O Zion, when thy Savior came
In grace and love to thee,
No beauty in thy royal Lord
Thy faithless eye could see.

Yet, onward in His path of grace,
The holy Sufferer went,
To feel, at last, that love on thee
Had all in vain been spent.

Yet not in vain; o’er Israel’s land
The glory yet will shine;
And He, thy once rejected King,
Messiah, shall be thine.

When thou, beneath the peaceful reign
Of Jesus and His bride,
Shalt sound His grace and glory forth
To all the earth beside.

The nations to thy glorious light,
O Zion! yet shall throng;
And all the listening islands wait
To catch the joyful song.

The name of Jesus yet shall ring
Through earth and Heaven above,
And all His ransomed people know
The Sabbath of His love.

Lift up the Gates of Praise,
That we may enter in,
And o’er Salvation’s walls proclaim
That Christ redeems from sin.

Refrain

The stars may praise the Hand
That decks the sky above,
But man alone can tell the power
Of Christ’s redeeming love.

God’s works reveal His might,
His majesty and grace;
But not the tender Father’s love
That saves a dying race.

Refrain

Then let the voice of praise
To heav’nly courts ascend,
Till with the songs the angels sing
Our hallelujahs blend.

Refrain

To Him that hath redeemed
Our souls from sin’s dark maze;
The Hope and Savior of mankind,
Be everlasting praise.

Refrain

Hear what God the Lord hath spoken,
“O my people, faint and few,
Comfortless, afflicted, broken,
Fair abodes I build for you:
Themes of heartfelt tribulation
Shall no more perplex your ways;
You shall name your walls, Salvation,
And your gates shall all be praise.

“There, like streams that feed the garden,
Pleasures, without end, shall flow,
For the Lord, your faith rewarding,
All His bounty shall bestow;
Still in undisturbed possession
Peace and righteousness shall reign;
Never shall you feel oppression,
Hear the voice of war again.

“Ye no more your suns descending,
Waning moons no more shall see;
But your griefs forever ending,
Find eternal noon in Me:
God shall rise, and shining o’er you,
Change to day the gloom of night;
He, the Lord, shall be your Glory,
God your everlasting Light.”

Eternal Light! eternal Light!
How pure the soul must be
When, placed within Thy searching sight,
It shrinks not, but with calm delight
Can live, and look on Thee!

The spirits that surround Thy throne
May bear the burning bliss;
But that is surely theirs alone,
Since they have never, never known
A fallen world like this.

O how shall I, whose native sphere
Is dark, whose mind is dim,
Before the Ineffable appear,
And on my naked spirit bear
That uncreated beam?

There is a way for man to rise
To that sublime abode:
An offering and a sacrifice,
A Holy Spirit’s energies,
An Advocate with God.

These, these prepare us for the sight
Of holiness above;
The sons of ignorance and night,
May dwell in the eternal Light,
Through the eternal Love.

O Everlasting Light,
Giver of dawn and day,
Dispeller of the ancient night
In which creation lay;

O Everlasting Light,
Shine graciously within;
Brightest of all on earth that’s bright,
Come, shine away my sin.

O Everlasting Truth,
Truest of all that’s true,
Sure Guide of erring age and youth,
Lead me, and teach me, too.

O Everlasting Strength,
Uphold me in the way;
Bring me, in spite of foes, at length
To joy and light and day.

O Everlasting Love,
Wellspring of grace and peace,
Pour down Thy fullness from above,
Bid doubt and trouble cease.

O Everlasting Rest,
Lift off life’s load of care;
Relieve, revive this burdened breast,
And every sorrow bear.

Thou art in Heav’n our All,
Our All on earth art Thou;
Upon Thy glorious Name we call,
Lord Jesus, bless us now.

God of the nations, who hast led
Thy children since the world began,
Through doubt and struggle, pain and tears,
Unfolding Thy eternal plan;
From countless hilltops as of old
The fire upon the altar flares;
Through countless rites, in countless tongues,
Men offer their imperfect prayers;
Hasten the time of our release,
Bring in Thy reign of truth and peace.

