Fountain of mercy, God of love,
Whose gifts all creatures share,
The rolling seasons as they move
Proclaim Thy constant care.

When in the bosom of the earth
The sower hid the grain,
Thy goodness marked its secret birth,
And sent the early rain.

The spring’s sweet influence, Lord, was Thine,
The seasons knew Thy call;
Thou mad’st the summer sun to shine,
The summer dews to fall.

The gifts of mercy from above
Matured the swelling grain;
And now the harvest crowns Thy love,
And plenty fills this plain.

O ne’er may our forgetful hearts
O’erlook Thy bounteous care,
But what our Father’s hand imparts
Still own in praise and prayer.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The God Whom we adore,
Be glory, as it was, is now,
And shall be evermore.

Break, newborn year, on glad eyes break,
Melodious voices move;
On, rolling time; thou canst not make
The Father cease to love.

The parted year had wingèd feet;
The Savior still doth stay;
The new year comes; but Spirit sweet,
Thou goest not away.

Our hearts in tears may oft run o’er;
But Lord, Thy smile still beams;
Our sins are swelling evermore,
But pardoning grace still streams.

Lord, from this year more service win,
More glory, more delight:
O make its hours less sad with sin,
Its days with Thee more bright.

Then we may bless its precious things
If earthly cheer should come,
Or gladsome mount on angel wings
If Thou wouldst take us home.

O golden then the hours must be;
The year must needs be sweet;
Yes, Lord, with happy melody
Thine opening grace we greet.

Eternal source of every joy,
Well may Thy praise our lips employ,
While in Thy temple we appear,
Whose goodness crowns the circling year.

Wide as the wheels of nature roll,
Thy hand supports and guides the whole:
The sun is taught by Thee to rise,
And darkness when to veil the skies.

The flowery spring, at Thy command,
Perfumes the air and paints the land;
The summer days with vigor shine,
To raise the corn and cheer the vine.

Thy hand in autumn richly pours
Through all our coasts redundant stores;
And winters, softened by Thy care,
No more a face of horror wear.

Seasons and months, and weeks, and days,
Demand successive songs of praise;
Still be the cheerful homage paid,
With opening light and evening shade.

Here in Thy house shall incense rise,
And circling Sabbaths bless our eyes,
Still we will make Thy mercies known
Around Thy board, around our own.

O may our more harmonious tongue
In worlds unknown pursue the song;
And in those brighter courts adore,
Where days and years revolve no more!

We welcome with delight
Another happy day,
Our hearts like merry bells
Ring out the silver lay;
We catch the rosy beams
Reflected from the eye
Of Him Whose wonders fill the earth,
Whose glory fills the sky.

Refrain

Another year has gone,
Another year begun;
To our Redeemer glory be
For all His love for me.
We thank His holy Name
For all His tender care,
We praise Him for the Sunday School,
And faithful teachers there.

Cold winter flies away,
The blushing, fairy spring
Comes tripping o’er the lees,
While birds are on the wing;
And now, a merry throng,
We come as glad as they;
Our banners waving in the air,
We hail our festive day.

Refrain

The straight and narrow path
O may we early find,
And try to serve the Lord
With heart, and soul, and mind;
O what a happy day,
And one that ne’er shall end,
In that bright world where angels sing,
We all with Him may spend!

Refrain

Hills of the North, rejoice;
River and mountain spring,
Hark to the advent voice;
Valley and lowland, sing;
Though absent long, your Lord is nigh;
He judgment brings and victory.

Isles of the southern seas,
Deep in your coral caves
Pent be each warring breeze,
Lulled be your restless waves:
He comes to reign with boundless sway,
And makes your wastes His great highway.

Lands of the East, awake,
Soon shall your sons be free;
The sleep of ages break,
And rise to liberty.
On your far hills, long cold and gray,
Has dawned the everlasting day.

Shores of the utmost West,
Ye that have waited long,
Unvisited, unblest,
Break forth to swelling song;
High raise the note, that Jesus died,
Yet lives and reigns, the Crucified.

Shout, while ye journey home;
Songs be in every mouth;
Lo, from the North we come,
From East, and West, and South.
City of God, the bond are free,
We come to live and reign in thee!