Earth, seas, and skies, by thee, their Lord, With matchless skill were wrought.
By thee preserv'd, the whole remains
A proof of power divine;
And all this universe contains,
By sovereign right is thine.
Thou over all art Lord supreme;
All else from thee derive;
No being can dispute thy claim,
Or independent live.
To thine all-gracious power we bow
To thee alone would live;
All that we have to thee we owe;
To thee ourselves we give.
Accept what now, with faith and love,
We to thy will resign ;
And let thy grace preserve, improve,
And perfect, what is thine.
The Events of Life appointed by God.
"TIs God conducts the varying scenes
Of life's mistaken good or ill:
Nothing without him intervenes,
And all is plann'd with perfect skill.
He gives, and with a Father's care,
Howe'er unjustly we complain,
To each his necessary share
Of joy and sorrow, ease and pain.
All things on earth, like all above,
On his eternal will depend;
And all would equal blessings prove,
Did man pursue the appointed end.
Be this our care; for all beslde
Less anxious let our wishes be:
Passion be still, subdued be pride;
And fix'd our souls, O God, on thee.
The Impartiality of the Divine Government.
WHO, gracious Father! shall complain,
Under thy mild and equal reign?
Who doth a weight of duty share,
More than his powers and aids can bear?
With differing climes, and differing lands,
With fertile plains, and barren sands,
Thy wisdom form'd this earthly round,
And set the nations in their bound.
Varied alike, thy moral ray
Here sheds a full, there fainter day :
The God of all, unkind to none,
To all the path of life hath shewn.
Oh the abounding grace which brought
To us the words by Jesus taught !
So blest, and with such hopes inspir'd,
How much is given, how much requir'd!
Providence Inscrutable, but Gracious.
God moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his great designs,
And works his sovereign will.
Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy, and will break
In blessings on your head.
Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.
His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain ;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
Peace and War under the Control of God.
GREAT Ruler of the earth and skies!
A word of thine almighty breath
Can sink the worlds, or make them rise:
Thy favour's life, thy frown is death.
When angry nations rush to arms,
And rage and noise and tumult reign,
And war resounds its dire alarms,
And slaughter spreads the bloody plain;
That word which stills the raging seas
When the loud waves tempestuous roar,
Commands the warring world to peace,
And noise and tumult are no more.
Thou good, and wise, and righteous Lord!
All move subservient to thy will:
Both peace and war await thy word;
Thy righteous counsels they fulfil.
The Government of God includes all Events.
Ps. cxlv.
1
THY kingdom, Lord! for ever stands,
While earthly thrones decay;
And time submits to thy commands,
While ages roll away.
Thy sovereign bounty freely gives
Its unexhausted store;
And universal nature lives
On thy sustaining power.
Evil and good before thee stand,
Thy mission to perform;
The blessing comes at thy command,
At thy command the storm.
In all thy dealings, Lord! we own
Thy providential power;
Intrusting to thy care alone
The events of every hour.
All Creatures dependent on God.
VAST are thy works, Almighty Lord!
All nature rests upon thy word :
Thy wisdom round the world we see ;
This spacious earth is full of thee.
The various tribes of creatures stand,
Waiting their portion at thy hand;
And while they take their different food,
Their cheerful looks pronounce it good.
But when thy face is hid, they mourn;
And dying, to their dust return:
Again thine all-creating breath
Repairs the wastes of time and death.
How vast thy works! how great thy skill!
The universe thy glories fill:
Yet humble souls may seek thy face,
And tell their wants to boundless grace.
In thee our hopes and wishes meet,
And make our meditation sweet,
While thus to thee, O Lord, we raise
The song of humble grateful praise.
PRAISE to the Lord of boundless might,
With unereated glories bright,
Whose presence gilds the worlds above;
The unchanging Source of light and love!
'Let there be light,' Jehovah said;
And light o'er all the world was spread :
Nature, array'd in charms unknown,
Glowing in new-born lustre shone.
Thus o'er the mind, when lost it lies
In shades of ignorance and vice,
He darts from heaven a vivid ray,
And changes midnight into day.
|