O let thy table honoured be,
And furnish'd well with joyful guests;
And may each soul salvation see,
That here its sacred pledges tastes.
Let crowds approach with hearts prepared,
With hearts inflamed let all attend;
Nor, when we leave our Father's board,
The pleasure or the profit end.
Revive thy dying churches, Lord,
And bid our drooping graces live;
And more, that energy afford
A Saviour's blood alone can give.
Lo, the feast is spread to-day,
Jesus summons, come away!
From the vanity of life,
From the sounds of mirth or strife,
To the feast by Jesus given,
Come, and taste the bread of heaven.
Why with proud excuse and vain,
Spurn his mercy once again?
From amidst life's social ties,
From the farm and merchandise,
Come, for all is now prepared;
Freely given, be freely shared.
Blessed are the lips that taste
Our Redeemer's marriage-feast;
Blessed, who on him shall feed,
Bread of life, and drink indeed;
Blessed, for their thirst is o'er;
They shall never hunger more.
YOME, my soul, in faith draw nigh:
Come, and taste a Saviour's love:
See him suffer, bleed, and die;
See him pleading now above.
Come, behold his precious blood,
Shed, from sin to set thee free:
See his body, heav'nly food,
Bruis'd and torn with nails for thee.
Jesus, what a bounteous feast
Hungry souls are call'd to share!
Though of saints I am the least,
To thy table I repair.
Here I think upon thy love,
Till with sacred joy I burn,
Till my heart thy mercies move,
Till I love thee in return.
HOUSANDS, O Lord of hosts! this day,
Around thine altar meet;
And tens of thousands throng to pay
Their homage at thy feet.
They see thy power and glory there,
As I have seen them too;
They read, they hear, they join in prayer,
As I was wont to do.
They sing thy deeds, as I have sung,
In sweet and solemn lays;
Were I among them, my glad tongue
Might learn new themes of praise.
For thou art in their midst to teach,
When on thy name they call:
And thou hast blessings, Lord, for each,
Hast blessings, Lord, for all.
I, of such fellowship bereft,
In spirit turn to thee;
Oh! hast thou not a blessing left,
A blessing, Lord, for me?
The dew lies thick upon the ground,
Shall my poor fleece be dry?
The manna rains from heaven around;
Shall I of hunger die?
Behold thy prisoner;-loose my bands,
If 'tis thy gracious will;
If not, contented in thy hands,
Behold thy prisoner still!
I may not to thy courts repair,
Yet here thou surely art;
Lord, consecrate a house of
In my surrender'd heart.
To faith reveal the things unseen;
To hope the joys untold;
Let love, without a veil between,
Thy glory now behold.
O make thy face on me to shine,
That doubt and fear may cease;
Lift up thy countenance benign
On me, and give me peace.
IME by moments steals away;
First the hour, and then the day;
Small the daily loss appears,
Yet it soon amounts to years:
Thus another year is flown,
And is now no more our own
(Though it brought or promis'd good)
Than the years before the flood.
But each year, let none forget,
Finds and leaves us deep in debt;
Favours from the Lord received,
Sins that have the Spirit grieved,
Mark'd by God's unerring hand,
In his book recorded stand:
Who can tell the vast amount
Placed to each of our account?
We have nothing, Lord, to pay;
Take, oh! take our guilt away:
Self-condemn'd on thee we call,
Freely, Lord, forgive us all:
If we see another year,
May we spend it in thy fear;
All its days devote to thee,
Living for eternity.
ID Christ o'er sinners weep,
D'And shall our cheeks be dry?
Let floods of penitential grief
Burst forth from every eye,
The Son of God in tears,
Angels with wonder see:
Be thou astonish'd, O my soul!
He shed those tears for thee.
He wept that we might weep,
Each sin demands a tear;
In heaven alone no sin is found,
No weeping shall be there.
Then tender be our hearts,
Our eyes with sorrow dim,
Till every tear from every eye
Is wiped away by him.
IME is earnest, passing by;
Death is earnest, drawing nigh:
Sinner, wilt thou trifling be?
Time and death appeal to thee.
Life is earnest when 'tis o'er,
Thou returnest never more.
Soon to meet eternity,
Wilt thou never serious be?
God is earnest: kneel and pray,
Ere thy season pass away;
Ere he set his judgment throne;
Ere the day of grace be gone.
Christ is earnest, bids thee come;
Paid, thy spirit's priceless sum;
Wilt thou spurn thy Saviour's love,
Pleading with thee from above?
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