And in the dangerous path of life
Uphold us as we go;
That with our lips and in our lives
Thy glory we may show.
O THOU, at whose divine command
Good seed is sown in every land,
Thy holy spirit now impart,
And for Thy word prepare each heart!
Not 'mid the thorns of worldly thought,
Nor soon by passing plunderers caught,
Nor lacking depth the root to feed,
May we receive Thy spirit's seed;
But may it, where Thy sowers toil,
Fall in a good and honest soil;
And springing up from firmest root,
Through patience, bear abundant fruit.
'WITH THE MULTITUDE THAT KEPT HOLY DAY.
THOUSANDS, O Lord of souls! to-day
Around Thine altars meet,
And tens of thousands throng to pay
Their homage at Thy feet.
And Thou, O God! art with them there,
And here with us Thou art;
O, consecrate a house of prayer
In each surrendered heart!
To faith reveal the things unseen,
To hope the joys untold,
May love, without a veil between,
Thy presence now behold.
AGAIN, as evening's shadow falls,
We gather in these hallowed walls;
And vesper hymn and vesper prayer
Rise mingling on the holy air.
May struggling hearts that seek release
Here find the rest of God's own peace;
And, strengthened here by hymn and prayer,
Lay down the burden and the care!
O God, our Light! to Thee we bow;
Within all shadows standest Thou;
Give deeper calm than night can bring;
Give sweeter songs than lips can sing.
Life's tumult we must meet again,
We cannot at the shrine remain;
But in the spirit's secret cell
May hymn and prayer forever dwell!
Now, on land and sea descending,
Brings the night its peace profound;
Let our vesper hymn be blending
With the holy calm around.
Soon as dies the sunset glory,
Stars of heaven shine out above,
Telling still the ancient story,
Their Creator's changeless love.
Now, our wants and burdens leaving
To His care, who cares for all,
Cease we fearing, cease we grieving;
At His touch our burdens fall.
As the darkness deepens o'er us,
Lo, eternal stars arise;
Hope and Faith and Love rise glorious,
Shining in the spirit's skies.
O SHADOW in a sultry land!
We gather to Thy breast,
Whose love, enfolding us like night,
Brings quietude and rest;
Glimpse of a fairer life to be,
In foretaste here possessed.
From all our wanderings we come,
From drifting to and fro,
From tossing on life's restless deep,
Amid its ebb and flow;
The grander sweep of tides serene
Our spirits yearn to know.
That which the garish day has lost
The twilight vigil brings;-
The breezes from celestial hills,
The draughts from deeper springs,
The sense of an immortal trust,
The touch of angel wings.
As darker, darker, fall around
The shadows of the night,
We gather here, with hymn and prayer,
To seek the Eternal Light.
Father in heaven, to Thee are known
Our many hopes and fears,
Our heavy weight of mortal toil,
Our bitterness of tears.
Thee for our absent ones,
Who have been with us here;
And in our secret heart we name
The distant and the dear.
For weary eyes, and aching hearts,
And feet that from Thee rove,
The sick, the poor, the tried, the fallen,
We pray Thee, God of love!
We pray Thee for the little bark
Just launched upon life's sea;
Are not the depths of parents' love,
O Father! known to Thee?
We bring to Thee our hopes and fears,
And at Thy footstool lay;
And, Father, Thou who lovest all
Wilt hear us as we pray.
SWEET is the fading light of eve,
And soft the sunbeam lingering there;
Those sacred hours this low earth leave,
Wafted on wings of praise and prayer.
The time, how lovely and how still! Peace shines and smiles on all below; The plain, the stream, the wood, the hill, All fair with evening's setting glow!
Season of rest! the tranquil soul
Feels thy sweet calm, and melts in love;
And while these sacred moments roll,
Faith sees a smiling heaven above.
Thou, God of mercy, swift to hear,
More swift than man to tell his need;
Be Thou to us, this evening, near,
And to Thy fount our spirits lead!
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