Hymns and Songs of Praise for Public and Social Worship

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2 New-born, I bless the waking hour;

Once more, with awe, rejoice to be; My conscious soul resumes her power, And springs, my guardian God, to Thee. 3 O guide me through the various maze

My doubtful feet are doomed to tread; And spread Thy shield's protecting blaze, When dangers press around my head.

4 A deeper shade will soon impend,

A deeper sleep mine eyes oppress; Yet then Thy strength shall still defend, Thy goodness still delight to bless.

5 That deeper shade shall break away,
That deeper sleep shall leave mine eyes;
Thy light shall give eternal day,

Thy love, the rapture of the skies.
John Hawkesworth. (1715-1773.) 1773-

The sun may stand in zenith skies,
But on the soul thick midnight lies.

O Lord of lights, 'tis Thou alone
Canst make our darkened hearts Thine own;
Though this new day with joy we see,
O dawn of God, we cry for Thee.

Praise God, our Maker and our Friend;
Praise Him through time, till time shall end;
Till psalm and song His Name adore
Through Heaven's great day of Evermore.
Francis Turner Palgrave. (1824-) 1867.

1206 A Morning Prayer. IO THOU great Ruler of the sky, Who art, and canst not cease to be, Whose power and greatness never die, We raise our morning prayer to Thee. 2 In the beginning of the day,

With the bright rising of the sun, Direct the footsteps of our way,

Nor leave us till the day is done. 3 As hour succeeds to passing hour, And duties every moment fill, Uphold us by Thy mighty power,

2 Fresh hopes have wakened in the heart, Fresh force to do our daily part; Thy thousand sleeps our strength restore, 4

A thousand-fold to serve Thee more.

3 Yet whilst Thy will we would pursue, Oft what we would we cannot do;

And guide us by Thy heavenly will. And thus, when all our days shall close,

And suns for us no more shall shine, O may our souls in Thee repose,

And life and joy be one in Thine. Rev. Thomas Cogswell Upham. (1799-1872.) 1872

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2 Night unto night His Name repeats,
The day renews the sound;

Wide as the heaven on which He sits,
To turn the seasons round.

3 'Tis He supports my mortal frame;

My tongue shall speak His praise; My sins would rouse His wrath to flame; And yet His wrath delays.

4 A thousand wretched souls are fled Since the last setting sun;

And yet Thou lengthenest out my thread, And yet my moments run.

5 Dear God, let all my hours be Thine,
While I enjoy the light:

Then shall my sun in smiles decline,
And bring a pleasant night.

Rev. Isaac Watts. (1674-1748.) 1709. ab.

1208 "Aeterna cæli gloria."

I JESUS, be near us when we wake;
And, at the break of day,

With Thy blest touch awake the soul,
Her meed of praise to pay.

2 The star that heralds in the morn

Is fading in the skies;

The darkness melts: O Thou true Light, Once more on us arise.

3 Steep all our senses in Thy beam;

The world's false night expel; Purge each defilement from the soul, And in our bosoms dwell.

4 Come, early Faith, fix in our hearts Thy root immovably:

Come, smiling Hope, and, greater still, Come, heaven-born Charity.

5 To God the Father glory be,

And sole eternal Son;

And glory, Holy Ghost, to Thee,
While endless ages run.

Ambrosian. 5th century.
Tr. by Rev. Edward Caswall. (1814-) 1849. ab.

I Now that the sun is gleaming bright,
Implore we, bending low,
That He, the uncreated Light,

May guide us as we go.

2 No sinful word, nor deed of wrong,
Nor thoughts that idly rove;
But simple truth be on our tongue,
And in our hearts be love.

3 And while the hours in order flow,
O Christ, securely fence

Our gates, beleaguered by the foe,
The gate of every sense.

4 And grant that to Thine honor, Lord,
Our daily toil may tend;
That we begin it at Thy word,

And in Thy favor end.

5 Now to our God, the Father, Son,
And Holy Spirit, sing:

With praise to God, the Three in One,
Let all creation ring.

Paris Breviary. 1736. Tr. by Rev. John Henry Newman. (1801-) 1842. ab. and alt

VERNON. 8. D.

German Melody.

Fine.

1. IN

SPIRER and hearer of prayer, Thou Shepherd and Guardian of Thine, D. C. And, fast as my mo-ments roll on, They bring me but nearer to Thee.

My all to Thy cove - nant care

I, sleep-ing and waking, re- sign:

If Thou art my Shield and my Sun, The night is no darkness to me;

2 Thy ministering spirits descend,
And watch while Thy saints are asleep;
By day and by night they attend,
The heirs of salvation to keep:

Bright seraphs,despatched from the throne,
Fly swift to their stations assigned,
And angels elect are sent down,
To guard the redeemed of mankind.

