Children

Verse 1

By cool Siloam’s shady rill,
How fair the lily grows!
How sweet the breath, beneath the hill,
Of Sharon’s dewy rose!

Verse 2

Lo! such the child whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod,
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Is upward drawn to God.

Verse 3

By cool Siloam’s shady rill
The lily must decay;
The rose that blooms beneath the hill
Must shortly fade away.

Verse 4

And soon, too soon, the wintry hour
Of man’s maturer age
Will shake the soul with sorrow’s pow’r.
And stormy passions rage.

Verse 1

By cool Siloam’s shady rill
How sweet the lily grows!
How sweet the breath beneath the hill
Of Sharon’s dewy rose!

Verse 2

Lo, such the child whose early feet
The paths of peace have trod;
Whose secret heart, with influence sweet,
Is upward drawn to God.

Verse 3

By cool Siloam’s shady rill
The lily must decay;
The rose that blooms beneath the hill
Must shortly fade away.

Verse 4

And soon, too soon, the wintry hour
Of man’s maturer age
Will shake the soul with sorrow’s power
And stormy passion’s rage.

Verse 5

O Thou, whose infant feet were found
Within Thy Father’s shrine,
Whose years, with changeless virtue crowned,
Were all alike Divine;

Verse 6

Dependent on Thy bounteous breath,
We seek Thy grace alone,
In childhood, manhood, age, and death,
To keep us still Thine own.

Verse 1

How shall the young secure their hearts,
And guard their lives from sin?
Thy word the choicest rules imparts
To keep the conscience clean.

Verse 2

When once it enters to the mind,
It spreads such light abroad,
The meanest souls instruction find,
And raise their thoughts to God.

Verse 3

’Tis like the sun, a heavenly light
That guides us all the day;
And, through the dangers of the night,
A lamp to lead our way.

Verse 4

Thy precepts make me truly wise;
I hate the sinner’s road;
I hate my own vain thoughts that rise,
But love Thy law, my God.

Verse 5

Thy word is everlasting truth;
How pure is every page!
That holy book shall guide our youth,
And well support our age.

Verse 1

Hushed was the evening hymn,
The temple courts were dark;
The lamp was burning dim
Before the sacred ark;
When suddenly a voice Divine
Rang through the silence of the shrine.

Verse 2

The old man, meek and mild,
The priest of Israel, slept;
His watch the temple-child,
The little Levite, kept;
And what from Eli’s sense was sealed
The Lord to Hannah’s son revealed.

Verse 3

O give me Samuel’s ear,
The open ear, O Lord,
Alive and quick to hear
Each whisper of Thy word,
Like him to answer at Thy call,
And to obey Thee first of all.

Verse 4

O give me Samuel’s heart,
A lowly heart, that waits
Where in Thy house Thou art,
Or watches at Thy gates;
By day and night, a heart that still
Moves at the breathing of Thy will.

Verse 5

O give me Samuel’s mind,
A sweet unmurmuring faith,
Obedient and resigned
To Thee in life and death,
That I may read with childlike eyes
Truths that are hidden from the wise.

Verse 1

I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.

Refrain

I should like to have been with them then;
I should like to have been with them then;
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.

Verse 2

I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
His arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said,
“Let the little ones come unto me.”

Refrain

“Let the little ones come unto me,”
“Let the little ones come unto me,”
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said,
“Let the little ones come unto me.”

Verse 3

Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go,
And ask for a share in his love;
And if I now earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above.

Refrain

I shall see him and hear him above,
I shall see him and hear him above,
And if I now earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above.

Verse 1

I think when I read that sweet story of old,
When Jesus was here among men,
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.

Refrain

I should like to have been with them then;
I should like to have been with them then;
How he called little children as lambs to his fold,
I should like to have been with them then.

Verse 2

I wish that his hands had been placed on my head,
His arms had been thrown around me,
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said,
“Let the little ones come unto me.”

Refrain

“Let the little ones come unto me,”
“Let the little ones come unto me,”
And that I might have seen his kind look when he said,
“Let the little ones come unto me.”

Verse 3

Yet still to his footstool in prayer I may go,
And ask for a share in his love;
And if I now earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above.

Refrain

I shall see him and hear him above,
I shall see him and hear him above,
And if I now earnestly seek him below,
I shall see him and hear him above.

Verse 1

O Holy Lord, content to fill
In lowly home the lowliest place,
Thy childhood’s law a mother’s will,
Obedience meek Thy brightest grace;

Verse 2

Lead every child that bears Thy Name
To walk in Thine own guileless way,
To dread the touch of sin and shame,
And humbly, like Thyself, obey.

Verse 3

O let not this world’s scorching glow
Thy Spirit’s quickening dew efface,
Nor blast of sin too rudely blow,
And quench the trembling flame of grace.

Verse 4

Gather Thy lambs within Thine arm,
And gently in Thy bosom bear;
Keep them, O Lord, from hurt and harm,
And bid them rest for ever there.

Verse 5

So shall they, waiting here below,
Like Thee their Lord, a little span,
In wisdom and in stature grow,
And favor with both God and man.

