Book of Hymns for Public and Private Devotion Part 98

582. 12s. M. Whittier.

Freedom.

1 May freedom speed onward, wherever the blood Of the wronged and the guiltless is crying to G.o.d; Wherever from kindred, torn rudely apart, Comes the sorrowful wail of the broken of heart.

2 Wherever the shackles of tyranny bind In silence and darkness the G.o.d-given mind, There, Lord, speed it onward! the truth shall be felt, The bonds shall be loosened, the iron will melt.

3 Help us turn from the cavil of creeds, to unite Once again for the poor, in defence of the Right, Unappalled by the danger, the shame, or the pain, And counting each trial for Truth as our gain.

583. P.M. Anonymous.

Daughter of Zion.

1 Daughter of Zion, awake from thy sadness!

Awake! for thy foes shall oppress thee no more; Bright o'er thy hills dawns the day-star of gladness, Arise! for the night of thy sorrow is o'er.

2 Strong were thy foes, but the arm that subdued them And scattered their legions, was mightier far; They fled like the chaff from the scourge that pursued them; Vain were their steeds and their chariots of war.

3 Daughter of Zion, the power that hath saved thee Extolled with the harp and the timbrel should be; Shout! for the foe is destroyed that enslaved thee; Th' oppressor is vanquished, and Zion is free.

584. S. M. Johns.

The Kingdom of Love.

1 Come, kingdom of our G.o.d, Sweet reign of light and love!

Shed peace, and hope, and joy abroad, And wisdom from above.

2 Over our spirits first Extend thy healing reign; There raise and quench the sacred thirst, That never pains again.

3 Come, kingdom of our G.o.d!

And make the broad earth thine; Stretch o'er her lands and isles the rod That flowers with grace divine.

4 Soon may all tribes be blest With fruit from life's glad tree; And in its shade like brothers rest, Sons of one family.

585. C. M. Montgomery.

Unity.

1 The glorious universe around, The heavens with all their train, Sun, moon and stars, are firmly bound In one mysterious chain.

2 The earth, the ocean, and the sky, To form one world agree; Where all that walk, or swim, or fly, Compose one family.

3 G.o.d in creation thus displays His wisdom and His might; While all His works with all His ways Harmoniously unite.

4 In one fraternal bond of love, One fellows.h.i.+p of mind, The saints below and saints above Their bliss and glory find.

5 Here, in their house of pilgrimage, Thy statutes are their song; There, through one bright, eternal age, Thy praises they prolong.

6 Lord, may our union form a part Of that thrice happy whole; Derive its pulse from Thee the heart, Its life from Thee the soul.

586. P. M. Anonymous.

Peace Everywhere.

1 Nature hath seasons of repose; Her slumbering clouds and quiet sky; And many a bright-faced stream that flows Forever noiselessly.

2 The stormy winds are hushed to rest, And hang self-poised upon their wings; And nursed on mother nature's breast, Flowers lie like sleeping things.

3 The ocean, that in mountains ran, Spreads boundlessly without a wave; And is it only said of man, His peace is in the grave?

4 Oh! for the coming of the end, The last long Sabbath-day of time, When peace from heaven shall descend, Like light, on every clime.

5 For men in s.h.i.+ps far off at sea Shall hear the happy nations raise The song of peace and liberty, And overflowing praise.

6 Mankind shall be one brotherhood; One human soul shall fill the earth, And G.o.d shall say, "The world is good As when I gave it birth."

587. L. M. Montgomery.

The Kingdom of G.o.d.

1 O Spirit of the living G.o.d, In all Thy plenitude of grace, Where'er the foot of man hath trod, Descend on our benighted race!

2 Be darkness, at Thy coming, light; Confusion, order, in Thy path; Souls without strength inspire with might; Bid mercy triumph over wrath.

3 O spirit of the Lord! prepare All the round earth her G.o.d to meet; Breathe Thou abroad like morning air, Till hearts of stone begin to beat.