Prayer is the Christian's vital breath,
The Christian's native air;
His watchword at the gates of death;
He enters Heaven with prayer.
The saints, in prayer, appear as one
In word, and deed, and mind ;
While with the Father and the Son
Sweet fellowship they find.
Nor prayer is made by man alone :
The Holy Spirit pleads;
And Jesus, on the eternal Throne,
For mourners intercedes.
O Thou, by Whom we come to God!
The Life, the Truth, the Way!
The path of prayer Thyself hast trod :
Lord! teach us how to pray!
James Montgomery. 1819.
"OUR FATHER, WHICH ART IN HEAVEN; HALLOWED BE THY NAME."
O God, Thou art my God alone;
Early to Thee my soul shall cry;
A pilgrim in a land unknown,
A thirsty land whose springs are dry.
Oh that it were as it hath been!
When, praying in the holy place,
Thy power and glory I have seen,
And marked the footsteps of Thy grace!
Yet, through this rough and thorny maze,
I follow hard on Thee, my God:
Thine hand unseen upholds my ways;
I safely tread where Thou hast trod.
Thee, in the watches of the night,
When I remember on my bed,
Thy Presence makes the darkness light,
Thy guardian wings are round my head.
Better than life itself Thy love,
Dearer than all beside to me:
For whom have I in Heaven above,
Or what on earth compared to Thee?
Praise with my heart, my mind, my voice, For all Thy mercy I will give;
My soul shall still in God rejoice;
My tongue shall bless Thee while I live.
James Montgomery. 1822.
My God, my King, Thy various praise
Shall fill the remnant of my days;
Thy grace employ my humble tongue,
Till death and glory raise the song.
The wings of every hour shall bear
Some thankful tribute to Thine ear,
And every setting sun shall see
New works of duty done for Thee.
Thy truth and justice I'll proclaim;
Thy bounty flows, an endless stream ;
Thy mercy swift, Thine anger slow,
But dreadful to the stubborn foe.
But who can speak Thy wondrous deeds?
Thy greatness all our thoughts exceeds;
Vast and unsearchable Thy ways,
Vast and immortal be Thy praise!
Lord, Thou hast form'd mine every part,
Mine inmost thought is known to Thee;
Each word, each feeling of my heart,
Thine ear doth hear, Thine eye can see.
Though I should seek the shades of night,
And hide myself in guilty fear,
To Thee the darkness seems as light,
The midnight as the noonday clear.
The heavens, the earth, the sea, the sky,
All own Thee ever present there ;
Where'er I turn, Thou still art nigh,
Thy Spirit dwelling everywhere.
Oh may that Spirit, ever blest,
Upon my soul in radiance shine,
Till, welcomed to eternal rest,
I taste Thy Presence, Lord Divine !
Robert Allan Scott. 1839.
When all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.
O how shall words with equal warmth The gratitude declare,
That glows within my ravish'd heart! But Thou canst read it there.
Thy Providence my life sustain’d,
And all my wants redrest,
When in the silent womb I lay,
And hung upon the breast.
To all my weak complaints and cries Thy mercy lent an ear,
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learnt To form themselves in prayer.
Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whence these comforts flowed.
When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm, unseen, conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.
Through hidden dangers, toils, and death,
It gently clear'd my way;
And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be fear'd than they.
When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou
With health renew'd my face;
And, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.
Thy bounteous hand with worldly bliss
Has made my cup run o'er ;
And in a kind and faithful friend
Has doubled all my store.
Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart
That tastes those gifts with joy.
Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I'll pursue;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.
When nature fails, and day and night
Divide thy works no more,
My ever-grateful heart, O Lord,
Thy mercy shall adore.
Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise :
But O! eternity's too short
To utter all Thy praise!
|