Hymns for Christian Devotion

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4 That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors' wreaths and monarchs' gems
Shall blend in common dust.

369. C. M. Watts.

Christian Courage and Self-denial.

1 Am I a soldier of the cross,
A follower of the Lamb?
And shall I fear to own his cause,
Or blush to speak his name?

2 Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease,
While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

3 Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord!
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by thy word.

4 Thy saints, in all this glorious war,
Shall conquer, though they're slain:
They see the triumph from afar,
And soon with Christ shall reign.

5 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all thy armies shine
In robes of victory through the skies,
The glory shall be thine.

370. L. M. Watts.

The Christian Race.

1 Awake, our souls, away, our fears;
Let every trembling thought be gone;
Awake and run the heavenly race,
And put a cheerful courage on.

2 True 'tis a strait and thorny road,
And mortal spirits tire and faint;
But they forget the mighty God,
That feeds the strength of every saint.

3 From thee, the overflowing spring,
Our souls shall drink a fresh supply,
While such as trust their native strength,
Shall melt away, and droop, and die.

4 Swift as an eagle cuts the air,
We'll mount aloft to thine abode;
On wings of love our souls shall fly,
Nor tire amidst the heavenly road.

371. C. M. Montgomery.

What is Prayer?

1 Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire,
That trembles in the breast.

2 Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye,
When none but God is near.

3 Prayer is the simplest form of speech
That infant lips can try,
Prayer the sublimest strains that reach
The Majesty on high.

4 Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air,
The watchword at the gates of death;
He enters heaven with prayer.

5 Prayer is the contrite sinner's voice,
Returning from his ways;
While angels in their songs rejoice,
And cry "Behold, he prays!"

372. 7s. M. Mrs. Hemans.

"I will that men pray everywhere."

1 Child, amidst the flowers at play,
While the red light fades away;
Mother, with thine earnest eye
Ever following silently;
Father, by the breeze of eve
Called thy daily work to leave;
Pray! ere yet the dark hours be,
Lift the heart and bend the knee!

2 Traveller, in the stranger's land,
Far from thine own household band;
Mourner, haunted by the tone
Of a voice from this world gone;
Captive, in whose narrow cell
Sunshine hath not leave to dwell;
Sailor, on the darkening sea--
Lift the heart and bend the knee!

373. 7s. & 6s. M. Edin. Lit. Review.

Pray without ceasing.

1 Go when the morning shineth,
Go when the noon is bright,
Go when the eve declineth,
Go in the hush of night;
Go with pure mind and feeling,
Cast earthly thought away,
And, in thy closet kneeling,
Do thou in secret pray.

2 Remember all who love thee,
All who are loved by thee;
Pray, too, for those who hate thee,
If any such there be;
Then for thyself, in meekness,
A blessing humbly claim,
And blend with each petition
Thy great Redeemer's name.

3 Or, if 'tis e'er denied thee
In solitude to pray,
Should holy thoughts come o'er thee
When friends are round thy way,
E'en then the silent breathing,
Thy spirit raised above,
Will reach his throne of glory,
Where dwells eternal love.

4 O, not a joy or blessing
With this can we compare,--
The grace our Father gave us
To pour our souls in prayer:
Whene'er thou pin'st in sadness,
Before his footstool fall;
Remember, in thy gladness,
His love who gave thee all.

374. L. M. Watts.

"We walk by faith, not by sight."

1 'T is by the faith of joys to come
We walk through deserts dark as night;
Till we arrive at heaven, our home,
Faith is our guide, and faith our light.

2 The want of sight she well supplies;
She makes the pearly gates appear;
Far into distant worlds she flies,
And brings eternal glories near.

3 Cheerful we tread the desert through,
While faith inspires a heavenly ray;
Though lions roar and tempests blow,
And rocks and dangers fill the way.

4 So Abraham, by divine command,
Left his own house to walk with God;
His faith beheld the promised land,
And fired his zeal along the road.

375. C. M. Salisbury Coll.

The Power of Faith.

1 Faith adds new charms to earthly bliss,
And saves us from its snares;
Its aid in every duty brings,
And softens all our cares.

