e pastor's solemn duty,
May thy spirit warm his heart;
Without measure,
Wisdom, strength and love impart.

3 To perform the sacred function
As thy servant we ordain,
Father, may the holy unction
Fall on him, like summer rain!
Make him fertile,
Bearing fruit like golden grain.

4 In the path of duty guide him,
Firm in virtue may he stand;
And from storm and peril, hide him
In the hollow of thy hand;
Keep his footsteps
Till he tread the better land.

5 When at last his toils are over,
Summer ended, autumn near,
May he and his flock, like clover
Ripened for the scythe, appear;
And when falling,
Guardian angels linger near.

717. 8s. 7s. & 4s. M. E. H. Chapin.

The Same.

1 Father! at this altar bending,
Set our hearts from world-thoughts free;
Prayer and praise their incense blending,
May our rites accepted be:
Father, hear us,
Gently draw our souls to thee.

2 Deign to smile upon this union
Of a pastor and a flock;
Sweet and blest be their communion:
May he sacred truths unlock--
And this people
Plant their feet on Christ the Rock.

3 Be his life a living sermon,
Be his thoughts one ceaseless prayer:
Like the dews that fell on Hermon,
Making green the foliage there,
May his teachings
Drop on souls beneath his care.

4 Here may Sin repent its straying,
Here may Grief forget to weep,
Here may Hope its light displaying,
And blest Faith, their vigils keep,
And the dying
Pass from hence in Christ to sleep.

5 When _his_ heart shall cease its motion,
All its toils and conflicts o'er;
When _they_ for an unseen ocean,
One by one, shall leave the shore;
Pastor, people, there--in heaven,
May they meet to part no more.

718. C. M. H. Bacon.

The Same.

1 Not for the prophet tongue of fire,
Nor voice of trumpet tone,
We lift our prayer, Immortal Sire,
For him before thy throne.

2 We ask for wisdom's gifts and grace,
The heart alive to love,
The earnest zeal to save our race,
All selfish aims above.

3 Lord, bless him now! By holy rite,
We consecrate to thee!
Make to his eye the chief delight