3 Thy worship no interval knows;

Their fervor is still on the wing; And, while they protect my repose, They chant to the praise of my King: I, too, at the season ordained,

Their chorus for ever shall join, And love and adore, without end,

Their gracious Creator, and mine.

Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady. (1740–1778,) 1774. alt.

12II Christ near us through the Night. I WHAT, though my frail eye-lids refuse Continual watching to keep,

And, punctual as midnight renews,
Demand the refreshment of sleep?
A sovereign Protector I have,

Unseen, yet forever at hand;
Unchangeably faithful to save,
Almighty to rule and command.
From evil secure, and its dread,
I rest, if my Saviour is nigh;
And songs His kind presence, indeed,
Shall in the night-season supply:
He smiles, and my comforts abound;
His grace, as the dew, shall descend;
And walls of salvation surround

The soul He delights to defend.

3 Kind Author, and Ground of my hope, Thee, Thee for my God I avow; My glad Ebenezer set up,

And own Thou hast helped me till now; I muse on the years that are past, Wherein my defence Thou hast proved. Nor wilt Thou relinquish, at last, A sinner so signally loved.

Rev. Augustus Montague Toplady. 1774

SWEET HOUR OF PRAYER. L. M. D. William Batchelder Bradbury. (1816-1868.) 1859.

J SWEET hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer, That calls me from a world of care,
And bids me, at my Father's throne, Make all my wants and
D. C. And oft escaped the tempter's snare, By thy re- turn, sweet.

wish-es known: hour of prayer.

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2 Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
Thy wings shall my petition bear
To Him, whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless:
And since He bids me seek His face,
Believe His word, and trust His grace,
I'll cast on Him my every care,

And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer.

3 Sweet hour of prayer, sweet hour of prayer,
May I thy consolation share,

Till, from Mount Pisgah's lofty height,
I view my home, and take my flight:
This robe of flesh I'll drop, and rise,
To seize the everlasting prize;
And shout, while passing through the air, 2
Farewell, farewell, sweet hour of prayer.
Rev. W. W. Walford. 1846. ab.

1213 At Home with God everywhere.
1 My Lord, how full of sweet content,
I pass my years of banishment:
Where'er I dwell, I dwell with Thee,
In heaven, in earth, or on the sea.
To me remains nor place nor time;
My country is in every clime:
I can be calm and free from care
On any shore, since God is there.

2 While place we seek, or place we shun,
The soul finds happiness in none;
But with a God to guide our way,
Tis equal joy, to go or stay.

Could I be cast where Thou art not,

That were indeed a dreadful lot;

But regions none remote I call,
Secure of finding God in all.

Madame J. B. de la Motte Guyon. (1648-1717.) 1702.
Tr. by William Cowper. (1731-1800.) 1782. ab. and alt.

1214

Evening Prayer for Healing.
Mark i. 32.

I AT even, ere the sun was set,
The sick, O Lord, around Thee lay;
O in what divers pains they met,

O with what joy they went away.
Once more 'tis eventide, and we,
Oppressed with various ills, draw near:
What if Thy form we cannot see?

We know and feel that Thou art here.

O Saviour Christ, our woes dispel,

For some are sick, and some are sad,
And some have never loved Thee well,
And some have lost the love they had;
And none, O Lord, have perfect rest,

For none are wholly free from sin;
And they who fain would serve Thee best,
Are conscious most of wrong within.

3 O Saviour Christ, Thou too art Man;
Thou hast been troubled, tempted, tried;
Thy kind but searching glance can scan
The very wounds that shame would hide;
Thy touch has still its ancient power,
No word from Thee can fruitless fall;
Hear in this solemn evening hour,
And in Thy mercy heal us all.

Rev. Henry Twells. (1823-) 1868. ab.

DEVOTION. 11,5.

John Knowles Paine. (1839-) 1873

I. BEHOLD, the shade of night is now re- ceding, Kindling with splendors fair the dawn is

glow-ing, With fervent hearts, O let us all im- plore Him, Ruler Al - migh

I. 'MID evening shad-ows let us all be watching, Ever in psalms our deep de-vo-tion

waking, And with one voice hymns to the Lord, the Saviour, Sweetly be singing.

1216

An Evening Hymn.

2 That to the Holy King our songs ascending, We worthily, with all His saints, may enter The heavenly temple, joyfully partaking Life everlasting.

3This grace O grantus, Godhead ever-blessed, Of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost in union, Whose praises be through earth's most distant regions

Ever resounding.

Gregory. Tr. by Rev. Ray Palmer. 1871.

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