1 A LITTLE ship was on the sea,

It was a pretty sight;

It sailed along so pleasantly,
And all was calm and bright.

2 When lo! a storm began to rise,
The wind grew loud and strong;
It blew the clouds across the skies,
It blew the waves along.

3 And all, but One, were sore afraid
Of sinking in the deep :
His head was on a pillow laid,
And He was fast asleep.

4 "Master, we perish! Master, save!
They cried their Master heard ;
He rose, rebuked the wind and wave,
And stilled them with a word.

5 He to the storm saith, "Peace, be still;"
The raging billows cease;
The mighty winds obey His will,
And all are hushed to peace.

6 O well we know it was the Lord,
Our Saviour and our Friend;

Whose care of those who trust His word,
Will never, never end.

Dorothy A. Thrupp.

BLESSINGS OF THIS LIFE.

"Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you."MATT. vi. 33.

250

1

THE

HERE'S not a bird, with lonely nest, In pathless wood, or mountain crest, Or meaner thing, which doth not share, O God! in Thy paternal care.

2 Each barren crag, each desert rude,
Holds Thee within its solitude:

And Thou dost bless the wanderer there,
Who makes his solitary prayer.

3 In busy mart and crowded street,
No less than in the still retreat,
Thou, Lord! art near, our souls to bless,
With all a parent's tenderness.

4 And every moment still doth bring
Thy blessings on its loaded wing;

Widely they spread through earth and sky, And last to all eternity.

5 O Lord! where'er our lot is cast,

While life, and thought, and feeling last,
Through all our years, in every place,
We'll bless Thee for Thy boundless grace.

251

1

S.M.

OMMIT thou all thy griefs
And ways into His hands,

To His sure truth and tender care,
Who earth and heaven commands;

2 Who points the clouds their course, Whom winds and seas obey :

3

4

5

6

He shall direct their wandering feet,
He shall prepare thy way.

Thou on the Lord rely,

So safe shalt thou go on;

Fix on His work thy stedfast eye,

So shall thy work be done.

Give to the winds thy fears;

Hope and be undismayed;

God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears,
God shall lift up thy head.

Far, far above thy thought

His counsel shall appear,

When fully He the work hath wrought
That caused thy needless fear.

Through waves and clouds and storms
He gently clears thy way;

Wait thou His time; so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.

252

1

FOR

7.7.7.7.7.7.

OR the beauty of the earth,
For the beauty of the skies,
For the love which from our birth
Over and around us lies:

Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

2 For the beauty of each hour
Of the day and of the night,
Hill and vale and tree and flower,
Sun and moon and stars of light :
Christ our God, to Thee we raise
This, our sacrifice of praise.

3 For each perfect gift of Thine
To our race so freely given,
Graces, human and divine,

Flowers of earth, and buds of heaven :
Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This, our sacrifice of praise.

4 For Thy Church that evermore
Lifteth holy hands above,
Off'ring up on every shore
Its pure sacrifice of love :

Christ, our God, to Thee we raise
This our sacrifice of praise.

253

1

WHEN

F. Pierpoint.

WHEN all Thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,

Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise!

2 Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,

Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.

3 When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou
With health renewed my face;
And, when in sin and sorrow sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.

4 Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My constant thanks employ ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
To taste those gifts with joy.
5 Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise ;
But O! eternity's too short
To utter all Thy praise.

Addison.

MY God, we thank Thee who hast made

The earth so bright;

So full of splendour and of joy,

Beauty and light;

So many glorious things are here
Noble and right.

2 We thank Thee too that Thou hast made
Joy to abound,

So many gentle thoughts and deeds
Circling us round,

That in the darkest spot of earth
Some love is found.

3 We thank Thee still, that all our joy
Is touched with pain;

That shadows fall on brightest hours,
That thorns remain ;

So that earth's bliss may be our guide,
And not our chain.

4 For Thou who knowest, Lord! how soon
Our weak heart clings,

Hast given us joys tender and true,
Yet all with wings;

So that we see, gleaming on high,
Diviner things.

5 We thank Thee, Lord! that Thou hast kept The best in store;

We have enough, yet not too much
To long for more;

A yearning for a deeper peace,
Not known before.

6 We thank Thee, Lord, that here our souls, Though amply blest,