4 Through thee, who all our sins hast borne,
Freely and graciously forgiven,
With songs to Zion we return,
Contending for our native Heaven;
The palace of our glorious King,
We find it nearer while we sing.
5 Raised by the breath of Love Divine,
We urge our way with strength renewed
The Church of the first-born to join,
We travel to the mount of God;
With joy upon our heads arise,
And meet our Captain in the skies.
The Lord my Shepherd is,
And He my soul will keep :
He knoweth who are His,
And watcheth o'er His sheep.
Away with every anxious fear:
I cannot want while He is near.
His wisdom doth provide
The pastures where I feed:
Where the still waters glide
Along the quiet mead,
He leads my feet: and when I roam,
O'ertakes and brings the wanderer home.
He leads Himself the way
His faithful flock should take:
Them who His voice obey,
His love will ne'er forsake;
For He has pledged His holy name ;
He who for ever is the same.
Let me but feel Him near,
Death's gloomy pass in view,
I'll walk without a fear
The shadowy valley through.
With rod and staff, my Shepherd's care
Will guide my steps, and guard me there.
1 As the good shepherd gently leads
His wandering flocks to verdant meads,
Where winding rivers, soft and slow,
Amidst the flowery landscapes flow;
2 So God, the guardian of my soul,
Does all my erring steps control;
When, lost in sin's perplexing maze,
He brings me back to virtue's ways.
3 Though I should journey through the plains
Where death in all its horror reigns;
My steadfast heart no ill shall fear,
For Thou, O Lord, art with me there.
4 By Thee with peace and plenty blest,
My life is one continued feast;
Thine ever-watchful providence
Is my support and my defence.
5 O bounteous God! my future days
Shall be devoted to Thy praise;
And in Thy house Thy sacred name
And wondrous grace shall be my theme.
1 Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine! Oh, what is Life?
Were it not lighted by Thy love divine!
I ask not wealth,
Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine!
Oh, what is Death?
When the poor breath
In parting can the soul to Thee resign!
While patient Love
Her trust doth prove
Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine!
Throughout my days
Be constant praise
Uplift to Thee from out this heart of mine: So shall I be
Brought nearer Thee
Living or dying, Lord, I would be Thine!
10 might the Spirit from above Kindle unearthly fire,
And cause our hearts to glow with love And passionate desire!
2 The pure desire of holy things,
Which finds its aliment
In converse with the King of kings;
With nought but this content:
3 The germ of sacred joys to come,
Dim visions, glimpses bright
Of some mysterious nobler home,
Ruled by eternal Right:
4 High hopes unseen by carnal eye,
But inly known to those
Who sigh and pant for purity,
And upon God repose!
5 To us Thy likeness, Lord, be given!
Thy likeness better is
Than life itself: for Thou art heaven:
We ask no grace but this.
1 At every motion of our breath,
Life trembles on the brink of death,
A taper's flame that upward turns,
While downward to the dust it burns.
2 A moment ushered us to birth,
Heirs of the commonwealth of earth;
Moment by moment years are past,
And one, ere long, will be our last.
3 Time past and time to come are not;
Time present is our only lot;
O God! henceforth our hearts incline
To seek no other love than Thine.
1 O God, most merciful and just,
Shall we not put in Thee our trust,
Whom, though Thou art the Lord of all,
Our Heavenly Father we may call!
2 All times, and every where, Thine eye
Looks down upon us from the sky;
Could we look up, by light divine,
Ours might be ever fixed on Thine.
3 While every word we speak, Thine ear
Through all creation's sounds can hear,
By ours, if opened to Thy Word,
Thy voice from heaven would here be heard.
4 Moment on moment, breath by breath,
Our pilgrim life draws nearer death:
Each breath, each moment, make us be
More meet for immortality.
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