Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry
Have ready access unto Thee;
When in distress to Thee I fly,
O hide not Thou Thy face from me.
Attend, O Lord, to my desire,
O haste to answer when I pray;
For grief consumes my strength like fire,
My days as smoke pass swift away.

My heart is withered like the grass,
And I forget my daily bread;
In lonely grief my days I pass
And sad my thoughts upon my bed.
My foes reproach me all the day,
My drink is tears, my bread is grief,
For in Thy wrath I pine away,
My days are like a fading leaf.

But Thou, Jehovah, shalt endure,
Thy throne forever is the same;
And to all generations sure
Shall be Thy great memorial Name.
The time for Zion’s help is near,
The time appointed in Thy love;
O let Thy gracious aid appear,
Look Thou in mercy from above.

O Lord, regard the prayer of those
Who love the walls of Zion well,
Whose hearts are heavy for her woes,
Who sad amid her ruins dwell.
Thy power and glory shall appear,
And Zion’s walls shall be restored;
Then all the kings of earth shall fear
And heathen nations serve the Lord.

The Lord, exalted on His throne,
Looked down from Heav’n with pitying eye
To still the lowly captive’s moan
And save His people doomed to die.
All men in Zion shall declare
His gracious Name with one accord,
When kings and nations gather there
To serve and worship God the Lord.

When my way is hedged about me, hedged with thorns of care;
When the cross I loved so dearly, seems too hard to bear;
When my heart is bowed with sorrow, and no light I see—
Lord, Thy tender mercy pleading, let me lean on Thee.

O, for faith to cast behind me every sad complaint—
Faith to run and not be weary, walk and never faint;
Thou dost know and feel my weakness, Savior look on me;
Now Thy tender mercy pleading, let me lean on Thee.

Closer let Thine arms enfold me, closer to Thy breast
Draw my weary, trembling spirit, calm its doubts to rest;
Give me strength for every burden Thou hast borne for me;
Lord, Thy tender mercy pleading, let me lean on Thee.

Lord, to our humble prayers attend,
Let Thou Thy peace from heaven descend,
And to our souls salvation send,
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

Rule in our hearts, Thou Prince of Peace,
The welfare of Thy Church increase,
And bid all strife and discord cease;
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

To all who meet for worship here
Do Thou in faithfulness draw near;
Inspire with faith and godly fear:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

O let Thy priests be clothed with might,
To rule within Thy Church aright,
That they may serve as in Thy sight:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

The sovereign ruler of our land
Protect by Thine almighty hand,
And all around the throne who stand:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

Let clouds and sunshine bless the earth,
Give flowers and fruits a timely birth,
Our harvests crown with peaceful mirth:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

Let voyagers by land and sea
In danger’s hour in safety be;
The suffering and the captive free:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

Around us let Thine arm be cast,
Till wrath and danger are o’erpast
And tribulation’s bitter blast:
Have mercy, Lord upon us.

My Father, hear my prayer
Before I go to rest;
It is Thy trustful child
That cometh to be blest.

Forgive me all my sin,
And let me sleep this night
In safety and in peace
Until the morning light.

Lord, help me every day
To love Thee more and more,
And try to do Thy will
Much better than before.

Now look upon me, Lord,
Ere I lie down to rest;
It is Thy trustful child
That cometh to be blest.

Lonely voices crying in the city,
Lonely voices sounding like a child.
Lonely voices come from busy people,
Too disturbed to stop a little while.
Lonely voices fill my dreams,
Lonely voices haunt my memory.

Lonely faces looking for the sunrise,
Just to find another busy day.
Lonely faces all around the city,
Men afraid, but too ashamed to pray.
Lonely faces do I see,
Lonely faces haunt my memory.

Lonely eyes, I see them in the subway,
Burdened by the worries of the day;
Men at leisure, but they’re so unhappy,
Tired of foolish roles they try to play.
Lonely people do I see,
Lonely people haunt my memory.

Abundant life He came to truly give man,
But so few His gift of grace receive.
Lonely people live in every city,
Men who face a dark and lonely grave.
Lonely faces do I see,
Lonely voices calling out to me.

Eternal God, how they’re increased
Who greatly trouble me!
How many are the men that stand
In triumph over me!

