Return, O Holy Dove, return,
Sweet Messenger of rest;
I hate the sins that made Thee mourn,
And drove Thee from my breast.
The dearest idol I have known,
Whate'er that idol be,
Help me to tear it from Thy throne,
And worship only Thee.
So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;
So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.
SONGS of praise the angels sang,
Heaven with halleluiahs rang,
When Jehovah's work begun,
When He spake, and it was done.
Songs of praise awoke the morn,
When the Prince of peace was born;
Songs of praise arose when He
Captive led captivity.
Heaven and earth must pass away,
Songs of praise shall crown that day;
God will make new heavens and earth,
Songs of praise shall hail their birth.
And shall man alone be dumb
Till that glorious kingdom come?
No; the Church delights to raise
Psalms, and hymns, and songs of praise.
Saints below, with heart and voice,
Still in songs of praise rejoice:
Learning here by faith and love,
Songs of praise to sing above.
Now let us raise our cheerful strains
And join the blissful choir above,
Where our exalted Savior reigns,
And angels sing His wondrous love.
While seraphs tune th' immortal song,
O may we feel the sacred flame;
May every heart and every tongue
Adore the Savior's glorious Name.
Jesus, Who died that we might live,
Died to redeem our ruin'd race;
Say, what return can mortals give
For such immeasurable grace !
Alas! for bounty so divine
We ne'er can equal honors raise ;
Still, Jesu, may our hearts be Thine,
And all our lives proclaim Thy praise.
GLORIOUS things of thee are spoken,
Zion, city of our God;
He, Whose word cannot be broken,
Form'd thee for His own abode.
On the Rock of ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose?
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou may'st smile at all thy foes.
See the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Well supply thy sons and daughters,
And all fear of want remove.
Who can faint while such a river
Ever flows their thirst t' assuage? Blessings, like the Lord their Giver, Never fail from age to age.
BLEST is the broken, bleeding heart,
For sin constrain'd to ache!
Soon heavenly hands shall bind it up,
No more to bleed or break.
Blest are the eves whose burning tears
O'er past transgressions fall!
The Sun of righteousness shall rise,
To dry or light them all.
That broken heart, that tearful eye,
That pensive pilgrim guise,
Are heaven's own gifts, and more than all
That worldlings seek or prize.
Who has them, claims and titles has
Which none beside can own;
Pledges of more than eye hath seen,
Or heart conceiv'd and known.
Thro' clouds and sunshine, storm and calm,
He on to glory goes,
With hope to light him o'er his way,
And bliss to crown its close.
PRAISE waits in Zion, Lord, for Thee;
Thy saints adore Thy holy Name;
Thy creatures bend th' obedient knee,
And humbly Thy protection claim.
Thy hand has rais'd us from the dust;
The breath of life Thy Spirit gave;
Where, but in Thee, can mortals trust ?
Who, but our God, has power to save?
Eternal Source of truth and light!
To Thee we look, on Thee we call :
Lord, we are nothing in Thy sight;
But Thou to us art all in all.
Here at the portal of Thy house,
We leave our mortal hopes and fears; Accept our prayers, and bless our vows, And dry our penitential tears.
So shall our suns of hope arise
With brighter still and brighter ray;
Till Thou shalt bless our longing eyes
With beams of everlasting day.
O THOU eternal Source of love,
Ruler of nature's scheme,
In Substance One, in Person Three,
Omniscient and Supreme!
For Thy dear mercy's sake, receive
The strains and tears we pour,
And purify our hearts to taste
Thy sweetness more and more.
Our flesh, our reins, our spirits, Lord,
In Thy clear fire refine,
Break down the self-indulgent will,
Gird us with strength divine.
And may we all, who here are met
Thy holy Name to bless,
One day, in our eternal home,
Thine endless joys possess !
LOVE divine, all love excelling,
Joy of heaven, to earth come down! Thou hast made in us Thy dwelling, All Thy faithful mercies crown.
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