2 Thou, who to every humble prayer
Dost always bend thy listening ear,
To thee shall all mankind repair,
And at thy gracious throne appear.

3 Our sins, though numberless, in vain
To stop thy flowing mercy try;
Whilst thou o'erlook'st the guilty stain,
And washest out the crimson dye.

4 Bless'd is the man who, near thee placed, Within thy sacred dwelling lives!

'Tis there abundantly we taste

The vast delights thy temple gives.

408 "O give thanks unto the Lord: for he is gracious, [78. and his mercy endureth for ever."

From the cvii. Psalm.

MAGNIFY Jehovah's name;

For his mercies ever sure,

From eternity the same,
To eternity endure.

2 Let his ransom'd flock rejoice,
Gather'd out of every land,
As the people of his choice,
Pluck'd from the destroyer's hand.

3 In the wilderness astray,

In the lonely waste they roam,
Hungry, fainting by the way,

Far from refuge, shelter, home:

409

4 To the Lord their God they cry;
He inclines a gracious ear,
Sends deliverance from on high,

Rescues them from all their fear.

5 Them to pleasant lands he brings,
Where the vine and olive grow;
Where from verdant hills, the springs
Through luxuriant valleys flow.

6 O that men would praise the Lord,
For his goodness to their race;

For the wonders of his word,

And the riches of his grace!

"Serve the Lord with gladness, and come before [L. M. his presence with a song."

From the c. Psalm.

EFORE Jehovah's awful throne,

Ye nations, bow with sacred joy;
Know that the Lord is God alone;
He can create, and he destroy.

2 His sovereign power, without our aid,
Made us of clay, and form'd us men;
And when like wandering sheep we stray'd,
He brought us to his fold again.

3 We are his people, we his care,

Our souls, and all our mortal frame;
What lasting honours shall we rear,

Almighty Maker, to thy name?

4 We'll crowd thy gates with thankful songs,
High as the heaven our voices raise;
And earth, with her ten thousand tongues,
Shall fill thy courts with sounding praise.

5 Wide as the world is thy command,
Vast as eternity thy love;

Firm as a rock thy truth must stand,
When rolling years shall cease to move.

410

"O Lord, thou art become exceeding glorious;
thou art clothed with majesty and honour."

From the civ. Psalm.

LESS God, my soul; thou, Lord, alone

BLE

Possessest empire without bounds,

With honour thou art crown'd, thy throne
Eternal majesty surrounds.

2 With light thou dost thyself enrobe,
And glory for a garment take;
Heaven's curtains stretch beyond the globe,
The canopy of state to make.

3 God builds on liquid air, and forms
His palace-chambers in the skies;
The clouds his chariots are, and storms

[L. M.

The swift-wing'd steeds with which he flies.

4 As bright as flame, as swift as wind,
His ministers heaven's palace fill;
They have their sundry tasks assign'd,
All prompt to do their sovereign's will.

5 In praising God while he prolongs
My breath, I will that breath employ;
And join devotion to my songs,

Sincere, as in him is my joy.

411

"O praise the Lord of heaven."

[6s. 4s.

YE

From the cxlviii. Psalm.

E boundless realms of joy,
Exalt your Maker's fame;
His praise your song employ
Above the starry frame:
Your voices raise,

Ye cherubim

And seraphim,

To sing his praise.

2 Thou moon, that rul'st the night
And sun, that guid'st the day,
Ye glittering stars of light,
To him your homage pay:
His praise declare,

Ye heavens above,
And clouds that move
In liquid air.

3 Let them adore the Lord,
And praise his holy name,

By whose almighty word

They all from nothing came;
And all shall last
From changes free;
His firm decree

Stands ever fast.

412

"Let everything that hath breath praise

the Lord."

From the cl. Psalm.

[L. M.

PRAISE the Lord in that blest place
From whence his goodness largely flows;
Praise him in heaven, where he his face,
Unveiled, in perfect glory shows.

2 Praise him for all the mighty acts.
Which he in our behalf has done;
His kindness this return exacts,

With which our praise should equal run.

3 Let the shrill trumpet's warlike voice.

Make rocks and hills his praise rebound;
Praise him with harp's melodious noise,
And gentle psaltery's silver sound.

4 Let them who joyful hymns compose,
To cymbals set their songs of praise-
To well-tuned cymbals, and to those
That loudly sound on solemn days.

5 Let all that vital breath enjoy,

The breath he does to them afford,

In just returns of praise employ :
Let every creature praise the Lord!

"Praise the Lord, O my soul; and all that is [S. M. within me, praise his holy name.”

From the ciii. Psalm.

BLESS the Lord, my soul,
His grace to thee proclaim;
And all that is within me, join
To bless his holy name.

413