2 Might I enjoy the meanest place
Within thy house, O God of grace,
Not tents of ease, or thrones of power,
Should tempt my feet to leave thy door.

3 God is our sun, he makes our day;
God is our shield, he guards our way
From all assaults of hell and sin,
From foes without and foes within.

4 All needful grace will God bestow,
And crown that grace with glory too;
He gives us all things, and withholds
No real good from upright souls.

5 O God onr King, whose sov'reign sway
The glorious hosts of heaven obey.
And devils at thy presence flee,

Blest is the man that trusts in thee.

E Becomes the grandeur of a God:

TERNAL Power, whose high abode

Infinite lengths beyond the bounds
Where stars revolve their little rounds:

2 Thee while the first archangel sings,
He hides his face behind his wings:
And ranks of shining thrones around
Fall worshipping, and spread the ground.

8 Lord, what shall earth and ashes do?
We would adore our Maker too;
From sin and dust to thee we cry,
The Great, the Holy, and the High.

4 Earth, from afar, hath heard thy fame,
And worms have learn'd to lisp thy name;
But O! the glories of thy mind
Leave all our soaring thoughts behind.

2 Thee as our God we too would claim,
And bless the Saviour's precious name,
Through whom this grace is given;
He bore the curse to sinners due,
He forms their ruin'd souls anew,

And makes them heirs of heaven.
8 The veil that hides thy glory rend,
And here in saving power descend,
And fix thy blest abode;

Here to our hearts thyself reveal,
And let each waiting spirit feel
The presence of our God.

32

GRE

A blessing from God's presence.

C. M.

REAT Shepherd of thy people, hear;
Thy presence now display;

We kneel within thy house of prayer;
O give us hearts to pray.

2 The clouds which veil thee from our sight, In pity, Lord, remove;

Dispose our minds to hear aright
The message of thy love.

3 Help us, with holy fear and joy,
To kneel before thy face;

O make us, creatures of thy power,
The children of thy grace.

33

L. M.

Faith reveals God's presence.
N The Lord upon his throne appears;
OT here, as to the prophet's eye,

Nor seraph-tongues responsive cry,
Holy! thrice holy! in our ears:-
2 Yet God is present in this place,
Veil'd in serener majesty;

So full of glory, truth, and grace,
That faith alone such light can see.

3 Nor, as he in the temple taught,
Is Christ within these walls reveal'd,
When blind, and deaf, and dumb were brought,
Lepers and lame-and all were heal'd:-

:

4 Yet here, when two or three shall meet, Or thronging multitudes are found, All may sit down at Jesus' feet,

And hear from him the joyful sound.

34

The promised blessing.

NEE, Jesus, thy disciples see; The promised blessing give; Met in thy name, we look to thee, Expecting to receive.

C. M.

2 Thee we expect, our faithful Lord,
Who in thy name are join'd;.
We wait, according to thy word,
Thee in the midst to find.

3 With us thou art assembled here,
But O, thyself reveal;

Son of the living God, appear!
Let us thy presence feel.

4 Breathe on us, Lord, in this our day,
And these dry bones shall live;
Speak peace into our hearts, and say,
The Holy Ghost receive.

5 Whom now we seek, O may we meet,
Jesus, the crucified;

Show us thy bleeding hands and feet,
Thou who for us hast died.

6 Cause us the record to receive-
Speak, and the tokens show-
"O be not faithless, but believe
In me, who died for you."

35

S. M.

Claiming the promise.

JESUS, we look to thee,

Thy promised presence claim; Thou in the midst of us shalt be, Assembled in thy name:

2 Thy name salvation is,

Which here we come to prove: Thy name is life, and health, and peace, And everlasting love.

8 Not in the name of pride

Or selfishness we meet;
From nature's paths we turn aside,
And worldly thoughts forget.
4 We meet the grace to take,
Which thou hast freely given;
We meet on earth for thy dear sake,
That we may meet in heaven.

5 Present we know thou art,
But O, thyself reveal!

Now, Lord, let every bounding heart
The mighty comfort feel.

6 O may thy quick'ning voice
The death of sin remove;

And bid our inmost souls rejoice,
In hope of perfect love.

36

1st P. M. 6 lines 8s.

God is in this place.

O! God is here! let us adore,

And own how dreadful is this place;

Let all within us feel his power,

And silent bow before his face;

Who know his power, his grace who prove, Serve him with awe, with rev'rence love.

2 Lo! God is here! him day and night United choirs of angels sing:

To him, enthroned above all height,
Heaven's host their noblest praises bring:.
Disdain not, Lord, our meaner song,
Who praise thee with a stamm'ring tongue.'
3 Being of beings! may our praise
Thy courts with grateful fragrance fill;
Still may we stand before thy face,
Still hear and do thy sov'reign will;
To thee may all our thoughts arise,
Ceaseless, accepted sacrifice.

37

0

S. M.

The presence and grace of Jesus.

THOU who art the Light

Of all thy saints below,

That we may worship thee aright,
Thy sov'reign grace bestow.

2 Our rising world obey'd

Thy Godhead's high command; And all the heavenly host are sway'd By thy creating hand.

3 Yet all things made anew

To wond'ring mortals seem,. When the Eternal Word we view Descending to redeem.

4 O, be thou present now,

And make thy mercy known,
While at thy footstool, Lord, we bow,
And our Deliv'rer own.

5 Then shall we live to thee,
And honour this thy day;
Thine own devoted servants be,
And never from thee stray.