1 ANGELS, from the realms of glory,
Wing your flight o'er all the earth;
Ye who sang creation's story,
Now proclaim Messiah's birth;
Come and worship,
Worship Christ the new-born King.
2 Shepherds, in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing,
Round you shines the heav'nly light.
Come and worship,
Worship Christ the new-born King.
3 Saints before the altar bending,
Watching long in hope and fear;
Suddenly the Lord, descending,
In his temple shall appear;
Come and worship,
Worship Christ the new-born King.
1 NOW gracious Lord! thine arm reveal, And make thy glory known: Now let us all thy presence feel,
And soften hearts of stone!
2 Help us to come before thy throne,
Pleading a Saviour's name;
For all that we can call our own,
Is vanity and shame.
3 From all the guilt of former sin
Let mercy set us free!
And let each year that we begin,
Begin and end with thee.
4 And when before thee we appear,
In our eternal home,
May growing numbers worship here,
And praise thee in our room.
1 HOW quickly pass the narrow bounds,
Of the revolving year!
How swift the weeks complete their rounds,
How short the months appear.
2 So fast eternity comes on,
And that important day,
When all that mortal life hath done
God's judgement shall survey.
3 Waken O God! each trifling heart
Its great concern to see!
That we may act the Christian part,
And give the year to thee.
4 So shall their course more grateful roll,
If future years arise,
Or this shall bear the ransom'd soul
To joy that never dies.
1 THE year rolls round, and steals away
The breath that first it gave;
Swift as a river to the sea
We're passing to the grave.
2 Our wasting lives grow shorter still,
As days and months increase;
And ev'ry beating pulse we tell,
Leaves but the number less.
3 Great God! on what a slender thread
Hang everlasting things;
Th' eternal state of all the dead
Upon life's feeble strings.
4 Infinite joy or endless woe
Attends on ev'ry breath;
And yet, how unconcern'd we go
Upon the brink of death;
5 Waken, O Lord! our drowsy sense,
To walk this dangerous road;
And when our souls are summon'd hence,
May they be found with God.
1 SONS of men, behold from far,
Hail the long-expected star!
Jacob's star, that gilds the night,
Guides bewilder'd nature right.
2 Mild it shines on all beneath,
Piercing through the shades of death:
Scatt'ring error's wide-spread night,
Kindling darkness into light.
3 Nations all, far off and near,
Haste to see your God appear;
Haste, for hiin your hearts prepare—
Meet him manifested there.
4 There behold the day-spring rise,
Pouring light upon your eyes;
See it chase the shades away,
Shining to the perfect day.
5 Sing, ye morning stars, again
God descends on earth to reign;
Deigns for man his life t' employ,
Shout ye sons of God for joy.
1 GREAT God, before thy throne of grace
We, wretched wand'rers mourn:
Hast thou not bid us seek thy face?
Hast thou not said "return"?
2 And shall our guilty fears prevail,
To drive us from thy feet?
Lord, let not this sole refuge fail,
This only safe retreat.
3 Absent from thee, our guide, our light,
Without one cheering ray
Thro' dangers, fears, and gloomy night,
How desolate our way
4 Saviour on each benighted heart
With beams of mercy shine;
And let thy grace to each impart
A taste of joys divine.
1 O LORD! turn not thy face away From us who lie prostrate, Lamenting sore our sinful life
Before thy mercy's gate;
2 Which thou dost open wide to those
That do lament their sin:
O shut it not against us, Lord!
But let us enter in.
3 Call us not to a strict account,
How we have lived here;
For then we know right well, O Lord!
Most vile we shall appear.
4 O Lord we need not to repeat,
What now we beg and crave!
For thou dost know, before we ask
The thing that we would have,
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