day of God! most calm, most bright, The first and best of days;
The labourer's rest, the saint's delight,
Sweet hour of joy and praise!
2 Daily, O Lord! Thy flocks are blest
In pastures large and fair;
But better is the weekly feast
Provided by Thy care.
3 This day the Lord our Saviour rose
Victorious from the dead;
And, as a conqueror, His foes
In glorious triumph led.
4 Welcome, kind Shepherd! to Thy sheep
Are these sweet tastes of love;
But what a Sabbath shall they keep,
When safe with Thee above!
5 As the first fruits an earnest prove
Of all the sheaves behind,
So they who do the Sabbath love
A happy week shall find.
HIS is the day of Light!
Let there be light to-day!
O Dayspring, rise upon our night,
And chase its gloom away.
Our failing strength renew!
On weary brain and troubled breast
Shed Thou Thy fresh'ning dew.
3 This is the day of Peace!
Thy peace our spirits fill !
Bid Thou the blasts of discord cease,
The waves of strife be still.
4 This is the day of Pray'r!
Let earth to heav'n draw near!
Lift up our hearts to seek Thee there;
Come down to meet us here.
DAY of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light,
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright;
On Thee the high and lowly,
Through ages joined in tune,
Sing Holy, Holy, Holy,
To the Great God Triune !
2 On Thee, at the creation,
The light first had its birth;
On Thee, for our salvation,
Christ rose from depths of earth;
On Thee our Lord victorious
The Spirit sent from heaven,
And thus on Thee, most glorious,
A triple light was given.
3 Thou art a port protected
From storms that round us rise;
A garden intersected
With streams of Paradise ;
Thou art a cooling fountain
In life's dry dreary sand;
From Thee, like Pisgah's mountain,
We view our Promised Land.
4 Thou art a holy ladder,
Where angels go and come;
Each Sunday finds us gladder,
Nearer to heaven, our home:
A day of sweet refection
Thou art, a day of love;
A day of Resurrection
From earth to things above.
5 To-day on weary nations
The heavenly Manna falls;
To holy convocations
The silver trumpet calls;
Where Gospel-light is glowing
With pure and radiant beams;
And living water flowing
With soul-refreshing streams.
6 New graces ever gaining
From this our day of rest,
We reach the rest remaining
To spirits of the blest.
To Holy Ghost be praises,
To Father and to Son;
The Church her voice upraises
To Thee, blest Three in One.
GAIN the Lord of life and light
Awakes the kindling ray,
Unseals the eyelids of the dawn,
And pours increasing day.
2 Oh! what a night was that which wrapt The heathen world in gloom!
Oh! what a Sun which broke this day,
Triumphant from the tomb.
3 The powers of darkness leagued in vain To bind His soul in death;
He shook their kingdom when He fell,
With His expiring breath.
4 Exalted high at God's right hand,
The Lord of all below,
Through Him is pardoning love dispensed,
And boundless blessings flow.
5 And still for erring, guilty man,
A Brother's pity flows;
And still His bleeding heart is touched
With memory of our woes.
6 To Thee, our Saviour and our King,
Glad homage we will give ;
And stand prepared, like Thee, to die,
That we with Thee may live.
1 LIGHT of lights, enlighten me,
Now anew the day is dawning;
Sun of grace, the shadows flee,
Brighten Thou my Sabbath morning;
With Thy joyous sunshine blest,
Happy is my day of rest.
Fount of all our joy and peace,
To Thy living waters lead me;
Thou from earth my soul release,
And with grace and mercy feed me;
Bless Thy word that it may prove
Rich in fruits that Thou dost love.
Let me with my heart to-day,
Holy, holy, holy singing,
Rapt, awhile from earth away,
All my soul to Thee upspringing,
Have a foretaste inly given,
How they worship Thee in Heaven.
Hence all care, all vanity,
For the day to God is holy :
Come, Thou glorious majesty,
Deign to fill this temple lowly!
Nought to-day my soul shall move,
Simply resting in Thy love.
FRE another Sabbath close,
Ere again we seek repose,
our song ascends to Thee;
At Thy feet we bow the knee.
2 For the mercies of the day,
For this rest upon our way,
Thanks to Thee alone be given,
Lord of earth, and King of heaven :
3 Cold our services have been ;
Mingled every prayer with sin;
But Thou canst and wilt forgive;
By Thy grace alone we live.
4 Whilst this thorny path we tread,
May Thy love our footsteps lead :
When our journey here is past,
May we rest with Thee at last.
5 Let these earthly Sabbaths prove
Foretastes of our joys above;
While their steps Thy children bend
To the rest which knows no end.
WEET Saviour, bless us ere we go;
Thy word into our minds instil,
And make our lukewarm hearts to glow
With lowly love and fervent will.
Through life's long day and death's dark night,
O gentle Jesus, be our light.
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