Arrayed in robes of light,
Begirt with sovereign might,
And rays of majesty around.
2 Upheld by thy commands,
The world securely stands,
And skies and stars obey thy word;
Thy throne was fixed on high
Ere stars adorned the sky;
Eternal is thy kingdom, Lord.
3 Thy promises are true;
Thy grace is ever new;
There fixed, thy church shall ne'er remove;
Thy saints, with holy fear,
Shall in thy courts appear,
And sing thine everlasting love.
1 God is love; his mercy brightens
All the path in which we rove;
Bliss he wakes, and woe he lightens ;
God is wisdom, God is love.
2 Chance and change are busy ever;
Man decays, and ages move;
But his mercy waneth never;
God is wisdom, God is love.
3 E'en the hour that darkest seemeth
Will his changeless goodness prove;
From the gloom his brightness streameth,
God is wisdom, God is love.
4 He with earthly cares entwineth
Hope and comfort from above:
Everywhere his glory shineth;
God is wisdom, God is love.
1 THE Spirit moved upon the waves
That darkly rolled, a shoreless sea;
He spake the word, and light burst forth,
A glorious, bright immensity.
2 At his command, the mountains heaved
Their rocky pinnacles on high,
Island and continent displayed
Their desert grandeur to the sky.
3 The voice of God was heard again,
And lovely flowers and graceful trees
Appeared on every vale and plain,
And perfumes floated on the breeze.
4 The word went forth, and vast and high
The heavenly orbs gave out their light,
O'er all the earth and sea and sky;
The rulers of the day and night.
ABOVE, below, where'er I gaze,
Thy guiding finger, Lord, I view,
Traced in the midnight planets' blaze,
Or glist'ning in the morning dew:
Whate'er is beautiful or fair,
Is but thine own reflection there.
2 And when the radiant orb of light
Hath tipped the mountain tops with gold
Smote with the blaze, my weary sight
Shrinks from the wonders I behold;
That ray of glory, bright and fair,
Is but thy living shadow there.
3 Thine is the silent noon of night,
The twilight eve, the dewy morn;
Whate'er is beautiful and bright,
Thy hands have fashioned to adorn.
Thy glory walks in every sphere,
And all things whisper, " God is here."
The Perfections of God.
1 How shall I praise th' eternal God,
That infinite Unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?
2 Those watchful eyes that never sleep,
Survey the world around:
His wisdom is a boundless deep,
Where all our thoughts are drowned.
3 Speak we of strength, his arm is strong,
To save or to destroy :
To him eternal years belong,
And never-ending joy.
4 He knows no shadow of a change,
Nor alters his decrees;
Firm as a rock his truth remains,
To guard his promises.
1 THE heaven of heavens cannot contain
The universal Lord;
Yet he in humble hearts will deign
To dwell and be adored.
2 Where'er ascends the sacrifice
Of fervent praise and prayer,
Or on the earth, or in the skies,
The God of heaven is there.
3 His presence is diffused abroad
Through realms, through worlds unknown;
Who seek the mercies of our God
Are ever near his throne.
Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God.
1 I SING the mighty 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 with his word,
And then pronounced them good.
4 There's not a plant or flower below,
But makes thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from thy throne.
When worldly pleasures lose their power?
My Father! let me turn to thee,
And set each thought of darkness free.
2 Is there a time of rushing grief,
Which scorns the prospect of relief?
My Father! break the cheerless gloom,
And bid my heart its calm resume.
3 Is there an hour of peace and joy,
When hope is all my soul's employ?
My Father! still my hopes will roam,
Until they rest with thee, their home.
4 The noontide blaze, the midnight scene,
The dawn, or twilight's sweet serene,
The glow of life, the dying hour,
Shall own my
Father's grace and power.
1 ALMIGHTY Former of creation's plan,
Faintly reflected in thine image, man;
Holy and just,-the greatness of whose name
Rules and supports this universal frame:-
2 Whose spirit fills the infinitude of space,
Who art thyself thine own vast dwelling place ;-
Soul of our soul, whom yet no sense of ours
Discerns, eluding our most active powers:-
3 Encircling shades attend thine awful throne,
That veil thy face, and keep thee still unknown;
Unknown, though dwelling in our inmost part,
Lord of the thoughts, and Sovereign of the heart'
1 THERE's not a star whose twinkling light
Illumes the distant earth,
And cheers the solemn gloom of night,
But goodness gave it birth.
2 There's not a cloud whose dews distil
Upon the parching clod,
And clothe with verdure vale and hill,
That is not sent by God.
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