O may Thy spirit gently draw
Its willing soul to keep Thy law!
May virtue, piety, and truth
Dawn even with its dawning youth!
Thou who art enthroned above,
Thou by whom we live and move,
O how sweet, with joyful tongue
To resound Thy praise in song!
When the morning paints the skies,
When the sparkling stars arise,
All Thy favors to rehearse,
And give thanks in grateful verse.
Sweet the day of sacred rest,
When devotion fills the breast;
When we dwell within Thy house,
Hear Thy word, and pay our vows.
From Thy works our joys arise,
O Thou only good and wise!
Who Thy wonders can declare?
How profound Thy counsels are !
Warm our hearts with sacred fire,
Grateful fervors still inspire;
All our powers, with all their might,
Ever in Thy praise unite.
Great God, we sing that mighty hand,
By which, supported, still we stand :
The opening year Thy mercy shows;
That mercy crowns it till it close.
By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still are we guarded by our God;
By His incessant bounty fed,
By His unerring counsel led.
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.
In scenes exalted or depressed,
Thou art our joy, and Thou our rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored through all our changing days.
THE ANGEL OF PATIENCE.
To weary hearts, to mourning homes,
God's meekest angel gently comes.
No power hath he to banish pain,
Or give us back our lost again;
And yet, in tenderest love, our dear
And heavenly Father sends him here.
There 's quiet in that angel's glance,
There's rest in his still countenance;
He mocks no grief with idle cheer,
Nor wounds with words the mourner's ear;
But ills and woes he may not cure,
He kindly trains us to endure.
Angel of patience! sent to calm
Our feverish brows with cooling balm,
To lay the storms of hope and fear,
And reconcile life's smile and tear,
The throbs of wounded pride to still,
And make our own our Father's will!
O thou who mournest on thy way
With longings for the close of day;
He walks with thee, that angel kind,
And gently whispers, "Be resigned!"
Bear up, bear on, the end shall tell,
The dear Lord ordereth all things well.
Give to the winds thy fears,
Hope and be undismayed;
God hears thy sighs and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head.
Through waves, through clouds and storms,
He gently clears thy way;
Wait thou His time, so shall the night
Soon end in joyous day.
He everywhere hath sway,
And all things serve His might;
His every act pure blessing is,
His path unsullied light.
When He makes bare His arm,
What shall His work withstand?
When He His people's cause defends,
Who, who shall stay His hand?
Leave to His sovereign sway
To choose and to command;
With wonder filled, thou then shalt own,
How wise, how strong His hand.
Thou comprehend'st Him not;
Yet earth and heaven tell :
God sits as Sovereign on the throne;
He ruleth all things well.
Thou seest our weakness, Lord!
Our hearts are known to Thee;
O lift Thou up the sinking hand,
Confirm the feeble knee!
Let us, in life and death,
Boldly Thy truth declare!
And publish with our latest breath
Thy love and guardian care.
Grant me a way, O Lord and Guardian mine, Thy praise to show, and prove that I am Thine; Help me, when sin allures with promise fair,
Let good will strengthen me for others' needs, And time and place still serve for noble deeds, That piously the work of love be done,
Courage and zeal Thy will and work demand;
Oh! may the timid pretext never stand,
That for Thy purposes my strength may quail,
Or due time fail.
Yes, I will learn to rule this stubborn clay,
Will drive temptation's false delights away,
So that I daily over every sin
New strength may win
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