VII.

"HE SHALL GATHER THE LAMBS WITH

HIS ARM."

ISAIAH xl. 11.

POOR shepherdless lambs, amid darkness and dangers,

We sported in paths of temptation and sin;

We had heedlessly follow'd the bidding of strangers,
None guided us out, and none folded us in.

But Jesus heard tell of our pitiful story,

And love fill'd His bosom with grief for our loss, For us He forsook the bright mansions of glory And came to the manger, the garden, the cross.

He sought and He found: in His bosom He laid us, And shew'd us the marks in His hands and His feet, And gently, meanwhile, to His sheep-fold convey'd us, A shelter from tempest, a shadow from heat.

258 “ HE SHALL GATHER THE LAMBS WITH HIS ARM."

With His crook and His staff He doth govern and guide

us:

How green are the pastures, the waters how clear! While Jesus is with us, what harm shall betide us? While He is our shepherd, what foe shall we fear?

"Tis true that in places the path may be thorny;
And of the dark valley He us has foretold;
But He promises He will go all the long journey,
And bring us safe through to His heavenly fold.

He says, be the path thither longer or shorter,

No cloud ever darkens our home in the skies; For He'll lead us beside living fountains of water, And God shall wipe off every tear from our eyes.

VIII.

BAPTISM OF SUCH AS ARE OF RIPER

YEARS.

"And now, why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."- ACTS xxii. 16.

STAND, soldier of the cross,

Thy high allegiance claim,

And vow to hold the world but loss

For thy Redeemer's name.

Arise, and be baptized,

And wash thy sins away:

Thy faith and hope be realized,
Thy love avouch'd to-day.

Our heavenly country now,
Our Lord and Master, thine,

Receive imprinted on thy brow

His Passion's awful sign.

260

BAPTISM OF SUCH AS ARE OF RIPER YEARS.

No more thine own, but Christ's;

With all the saints of old,
Apostles, seers, evangelists,

And martyr throngs enroll'd,

In God's whole armor strong,
Front hell's embattled powers:

The warfare may be sharp and long,
The victory must be ours."

O bright the conqueror's crown,
The song of triumph sweet,

When faith casts every trophy down
At our Great Captain's feet.

IX.

CONFIRMATION HYMN.

[To be sung after the benedictory prayer, Defend, O Lord, this Thy servant with Thy heavenly grace, that he may continue Thine for ever," &c.]

That knits us, Lord, to Thee:

May voice, and heart, and soul respond
Amen, so let it be.

When this world strikes its dulcet harp,
And earth our heaven appears,

Be "Thine for ever," clear and sharp,
God's trumpet in our ears.

When sin in pleasure's soft disguise

Would work us deadliest harm,

May "Thine for ever " from the skies

Steal down, and break the charm.