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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