Chapter 57
1 My soul, be on thy guard; Ten thousand foes arise; The hosts of sin are pressing hard To draw thee from the skies.
2 O, watch, and fight, and pray; The battle ne'er give o'er; Renew it boldly every day, And help divine implore.
3 Ne'er think the victory won, Nor lay thine armor down: Thy arduous work will not be done Till thou obtain thy crown.
4 Fight on, my soul, till death Shall bring thee to thy G.o.d; He'll take thee, at thy parting breath, To his divine abode.
344. L. M. Watts.
The Beat.i.tudes.
1 Blest are the humble souls that see Their emptiness and poverty; Treasures of grace to them are given, And crowns of joy laid up in heaven.
2 Blest are the souls that thirst for grace, Hunger and long for righteousness; They shall be well supplied and fed With living streams and living bread.
3 Blest are the pure, whose hearts are clean From the defiling power of sin; With endless pleasure they shall see A G.o.d of spotless purity.
4 Blest are the men of peaceful life, Who quench the coals of growing strife; They shall be called the heirs of bliss, The sons of G.o.d, the G.o.d of peace.
5 Blest are the sufferers who partake Of pain and shame for Jesus' sake; Their souls shall triumph in the Lord; Glory and joy are their reward.
345. L. M. Rippon's Coll.
Patience.
1 Patience, O, 't is a grace divine, Sent from the G.o.d of peace and love, That leans upon our Father's arm, As through
2 By patience, we serenely bear The troubles of our mortal state, And wait, contented, our discharge, Nor think our glory comes too late.
3 O, for this grace to aid us on, And arm with fort.i.tude the breast, Till, life's tumultuous voyage o'er, We reach the sh.o.r.es of endless rest.
4 Faith into vision shall resign, Hope shall in full fruition die, And patience in possession end, In the bright worlds of bliss on high.
346. 7s. M. Merrick.
"Who shall abide in thy tabernacle?" Ps. 15.
1 Who shall towards thy chosen seat Turn, O Lord, his favored feet?
Who shall at thine altar bend?
Who shall Zion's hill ascend?
Who, great G.o.d, a welcome guest, On thy holy mountain rest?
2 He whose heart thy love has warmed, He whose will, to thine conformed, Bids his life unsullied run; He whose word and thought are one; Who, from sin's contagion free, Lifts his willing soul to thee.
3 He who thus, with heart unstained, Treads the path by thee ordained, He shall towards thy chosen seat Turn, O Lord, his favored feet; He thy ceaseless care shall prove, He shall share thy constant love.
347. C. M. Tate & Brady.
The Same.
1 Lord, who's the happy man, that may To thy blest courts repair, Not, stranger-like, to visit them, But to inhabit there?
2 'Tis he whose every thought and deed By rules of virtue moves; Whose generous tongue disdains to speak The thing his heart disproves;
3 Who never did a slander forge, His neighbor's fame to wound; Nor hearken to a false report, By malice whispered round;
4 Who to his plighted vows and trust Has ever firmly stood; And though he promise to his loss, He makes his promise good.
5 The man who by this steady course Has happiness ensured, When earth's foundations shake, shall stand By Providence secured.
348. S. M. Anonymous.
"Blessed are the Meek."
1 "Blest are the meek," he said, Whose doctrine is divine; The humble-minded earth possess, And bright in heaven will s.h.i.+ne.
2 While here on earth they stay, Calm peace with them shall dwell, And cheerful hope and heavenly joy Beyond what tongue can tell.
3 The G.o.d of peace is theirs; They own his gracious sway; And yielding all their wills to him, His sovereign laws obey.
4 O gracious Father, grant, That we this influence feel, That all we hope, or wish, may be Subjected to thy will.
349. L. M. Scott.