He shall give his angels charge over thee.
Ps. xci. 11.
1 WHAT though my frail eyelids refuse
Continual watching to keep,
And still with the night's falling dews
Demand the refreshment of sleep;
2 A sovereign Protector I have,
Unseen yet for ever at hand,
Unchangeably faithful to save,
Almighty to rule and command.
3 Beneficent Hearer of prayer,
Thou Shepherd and Guardian of thine,
My all to thy covenant care
I sleeping and waking resign.
4 If thou art my shield and
my sun,
The night is no darkness to me,
And, fast as my moments roll on,
They bring me but nearer to thee.
5 Thy ministering spirits descend
To watch while thy saints are asleep;
By day and by night they attend
The heirs of salvation to keep.
6 Thy worship no interval knows,
Their fervour is still on the wing;
And, while they protect my repose,
They chant to the praise of my King.
7 I too, at the season ordain'd,
Their chorus for ever shall join ;
And love, and adore, without end,
Their faithful Creator, and mine.
The Lord is my light and my salvation.
Ps. xxvii. 1.
1 SWEET Saviour, bless us ere we go;
Thy word into our minds instil,
And make our lukewarm hearts to glow
With lowly love and fervent will.
Through life's long day and death's dark night, O gentle Jesu, be our light.
2 The day is gone, its hours have run;
And thou hast taken count of all,
The scanty triumphs grace hath won,
The broken vow, the frequent fall.
Through life's long day, &c.
3 Forgive us, Lord; yea, give us joy,
Sweet fear, and sober liberty,
And loving hearts without alloy
That only long to be like thee.
Through life's long day, &c.
4 Labour is sweet, for thou hast toil'd,
And care is light, for thou hast cared:
Let not our works with self be soil'd
Nor in unsimple ways ensnared.
Through life's long day, &c.
5 For all we love, the poor, the sad,
The sinful, unto thee we call;
O let thy mercy make us glad;
Thou art our Jesus, and our all.
Through life's long day, &c.
6 Sweet Saviour, bless us; night is come;
Thy holy Presence with us be.
Good angels watch about our home,
And we are one day nearer thee:
Through life's long day and death's dark night,
O gentle Jesu, be our light.1
26 I will keep it night and day.—Isa. xxvii. 3. [8s. 48.
1 GOD, that madest earth and heaven,
Darkness and light;
Who the day for toil hast given,
For rest the night:
May thine angel-guards defend us,
Slumber sweet thy mercy send us,
Holy dreams and hopes attend us,
This livelong night.
2. Guard us waking, guard us sleeping;
And when we die,
May we, in thy mighty keeping,
All peaceful lie:
When the last dread call shall wake us,
Do not thou, our God, forsake us,
But to reign in glory take us,
With thee on high.*
The Lord is thy keeper.-Ps. cxxi. 5.
1 THROUGH the day thy love has spared us,
Now we lay us down to rest;
Through the silent watches guard us,
Let no foe our peace molest:.
Jesu, thou our guardian be,
Sweet it is to trust in thee.
2 Pilgrims here on earth, and strangers,
Dwelling in the midst of foes;
Us and ours preserve from dangers;
In thine arms may we repose;
And, when life's short day is past,
Rest with thee in heaven at last..
I am the Almighty God, walk before me.
Gen. xvii. 1.
1 LORD, in the day thou art about
The paths wherein I tread;
And in the night, when I lie down,
Thou art about my bed.
2 While others in God's prisons lie
Bound with affliction's chain,
I walk at large, secure and free
From sickness and from pain.
3 'Tis thou dost crown my hopes and plans
With good success each day;
This crown, together with myself.
At thy blest feet I lay.
4 O let my house a temple be,
That I and mine may sing,
Hosanna to thy Majesty,
And praise our heavenly King.
Now is our salvation nearer than when we
believed.-Rom. xiii. 11.
1 ONE Sweetly solemn thought
Comes to me o'er and o'er,-
I am nearer my home to-day
Than I ever have been before.
2 Nearer the great white throne,
Nearer the crystal sea,
Nearer my Father's house,
Where the many mansions be.
3 Nearer the bound of life,
Where we lay our burdens down;
Nearer leaving the cross,
Nearer gaining the crown.
4 But lying darkly between,
Winding down through the night,
Is the deep and unknown stream
To be cross'd ere we reach the light.
5 Jesu, perfect my trust,
Strengthen the hand of my faith:
Let me feel thee near when I stand
On the edge of the shore of death;
6 Feel thee near when my feet
Are slipping over the brink;
For it may be I'm nearer home,
Nearer now than I think.
The everlasting God fainteth not, neither is [C.M.
weary.-Isa. xl. 28.
1 THERE is an eye that never sleeps
Beneath the wing of night;
There is an ear that never shuts,
When sink the beams of light:
2 There is an arm that never tires,
When human strength gives way;
There is a love that never fails,
When earthly loves decay.
3 That eye is fix'd on seraph throngs;
That arm upholds the sky;
That ear is fill'd with angel songs;
That love is throned on high.
4 But there's a power which man can wield,
When mortal aid is vain,
That eye, that arm, that love to reach,
That listening ear to gain.
5 That power is prayer,
Through Jesus to the throne,
And moves the hand, which moves the world, To bring salvation down."
31 So he giveth his beloved sleep.-Ps. cxxvii. 2.
1 FATHER, by thy love and power
Comes again the evening hour:
Light has vanish'd, labours cease,
Weary creatures rest in peace;
Thou, whose genial dews distil
On the lowliest weed that grows,
Father, guard our couch from ill,
Grant thy children sweet repose:
We to thee ourselves resign,
Let our latest thoughts be thine.
2 Saviour, to thy Father bear
This our feeble evening prayer
Thou hast seen how oft to-day
We like sheep have gone astray;
Worldly thoughts and thoughts of pride,
Wishes to thy cross untrue,
Secret faults and undescried
Meet thy spirit-piercing view;
Blessed Saviour, yet through thee
Pray that we may pardon'd be.
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