Desiring to Pray, Hymn 6

"Men OUGHT always to pray, and not to faint." —
Luke xviii. i.

COME, ye followers of the Lord,
In Jesus' service join;
Jesus gives the sacred word,
The ordinance Divine;
Let us His command obey,
And ask, and have whate'er we want;
Pray we, every moment pray,
And never, never faint.
Place no longer let us give
To the old tempter's will;
Never more our duty leave,
While Satan cries Be still!
Stand we in the ancient way,
And here with God ourselves acquaint;
Pray we, &c.

Be it weariness and pain
To slothful flesh and blood,
Yet we will the cross sustain,
And bless the welcome load;
All our griefs to God display,
And humbly pour out our complaint;
Pray we, &c.

Let us patiently endure,
And still our wants declare;
All the promises are sure
To persevering prayer:
in Vol. IV., on pp. 259 and 380 respectively; and two others as
Nos. II and 12 of the series of Hymns of Intercession, in the
present volume. As at first published they were a valuable
contribution to the defence of a truth then strangely assailed. To
the first in the series, (Vol. IV., p. 380,) was prefixed the text
"Ask and it shall be given you," Matt. vii. 7. To the second,
(Vol. IV. p. 259,) the text " But thou, when thou prayest, enter
into thy closet," &c., Matt. vi. 6. To the third, which will appear
in a subsequent Volume, the text " Thou meetest those that
remember Thee in Thy ways," Isaiah Ixiv. 5. The fourth is given
above. The next, which was originally entitled "A Prayer for
Believers in Temptation," and the last, " For those that are turned
out of the way," taken with the rest, supply a beautiful example
of "speaking the truth in love."
Till we see the perfect day,
And each wakes up a spotless saint,
Pray we, &c.
Pray we on, when all-renew'd,
And perfected in love,
Till we see the Saviour-God
Descending from above,
All His heavenly charms survey,
Beyond what angel minds can paint,
Pray we, &c.
Pray we, in the realms of light
Till we behold His face';
Faith shall there be lost in sight,
And prayer in endless praise,
Blest through one eternal day,
Possess'd of all that God can grant;
There we need not, cannot pray,
For heaven is all we want.