HYMN 475. L. M. [#]
The Memorial of our absent Lord.
1 JESUS is gone above the sky,
Where our weak senses reach him not;
And carnal objects court our eye,
To thrust our Saviour from our thought.
2 He knows what wandering hearts we have,
How weak our faith and hope might prove;
And, to refresh our minds, he gave
This kind memorial of his love.
3 The Lord of life this table spread
With his own flesh and dying blood:
We on the rich provision feed,
And taste the wine, and bless our God.
4 Let sinful sweets be all forgot,
And earth grow less in our esteem;
Christ and his love fill every thought,
And faith and hope be fixed on him.
HYMN 476. 61. L. M. [#]
The Christian's ardent Aspirations.
1 ETERNAL Spirit, Source of light,
Enlivening, consecrating Fire,
Descend, and with celestial heat
Our dull, our frozen hearts inspire ;
Our souls refine, our dross consume;
Come, condescending Spirit, come.
2 In our cold breasts, O strike a spark
Of that pure flame which seraphs feel;
Nor let us wander in the dark,
Or lie benumbed and stupid still.
Come, vivifying Spirit, come,
And make our hearts thy constant home.
3 Let pure devotion's fervours rise
Let every pious passion glow;
O let the raptures of the skies
Kindle in our cold hearts below.
Come, purifying Spirit, come,
And make our souls thy constant home.
HYMN 477. 8 & 7s. M. [b]
Desires after Christian Obedience.
1 FROM the table now retiring,
Which for us the Lord hath spread,
May our souls, refreshment finding,
Grow in all things like our Head.
2 His example by beholding,
May our lives his image bear; Him our Lord and Master calling, His commands may we revere. 3 Love to God and man displaying, Walking steadfast in his way, Joy attend us in believing;
Peace from God; through endless day.
DEDICATIONS AND ORDINATIONS.
HYMN 478. S. P. M. [#]
On opening a Place of Worship.
1 How does my heart rejoice
To hear the public voice,
Come, let us seek our God to-day!
Yes, with a cheerful zeal,
We'll haste to Zion's hill,
And there our vows and honours pay.
2 Zion, thrice happy place!
Adorned with wondrous grace,
And walls of strength enclose thee round;
In thee our souls appear,
To pray, and praise, and hear
The sacred gospel's joyful sound.
3 May peace attend thy gate,
And joy within thee wait,
To bless the soul of every guest:
The man who seeks thy peace,
And wishes thine increase,
A thousand blessings on him rest.
4 My tongue repeats her vows,
Peace to this sacred house,
For here my friends and brethren dwell;
And, since my glorious God
Makes this his blest abode,
My soul shall ever love thee well.
HYMN 479. C. M. [#]
Consecration of a Place of Worship.
1 GREATEST of beings, Source of good,
We bow before thy throne,
Which from eternity hath stood,
And worship thee alone.
2 Wilt thou vouchsafe thy presence here,
And shed propitious rays,
While with united hands we rear
An altar to thy praise?
3 Here, then, in every heart be found
The dwelling of thy choice;
And here be heard that sweetest sound,
The cheerful, thankful voice.
4 Here may the mind, while sunk in woes,
And comfort long delays,
On Mercy's gentle breast repose,
And change its sighs for praise.
5 May love, with sweet, resistless force,
Compel her guests to come;
Arrest the sinner's downward course,
And call the wanderer home.
6 While life eternal all pursue,
Here may the way be shown,
To know thyself, God only true,
And Christ, thy chosen Son.
HYMN 480. L. M. [#]
Worship acceptable in all Places.
10 THOU, to whom, in ancient time,
The lyre of Hebrew bards was strung,
Whom kings adored in song sublime,
And prophets praised with glowing tongue;
2 Not now on Zion's height alone,
Thy favoured worshipper may dwell;
Not where, at sultry noon, thy Son
Sat, weary, by the patriarch's well :
3 From every place below the skies,
The grateful song, the fervent prayer,
The incense of the heart, may rise
To heaven, and find acceptance there.
4 In this thy house, whose doors we now
For social worship first unfold,
To thee the suppliant throng shall bow,
While circling years on years are rolled.
5 To thee shall age, with snowy hair,
And strength and beauty, bend the knee,
And childhood lisp, with reverent air,
Its praises and its prayers to thee.
6 O thou, to whom, in ancient time,
The lyre of prophet bards was strung,
To thee, at last, in every clime,
Shall temples rise, and praise be sung.
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