Ascension.

67.

O CHRIST, Who hast prepar'd a place
For us around Thy throne of grace,
We pray Thee, lift our hearts above,
And draw them with the cords of love.

Source of all good, Thou, gracious LORD,
Art our exceeding great reward;
How transient is our present pain!
How boundless our eternal gain!

With open face and joyful heart,
We then shall see Thee as Thou art;
Our love shall never cease to glow,
Our praise shall never cease to flow.

Thy never-failing grace to prove,
A surety of Thine endless love,
Send down Thy HOLY GHOST, to be
The raiser of our souls to Thee.

68.

O CHRIST Our hope, our heart's desire,
Redemption's only spring;

Creator of the world art Thou,
Its SAVIOUR, and its King.

How vast the mercy and the love
Which laid our sins on Thee,
And led Thee to a cruel death
To set Thy people free.

But now the bonds of death are burst
The ransom hath been paid;
And Thou art on Thy FATHER's throne,
In glorious robes arrayed.

O CHRIST, be Thou our present joy,

Our future great reward;

Our only glory may it be
To glory in the LORD.

69.

THOU art gone up on high,

To mansions in the skies;
And round Thy throne unceasingly
The songs of praise arise:
But we are lingering here,

With sin and care opprest;
LORD, send Thy promised Comforter,
And lead us to our rest.

Thou art gone up on high,—

But Thou didst first come down, Through earth's most bitter misery To pass unto Thy crown;

And girt with griefs and fears

Our onward course must be,

But only let that path of tears
Lead us at last to Thee.

Thou art gone up on high,—

But Thou shalt come again, With all the bright ones of the sky Attendants in Thy train;

Oh! by Thy saving power,

So make us live and die,

That we may stand in that dread hour At Thy right hand on high.

70.

BEYOND the glittering starry skies,
Far as the eternal hills,

There, in the boundless worlds of light,
Our dear REDEEMER dwells.

Legions of Angels, bright and fair,
In countless armies shine;
Before Him in transporting lays,
They offer songs divine.

As on the torturing cross He hung,
And darkness veiled the sky,
Amazed they saw the awful sight,
The LORD of glory die!

They thronged His chariot up the skies, And bore Him to His throne;

Then swept their golden harps, and cried, "The glorious work is done!"

71.

HAIL the day that sees Him rise,
Glorious to His native skies;

CHRIST, awhile to mortals given,
Enters now the highest heaven.

Thee the glorious triumph waits,
Lift your heads, eternal gates!
CHRIST has vanquished death and sin,
Take the King of glory in!

Lo! the heaven its Lord receives,
Yet He loves the earth He leaves;
Though returning to His throne
Still He calls mankind His own.

O! though parted from our sight,
Far above yon azure height,
Grant our hearts may thither rise,
Seeking Thee above the skies.