Verse 1

Once in royal David’s city
Stood a lowly cattle-shed,
Where a mother laid her Baby
In a manger for His bed:
Mary was that mother mild,
Jesus Christ her little Child.

Verse 2

He came down to earth from heaven
Who is God and Lord of all,
And His shelter was a stable,
And His cradle was a stall:
With the poor, and mean, and lowly,
Lived on earth our Saviour Holy.

Verse 3

And, through all His wondrous childhood,
He would honor, and obey,
Love, and watch the lowly maiden
In whose gentle arms He lay:
Christian children all must be
Mild, obedient, good as He.

Verse 4

For He is our childhood’s Pattern,
Day by day like us He grew,
He was little, weak, and helpless,
Tears and smiles like us He knew:
And He feeleth for our sadness,
And He shareth in our gladness.

Verse 5

And our eyes at last shall see Him,
Through His own redeeming love;
For that Child so dear and gentle
Is our Lord in heaven above,
And He leads his children on
To the place where He is gone.

Verse 6

Not in that poor lowly stable,
With the oxen standing by,
We shall see Him, but in heaven,
Set at God’s right hand on high;
When like stars His children crowned
All in white shall wait around.

Verse 1

Our children, Lord, in faith and prayer
We now devote to thee;
Let them thy covenant mercies share,
And thy salvation see.

Verse 2

In early days their hearts secure
From worldly snares, we pray;
And let them to the end endure
In every righteous way.

Verse 3

Grant us before them, Lord, to live
In holy faith and fear;
And then to heaven our souls receive
And bring our children there.

Verse 1

Saviour, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

Verse 2

We are Thine; do Thou befriend us,
Be the Guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessed Jesus,
Hear the children, when they pray.

Verse 3

Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and power to free:
Blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.

Verse 4

Early let us seek Thy favor;
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Saviour,
With Thy love our bosoms fill:
Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

Verse 1

Saviour, like a shepherd lead us,
Much we need Thy tender care;
In Thy pleasant pastures feed us,
For our use Thy folds prepare:
Blessed Jesus, Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast bought us, Thine we are.

Verse 2

We are Thine; do Thou befriend us,
Be the Guardian of our way;
Keep Thy flock, from sin defend us,
Seek us when we go astray:
Blessed Jesus,
Hear the children, when they pray.

Verse 3

Thou hast promised to receive us,
Poor and sinful though we be;
Thou hast mercy to relieve us,
Grace to cleanse, and power to free:
Blessed Jesus,
Early let us turn to Thee.

Verse 4

Early let us seek Thy favor;
Early let us do Thy will;
Blessed Lord and only Saviour,
With Thy love our bosoms fill:
Blessed Jesus,
Thou hast loved us, love us still.

Verse 1

Saviour, teach me, day by day,
Love’s sweet lesson,—to obey;
Sweeter lesson cannot be,
Loving Him who first loved me.

Verse 2

With a child’s glad heart of love,
At Thy bidding may I move;
Prompt to serve and follow Thee,
Loving Him who first loved me.

Verse 3

Teach me thus Thy steps to trace,
Strong to follow in Thy grace;
Learning how to love from Thee,
Loving Him who first loved me.

Verse 4

Love in loving finds employ,
In obedience all her joy;
Ever new that joy will be,
Loving Him who first loved me.

Verse 5

Though a foolish child and weak,
More than this I need not seek;
Singing, till Thy face I see,
Of His love who first loved me.

Verse 1

Shepherd of tender youth,
Guiding in love and truth
Through devious ways:
Christ, our triumphant King,
We come Thy Name to sing;
Hither our children bring,
To shout Thy praise.

Verse 2

Thou art our Holy Lord,
The all-subduing Word,
Healer of strife:
Thou didst Thyself abase,
That from sin’s deep disgrace
Thou mightest save our race,
And give us life.

Verse 3

Thou art the Great High Priest,
Thou hast prepared the feast
Of heavenly love:
While in our mortal pain,
None calls on Thee in vain:
Help Thou dost not disdain,
Help from above.

Verse 4

Ever be Thou our Guide,
Our Shepherd and our Pride,
Our Staff and Song:
Jesus, Thou Christ of God,
By Thy perennial word,
Lead us where Thou hast trod,
Make our faith strong.

Verse 5

So now and till we die,
Sound we Thy praises high,
And joyful sing:
Infants, and the glad throng
Who to Thy Church belong,
Unite to swell the song
To Christ our King.

Verse 1

When His salvation bringing,
To Zion Jesus came,
The children all stood singing
Hosanna to His Name:
Nor did their zeal offend Him,
But, as He rode along,
He let them still attend Him,
And smiled to hear their song.

Verse 2

And since the Lord retaineth
His love for children still,
Though now as King He reigneth
On Zion’s heavenly hill,
We’ll flock around His banner
Who sits upon His throne,
And cry aloud, “Hosanna
To David’s royal Son!”

Verse 3

For should we fail proclaiming
Our great Redeemer’s praise,
The stones, our silence shaming,
Would their Hosannas raise.
But shall we only render
The tribute of our words?
No; while our hearts are tender,
They too shall be the Lord’s.