2 The wounded conscience knows its power
The healing balm to give;
That balm the saddest heart can cheer,
And make the dying live.

3 Wide it unveils celestial worlds,
Where deathless pleasures reign,
And bids us seek our portion there,
Nor bids us seek in vain.

4 On that bright prospect may we rest,
Till this frail body dies;
And then, on faith's triumphant wings,
To endless glory rise.

376. S. H. M. Christian Watchman.

Excellence of Faith.

1 Faith is the Christian's prop
Whereon his sorrows lean;
It is the substance of his hope,
His proof of things unseen;
It is the anchor of his soul
When tempests rage and billows roll.

2 Faith is the polar star
That guides the Christian's way,
Directs his wanderings from afar
To realms of endless day;
It points the course where'er he roam,
And safely leads the pilgrim home.

3 Faith is the rainbow's form,
Hung on the brow of heaven,
The glory of the passing storm,
The pledge of mercy given;
It is the bright, triumphal arch,
Through which the saints to glory march.

377. C. M. Bath Coll.

Prayer for Strong Faith.

1 O, for a faith that will not shrink
Though pressed by every foe,
That will not tremble on the brink
Of any earthly woe!--

2 That will not murmur nor complain
Beneath the chastening rod,
But, in the hour of grief or pain,
Will lean upon its God;--

3 A faith that shines more bright and clear
When tempests rage without;
That when in danger knows no fear,
In darkness feels no doubt;--

4 Lord, give us such a faith as this,
And then, whate'er may come,
We'll taste, e'en here, the hallowed bliss
Of an eternal home.

378. C. M. Sidney.

Hope.

1 Borne o'er the ocean's stormy wave,
The beacon's light appears,
When yawns the seaman's watery grave,
And his lone bosom cheers.

2 Then, should the raging ocean foam,
His heart shall dauntless prove,
To reach, secure, his cherished home,
The haven of his love.

3 So, when the soul is wrapt in gloom,
To worldly grief a prey,
Thy beams, blest Hope, beyond the tomb,
Illume the pilgrim's way.

4 They point to that serene abode
Where holy faith shall rest,
Protected by the sufferer's God,
And be forever blest.

379. 7s. M. Cennick.

The Christian rejoicing in Hope.

1 Children of the Heavenly King,
As ye journey, sweetly sing;
Sing your Saviour's worthy praise,
Glorious in his works and ways.

2 Ye are travelling home to God,
In the way the fathers trod;
They are happy now, and ye
Soon their happiness shall see.

3 Shout, ye little flock, and blest;
You on Jesus' throne shall rest;
There your seat is now prepared,
There your kingdom and reward.

4 Lord, submissive make us go,
Ready, leaving all below;
Only thou our Leader be,
And we still will follow thee.

380. C. M. H. H. Hawley.

The Hope, the Star, the Voice.

1 There is a hope, a blessed hope,
More precious and more bright
Than all the joyless mockery
The world esteems delight.

2 There is a star, a lovely star,
That lights the darkest gloom,
And sheds a peaceful radiance o'er
The prospects of the tomb.

3 There is a voice, a cheering voice,
That lifts the soul above,
Dispels the painful, anxious doubt,
And whispers, "God is love."

4 That voice, aloud from Calvary's height,
Proclaims the soul forgiven;
That star is revelation's light;
That hope, the hope of heaven.

381. C. M. Drennan.

Law of Love.

1 All nature feels attractive power,
A strong, embracing force;
The drops that sparkle in the shower,
The planets in their course.

2 Thus, in the universe of mind,
Is felt the law of love;
The charity both strong and kind,
For all that live and move.

3 In this fine sympathetic chain
All creatures bear a part;
Their every pleasure, every pain,
Linked to the feeling heart.

4 More perfect bond, the Christian plan
Attaches soul to soul;
Our neighbor is the suffering man,
Though at the farthest pole.

5 To earth below, from heaven above,
The faith in Christ professed,
More clearly shows that God is love,
And whom he loves is blessed.

382. C. M. Doddridge.

The Same.

