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If earthly parents hear

Their children when they cry;
If they, with love sincere,

Their varied wants supply;

Much more wilt thou thy love display,
And answer when thy children pray.

Our heavenly Father thou,-
We, children of thy grace:
O let thy Spirit now

Descend and fill the place:

So shall we feel the heavenly flame,
And all unite to praise thy name.

O may that Sacred Fire,

Descending from above,

Our languid hearts inspire

With fervent zeal and love;

Enlighten our beclouded eyes,

And teach our grovelling souls to rise.

76

March 16.

L. M.

THE CHRISTIAN WARFARE AND VICTORY.

Quito.

"Follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness: fight the good fight of faith; lay hold on eternal life."-1 Tim. vi. 11, 12.

1 STAND up, my soul-shake off thy fears,
And gird the gospel armor on;

March to the gates of endless joy,
Where Jesus, thy great Captain's gone.

2 Hell and thy sins resist thy course;
But hell and sin are vanquished foes;
Thy Jesus nailed them to the cross,
And sung the triumph when he rose.
3 Then let my soul march boldly on,

Press forward to the heavenly gate;
There peace and joy eternal reign,
And glittering robes for conquerors wait.

4 There shall I wear a starry crown,
And triumph in almighty grace;
While all the armies of the skies
Join in my glorious Leader's praise.

77

March 17.

L. M.

A MORNING SONG.

Wells.

"As for me, I will call upon God, evening, and morning, and at noon."-Ps. lv. 16, 17.

1

GREAT God, to thee my morning song,

With humble gratitude I raise;

O let thy mercy tune my tongue,
And fill my heart with lively praise.
2 My days, unclouded as they pass,
And every gently rolling hour,
Are monuments of wondrous grace,
And witness to thy love and power.
3 0 may thy power, celestial Guard,
Through all this day preserve from harm:
Can danger reach me while the Lord
Extends his kind, protecting arm?
4 And when this day my duties close,
With sleep refresh my feeble frame;
Safe in thy care may I repose,

And wake again to praise thy name.

78

March 18.

L. M.

THE HEAVENLY RACE.

Truro.

"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus." -Phil. iii. 13, 14.

1

A

WAKE, our souls! away, our fears!

Let every trembling thought be gone;
Awake-and run the heavenly race,
And put a cheerful courage on.

2 True, 'tis a strait and thorny road,
And mortal spirits tire and faint;
But they forget the mighty God,
Who feeds the strength of every saint.

3 From thee, the overflowing spring,

Our souls shall drink a fresh supply; While such as trust their native strength Shall melt away, and droop, and die.

4 Swift as an eagle cuts the air,

We'll mount aloft to thine abode; On wings of love our souls shall fly, Nor tire amid the heavenly road.

79

March 19.

C. M.

RETURNING TO GOD.

Mear.

"Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts."-Mal. iii. 7.

1

HOW oft, alas! this wretched heart

Has wandered from the Lord!
How oft my roving thoughts depart,
Forgetful of his word!

2 Yet sovereign mercy calls-"Return!"
Dear Lord! and may I come?
My vile ingratitude I mourn;
Oh! take the wanderer home,

3 And canst thou-wilt thou yet forgive,
And bid my crimes remove?
And shall a pardoned rebel live
To speak thy wondrous love?

4 Almighty grace! thy healing power,
How glorious-how divine!

That can to life and bliss restore

A heart so vile as mine!

5 Thy pardoning love-so free, so sweetDear Saviour! I adore;

Oh! keep me at thy sacred feet,

And let me rove no more.

80

March 20.

L. M.

Old Hundred.

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

"Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."-Luke xi. 2.

1

FATHER, adored in worlds above!

Thy glorious name be hallowed still; Thy kingdom come, in truth and love; And earth, like heaven, obey thy will.

2 Lord, make our daily wants thy care,
Forgive the sins that we forsake;
In thy compassion let us share,
As fellow-men of ours partake.

3 Evils beset us every hour;—

Thy kind protection we implore:
Thine is the kingdom, thine the power,—
Be thine the glory evermore.

81

March 21.

78.

Pleyel's Hymn.

THE GOLDEN RULE.

"And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise."-Luke vi. 31.

1

THUS

[blocks in formation]

As thou wouldst be done unto:"

Here thy perfect duty see,

All that God requires of thee.

2 Wouldst thou, when thy faults are known,
Wish that pardon should be shown?
Be forgiving, then, and do

As thou wouldst be done unto.

3 Shouldst thou helpless be and poor, Wouldst thou not for aid implore? Think of others, then, and be

What thou wouldst they should to thee.

1 For compassion if thou call,
Be compassionate to all;
If thou wouldst affection find,
Be affectionate and kind.

5 If thou wouldst obtain the love Of thy gracious God above,

Then to all His children be

What thou wouldst they should to thee.

82

March 22. L. M.

Ward.

CHRISTIANITY TO BE SEEN IN OUR LIVES.

"And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and they were judged every one according to their WORKS."-Rev. xx. 12, 13.

1

S

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

83

March 23. L. M. 6 lines.

Eaton.

"THE LORD IS MY SHEPHERD."

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me: thy rod and thy staff they comfort me."—Ps. xxiii. 4.

1 THE Lord my pasture shall prepare,

And feed me with a shepherd's care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he will attend,
And all my midnight-hours defend.

2 When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.

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