SUN of my soul, Thou Saviour dear,
It is not night if Thou be near:
O may no earth-born cloud arise
To hide Thee from Thy servant's eyes.
2 When the soft dews of kindly sleep,
My wearied eyelids gently steep,
Be my last thought, how sweet to rest
Forever on my Saviour's breast.
3 Abide with me from morn till eve,
For without Thee I cannot live;
Abide with me when night is nigh,
For without Thee I dare not die.
4 If some poor wandering child of Thine
Have spurned, to-day, the voice divine,
Now, Lord, the gracious work begin;
Let him no more lie down in sin.
5 Watch by the sick; enrich the poor
With blessings from Thy boundless store;
Be every mourner's sleep to-night,
Like infant's slumbers, pure and light.
6 Come near and bless us when we wake,
Ere through the world our way we take;
Till, in the ocean of Thy love,
We lose ourselves in heaven above.
John Keble 1827
THUS far the Lord has led me on,
Thus far His power prolongs my days;
And every evening shall make known
Some fresh memorial of His grace.
2 Much of my time has run to waste,
And I, perhaps, am near my home;
But He forgives my follies past,
And gives me strength for days to come.
3 I lay my body down to sleep;
Peace is the pillow for my head,
While well-appointed angels keep
Their watchful stations round my bed.
4 Faith in His name forbids my fear;
O may Thy presence ne'er depart;
And, in the morning, make me hear
The love and kindness of Thy heart.
Isaac Watts 1709
SAVIOUR, breathe an evening blessing,
Ere repose our spirits seal;
Sin and want we come confessing,
Thou canst save, and Thou canst heal. 2 Though destruction walk around us, Though the arrows past us fly, Angel-guards from Thee surround us, We are safe, if Thou art nigh.
3 Though the night be dark and dreary,
Darkness cannot hide from Thee;
Thou art He who, never weary,
Watchest where Thy people be.
4 Should swift death this night o'ertake us,
And our couch become our tomb,
May the morn in heaven awake us,
Clad in light and deathless bloom.
And our ta- lents im- prove, By the patience of hope, and the labor of love.
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,
The arrow is flown,-the moment is gone;
The millennial year
Rushes on to our view, and eternity's here. 3 0, that each in the day of His coming may "I have fought my way through: [say, By the patience of hope, and the labor of I have finished the work Thou didst give me
2 Our life is a dream; our time, as a stream,
Glides swiftly away,
And the fugitive moment refuses to stay.
FESTUS L. M.
[glad word, O, that each from his Lord may receive the "Well and faithfully done! [throne!" Enter into my joy, and sit down on my Charles Wesley 1749 From a German Choral
GREAT God, we sing that mighty hand,
By which supported still we stand:
The opening year Thy mercy shows;
Let mercy crown it till it close.
2 By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still we are 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,
And peaceful leave before Thy feet.
4 In scenes exalted or depressed,
Be Thou our joy, and Thou our rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Adored through all our changing days.
Philip Doddridge 1740
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