2 Must I be carried to the skies
On flowery beds of ease?

While others fought to win the prize,
And sailed through bloody seas?

3 Are there no foes for me to face?
Must I not stem the flood?

Is this vile world a friend to grace,
To help me on to God?

4 Sure I must fight, if I would reign;
Increase my courage, Lord;
I'll bear the toil, endure the pain,
Supported by Thy word.

5 Thy saints, in all this glorious war
Shall conquer, though they die;
They view the triumph from afar,
And seize it with their eye.

6 When that illustrious day shall rise,
And all Thy armies shine,

In robes of victory, through the skies,
The glory shall be Thine.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

75.

477 OFT in danger, oft in woe,

Onward, Christian, onward go!
Fight the fight, maintain the strife,
Strengthened with the bread of life.

2 Onward, Christian, onward go!
Join the war, and face the foe:
Will you flee in danger's hour?
Know you not your Captain's power?

3 Let your drooping hearts be glad;
March, in heavenly armor clad;
Fight, nor think the battle long;
Victory soon shall tune your song.

4 Let not sorrow dim your eye;
Soon shall every tear be dry:
Let not woe your course impede;
Great your strength, if great your need.

5 Onward, then, to battle move!
More than conquerors you shall prove;
Though opposed by many a foe,
Christian soldiers, onward go!

H. K. White, 1804.

S. M.

478

Y soul, be on thy guard,

MY

Ten thousand foes arise;
The hosts of sin are pressing hard
To draw thee from the skies.

2 O watch, and fight, and pray;
The battle ne'er give o'er ;
Renew it boldly every day,
And help divine implore.

3 Ne'er think the victory won,
Nor lay thine armor down:
Thy arduous work will not be done

Till thou obtain thy crown.

4 Fight on, my soul, till death

Shall bring thee to thy God;

He'll take thee, at thy parting breath,
Up to His blest abode.

Heath.

The Church of Christ.

8s & 7s.

479 GLORIOUS things of thee are spoken,

Zion, city of our God!

He whose word cannot be broken,
Formed thee for His own abode :
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou mayst smile at all thy foes.
2 See, the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove:

Who can faint, while such a river

Ever flows their thirst to assuage;
Grace, which, like the Lord, the giver,
Never fails from age to age?

3 Round each habitation hovering,
See the cloud and fire appear,
For a glory and a covering ;

Showing that the Lord is near.
Thus deriving from their banner

Light by night, and shade by day,

Safe they feed upon the manna,

Which He gives them when they pray.

John Newton, 1779.

L. M.

480 LORD, how joyful 'tis to see
The brethren join in love to Thee!

On Thee alone their heart relies ;
Their only strength Thy grace supplies.
2 How sweet, within Thy holy place,
With one accord to sing Thy grace,
Besieging Thine attentive ear

3

With all the force of fervent prayer.

may we love the house of God,
Of peace and joy the blest abode;
O may no angry strife destroy
That sacred peace, that holy joy.

4 The world without may rage, but we

Will only cling more close to Thee,

With hearts to Thee more wholly given,

More weaned from earth, more fixed on heaven.

5 Lord, shower upon us from above

The sacred gift of mutual love;
Each other's wants may we supply,

And reign together in the sky.

Santolius Victorinus, 1660; translated by John Chandler, 1837.

PSALM CXVIII. S. M.

EE what a living stone

481 SEE

The builders did refuse :

Yet God hath built His church thereon,

In spite of envious Jews.

2 The scribe and angry priest

Reject Thine only Son ;

Yet on this rock shall Zion rest,

As the chief corner-stone.

3 The work, O Lord, is Thine,

And wondrous in our eyes:
This day declares it all divine;
This day did Jesus rise.

4 This is the glorious day

That our Redeemer made :

Let us rejoice, and sing, and pray;

Let all the church be glad.

5 Hosanna to the King,

Of David's royal blood!

Bless Him, ye saints! He comes to bring
Salvation from your God.

6 We bless Thy holy word,

Which all this grace displays,
And offer on Thine altar, Lord,

Our sacrifice of praise.

Isaac Watts, 1719.

PSALM XLVIII. S. M.

REAT is the Lord our God,

482 GRE

And let His praise be great ;

He makes His churches His abode,

His most delightful seat.

2 In Zion God is known,

A refuge in distress:

How bright has His salvation shone
Through all her palaces !

3 When kings against her joined,
And saw the Lord was there,
In wild confusion of the mind,
They fled with hasty fear.