Heb. iii. 4.

SING the almighty power of God That made the mountains rise That spread the flowing seas abroad, And built the lofty skies.

2 I sing the wisdom that ordained The sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at His command,

And all the stars obey.

3 I sing the goodness of the Lord,

That filled the earth with food;

He formed the creatures by His word, And then pronounced them good.

4 Lord, how Thy wonders are displayed, Where'er I turn mine eye!

If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky.

5 There's not a plant or flower below,
But makes Thy glories known:
And clouds arise and tempests blow
By order from Thy throne.

6 His hand is my perpetual guard,
He guides me with His eye:
Why should I then forget the Lord,
Who is for ever nigh?

276 Their line is gone out through all

the earth.-Psalm xix. 4.

1 HERE is a book who runs may read, is a only truth imparts;

And all the lore its scholars need,--
Pure eyes and Christian hearts.

2 The works of God above, below,
Within us, and around,

Are pages in that book, to show
How God Himself is found.

3 The glorious sky, embracing all,
Is like the Maker's love,
Wherewith encompassed, great and
In peace and order move. [small,

4 One name, above all glorious names,
With its ten thousand tongues
The everlasting sea proclaims,
Echoing angelic songs.

5 The raging fire, the roaring wind,
Thy boundless power display:
But in the gentler breeze we find
Thy Spirit's viewless way.

6 Thou, who hast given me eyes to see
And love this sight so fair,
Give me a heart to find out Thee,
And read Thee everywhere.

277

It is He that hath made us.-Ps. c. 3.
GIVE thanks to Him who made
Morning light and evening shade;
Source and Giver of all good,
Nightly sleep and daily food;
Quickener of our wearied powers;
Guard of our unconscious hours.

2 O give thanks to nature's King,
Who made every breathing thing:
His, our warm and sentient frame,
His, the mind's immortal flame :
O, how close the ties that bind
Spirits to the Eternal Mind!
3 O give thanks with heart and lip,
For we are His workmanship;
And all creatures are His care
Not a bird that cleaves the air
Falls unnoticed; but who can
Speak the Father's love to man?

4 O give thanks to Him who came
In a mortal, suffering frame-
Temple of the Deity-

Came, for rebel man to die;
In the path Himself has trod,
Leading back His saints to God.

278

1

L.M.

DODDRIDGE. His glory is above the earth and heaven.-Psalm cxlviii. 13.

E sons of men, with joy record

And let His power and goodness sound Through all your tribes the earth around. 2 Let the high heavens your songs invite; Those spacious fields of brilliant light, Where sun and moon and planets roll, And stars that glow from pole to pole. 3 See earth in verdant robes arrayed, Its herbs and flowers, its fruit and shade; View the broad sea's majestic plains, And think how wide its Maker reigns! 4 But O that brighter world above, Where lives and reigns Incarnate Love! God's only Son, in flesh arrayed, For man a bleeding victim made;

1

Rev. xx. 12.

LET the whole race of creatures lie

Abased before their God; Whate'er His sovereign voice has formed, He governs with a word.

2 Ten thousand ages ere the skies
Were into motion brought,

All the long years and worlds to come
Stood present to His thought.

3 If light attend the course I run,
"Tis He provides those rays,

And 'tis His hand that hides my sun,
If darkness cloud my days.

4 Yet I would not be much concerned,
Nor vainly long to see
The volume of His deep decrees,
What months are writ for me.

5 When He reveals the book of life,
O may I read my name
Amongst the chosen of His love,
The followers of the Lamb.

280

L.M.

WATTS.

3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.

4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace:
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

5 His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour:
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
6 Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own Interpreter,
And He will make it plain.

He shall choose our inheritance.
Psalm xlvii. 4.

1 NINCE all the downward tracts of time God's watchful eye surveys,

O who so wise to choose our lot,
And regulate our ways?

2 Why should we doubt His constant love, Immeasurably kind?

To His unerring gracious will,
Be every wish resigned.

3 Good when He gives, supremely good,
Nor less when He denies;

E'en crosses from His sovereign hand
Are blessings in disguise.

L.M.

WATTS.

John xiii. 7.

ORD, we adore Thy vast designs,

Too deep to sound with mortal lines,
Too dark to view with feeble sense.

2 Now, Thou arrayest Thine awful face
In angry frowns, without a smile;
We, through the cloud, believe Thy grace,
Secure of Thy compassion still.

3 Through seas and storms of deep distress
We sail by faith, and not by sight:
Faith guides us in the wilderness
Through all the briars and the night.

4 Dear Father, if Thy lifted rod
Resolve to scourge us here below,
Still we must lean upon our God,
Thine arm shall bear us safely through.

1

Psalm xxxiii. 13.

