing to impart
The bounties of His hand.

5 If I am poor, He can supply
Who has my table spread,-
Who feeds the ravens when they cry,
And fills His poor with bread.

6 And, Lord, whatever grief or ill
For me may be in store,

Make me submissive to Thy will,
And I would ask no more.

307

1

7 Attend me through my youthful way,
Whatever be my lot;

And when I'm feeble, old, and grey,
O Lord, forsake me not!

"Lead me, and guide me."
PSALM XXXi. 3.

GOD

OD of mercy, throned on high,
Listen from Thy lofty seat;
Hear, O hear our humble cry!
Guide, O guide our wandering feet!

308

1

2 Young and erring travellers, we
All our dangers do not know:
Scarce descry the stormy sea,
Hardly feel the tempest blow.
3 Jesus, lover of the young,
Cleanse us with Thy blood divine;
Ere the tide of sin grow strong,
Save us, Lord, and keep us Thine.
enquired early after God."
PSALM Ixxviii. 34.

"They

HAPPY the child whose youngest years
Receive instruction well;

Who hates the sinner's path, and fears
The road that leads to hell.

2 When we devote our youth to God,
"Tis pleasing in His eyes;

A flower, when offered in the bud,
Is no vain sacrifice.

8 'Twill save us from a thousand snares
To mind religion young;

Grace will preserve our following years,
And make our virtue strong.

4 To Thee, Almighty God, to Thee,
Our childhood we resign,

"Twill please us to look back and see
That our whole lives were Thine.

5 Let the sweet work of prayer and praise
Employ our youngest breath;

309

Thus we're prepared for longer days,
Or fit for early death.

"The time is short."

1 COR. vii. 29.

1 ERE childhood ripen into youth,
Our time may we improve,

To learn the sacred word of truth,
The Saviour's dying love.

Swiftly our moments haste away,
With every heaving breath:
And swiftly hastens on the day
When we must sink in death.

8 While many children ne'er are taught
For God's commands to care,

We bless the Lord that we are brought
To this, His house of prayer.

C.M.

O.M.

4 Give us, dear Jesus, ears to hear,
And hearts to understand,

In trouble, may we find Thee near,-
A Saviour close at hand.

>

5 Then safely, through life's rugged road,
Conducted, Lord, by Thee,
May heaven at last be our abode,
Thy glory there to see.

"Lead me in the way everlasting."
PSALM CXxxix. 34.

310

1 HOW long sometimes a day appears,

And weeks-how long are they?
Months move along, as if the years
Would never pass away.

2 But months and years are passing by,
And soon must all be gone :

For day by day, as minutes fly,
Eternity comes on.

3 Days, months, and years must have an end:
Eternity has none;

"Twill always have as long to spend,
As when it first begun.

4 Great God, we children cannot tell
How such a thing can be ;
And only pray that we may dwell
That long, long time with Thee.

311

1

O.M.

"David, My servant shall be king
EZEK. XXXvii. 24.

11.8.11.8.

GOOD

David, whose psalms have so often been
sung,
At first was not noble or grand,

But only a shepherd boy, when he was young,
Though afterwards king of the land.

2 He tended his flocks on the pastures by day,
And kept them in safety by night:
And, though a poor shepherd, he did not delay
To do what was holy and right.

3 For while he sat watching his sheep in the fold, To guard them from danger abroad,

It then was his greatest delight, we are told,

To think on the works of the Lord.