The Perfections of God displayed in his Works.
1 WE sing the almighty power of God, Who bade the mountains rise; Who spread the flowing seas abroad, And built the lofty skies.
2 We sing the wisdom that ordained The sun to rule the day:
The moon shines full at his command, And all the stars obey.
3 We sing the goodness of the Lord, Who fills the earth with food; Who formed his creatures by his word, And then pronounced them good.
4 Lord! how thy wonders are displayed Where'er we turn our eyes,
Whether we view the ground we tread, Or gaze upon the skies.
5 There's not a plant nor flower below, But makes thy glories known; And clouds arise, and tempests blow, By order from thy throne.
6 Creation, vast as it may be, Is subject to thy will:
There's not a place where we can flee, But thou art with us still.
7 On thee each moment we depend; We live beneath thine eye:
O may we ne'er that God offend, Who is for ever nigh!
The Sacrifice of the Heart.
1 WHEN, as returns this solemn day, Man comes to meet his Maker, God, What rites, what honours shall he pay? How spread his Sovereign's praise abroad?
2 From marble domes and gilded spires Shall curling clouds of incense rise? And gems, and gold, and garlands deck The costly pomp of sacrifice?
3 Vain, sinful man!-creation's Lord Thy golden offerings well may spare; But give thy heart, and thou shalt find, Here dwells a God who heareth prayer. Mrs. Barbauld,
1 WHEREWITH shall we approach the Lord, And bow before his throne? Or how procure his kind regard, And for our guilt atone?
2 Shall altars flame, and victims bleed, And spicy fumes ascend?
Will these our earnest wish succeed, And make our God our friend?
3 Let no such hopes our souls delude; Such pompous rites are vain; But God has shown us what is good, And how his love to gain.
4 To men, their rights we must allow, And proofs of kindness give;
To God, with humble reverence bow, And to his glory live.
5 Hands that are clean, and hearts sincere, He never will despise; And cheerful duty will prefer
Supplication for Spiritual Light. Ps. cxix.
1 WHILE here as wandering sheep we stray, Teach us, O teach us, Lord, thy way! Dispose our hearts with sacred awe, To love thy word, to keep thy law; That, by thy guiding precepts led, Our feet the paths of truth may tread.
2 Great source of life to all below! Teach us thy holy will to know: Teach us to read thy word aright, And make it our supreme delight; -In every heart let wisdom shine, And give us purity divine.
3 Maker, Instructer, Judge of all! O hear us, when on thee we call! Since inward truth thy laws require, That inward truth, O Lord! inspire; Preserve us in thy holy ways,
And teach our hearts to speak thy praise! Merrick, alt'd.
God the Eternal Sovereign. Ps. xciii.
1 WITH glory clad, with strength arrayed, The Lord, who o'er all nature reigns, At first the world's foundations laid, And the vast fabric still sustains.
2 How surely 'stablished is thy throne, Which shall no change nor period see! For thou, O Lord! and thou alone Art God, to all eternity.
3 The floods, O Lord! lift up their voice, The floods lift up their waves on high; But God above can still their noise, And straight the mighty waves comply.
4 Lord, as thy power can never fail, So all thy promises are sure; 'Tis thy perfection to be true,
And theirs that serve thee, to be pure.
1 WITH one consent, let all the earth To God their cheerful voices raise ; Glad homage pay with awful mirth, And sing before him songs of praise :
2 Convinced that he is God alone, From whom both we and all proceed; We, whom he chooses for his own, The flock that he vouchsafes to feed.
3 Oh! enter then his temple gate, Thence to his courts devoutly press; And still your grateful hymns repeat, And still his name with praises bless!
4 For he's the Lord, supremely good, His mercy is for ever sure;
His truth, which always firmly stood, To endless ages shall endure.
The Divine Perfections celebrated.
1 WITH reverence let the saints appear, And bow before the Lord,
His high commands with reverence hear, And own his sovereign word.
2 Heaven, earth, and sea, confess his hand; He bids the vapours rise;
And wind, and storms, at his command, Sweep through the sounding skies.
3 His voice can raging winds control, And rule the boisterous deep; He bids the sleeping billows roll, The rolling billows sleep.
4 The northern pole and southern, rest On his supporting hand; Darkness and day, from east to west Move round at his command.
5 Justice and judgment are his throne, Yet boundless is his grace;
While truth and mercy, joined in one, Invite us near his face.
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