5 O may thy grace his heart enlarge,
To teach thy precepts given,
Till, with the people of his charge,
He shall be called to heaven.

HYMN 488. L. M.

L. M. [#]

Pastoral Care.

1 GREAT God, before thy throne we bow;
To thee we raise the fervent prayer;
Do thou on us thy grace bestow,
And make us all thy tender care.

2 Him thou dost place as pastor here, Wilt thou, O Saviour, deign to bless : With firmness and with godly fear

May he declare thy truth and grace. 3 May no vain pride his heart possess, To wrest thy word, thy truth conceal; Be thou his Strength and Righteousness, And with thy love his bosom fill.

4 And on this people, gracious Lord,

Pour down thy blessings from above, Cause every heart to love thy word,

And in thy paths their footsteps move. 5 We pray, O God, and we believe;

We've seen thy kindness all our days; And long as we existence have,

We'll celebrate thy wondrous praise.

HYMN 489. L. M. [#]

Ordination or Installation.

1 0 THOU, who art above all height,
Our God, our Father and our Friend,
Beneath thy throne of love and light,
Let thine adoring children bend.

2 We kneel in praise, that here is set
A vine that by thy culture grew;
We kneel in prayer, that thou wouldst wet
Its opening leaves with heavenly dew.
3 Since this thy servant now hath given

Himself, his powers, his hopes, his youth, To the great cause of truth and heaven, Be thou his Guide, O God of truth.

4 Here may his doctrine drop like rain,

His speech like Hermon's dew distil,
Till green fields smile, and golden grain,
Ripe for the harvest, waits thy will.
5 And when he sinks in death, by care,
Or pain, or toil, or years oppressed,
O God, remember then our prayer,
And take his spirit to thy rest.

BAPTISM, AND EARLY INSTRUCTION.

HYMN 490. C. M. [b or #]

Dedication of Children.

1 Lo, Israel's gentle Shepherd stands
With all-engaging charms;

See how he takes the tender lambs,
And folds them in his arms!

2 Permit them to approach, he cries,
Nor scorn their humble name;
It was to bless such souls as these
The Lord of gory came.

3 We bring them, Lord, in thankful hands,
And yield them up to thee ;
Joyful that we ourselves are thine,
Thine let our offspring be.

4 Ye little flock, with pleasure hear;
Ye children, seek his face;
And fly with transport to receive
The blessings of his grace.

5 If orphans they are left behind,
Thy guardian care we trust;

That care shall heal our bleeding hearts,
If weeping o'er their dust.

HYMN 491. C. M. [#

Children blessed.

1 How large the promise, how divine,
To Abram and his seed!
I'll be a God to thee and thine,
Supplying all their need.

2 The words of his extensive love
From age to age endure;
The angel of the promise proves,
And seals, the blessing sure.

3 Jesus the ancient faith confirms,
To our great fathers given ;
He takes young children in his arms,
And calls them heirs of heaven.

4 Our God, how faithful are his ways!
His love endures the same;
Nor from the promise of his grace
Blots out the children's name.

HYMN 492. S. M. [#]

Our Offspring the Care of God. 1 LORD, what our ears have heard Our eyes delighted trace e;

Thy love in long succession shown
To Zion's chosen race.

2 Our children thou dost claim,

And mark them out for thine : Ten thousand blessings to thy name, For goodness so divine.

And thee the sons adore;

Joined to the Lord in solemn vows,
To be forgot no more.

4 How great thy mercies, Lord!
How plenteous is thy grace,
Which, in the promise of thy love,
Includes our rising race!

HYMN 493. C. M. [#]

Infants blessed of Christ.

1 THY life I read, my dearest Lord,
With transport all divine;
Thine image trace in every word,
Thy love in every line.

2 With joy I see a thousand charms
Spread o'er thy lovely face,
While infants, in thy tender arms,
Receive the smiling grace.

3 I take these little lambs, said he,
And lay them on my breast;
Protection they shall find in me,
In me be ever blest.

4 Death may the bands of life unloose, But can't dissolve my love e;

Millions of infant souls compose
The family above.

5. His words, ye happy parents, hear,
And shout, with joys divine,

Dear Saviour, all we have and are
Shall be forever thine.