Many there be who ever are
Saying unto my soul,
There’s no salvation to be had
For him in God at all.

But now about me Thou’rt a shield
O Thou eternal God;
Thou art my Glory, and Thou art
Th’Uplifter of my head.

I laid me down, and took my sleep,
And then I did awake;
Because that the eternal God
Sustained me all along.

Salvation is what does belong
To the eternal God;
On those that are Thy people is
Thy benediction still.

A few more years shall roll,
A few more seasons come,
And we shall be with those that rest
Asleep within the tomb;
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that great day.

Refrain

O wash me in Thy precious blood,
And take my sins away.

A few more suns shall set
O’er these dark hills of time,
And we shall be where suns are not
A far serener clime:
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that blest day.

Refrain

A few more storms shall beat
On this wild rocky shore,
And we shall be where tempests cease,
And surges swell no more;
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that calm day.

Refrain

A few more struggles here,
A few more partings o’er,
A few more toils, a few more tears,
And we shall weep no more:
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that bright day.

Refrain

A few more Sabbaths here
Shall cheer us on our way,
And we shall reach the endless rest,
Th’eternal Sabbath day;
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that sweet day.

Refrain

’Tis but a little while,
And He shall come again
Who died that we might live, who lives
That we with Him may reign;
Then, O my Lord, prepare
My soul for that glad day.

Refrain

Hark! how time’s wide sounding bell
Strikes on each attentive ear!
Tolling loud the solemn knell
Of the late departed year:
Years, like mortals, wear away,
Have their birth, and dying day;
Youthful spring, and wintry age,
Then to others quit the stage.

Sad experience may relate
What a year the last has been!
Crops of sorrow have been great,
From the fruitful seeds of sin:
O! what numbers gay and blithe,
Fell by death’s unsparing scythe?
While they thought the world their own,
Suddenly he mowed them down.

See how war, with dreadful stride,
Marches at the Lord’s command,
Spreading desolation wide,
Through a once much-favored land:
War, with heart and arms of steel,
Preys on thousands at a meal;
Daily drinking human gore,
Still he thirsts, and calls for more.

If the God, whom we provoke,
Hither should His way direct;
What a sin-avenging stroke
May a land, like this, expect!
They who now securely sleep,
Quickly then, would wake and weep;
And too late would learn to fear,
When they saw the danger near.

You are safe, who know His love,
He will all His truth perform;
To your souls a refuge prove
From the rage of every storm:
But we tremble for the youth;
Teach them, Lord, Thy saving truth;
Join them to Thy faithful few,
Be to them a Refuge too.

My days are gliding swiftly by;
And I, a pilgrim stranger,
Would not detain them as they fly,
Those hours of toil and labor.

Refrain

For, oh! we stand on Jordan’s strand;
Our friends are passing over;
And, just before, the shining shore
We may almost discover.

We’ll gird our loins, my brethren dear,
Our distant home discerning:
Our waiting Lord has left us word,
Let ev’ry lamp be burning.

Refrain

Should coming days be cold and dark,
We need not cease our singing:
That perfect rest naught can molest,
Where golden harps are ringing.

Refrain

Let sorrow’s rudest tempest blow,
Each cord on earth to sever:
Our King says, “Come,” and there’s our home,
Forever, oh! forever.

Refrain

My span of life will soon be done,
The passing moments say;
As lengthening shadows o’er the mead
Proclaim the close of day.

O that my heart might dwell aloof
From all created things,
And learn that wisdom from above
Whence true contentment springs!

Courage, my soul! thy bitter cross,
In every trial here,
Shall bear thee to thy heaven above,
But shall not enter there.

Courage, my soul, on God rely;
Deliverance soon will come;
A thousand ways has Providence
To bring believers home.

Twilight is falling over the sea,
Shadows are stealing dark on the lea;
Borne on the night winds, voices of yore
Come from the far off shore.

Refrain

Far away beyond the starlit skies,
Where the love-light never, never dies,
Gleameth a mansion, filled with delight,
Sweet happy home so bright!

Voices of loved ones, songs of the past,
Still linger round me while life shall last;
Lonely I wander, sadly I roam,
Seeking that far off home.

Refrain

Come in the twilight, come, come to me!
Bringing some message over the sea,
Cheering my pathway while here I roam,
Seeking that far off home.

