THOU Bridegroom of the soul! behold
This part of thy beloved fold;
Thy virgins, who before thee met
Here to perceive thy presence wait.
2 Give us, O Lord, to feel thy peace,
And let the sanctifying grace
Which flows from thy humanity,
Make us well-pleasing unto thee.
3 O may we feel thy healing pow'r
And influence, ev'ry day and hour;
Thus all thy mercies which we prove,
Will us excite to praise and love.

F. For married People.

LORD, who ordain'dst the married
state,

When thou didst man at first create,
Thou who thy body's Saviour art,
To all of us thy grace impart.

2 The husbands sanctify and bless,
Thy mind upon their hearts impress,
Teach them thy Spirit to obey
In all they do, we humble pray.
3 Unto the wives that grace dispense,

To cleave to thee with confidence,
Grant they may love thee fervently,
And walk in true humility.

4 Wisdom and faithfulness afford,
To train our children, gracious Lord,
That in thy knowledge they may grow,

Themselves & thee their Saviour know.

5 Lord Jesus! may each married pair In all their walk thy praise declare;

may their rule in all things be, The union of thy church with thee.

845. T. 159.
THE love which Jesus Christ displays

Towards the church, his bride,
None can describe, it far outweighs
All other love beside :
Believing husbands are to prove,
By holy and unfeigned love
Towards their wives, that they indeed
Resemble Christ our Head.

846. T. 590.

WE humbly thee adore, O Lord,
For thy unbounded grace;
Astonish'd, in thy sacred word
Thy love divine we trace:
Thou hast the church in love redeem'd,
Thou gav'st thyself for us;
We know we are by thee esteem'd,
When we behold thy cross.

2 Grant unto ev'ry married pair,
By chaste unfeigned love,
And all we do to prove,
By meekness, patience, faith and pray'r,
That we, united unto thee,
Are truly one in heart;
Thus we shall live eternally
With thee, and never part.
847. T. 580.
TO marry, led by fleshly schemes,
And poison'd nature's foolish dreams,
Christians a curse esteem;
They wish to marry in the Lord,
Direct their marriage by his word,
And in this state to live to him.
848.
To be a happy married pair,
T. 166.

Approv'd by Jesus in their course,
Comes not from nature e'er so fair,

But love to him must be the source;
Good sense and prudence, with a mind
To lead a virtuous life, is far
From answering God's purpose kind,
For which we all ordained are,

2 His Spirit teacheth us to know,

That we are sinners vile and base,
And Jesus doth on us bestow
Remission of our sins, thro' grace:
Thus we in all things richly prove
e in all
The Shepherd's care, and faithfulness,
And, actuated by his love, [praise.
In our whole walk show forth his

HEAD of thy blest congregation,
Look on ev'ry married pair,
Be our strength and our salvation,
Keep us from all needless care.

2 For our sake, most gracious Saviour,
Thou thy life and blood hast spent
May we now in our behavior

Thee and thy church represent.
3 No spoil'd creature had been able
E'er to guide his steps aright
In this state so venerable,

Or to act as in thy sight;

4 Hadst thou not life and salvation By thy suff'rings for us gain'd, And thereby sanctification

For the married state obtain'd.

5 Bless, O Lord, thy married people,
In thy blood, O wash us clean;
Help us, for we're weak and feeble,
And preserve us from all sin.

851. T. 114.

;

HEAD of thy church! thy fatherly

correction

We have deserv'd: but pardon now impart,

Give each of us a clean and docile heart;

LOOK on ev'ry married pair,"
Jesus! with compassion,
Grant that each may richly share
In thy great salvation.

2 Be thou with us, then indeed
We shall lack no blessing,
But with thee, O Christ, proceed,
To meet joys unceasing.

3 O may we in all we do
Follow thy direction;
We commend ourselves anew
To thy kind protection.

4 Let our children, gracious Lord,
Share with us thy favor,
Grant they may be a reward
Of thy death for ever.

O LORD, who number'st all our days,
Who guardest us in all our ways,
In whom we live, and move, and are,
Who know'st our wants, and hearest
pray'r;

2 To this thy handmaid grant thy peace,
Who comes to offer thanks and praise
To thee, her faithful cov'nant-God,
For the support thou hast bestow'd.
3 Thy pow'rful aid thou, gracious Lord,
In travail didst to her afford;
Her sorrows now are turn'd to praise,
Her sighs and tears to grateful lays,
4 O Shepherd of thy chosen sheep!
Both child and mother bless and keep,
May they enjoy in their degree
The fruits of thy humanity.

5 Endow the parents with thy love,
And give them wisdom from above
To educate this child for thee,

O grant that we may weigh with due As thy redeemed property.

reflection

The duties of the holy married state, While we for thy instruction humbly wait.

6 Grant us, and all our children, grace,
So here on earth to run our race,

That we in heav'n may meet, and sing
Eternal praise to thee, our King.

2 All

your

children are his own, He hath bought them with his blood! Unto him their souls are known,

Full of sin and void of good! Yet he saith most graciously, "Suffer them to come to me!" 3 Tis by you they should be led In the way that leads to bliss ; Grace is not inherited

As a worldly fortune is, 'Tis free mercy, we must own, And the gift of God alone.

4 In this vain and wretched world Children are expos'd and try'd; Many are to ruin hurl'd,

Few in Jesus Christ abide;
And no human prudence can
Save the soul of fallen man.

5 Here's a task, may parents think,
Far beyond the reach of art;
But let not your courage sink,

Grace and wisdom he'll impart
Your sincere endeavors bless,
Hear your pray'rs, and grant success.
6 Hear, O Lord, a parent's pray'r,
Let my tears prevail 'fore thee!
How should I in heav'n appear,

If my child were not with me!
Therefore thou my steps direct,
Lest my duty I neglect.

7 In thy grace my children keep,
That when once, on that great day,
Thou shalt come to seek thy sheep,
I may gladly to thee say:

Here am I, thro' mercy free, And each child thou gavest me!"

855. T. 166.

OUR children, gracious Lord and God,
With fervor we to thee commend,
Thou hast redeem'd them by thy blood;
They are by thee to bliss ordain'd.

Kind Shepherd, take each little lamb
Into thy faithful arms of love;
Cause them to know thy saving name,
And thy redeeming grace to prove.
2 On us, their parents, grace bestow,
That we, with care and faithfulness,
May lead them thee, our Lord to know,
T'obey thy word, and seek thy face.
Teach us the duties of our state,
To love each other heartily,
Our children so to educate
That they may love and follow thee.
856. T. 83.

IN this world, so full of snares,

Take our children in thy keeping;
Hear the parents' sighs and pray❜rs,
When for them before thee weeping;
Mercy for our children we,
Gracious Lord, implore of thee.

857. T. 586.

MOST holy Lord, mankind's Creator,"
Who, to redeem us by thy death,
Assumedst feeble human nature,

We call on thee in humble faith:
O hear our fervent supplication,
Let all our children thy salvation,
Thy tender love and care,
In largest measure share;
For thine they are.

G. For Widowers.

858. T. 22.

IN God, the mighty Lord of hosts,
A happy wid'wer gladly boasts;
No trials need oppress the mind,'
For we in Christ may comfort find.
2 Whene'er by faith our Lord we see
Clothed with frail humanity,
Bearing our griefs and sicknesses,
This doth alleviate all distress.

3 He is our Saviour and High-Priest,
Who, when we suffer in the least,
Sustains us by his pow'r and grace,
And in each hard and trying case,

A

Thy all-bounteous hand doth daily feed THOU art our comfort in all cases,