To Thee our spirits we resign,
Make them and own them still as Thine;
So shall they smile, secure from fear,
Tho' death should blast the rising year.
WHEN our heads are bowed with woe,
When the bitter tears o'erflow,
When we mourn the lost, the dear,
Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
Thou, O Lord! our flesh hast worn,
Thou, our mortal griefs hast borne,
Thou hast shed the human tear;
Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
When the heart is sad within
With the thought of all its sin,
When the spirit shrinks with fear,
Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
Thou the shame, the grief hast known,
Though the sins were not Thine own,
Thou hast deigned their load to bear;
Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
When the solemn death-bell tolls
For our own departing souls,
When our final doom is near,
Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
Thou hast bowed the dying head, Thou the blood of life hast shed, Thou hast filled a mortal bier : Gracious Lord of mercy, hear!
TO-MORROW, Lord, is Thine,
Lodged in Thy sovereign hand;
And if its sun arise and shine,
It shines by Thy command.
The present moment flies,
And bears our lives away;
O make Thy servants truly wise,
That they may live to day.
Since on this winged hour
Eternity is hung,
Awake, by Thy Almighty power,
The aged and the young.
One thing demands our care;
O be it still pursued;
Lest, slighted once, the season fair
Should never be renewed.
HYMN CLVII.
SOON as from earth I go,
What will become of me ?
Eternal happiness or woe
Must then my portion be:
Waked by the trumpet's sound,
I from my grave shall rise,
And see the Judge with glory crowned,
And see the flaming skies.
O Thou that would'st not have
One wretched sinner die;
Who diedst Thyself, my soul to save
From endless misery;
Show me the way to shun
Thy dreadful wrath severe;
That when Thou comest on Thy throne, I may with joy appear.
Thou art Thyself the way;
Thyself in me reveal;
So shall I spend my life's short day
Obedient to Thy will;
So shall I love my God,
Because He first loved me,
And praise Thee in Thy bright abode,
To all eternity.
O GOD, mine inmost soul convert,
And deeply on my thoughtful heart
Eternal things impress;
Give me to feel their solemn weight,
And tremble on the brink of fate,
And wake to righteousness.
Before me place in dread array
The pomp of that tremendous day,
When Thou with clouds shalt come,
To judge the nations at Thy bar;
And tell me, Lord, shall I be there,
To meet a joyful doom ?
Be this my one great business here,
With serious industry and fear,
Eternal bliss to ensure :
Thine utmost counsel to fulfil,
And suffer all Thy righteous will,
And to the end endure:
Then, Saviour, then, my soul receive,
Transported from this vale to live
And reign with Thee above;
Where faith is sweetly lost in sight,
And hope in full supreme delight,
And everlasting love.
AWAKE, my soul, from sloth and sin,
And trim thy feeble lamp within;
For earthly joys and glories fade,
All overspread with night's dark shade.
Arise, my soul, extend thy wings
Beyond the verge of human things:
At hand is God's tremendous ire,
And earth shall melt in quenchless fire.
192 TIME, JUDGMENT, AND ETERNITY.
The day of ire! the Son of God;
The Judge with His uplifted rod :
And thou must meet the impending doom:
Repent, and flee from wrath to come.
Flee to the gate on mercy's side,
The eternal gate is open wide:
Eternity-my bliss, my whole;
Eternity shall fill my soul.
SING with praises never ending,
Ye that dwell above the sky,
Angels round the throne attending,
Sing with strains that never die :
Hallelujah!
Praise, O praise the Lord Most High.
Mortals, sing your great Creator,
And your warm devotion prove,
Lord of life, and Lord of nature,
God of grace, and God of love,
Hallelujah!
To the Pow'r that reigns above.
And when years, O thought amazing!
In eternity are lost,
Saints and angels join in praising
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost;
Hallelujah!
From the universal host.
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