1 Wilt Thou not visit me?
The plant beside me feels Thy gentle dew; Each blade of gra.s.s I see, From Thy deep earth its quickening moisture drew.
2 Wilt Thou not visit me?
Thy morning calls on me with cheering tone; And every hill and tree Lend but one voice, the voice of Thee alone.
3 Come! for I need Thy love, More than the flower the dew, or gra.s.s the rain; Come, like Thy holy dove, And let me in Thy sight rejoice to live again.
4 Yes! Thou wilt visit me; Nor plant nor tree Thine eye delights so well, As when, from sin set free, Man"s spirit comes with Thine in peace to dwell.
238. 7 & 6s. M. Anonymous.
Aspiration.
1 Rise, my soul, and stretch thy wings, Thy better portion trace!
Rise, from transitory things, Towards heaven, thy native place!
Sun, and moon, and stars decay; Time shall soon this earth remove; Rise, my soul, and haste away To seats prepared above!
2 Rivers to the ocean run, Nor stay in all their course; Fire, ascending, seeks the sun; Both speed them to their source; So the spirit, born of G.o.d, Pants to view His glorious face; Upward tends to His abode, To rest in His embrace.
239. P. M. Sarah F. Adams.
Nearer to Thee.
1 Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
E"en though it be a cross That raiseth me; Still all my song shall be,-- Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
2 Though, like the wanderer, The sun gone down, Darkness be over me, My rest a stone; Yet in my dreams I"d be Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee,-- Nearer to Thee!
3 There let the way appear, Steps unto heaven; All that Thou sendest me, In mercy given; Angels to beckon me Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee,-- Nearer to Thee!
4 Then with my waking thoughts, Bright with Thy praise, Out of my stony griefs, Bethel I"ll raise; So by my woes to be Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee,-- Nearer to Thee!
5 Or if on joyful wing, Cleaving the sky, Sun, moon, and stars forgot, Upward I fly; Still all my song shall be,-- Nearer, my G.o.d, to Thee, Nearer to Thee!
240. S. M. Mme. Guion.
Living Waters.
1 The fountain in its source No drought of summer fears; The further it pursues its course, The n.o.bler it appears.
2 But shallow cisterns yield A scanty, short supply; The morning sees them amply filled, At evening they are dry.
3 The cisterns I forsake, O Fount of life, for Thee!
My thirst with living waters slake, And drink eternity.
241. L. M. *Mrs. Steele.
Self-Consecration.
1 My soul no more shall strive in vain, Slave to the world, and slave to sin!
A n.o.bler toil I will sustain, A n.o.bler satisfaction win.
2 I will resolve, with all my heart, With all my powers, to serve the Lord; Nor from His precepts e"er depart, Whose service is a rich reward.
3 O, be His service all my joy!
Around let my example shine, Till others love the blest employ, And join in labors so divine.
4 O, may I never faint nor tire, Nor, wandering, leave His sacred ways; Great G.o.d! accept my soul"s desire, And give me strength to live Thy praise.
242. L. M. Oberlin.
Self-Dedication.
1 O Lord, Thy heavenly grace impart, And fix my frail, inconstant heart; Henceforth my chief desire shall be To dedicate myself to Thee.
2 Whate"er pursuits my time employ, One thought shall fill my soul with joy; That silent, secret thought shall be, That all my hopes are fixed on Thee.
3 Thy glorious eye pervadeth s.p.a.ce; Thy presence, Lord, fills every place; And, wheresoe"er my lot may be, Still shall my spirit cleave to Thee.
4 Renouncing every worldly thing, And safe beneath Thy sheltering wing, My sweetest thought henceforth shall be, That all I want I find in Thee.
243. C. P. M. Jane Roscoe.
Self-Consecration.