My soul shall pray for Sion still,
While life or breath remains,
There my best friends, my kindred dwell,
There God my Saviour reigns.
NOW may the Spirit's holy fire,
Descending from above,
His waiting family inspire
With joy, and peace, and love!
Thee we the Comforter confess
Unless thou'rt present here,
Our songs of praise are vain address,
We utter heartless prayer.
Wake, Heavenly Wind, arise, and come,
Blow on the drooping field;
Our spices then shall breathe perfume,
And fragrant incense yield.
Touch with a living coal the lip
That shall proclaim thy word;
And bid each hearer awful keep
Attention to the Lord.
JESUS, where'er thy people meet,
There they behold thy mercy-seat;
Where'er they seek thee, thou art found,
And every place is hallow'd ground.
For thou, within no walls confin'd,
Inhabitest the humble mind:
Such ever bring thee where they come,
And going, take thee to their home.
Dear Shepherd of thy chosen few!
Thy former mercies here renew;
Here, to our waiting hearts proclaim
The sweetness of thy saving name.
Here may we prove the pow'r of pray'r,
To strengthen faith, and sweeten care;
To teach our faint desires to rise,
And bring all heav'n before our eyes.
Behold, at thy commanding word,
We stretch the curtain and the cord;
Come thou, and fill this wider space,
And bless us with a large increase.
Lord, we are few, but thou art near;
Nor short thine arm, nor deaf thine ear;
O rend the heav'ns, come quickly down,
And make a thousand hearts thine own!
COME, Holy Spirit, calm my mind,
And fit me to approach my God;
Remove each vain and worldly thought,
And lead me to thy blest abode.
Hast thou imparted to my soul,
A living spark of heav'nly fire?
O kindle now the sacred flame,
And fill my heart with pure desire.
LORD, behold thy people here,
Come to learn what thou wilt say:
O in mercy now draw near:
Meet thy people when they pray.
Thou art God, and thou alone;
Lord, we worship at thy throne.
Jesus, 'tis on thee we call ;
Israel's Saviour, Israel's King:
Low before thy feet we fall;
Thine, whom angels love to sing:
Saviour, lead us in the way;
Only thee would we obey.
Teach us what we do not know:
Lord, instruct us in thy will;
What we learn, O may we do,
To thy voice obedient still:
Close to thee may we abide,
Thee, our Saviour, and our Guide.
THOU, who didst command the light,
First upon the world to shine;
Put the shadows now to flight,
By the beams of truth divine:
Let the sinner turn to thee:
Let him now thy glory see.
Darkness reigns till thou art known:
Darkness can no longer reign:
Vain delusive hope is gone,
When the joyful truth is seen:
Sweet the hope the gospel gives;
Blest the sinner who believes.
Saviour, all our pray'r fulfil:
Let thy people too be blest:
On their hearts more deeply still,
Let the truth be now imprest:
Let them go from strength to strength,
Till they come to heav'n at length.
HAIL, peaceful day of hallow'd rest,
Sweet harbinger of joys above!
Thy hours are all by Jesus blest,
And shine on man with beams of love.
'Twas mercy first ordain'd the day,
In kind compassion to our woes,
That we might learn the heav'nly way,
And find in Christ our true repose.
It comes this dreary waste to cheer,
And shed celestial peace abroad,
With sacred truth to bless the ear,
And raise th' immortal soul to God.
Ye careless, who profanely waste
These sacred hours of mercy now; Soon will your vain delights be past, And all the fruit, remorse and woe. No more, no more, profane the day, Nor let your sabbaths pass in vain; But learn to seek, and strive, and pray, Like those who have a heav'n to gain.
EVERY thought should be directed,
Heav'nward through this hallow'd day:
Worldly themes should be rejected,
Themes that draw the soul away :
'Tis the day of sacred rest:
"Tis the day the Lord hath bless'd.
O what glorious themes invite us,
When we look on mercy's plan!
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