482

4. The Seasons

'While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest...shall not cease.'

If Broad and deep and glorious
As the heaven above,
Shines in might victorious
His eternal love.

FOUNTAIN of mercy, God of mf 3 Lord, upon our blindness

love,
How rich Thy bounties are!
The rolling seasons, as they move,
Proclaim Thy constant care.

mp 2 When in the bosom of the
earth

The sower hid the grain, cr Thy goodness marked its secret birth,

And sent the early rain.

3 The spring's sweet influence was
Thine;

The plants in beauty grew;
Thou gav'st refulgent suns to shine,
And mild refreshing dew.
4 These various mercies from a

bove

Matured the swelling grain;
A yellow harvest crowns Thy love,
And plenty fills the plain.

mf 5 Seed-time and harvest, Lord,
alone

Thou dost on man bestow;
Let him not then forget to own
From whom his blessings flow.

f6 Fountain of love, our praise is

Thine;

To Thee our songs we'll raise;
And all created nature join
In sweet harmonious praise.

Amen.

MRS. ALICE FLOWERDEW.

483
'Truly the light is sweet, and a
pleasant thing it is for the eyes
to behold the sun.'

mf Over land and sea,
UMMER suns are glowing

Happy light is flowing,
Bountiful and free.
Everything rejoices

In the mellow rays,
All earth's thousand voices
Swell the psalm of praise.
2 God's free mercy streameth
Over all the world,

And His banner gleameth,
Everywhere unfurled.

Thy pure radiance pour;
For Thy lovingkindness

Make us love Thee more.
p And when clouds are drifting
Dark across our sky,

cr Then, the vail uplifting,

Father, be Thou nigh.

mf We will never doubt Thee,
Though Thou vail Thy light:
Life is dark without Thee;
Death with Thee is bright.
Light of light! shine o'er us
On our pilgrim way,
Go Thou still before us
To the endless day. Amen.
W. W. How

484
'The waters are hid as with a stone,
and the face of the deep is frozen.'

mp WINTER reigneth o'er the

land.

Freezing with its icy breath; Dead and bare the tall trees stand: dim All is chill and drear as death. mp 2 Yet it seemeth but a day

Since the summer flowers were
here,

Since they stacked the balmy hay,
Since they reaped the golden ear.
mp 3 Sunny days are past and gone:
So the years go, speeding fast
Onward ever, each new one
Swifter speeding than the last.
p 4 Life is waning; life is brief;
Death, like winter, standeth nigh:
Each one, like the fallen leaf,

Soon shall fade, and fall, and die. f5 But the sleeping earth shall wake,

And the flowers shall burst in bloom,

And all nature rising break Glorious from its winter tomb. f6 So the saints, from slumber blest, Rising, shall awake and sing; And our flesh in hope shall rest Till there breaks the endless spring. Amen.

W. W. How.

5. Harvest and Thanksgiving

6 And they have been gathered and garnered,

Some golden with honor and gain, mp And some, as with heart's blood, are ruddy,

The harvests of sorrow and pain.

f7 O Thou who art Lord of the harvest,

The Giver who gladdens our days, Our hearts are forever repeating Thanksgiving and honor and praise. Amen.

W. C. GANNETT and J. CHADWICK.

488

He gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.'

E plough the fields and

mf W scatter

The good seed on the land,
But it is fed and watered

By God's Almighty hand:
He sends the snow in winter,
The warmth to swell the grain,
The breezes and the sunshine,
And soft refreshing rain.
mf

All good gifts around us

Are sent from heaven above; Then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord,

For all His love.

mf2 He only is the Maker

Of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
The winds and waves obey Him,
By Him the birds are fed;
Much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread.
mf3 We thank Thee, then, O Father,
For all things bright and good,
The seed-time and the harvest,
Our life, our health, our food.
dim No gifts have we to offer,
For all Thy love imparts,
cr But that which Thou desirest,
Our humble, thankful hearts.
Amen.
MATTHIAS CLAUDIUS,
tr. MISS J. M. CAMPBELL.

489
'Every good gift, and every perfect
boon is from above."
mf THOU, Lord, art our life and
the length of our days:
Our voices to Thee in thanksgiving
we raise ;

Our shield and our buckler, our refuge and tower,

We trust in Thy faithfulness, mer-
cy, and power.

2 We thank Thee, we praise Thee,
for sunshine and rain,
For calm and for tempest, for plea-
Thy love and Thy wisdom our
sure and pain;
tongues shall employ,

In light and in darkness, in sorrow
and joy.

mf 3 The summer and autumn, the
To Thee shall their tribute of gra-
winter and spring,
titude bring;

The sea and its fulness, the earth
and the air,

All tell of Thy goodness, Thy glory declare.

4 We thank Thee, we praise Thee, for beauty and youth,

For justice and freedom, for honor and truth;

The wealth of the ocean, the forest and field,

And all the rewards that our industries yield.

mf 5 We thank Thee, we praise
Thee, for plenty and peace,
For Thy full-flowing bounty that
never doth cease,

For the Church and the Sabbath,
the Home and the School,
For a land in which mercy and
righteousness rule.

mf 6 We thank Thee and praise Thee, our Father above,

For all the dear tokens of kindness and love

Thou sendest to greet us, as day follows day,

To lighten our burdens and gladden our way.

7 We thank Thee for life with its blessings so free,

And for the glad hope which we have, Lord, in Thee,

That Thou wilt receive us in peace to Thy rest,

To serve Thee on high with the saved and the blest.. Amen. ROBERT MURRAY.

6. Sailors and Travellers

Our guard when, on the silent deck, mf FIERCE was the wild billow,