6 So shall my walk be close with God,
Calm and serene my frame;

So purer light shall mark the road
That leads me to the Lamb.

226.

DULNESS IN PRAYER.
Huntingtower-St. James'-Tiverton.

10 for the happy hours gone by,
When love ran smooth and free,
Days when my spirit so enjoyed
More than earth's liberty!

C. M.

2 O for the times when on my heart
Long prayer had never palled,
Times when the ready thought of God
Would come when it was called!

3 Then when I knelt to meditate,

Sweet thoughts came o'er my soul, Countless, and bright, and beautiful, Beyond my own control.

4 O who hath locked those fountains up? Those visions who hath stay'd?

What sudden act hath thus transform'd My sunshine into shade?

5 This freezing heart, O Lord; this will Dry as the desert sand,

Good thoughts that will not come, bad thoughts

That come without command.

6 This weariness of prayer, the mist
O'er conscience overspread,
The chill repugnance to frequent
The feast of angels' bread.

7 If this drear change be thine, O Lord,
If it be thy sweet will,
Spare not, but to the very brim

The bitter chalice fill.

8 But if it hath been sin of mine,
O show that sin to me,

Not to get back the sweetness lost,
But to make peace with thee.
9 If I have served thee, Lord, for hire,
Hire which thy beauty showed,
Ah, I can serve thee now for nought,
And only as my God.

227.

I AM OPPRESSED; UNDERTAKE

FOR ME.

Wirksworth-Mornington-St. Clair.

1 Oppressed with sin and woe,
A burdened heart I bear;
Opposed by many a mighty foe,
Yet will I not despair.

2 With this polluted heart

I dare to come to thee,Holy and mighty as thou art, For thou wilt pardon me.

S.M.

3 I feel that I am weak,

And prone to every sin;

But thou who giv'st to those who seek,
Wilt give me strength within.

4 I need not fear my foes;

I need not yield to care;

I need not sink beneath my woes,
For thou wilt answer prayer.

5 In my Redeemer's name,
I give myself to thee;
And, all unworthy as I am,
My God will welcome me.

228.

DEJECTION.

S. M.

Selma-St. Cuthbert-Cambridge Old.

1 I give myself to prayer,
Lord, give thyself to me,
And let the time of my request
Thy time of answer be.

2 My thoughts are like the reeds,
And tremble as they grow,
In the sad current of a life
That darkly runs and slow.

3 No song is in the air,

But one pervading fear;

Death's shadow dims my light, and Death
Himself is lurking near.

4 I am as if asleep,

Yet conscious that I dream;
Like one who vainly strives to wake
And free himself, I seem.

5 The loud distressful cry

With which I call on thee,

Shall wake me, Lord, to find that thou
Canst give me liberty.

6 Oh, break this darksome spell,
This murky sadness strange,
Let me the terrors of the night
For cheerful day exchange.

7 Freshen the air with wind,

Comfort my heart with song;
Let thoughts be lilies pure, and life
A river bright and strong.

8 Save me from subtle death,
Who, serpent-like, by fear
Palsies me for escape, yet draws
His trembling victim near.

9 I give myself to prayer;

Lord, give thyself to me;
And in the time of my distress,
Oh, haste and succour me.

10 Then be my heart. my world,
Re-hallowed unto thee,

2 O bright and many are the spots
Where I have built a nest;
Yet in the brightest still I pined
For more abiding rest.

3 Riches could bring me joy and power,
And they were fair to see;
Yet gold was but a sorry god

To serve instead of thee.

4 Then honour and the world's good word Appeared a nobler faith;

Yet could I rest on love that hung
And trembled on a breath?

5 The pleasure of the passing hour
My spirit next could wile;

But, oh! how soon my heart fell sick
Of pleasure's weary smile!

6 More selfish grown, I worshipped health,
The flush of manhood's power;
But then it came and went so quick,
It was but for an hour.

7 And thus a not unkindly world
Hath done its best for me;

Yet I have found, O God, no rest,
No harbour short of thee.

8 For thou hast made this wondrous soul All for thyself alone;