1 G.o.d of our fathers! by whose hand Thy people still are blest, Be with us through our pilgrimage, Conduct us to our rest.
2 Through each perplexing path of life Our wandering footsteps guide; Give us each day our daily bread, And raiment fit provide.
3 O, spread Thy sheltering wings around, Till all our wanderings cease, And at our Fathers loved abode Our souls arrive in peace.
4 To Thee, our Father and our G.o.d, We our whole souls resign; And thankful own, that all we are And all we have is Thine.
69. 7s. M. *Newton.
G.o.d Ever Near.
1 As the sun"s enlivening eye Shines on every place the same; So the Lord is always nigh To the souls that love His name.
2 When they move at duty"s call, He is with them by the way; He is ever with them all, Those who go and those who stay.
3 From His holy mercy-seat Nothing can their souls confine; Still in spirit they may meet, And in sweet communion join.
4 Father, hear our humble prayer!
Tender Shepherd of Thy sheep, Let Thy mercy and Thy care All our souls in safety keep.
5 In Thy strength may we be strong; Sanctify each cross and pain; Give us, if Thou wilt, ere long Here to meet in peace again.
70. 8, 7, & 4s. M. Anonymous.
Dismission.
1 Lord! dismiss us with Thy blessing, Hope and comfort from above; Let us each, Thy peace possessing, Triumph in redeeming love: Still support us While in duty"s path we move.
2 Thanks we give, and adoration, For the gospel"s joyful sound; May the fruits of Thy salvation In our hearts and lives abound; May Thy presence With us evermore be found!
II. G.o.d.
71. L. M. Lange.
The Most High G.o.d.
1 Unchangeable, all-perfect Lord!
Essential life"s unbounded sea!
What lives and moves, lives by Thy word; It lives and moves and is, from Thee!
Whate"er in earth, or sea, or sky, Or shuns, or meets, the wandering thought, Escapes, or strikes, the searching eye, By Thee was to existence brought.
2 High is Thy power above all height, Whate"er Thy will decrees is done; Thy wisdom, holiness and might Can by no finite mind be known.
What our dim eyes could never see, Is plain and naked in Thy sight; What thickest darkness veils, to Thee Shines clearly as the morning light;
3 Thine, Lord, is holiness, alone: Justice and Truth before Thee stand: Yet, nearer to Thy sacred throne, Love ever dwells at Thy right hand.
And to Thy love and ceaseless care, Father! this light, this breath, we owe; And all we have, and all we are From Thee, great Source of Life! doth flow.
72. 7s. M. Gaskell.
The All-Seeing G.o.d.
1 Mighty G.o.d! the first, the last!
What are ages, in Thy sight, But as yesterday when past, Or a watch within the night?
2 All that being ever knew, Far, far back, ere time had birth, Stands as clear within Thy view As the present things of earth.
3 All that being e"er shall know On, still on, through farthest years, All eternity can show, Bright before Thee now appears.
4 In Thine all-embracing sight, Every change its purpose meets, Every cloud floats into light, Every woe its glory greets.
5 Whatsoe"er our lot may be, Calmly in this thought we"ll rest,-- Could we see as Thou dost see, We should choose it as the best.
73. 8 & 7s. M. Bowring.
G.o.d is Truth and Love.
1 G.o.d is love; His mercy brightens All the path in which we move; Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens; G.o.d is wisdom, G.o.d is love.
2 Chance and change are busy ever; Man decays, and ages move; But His mercy waneth never; G.o.d is wisdom, G.o.d is love.
3 E"en the hour that darkest seemeth Will His changeless goodness prove; From the gloom His brightness streameth; G.o.d is wisdom, G.o.d is love.
4 He with earthly cares entwineth Hope and comfort from above; Everywhere His glory shineth; G.o.d is wisdom, G.o.d is love.