1 O, may our sympathizing breasts
The generous pleasure know,
Kindly to share in others' joy,
And weep for others' woe!

2 Where'er the helpless sons of grief
In low distress are laid,
Soft be our hearts their pains to feel,
And swift our hands to aid.

3 O, be the law of love fulfilled
In every act and thought,
Each angry passion far removed,
Each selfish view forgot!

4 Be thou, my heart, dilated wide
With this kind, social grace,
And, in one grasp of fervent love,
All earth and heaven embrace.

383. C. M. Watts.

Love to God.

1 Happy the heart where graces reign,
Where love inspires the breast:
Love is the brightest of the train,
And strengthens all the rest.

2 Knowledge--alas! 'tis all in vain,
And all in vain our fear;
Our stubborn sins will fight and reign,
If love be absent there.

3 This is the grace that lives and sings,
When faith and hope shall cease;
'Tis this shall strike our joyful strings
In realms of endless peace.

4 Before we quite forsake our clay,
Or leave this dark abode,
The wings of love bear us away
To see our gracious God.

384. L. M. Browne.

Love to all Mankind.

1 O God, my Father, and my King,
Of all I have, or hope, the spring!
Send down thy spirit from above,
And fill my heart with heavenly love.

2 May I from every act abstain,
That hurts or gives another pain:
And bear a sympathizing part,
Whene'er I meet a wounded heart.

3 And let my neighbor's prosperous state
A mutual joy in me create;
His virtuous triumph let me join;
His peace and happiness be mine.

4 And though my neighbor's hate I prove,
Still let me vanquish hate with love;
And every secret wish suppress,
That would abridge his happiness.

5 Let love through all my conduct shine,
An image fair, though faint, of thine!
Thus let me his disciple prove,
Who came to manifest thy love.

385. C. M. Roscoe.

The Two Commandments.

1 This is the first and great command--
To love thy God above;
And this the second--as thyself
Thy neighbor thou shalt love.

2 Who is my neighbor? He who wants
The help which thou canst give;
And both the law and prophets say,
This do, and thou shalt live.

386. C. M. Watts.

Christ's Love to Enemies our Example.

1 God of our mercy and our praise,
Thy glory is our song;
We'll speak the honors of thy grace
With a rejoicing tongue.

2 When Christ among the sons of men
In humble form was found,
With cruel slanders, false and vain,
They compassed him around.

3 Their miseries his compassion moved,
Their peace he still pursued;
They rendered hatred for his love,
And evil for his good.

4 Their malice raged without a cause;
Yet, with his dying breath,
He prayed for murderers on his cross,
And blest his foes in death.

5 O, may his conduct, all divine,
To us a model prove:
Like his, O God, our hearts incline
Our enemies to love.

387. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

Faith, Hope and Charity.

1 Faith, hope, and love, now dwell on earth,
And earth by them is blest;
But faith and hope must yield to love,
Of all the graces best.

2 Hope shall to full fruition rise,
And faith be sight above;
These are the means, but this the end,
For saints forever love.

388. L. M. Montgomery.

The Christian Graces.

1 Faith, hope, and charity, these three,
Yet is the greatest charity;
Father of lights, these gifts impart
To mine and every human heart.

2 Faith, that in prayer can never fail,
Hope, that o'er doubting must prevail,
And charity, whose name above
Is God's own name, for God is love.

3 The morning star is lost in light,
Faith vanishes at perfect sight,
The rainbow passes with the storm
And hope with sorrow's fading form.

4 But charity, serene, sublime,
Beyond the reach of death and time,
Like the blue sky's all-bounding space,
Holds heaven and earth in its embrace.

389. C. M. Watts.

A Living and a Dead Faith.

1 Mistaken souls! that dream of heaven,
And make their empty boast
Of inward joys, and sins forgiven,
While they are slaves to lust.

2 Vain are our fancies, airy flights,
If faith be cold and dead;
None but a living power unites
To Christ the living head.

3 'T is faith that purifies the heart;
'T is faith that works by love;
That bids all sinful joys depart,
And lifts the thoughts above.

4 This faith shall every fear control
By its celestial power,
With holy triumph fill the soul
In death's approaching hour.

