CCLXXIX. The Christian Farewel.

THY Presence, Everlasting GOD,
Wide o'er all Nature spreads abroad;
Thy watchful Eyes, which cannot sleep,
In ev'ry Place thy Children keep.

While near each other we remain,
Thou dost our Lives and Souls sustain;
When absent, happy if we share
Thy Smiles, thy Counsels, and thy Care.

To Thee we all our Ways commit,
And seek our Comforts near thy Feet;
Still on our Souls vouchsafe to shine,
And guard and guide us still as Thine.

Give us in thy beloved House
Again to pay our grateful Vows;
Or, if that Joy no more be known,
Give us to meet around thy Throne.