Constancy

Verse 1

A charge to keep I have,
A God to glorify;
A never-dying soul to save,
And fit it for the sky.

Verse 2

To serve the present age,
My calling to fulfil,—
O may it all my powers engage
To do my Master’s will.

Verse 3

Arm me with jealous care,
As in Thy sight to live;
And O, Thy servant, Lord, prepare
A strict account to give.

Verse 4

Help me to watch and pray,
And on Thyself rely,
Assured, if I my trust betray,
I shall for ever die.

Verse 1

Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.

Verse 2

A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey:
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.

Verse 3

’Tis God’s all-animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
’Tis His own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye:

Verse 4

That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors’ wreaths and monarchs’ gems
Shall blend in common dust.

Verse 5

Blest Saviour, introduced by Thee,
Have I my race begun;
And, crowned with victory, at Thy feet
I’ll lay my honors down.

Verse 1

Awake, my soul, stretch every nerve,
And press with vigor on;
A heavenly race demands thy zeal,
And an immortal crown.

Verse 2

A cloud of witnesses around
Hold thee in full survey:
Forget the steps already trod,
And onward urge thy way.

Verse 3

’Tis God’s all-animating voice
That calls thee from on high;
’Tis His own hand presents the prize
To thine aspiring eye:

Verse 4

That prize with peerless glories bright,
Which shall new lustre boast,
When victors’ wreaths and monarchs’ gems
Shall blend in common dust.

Verse 5

Blest Saviour, introduced by Thee,
Have I my race begun;
And, crowned with victory, at Thy feet
I’ll lay my honors down.

Verse 1

Fight the good fight with all thy might;
Christ is thy Strength, and Christ thy Right:
Lay hold on life, and it shall be
Thy joy and crown eternally.

Verse 2

Run the straight race
Through God’s good grace,
Lift up thine eyes, and seek His face;
Life with its way before us lies,
Christ is the Path, and Christ the Prize.

Verse 3

Cast care aside;
Upon thy Guide
Lean, and His mercy will provide;
Lean, and the trusting soul shall prove,
Christ is its Life, and Christ its Love.

Verse 4

Faint not, nor fear,
His arms are near;
He changeth not, and thou art dear;
Only believe, and thou shalt see
That Christ is All in all to thee.

Verse 1

How shall I follow Him I serve?
How shall I copy Him I love?
Nor from those blessed footsteps swerve,
Which lead me to His seat above?

Verse 2

Privations, sorrows, bitter scorn,
The life of toil, the mean abode,
The faithless kiss, the crown of thorn,—
Are these the consecrated road?

Verse 3

’Twas thus He suffered, though a Son,
Foreknowing, choosing, feeling all,
Until the perfect work was done,
And drunk the bitter cup of gall.

Verse 4

Lord, should my path through suffering lie,
Forbid it I should e’er repine;
Still let me turn to Calvary,
Nor heed my griefs, remembering Thine.

Verse 5

O let me think how Thou didst leave
Untasted every pure delight,
To fast, to faint, to watch, to grieve,
The toilsome day, the homeless night:—

Verse 6

To faint, to grieve, to die for me!
Thou camest, not Thyself to please;
And, dear as earthly comforts be,
Shall I not love Thee more than these?

Verse 7

Yes, I would count them all but loss,
To gain the notice of Thine eye:
Flesh shrinks and trembles at the cross,
But Thou canst give the victory.

Verse 1

O Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
Be Thou for ever near me,
My Master and my Friend:
I shall not fear the battle
If Thou art by my side,
Nor wander from the pathway
If Thou wilt be my guide.

Verse 2

O let me feel Thee near me,
The world is ever near;
I see the sights that dazzle,
The tempting sounds I hear:
My foes are ever near me,
Around me and within;
But, Jesus, draw Thou nearer,
And shield my soul from sin.

Verse 3

O let me hear Thee speaking
In accents clear and still,
Above the storms of passion,
The murmurs of self-will:
O speak to re-assure me,
To hasten or control;
O speak, and make me listen,
Thou Guardian of my soul.

Verse 4

O Jesus, Thou hast promised
To all who follow Thee
That where Thou art in glory
There shall Thy servant be;
And, Jesus, I have promised
To serve Thee to the end;
O give me grace to follow
My Master and my Friend.

Verse 1

Soldiers of Christ, arise,
And put your armor on,
Strong in the strength which God supplies
Through His Eternal Son.

Verse 2

Strong in the Lord of hosts,
And in His mighty power,
Who in the strength of Jesus trusts
Is more than conqueror.

Verse 3

Stand then in His great might,
With all His strength endued;
But take, to arm you for the fight,
The panoply of God:

Verse 4

That, having all things done,
And all your conflicts passed,
Ye may o’ercome through Christ alone,
And stand entire at last.

Verse 5

From strength to strength go on;
Wrestle, and fight, and pray;
Tread all the powers of darkness down,
And win the well-fought day.

Verse 6

Still let the Spirit cry
In all His soldiers, “Come,”
Till Christ the Lord descends from high,
And takes the conquerors home.

Verse 1

Teach me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see,
And what I do in anything,
To do it as for Thee.

Verse 2

To scorn the senses’ sway,
While still to Thee I tend;
In all I do be Thou the Way,
In all be Thou the End.

Verse 3

All may of Thee partake;
Nothing so small can be,
But draws, when acted for Thy sake,
Greatness and worth from Thee.

Verse 4

If done to obey Thy laws,
E’en servile labors shine;
Hallowed is toil, if this the cause,
The meanest work Divine.

Verse 1

’Tis by the faith of joys to come
We walk through deserts dark as night:
Till we arrive at heaven, our home,
Faith is our guide, and faith our light.

Verse 2

The want of sight she well supplies;
She makes the pearly gates appear;
Far into distant worlds she pries,
And brings eternal glories near.

Verse 3

Cheerful we tread the desert through,
While faith inspires a heavenly ray;
Though lions roar and tempests blow,
And rocks and dangers fill the way.

Verse 4

So Abram, by Divine command,
Left his own house to walk with God;
His faith beheld the promised land,
And fired his zeal along the road.