390. L. M. Scott.

"Two men went up into the temple to pray."

1 The uplifted eye, and bended knee,
Are but vain homage, Lord, to thee;
In vain our lips thy praise prolong,
The heart a stranger to the song.

2 The pure, the humble, contrite mind,
Sincere, and to thy will resigned,
To thee a nobler offering yields,
Than Sheba's groves, or Sharon's fields.

3 Love God and man--this great command,
Doth on eternal pillars stand;
This did thine ancient prophets teach,
And this thy Well-Beloved preach.

391. H. M. Montgomery.

Brotherly Love. Ps. 133.

1 How beautiful the sight
Of brethren who agree
In friendship to unite,
And bonds of charity!
'T is like the precious ointment shed
O'er all his robes from Aaron's head.

2 'Tis like the dews that fill
The cups of Hermon's flowers;
Or Zion's fruitful hill,
Bright with the drops of showers;
When mingling odors breathe around,
And glory rests on all the ground.

3 For there the Lord commands
Blessings, a boundless store,
From his unsparing hands,
Yea, life for evermore.
Thrice happy they who meet above
To spend eternity in love!

392. 7s. M. C. Wesley.

The Harmony of Love.

1 Lord! subdue our selfish will;
Each to each our tempers suit,
By thy modulating skill,
Heart to heart, as lute to lute.

2 Sweetly on our spirits move;
Gently touch the trembling strings:
Make the harmony of love,
Music for the King of kings!

393. S. M. Watts.

The Bond of Peace.

1 Blest are the sons of peace,
Whose hearts and hopes are one;
Whose kind designs to serve and please
Through all their actions run.

2 Blest is the pious house
Where zeal and friendship meet;
Their songs of praise, their mingled vows,
Make their communion sweet.

3 Thus on the heavenly hills
The saints are blest above,
Where joy like morning dew distils,
And all the air is love.

394. C. M. Montgomery.

"The unity of the spirit in the bond of peace."

1 The glorious universe around,
The heavens with all their train,
Sun, moon, and stars, are firmly bound
In one mysterious chain.

2 The earth, the ocean, and the sky,
To form one world agree,
Where all that walk, or swim, or fly,
Compose one family.

3 In one fraternal bond of love,
One fellowship of mind,
The saints below and saints above
Their bliss and glory find.

4 Here in their house of pilgrimage,
Thy statutes are their song;
There, through one bright, eternal age,
Thy praises they prolong.

395. C. M. C. Wesley.

The Church on Earth and in Heaven, One.

1 The saints on earth and those above
But one communion make:
Joined to their Lord in bonds of love,
All of his grace partake.

2 One family, we dwell in him;
One church above, beneath;
Though now divided by the stream,
The swelling stream of death.

3 One army of the living God,--
To his command we bow;
Part of the host have crossed the flood,
And part are crossing now.

4 O God, be thou our constant guide!
And when the word is given,
Sustain us o'er the fearful tide,
And bring us safe to heaven.

396. S. M. Beddome.

Christian Unity.

1 Let party names no more
The Christian world o'erspread;
Gentile and Jew, and bond and free,
Are one in Christ their head.

2 Among the saints on earth
Let mutual love be found;
Heirs of the same inheritance,
With mutual blessings crowned.

3 Let envy and ill-will
Be banished far away;
Those should in holy friendship dwell,
Who the same Lord obey.

4 Thus will the church below
Resemble that above;
Where streams of pleasure always flow,
And every heart is love.

397. L. M. Barbauld.

Christian Friendship.

1 How blest the sacred tie that binds
In union sweet according minds!
How swift the heavenly course they run,
Whose hearts, and faith, and hopes are one!

2 To each the soul of each how dear!
What jealous love, what holy fear!
How doth the generous flame within
Refine from earth, and cleanse from sin!

3 Their streaming eyes together flow
For human guilt and mortal woe;
Their ardent prayers together rise
Like mingling flames in sacrifice.

4 Together shall they seek the place
Where God reveals his awful face:
How high, how strong, their raptures swell
There's none but kindred souls can tell.

