C. M.

Be thou, long suffering, slow to wrath,

A burning and a shining light ! 158

The Presence of God.
1 SHINE on our souls, eternal God,

With rays of beauty shine;
0, let thy favor crown our days,

And all of them be thine.
2 Did we not raise our hands to thee,

Our hands might toil in vain ;
Small joy success itself could give,

If thou thy love restrain.
3 With thee let every week begin,

With thee each day be spent,
For thee each fleeting hour improved,

Since each by thee is lent.
4 Thus cheer us through this desert road,

Till all our labors cease,
And Heaven refresh our weary souls

With everlasting peace. 159

7 M.
1 SOVEREIGN Ruler of the skies,

Ever gracious, ever wise!
All my times are in thy hand,

All events at thy command.
2 Thou didst form me by thy power ;

Thou wilt guide me hour by hour;
All my times shall ever be
Ordered by thy wise decree.

J

3 Times of sickness, times of health;

Times of penury and wealth ;
Times of trial and of grief;

Times of triumph and relief;4 Times temptation's power to prove ;

Times to taste a Savior's love;
All is fixed, the means and end,

As shall please my heavenly Friend. 160

C. M.

Holy Wishes.
1 ALMIGHTY Maker! Lord of all !

Of life the only spring!
Creator of unnumbered worlds!

Supreme, eternal King!. 2 Drive from the confines of my heart

Impenitence and pride;
Nor let me in forbidden paths,

With thoughtless sinners, glide. 3 Whate'er thine all-discerning eye

Sees for thy creature fit,
I'll bless the good, and to the ill

Contentedly submit.
4 Feed me with necessary food :

I ask not wealth or fame :
Give me an eye to see thy will,

A heart to bless thy name.
5 May still my days serenely pass,

Without remorse or care ;
And growing holiness my soul

For life's last hour prepare.

L. M.

161
1 Amidst a world of hopes and fears,

A wild of cares, and toils, and tears,
Where foes alarm and dangers threat,

And pleasures kill, and glories cheat,2 Shed down, O Lord, a heavenly ray,

To guide me in the lonely way;
And o'er me hold thy shield of power

To guard me in the dangerous hour. 3 Teach me the flattering paths to shun,

In which the thoughtless many run;
Who for a shade the substance miss,

And grasp their ruin in their bliss. 4 May never pleasure, wealth, or pride,

Allure my wandering soul aside ;
But through this maze of mortal ill
Safe lead me to thy heavenly hill.

C. M.
Submission.

162
1 AUTHOR of good, we rest on thee:

Thine ever-watchful eye
Alone our real wants can see,

Thy hand alone supply.
2 In thine all-gracious providence

Our cheerful hopes confide ;
O, let thy power be our defence,

Thy love our footsteps guide. 3 And since, by passion's force subdued,

Too oft, with stubborn will,

S. M.

We blindly shun the latent good,

And grasp the specious ill, – 4 Not what we wish, but what we want,

Let mercy still supply :
The good unasked, O Father, grant ;

The ill, though asked, deny. 163

God our Shelter.
1 When, o'erwhelmed with grief,

My heart within me dies,
Helpless, and far from all relief,

To Heaven I lift mine eyes.
2 0, lead me to the rock

That's high above my head,
And make the covert of thy wings

My shelter and my shade. 3 Within thy presence, Lord,

Forever I'll abide;
Thou art the tower of my defence,

The refuge where I hide. 164

C. M.

Changes.
1 The gifts indulgent Heaven bestows,

Are variously conveyed ;
The human mind, like nature, knows

Alternate light and shade. 2 While changing aspects all things wear,

Can we expect to find
Unclouded sunshine all the year,

Or constant peace of mind ?

C. M.

3 More gayly smiles the blooming spring,

When wintry storms are o'er;
Retreating sorrow thus may bring

Delights unknown before.
4 Then, Christian, send thy fears away,

Nor sink in gloomy care ;
Tho' clouds o'erspread the scene to-day,

To-morrow may be fair. 165

Submission.
1 0 LORD, my best desires fulfil,

And help me to resign
Life, health, and comfort to thy will,

And make thy pleasure mine. 2 Why should I shrink at thy command,

Whose love forbids my fears?
Or tremble at thy gracious hand,

That wipes away my tears? 3 No! let me rather freely yield

What most I prize to thee,
Who never hast a good withheld,

Nor wilt withhold, from me. 4 But, ah! my inward spirit cries,

Still bind me to thy sway;
Else the next cloud that veils

my

skies Drives all these thoughts away. 166

In Time of Danger. 1 O God, that mad'st the earth and sky, The darkness and the day,

C. M.