UP to the Lord, that reigns on high,

And views the nations from afar,

Let everlasting praises fly,

And tell how large His bounties are.
2 He overrules all mortal things,
And manages our mean affairs;
On humble souls the King of kings
Bestows His counsels and His cares.
3 Our sorrows and our tears we pour
Into the bosom of our God;

He hears us in the mournful hour,
And helps us bear the heavy load.
4 In vain might lofty princes try
Such condescension to perform;
For worms were never raised so high
Above their meanest fellow-worm.
5 O could our thankful hearts devise,
A tribute equal to Thy grace,

To the third heaven our songs should rise
And teach the golden harps Thy praise.

2 Thy providence supplies my food,
And 'tis Thy blessing makes it good
My soul is nourished by Thy word:
Let soul and body praise the Lord.
3 My streams of outward comfort came
From Him who built this earthly frame:
Whate'er I need, His bounty gives,
By whom my soul for ever lives.

4 Either His hand preserves from pain,
Or, if I suffer, heals again;

From Satan's malice shields my breast,
Or overrules it for the best.

5 Forgive the song that falls so low
Beneath the gratitude I owe;
It means Thy praise, however poor
An angel's song can do no more.

Gen. xxxi. 13.

10
Who through this weary pilgrimage
Hast all our fathers led,

GOD of Bethel, by whose hand
Thy people still are fed;

2 Our vows, our prayers, we now present
Before Thy throne of grace;
God of our fathers, be the God
Of their succeeding race.

3 Through each perplexing path of life
Our wandering footsteps guide:
Give us, each day, our daily bread,
And raiment fit provide.

4 O spread Thy covering wings around,
Till all our wanderings cease,
And at our Father's loved abode,
Our souls arrive in peace.

5 Such blessings from Thy gracious hand
Our humble prayers implore!
And Thou shalt be our chosen God
And portion, evermore.

1

Psalm xxxi. 15.

FOR

Psalm cxvi. 12.

1 TOR mercies countless as the sands, Which daily I receive

From Jesus my Redeemer's hands,
My soul, what canst thou give?

2 Alas! from such a heart as mine
What can I bring Him forth?
My best is stained and dyed with sin;
My all is nothing worth.

3 Yet this acknowledgment I'll make
For all He has bestowed;
Salvation's sacred cup I'll take,
And call upon my God.

4 The best return for one like me,
So wretched and so poor,

Is from His gifts to draw a plea,
And ask Him still for more.

5 I cannot serve Him as I ought;
No works have I to boast;
Yet would I glory in the thought,
That I shall owe Him most.

288

1

C.M.

WARDLAW.
Lift up thy voice with strength.
Isa. xl. 9.

LIFT up to God the voice of praise.
Whose breath our souls inspired;
Loud and more loud the anthem raise,
With grateful ardour fired.

2 Lift up to God the voice of praise,
Whose tender care sustains
Our feeble frame, encompassed round
With death's unnumbered pains.
3 Lift up to God the voice of praise,
Whose goodness, passing thought,
Loads every minute, as it flies,
With benefits unsought.

4 Lift up to God the voice of praise,
From whom salvation flows;
Who sent His Son our souls to save
From everlasting woes.

Be my vain wishes stilled;

And may this consecrated hour
With better hopes be filled.

2 Thy love the powers of thought bestowed,

To Thee my thoughts would soar;

Thy mercy o'er my life has flowed,

That mercy I adore.

3 In each event of life how clear

Thy ruling hand I see;

Each blessing to my soul more dear,
Because conferred by Thee.

4 In every joy that crowns my days,
In every pain I bear,

My heart shall find delight in praise,
Or seek relief in prayer.

5 When gladness wings my favoured hour,
Thy love my thoughts shall fill;
Resigned, when storms of sorrow low'r,
My soul shall meet Thy will.

For hope's transporting ray,

That lights through darkest shades of To realms of endless day.

[death

LYTE.

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord.
Psalm lxxxix. 1.

1 THE mercies of my God and King
My tongue shall still pursue:
O happy they who, while they sing
Those mercies, share them too.

2 As bright and lasting as the sun,
As lofty as the sky,

From age to age Thy truth shall run,
And chance and change defy.

8 The covenant of the King of kings
Shall stand for ever sure;
Beneath the shadow of Thy wings
Thy saints repose secure.

290 Remember all the way which the Lord

1

thy God led thee.-Deut. viii. 2.

HEN all Thy mercies, O my God, W My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise.

2 O how shall words with equal warmth The gratitude declare,

That glows within my thankful heart?
But Thou canst read it there.

3 Thy providence my life sustained,
And all my wants redressed,
When in the silent womb I lay,
And hung upon the breast.

4 Unnumbered comforts on my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.

292

1

2

8

GRACE.

S.M.

DODDRIDGE.

By grace are ye saved.-Eph. it. 8.

