Hymns for Christian Devotion Part 53

3 In honor to his name, Reflect that sacred light, And loud that grace proclaim, Which makes thy darkness bright; Pursue his praise, Till sovereign love In worlds above The glory raise.

320. 8s. & 7s. M. Urwick's Coll.

Desiring Christ's Triumph.

1 O thou Sun of glorious splendor, s.h.i.+ne with healing in thy wing; Chase away these shades of darkness; Holy light and comfort bring.

2 Let the heralds of salvation Round the world with joy proclaim, "Death and h.e.l.l are spoiled and vanquished Through the great Immanuel's name."

3 Take thy power, almighty Saviour; Claim the nations for thine own; Reign, thou Lord of life and glory, Till each heart becomes thy throne.

4 Then the earth, o'erspread with glory, Decked with heavenly splendor bright Shall be made Jehovah's dwelling-- As at first, the Lord's delight.

321. H. M. Brown.

Millennium Hymn.

1 Isles of the south, awake!

The song of triumph sing; Let mount, and hill, and vale, With hallelujahs ring: Shout, for the idol's overthrown, And Israel's G.o.d is G.o.d alone.

2 Wild wastes of Afric, shout!

Your shackled sons are free; No mother wails her child 'Neath the banana-tree: No slave-s.h.i.+p dashes on thy sh.o.r.e; The clank of chains is heard no more.

3 Shout, vales of India, shout!

No funeral fires blaze high; No idol song rings loud, As rolls the death-car by: The banner of the cross now waves Where Christian heralds made their graves.

4 Shout, hills of Palestine!

Have you forgot the groan, The spear, the thorn, the cross, The wine-press trod alone, The dying prayer that rose from thee, Thou garden of Gethsemane?

5 Hail, glad, millennial day!

O, shout, ye heavens above!

To-day ye nations sing The song, redeeming love: Redeeming love the song shall be: Hail, blessed year of jubilee!

322. L. P. M. H. Ballou.

Kingdom of Christ.

1 To Christ, the Son, the Father spake: Lo, ask of me, and I will make The heathen to thy sceptre bend; The utmost parts of all the earth Are thine inheritance by birth, And wide thine empire shall extend.

2 Now Jesus waves his sceptre high, Unfurls his banners in the sky, While loud the gospel trumpets sound: His enemies with sore dismay, Retire in haste and yield the day, While trophies to the Lord abound.

3 Before him kings and tyrants fall, Detest their crowns, and on him call, And he a pardon free doth give: The world in sin was dead before; To life the world he will restore, And in him all the world shall live.

4 O Lord, thy government shall be Extended wide from sea to sea, And long thy sceptre thou shalt hold; As long as sun or moon shall s.h.i.+ne, Thou King of earth shalt reign divine, The mysteries of thy grace unfold.

REPENTANCE AND REFORMATION.

323. 7s. M. Milman.

Prayer for Mercy in Spiritual Need.

1 Lord, have mercy when we pray Strength to seek a better way; When our wakening thoughts begin First to loathe their cherished sin; When our weary spirits fail, And our aching brows are pale; When our tears bedew thy word; Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.

2 Lord, have mercy when we lie On the restless bed and sigh,-- Sigh for death, yet fear it still; From the thought of former ill; When the dim, advancing gloom Tells us that our hour is come; When is loosed the silver cord; Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.

3 Lord, have mercy, when we know First how vain this world below: When its darker thoughts oppress, Doubts perplex, and fears distress; When the earliest gleam is given Of the bright but distant heaven; Then thy fostering grace afford; Then, O then, have mercy, Lord.

324. C. M. Village Hymns.

The Prodigal's Return.

1 The long-lost son, with streaming eyes, From folly just awake, Reviews his wanderings with surprise; His heart begins to break.

2 "I starve," he cries, "nor can I bear The famine in this land, While servants of my Father share The bounty of his hand.

3 "With deep repentance I'll return And seek my Father's face; Unworthy to be called a son, I'll ask a servant's place."

4 Far off the Father saw him move, In pensive silence mourn, And quickly ran with arms of love, To welcome his return.

5 O, let thy boundless mercy s.h.i.+ne On my benighted soul, Correct my pa.s.sions, mend my heart, And all my fears control.

325. L. M. 6l. Wesley's Coll.