ALFRETON. EFFINGHAM. GERMANY.
Bless, O my soul, the living God;
Call home thy tho'ts that roam abroad;
Let all the powers within me, join
In love and worship so divine.
Bless, O my soul, the God of grace,
Whose love embraces all our race;
Let not the wonders he hath wrought,
Be lost in silence and forgot.
'Twas he who sent his blessed Son,
His gracious purpose to make known;
"Tis he whose pow'r will bring mankind
To light and peace, to bliss refined."
Let every land his truth embrace;
Let all the earth adore his grace:
My heart and tongue with joy incline,
To join in worship so divine.
O Lord, our Lord, in power divine,
How great is thine illustrious name!
Through all the earth thy glories shine,
And all thy wondrous love proclaim.
From thee thy best-loved Son descends,
A mortal form awhile to wear;
Beneath the might of foes he bends,
Awhile their scorn and spite to bear.
But lo! thy power exalts him high!
To him a glorious name is given;
He lives! he lives, no more to die,
Thine image in the courts of heaven!
O Lord, our Lord, in Love divine,
Thy grace and truth our souls proclaim;
We joy to know thy wise design,
And ever laud thy glorious name.
Come in, thou blessed of the Lord,
We welcome thee in Shiloh's name;
We welcome thee with one accord,
And trust our Saviour does the same.
Those joys which earth cannot afford,
We'll seek in fellowship to prove,
Joined in one Spirit to one Lord,
Together bound by mutual love."
And tho' we pass thro' scenes of tears,
Where mingling joys & griefs are known,
We'll share each other's hopes and fears,
And count a brother's cares our own.
Once more our welcome we repeat;
Receive assurance of our love;
Oh may we all together meet,
Around the throne of light above.
There is a land where earthly woe,
And earthly sorrow, all shall cease;
No sin shall grieve, no tear shall flow,
In that sweet land of love and peace.
There is a sunless, starless sky,
And
yet no darkness there is found;
Night cannot spread her canopy,
Where God's own glory shines around.
There is a home where friends shall meet,
And never, never part again;
And those who loved on earth, repeat
The vows they pledged in sorrow then.
That spirit-land shall ever bloom,
Grief from its clime be ever driven;
Immortal joys pervade that home-
That spirit land, that home is heaven.
Come, O my soul, in sacred lays,
Attempt thy great Creator's praise;
But oh what mortal can proclaim,
The grace and glory of his name.
Enthroned amid the radiant spheres,
He glory like a garment wears;
To form a robe of light divine,
Unnumbered suns around him shine.
In every purpose and design,
His goodness and his wisdom shine;
His works, thro' all this wondrous frame,
The mercy of his might proclaim.
Raised on devotion's holy wing,
Do thou, my soul, his glory sing;
And let his praise thy tongue employ
In one celestial song of joy.
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Awake, my tongue, thy tribute bring,
To him who gave thee power to sing;
Praise him who is all praise above,
The source of wisdom, light and love.
How vast his knowledge! how profound!
A depth where all our tho'ts are drown'd!
The stars he numbers-and their names
He gives to all those heavenly flames.
Through each bright world above, behold
Ten thousand glowing charms unfold;
Earth, air, and seas and skies combine,
To speak his wisdom all divine.
But in redemption, O what grace!
Its wonders, oh! what tho't can trace!
Here mercy shines forever bright.
And wide displays the saving light!
LUTON. NEWRY. CHAPEL STREET.
Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Extend the kingdom of thy Son,
Display his power, exalt his throne.
As rain on meadows newly mown
His spirit sends his blessings down:
His grace on fainting souls distils
Like heavenly dew on thirsty hills.
The heathen lands, that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive amid his dawning light,
And deserts blossom at the sight.
The saints shall flourish in his days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river, from his throne,
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
Great God! and shall thy spirit rest,
In such a feeble heart as mine?
Unworthy dwelling! glorious guest!
How great the favor! how divine l
When doubt prevails, and gloomy fear,
And hope is ready to expire,-
Lord, may thy spirit then be here.
And faith renew, and hope inspire.
And when my raptured heart can say,
I feel thy power and taste thy grace,
Then shall I own thy gentle sway,
And thy redeeming truth embrace.
Let thy good spirit in my heart
Forever dwell, O God of love!
And light and heavenly peace impart
The earnest of thy joys above.
O thou, at whose almighty word,
Fair light at first from darkness shone,
Teach us to know our glorious Lord,
And trace the Father in the Son.
As the bright sun's meridian blaze
O'erwhelms and pains our feeble sight,
But cheers us with his softer rays,
When shining with reflected light,-
So, in thy Son, thy power divine,
Thy wisdom, justice, truth, and love,
With mild and pleasing lustre shine,
Reflected from thy throne above.
Whilst we thine image, there displayed,
With love and admiration view,
Form us in likeness to our Head,
That we may bear thine image too.
The holy Spirit sure is nigh!
"Tis he sustains my fainting heart;
Else would my hope sink down and die,
And every cheering ray depart.
When some glad promise cheers my soul,
I hear thy precious, gracious voice,
And, yielding to its sweet control,
My heart and all my powers rejoice.
Whene'er to call the Saviour mine,
With ardent wish my soul aspires,
It is not less than power divine,
Which animates these strong desires.
Not less than thy redeeming word
Can raise me up from earth and dust,
And bid me cleave to thee, O Lord,
My life, my treasure and my trust!
Great Source of life, our souls confess
The various riches of thy grace;
And crown'd with mercies, we rejoice,
And in thy praise exalt our voice.
Thy gracious hand restores our breath,
When verging to the shades of death;
It gently wipes away our tears,
And lengthens life to future years.
Our lives are thine, O loving Lord!
By thee upheld, by thee restored;
And while the hours renew their race,
We still would walk before thy face.
So when our souls by thee are led
Through regions of the silent dead,
Thou wilt confer the light and love,
Of life and truth in realms above.
Go, worship at our Saviour's feet;
See in his face what wonders meet;
Earth is too barren to express
His worth, his glory, or his grace.
The whole creation can afford
But some faint shadows of my Lord:
Nature, to make his beauties known,
Must mingle colours not her own.
O let me climb those higher skies,
Where storms and darkness never rise!
There Christ displays his powers abroad,
And shines, and reigns the Son of God.
Not earth, nor scas, nor sun, nor stars,
Nor heaven, his full resemblance bears;
His beauties we can never trace,
Till we behold him face to face.
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