398. L. M. Anonymous.

Charitable Judgment.

1 Omniscient God, 'tis thine to know
The springs whence wrong opinions flow;
To judge from principles within,
When frailty errs, and when we sin.

2 Who with another's eye can read,
Or worship by another's creed?
Revering thy command alone,
We humbly seek and use our own.

3 If wrong, forgive; accept, if right,
Whilst faithful, we obey our light,
And judging none, are zealous still
To follow, as to learn, thy will.

4 When shall our happy eyes behold
Thy people, fashioned in thy mould?
And charity our kindred prove
Derived from thee, O God of love?

399. L. M. Watts.

The Same.

1 Not different food, nor different dress,
Compose the kingdom of our Lord;
But peace, and joy, and righteousness,
Faith, and obedience to his word.

2 When weaker Christians we despise,
We do the gospel mighty wrong;
For God, the gracious and the wise,
Receives the feeble with the strong.

3 Let pride and wrath be banished hence,
Meekness and love our souls pursue,
Nor shall our practice give offence
To saints, the Gentile or the Jew.

400. S. M. Scott.

Private Judgment and Accountability.

1 Imposture shrinks from light,
And dreads the curious eye;
But sacred truths the test invite,
They bid us search and try.

2 With understanding blest,
Created to be free,
Our faith on man we dare not rest,
Subject to none but thee.

3 Lord, give the light we need;
With soundest knowledge fill;
From noxious error guard our creed,
From prejudice our will.

4 The truth thou shalt impart,
May we with firmness own;
Abhorring each evasive art,
And fearing thee alone.

401. C. M. Newton.

True Zeal.

1 Zeal is that pure and heavenly flame
The fire of love supplies;
Whilst that which often bears the name,
Is self but in disguise.

2 True zeal is merciful and mild,
Can pity and forbear;
The false is headstrong, fierce and wild,
And breathes revenge and war.

3 While zeal for truth the Christian warms,
He knows the worth of peace;
But self contends for names and forms,
Its party to increase.

4 Zeal has attained its highest aim,
Its end is satisfied,
If sinners love the Saviour's name,--
Nor seeks it aught beside.

5 This idol self, O Lord, dethrone,
And from our hearts remove;
And let no zeal by us be shown
But that which springs from love.

402. C. M. Needham.

Moderation.

1 Happy the man whose cautious steps
Still keep the golden mean;
Whose life by wisdom's rules well formed,
Declares a conscience clean.

2 To sect or party his large soul
Disdains to be confined;
The good he loves of every name,
And prays for all mankind.

3 His business is to keep his heart;
Each passion to control;
Nobly ambitious well to rule
The empire of his soul.

4 Not on the world his heart is set,
His treasure is above;
Nothing beneath the sovereign good
Can claim his highest love.

403. L. M. Sir H. Wotton.

The Independent and Happy Man.

1 How happy is he born or taught,
Who serveth not another's will;
Whose armor is his honest thought,
And simple truth his highest skill;

2 Whose passions not his masters are;
Whose soul is still prepared for death;
Not tied unto the world with care
Of prince's ear or vulgar breath;

3 Who God doth late and early pray
More of his grace than goods to lend,
And walks with man from day to day,
As with a brother and a friend.

4 This man is freed from servile bands
Of hope to rise, or fear to fall;
Lord of himself, though not of lands,
And having nothing, yet hath all.

404. C. M. Logan.

Wisdom.

1 O happy is the man, who hears
Instruction's warning voice;
And who celestial wisdom makes
His early, only choice.

2 Her treasures are of more esteem
Than east or west unfold;
And her rewards more precious are
Than all their mines of gold.

3 In her right hand she holds to view
A length of happy days;
Riches with splendid honors joined,
Her left hand full displays.

4 She guides the young with innocence
In pleasure's path to tread;
A crown of glory she bestows
Upon the hoary head.

5 According as her labors rise,
So her rewards increase;
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.

405. C. M. Campbell's Coll.

"They shall walk and not faint."

1 Mere human power shall fast decay,
And youthful vigor cease;
But they who wait upon the Lord
In strength shall still increase.

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