Love To Christ, Communion with Christ

Verse 1

How tedious and tasteless the hours
When Jesus no longer I see!
Sweet prospects, sweet birds, and sweet flowers
Have lost all their sweetness to me:
The midsummer sun shines but dim;
The fields strive in vain to look gay;
But when I am happy in him,
December’s as pleasant as May.

Verse 2

His name yields the richest perfume,
And sweeter than music his voice;
His presence disperses my gloom,
And makes all within me rejoice:
I should, were he always so nigh,
Have nothing to wish or to fear;
No mortal so happy as I;
My summer would last all the year.

Verse 3

Content with beholding his face,
My all to his pleasure resigned,
No changes of season or place
Would make any change in my mind:
While blest with a sense of his love,
A palace a toy would appear;
And prisons would palaces prove,
If Jesus would dwell with me there.

Verse 4

Dear Lord, if indeed I am thine,
If thou art my sun and my song,
Say, why do I languish and pine?
And why are my winters so long?
O, drive these dark clouds from my sky;
Thy soul-cheering presence restore;
Or take me unto thee on high,
Where winter and clouds are no more.

Verse 1

I hear thy welcome voice
That calls me, Lord, to thee
For cleansing in thy precious blood
That flowed on Calvary.

Refrain

I am coming, Lord!
Coming now to thee!
Wash me, cleanse me, in the blood
That flowed on Calvary.

Verse 2

Tho’ coming weak and vile,
Thou dost my strength assure;
Thou dost my vileness fully cleanse,
Till spotless all and pure.

Verse 3

’Tis Jesus calls me on
To perfect faith and love,
To perfect hope, and peace, and trust,
For earth and heaven above.

Verse 4

’Tis Jesus who confirms
The blessed work within,
By adding grace to welcomed grace,
Where reigned the power of sin.

Verse 5

And he the witness gives
To loyal hearts and free,
That every promise is fulfilled,
If faith but brings the plea.

Verse 6

All hail, atoning blood!
All hail, redeeming grace!
All hail, the gift of Christ, our Lord,
Our strength and righteousness!

Verse 1

Jesus, my truth, my way,
My sure, unerring light,
On thee my feeble steps I stay,
Which thou wilt guide aright.

Verse 2

My wisdom and my guide,
My counselor thou art;
Oh, never let me leave thy side,
Or from thy paths depart.

Verse 3

Never will I remove
Out of thy hands my cause;
But rest in thy redeeming love,
And hang upon thy cross.

Verse 4

Oh, make me all like thee,
Before I hence remove;
Settle, confirm, and ‘stablish me--
And build me up in love.

Verse 1

My faith looks up to thee,
Thou Lamb of Calvary;
Savior divine;
Now hear me while I pray;
Take all my guilt away;
O, let me, from this day,
Be wholly thine.

Verse 2

May thy rich grace impart
Strength to my fainting heart;
My zeal inspire;
As thou hast died for me,
Oh! may my love to thee
Pure, warm, and changeless be,
A living fire!

Verse 3

While life’s dark maze I tread,
And griefs around me spread,
Be thou my Guide;
Bid darkness turn to day,
Wipe sorrow’s tears away,
Nor let me ever stray
From thee aside.

Verse 4

When ends life’s transient dream,
When death’s cold, sullen stream
Shall o’er me roll,
Blest Savior! then, in love,
Fear and distrust remove;
Oh! bear me safe above,
A ransomed soul!

Verse 1

Nearer, my God, to thee,
Nearer to thee;
E’en though it be a cross
That raiseth me.
Still all my song shall be
Nearer, my God, to thee,--
Nearer to thee.

Verse 2

Though like the wanderer
The sun gone down,
Darkness be over me,
My rest a stone,
Yet, in my dreams, I’d be
Nearer, my God! to thee,--
Nearer to thee.

Verse 3

There let the way appear,
Steps unto heaven;
All that thou send’st to me,
In mercy given;
Angels to beckon me
Nearer, my God! to thee,--
Nearer to thee.

Verse 4

Or if, on joyful wing,
Cleaving the sky,
Sun, moon, and stars forgot,
Upward I fly,
Still all my song shall be,
Nearer, my God! to thee,--
Nearer to thee.

Verse 1

Oh, that I could forever dwell
Delighted at the Savior’s feet,
Behold the form I love so well,
And all his tender words repeat.

Verse 2

The world shut out from all my soul,
And heaven brought in with all its bliss,
Oh! is there aught, from pole to pole,
One moment to compare with this?

Verse 3

This is the hidden life I prize,
A life of penitential love,
When most my follies I despise,
And raise my highest thoughts above.

Verse 4

When all I am I clearly see,
And freely own with deepest shame;
When the Redeemer’s love to me
Kindles within a deathless flame.

Verse 5

Thus would I live till nature fail
And all my former sins forsake;
Then rise to God within the veil,
And of eternal joys partake.

Verse 1

Oh, when shall I see Jesus,
And reign with him above?
And drink the flowing fountain
Of everlasting love?
When shall I be delivered
From this vain world of sin?
And with my blessed Jesus
Drink endless pleasures in?

Verse 2

But now I am a soldier,
My Captain’s gone before;
He’s given me my orders,
And tells me not to fear;
And if I hold out faithful,
A crown of life he’ll give,
And all his valiant soldiers
Eternal life shall have.

Verse 3

Through grace I am determined
To conquer, though I die,
And then away to Jesus
On wings of love I’ll fly!
Farewell to sin and sorrow,
I bid them all adieu;
And you, my friends, prove faithful,
And on your way pursue.

Verse 4

Oh! do not be discouraged,
For Jesus is your friend;
And if you lack for knowledge,
He’ll not forget to lend:
Neither will he upbraid you,
Though often you request;
He’ll give you grace to conquer,
And take you home to rest.

Verse 1

Savior, more than life to me,
I am clinging, clinging close to thee;
Let thy precious blood applied,
Keep me ever, ever near thy side.

Refrain

Every day, every hour,
Let me feel thy cleansing power;
May thy tender love to me;
Bind me closer, closer, Lord, to thee.

Verse 2

Thro’ this changing world below,
Lead me gently, gently as I go;
Trusting thee, I cannot stray,
I can never, never lose my way.

Verse 3

Let me love thee more and more,
Till this fleeting, fleeting life is o’er;
Till my soul is lost in love,
In a brighter, brighter world above.