They go from strength to strength,
Through this dark vale of tears,
Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heaven appears:
Oh! glorious seat!
When God, our King,
Shall thither bring
Our willing feet.
God is our Sun and Shield,
Our Light and our Defence;
With gifts His hands are fill'd,
We draw our blessings thence.
He shall bestow
Upon our race
His saving grace,
And glory too.
The Lord His people loves,
His hand no good withholds
From those His heart approves,
From pure and pious souls:
Thrice happy he,
O God of Hosts,
Whose spirit trusts
Alone in Thee.
BEFORE Jehovah's awful throne
Ye nations bow with sacred joy; Know that the Lord is God alone; He can create and He destroy.
His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay and form'd us men;
And when, like wandering sheep, we stray'd,
He brought us to His fold again.
We'll crowd Thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heavens our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill Thy courts with sounding praise.
Wide as the world is Thy command,
Vast as eternity Thy love;
Firm as a rock Thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.
GREAT Shepherd of Thy people, hear,
Thy presence now display:
As Thou hast given a place for prayer,
So give us hearts to pray.
Within these walls let holy peace,
And love and concord dwell:
Here give the troubled conscience ease,
The wounded spirit heal.
May we in faith receive Thy Word,
In faith present our prayers;
And in the presence of our Lord
Unbosom all our cares.
The hearing ear, the seeing eye,
The contrite heart bestow;
And shine upon us from on high,
That we in grace may grow.
CHRIST is our corner-stone,
On Him alone we build;
With His true saints alone
The courts of heaven are fill'd;
On His great love
Our hopes we place
Of present grace,
And joys above.
O then with hymns of praise
These hallow'd courts shall ring;
Our voices we will raise
The Three in One to sing;
And thus proclaim
In joyful song,
Both loud and long,
That glorious Name.
Here, gracious God, do Thou
For evermore draw nigh;
Accept each faithful vow,
And mark each suppliant sigh;
In copious shower
On all who pray,
Each holy day
Thy blessings pour.
Here may we gain from heaven
The grace which we implore;
And may that grace, once given,
Be with us evermore;
Until that day,
When all the bless'd
To endless rest
Are call'd away.
FROM Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand;
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain!
What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Java's isle,
Though every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile;
In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strown;
The heathen, in his blindness,
Bows down to wood and stone!
Can we, whose souls are lighted
With wisdom from on high,
Can we to men benighted
The lamp of life deny?
Salvation! oh, salvation!
The joyful sound proclaim,
Till each remotest nation
Has learn'd Messiah's Name.
Waft, waft, ye winds, His story,
And you, ye waters, roll,
Till like a sea of glory,
It spreads from pole to pole;
Till o'er our ransom'd nature
The Lamb for sinners slain,
Redeemer, King, Creator,
In bliss returns to reign!
O SPIRIT of the living God,
In all the fulness of Thy grace,
Where'er the foot of man hath trod,
Descend on our apostate race.
Give tongues of fire and hearts of love,
To preach the reconciling Word;
Give power and unction from above,
Whene'er the joyful sound is heard.
Be darkness, at Thy coming, light;
Confusion, order in Thy path;
Souls without strength inspire with might;
Bid mercy triumph over wrath.
Baptize the nations far and nigh,
The triumphs of the cross record;
The name of JESUS glorify,
Till every kindred call Him Lord.
LORD, a Saviour's love displaying,
Show the heathen lands Thy way;
Millions still like sheep are straying
In the dark and cloudy day.
Shades of death are gathering o'er them,
Lord, they perish from Thy sight!
Let Thine Angel go before them;
Bring the Gentiles to Thy light.
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