35. L. M.

The Blessings of Divine Worship.

1 God in his earthly temples lays

Foundations for his heavenly praise;
And loves to see that worship rise,

Which forms his offspring for the skies. 2 His mercy every house attends,

Whence pure devotion's flame ascends;
And ever lends a gracious ear,
Where churches join in praise and prayer.

3 To men of pure and pious hearts,

All real good their God imparts ;
With grace he crowns them here below,
And endless glory will bestow.

4 His blessing yields a large increase

Of wisdom, and of sacred peace;
While ripening holiness and love,

Prepare their souls for joys above, 5 Father supreme! whose sovereign sway,

All worlds, all beings must obey;
May our first wish and object be,
On earth, in heaven, to dwell with thee.

| Exeter Coll.

36. C. M.

Sincerity and Hypocrisy.

1 God is a spirit just and wise,

He sees our inmost mind:
In vain to heaven we raise our cries,

And leave our souls behind.

2 Nothing but truth before his throne

With honour can appear;
The formal hypocrites are known

Through the disguise they wear.

3 Their lifted eyes salute the skies,

Their bended knees, the ground;
But God abhors the sacrifice,

Where not the heart is found.

4 Lord! search our thoughts, and try our ways,

And make our souls sincere;
Then may we stand before thy face,
And find acceptance there.

Watts.

37. L. M.

The Excellency of the Gospel.

1 God, who in various methods told

His holy will to those of old,
By his beloved Son, displays

His truth and grace in latter days.
2 We have the volume which records

Our Saviour's character and words;
And in our rising Lord was given
The pledge of life, the hope of heaven.

3 There, knowledge of the noblest kind

Expands and elevates the mind;
The heavenly doctrine, plain as true,
Instructs, reproves, and comforts too,

4 How brightly there thy glories shine,

Wisdom, and goodness all divine;
Whate'er can all the soul with love,
And form it for the joys above.

5 Christians! while grateful songs ye raise,

Improve the gospel which ye praise ;
And aid its progress, till the Lord
Hath blessed all nations with his word.

Watts.

38. L. M.

Praise from the Works of God.

1 Great cause of all things ! Source of life!

Sovereign of air, and earth, and sea!
All nature feels thy power, and all
A silent homage pay to thee.

2 Waked by thy hand, the morning sun

Pours forth to thee its earlier rays,
And spreads thy glories as it climbs;

While raptured worlds look up and praise. 3 The moon to the deep shades of night

Speaks the mild lustre of thy name;
While all the stars that cheer the scene,

Thee, the great Lord of light, proclaim. 4 And groves, and vales, and rocks, and hills;

And every flower, and every tree;
Ten thousand creatures, warm with life,

Have each a grateful song for thee.
$ But man was formed to rise to heaven;

And, blessed with reason's clearer light,
He views his Maker through his workş,
And glows with rapture at the sight.

6 Nor can the thousand songs that rise,

Whether from air, or earth, or sea,
So well repeat Jehovah's praise,
Or raisé such sacred harmony.

Dyer.

39. L. M.

.

Man's Dependence upon God.
1 GREATEST of beings ! Source of life,

Sovereign of air, of earth, and sea !
All nature owns thy power, but man
A grateful tribute pays to thee.

2 Subject to wants, to thee he looks,

And from thy goodness seeks supplies :
And when, oppressed with guilt, he mourns,
Thy mercy lifts him to the skies.

3 Children, whose infant minds, unformed,

Ne'er raised a tender thought to heaven; And men, whom reason lifts to God,

Though oft by passion downward driven ; 4 Those too, who bend with age and care,

And faint and tremble near the tomb;
Who, sickening at the present scenes,

Sigh for that better world to come; 5 All, great Creator ! all are thine;

All feel thy providential care ;
And through each changing scene of life,

Alike thy constant pity share.
6 And whether grief oppress the heart;

Or whether joy elate the breast;
Or life still keep its varying course ;
Or death invite the heart to rest:

7 All are thy messengers, and all

Thy sacred pleasure, Lord! obey ;
And all are training man to dwell
Nearer to bliss, and nearer thee.

Dyer

40. C. M.

God the Creator and Preserver.

1 Great First of beings! mighty Lord !

We praise thy glorious name; Produced by thy creating word,

Arose this wondrous frame.

2 Thy voice sent forth the high command;

'Twas instantly obeyed; And through thy goodness all things stand,

Which by thy skill were made.

3 By thee, through fields of azure, roll

Unnumbered worlds above;
Thy mighty hand sustains the whole;

Each creature shares thy love.

4 By thee, the sun dispenses heat,

And beams of cheering day; By thee, the stars, in order set,

At night thy power display.

5 By thee, the earth its product yielde,

And countless myriads live ;
And trees and plants adorn the fields,

And their rich treasures give.

6 To thee, all-gracious Power! we bow,

And would ourselves resign;
Accept the praise, accept the vow,
And make us wholly thine.

Browne, ale'd.