Gather'd into thy fold,
With thy people enroli'd,
With thy people to live and to die!
6. Now all honour and praise
To the Father of grace,
To the Spirit and Son I return:
I the business pursue,
He hath made me to do,
And rejoice that I ever was born.
Hymn 399. L. M. Youth and Judgment, Eccl. xi. 9. 1. E sons of Adam, vain and young,
Indulge your eyes, indulge your tongue,
Taste the delights your souls desire,
And give a loose to all your fire.
2. Pursue the pleasures you design,
And cheer your hearts with songs and wine;
Enjoy the day of mirth-but know,
There is a day of judgment too.
3. God from on high beholds your thoughts,
His book records your secret faults;
The works of darkness you have done
Must all appear before the sun.
4. The vengeance to your follies due
Should strike your hearts with terror thro':
How will ye stand before his face,
Or answer for his injur'd grace?
5. Almighty God, turn off their eyes
From these alluring vanities,
And let the thunder of thy word
Awake their souls to fear the Lord.
Hymn 400. L. M.
Old age and death in an unconverted state,
Eccl. xii. 1, 7. Isa. lxv. 20.
1. Now in the heat of youthful blood,
Remember your Creator, God:
Behold the months come hast'ning on,
When you shall say, "My joys are gone."
2. Behold the aged sinner goes,
Laden with guilt and heavy woes,
Down to the regions of the dead,
With endless curses on his head.
3. The dust returns to dust again;
The soul, in agonies of pain
Ascends to God, not there to dwell,
But hears her doom, and sinks to hell.
4. Eternal King! I fear thy name,
Teach me to know how frail I am;
And, when my soul must hence remove
Give me a mansion in thy love.
Hymn 401. с. м.
1.TIME what an empty vapour 'tis,
And days how swift they are!
Swift as the archer's arrow flies,
Or like a shooting star.
2. The present moments just appear,
Then slide away in haste,
That we can never say, "They're here,"
But only say, "They're past."
3. Our life is ever on the wing,
And death is ever nigh;
The moment, when our lives begin,
We all begin to die.
4. Yet mighty God! our fleeting days
Thy lasting favours share,
And with the bounties of thy grace,
Thou load'st the rolling year.
A lovely youth falling short of Heaven. Mark. x. 21.
UST all the charms of nature then,
So hopeless to salvation prove?
Can hell demand, can heav'n condemn
The man whom Jesus deigns to love!-
2. The man who sought the ways of truth,
Paid friends and neighbours all their due;
A modest, sober, lovely youth,
Who thought he wanted nothing now.
3. But mark the change, thus spake the Lord:
"Come part with earth for heav'n to-day!"
The youth astonish'd at the word,
In silent sadness went his way.
4. Poor virtues, tho, he boasted so-
This test unable to endure,
Let Christ, and grace, and glory goy
To make his land and money sure.
5. Ah foolish choice of treasures here!
Ah fatal love of tempting gold!
Must this base world be bought so dear?
And life and heav'n so cheaply sold?
6. In vain the charms of nature shine,
If this vile passion governs me;
Transform my soul, O love divine!
And make me part with all for thee,
Hymn 403. с. м.
THEN blooming youth is snatch'd away
Our hearts the mournful tribute pay,
Which pity must demand.
2. While pity prompts the rising sigh,
O may this truth imprest
With awful pow'r-I too must die,-
Sink deep in ev'ry breast.
3. Let this vain world engage no more:
Behold the gaping tomb!.
It bids us seize the present hour;
To-morrow death may come.
4. The voice of this alarming scene
May ev'ry heart obey:
Nor be the heav'nly warning vain,
Which calls to watch, and pray.
5. Oh let us fly! to Jesus fly,
Whose powerful arm can save;
Then shall our hopes ascend on high,
And triumph o'er the grave.
6. Great God, thy sov'reign grace impart
With cleansing, healing power;
This only can prepare the heart
For death's surprising hour,
Hymn 404. L. M.
Help obtained of God, Acts. xxvi. 22.
REAT God, we sing that mighty hand,
By which supported still we stand:
The op'ning year thy mercy shows:
Let mercy crown it 'till it close.
2. By day, at night, at home, abroad,
Still we are guarded by our God;
By his incessant bounty fed,
By his unerring counsel led.
3. With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future, all to us unknown,
We to thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before thy feet.
4. In scenes exalted or depress'd,
Be thou our joy, and thou our rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Ador'd thro' all our changing days.
5. When death shall interrupt these songs,
And seal in silence mortal tongues,
Our helper-God, in whom we trust,
In better worlds our souls shall boast.
Hymn 405. P. M.
HE Lord of earth and sky,
The God of ages praise!
Who reigns enthron'd on high,
Ancient of endless days;
Who lengthens out our trials here,
And spares us yet another year.
2. Barren and wither'd trees,
We cumber'd long the ground!
No fruit of holiness
On our dead souls was found;
Yet doth he us in mercy spare,
Another, and another year.
3. When Justice drew the sword,
To cut the fig-tree down;
The pity of our Lord,
Cry'd, "Let it still alone!" The Father mild inclines his ear,. And spares us yet another year.. 4. Jesus, thy speaking blood,
From God obtain'd the grace;
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