A Prayer For Them, Poem by Rees Prichard

THOU God of mercy! Source of light and day!
Giver of grace, and ev'ry useful boon!
For Jesus' sake, O, hear us, when we pray,
And grant thy people their petitions soon.

We now unto thy altar, Lord! draw near,
And are assembled in thy aweful sight :
O, may we there, just as we ought, appear!
O, give us pow'r to worship thee aright!

Our solemn meetings, my Creator, bless,
To ev'ry soul alacrity impart,
Our meditations prosper with success,
That we may worship thee with faithful heart.

O! place our souls in apt and proper frame,
Make us all ready and alert, O Lord!
To praise and glorify thy sacred name!
And hear with reverential awe thy Word!

Prepare our hearts, and sanctify each thought,
Quicken our zeal, O Lord! increase our love,
That we a due demeanour may be taught,
And worship with true faith the God above.

Up-lift our hearts, our sluggish minds up-lift,
Our cold affections with thy grace inflame,
Fix thou our thoughts, and for each gracious gift
Teach our mute lips to magnify thy name.

Tear from our hearts each vile and bad design,
And suffer not our thoughts to wander far,
Make us with profit hear thy word divine,
And with warm zeal to offer up each pray'r.

Let thy bless'd Spirit teach us all to pray
With ardent zeal, and vehement desire,
That thou may'st lend an ear to all we say,
And give us whatsoever we require.

Place thou thy fingers on our ears, O Lord!
That we may hear thy Gospel, as we ought,
Enable us to understand thy Word,
And to apply aright, what we are taught :

And when we've conn'd and understood it well,
Empower us to do it, as we ought,
Empower us to practise it with zeal,
'Till it a large return of fruit has brought.

Do thou, O Lord! our parish-pastor bless,
That he, with knowledge grace and pow'r, may preach
The Word of Life, and with desir'd success,
Thy servants from the sacred Gospel teach.

Enlighten thou his mind and thoughts, O Lord,
Inflame his heart, his tongue with knowledge fill,
That he may properly divine thy word
To all, according to thy holy will:

That we thereby may, from the shades of death,
Be brought to light and comfort's sweet abode,
From the dark dungeons of the pow'rs beneath
Unto the fold, and kingdom of our God.

Make thou his sermons fruitful in each mind,
Make us digest them with an ardent zeal,
Make us unto his person well-inclin'd,
If, as he ought, he labours for our weal.

Do thou, on him and us, thy blessings show'r,
Do thou make pure, and sanctify each heart,
Do thou instruct us by thy grace and pow'r,
That each may, as he shou'd, perform his part!