3 Now bless, thou God of love!
This ordinance divine;
Send thy good Spirit from above,
And make these children thine.
HYMN 462, L. M.
Baptism of the Holy Ghost..
COME, Holy Ghost! come from on high,
Baptizer of our spirits thou!
The sacramental seal apply,
And witness with the water now.
2 Exert thy gracious power divine,
And sprinkle thou th' atoning blood;
May Father, Son, and Spirit, join
To seal this child, a child of God.
HYMN 463, L. M.
The Baptism of a Household.
[NITED prayers ascend to thee,
Eternal Parent of mankind!
Smile on this waiting family;
Thy blessing let thy servants find.
2 Let the dear pledges of their love,
Like tender plants, around them grow:
Thy present grace, and joys above,
Upon their little ones bestow.
3 Receive, at their believing hand,
The charge which they devote as thine,
Obedient to their Lord's command;
And seal, with power, the rite divine.
4 To every member of their house,
Thy grace impart, thy love extend;
Grant every good that time allows,
With heavenly joys that never end.
HYMN 464, S. M.
Prayer for the Sanctification of Children.
GOD of Abra'm hear
The parents' humble cry;
In covenant mercy now appear,
While in the dust we lie.
2 These children of our love,
In mercy thou hast given,
That we through grace may faithful prove,
In training them for heaven.
3 Oh! grant thy Spirit, Lord!
Their hearts to sanctify;
Remember now thy gracious word;—
Our hopes on thee rely.
4 Draw forth the melting tear,
The penitential sigh;
Inspire their hearts with faith sincere,
And fix their hopes on high.
5 These children now are thine,-
We give them back to thee;
Oh! lead them by thy grace divine,
Along the heavenly way.
HYMN 465, C. M.
The Condescension of Christ.
EHOLD what condescending love
Jesus on earth displays!
To babes and sucklings, he extends
The riches of his grace!
2 He still the ancient promise keeps,
To our forefathers given;
Young children in his arms he takes,
And calls them heirs of heaven.
3 Forbid them not, whom Jesus calls,
Nor dare the claim resist,
Since his own lips to us declare-
Of such will heaven consist.
4 With flowing tears, and thankful hearts,
We give them up to thee;
Receive them, Lord! into thine arms,-
Thine may they ever be.
HYMN 466, L. M.
Entering into Covenant.
1 OH! happy day, that fixed my choice
On thee, my Saviour, and my God!
Well may this glowing heart rejoice,
And tell its raptures all abroad.
2 Oh! happy bond, that seals my vows
To him who merits all my love!
Let cheerful anthems fill the house,
While to his altar now I move.-
3 'Tis done-the great transaction 's done;-
I am my Lord's, and he is mine;
He drew me, and I followed on,
Rejoiced to own the call divine.
4 Now rest, my long-divided heart!
Fixed on this blissful centre, rest;
Here have I found a nobler part,
Here heavenly pleasures fill my breast. 5 High heaven, that hears the solemn vow, That vow renewed shall daily hear;
Till, in life's latest hour, I bow,
And bless in death a bond so dear.
HYMN 467, L. M.
A Welcome to Christian Fellowship.
ME in, thou blessed of the Lord!
Oh! come in Jesus' precious name;
We welcome thee, with one accord,
And trust the Saviour does the same.
2 Those joys which earth cannot afford,
We'll seek in fellowship to prove,
Joined in one spirit to our Lord,
Together bound by mutual love.
3 And, while we pass this vale of tears,
We'll make our joys and sorrows known;
We'll share each other's hopes and fears,
And count a brother's cares our own.
4 Once more, our welcome we repeat;
Receive assurance of our love;
Oh! may we all together meet,
Around the throne of God above.
HYMN 468, L. M.
Entire Consecration.
1 N With all my powers, to serve the Lord;
OW I resolve, with all my heart,
Nor from his ways will I depart,
Whose service is a rich reward.
2 Oh! be his service all my joy !-
Around let my example shine,
Till others love the blest employ,
And join in labors so divine.
3 Be this the purpose of my soul,
My solemn, my determined choice,
To yield to his supreme control,
And, in his kind commands, rejoice.
4 Oh! may I never faint nor tire,
Nor wandering leave his sacred ways;
Great God! accept my soul's desire,
And give me strength to live thy praise.
HYMN 469, L. M.
Self-Dedication to God.
ORD! I am thine, entirely thine,
Purchased and saved by blood divine;
With full consent thine I would be,
And own thy sovereign right in me.
2 Grant me, in mercy, now a place,
Among the children of thy grace,-
A wretched sinner, lost to God,
But ransomed by Immanuel's blood.
3 Thee, my new master, now I call,
And consecrate to thee my all;
Lord! let me live and die to thee,-
Be thine through all eternity.
HYMN 470, C. M.
The Young entering into Covenant.
COME, let us join our souls to God,
In everlasting bands;
And seize the blessings he bestows,
With eager hearts and hands.
2 Come, let us to his temple haste,
And seek his favor there;
Before his footstool humbly bow,
And pour our fervent prayer.
3 Come, let us seal, without delay,
The covenant of his grace;
Nor shall the years of distant life
Its mem'ry e'er efface.
4 Thus may our young companions haste,
To seek their fathers' God;
Nor e'er forsake the happy path
Their fathers' feet have trod.
HYMN 471, C. M.
Public Profession.
E men and angels! witness now,
Before the Lord we speak;
To him we make our solemn vow,
A vow we dare not break;—
2 That, long as life itself shall last,
Ourselves to Christ we yield;
Nor, from his cause will we depart,
Nor ever quit the field.
3 We trust not in our native strength,
But on his grace rely;
May he, with our returning wants,
A needful aid supply.
4 Oh! guide our doubtful feet aright,
And keep us in thy ways;
And, while we turn our vows to prayers,
Turn thou our prayers to praise.
HYMN 472, L. M.
On receiving new Members.
VINDRED in Christ! for his dear sake,
A hearty welcome here receive;
May we together now partake
The joys, which only he can give.
2 May he, by whose kind care, we meet,
Send his good Spirit from above,
Make our communications sweet,
And cause our hearts to burn with love.
3 Forgotten be each worldly theme,
When Christians see each other thus;
We only wish to speak of him,
Who lived, and died, and reigns, for us.
4 We'll talk of all he did and said,
And suffered for us, here below;-
The path he marked for us to tread,
And what he's doing for us now.
5 Thus, as the moments pass away,-
We'll love, and wonder, and adore;
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