1 How, Lord, shall vows of ours be sweet? O, how should souls immortal meet? How lose themselves in heaven awhile? How win thine own eternal smile?
2 Come beautiful, as souls should be!
Come beautiful for God to see!
Come holy-fair, come heavenly-bright,
And give the All-seeing Eye delight!
3 Ye loving, of large souls and free,
Whose hours run on forgivingly,
You chief the God of Love will hear,-
Your own the incessant Pardoner!
4 Yet better songs, ye holy, raise!
More nobly live; more gladly praise!
Till beauteous round the heavenly throne
Ye worship best the Holy One.
1 Now morning lifts her dewy veil,
With new-born blessings crowned;
O, haste we, then, her light to hail,
In courts of holy ground!
2 But Christ, triumphant o'er the grave,
Shines more divinely bright;
O, sing we, then, his power to save,
And walk we in his light!
3 Still, as the morning rays return, To fancy it is given
In distant vision to discern
The radiant domes of heaven.
4 But now that our Eternal Sun
Hath shed his beams abroad,
In him we see the Holy One,
And mount at once to God.
1 Now that the sun is beaming bright,
Implore we, bending low,
That He, the Uncreated Light,
May guide us as we go.
2 No sinful word, nor deed of wrong, Nor thoughts that idly rove,
But simple truth be on our tongue,
And in our hearts be love.
3 And while the hours in order flow,
O Christ, securely fence
Our gates beleaguered by the foe,-
The gate of every sense.
4 And grant that to thine honor, Lord,
Our daily toil may tend;
That we begin it at thy word,
And in thy favor end.
1 LORD, in the morning thou shalt hear
My voice ascending high;
To thee will I direct my prayer,
To thee lift up mine eye.
2 Thou art a God, before whose sight
The wicked shall not stand:
Sinners shall ne'er be thy delight,
Nor dwell at thy right hand.
3 But to thy house will I resort,
To taste thy mercies there;
I will frequent thine holy court,
And worship in thy fear.
4 The men who love and fear thy name Shall see their hopes fulfilled;
The mighty God will compass them
With favor, as a shield.
1 ARMIES of God! in union
With us, through one communion,
Pour forth sweet prayers:
Our souls in love embrace,
Around the Saviour's face,
And ask his special grace
To soothe our cares.
2 Offer those golden vials
Of odors, for our trials,
Before the throne:
Till God the Father smile
On us, though we were vile,
Now counted without guile,
Through Christ alone!
3 Then raise the song of gladness,
To dissipate our sadness:
Along this vale of tears
We wend our weary way
Up towards the realms of day,
And watch, and wait, and pray,
Constant in fears!
4 Head of the hosts in glory!
We joyfully adore thee,
Thy Church on earth below,
Blending with those on high,
Where through the azure sky
Thy saints in ecstasy
For ever glow!
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