2 O may the morn so pure, so clear,
Its own sweet calm in us instil;
A guileless mind, a heart sincere,
Simplicity of word and will:
3 And ever, as the day glides by,
May we the busy senses rein;
Keep guard upon the hand and eye,
Nor let the body suffer stain.
4 Grant us the grace, for love of thee, To scorn all vanities below;
Faith, to detect each falsity;
And knowledge, thee alone to know.
1 How sweet, how calm, this Sabbath morn!
How pure the air that breathes,
And soft the sounds upon it borne,
And light its vapor wreaths!
It seems as if the Christian's prayer,
For peace and joy and love,
Were answered by the very air
That wafts its strain above.
Let each unholy passion cease,
Each evil thought be crushed,
Each anxious care that mars thy peace
In Faith and Love be hushed.
1 IN the morning I will pray
For God's blessing on the day;
What this day shall be my lot,
Light or darkness, know I not.
2 Should it be with clouds o'ercast,
Clouds of sorrow, gathering fast,
Thou, who givest light divine,
Shine within me, Lord, O shine!
3 Show me, if I tempted be,
How to find all strength in Thee,
And a perfect triumph win
Over every bosom sin.
4 Keep my feet from secret snares,
Keep mine eyes, O God, from tears!
Every step Thy love attend,
And my soul from death defend!
1 Now that the sun is beaming bright
Implore we, bending low,
That He, the uncreated Light,
May guide us as we go.
2 No sinful word, nor deed of wrong,
Nor thoughts that idly rove,
But simple truth be on our tongue,
And in our hearts be love.
3 And while the hours in order flow,
Securely fence, O Lord! -
Our hearts, beleaguered by the foe
That tempts our every road.
4 And grant that to thine honor, Lord,
Our rites this day may tend;
That we begin them at thy word,
And in thy favor end.
1 AWAKE, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and joyful rise
To pay thy morning sacrifice.
2 Thy precious time misspent redeem;
Each present day thy last esteem ;
Improve thy talent with due care;
For the great day thyself prepare.
3 In conversation be sincere ;
Keep conscience, as the noontide, clear; Think how the all-seeing God, thy ways And all thy secret thoughts surveys.
my vows to thee renew;
Scatter my sins like morning dew;
Guard my first springs of thought and will, And with thyself my spirit fill.
5 Direct, control, suggest, this day, All I design, or do, or say;
That all my powers, with all their might, In thy sole glory may unite.
1 O TIMELY happy, timely wise,
Hearts that with rising morn arise;
Eyes that the beam celestial view,
Which evermore makes all things new.
2 New every morning is Thy love!
Our wakening and uprising prove;
Through sleep and darkness safely brought,
Restored to life, and power, and thought.
3 New mercies, each returning day,
Hover around us while we pray;
New perils past, new sins forgiven,
New thoughts of God, new hopes of heaven.
4 If, on our daily course, our mind
Be set to hallow all we find,
New treasures still, of countless price,
God will provide for sacrifice.
5 Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be,
As more of heaven in each we see;
Some softening gleams of love and prayer
Shall dawn on every cross and care.
Acknowledging God's Hand.- Morning.
1 WHAT Secret hand, at morning light,
Softly unseals mine eye,
Draws back the curtain of the night,
And opens earth and sky?
2 'T is thine, my God, — the same that kept
My resting hours from harm;
No ill came nigh me, for I slept
Beneath the Almighty's arm.
3 'Tis thine, my daily bread that brings,
Like manna scattered round,
And clothes me, as the lily springs
In beauty from the ground.
4 In death's dark valley though I stray,
"T would there my steps attend,
Guide with the staff my lonely way,
And with the rod defend.
5 May that sure hand uphold me still
Through life's uncertain race,
To bring me to thy holy hill,
And to thy dwelling-place.
Daily Protection. Psalm 5.
1 ON thee, each morning, O my God!
My waking thoughts attend;
In thee are founded all my hopes,
In thee my wishes end.
2 My soul, in pleasing wonder lost,
Thy boundless love surveys;
And, fired with grateful zeal, prepares
A sacrifice of praise.
3 God leads me through the maze of sleep,
And brings me safe to light;
And with the same paternal care
Conducts my steps till night.
|