Second Collect at Evening Prayer.
“O God! from Whom all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed.”
—Prayer Book.
Meek and lowly, meek and lowly,
Bend we now before Thy Throne:
Sad and slowly, sad and slowly,
All our sinful burdens own:
Hear us, Lord! and to each heart
Virtue from Thyself
impart.
False and faithless, false and faithless
Though we prove in Life's vain scene,
True and scathless, true and scathless
All Thy Promises have been:
Though our faith has often falter'd,
Love Divine has never alter'd!
Source of blessing, Source of blessing,
Vital Root of heavenward joy!
While caressing, while caressing
Pleasures free from base alloy,
Let us, wing'd on plumes of love,
Hover round our Homes above.
All proceeding, all proceeding
High and holy from the heart,
Proves Thy pleading, proves Thy pleading,
Priest Almighty, as Thou art!—
Winning from Paternal Grace
Gifts surpassing
thought to trace.
Still array Her, still array Her
As Thy mystic Bride on earth,
And display Her, and display Her
Beaming with immortal birth,
That Thy Church in truth may be
Sanctified by unity.
Heaven-breath'd quiet, heaven-breath'd quiet,
Dove Celestial! now bestow;
Far from riot, far from riot
Onward may our footsteps go;
Till, at length, we reach the goal,
And in Godhead rest the soul.
Meek and lowly, meek and lowly
Kneel we thus before the Shrine;
Sad and slowly, sad and slowly
Supplicate the Heart Divine:—
Thou, Who art the world's release,
Rule and reign, as Prince of Peace!
