6 We'll catch the note of lofty praise;
May we their rapture feel;

Our thankful song with theirs we 'll raise,
And emulate their zeal.

4 Come, then, ye saints! and grateful sing
Of Christ, our risen Lord,-
Of Christ, the everlasting king,-
Of Christ, th' incarnate word.

5 Hail, mighty Saviour! thee we hail!
High on thy throne above;

Till heart and flesh together fail,
We'll sing thy matchless love.

499.

C. M.

The first Sabbath.

i HOW bright a day was that, which saw Creation's work complete!

All nature owned her Maker's law,
And worshipped at his feet.

2 The world, arranged by power divine,
In perfect order stood

And, resting from his great design,
God saw that all was good.

3 Not such a Sabbath now appears,
For sin has ruined all;

No longer man with pleasure hears
A gracious Father's call.

4 Yet, Lord! bring back the reign of peace Let brighter days begin;

And teach vain creatures how to cease
From folly and from sin.

5 Let sinners be again made thine,

Though once with vengeance cursed ; And let a second Sabbath shine,

As glorious as the first.

500.

C. M.

The Resurrection of Christ.

1 THE Lord of Sabbath let us praise,
In concert with the blest:

And joyful, in harmonious lays,
Employ this day of rest.

2 Lord! may we still remember thee,
And more in knowledge grow;
Oh! may we more of glory see,
While waiting here below.

3 On this blest day, a brighter scene
Of glory was displayed,

By God, th' eternal word, than when
This universe was made.

4 He rises, who our souls hath bought
With blood, and grief, and pain:

'T was great-to speak the world from nougnt, 'T was greater to redeem.

501.

L. M.

The Lord's Day.

1 THIS day the Lord hath called his own; Oh! let us then his praise declare,

Fix our desires on him alone,

And teek his face, with fervent prayer. 2 Lord! in thy love, would we rejoice, That bids the burdened soul be free; And, with united heart and voice,

Devote these sacred hours to thee.

3 Now let the world's delusive things

No more our grovelling thoughts employ,
But faith be taught to stretch her wings,
In search of heaven's unfailing joy.

4 Oh! let these earthly Sabbaths, Lord!
Be to our lasting welfare blest;
The purest comfort here afford,
Anu fit us for eternal rest.

502.

10s.

The Sabbath, a holy Rest.

AGAIN the day returns of holy rest,
Which, when he made the world, Jehovah blest;
When, like his own, he bade our labours cease,
And all be piety, and all be peace.

2 Let us devote this consecrated day
To learn his will, and all we learn cbey;
Bo shall he hear when fervently we raise
Our supplications, and our songs of praise.

3 Father in heaven! in whom our hopes confide,
Whose power defends us, and whose precepts guide;
In life our guardian, and in death our friend,-
Glory supreme be thine, till time shall end.

503.

C. M.

The Sacrifice of the Heart.

1 WHEN, as returns this solemn day,
Man comes to meet his God,

What rites-what honors shall he pay?
How spread his praise abroad ?

2 From marble domes and gilded spires
Shall clouds of incense rise?

And gems, and gold, and garlands deck
The costly sacrifice?

3 Vain, sinful man !—creation's Lord
Thine offerings well may spare;
But give thy heart-and thou shalt fnd,
That God will hear thy prayer.

504.

7s and 6s.
Sabbath-Contemplations.

1 LORD of the vast creation,
Support of worlds unknown,
Desire of every nation!-
Behold us at thy throne;
We come for mercy crying,
Through thine atoning blood;

And on thy grace relying,

We seek each promised good

2 We bless the condescension

That brought thee down to earth;
Of which the seers made mention,
Who prophecied thy birth:

We celebrate the glory,

That marked thy wondrous way,
And own the joyful story,

That claims this hallowed day.

3 Oh! when shall thy salvation
Be known through every land,
And men, in every station,
Obey thy great command?

In God's own Son believing,
From sin may they be free;
And gospel-grace receiving,
Find life and peace in thee.

L. M.

505. The Close of the Sabbath

1 ANOTHER day has passed along,
And we are nearer to the tomb,-
Nearer to join the heavenly song,
Or hear the last eternal doom.

2 Sweet is the light of Sabbath-eve,

And soft the sunbeams lingering there: For these blest hours, the world I leave, Wafted on wings of faith and prayer. 3 The time how lovely and how still;

Peace shines and smiles on all below,The plain, the stream, the wood, the hill,- All fair with evening's setting glow.

4 Season of rest! the tranquil soul

Feels the sweet calm, and meits to love,
And while these sacred moments roll,
Faith sees a smiling heaven above.

5 Nor will our days of toil be long,
Our pilgrimage will soon be trod;
And we shall join the ceaseless song,-
The endless Sabbath of our God.

506.

C. M.

Evening of the Lord's Day.

1 FREQUENT the day of God returns,
To shed its quickening beams;
And yet how slow devotion burns!
How languid are its flames!

2 Accept our faint attempts to love,
Our frailties, Lord! forgive;
We would be like thy saints above,
And praise thee while we live.

3 Increase, O Lord! our faith and hope
And fit us to ascend,

Where the assembly ne'er breaks up
The Sabbath ne'er shall end :-

4 Where we shall breathe in heavenly air
With heavenly lustre shine,
Before the throne of God appear,
And feast on love divine:-

5 Where we, in high seraphic strains,
Shall all our powers employ;
Delighted range th' ethereal plains,
And take our fill of joy.

507.

C. M.

Lord's Day-Evening.

1 WHEN, O dear Jesus! when shall I
Behold thee all-serene;

Blest in perpetual Sabbath-day,
Without a veil between?

2 Assist me while I wander here,
Amidst a world of cares;

Incline my heart to pray with love,
And then accept my prayers.

3 Spare me, my God! Oh! spare the son
That gives itself to thee;
Take all that I possess below,
And give thyself to me.

4 Thy Spirit, O my Father! give
To be my guide and friend,

To light my path with ceaseless joys—
Where Sabbaths never end.

508.

SANCTUARY.

S. M.

The Mercy-Seat.

HOW charming is the place,
Where my Redeemer-Ged
Unveils the glories of his face,
And sheds his love abroad!

2 Not the fair palaces,

To which the great resort,
Are once to be compared with this,
Where Jesus holds his court.