Intercession for Ministers.
1 LORD, thine appointed servants bless,
That they may faithful be,
To preach the truth in righteousness,
And sinners win to thee.
2 Uphold them by Almighty power,
Thy strength divine impart,
And, in each dark and trying hour,
Cheer thou their fainting heart.
3 In holy watchfulness and prayer,
O keep them near thy side;
May they with loving zeal declare
A Saviour crucified.
4 Great Shepherd of the sheep, draw near,
Thy Spirit now be given;
That they who preach, and they who hear,
May sing thy praise in heaven.
For the Success of Ministers.
1 FATHER of mercies, bow thine ear,
Attentive to our earnest prayer:
We plead for those who plead for thee:
Successful pleaders may they be.
2 0, clothe their words with power divine,
And let those words be ever thine;
To them thy sacred truth reveal;
Suppress their fear, inflame their zeal.
3 Teach them to sow the precious seed;
Teach them thy chosen flock to feed;
Teach them immortal souls to gain,-
And thus reward their toil and pain.
4 Let thronging multitudes around
Hear from their lips the joyful sound;
In humble strains thy grace implore,
And feel thy Spirit's living power.
For an Assembly of Ministers.
1 POUR out thy Spirit from on high; Lord, thine assembled servants bless; Graces and gifts to each supply,
And clothe thy priests with righteousness.
2 Within thy temple, when we stand
To teach the truth, as taught by thee; Saviour, like stars in thy right hand, The angels of the Churches be.
3 Wisdom, and zeal, and faith impart, Firmness with meekness, from above,
To bear thy people on our heart,
And love the souls whom thou dost love:—
4 To watch, and pray, and never faint,
By day and night, strict guard to keep,
To warn the sinner, cheer the saint,
Nourish thy lambs, and feed thy sheep.
5 Then, when our work is finished here,
In humble hope our charge resign ;
When the Chief Shepherd shall appear,
O God, may they and we be thine.
For an Assembly of Ministers. 1 BEFORE thy throne, eternal King, Thy ministers their offering bring; Their tribute of united praise,
For heavenly comforts, peaceful days.
2 While angels sound thy glorious name,
Our lips thy saving grace proclaim ;
We sing the conquests of thy word,
And publish all thy truths abroad.
3 Thy various service we esteem
Our sweet employ, our bliss supreme;
And while we taste thy heavenly love,
We would be like thy saints above.
4 Still in thy work would we abound,
Would prune the vine, or sow the ground;
Thy flock with wholesome pasture feed,
And watch them with untiring heed.
5 Thou art our Lord, our life, our love,
Our hope below, our crown above;
Thy praise shall be our sweet employ,
Thy presence our eternal joy.
Prayer for more Labourers.
1 LORD of the harvest, hear
Answer our faith's effectual prayer,
And all our wants supply.
2 On thee we humbly wait,
Our wants are in thy view;
The harvest, Lord, is truly great,
The labourers are few.
3 Anoint and send forth more
Into thy church abroad,
Thy Spirit on their spirits pour,
And make them strong for God.
4 0 let them spread thy name,
Their mission fully prove; ·
Thy universal grace proclaim,
Thine all-redeeming love.
Prayer for more Labourers.
1 LORD of the harvest, bend thine ear,
In Zion's heritage appear;
O send forth labourers filled with zeal,
Swift to obey their Master's will.
2 Our lifted eyes, O Lord, behold
The ripening harvest tinged with gold;
Wide fields are opening to our view,
The work is great, the labourers few.
3 Led by thine own Almighty hand,
Let Zion's sons, in many a band,
Arise to bless the dying race,
As heralds of redeeming grace.
4 Lord of the harvest, bid them rise,
Trained by the influence of the skies,
In wisdom, knowledge, grace, to shine,
Till every kingdom shall be thine.
Prayer of a Church seeking a Pastor.
1 GREAT King of Zion, bend thine ear,
Our anxious prayer in mercy hear;
Perplexed, distressed, to thee we cry,
And seek the guidance of thine eye.
2 With longing eyes, behold, we wait
In suppliant crowds at mercy's gate:
Our drooping hearts, O God, sustain :
Shall Israel seek thy face in vain?
3 O Lord, in ways of peace return,
Nor let thy flock neglected mourn;
May our blest eyes a shepherd see,
Dear to our souls, and dear to thee.
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