Refrain

I am trav’ling tow’rd the sunset gate,
I’m a pilgrim going home;
For the glow of eventide I wait,
I’m a pilgrim going home.

Refrain

Evening bells I seem to hear
As the sunset gate draws near!
Evening bells I seem to hear
As the sunset gate draws near!

There is tranquil rest when day is done,
I shall lay me down in peace;
When the end is reached at set of sun,
I shall lay me down in peace.

Refrain

By the side of those most near and dear,
I shall drop life’s toil and care;
When the Master’s tender voice I hear,
I shall drop life’s toil and care.

Refrain

I shall rise again at morning dawn,
I shall put on glory then;
With the shadowy veil of death undrawn,
I shall put on glory then.

Refrain

When on my day of life the night is falling,
And in the winds, from unsunned spaces blown,
I hear far voices out of darkness calling
My feet to paths unknown.

Thou, who hast made my home of life so pleasant,
Leave not its tenant when its walls decay;
O Love divine, O Helper ever present,
Be Thou my strength and stay!

Be near me when all else is from me drifting—
Earth, sky, home’s pictures, days of shade and shine,
And kindly faces to my own uplifting
The love which answers mine.

I have but Thee, my Father; let Thy Spirit
Be with me then to comfort and uphold;
No gate of pearl, no branch of palm I merit,
Nor street of shining gold.

Suffice it if—my good and ill unreckoned,
And both forgiven through Thy abounding grace—
I find myself by hands familiar beckoned
Unto my fitting place.

Some humble door among Thy many mansions,
Some sheltering shade where sin and striving cease,
And flows forever through heaven’s green expansions
The river of Thy peace.

There from the music round about me stealing
I fain would learn the new and holy song,
And find at last, beneath Thy trees of healing,
The life for which I long.

While with ceaseless course the sun
Hasted through the former year,
Many souls their race have run,
Never more to meet us here;
Fixed in an eternal fate,
They have done with all below;
We a little longer wait,
But how little—none can know.

As the wingèd arrow flies
Speedily the mark to find;
As the lightning from the skies
Darts, and leaves no trace behind;
Swiftly thus our fleeting days
Bear us down life’s rapid stream;
Upwards, Lord, our spirits raise,
All below is but a dream.

Thanks for mercies past receive,
Pardon of our sins renew;
Teach us, henceforth, how to live
With eternity in view:
Bless Thy Word to young and old,
Fill us with a Savior’s love;
And when life’s short tale is told,
May we dwell with Thee above.

Thou, O Lord, art God alone,
Everlasting is Thy throne;
Through the ages men shall sing
Praise of Heav’n’s eternal King.
Thou, enthroned above the skies,
Wilt for Zion’s help arise:
Let Thy grace to her appear,
For the promised time is near.

If with love compassionate
We, Thy servants, mourn her state,
Wilt not Thou, O gracious Lord,
Help in Zion’s need afford?
Lord, Thy glory shall appear,
Kings and nations then shall fear;
And Thy Name shall be adored
When Thy Zion is restored.

This all ages shall record
For the glory of the Lord;
Thou dost hear the humble prayer,
For the helpless Thou dost care.
Thou eternal art, and great,
Heav’n and earth Thou didst create,
Heav’n and earth shall pass away,
Changeless Thou shalt live for aye.

As one lays a garment by,
Thou wilt change the starry sky
Like a vesture worn and old;
But Thy years shall ne’er be told.
Thou wilt make Thy servants’ race
Ever live before Thy face,
And forever at Thy side
Children’s children shall abide.

Let Sion and her sons rejoice,
Behold the promised hour;
Her God hath heard her mourning voice,
And comes t’exalt His power.

Her dust and ruins that remain
Are precious in our eyes;
Those ruins shall be built again,
And all that dust shall rise.

The Lord will raise Jerusalem
And stand in glory there;
Nations shall bow before His Name,
And kings attend with fear.

He sits a sovereign on His throne,
With pity in His eyes;
He hears the dying prisoners groan,
And sees their sighs arise.

He frees the souls condemned to death,
And when His saints complain,
It sha’n’t be said, “That praying breath
Was ever spent in vain.”

This shall be known when we are dead,
And left on long record;
That ages yet unborn may read,
And trust, and praise the Lord.