1 SHOULD nature's charms to please the eye,
In sweet assemblage join,
All nature's charms would droop and die,
Jesus, compar'd with thine.
2 Vain were her fairest beams display'd,
And vain her blooming store ;
Her brightness languishes to shade,
Her beauty is no more.
3 But ah, how far from mortal sight
The Lord of glory dwells!
A veil of interposing night
His radiant face conceals.
4 O could my longing spirit rise
On strong immortal wing,
And reach thy palace in the skies,
My Saviour and my King!
5 There thousands worship at thy feet,
And there (divine employ !)
The triumphs of thy love repeat,
In songs of endless joy.
& Thy presence beams eternal day,
O'er all the blissful place;
Who would not drop this load of clay,
And die to see thy face ?
1 WHY sinks my weak desponding mind?
Why heaves my heart the anxious sigh?
Can sov'reign goodness be unkind?
Am I not safe if God is nigh?
2 He holds all nature in his hand :
That gracious hand on which we live, Does life, and time, and death command, And has immortal joys to give. 3 'Tis he supports this dying frame, On him alone my hopes recline; The wond'rous glories of his name, How wide they spread! how bright they shine! 4 Infinite wisdom! boundless power! Unchanging faithfulness and love! Here let me trust, while I adore, Nor from my refuge e'er remove.
HYMN 61. L. M.
1 O How divine, how sweet the joy
When but one sinner turns;
When the poor wretch with broken heart,
His sins and errors mourns!
2 Pleas'd with the news the saints below,
In songs their tongues employ;
Beyond the skies the tidings go,
And heaven is fill'd with joy.
3 Well pleas'd the Father sees and hears
The conscious sinner weep ;
Jesus receives him in his arms,
And owns him for his sheep.
4 Not angels can their joys contain,
But kindle with new fire :
"A wandering sheep's return'd," they sing,
And strike the sounding lyre.
1 DESCEND from heaven, immortal Dove,
Stoop down, and take us on thy wings;
And mount, and bear us far above
The reach of these inferior things :
2 Beyond, beyond this lower sky,
Up where eternal ages roll;
Where solid pleasures never die,
And fruits immortal feast the soul.
3 O for a sight, a pleasing sight
Of our Almighty Father's throne !
There sits our Saviour crown'd with light,
Cloth'd in a body like our own.
4 Adoring saints around him stand,
And thrones and powers before him fall;
The God shines gracious through the man,
And sheds sweet glories on them all!
5 When shall the day, dear Lord, appear,
That I shall mount to dwell above;
And stand and bow among them there,
And view thy face, and sing, and love?
HYMN 63. L. M.
1 WHEN marshall'd on the nightly plain, The glitt'ring host bestud the sky ; One star alone, of all the train,
Can fix the sinner's wand'ring eye.
2 Hark! hark! to God the chorus breaks, From every host, from every gem;
But one alone the Saviour speaks,
It is the star of Bethlehem.
3 Once on the raging seas I rode,
The storm was loud-the night was dark---
The ocean yawn'd-and rudely blow'd
The wind that toss'd my found'ring bark.
4 Deep horror then my vitals froze,
Death-struck, I ceas'd the tide to stem; When suddenly a star arose,
It was the star of Bethlehem.
5 It was my guide, my light my all,
It bade my dark forebodings cease ; And through the storm and danger's thrall, It led me to the port of peace. 6 Now safely moor'd-my perils o'er, I'll sing, first in night's diadem, For ever and for evermore,
'The star!- the star of Bethlehem!
1 LET thoughtless thousands choose the road
That leads the soul away from God;
This happiness, dear Lord, be mine,
To live and die entirely thine.
2 On Christ, by faith, my soul would live,
From him, my life, my all receive;
To him devote my fleeting hours,
Serve him alone with all my pow'rs.
3 Christ is my everlasting all,
To him I look, on him I call;
He will my every want supply,
In time, and thro' eternity.
4 Soon will the Lord, my life, appear;
Soon shall I end my trials here-
Leave sin and sorrow, death and pain-
To live is Christ-to die is gain.
5 Soon will the saints in glory meet-
Soon walk thro' every golden street,
And sing on every blissful plain,
To live is Christ, to die is gain.
HYMN 65. L. M.
1 THANKS to thy name, O Lord that we
One glorious Sabbath more behold ;
Dear Shepherd, let us meet with thee,
Among thy sheep, in this thy fold.
2 Now, Lord, among thy tribes appear,
And let thy presence fill the throng;
Thy awful voice let sinners hear,
And bid the feeble heart be strong.
3 Put forth thy shepherd's crook, and stay
Thy wandering sheep, and bring them back;
O bring the wandering home to-day,
And save them for thy mercy's sake.
1 WITH conscious guilt and bleeding heart,
Near to thy throne of grace I fly;
O! friend of friendless sinners, deign
To hear my penitential cry.
2 Borne down with sin's tremendous load,
I cannot raise my soul to thee;
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