3 Though sorrow's cloud awhile o'ercast
The dawn of earthly hope and joy,
She knows that it must soon be past,
And will unveil eternity.
4 Then virtue's humble toil and prayer
Shall stand acknowledged at thy throne,
Triumphant over earthly care;
And the blest record thou wilt own.
1 So let our lips and lives express The holy gospel we profess;
So let our works and virtues shine,
To prove the doctrine all divine.
2 Thus shall we best proclaim abroad
The honors of our Savior God,
When the salvation reigns within,
And grace subdues the power of sin.
3 Our flesh and sense must be denied,
Passion and envy, lust and pride;
While justice, temperance, truth, and love
Our inward piety approve.
4 Religion bears our spirits up,
While we expect that blessed hope,
The bright appearance of the Lord,
And Faith stands leaning on his word.
L. M. DODDRIDGE.
Service of God.
1 My gracious God, I own thy right
To every service I can pay,
And call it my supreme delight
To hear thy dictates, and obey.
2 What is my being but for thee, Its sure support, its noblest end? Thy ever-smiling face to see,
And serve the cause of such a Friend?
3 Thy work my hoary age shall bless
When youthful vigor is no more,
And my last hour of life confess
Thy love hath animating power.
1 FAR from the world, O Lord, I flee,
From strife and tumult far;
From scenes where sin is waging still
Its most successful war.
2 The calm retreat, the silent shade,
With prayer and praise agree,
And seem by thy sweet bounty made
For those who follow thee.
3 There, if thy Spirit touch the soul,
And grace her mean abode,
O, with what peace, and joy, and love,
She communes with her God!
4 Author and Guardian of my life,
Sweet Source of light divine,
And, all harmonious names in one,
My Father - thou art mine!
The Voice of God in the Heart.
1 HATH not thy heart within thee burned,
At evening's calm and holy hour,
As if its inmost depths discerned
The presence of a loftier power?
2 Hast thou not heard 'mid forest glades,
While ancient rivers murmured by,
A voice from forth th' eternal shades,
That spake a present Deity?
3 And as, upon the sacred page,
Thine eye in rapt attention turned
O'er records of a holier age,
Hath not thy heart within thee burned?
4 It was the voice of God that spake
In silence to thy silent heart,
And bade each worthier thought awake,
And every dream of earth depart.
5 Voice of our God, O, yet be near!
In low, sweet accents whisper peace;
Direct us on our pathway here,
Then bid in heaven our wanderings cease.
He that hath the Son hath Life.
10 HAPPY Christian, who can boast
"The Son of God is mine!"
Happy, though humbled in the dust;
Rich in this gift divine.
2 He lives the life of heaven below,
And shall forever live;
Eternal streams from Christ shall flow,
And endless vigor give.
3 That life we ask with bended knee,
Nor will the Lord deny;
Nor will celestial mercy see
Its humble suppliants die.
4 That life obtained, for praise alone
We wish continued breath,
And, taught by blest experience, own
That praise can live in death.
L. M. SPIRIT OF THE PSALMS.
Meekness and Lowliness of Heart.
1 "O, LEARN of me," the Savior cried"O, learn of me, ye sons of pride; For I am lowly, humble, meek;
No haughty looks high thoughts bespeak!"
2 Yes, blest Immanuel! thou wast mild,
Patient, and gentle, as a child;
And they who would thy kingdom see,
Must meek and lowly be like thee.
The Blessing of Meekness.
1 "BLEST are the meek!" He said,
Whose doctrine is divine;
The humble-minded earth possess,
And bright in heaven will shine.
2 The God of peace is theirs;
They own his gracious sway;
And, yielding all their wills to him,
His sovereign laws obey.
3 No angry passions move,
No envy fires the breast;
The prospect of eternal peace
Bids every trouble rest.
4 O gracious Father, grant
That we this influence feel,
That all we hope, or wish, may be
Subjected to thy will.
1 WHEREFORE should man, frail child of clay, Who, from the cradle to the shroud, Lives but the insect of a day
O, why should mortal man be proud?
2 By doubt perplexed, in error lost,
With trembling step he seeks his way:
How vain of wisdom's gift the boast!
Of reason's lamp how faint the ray!
3 Follies and sins, a countless sum,
Are crowded in life's little span:
How ill, alas! does pride become
That erring, guilty creature, man!
4 God of my life, Father divine,
Give me a meek and lowly mind:
In modest worth, O, let me shine,
And peace in humble virtue find.
1 HAPPY is he that fears the Lord,
And follows his commands;
Who lends the poor without reward,
Or gives with liberal hands.
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