4 Then let me take thy gracious hand, And walk beside thee onward still; Till my glad feet shall safely stand Forever firm on Zion’s hill.
519 C. M. They came together to break bread. Acts 20:7.
Lord, may the spirit of this feast— The earnest of thy love— Maintain a dwelling in our breast Until we meet above.
2 The healing sense of pardoned sin, The hope that never tires, The strength a pilgrim’s race to win, The joy that heaven inspires:
3 Still may their light our duties trace In lines of hallowed flame, Like that upon the prophet’s face, When from the mount he came.
4 But if no more with kindred dear The broken bread we share, Nor at the banquet board appear To breathe the grateful prayer;
5 Forget us not—when on the bed Of dire disease we waste, Or to the chambers of the dead, And bar of judgment haste.
6 Forget not—thou who bore the woe Of Calvary’s fatal tree— Those who within these courts below Have thus remembered thee.
520 C. M. Remembering Christ.
If human kindness meets return, And owns the grateful tie— If tender thoughts within us burn To feel a friend is nigh;
2 O, shall not warmer accents tell The gratitude we owe To him who died our fears to quell, And save from endless woe?
3 While yet his anguished soul surveyed Those pangs he would not flee, What love his latest words displayed— “Meet and remember me.”
4 Remember thee! thy death, thy shame, The griefs which thou didst bear! O memory, leave no other name But His recorded there.
521 C. M. Spiritual refreshment.
O God, unseen yet ever near! Reveal thy presence now, While we, in love that hath no fear, Before thy glory bow.
2 Here may obedient spirits find The blessings of thy love— The streams that through the desert wind, The manna from above.
3 Awhile beside the fount we stay, And eat this bread of thine, Then go, rejoicing, on our way, Renewed with strength divine.
522 C. M. Reception of members.
Come in, thou blesséd of the Lord; Stranger nor foe art thou: We welcome thee with warm accord, Our friend, our brother now.
2 The hand of fellowship, the heart Of love, we offer thee: Leaving the world, thou dost but part From lies and vanity.
3 The cup of blessing which we bless, The heavenly bread we break— Our Saviour’s blood and righteousness, Freely with us partake.
4 In weal or woe, in joy or care, Thy portion shall be ours; Christians their mutual burdens bear; They lend their mutual powers.
5 Come with us, we will do thee good, As God to us hath done; Stand but in him, as those have stood, Whose faith the victory won.
6 And when, by turns, we pass away As star by star grows dim, May each, translated into day, Be lost, and found in him.
523 C. M. Blessed are the poor in spirit. Matt. 5:3.
Lord, at thy table we behold The wonders of thy grace; But most of all admire that we Should find a welcome place.
2 What strange, surprising grace is this, That we, so lost, have room! Jesus our weary souls invites, And freely bids us come!
3 Ye saints below, and hosts of heaven, Join all your sacred powers: No theme is like redeeming love; No Saviour is like ours.
524 C. M. In remembrance of me. 1 Cor. 11:24.
In memory of the Saviour’s love, We keep the sacred feast, Where every humble, contrite heart Is made a welcome guest.
2 Under his banner thus we sing The wonders of his love, And thus anticipate by faith The heavenly feast above.
525 C. M. He was known of them, etc. Luke 24:35.
Shepherd of souls, refresh and bless Thy chosen pilgrim flock, With manna from the wilderness, With water from the rock.
2 Hungry and thirsty, faint and weak (As thou when here below), Our souls the joys celestial seek, That from thy sorrows flow.
3 We would not live by bread alone, But by thy word of grace— In strength of which we travel on To our abiding place.
4 Be known to us in breaking bread, But do not then depart— Saviour abide with us, and spread Thy table in our heart.
5 Then sup with us in love divine; Thy body and thy blood, That living bread and heavenly wine, Be our immortal food.
526 S. M. You do show the Lord’s death. 1 Cor. 11:26.
Jesus, the Friend of man, Invites us to his board; The welcome summons we obey, And own our gracious Lord.
2 Here we show forth his love, Which spake in every breath, Prompted each action of his life, And triumphed in his death.
3 Here let our powers unite His honored name to raise; Let grateful joy fill every mind, And every voice be praise.