121.

L. M.

SEWALL'S COL.

Loving-kindness of God.

1 FATHER, to thy kind love we owe
All that is fair and good below;
Bestower of the health that lies
On tearless cheeks and cheerful eyes!

2. Giver of sunshine and of rain!

Ripener of fruits on hill and plain!
Fountain of light, that, rayed afar,
Fills the vast urns of sun and star!

3 Who send'st thy storms and frosts to bind The plagues that rise to waste mankind; Then breathest, o'er the naked scene, Spring gales, and life, and tender green.

4 Yet deem we not that thus alone
Thy mercy and thy love are shown;
For we have learned, with higher praise,
And holier names, to speak thy ways.

5 In woe's dark hour, our kindest stay!
Sole trust when life shall pass away!
Teacher of hopes that light the gloom
Of death, and consecrate the tomb!

6 Patient, with headstrong guilt to bear;
Slow to avenge, and kind to spare;
Listening to prayer, and reconciled
Full quickly to thy erring child!

119

122.

C. M.

MONTGOMERY.

The Earth full of the Goodness of God.

1 GOD, in the high and holy place,
Looks down upon the spheres;
Yet in his providence and grace
To every eye appears.

2 He bows the heavens; the mountains stand,
A highway for our God:
He walks amidst the desert-land;
'Tis Eden where he trod.

3 The forests in his strength rejoice;
Hark! on the evening breeze,
As once of old, the Lord God's voice
Is heard among the trees.

4 In every stream his bounty flows,
Diffusing joy and wealth;

In every breeze his Spirit blows,-
The breath of life and health.

5 His blessings fall in plenteous showers Upon the lap of earth,

That teems with foliage, fruits and flowers, And rings with infant mirth.

6 If God hath made this world so fair,
Where sin and death abound,

How beautiful beyond compare
Will Paradise be found!

120

123.

L. M. 61.

WATTS.

Goodness and Truth of God. Ps. 146.

1 I'LL praise my Maker with my breath;
And when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.

2 Why should I make a man my trust?
Princes must die and turn to dust:
Vain is the help of flesh and blood;
Their breath departs, their pomp and power,
And thoughts all vanish in an hour;
Nor can they make their promise good.
3 Happy the man whose hopes rely
On Israel's God: he made the sky,
And earth and seas with all their train;
His truth forever stands secure :

He saves the oppressed, he feeds the poor,
And none shall find his promise vain.
4 The Lord hath eyes to give the blind;
The Lord supports the sinking mind:
He sends the laboring conscience peace:
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow and the fatherless,

And grants the prisoner sweet release.

5 I'll praise him while he lends me breath, And when my voice is lost in death, Praise shall employ my nobler powers; My days of praise shall ne'er be past, While life, and thought, and being last, Or immortality endures.

124.

C. M.

WATTS.

God merciful, and hearing Prayer. Ps. 145.

1 LET every tongue thy goodness speak, Thou sovereign Lord of all;

Thy strengthening hands uphold the weak, And raise the poor that fall.

2 When sorrow bows the spirit down,
Or virtue lies distressed

Beneath some proud oppressor's frown,
Thou giv'st the mourners rest.

3 The Lord supports our tottering days,
And guides our giddy youth:
Holy and just are all his ways,
And all his words are truth.

4 He knows the pain his servants feel,
He hears his children cry;
And, their best wishes to fulfil,
His grace is ever nigh.

5 His mercy never shall remove
From men of heart sincere:

He saves the souls, whose humble love
Is joined with holy fear.

125.

C. M.

WATTS.

Goodness of God. Ps. 145.

1 SWEET is the memory of thy grace,
My God, my heavenly King;
Let age to age thy righteousness
In songs of glory sing.

2 God reigns on high, but ne'er confines His goodness to the skies;

Through the whole earth his bounty shines,
And every want supplies.

3 With longing eyes thy creatures wait
On thee for daily food:

Thy liberal hand provides their meat,
And fills their mouths with good.

4 How kind are thy compassions, Lord!
How slow thine anger moves!

But soon he sends his pardoning word
To cheer the souls he loves.

5 Creatures, with all their endless race,
Thy power and praise proclaim;
But saints, that taste thy richer grace,
Delight to bless thy name.

126.

L. M.

DODDRIDGE.

Divine Goodness acknowledged. Ps. 34.

1 TRIUMPHANT, Lord, thy goodness reigns,
Through all the wide celestial plains;
And its full streams redundant flow
Down to the abodes of men below.

2 Through nature's works its glories shine;
The cares of Providence are thine;
And grace erects our mortal frame
The fairest temple to thy name.
30 give to every human heart

To taste and feel how good thou art;
With grateful love, and reverend fear,
To know how blest thy children are.