Aspiration

Verse 1

As pants the hart for cooling streams
When heated in the chase,
So longs my soul, O God, for Thee,
And Thy refreshing grace.

Verse 2

For Thee, my God, the living God,
My thirsty soul doth pine;
O when shall I behold Thy Face,
Thou Majesty Divine!

Verse 3

Why restless, why cast down, my soul?
Trust God; and He’ll employ
His aid for Thee, and change these sighs
To thankful hymns of joy.

Verse 4

Why restless, why cast down, my soul?
Hope still; and thou shalt sing
The praise of Him who is thy God,
Thy health’s eternal Spring.

Verse 1

Behold what wondrous grace
The Father has bestowed
On sinners of a mortal race,
To call them sons of God!

Verse 2

Nor doth it yet appear
How great we must be made;
But when we see our Saviour here
We shall be like our Head.

Verse 3

A hope so much Divine
May trials well endure,
May purge our souls from sense and sin,
As Christ the Lord is pure.

Verse 4

If in my Father’s love
I share a filial part,
Send down Thy Spirit like a dove
To rest upon my heart.

Verse 5

We would no longer lie
Like slaves beneath the throne;
My faith shall “Abba, Father,” cry,
And Thou the kindred own.

Verse 1

Blest are the pure in heart,
For they shall see our God;
The secret of the Lord is theirs,
Their soul is Christ’s abode.

Verse 2

The Lord, who left the sky
Our life and peace to bring,
And dwelt in lowliness with men,
Their Pattern and their King,—

Verse 3

Still to the lowly soul
He doth Himself impart;
And for His cradle and His throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.

Verse 4

Lord, we Thy presence seek;
Ours may this blessing be;
O give the pure and lowly heart,
A temple meet for Thee.

Verse 1

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.

Verse 2

Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love!

Verse 3

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Verse 4

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed with precious blood.

Verse 5

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Verse 6

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it,
Seal it from Thy courts above.

Verse 1

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.

Verse 2

Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above;
Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of God’s unchanging love!

Verse 3

Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Hither by Thy help I’m come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Verse 4

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed with precious blood.

Verse 5

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let that grace now, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.

Verse 6

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it;
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart; O take and seal it,
Seal it from Thy courts above.

Verse 1

Far from my heavenly home,
Far from my Father’s breast,
Fainting I cry, “Blest Spirit, come
And speed me to my rest.”

Verse 2

Upon the willows long
My harp has silent hung:
How should I sing a cheerful song
Till Thou inspire my tongue?

Verse 3

My spirit homeward turns,
And fain would thither flee:
My heart, O Zion, droops and yearns
When I remember thee.

Verse 4

To thee, to thee I press,
A dark and toilsome road:
When shall I pass the wilderness,
And reach the saints’ abode?

Verse 5

God of my life, be near;
On Thee my hopes I cast:
O guide me through the desert here,
And bring me home at last.

Verse 1

Forward! be our watchword,
Steps and voices joined;
Seek the things before us,
Not a look behind:
Burns the fiery pillar
At our army’s head;
Who shall dream of shrinking,
By Jehovah led?
Forward through the desert,
Through the toil and fight;
Jordan flows before us,
Zion beams with light.

Verse 2

Forward, flock of Jesus,
Salt of all the earth,
Till each yearning purpose
Spring to glorious birth:
Sick, they ask for healing,
Blind, they grope for day;
Pour upon the nations
Wisdom’s loving ray.
Forward, out of error,
Leave behind the night;
Forward through the darkness,
Forward into light!

Verse 3

Glories upon glories
Hath our God prepared,
By the souls that love Him
One day to be shared:
Eye hath not beheld them,
Ear hath never heard;
Nor of these hath uttered
Thought or speech a word.
Forward, marching eastward
Where the heaven is bright,
Till the veil be lifted,
Till our faith be sight.

Verse 4

Far o’er yon horizon
Rise the city towers,
Where our God abideth:
That fair home is ours:
Flash the streets with jasper,
Shine the streets with gold;
Flows the gladdening river,
Shedding joys untold.
Thither, onward thither,
In Jehovah’s might,
Pilgrims to your country,
Forward into light!

Verse 5

To the Father’s glory
Loudest anthems raise,
To the Son and Spirit
Echo songs of praise;
To the Lord Jehovah,
Blessed Three in One,
Be by men and angels
Endless honor done.
Weak are earthly praises,
Dull the songs of night;
Forward into triumph,
Forward into light!

Verse 1

I do not ask, O Lord, that life may be
A pleasant road;
I do not ask that Thou wouldst take from me
Aught of its load.

Verse 2

I do not ask that flowers should always spring
Beneath my feet;
I know too well the poison and the sting
Of things too sweet.

Verse 3

For one thing only, Lord, dear Lord, I plead:
Lead me aright,
Though strength should falter and though heart should bleed,
Through peace to light.

Verse 4

I do not ask, O Lord, that Thou shouldst shed
Full radiance here;
Give but a ray of peace, that I may tread
Without a fear.

Verse 5

I do not ask my cross to understand,
My way to see;
Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand,
And follow Thee.

Verse 6

Joy is like restless day; but peace Divine
Like quiet night:
Lead me, O Lord, till perfect day shall shine,
Through peace to light.

O Lord, we thank Thee that Thou hast, in some measure, drawn back the veil, and shown us the things which are at Thy right hand. And we beseech Thee to help each of us, so long as we tarry here below, that we may press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. May we forget the things that are behind, our failures, our disappointments, our attainments, or only remember them to make us more earnest in seeking that to-morrow may not be as this day, but much more conformed to Thy holy will. Help all of us, we pray Thee, to live as those whose home is beyond the stars, and in the depths of God. And may this our life here below be so used by us as that it shall fit us to be ‘partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.’