1. THOUGH now the nations sit beneath
The darkness of o'erspreading death;
God will arise with light divine,
On Zion's holy towers to shine.
2. That light shall shine on distant lands,
And wandering tribes, in joyful bands,
Shall come, Thy glory, Lord, to see,
And in Thy courts to worship Thee,
3. O light of Zion, now arise!
Let the glad morning bless our eyes!
Ye nations, catch the kindling ray,
And hail the splendors of the day.
1. GREAT God, whom heaven, and earth, and sea,
With all their countless hosts obey,
Upheld by Thee the nations stand,
And empires fall at Thy command.
2. O show Thyself the Prince of Peace,
Command the din of war to cease;
With sacred love the world inspire,
And burn its chariots in the fire.
3. In sunder break each warlike spear,
Let all the Saviour's ensigns wear;
The universal Sabbath prove
The perfect rest of Christian love!
1. O GOD, beneath Thy guiding hand,
Our exiled fathers crossed the sea;
And when they trod the wint'ry strand,
With prayer and psalm they worshiped Thee. 2. Thou heard'st, well pleased, the song, the prayerThy blessing came; and still its power
Shall onward through all ages bear
The memory of that holy hour.
3. What change! through pathless wilds no more The fierce and naked savage roams; Sweet praise, along the cultured shore, Breaks from ten thousand happy homes. 4. Laws, freedom, truth, and faith in God Came with those exiles o'er the waves, And where their pilgrim feet have trod, The God they trusted guards their graves. 5. And here Thy name, O God of love, Their children's children shall adore, Till these eternal hills remove,
And spring adorns the earth no more.
1. "LET there be light," thus spake the Word, The Word was God, "and there was light:" Still the creative Voice is heard:
A day is born from every night.
2. And every night shall turn to day,
While months, and years, and ages roll;
But we have run a brighter ray,
Down on the chaos of the soul.
3. Nor we alone; its wakening smiles
Have broke the gloom of pagan sleep;
The Word hath reached the utmost isles-
God's Spirit moves upon the deep.
4. Already, from the dust of death,
Man in his Maker's image stands,
Once more inhales immortal breath,
And stretches forth to heaven his hands.
1. DEPART awhile, each thought of care,
Be earthly things forgotten all,
And speak, my soul, thy grateful prayer,
Obedient to the sacred call.
For hark! the pealing chorus swells;
Devotion chants the hymn of praise,
And now of joy and hope it tells,
Till, fainting on the ear, it says-
Glory to Thee, to Thee, O Lord!
2. Thine, wondrous Babe of Galilee!
Fond theme of David's harp and song,
Thine are the notes of minstrelsy,
To Thee its ransomed chords belong.
And hark! again the chorus swells,
The song is wafted on the breeze,
And to the listening earth it tells,
In accents soft and sweet as these-
Glory to Thee, to Thee, O Lord!
3. My heart doth feel that still He's near,
To meet the soul in hours like this;
Else, why, O why, that falling tear,
When all is peace, and love, and bliss?
But hark! that Bethlehem chorus swells
Anew its thrilling vesper strain;
And still of joy and hope it tells,
And bids creation sing again-
Glory to Thee, to Thee, O Lord!
1. GREAT God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom of Thy Son,
Extend His power, exalt His throne.
2. Thy scepter well becomes His hands,
All heaven submits to His commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
3. With power He vindicates the just,
And treads th' oppressor in the dust;
His worship and His fear shall last,
Till hours, and years, and time be past.
4. The heathen lands that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at His first dawning light,
And deserts blossom at the sight.
5. The saints shall flourish in His days,
Dressed in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace, like a river from His throne,
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
"Go, preach my Gospel," saith the Lord,
"Bid the whole earth my grace receive;
He shall be saved that trusts my word;
And he condemned that won't believe.
2. "I'll make your great commission known,
And ye shall prove My Gospel true,
By all the works that I have done,
By all the wonders ye shall do.
3. "Teach all the nations My commands;
I'm with you till the world shall end;
All power is trusted in my hands;
I can destroy, and I defend.”
4. He spake, and light shone round His head,
On a bright cloud to heaven He rode;
They to the furthest nations spread
The grace of their ascended God.
1. GREAT Ruler of the earth and skies,
A word of Thine almighty breath
Can sink the world, or bid it rise;
Thy smile is life, Thy frown is death.
2. When angry nations rush to arms,
And rage, and noise, and tumult reign;
And war resounds its dire alarms,
And slaughter spreads the hostile plain;
3. Thy Sovereign eye looks calmly down, And marks their course, and bounds their Thy word the angry nations own,
And noise and war are heard no more.
4. Then peace returns with balmy wing,
Sweet peace! with her what blessings fled!
Glad plenty laughs, the valleys sing,
Reviving commerce lifts her head.
5. Thou good, and wise, and righteous Lord,
All move subservient to Thy will;
And peace and war await Thy word,
And Thy sublime decrees fulfill.
1. O WHAT stupendous mercy shines
Around the majesty of Heaven!
Rebels He deigns to call His sons-
Their souls renewed, their sins forgiven.
grace divine-
The grace that blazes likes a sun;
Hold forth your fair, though feeble light,
Through all your lives let mercy run.
3. Upon your bounty's willing wings
Swift let the great salvation fly;
The hungry feed, the naked clothe;
To pain and sickness help apply.
4. Pity the weeping widow's woe,
And be her counselor and stay;
Adopt the fatherless, and smooth
To useful, happy life, his way.
5. When all is done, renounce your deeds,
Renounce self-righteousness with scorn:
Thus will you glorify your God,
And thus the Christian name adorn.
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