Grant that all we, who here to-day
Rejoicing this foundation lay,
May be in very deed Thine Own,
Built on the precious Corner stone.
Endue the creatures with Thy grace,
That shall adorn Thy dwelling-place,
The beauty of the oak and pine,
The gold and silver, make them Thine.
To Thee they all pertain; to Thee
The treasures of the earth and sea;
And when we bring them to Thy throne,
We but present Thee with Thine Own.
Endue the hearts that guide with skill;
Preserve the hands that work from ill;
That we, who these foundations lay,
May raise the topstone in its day.
Both now and ever, Lord, protect
The temple of Thine Own elect;
Be Thou in them, and they in Thee,
O Ever-Blessed Trinity.
Consecration of a Church.
O GOD, Who lovest to abide
In Sion's chosen gate,
More than the thousand tents beside,
Where Israel's faithful wait.
Accept our works, and hear our vows,
Unworthy though we be;
And look in mercy on the House
We dedicate to Thee.
Here answer Thou, as Thou art wont,
Thy people when they pray;
Here in the waters of Thy font
Let sin be washed away.
Here set Thy Confirmation's seal
For ghostly strength and good;
Here give Thy people as they kneel
Their Saviour's Flesh and Blood.
Let never evil thing divide
The hearts Thou here mak'st one; By danger or affliction tried,
Here let Thy servants run.
If after sin they seek Thy face,
And by Thy precepts live,
Hear Thou in Heaven Thy dwelling-place,
And when Thou hear'st, forgive!
If there be famine in the land,
Or pestilence, or foe,
Stretch out from Heaven Thy strong right
When here Thy flock fall low.
Here find they refuge from their foes,
And grace and peace alway:
Here let their dust in hope repose,
Until the judgment day.
Bless those, O Lord, and hear their
That raised Thy temple here;
That in Thy House beyond the sky
With joy they may appear.
And whoso seeks, by guile or might
To wrong Thy Holy Place;
Thou shalt avenge, O God, Thy right,
On him and all his race.
Wisdom and power to God alone:
Praise to the Father be,
And to the precious Corner Stone,
And, Holy Ghost, to Thee!
CITY of Heaven, Jerusalem,
Blest vision of the peace on high,
With living stones, each stone a gem,
Uplifted to the starry sky,
In all thy bridal splendour crowned,
With thousand thousand angels round.
Oh, wedded with a lot most bright,
E'en with the Father's glory dowered,
In all the Bridegroom's beauty dight,
Queen, in all loveliness embowered;
To Christ the King in marriage given,
Resplendent citadel of Heaven.
With purest pearls thy portals shine,
And day and night unclosed remain,
And thither led by grace divine,
Of mortals winds an holy train,
Who for the love of Christ have borne
The racking Cross and robe of scorn.
With many a needful stroke, impress'd
By dint of Heavenly Builder's hand,
With many a blow those stones are dress'd,
And for that pile celestial planned;
Till fitly framed and firmly braced,
And on its rising summit placed.
To God the Father in the height,
Fixed in His everlasting seat,
And to the Son, True Light of Light,
And to the Mighty Paraclete,
All praise, all power, all glory be,
Through all the long eternity.
Feast of Bedication of a Church.
O WORD of God above,
Who fillest all in all,
Hallow this House with Thy sure love,
And bless our Festival.
Grace in this Font is stored,
To cleanse each guilty child,
The Spirit's blest anointing poured
Brightens the once defiled.
Here Christ of His Own Blood,
Himself the chalice gives,
And feeds His Own with Angels' food
On which the spirit lives.
For guilty souls that pine,
Sure mercies here abound,
And healing grace, with oil and wine,
For every secret wound.
Yea, God, enthroned most high,
Here also dwells to bless;
Here trains the souls that contrite sigh,
His mansions to possess.
No wintry storm nor shower
Shall harm this holy home,
Nor, worse than they, the evil power
Which dwells within the gloom.
All might, all praise be Thine,
The God Whom all adore,
The Father, Son, and Spirit Divine,
Both now and evermore.
The hymn, City of Heaven, used for the Consecration of a church, will also serve for a Feast of Dedication.
Offertory Bays.
Propagation of the Gospel.
FOREIGN MISSIONS.
FROM Greenland's icy mountains,
From India's coral strand,
Where Afric's sunny fountains
Roll down their golden sand;
From many an ancient river,
From many a palmy plain,
They call us to deliver
Their land from error's chain !
What though the spicy breezes
Blow soft o'er Java's isle,
Though every prospect pleases,
And only man is vile :
In vain with lavish kindness
The gifts of God are strewn,
The Heathen in his blindness,
Bows down to wood and stone.
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