4 So shall Thy people joyful be;
The angels, too, with joy will sing;
And all ascribe the praise to Thee;
To Thee, the Everlasting King.

796

1 Sam. iii. 10. 8.7.4.

KELLY.

1 Thy name, O Lord, assembling,

Teach us to rejoice with trembling,
Speak, and let Thy servants hear;
Hear with meekness;

Hear Thy word with godly fear.
2 While our days on earth are lengthened,
May we give them, Lord, to Thee;
Cheered by hope, and daily strengthened,
May we run, nor weary be;
Till Thy glory

Without cloud in heaven we see.

3 There, in worship purer, sweeter,
All Thy people shall adore ;
Tasting of enjoyment greater
Than they could conceive before:
Full enjoyment;

Full, unmixed, for evermore.

ITS CONCLUSION.

797

1

IE cloud hath filled the sacred place,
The glory hath appeared,

The Lord hath shed abroad His grace,
And all our hearts are cheered.

2 How dread and solemn this abode !
Such blessings have been given,
As prove it is the house of God,
The very gate of heaven,

M M

3 Lord, we would all our Sabbaths spend
In such divine employ,
Till every earthly work shall end
In heaven's eternal joy.

798

1 Cor. iii. 6. D.C.M.

HEBER.

GOD, by whom the seed is given;
By whom the harvest blest;

Whose word, like manna showered from
heaven,

Is planted in our breast;

Though buried deep, or thinly strewn,
Do Thou Thy grace supply;

The hope in earthly furrows sown
Shall ripen in the sky.

799

Luke xxiv. 50.

8.7.4.

1 Fin our hearts with joy and peace. ORD, dismiss us with Thy blessing:

Let us all, Thy love possessing,
Triumph in redeeming grace.
O refresh us,

Travelling through this wilderness,

2 Thanks we give, and adoration,
For Thy gospel's joyful sound
Let the fruits of Thy salvation
In our hearts and lives abound.
May Thy presence

With us evermore be found.

3 So, whene'er the signal's given,'
Us from earth to call away,
Borne on angels' wings to heaven,
Glad the summons to obey,

May we ever

Reign with Christ in endless day.

800

1 Sam. i. 17.

L. M. HART.

1 ISMISS us with Thy blessing, Lord; Help us to feed upon Thy word.

All that has been amiss forgive,
And let Thy truth within us live.

2 Though we are guilty, Thou art good:
Sprinkle our hearts with Jesus' blood.
Give every fettered soul release,
And bid us all depart in peace.

801 2 Cor. xiii. 14.

1

MAnd the Father's boundless love,

AY the grace of Christ our Saviour,

With the Holy Spirit's favour,

Rest upon us from above.

Thus may we abide in union

With each other and the Lord; And possess in sweet communion, Joys which earth can not afford.

COMMENCEMENT AND CLOSE OF THE YEAR.

802 Acts xxvi. 22. L. M. DODDRIDGE.

1

GE

YREAT God, we sing that mighty hand,
By which supported still we stand.
The opening year Thy mercy shews:
That mercy crowns it till it close.

2 By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still are we guarded by our God;
By His incessant bounty fed,
By His unerring counsel led.

3 With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future, all to us unknown,
We to Thy guardian care commit,
Content with what Thou deemest fit.
4 In scenes exalted or depressed,

Thou art our joy, and Thou our rest.
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored throughout our changing days.
5 When death shall interrupt these songs,
And seal in silence mortal tongues,

Our helper God, in whom we trust,
Shall keep our souls, and guard our dust.

803

1

Psalm cxxxiv. 3. 7's.

NEWTON.

BLESS, O Lord, the opening year

To the souls assembled here:
Clothe Thy word with power divine,
Make us willing to be Thine.

2 Where Thou hast Thy work begun,
Give new strength the race to run;
Scatter darkness, doubts, and fears;
Wipe away the mourner's tears.

3 Bless us all, both old and young;
Call forth praise from every tongue.
Let our whole assembly prove
All Thy power and all Thy love.

804 1 Sam. vii. 12. L. M. Doddridge

1 UR helper, God, we bless His name, Whose love for ever is the same;

The tokens of whose gracious care Open, and crown, and close the year. 2 Amidst ten thousand snares we stand, Supported by His guardian hand; And see, when we review our ways, Ten thousand monuments of praise.

3 Thus far His arm hath led us on;
Thus far we make His mercy known;
And while we tread this desert land,
New mercies shall new songs demand.
4 Our grateful souls, on Jordan's shore,
Shall raise one sacred pillar more;
Then bear in His bright courts above,
Inscriptions of immortal love.

805

1

2

3

4

5

6

Acts xxviii. 15. P. M. C. WESLEY.

COME, let us anew

Our journey pursue,

Roll round with the year,

And never stand still till the Master appear.

His adorable will

Let us gladly fulfil,

And our talents improve,

By the patience of hope, and the labour

of love.

Our life is a dream;
Our time, as a stream,

Glides swiftly away;

And the fugitive moment refuses to stay.

The arrow is flown;

The moment is gone;

The millennial year

Rushes on to our view, and eternity's here.

O that each in the day

Of His coming may say,

I have fought my way through;

I have finished the work Thou didst give

me to do.

O that each from his Lord

May receive the glad word,

Well and faithfully done;

Enter into My joy, and sit down on My throne.