Page images
PDF
EPUB

310

1

3 There shall I bathe my weary soul
In seas of heavenly rest;
And not a wave of trouble roll
Across my peaceful breast.

[blocks in formation]

1 HEAVENLY Father, sovereign Lord,

Ever faithful to thy word,

We have felt thy mercy too;

We, O Lord! have found thee true!
See, these barren souls of ours

Bloom, and put forth fruits and flowers,
Flowers of Eden, fruits of grace,
Peace and joy and righteousness.

2 Hark! the wastes have found a voice,
Lonely deserts now rejoice!
Gladsome hallelujahs sing;
All around with praises ring!

Blind we were, but now we see:
Deaf; we hearken now to thee:

Dumb; for thee our tongues employ:

Lame; and lo! we leap for joy.

3 Faint we were, and parched with drought,

Water, at thy word, gushed out:

Streams of grace our thirst repress -
Starting from the wilderness.

Still we long thy grace to know –
Here, forever, let it flow;
Lead us in the way of peace,
In the path of righteousness.

4 There the simple cannot stray;
Babes, though blind, may find the way,
Find, nor ever thence depart,

Safe in lowliness of heart;
Far from fear, from danger far;
No devouring beast is there;
There the humble walks secure,
God hath made his footsteps sure.

5 Come, and all our sorrows chase,
Wipe the tears from every face;
Gladness let us now obtain,
Partners of thine endless reign.
Death, the latest foe, destroy;
Sorrow then shall yield to joy;
Gloomy grief shall flee away,
Swallowed up in endless day.

311.

Outward Religion.

L. M.

WATTS.

Religion Expressed in Life.

1 So let our lips and lives express
The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine.

2 Thus shall we best proclaim abroad
The honors of our Saviour, God,
When the salvation reigns within,
And
grace subdues the power of sin.

3 Our flesh and sense must be denied,
Passion and envy, lust and pride,
While justice, temperance, truth, and love,
Our inward piety approve.

4 Religion bears our spirits up,

While we expect that blessed hope,

312

The bright appearance of the Lord,
And faith stands leaning on his word.

C. M.

WATTS.

Christian Warfare.

1 AM I a soldier of the cross?
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?

2 Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease?

Whilst others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through stormy seas?

3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must not I stem the flood?

Is this low world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

4 Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.

5 Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.

313

6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all thy armies shine

In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine.

C. M.

The Christian's Life.

GISBORNE.

1 A SOLDIER'S course, from battles won
To new commencing strife:

A pilgrim's, restless as the sun ;-
Behold the Christian's life!

2 The hosts of darkness pant for spoil-
How can our warfare close?

Lonely we tread a foreign soil-
How can we hope repose?

3 0! let us seek our heavenly home,
Revealed in sacred lore;

The land whence pilgrims never roam,
Where soldiers war no more;

4 Where grief shall never wound, nor death,
Beneath the Saviour's reign;

Nor sin, with pestilential breath,

His holy realm profane;

5 The land where, suns and moons unknown,

And night's alternate sway,

Jehovah's ever-burning throne
Upholds unbroken day;

« PreviousContinue »