O that the months would roll away,
And bring that coronation day!
The King of grace shall fill the throne,
With all His Father's glories on.

H. 72, B. 1.

The Church on Earth.

283 THE CHURCH THE SAFETY OF THE NATION.

REAT is the Lord our God,

GR

And let His praise be great ;

He makes His churches His abode,
His most delightful seat.

These temples of His grace,
How beautiful they stand!
The honours of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.

In Sion God is known,
A refuge in distress;

How bright has His salvation shone
Through all her palaces!

When kings against her joined,
And saw the Lord was there,
In wild confusion of the mind
They fled with hasty fear.

When navies tall and proud
Attempt to spoil our peace,
He sends His tempest roaring loud,
And sinks them in the seas.

Oft have our fathers told,

Our eyes have often seen,

How well our God secures the fold

Where His own sheep have been.

In every new distress

We'll to His house repair,

We'll think upon His wondrous grace,

And seek deliverance there.

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285

Ps. 48.

THE BEAUTY AND GLORY OF THE CHURCH.

F

MAR as Thy name is known,

The world declares Thy praise; Thy saints, O Lord, before Thy throne, Their songs of honour raise.

With joy let Judah stand

On Sion's chosen hill,

Proclaim the wonders of Thy hand,

And counsels of Thy will;

Let strangers walk around

The city where we dwell,

Compass and view thine holy ground,
And mark the building well;

The orders of Thy house,
The worship of Thy court,

The cheerful songs, the solemn vows,

And make a fair report.

How decent and how wise!

How glorious to behold!

Beyond the pomp that charms the eyes,

And rites adorned with gold.

The God we worship now

Will guide us till we die,

Will be our God while here below,

And ours above the sky.

Ps. 48.

THIS AND THAT MAN SHALL BE BORN THERE.

GOD

OD in His earthly temples lays
Foundations for His heavenly praise:

He likes the tents of Jacob well,

But still in Zion loves to dwell.

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His mercy visits every house

That pay their night and morning vows;
But makes a more delightful stay
Where churches meet to praise and pray.

What glories were described of old!
What wonders are of Zion told!
Thou city of our God below,

Thy fame shall Tyre and Egypt know.

Egypt and Tyre, and Greek and Jew,
Shall there begin their lives anew:
Angels and men shall join to sing
The hill where living waters spring.

When God makes up His last account
Of natives in His holy mount,
"Twill be an honour to appear
As one new-born or nourished there.

Ps. 87.

THE GARDEN OF GOD.

LORD, 'tis a pleasant thing to stand

In gardens planted by Thine hand;

Let me within Thy courts be seen,
Like a young cedar fresh and green.

There grow Thy saints in faith and love,
Blessed with Thine influence from above,
Not Lebanon with all its trees
Yields such a comely sight as these.

The plants of grace shall ever live;
Nature decays, but grace must thrive;
Time, that doth all things else impair,
Still makes them flourish strong and fair.
Laden with fruits of age, they show
The Lord is holy, just, and true;
None that attend His gates shall find
A God unfaithful or unkind.

Ps. 92.

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H

Isaiah xxvi.-We have a strong city.

OW honourable is the place
Where we adoring stand;
Zion, the glory of the earth,
And beauty of the land!
Bulwarks of mighty grace defend
The city where we dwell;
The walls, of strong salvation made,
Defy the assaults of hell.

Lift up the everlasting gates,

The doors wide open fling;
Enter, ye nations that obey
The statutes of our King.

Here shall you taste unmingled joys,
And live in perfect peace,

You that have known Jehovah's name,
And ventured on His grace.

Trust in the Lord, for ever trust,

And banish all your fears;
Strength in the Lord Jehovah dwells,
Eternal as His years.

What though the rebels dwell on high,
His arm shall bring them low;
Low as the caverns of the grave
Their lofty heads shall bow.

On Babylon our feet shall tread
In that rejoicing hour;

The ruins of her walls shall spread
A pavement for the poor.

So He led them by a right way.

H. 8, B. 1.

HEN Israel's tribes from bondage brought,

W Had left the hated ground;

Each soine Egyptian spoils had got,

And not one feeble found.

The Lord Himself chose out their way,
And marked their journeys right;
Gave them a leading cloud by day,
A fiery guide by night.

They thirst, and waters from the rock
In rich abundance flow;

And following still the course they took,
Ran all the desert through.

O wondrous stream! O blessed type
Of overflowing grace!

So Christ, our Rock, maintains our life
Through all this wilderness.

Thus guarded by the Almighty hand,
The chosen tribes possessed
Canaan, the rich, the promised land,
And there enjoyed their rest.

Then let the world forbear its rage,
The Church renounce her fear;
Israel must live through every age,
And be the Almighty's care.

The time to favour her, the set time, is come.

Behold the promised hour;

Ps. 105

Her God hath heard her mourning voice,
And comes to exalt His power.

Her dust and ruins that remain
Are precious in our eyes:
Those ruins shall be built again,
And all that dust shall rise.

The Lord will raise Jerusalem,
And stand in glory there;
Nations shall bow before His name,
And kings attend with fear.

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