Those that are cast down, lift up;
Make them strong in faith and hope.
Grant that all may seek, and find
Thee a gracious God and kind;
Heal the sick, the captive free:
Let us all rejoice in thee.
322. Public Worship.
O FOR a thousand tongues to sing
My dear Redeemer's praise,
The glories of my God and king,
The triumphs of his grace!
Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
And bids our sorrows cease;
'Tis music in the sinner's ears,
'Tis life, and health, and peace.
He breaks the pow'r of cancell'd sin,
He sets the pris'ners free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood avail'd for me.
Hear him, ye deaf; his praise, ye dumb,
Your loosen'd tongues employ :
Ye blind, behold your Saviour come;
And leap, ye lame, for joy.
Trust in his name, and ye shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiv'n;
Anticipate your heav'n below,
And own, his love is heav'n.
ONCE more we come before our God;
Once more his blessing ask,
O, may not duty seem a load!
Nor worship prove a task.
Father, thy quick'ning Spirit send
From heav'n in Jesu's name,
To make our waiting minds attend,
And put our souls in frame.
May we receive the word we hear,
Each in an honest heart;
Hoard up the precious treasure there,
And never with it part,
To seek thee all our hearts dispose,
To each thy blessings suit,
And let the seed thy servant sows
Produce a copious fruit.
324. Before Preaching.
O THOU, at whose almighty word
The glorious light from darkness sprung!
Thy quick'ning influence afford,
And clothe with pow'r the preacher's tongue.
'Tis thine, to teach him how to speak;
"Tis thine, to give the hearing ear;
'Tis thine, the stubborn heart to break,
And make the careless sinner hear,
'Tis also thine, Almighty Lord,
To cheer the poor desponding heart;
O speak the soul reviving word,
And bid the mourner's fears depart.
Thus would we in the means be found,
And thus, on thee alone, depend
To make the gospel's joyful sound
Effectual, to the promis'd end.
325. Divine Worship.
How lovely, how divinely sweet,
O Lord, thy sacred courts appear;
Fain would my longing passions meet
The glories of thy presence there.
O, blest the men, blest their employ,
Whom thy indulgent favours raise
To dwell in those abodes of joy,
And sing thy never-ceasing praise.
Happy the men whom strength divine,
With ardent love and zeal inspires;
Whose steps to thy blest way incline,
With willing hearts and warm desires.
One day within thy sacred gate,
Affords more real joy to me,
Than thousands in the tents of state;
The meanest place is bliss with thee.
God is a sun; our brightest day
From his reviving presence flows;
God is a shield, thro' all the way,
To guard us from surrounding foes.
He pours his kindest blessings down,
Profusely down on souls sincere ;
And grace shall guide, and glory crown
The happy favourites of his care.
O Lord of hosts, thou God of grace,
How blest, divinely blest, is he,
Who trusts thy love, and seeks thy face,
And fixes all his hopes on thee!
326. Before Prayer.
DEAR Lord, attend our pray'ŕ, And all our wants relieve; Come to our hearts, and dwell thou there, That thou in us may'st live.
In weakness we draw nigh
Unto the throne of grace;
Answer a sinner's mournful cry,
And fill us with thy peace.
Thou read'st the naked breast:
For liberty we groan;
We sigh in thee, our Lord, to rest,
And worship thee alone.
If trials vex our mind,
Close to thy wounds we'll flee;
No refuge may we elsewhere find,
But what we find in thee.
To thee we come, our friend,
As sinners poor indeed;
On thee for future grace depend,
Our help in ev'ry need.
Before Preaching.
WITH heart and lips unfeign'd,
We praise thee for thy word;
We bless thee for the joyful news
Of our redeeming Lord.
Like as the kindly rain
Returns not back to heav'n,
But cheers, and fruitful makes the earth, The end for which 'twas giv'n :
So let thy present voice
Accomplish thy design; Distil on all our thirsty souls, And consecrate us thine.
Water thy sacred seed,
And give it great increase;
Let neither fowls, nor rocks, nor thorns,
Hinder the fruits of peace.
Then tho' we weeping sow,
And tears our hours employ;
We know we shall return again,
And bring our sheaves with joy.
Our lives now hid with Christ,
With him shall soon appear;
And we array'd in all his light,
Shall meet him in the air.
Before Preaching.
THY presence, gracious God, afford;
Prepare us to receive thy word:
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