And to Thee, blest Spirit,
Whilst all ages run.
NCE in royal David's City
Stood a lowly cattle shed,
Where a Mother laid her Baby,
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that Mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.
He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall;
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour Holy.
And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honour, and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly Maiden
In whose gentle arms He lay;
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.
For He is our childhood's Pattern,
Day by day like us He grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew;
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.
And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love,
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above;
And He leads His children on
To the place where He is gone.
Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him; but in heaven,
Set at God's right hand on high,
When like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around. Amen.
HERE is a green hill far away,
Without a city wall,
Where the dear Lord was crucified
Who died to save us all.
We may not know, we cannot tell
What pains He had to bear,
But we believe it was for us
He hung and suffered there.
He died that we might be forgiven,
He died to make us good,
That we might go at last to heaven,
Saved by His precious Blood.
There was no other good enough
To pay the price of sin,
He only could unlock the gate
Of heaven, and let us in.
O, dearly, dearly has He loved,
And we must love Him too,
And trust in His redeeming Blood,
And try His works to do. Amen.
HRISTIAN children must be holy,
Serving God from day to day;
Never is the time too early
For a Christian to obey.
Jesus taught us in His childhood;
Only eight short days He saw
Ere He suffered circumcision
And obeyed His Father's law.
He Who is our great Example
Let no moment run to loss;
Not one precious hour He wasted
From the cradle to the Cross.
Soon He sorrowed, soon He suffered
We must meek and gentle be,
Little pain and childish trial
Ever bearing patiently.
Soon He showed a Son's obedience;
We must early learn to do,
Not our own will, but our Father's,
And be found obedient too.
FOR THOSE AT SEA.
ETERNAL Father, strong to save
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bid'st the mighty ocean deep
Its own appointed limits keep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.
O Christ, Whose voice the waters heard
And hushed their raging at Thy word,
Who walkedst on the foaming deep,
And calm amidst its rage didst sleep;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.
Most Holy Spirit, Who didst brood
Upon the chaos dark and rude,
And bid its angry tumult cease,
And give, for wild confusion, peace;
O hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea.
O Trinity of love and power,
Our brethren shield in danger's hour
From rock and tempest, fire and foe,
Protect them wheresoe'er they go;
Thus evermore shall rise to Thee
Glad hymns of praise from land and sea. Amen.
IERCE raged the tempest o'er the deep,
But Thou wast wrapped in guileless sleep,
Calm and still.
"Save, Lord, we perish," was their cry,
"O save us in our agony !"
Thy word above the storm rose high,
66 Peace, be still.”
The wild winds hushed; the angry deep
Sank, like a little child, to sleep;
The sullen billows ceased to leap,
So, when our life is clouded o'er,
And storm-winds drift us from the shore,
Say (lest we sink to rise no more)
LITANY OF THE PASSION.
OD the Father, seen of none,
God the Sole-begotten Son,
God the Spirit, with them One,
Spare us, Holy Trinity.
Jesu, Who for us didst bear
Scorn and sorrow,
Hearken to our lowly prayer,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
By that hour of agony,
Spent while Thine Apostles three
Slumbered in Gethsemane,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
By the prayer Thou thrice didst
That the Cup might pass away,
So Thou mightest still obey,
By the kiss of treachery
To Thy foes betraying Thee,
By Thy harsh captivity,
By the words of Caiaphas,
Dooming Thee for all Thy race,
By the spitting on Thy face,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
By those sad rebuking eyes,
Moving Peter's tears and sighs,
When he had denied Thee thrice,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
By Thy being bound in thrall,
When they led Thee, one and all,
Unto Pilate's judgment-hall,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
By the scourging Thou hast borne,
By the purple robe of scorn,
By the reed and crown of thorn,
Hear us, Holy Jesu.
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