415

L. M. Bowden 78.

Chard 175.

The People's Prayer for their Minister; or Ministers and Missionaries* committed to God.

1 WITH heavenly power, O LORD, defend

Him whom we now to thee commend:

His person bless, his soul secure,
And make him to the end, endure.
2 Gird him with all-sufficient grace;
Direct his feet in paths of peace;
Thy truth and faithfulness fulfil,
And help him to obey thy will.
3 Before him thy protection send;
O love him, save him to the end!
Nor let him, as thy pilgrim, rove
Without the convoy of thy love.
4 Enlarge, inflame, and fill his heart;
In him thy mighty power exert;
That thousands yet unborn may praise
The wonders of redeeming grace.

416 L.M. Portugal 97. Magdalene 214. The Pastor's Wish for his People. Phil. iv. 1.

1 MY brethren, from my heart belov'd,
Whose welfare fills my daily care,

My present joy, my future crown,
The word of exhortation hear.

2 Stand fast upon the solid rock
Of the Redeemer's righteousness;
Adorn the Gospel with your lives,
And practise what your lips profess.
3 With pleasure meditate the hour,
When He, descending from the skies,
Shall bid your bodies, mean and vile,
In his all-glorious image rise.

4 Glory in his dear honour'd name,
To him inviolably cleave;

See also Hymn 420, first, second, and third part.

Your all he purchas'd by his blood,
Nor let him less than all receive.

5 Such is your pastor's faithful charge,
Whose soul desires not your's, but you;
O may he, at the LORD's right hand,
Himself, and all his people view!

417 L. M. Wareham 117.

GIBBONS.

Mark's 65.

At a Choice of Deacons. 1 Tim. iii. 8-13.

1 FAIR Sion's King, we suppliant bow,
And hail the grace thy church enjoys;
Her holy deacons are thine own,
With all the gifts thy love employs.

2 Up to thy throne we lift our eyes,
For blessings to attend our choice*
Of such whose gen'rous, prudent zeal
Shall make thy favour'd ways rejoice.
3 Happy in JESUS, their own LORD,
May they his sacred table spread,-
The table of their pastor fill,

And fill the holy poor with bread!

4 [When pastor, saints, and poor, they serve,
May their own hearts with grace be crown'd!
While patience, sympathy, and joy,
Adorn, and thro' their lives abound.]

5 By purest love to CHRIST, and truth,
O may they win a good degree

Of boldness in the Christian faith,
And meet the smile of thine and thee.

6 And when the work to them assign'd-
The work of love-is fully done,

Call them from serving tables here,
To sit around thy glorious throne.

If this hymn be sung before the Choice, then the second Line of the second Verse may stand thus:

'For Wisdom to direct our Choice,'

MONTHLY AND MISSIONARY PRAYER MEETINGS.

418 (1st P.) 8. 7. Carlisle 95. Welsh 210. Trowbridge 21.

Glorious Things spoken of Zion, the City of GOD. Psalm lxxxvii. Isaiah xxxiii. 20, 21.

1 GLORIOUS things of thee are spoken, Zion, city of our GOD!

He, whose word can not be broken,
Form'd thee for his own abode :
On the Rock of ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou mayst smile at all thy foes.
2 [See! the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,

Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove :
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows thy thirst t' assuage?
Grace which, like the LORD, the giver,
Never fails from age to age.

3 Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear!
For a glory and a covering,
Showing that the LORD is near:
Thus deriving from their banner,
Light by night and shade by day,
Safe they feed upon the manna
Which he gives them when they pray.]
4 Blest inhabitants of Zion,

Wash'd in the Redeemer's blood,
JESUS, whom their souls rely on,
Makes them kings and priests to God.
"Tis his love his people raises
Over self to reign as kings;

And as priests, his solemn praises
Each for a thank-offering brings.

5 Saviour, if of Zion's city
I thro' grace a member am;
Let the world deride or pity,
I will glory in thy name:
Fading is the worldling's pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show!
Solid joys and lasting treasure,
None but Zion's children know.

418 (2d P.) L.M. Gloucester 12. Chard 175. Prayer for the Spread of the Gospel animated by Prophecy. 1 EXERT thy power; thy rights maintain, Insulted, everlasting King!

The influence of thy crown increase, And strangers to thy footstool bring. 2 [We long to see that happy time, That dear, expected, blissful day, When countless myriads of our race The second Adam shall obey.] 3 Thy prophecies must be fulfill'd, Though earth and hell should dare oppose; The stone cut from the mountain's side, Though unobserv'd, to empire grows. 4 Soon shall the mingled image fall, (Brass, silver, iron, gold and clay,) And superstition's gloomy.reign To light and liberty give way. 5 In one vast symphony of praise, Gentile and Jew shall then unite; And infidelity, asham'd,

Sink in th' abyss of endless night.]

6 Afric's emancipated sons

Shall join, with Europe's polish'd race,
To celebrate in diff'rent tongues,

The glories of redeeming grace.

7 From east to west, from north to south,
Immanuel's kingdom must extend;

And every man, iħ every face,
Shall meet a brother and a friend.

418 (3d P.) L.M. Wareham 117. Portugal 97. The approaching Fall of Babylon predicted. Rev. xiv. 6—8.

1 PROUD Babylon yet waits her doom;
Nor can her tott'ring palace fall,

Till some blest messenger arise
The spacious heathen world to call.

2 And see the glorious time approach!
Behold the mighty Angel fly,
The Gospel tidings to convey
To every land beneath the sky!

3′ O see, on both the Indias' coast,
And Africa's unhappy shore,
The unlearn'd savage press to hear;
And hearing, wonder and adore :-

4 [See, while the joyful truth is told,
That JESUS left his throne in heaven,
And suffer'd, died, and rose again,
That guilty souls might be forgiven:

5 See what delight, unfelt before,

Beams in his fix'd attentive eye;
And bear him ask, For wretched me,
Did this divine Redeemer die?

6 Ah! Why have ye so long forborne
To tell such welcome news as this?
Go now, let every sinner hear,
And share in such exalted bliss.]

7 The Islands, waiting for his law,
With rapture greet the sacred sound;
And, taught the Saviour's precious name,
Cast all their idols to the ground.

8 Now, Babylon, thy hour is come,
Thy curs'd foundation shall give way,
And thine eternal overthrow

The triumphs of the cross display.