THY presence, gracious Lord, afford;
Prepare us to receive thy word:
Now let thy voice engage our ear,
And faith be mix'd with what we hear;
Thus, Lord, thy waiting servants bless,
And crown thy gospel with success.
2 Distracting thoughts and cares remove,
And fix our hearts on things above:
With food divine let us be fed,
And satisfied with daily bread:
Thus, Lord, &c.
3 To us thy sacred word apply
With saving power and energy
And may we, in thy faith and fear,
Reduce to practice what we hear:
Thus, Lord, &c.
4 Father, in us thy Son reveal;
Teach us to know and do thy will:
Thy gracious power and love display,
And guide us to the realms of day:
Thus, Lord, &c.
HYMN 344. S.M.
HUNGRY, and faint, and poor,
Behold us, Lord, again
Assembled at thy mercy's door,
Thy bounty to obtain.
2 Thy word invites us nigh,
Ör we must starve indeed;
For we no money have to buy,
No righteousness to plead.
3 The food our spirits want,
Thy hand alone can give;
Oh! hear the prayer of faith, and grant
That we may eat and live! NEWTON
Now may the Spirit's holy fire,
Descending from above,
His present family inspire
With joy, and peace, and love.
2 Touch with a living coal the lip
That shall proclaim thy word;
And bid each hearer wait, and keep
Attention to the Lord.
AND will the great, the eternal God,
Whose potent hand the thunder forms,
Descend to this polluted clod,
And converse hold with sinful worms?
2 Yes-'tis his word that cheers our souls,
His mighty word the promise gives,
His word, which shakes the starry poles,
His sacred word, which ever lives.
3 From his own lips the promise came;
When of his saints but two or three
T Assemble in their Saviour's name,
There will the King of glory be.
COME, ye sinners, come to Jesus,
Think upon your gracious Lord;
He has pitied your condition,
He has sent his gospel-word;
Mercy calls you,
Mercy flows through Jesu's blood.
2 Gracious Saviour, help thy servant
To proclaim thy wondrous love:
Pour thy grace upon this people,
That thy truth they may approve:
Bless, oh! bless them,"
"From thy shining courts above!
3 Now thy gracious word invites them
To partake the gospel feast;
Let thy Spirit sweetly draw them:
Every soul be Jesu's guest:
Oh! receive us,
Let us find the promised rest.
Now, Lord, the heavenly seed is sown,
Be it thy servant's care
Thy heavenly blessing to bring down
By humble, fervent prayer.
2 In vain we plant, without thy aid,
And water too in vain :
Lord of the harvest! God of grace!
Send down thy heavenly rain.
3 Then shall our cheerful hearts and tongues Begin this song divine
Thou, Lord, hast given the rich increase, And be the glory thine.
LORD, dismiss us with thy blessing;
Fill our hearts with joy and peace;
Let us each, thy love possessing,
Triumph in redeeming grace:
Oh! refresh us!
Travelling through this wilderness.
2 Thanks we give, and adoration
For thy gospel's joyful sound:
May the fruits of thy salvation
In our hearts and lives abound:
May thy presence
With us evermore be found.
Family Devotion.
3 So, whene'er the signal's given
Us from earth to call away,
Borne on angels' wings to heaven,
Glad we leave our cumbrous clay:
May we, ready,
Rise and reign in endless day.
HYMN 350.
DISMISS us with thy blessing, Lord:
Help us to feed upon thy word;
What thou hast seen amiss, forgive,
And let thy truth within us live.
2 Though we are guilty, thou art good:
Wash all our souls in Jesu's blood:
Give every fetter'd soul release,
And bid us all depart in peace.
SECTION IV.
DOMESTIC WORSHIP.
FATHER of men! thy care we bless,
Which crowns our families with peace:
From thee they spring, and by thy hand
Their root and branches are sustain'd.
2 To God, most worthy to be praised,
Be our domestic altars raised;
Though Lord of heaven, he deigns to dwell With saints in their obscurest cell.
3 To thee let each united house,
Morning and night present its vows:
Our servants here, and rising race,
Be taught thy precepts and thy grace.
4 Oh! may each future age proclaim
The honours of thy glorious name:
While pleased and thankful we remove,
To join thy family above.
Religious Concord.
How good and pleasant 'tis to see,
When brethren cordially agree,
And kindly think and speak the same:
A family of faith and love,
Combined to seek the things ahove,
And spread the common Saviour's fame.
The God of grace, who all invites,
Who in our unity delights,
Vouchsafes our intercourse to bless:
Revives us with refreshing showers;
The fulness of his blessing pours,
And keeps our minds in perfect peace.
3 Jesus, thou precious Corner-stone,
Preserve inseparably one
Whom thou didst by thy Spirit join:
Still let us in thy Spirit live,
And to thy church the pattern give
Of unanimity divine.
4 Still let us to each other cleave,
And from thy plenitude receive
Constant supplies of hallow'd grace,
Till to a perfect man we rise:
Rejoin our kindred in the skies,
And find prepared our heavenly place.
Conjugal Piety.
COME away to the skies,
My beloved, arise,
And rejoice in the day thou wast born:
On this festival day,
Come exulting away,
And, with singing, to Zion return.
We have laid up our love,
And our treasures above,
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