GRACE, 'tis a charming sound,

Harmonious to the ear;

Heaven with the echo shall resound,
And all the earth shall hear.

Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;

And all the steps that grace display,
Which drew the wondrous plan.

Grace taught my wandering feet
To tread the heavenly road;
And new supplies each hour I meet,
While pressing on to God.

4 Grace all the work shall crown
Through everlasting days;

It lays in heaven the topmost stone,
And well deserves the praise.

Thine arm, unseen, conveyed me safe, And led me up to man.

And wrath stood silent by,

When Christ was sent with pardons down To rebels doomed to die.

5 When in the slippery paths of youth With heedless steps I ran,

6 When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou With health renewed my face,

And, when in sins and sorrows sunk,
Revived my soul with grace.

7 Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,

That tastes those gifts with joy.
8 Through every period of my life
Thy goodness I'll pursue;
And, after death, in distant worlds
The glorious theme renew.

9 Through all eternity to Thee
A joyful song I'll raise;

But O eternity's too short
To utter all Thy praise.

Casting all your care upon Him. 1 Pet. v. 7.

God on high be thanks and praise, Who deigns our bonds to sever; His cares our drooping souls upraise, And harm shall reach us never: On Him we rest with faith assured, Of all th live, the mighty Lord, For ever and for ever.

294

L.M.

WATTS.

According to His own purpose and grace.-2 Tim. i. 9.

1 NOW to the power of God supreme
Be everlasting honours given;
He saves from hell. we bless His name,
He calls our wandering feet to heaven.
2 Not for our duties on deserts,

But of His own aboundr grace,
He works salvation in our hearts,
And forms a people for His praise.
3 "Twas His own purpose that begun
To rescue rebels doomed to die;
He gave us grace in Christ His Son
Before He spread the starry sky.

4 Jesus, the Lord, appears at last,
And makes His Father's counsels known
Declares the great transactions past,
And brings immortal blessings down.

5 He dies, and in that dreadful night
Did all the powers of hell destroy;
Rising, He brought our heaven to light,
And took possession of the joy.

295

1

2

L.M., 6 lines. PRES. DAVIES. Who is a God like unto Thee, that pardmeth iniquity-Mic. vii. 18.

GREAT God of wonders! all Thy ways

Are worthy Thyself,-divine :-
But the brignt glories of Thy grace,
Beyrna Thine other wonders shine.
Who is a pardoning God like Thee?
Or who has grace so rich and free?

Such deep transgressions to forgive,
Such guilty, daring worms to spare,-
This is Thy grand prerogative,
And in the honour none may share.

Is there a pardoning God like Thee?
Or is there grace so rich and free?
8 Pardon-from an offended God:
Pardon-for sins of deepest dye;
Pardon-bestowed through Jesus' blood:
Pardon-that brings the rebel nigh.

Where is the pardoning God like Thee? Or where the grace so rich and free? 4 O may this glorious, matchless love, This wondrous miracle of grace, Teach mortal tongues, like those above To raise this song of lofty praise:Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?

296 God is able to make all grace abound

1

toward you.-2 Cor. ix. 8.

THY ceaseless, unexhausted love,

Unmerited and free,

Delights our evil to remove,
And help our misery.

2 Thou waitest to be gracious still:
Thou dost with sinners bear;

That, saved, we may Thy goodness feel, And all Thy grace declare.

8 Thy goodness and Thy truth to me To every soul, abound:

A vast, unfathomable sea,

Where all our thoughts are drowned.

4 Its streams the whole creation reach,
So plenteous is the store;
Enough for all, enough for each,
Enough for evermore.

5 Faithful, O Lord, Thy mercies are,
A rock that cannot move:
A thousand promises declare
Thy constancy of love:

6 Throughout the universe it reigns,
Unalterably sure;

And while the truth of God remains,
His goodness must endure.

C.M.

WATTS. The glory of His grace.-Eph. i. 6.

1 DLEST be the wisdom and the power, 298

The justice and the grace,

That joined in council to restore,
And save our ruined race.

2 Blessed be the Lord that sent His Son,
To take our flesh and blood;
He, for our lives, gave up His own,
To make our peace with God.

3 He honoured all His Father's laws,
Which we have disobeyed;
He bore our sins upon the cross,
And our full ransom paid.

4 Behold Him rising from the grave,
Behold Him raised on high;
He pleads His merits there to save
Transgressors doomed to die.

5 There on a glorious throne He reigns,
And, by His power divine,

Redeems us from the slavish chains
Of Satan and of sin.

6 Thence shall the Lord to judgment come, And, with a sovereign voice

Shall call, and wake up every tomb,
While ransomed saints rejoice.

7 0 may I then with joy appear
Before the Judge's face;

And, with the blest assembly there,
Sing His redeeming grace.