43 Lisbon. S.M.
(81) The Sabbath Welcomed.
Welcome! sweet day of rest,
That saw the Lord arise!
Welcome to this reviving breast,
And these rejoicing eyes!
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 in such a place,
Where thou, my God, art seen,
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.
Isaac Watts, 1707
44 Mendebras. 7s & 6s. D.
The Sabbath Holy.
O day of rest and gladness,
O day of joy and light!
O balm of care and sadness,
Most beautiful, most bright!
On thee, the high and lowly,
Before th' eternal throne,
Sing Holy! Holy! Holy!
To the great Three in One.
2 On thee, at the creation.
The light first had its birth;
On thee for our salvation,
Christ rose from depths of earth.
On thee, our Lord, victorious,
The Spirit sent from heaven,
And thus on thee, most glorious,
A triple light was given.
3 New graces ever gaining
From this our day of rest,
We reach the rest remaining
To spirits of the blest;
To Holy Ghost be praises,
To Father and to Son;
The church her voice upraises
To thee, blest Three in One.
Christopher Wordsworth, 1858.
45 Auburn. C.M.
(66) Sweet Day of Rest.
Come, dearest Lord, and feed thy sheep,
On this sweet day of rest;
Oh, bless this flock, and make this fold
Enjoy a heavenly rest.
2 Welcome, and precious to my soul
Are these sweet days of love;
But what a Sabbath shall I keep
When I shall rest above!
3 I come, I wait, I hear, I pray;
Thy footsteps. Lord. I trace;
Here, in thine own appointed way,
I wait to see thy face.
4 Those are the sweet and precious days
On which my Lord I've seen;
And oft, when feasting on his word,
In raptures I have been.
5 Oh, if my soul, when death appears.
In this sweet frame be found,
I'll clasp my Savior in mine arms,
And leave this earthly ground.
John Mason, 1683.
46 Auburn. C.M.
(60) Sabbath Morn.
How sweetly breaks the Sabbath dawn
Along the eastern skies!
So, when the night of time hath gone,
Eternity shall rise.
2 How softly spreads the Sabbath light!
How soon the gloom hath fled!
So o'er the new created sight
Celestial bliss is spread.
3 What quiet reigns o'er earth and sea,
Through all the stilly air!
So calm may we this Sabbath be,
And free from worldly care.
4 Thus let thy peace, O Lord! pervade
Our bosoms all our days;
And let each passing hour be made
A herald of thy praise.
5 This peace of God--how full! how sweet
It flows from Jesus' breast;
It makes our bliss on earth complete,
It brings eternal rest.
Edwin F. Hatfield, 1840
47 Auburn. C.M.
(65) The Lord's Day Morning.
When the worn spirit wants repose,
And sighs her God to seek,
How sweet to hail the evening's close
That ends the weary week!
2 How sweet to hail the early dawn
That opens on the sight,
When first that soul-reviving morn
Sheds forth new rays of light!
3 Sweet day! thine hours too soon will cease;
Yet, while they gently roll,
Breathe, heavenly Spirit, source of peace,
A Sabbath o'er my soul.
4 When will my pilgrimage be done,
The world's long week be o'er,
That Sabbath dawn which needs no sun,
That day which fades no more?
James Edmeston, 1820.
48 Sabbath. 7s, 6 or 8 lines.
(94) Blessing of the Sabbath.
Safely thro' another week,
God has bro't us on our way;
Let us now a blessing seek,
Waiting in his courts to-day;
Day of all the week the best,
Emblem of eternal rest.
2 While we seek supplies of grace
Through the dear Redeemer's name,
Show thy reconciling face;
Take away our sin and shame;
From our worldly cares set free;
May we rest, this day, in thee.
3 May the gospel's joyful sound
Conquer sinners, comfort saints,
Make the fruits of grace abound,
Bring relief from all complaints;
Thus let all our Sabbaths prove,
Till we join the church above.
John Newton, 1779. a.
49 Lischer. (German.) H.M.
(98) Rejoicing in the Sabbath.
Welcome, delightful morn!
Thou day of sacred rest;
I hail thy kind return;
Lord, make these moments blest;
From the low train of mortal toys
I soar to reach immortal joys.
2 Now may the King descend,
And fill his throne of grace;
Thy scepter, Lord, extend,
While saints address thy face!
Let sinners feel thy quickening word,
And learn to know and fear the Lord.
3 Descend, celestial Dove,
With all thy quickening powers;
Disclose a Savior's love,
And bless the sacred hours;
Then shall my soul new life obtain,
Nor Sabbaths be indulged in vain.
Hayward, 1806.
50 Spanish Hymn, 7s, 8.
(91) The Day of Rest.
Welcome, sacred day of rest!
Sweet repose from worldly care;
Day above all days the best,
When our souls for heav'n prepare;
Day, when our Redeemer rose,
Victor o'er the hosts of hell;
Thus he vanquished all our foes;
Let our lips his glory tell.
2 Gracious Lord! we love this day,
When we hear thy holy word;
When we sing thy praise, and pray,
Earth can no such joys afford;
But a better rest remains,
Heav'nly Sabbaths, happier days,
Rest from sin, and rest from pains,
Endless joys and endless praise.
William Brown, 1822.
51 Last Hope. 7s.
(93) Sabbath Evening.
Softly fades the twilight ray
Of the holy Sabbath day;
Gently as life's setting sun,
When the Christian's course is run.
2 Night her solemn mantle spreads
O'er the earth as daylight fades;
All things tell of calm repose
At the holy Sabbath's close.
3 Peace is on the world abroad;
'Tis the holy peace of God--
Symbol of the peace within,
When the spirit rests from sin.
4 Savior, may our Sabbaths be
Days of peace and joy in thee,
Till in heav'n our souls repose,
Where the Sabbath ne'er shall close.
Samuel F. Smith, 1843.
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