2 This is the day of rest.

Our failing strength renew;
On weary brain and troubled breast
Shed Thou Thy freshening dew.

3 This is the day of peace.

Thy peace our spirits fill;
Bid Thou the blast of discord cease,
The waves of strife be still.

4 This is the day of prayer.

Let earth to heaven draw near;
Lift up our hearts to seek Thee there;
Come down to meet us here.

5 This is the first of days.

Send forth Thy quickening breath, And wake dead souls to love and praise, O vanquisher of death!

122

J. Ellerton.

C. M.

THIS is the day the Lord hath made,
He calls the hours His own;
Let heav'n rejoice, let earth be glad,
And praise surround the throne.

2 To-day He rose and left the dead,
And Satan's empire fell;

To-day the saints His triumphs spread
And all His wonders tell.

3 Hosanna, to the anointed King,
To David's holy Son!

Help us, O Lord; descend and bring
Salvation from the throne.

4 Blest be the Lord, who comes to men With messages of grace;

Who comes in God His Father's name,
To save our sinful race.

5 Hosanna, in the highest strains The Church on earth can raise ! The highest heavens in which He reigns,

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Shall give Him nobler praise. I. Watts.

C. M.

BLEST day of God, most calm, most bright,
The first, the best of days;

The laborer's rest, the saint's delight,
The day of prayer and praise.

2 My Saviour's face made thee to shine;
His rising thee did raise,

And made thee heavenly and divine
Beyond all other days.

3 The first-fruits oft a blessing prove
To all the sheaves behind;

And they the day of Christ who love,
A happy week shall find..

4 This day I must with God appear,
For, Lord, the day is Thine;
Help me to spend it in Thy fear,
And thus to make it mine.

124

J. Mason.

WITH joy we hail the sacred day
Which God hath called His own;
With joy the summons we obey
To worship at His throne.

2 Thy chosen temple, Lord, how fair!
As here Thy servants throng

C. M.

To breathe the humble, fervent prayer,
And pour the choral song.

3 Spirit of grace, O deign to dwell
Within Thy Church below;
Make her in holiness excel,
With pure devotion glow.

4 Let peace within her walls be found;
Let all her sons unite

To spread with holy zeal around
Her clear and shining light.

5 Great God, we hail the sacred day
Which Thou hast called Thine own;
With joy the summons we obey
To worship at Thy throne.

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ARISE, O King of grace, arise,

And enter to Thy rest!

H. Auber.

C. M.

Lo, Thy church waits with longing eyes,
Thus to be owned and blest.

2 Enter with all Thy glorious train,
Thy Spirit and Thy word;
All that the ark did once contain
Could no such grace afford.

3 Here, mighty God, accept our vows,
Here let Thy praise be spread ;
Bless the provisions of Thy house,
And fill Thy poor with bread.

4 Here let the Son of David reign,
Let God's Anointed shine,

Justice and truth His court maintain,
With love and power divine.

5 Here let Him hold a lasting throne;
And, as His kingdom grows,
Fresh honors shall adorn His crown,
And shame confound His foes.

I. Watts.

126

S. M.

HAIL to the Sabbath day,

The day divinely given,

When men to God their homage pay,
And earth draws near to heaven!

2 Lord, in this sacred hour,

Within Thy courts we bend,

And bless Thy love, and own Thy power,
Our Father and our Friend.

3 But Thou art not alone

In courts by mortals trod;
Nor only is the day Thine own
When man draws near to God.

4 Thy temple is the arch

Of yon unmeasured sky;

Thy Sabbath, the stupendous march
Öf grand eternity.

5 Lord, may that holier day

Dawn on Thy servants' sight;
And purer worship may we pay
In heaven's unclouded light.

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S. G. Bulfinch.

WELCOME, Sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise;
Welcome to this reviving breast
And these rejoicing eyes.

S. M.

2 The King Himself comes near,
And feasts His saints to-day;
Here we may sit, and see Him here,
And love, and praise, and pray.

3 One day amidst the place
Where my dear Lord hath been
Is sweeter than ten thousand days
Of pleasurable sin.

4 My willing soul would stay
In such a frame as this,

And sit, and sing herself away
To everlasting bliss.

I. Watts.

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My Lord, my Love, was crucified,
He all the pains did bear;
But in the sweetness of His rest
He makes His servants share.

2 How sweetly rest Thy saints above
Who in Thy bosom lie;

C. M.

The Church below doth rest in hope
Of that felicity.

3 Thou, Lord, who daily feed'st Thy sheep, Mak'st them a weekly feast;

Thy flocks meet in their several folds
Upon this day of rest.

4 Welcome and dear unto my soul
Are these sweet feasts of love;
But what a Sabbath shall I keep
When I shall rest above!

5 I bless Thy wise and wondrous love,
Which binds us to be free;
Which makes us leave our earthly snares,
That we may come to Thee.

6 I come, I wait, I hear, I pray,
Thy footsteps, Lord, I trace;
I sing to think this is the way
Unto my Saviour's face.

J. Mason.