4 0 Thou! who o'er the cherubim
Didst shine in glories veil'd and dim,
With purer light our temple cheer,
And dwell in unveil'd glory here.

962

THIS

God's guardian presence.

L. M.

HIS stone to thee, in faith, we lay; This temple, Lord, to thee we raise; Thine eye be open night and day,

To guard this house of prayer and praise. 2 Within these walls let heavenly peace And holy love and concord dwell; Here give the burden'd conscience ease, And here the wounded spirit heal. 3 But will, indeed, Jehovah deign Here to abide, no transient guest? Here will our great Redeemer reign, And here the Holy Spirit rest? 4 Ne'er let thy glory hence depart: Yet choose not, Lord, this shrine alone; Thy Spirit dwell in every heart,In every bosom fix thy throne.

963

5th P. M. 4 lines 7s..

Jesus Christ the corner-stone.

this stone, now laid with prayer,
Let thy church rise, strong and fair;
Ever, Lord, thy Name be known,
Where we lay this corner-stone.
2 Let thy holy Child, who came
Man from error to reclaim,
And for sinners to atone,
Bless, with thee, this corner-stone.
3 May thy Spirit here give rest
To the heart by sin oppress'd,
And the seeds of truth be sown,
Where we lay this corner-stone..

4 Open wide, O God, thy door,
For the outcast and the poor,
Who can call no house their own,
Where we lay this corner-stone.
5 By wise master-builders squared,
Here be living stones prepared
For the temple near thy throne ;-
Jesus Christ its corner-stone.

964

G

DEDICATION.

3d P. M. 4 6s & 2 8s.

Invoking God's presence and blessing.
REAT King of glory, come,
And with thy favour crown
This temple as thy home,—

This people as thine own:

Beneath this roof, O deign to show
How God can dwell with men below.
2 Here may thine ears attend
Our interceding cries,
And grateful praise ascend,

Like incense, to the skies:

Here may thy soul-converting word
With faith be preach'd, in faith be heard.
3 Here may our unborn sons
And daughters sound thy praise,
And shine, like polish'd stones,
Through long-succeeding days:
Here, Lord, display thy saving power,
While temples stand and men adore.
4 Here may the list'ning throng
Receive thy truth in love:
Here Christians join the song
Of the redeem'd above;

Till all, who humbly seek thy face,
Rejoice in thy abounding grace.

965

The honour and safety of a nation. YREAT is the Lord our God,

And let his praise be great;
He makes his churches his abode,
His most delightful seat.

2 These temples of his grace,
How beautiful they stand:-
The honours of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.

3 In Zion God is known,
A refuge in distress;
How bright has his salvation shone
Through all her palaces!

4 In every new distress

We'll to his house repair;

S. M.

We'll think upon his wondrous grace,

And seek deliv'rance there.

966

5th P. M. 4 lines 7s.

Prayer and praise.

and praise:

ORD of hosts! to thee we raise

Here a house of prayer

Thou thy people's hearts prepare,
Here to meet for praise and prayer.

2 Let the living here be fed
With thy word, the heavenly bread:
Here, in hope of glory blest,
May the dead be laid to rest.
3 Here to thee a temple stand,
While the sea shall gird the land:
Here reveal thy mercy sure,
While the sun and moon endure.
4 Hallelujah!-earth and sky
To the joyful sound reply:
Hallelujah! hence ascend

Prayer and praise till time shall end.

967

0

A blessing supplicated.

C. M.

GOD, though countless worlds of light
Thy power and glory show,-

Though round thy throne, above all height,
Immortal seraphs glow,-

2 Yet, Lord, where'er thy saints apart
Are met for praise and prayer,-
Wherever sighs a contrite heart,
Thou, gracious God, art there.
3 With grateful joy, thy children rear
This temple, Lord, to thee;
Long may they sing thy praises here,
And here thy beauty see.

4 Here, Saviour, deign thy saints to meet; With peace their hearts to fill;

And here, like Sharon's odours sweet,
May grace divine distil,

5 Here may thy truth fresh triumphs win; Eternal Spirit, here,

In many a heart now dead in sin,

A living temple rear.

968

Jehovah's presence.

L. M.

NJehovah's' presence can confine;

OT heaven's wide range of hallow'd space
presence

Nor angels' claims restrain his grace,
Whose glories through creation shine.
2 It beam'd on Eden's guilty days,
And traced redemption's wondrous plan;
From Calvary, in brightest rays,

It glow'd to guide benighted man.
3 Its sacred shrine it fixes there,
Where two or three are met to raise
Their holy hands in humble prayer,

Or tune their hearts to grateful praise.

4 Be this, O Lord, that honour'd place, The house of God, the gate of heaven; And may the fulness of thy grace

To all who here shall meet be given. 5 And hence, in spirit, may we soar To those bright courts where seraphs bend; With awe like theirs, on earth adore,

Till with their anthems ours shall blend.

969

The tokens of His grace.

will the eternal God

On earth establish his abode ? And will he, from his radiant throne, Accept our temples for his own?

L. M.

2 These walls we to thy honour raise;
Long may they echo with thy praise:
And thou, descending, fill the place
With choicest tokens of thy grace.
3 Here let the great Redeemer reign,
With all the graces of his train;
While power divine his word attends,
To conquer foes, and cheer his friends.
4 And in the great decisive day,
When God the nations shall survey,
May it before the world appear
That crowds were born to glory here.

970

L. M.

An humble offering to Jehovah.
HE perfect world, by Adam trod,
Was the first temple built by God;

THE

His fiat laid the corner-stone;

He spake, and lo! the work was done.
2 He hung its starry roof on high,
The broad expanse of azure sky;

He spread its pavement, green and bright,
And curtain'd it with morning light.