3 In every scene of life, thy care,
In every age, we see;

And, constant as thy favors are,
So let our praises be.

4 Still may thy love, in every scene,
In every age, appear;

And let the same companions deign
To bless the opening year.

5 If mercy smile, let mercy bring
Our wandering souls to God;
In our affliction, we shall sing,
If thou wilt bless the rod.

604

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HYMN 604, L. M.

New Year: God, our Helper.

UR helper, God! we bless thy name, Whose love for ever is the same; The tokens of thy gracious care Open, and crown, and close the year. 2 Amid ten thousand snares we stand, Supported by thy guardian hand; And see, when we review our ways, Ten thousand monuments of praise. mf 3 Thus far thine arm has led us on; Thus far we make thy mercy known; And, while we tread this desert land, New mercies shall new songs demand. mf 4 Our grateful souls, on Jordan's shore, Shall raise one sacred pillar more;

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Then bear, in thy bright courts above,
Inscriptions of immortal love.

HYMN 605, C. M.

New Year: Prayer for a Blessing.

1'NOW, gracious Lord! thine arm reveal,

And make thy glory known;

Now let us all thy presence feel,
And soften hearts of stone.

2 From all the guilt of former sin,
May mercy set us free;

And let this year, we now begin,
Begin and end with thee.

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3 Send down thy Spirit from above,
That saints may love thee more;
And sinners now may learn to love,
Who never loved before.

4 And, when before thee we appear,
In our eternal home,

606

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May growing numbers worship here,
And praise thee in our room.

HYMN 606, L. M.

A Song for the opening Year.

REAT God! we sing that mighty hand,

G By which supported still we stand;

The opening year thy mercy shows,—
Let mercy crown it till it close.

2 By day, by night-at home, abroad,
Still we are guarded by our God;
By his incessant bounty fed,
By his unerring counsel led.

3 With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future-all to us unknown-
We to thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before thy feet.
4 In scenes exalted or depressed,

Be thou our joy, and thou our rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored, through all our changing days.
5 When death shall close our earthly song,
And seal, in silence, mortal tongues,
Our helper, God, in whom we trust,
Shall keep our souls, and guard our dust.

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HYMN 607, 7s.

The opening Year.

BLESS, O Lord! the opening year,

the souls assembled here;
Clothe thy word with power divine,
Make us willing to be thine.

2 When thou hast thy. work begun,
Give new strength the race to run;
Scatter darkness, doubts, and fears,
Wipe away the mourner's tears.

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608

3 Bless us all both old and young,-
Call forth praise from every tongue;
Let our whole assembly prove
All thy power and all thy love.

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TIME

HYMN 608, 7s and 6s.

A Winter's Day.

IME is winging us away,
To our eternal home;
Life is but a winter's day,
A journey to the tomb';
Youth and vigor soon will flee,
Blooming beauty lose its charms;
All that's mortal soon will be

Enclosed in death's cold arms.

2 Time is winging us away
To our eternal home;
Life is but a winter's day,
A journey to the tomb:
But the Christian shall enjoy
Health and beauty soon above;
Far beyond the world's alloy-
Secure in Jesus' love.

609

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HYMN 609, C. M., Double.
Spring of the Year.

WHILE beauty clothes the fertile vale,

And blossoms on the spray,

And fragrance breathes in every gale,
How sweet the vernal day!

Hark! how the feathered warblers sing!

'Tis nature's cheerful voice;

Soft music hails the lovely spring,

And woods and fields rejoice.

dol 2 How kind the influence of the skies,
While showers, with blessing fraught,
Bid verdure, beauty, fragrance, rise,
And fix the roving thought!

Oh! let my wandering heart confess,

With gratitude and love,

The bounteous hand that deigns to bless,

Each smiling field and grove.

3 That hand, in this hard heart of mine, Can bid each virtue live;

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While gentle showers of grace divine
Life, beauty, fragrance give:
O God of nature, God of grace!
Thy heavenly gifts impart,
And bid sweet meditation trace
Spring blooming in my heart.

SWEE

HYMN 610, S. M. D.

The Spring.

WEET is the time of spring,
When nature's charms appear;

The birds with ceaseless pleasure sing,
And hail the opening year:

But sweeter far, the spring

Of wisdom and of grace,

When children bless and praise their King,
Who loves the youthful race.

2 Sweet is the dawn of day,

When light just streaks the sky;

When shades and darkness pass away,

And morning's beams are nigh:

But sweeter far, the dawn

Of piety in youth,

When doubt and darkness are withdrawn,

Before the light of truth.

dol 3 Sweet is the early dew,

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Which gilds the mountains' tops,

And decks each plant and flower we view,

With pearly glittering drops:

But sweeter far, the scene

On Zion's holy hill,

When there the dew of youth is seen
Its freshness to distill.

HYMN 611, 7s.

Spring, natural and spiritual.

PLEASING spring again is here;

Trees and fields in bloom appear;
Hark! the birds, with artless lays,
Warble their Creator's praise.

2 Lord! afford a spring to me;
Let me feel like what I see:
Ah! my winter has been long,—
Chilled my hopes, suppressed my song.

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3 How the soul in winter mourns,
Till the Lord, the Sun, returns,
Till the Spirit's gentle rain
Bids the heart revive again!
4 O beloved Saviour! haste,

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Tell me-all the storms are past:
Speak, and by thy gracious voice,
Make my drooping soul rejoice.

HYMN 612, L. M.

The Year crowned with Goodness.

ETERNAL Source of every joy!

Well may thy praise our lips employ, While, in thy temple, we appear,

Whose goodness crowns the circling year. 2 While, as the wheels of nature roll,Thy hand supports the steady pole; The sun is taught by thee to rise, And darkness, when to veil the skies. dol 3 The flowery spring, at thy command, Embalms the air and paints the land The summer rays, with vigor, shine To raise the corn, and cheer the vine. 4 Thy hand, in autumn, richly pours, Through all our coasts, redundant stores; And winters, softened by thy care, No more a face of horror wear.

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5 Seasons, and months, and weeks, and days, Demand successive songs of praise;

613

Still be the cheerful homage paid,
With morning light and evening shade.

HYMN 613, C. M.

Summer and Harvest.

mf 1 TO praise the ever-bounteous Lord,
My soul! wake all thy powers:
He calls-and at his voice come forth
The smiling harvest hours.

2 His covenant with the earth he keeps;
My tongue! his goodness sing;

Summer and winter know their time-
The harvest crowns the spring.