Retirement and Mcditation.
ETURN, my roving heart, return,
And chase these shadowy forms no
Seek out some solitude to mourn, [more:
And thy forsaken God implore.
2 0 thou great God, whose piercing eye
Distinctly marks each deep recess,
In these sequestered hours draw nigh,
And with thy presence fill the place.
3 Through all the windings of my heart,
My search let heavenly wisdom guide;
And still its radiant beams impart,
Till all be cleansed and purified.
4 Then, with the visits of thy love,
Vouchsafe my inmost soul to cheer;
Till every grace shall join to prove
That God has fixed his dwelling there.
Prayer for the Divine Presence.
1 FAR from my thoughts, vain world, be-
Let my religious hours alone; [gone;
Fain would my eyes my Saviour see;
I wait a visit, Lord, from thee.
2 Oh warm my heart with holy fire,
And kindle there a pure desire:
Come, blessed Jesus, from above,
And fill my soul with heavenly love.
3 Hail, great Immanuel, all divine!
In thee the Father's glories shine;
Thy grace the rebel heart can move-
Redeeming grace and dying love.
1 WHILE thee I seek, protecting Power,
Be my vain wishes stilled;
And may this consecrated hour
With better hopes be filled.
2 Thy love the power of thought bestowed;
To thee my thoughts would soar;
Thy mercy o'er my life has flowed;
That mercy I adore.
3 In each event of life, how clear
Thy ruling hand I see!
Each blessing to my soul most dear,
Because conferred by thee.
4 In every joy that crowns my days,
In every pain I bear,
My heart shall find delight in praise,
Or seek relief in prayer.
5 When gladness wings my favored hour,
Thy love my thoughts shall fill;
Resigned, when storms of sorrow lower,
My soul shall meet thy will.
6 My lifted eye, without a tear,
The gathering storm shall see;
My steadfast heart shall know no fear;
That heart will rest on thee.
The Throne of Grace.
THOU that hearest prayer,
And teachest how to pray,
My groveling heart prepare
To wing its heavenward way;
High as thy mercy-seat to rise,
And there pour out its earnest cries.
Too oft, when faith is weak,
I fear my prayers are vain;
The blessings which I seek
I scarcely hope to gain;
My wants appear to mount too high;
My hopes, o'erborne with sorrow, die.
Lord, give me faith and light,
Humility and love;
And from my feeble sight
The darkening film remove;
Kindle devotion's languid flame,
And bid me come in Jesus' name.
Morning and Evening. L. M. 6 lines.
WHEN, streaming from the eastern
The morning light salutes my eyes,
O Sun of Righteousness divine,
On me with beams of mercy shine;
Chase the dark clouds of guilt away,
And turn my darkness into day.
2 When each day's scenes and labors close, And wearied nature seeks repose,
With pardoning mercy richly bless'd,
Guard me, my Saviour, while I rest;
And, as each morning sun shall rise,
Oh lead me onward to the skies.
3 And at my life's last setting sun,
My conflicts o'er, my labors done,
Jesus, thy heavenly radiance shed,
To cheer and bless my dying bed;
And from death's gloom my spirit raise,
To see thy face, and sing thy praise.
more my eyes behold the day,
And to my God my soul would pay
Its tributary lays;
Oh may the life preserved by thee,
With all its powers and blessings, be
Devoted to thy praise.
2 How many, since I laid me down,
Have launched into a world unknown,
To meet a dreadful doom!
But I am spared to seek thy face,
To hear the message of thy grace,
And to my Saviour come.
3 Still be thou near, my gracious Lord,
To guide my footsteps by thy word,
And lead me in thy way;
And when my days on earth are past,
Oh let me wake with thee at last,
In an eternal day.
A Hymn for Morning or Evening.
1ON thee, each morning, O my God,
My waking thoughts attend;
In thee are founded all my hopes,
In thee my wishes end.
2 My soul, in pleasing wonder lost,
Thy boundless love surveys;
And, fired with grateful zeal, prepares
The sacrifice of praise.
3 When evening slumbers press my eyes,
With thy protection blessed,
In peace and safety I commit
My weary limbs to rest.
4 My spirit, in thy hands secure,
Fears no approaching ill;
For whether waking or asleep,
Thou, Lord, art with me still.
ORD of my life, oh may thy praise
Employ my noblest powers,
Lo
Whose goodness lengthens out my days,
And fills the circling hours.
2 Preserved by thine almighty arm,
I passed the shades of night,
Secure and safe from every harm,
And see returning light.
3 While many spent the night in sighs,
And restless pains and woes,
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