O Jesus Christ, incarnate Son,
Who bore our flesh that men might see
The vision of the perfect life
Fashioned in their humanity;
By all Thy words of heavenly truth,
By all Thy deeds of mercy wrought,
By all the passion of Thy cross,
By the redemption Thou hast brought;
Hasten the time of our release,
Bring in Thy reign of truth and peace.

O Holy Spirit, who dost touch
The prophets with Thy sacred fire
Eternal wisdom to whose light
All seekers after truth aspire;
Behold the warring sons of men,
The helpless by the strong oppressed,
The truth with error still concealed,
The evil grudgingly confessed;
Hasten the time of our release,
Bring in Thy reign of truth and peace.

O God triune, Thy Church today
In penitence before Thee kneels
Mourning her years of slothful ease,
Her deafness to the world’s appeals;
Divided where she should be one,
Enamored of a lesser strife,
Tithing the mint and cumin while
Men perish for the Bread of Life;
Hasten the time of our release,
Bring in Thy reign of truth and peace.

Restore to us the vision, Lord,
Descend with fires of Pentecost;
Our tongues unloose, our hearts inflame,
To preach the Gospel to the lost:
Here at Thy feet our prayer is made,
Here life and wealth we dedicate;
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done,
Lord, Thy anointing we await;
Hasten the time of our release,
Bring in Thy reign of truth and peace.

Hasten, Lord, the glorious time
When, beneath Messiah’s sway,
Every nation, every clime,
Shall the Gospel call obey.
Mightiest kings His power shall own,
Heathen tribes His Name adore;
Satan and his host o’erthrown,
Bound in chains, shall hurt no more.

As when soft and gentle showers
Fall upon the thirsty plain,
Springing grass and blooming flowers,
Clothe the wilderness again;
So Thy Spirit shall descend,
Softening every stony heart,
And its sweetest influence lend,
All that’s lovely to impart.

Then shall wars and tumults cease,
Then be banished grief and pain,
Righteousness and joy and peace,
Undisturbed shall ever reign.
Bless we, then, our gracious Lord,
Ever praise His glorious Name;
All His mighty acts record;
All His wondrous love proclaim.

Time shall sun and moon obscure,
Seas be dried, and rocks be riv’n.
But His reign shall still endure,
Endless as the days of Heav’n.

We are waiting, blessèd Jesus,
Watching, waiting, still for Thee;
Thou hast told us Thou art coming,
We are waiting patiently.

Refrain

Hasten Thou, dear Lord, Thy coming,
We hosannas then shall sing,
Shouting “Glory! Hallelujah!
Crown Immanuel, the King!”

Lamps all trimmed and brightly burning,
Ready we would always be;
For the cry, “The Bridegroom cometh!”
We are waiting eagerly.

Refrain

Occupying, till Thou comest;
Thus Thy Word we would obey;
Then, O Lord, Thou wilt reward us,
On that bright and gladsome day.

Refrain

Now in Heaven, Thou dost tarry,
Our high priest within the veil,
While we wait for Thine appearing,
Knowing well Thou wilt not fail.

Refrain

O North, with all thy vales of green,
O South, with all thy palms!
From peopled towns and vales between,
Uplift the voice of psalms;
Raise, ancient East, the anthem high,
And let the youthful West reply.

Lo, in the clouds of Heav’n appears
God’s well belovèd Son
He brings a train of brighter years;
His kingdom is begun.
He comes, a guilty world to bless
With mercy, truth, and righteousness.

O Father, haste the promised hour,
When at His feet shall lie
All rule, authority, and power,
Beneath the ample sky;
When He shall reign from pole to pole,
The Lord of every human soul.

When all shall heed the words He said
Amid their daily cares
And by the loving life He led
Shall seek to pattern theirs;
And He who conquered death shall win
The mightier conquest over sin.