374    148th     John Berridge
Prayer for Increase of Faithful Ministers. Matt. 9. 38

1 Send help, O Lord, we pray,
  And thy own gospel bless;
  For godly men decay,
  And faithful pastors cease;
  The righteous are removèd home,
  And scorners rise up in their room.

2 While Satan’s troops are bold,
  And thrive in number too,
  The flocks in Jesus’ fold,
  Are growing lank and few;
  Old sheep are moving off each year,
  And few lambs in the fold appear.

3 Old shepherds, too, retire,
  Who gathered flocks below,
  And young ones catch no fire,
  Or worldly-prudent grow;
  Few run with trumpets in their hand,
  To sound alarms by sea and land.

4 O Lord, stir up thy power,
  To make the gospel spread;
  And thrust out preachers more,
  With voice to raise the dead;
  With feet to run where thou dost call;
  With faith to fight and conquer all.

5 [The flocks that long have dwelt
  Around fair Zion’s hill,
  And thy sweet grace have felt,
  Uphold and feed them still;
  But fresh folds build up everywhere,
  And plenteously thy truth declare.]

6 As one Elijah dies,
  True prophet of the Lord,
  Let some Elisha rise
  To blaze the gospel-word;
  And fast as sheep to Jesus go,
  May lambs recruit his fold below.