2 Thy walls are strength; and at thy gates
A guard of heavenly warriors waits;
Nor shall thy deep foundation move,
Fixed on his counsels and his love.
3 Thy foes in vain designs engage -
Against thy throne in vain they rage,
Like rising waves, with angry roar,
That dash and die upon the shore.
my 4 God is our shield, and God our sun :
Swift as the fleeting moments run,
On us he sheds new beams of grace,
And we reflect his brightest praise.
HYMN 511, H. M.
The House of Prayer.
1 REAT Father of mankind!
U We bless that wondrous grace,
Which could for Gentiles find,
Within thy courts, a place:
How kind the care
Our God displays,
For us to raise
A house of prayer!
2 Though once estranged afar,
We now approach the throne,
For Jesus brings us near,
And makes our cause his own:
Strangers no more,
To thee we come ;
We find our home,
And rest secure.
3 To thee our souls we join,
And love thy sacred name;
No more our own, but thine,
We triumph in thy claim;
Our Father King!
Thy covenant grace
Our souls embrace,
Thy titles sing.
4 Let all the nations throng,
To worship in thy house;
And thou attend the song,
And smile upon their vows,
Indulgent still,
Till earth conspire
To join the choir,
On Zion's hill.
HYMN 512, 7s.
The House of Prayer and Praise.
1 LORD of hosts! to thee we raise,
Here, a house of prayer and praise;
Thou thy people's heart prepare,
Here to meet for praise and prayer.
2 Let the living here be fed,
With thy word, the heavenly bread;
Here, in hope of glory blest,
May the dead be laid to rest.
3 Here, to thee a temple stand,
While the sea shall girt the land;
Here, reveal thy mercy sure,
While the sun and moon endure.
f" 4 Hallelujah!-earth and sky
To the joyful sound reply;
Hallelujah!-hence ascend
Prayer and praise, till time shall end.
HYMN 513, L. M.
On opening a House of Worship.
ERE, in thy name, eternal God!
We build this earthly house for thee;
Oh! make it now thy fixed abode,
And keep it, Lord! from error free.
2 When here thy people seek thy face,
And dying sinners pray to live;
Hear thou, in heaven, thy dwelling place,
And when thou hearest, Lord! forgive.
3 Here, when thy messengers proclaim,
The blessed gospel of thy Son;
Still, by the power of his great name,
Be mighty signs and wonders done.
4 When children's voices raise the song,-
Hosanna to their heavenly King,—
Let heaven, with earth, the strain prolong-
"Hosanna!" let the angels sing.
5 But will, indeed, Jehovah deign,
Here to abide,no transient guest?
Here, will our great Redeemer reign,
And here, the Holy Spirit rest ?
6 Thy glory never hence depart!
Yet choose not, Lord! this house alone;
Thy kingdom come, in every heart,-
In every bosom, fix thy throne.
Prayer on opening a Church Edifice.
WITHIN thy house, O Lord our God!
In glorious majesty appear;
Make this a place of thine abode,
And shed thy choicest blessings here.
2 When we thy mercy seat surround,
Thy Spirit, with thy word, impart;
And let thy gospel's joyful sound,
With power divine, reach every heart.
3 Here, let the blind their sight obtain,
Here, give the broken spirit rest;
Let Jesus here triumphant reign,-
Enthroned in every yielding breast.
4 Here, let the voice of sacred joy
And humble supplication rise,
Till higher strains our tongues employ,
In realms of bliss, beyond the skies.
HYMN 515, C. M.
Dedication of a Church.
1 OD of the universe! to thee
U This sacred fane we rear,
And now, with songs and bended knee,
Invoke thy presence here.
mf 2 Long may this echoing dome resound
The praises of thy name,-
These hallowed walls to all around
The Triune God proclaim.
3 Here, let thy love-thy presence dwell,-
Thy glory here make known;
Thy people's home, Oh! come, and fill,
And seal it as thine own.
4 When sad with care, by sin oppressed,
Here may the burdened soul,
Beneath thy sheltering wing, find rest;
Here, make the wounded whole.
5 And, when the last long Sabbath morn,
Upon the just, shall rise,
May all, who own thee here, be borne
To mansions in the skies.
Who bring salvation on their tongues,
And words of peace reveal!
2 How charming is their voice!
How sweet the tidings are!-
"Zion! behold thy Saviour King,
He reigns and triumphs here!"
mf 3 How happy are our ears,
That hear this joyful sound!
Which kings and prophets waited for,
And sought, but never found.
4 How blessed are our eyes,
That see this heavenly light!
Prophets and kings desired it long,
But died without the sight.
my 5 The watchmen join their voice,
And tuneful notes employ;
Jerusalem breaks forth in songs,
And deserts learn the joy..
6 The Lord makes bare his arm,
Through all the earth abroad;
Let every nation now behold
Their Saviour and their God.
HYMN 517, L. M.
The great Commission.
1 “O, preach my gospel!"-saith the Lord,"Bid the whole earth my grace receive; He shall be saved who trusts my word;
He shall be damned who don't believe.
2 "I'll make your great commission known,
And ye shall prove my gospel true,
By all the works that I have done,
By all the wonders ye shall do.
3 "Teach all the nations my commands,-
I'm with you till the world shall end;
All power is trusted in my hands,
I can destroy, and I defend."
4 He spake-and light shone round his head;
On a bright cloud, to heaven he rode :
They, to the farthest nations, spread
The grace of their ascended God.
HYMN 518, C. M.
Ministers watch for Souls.
ET Zion's watchmen all awake,
And take th' alarm they give;
Now let them, from the mouth of God,
Their awful charge receive.
2 'Tis not a cause of small import,
The pastor's care demands;
But what might fill an angel's heart;-
It filled a Saviour's hands.
3 They watch for souls, for which the Lord
Did heavenly bliss forego;-
For souls, that must for ever live,
In raptures, or in woe.
4 All to the great tribunal haste,
Th' account to render there;
And should'st thou strictly mark our faults,
Lord! how should we appear?
5 May they that Jesus, whom they preach,
Their own Redeemer, see;
And watch thou daily o'er their souls,
That they may watch for thee.
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