Wishes to Thy cross untrue,
Secret faults and undescried,
Meet Thy spirit-piercing view :
Blessed Saviour, yet through Thee,
Grant that we may pardoned be.
3 Holy Spirit, breath of balm
Fall on us in evening's calm.
Yet a while, before we sleep,
We with Thee will vigils keep.
Lead us on our sins to muse,
Give us truest penitence;
Then the love of God infuse,
Breathing humble confidence ;
Melt our spirits, mould our will,
Soften, strengthen, comfort, still.
4 Blessed Trinity, be near,
Through the hours of darkness drear;
Then, when shrinks the lonely heart,
Thou more clearly present art.
Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
Watch o'er our defenceless heads;
Let Thy angels' guardian host
Keep all evil from our beds,
Till the flood of morning rays
Wake us to a song of praise.
GREAT God, to Thee my evening song
With humble gratitude I raise;
Oh, let Thy mercy tune my tongue,
And fill my heart with lively praise.
2 My days unclouded as they pass,
And every onward rolling hour,
Are monuments of wondrous grace,
And witness to Thy love and power.
3 And yet this thoughtless, wretched heart,
Too oft regardless of Thy love,
Ungrateful, can from Thee depart,
And from the path of duty rove.
4 Seal my forgiveness in the blood
Of Christ my Lord; His name alone
I plead for pardon, gracious God,
And kind acceptance at Thy throne.
5 With hope in Him mine eyelids close;
With sleep refresh my feeble frame;
Safe in Thy care may I repose,
And wake with praises to Thy name.
THE day is past and gone,
The evening shades appear;
Oh, may we all remember well
The night of death draws near.
2 We lay our garments by,
Upon our beds to rest;
So death shall soon disrobe us all
Of what is here possest.
3 Lord, keep us safe this night,
Secure from all our fears;
May angels guard us while we sleep,
Till morning light appears.
THE day, O Lord, is spent ;
Abide with us, and rest;
Our heart's desires are fully bent
On making Thee our guest.
2 We have not reached that land,
That happy land, as yet,
Where holy angels round Thee stand,
Whose sun can never set.
3 Our sun is sinking now,
Our day is almost o'er;
O Sun of Righteousness, do Thou
Shine on us evermore !
4 The grace of Christ our Lord,
The Father's boundless love,
The Spirit's blest communion, too,
Be with us from above.
ALLELUIA! fairest morning,
Fairer than our words can say!
Down we lay the heavy burden
Of life's toil and care to-day;
While this morn of joy and love
Brings fresh vigor from above.
2 Sun-day, full of holy glory,
Sweetest rest-day of the soul,
Light upon the world of darkness
From thy blesséd moments roll!
Holy, happy, heavenly day,
Thou canst charm our grief away.
3 In the gladness of God's worship
We will seek our joy to-day :
It is then we learn the fulness
Of the grace for which we pray :
When the word of life is given,
Like the Saviour's voice from heaven.
4 Let the day with Thee be ended,
As with Thee it has begun ;
And Thy blessing, Lord, be granted,
Till earth's days and weeks are done;
That, at last, Thy servants may
Keep eternal Sabbath-day.
J. Krause. Tr. J. Borthwick.
7s, 6s. 81. With Refrain - 6,6,8,4
AGAIN the morn of gladness,
The morn of light is here;
And earth itself looks fairer,
And heaven itself more near.
The bells, like angel voices,
Speak peace to every breast;
And all the land lies quiet
To keep the day of rest.
REFRAIN.Glory be to Jesus!
Let all his children say:
He rose again, He rose again,
On this glad day!
2 Again, O loving Saviour,
The children of Thy grace
Prepare themselves to seek Thee
Within Thy chosen place.
Our song shall rise to greet Thee,
If Thou our hearts wilt raise;
If Thou our lips wilt open,
Our mouth shall show Thy praise.-Ref.
3 The shining choir of angels
That rest not day or night,
The crowned and palm-decked martyrs,
The saints arrayed in white,
The happy lambs of Jesus
In pastures fair above,
These all adore and praise Him,
Whom we too praise and love.—Ref.
4 The Church on earth rejoices
To join with these to-day;
In every tongue and nation
She calls her sons to pray;
Across the northern snow-fields,
Beneath the Indian palms,
She makes the same pure offering,
And sings the same sweet psalms.-Ref.
5 Tell out, sweet bells, His praises;
Sing, children, sing His name !
Still louder and still further
His mighty deeds proclaim,
Till all whom He redeemèd
Shall own Him Lord and King,
Till every knee shall worship
And every tongue shall sing.—Ref.
AGAIN returns the day of holy rest Which, when He made the world, Jehovah blessed;
When, like His own, He bade our labors cease,
And all be piety, and all be peace.
2 Let us devote this consecrated day
To learn His will, and all we learn obey; So shall He hear, when fervently we raise Our supplications and our songs of praise. 3 Father of 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.
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