5 Evil and good before thee stand, Their mission to perform :
The sun shines bright at thy command; Thy hand directs the storm.
6 In all our ways, we humbly own Thy providential power; Entrusting to thy care alone The lot of every hour.
God our Shepherd. Ps. xxiii.
1 THE Lord my pasture shall prepare, And feed me with a shepherd's care; His presence shall my wants supply, And guard me with a watchful eye: My noon-day walks he shall attend, And all my midnight hours defend. 2 When in the sultry glebe I faint, Or on the thirsty mountain pant; 'To fertile vales and dewy meads My weary, wandering steps he leads; Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow, Amid the verdant landscape flow. 3 Though in a bare and rugged way, Through devious, lonely wilds I stray, Thy bounty shall my pains beguile : The barren wilderness shall smile, With sudden greens and herbage crowned, And streams shall murmur all around.
4 Though in the paths of death I tread, With gloomy horrors overspread, My steadfast heart shall fear no ill, For thou, O Lord! art with me still; Thy friendly crook shall give me aid, And guide me through the dreadful shade.
God every where the Refuge of his Servants. 1 How are thy servants blest, O Lord! How sure is their defence! Eternal wisdom is their guide, Their help, omnipotence.
2 In foreign realms and lands remote, Supported by thy care,
They pass unhurt through burning climes, And breathe in tainted air.
3 Thy mercy sweetens every soil, Makes every region please; The hoary frozen hills it warms, And smooths the boisterous seas.
4 Though by the dreadful tempest tost High on the broken wave,
They know thou art not slow to hear, Nor impotent to save.
5 The storm is laid, the winds retire, Obedient to thy will:
The sea, that raged at thy command, At thy command is still.
6 From all our griefs and straits, O Lord! Thy mercy sets us free, While in the confidence of prayer, Our hearts take hold on thee.
7 In midst of dangers, fears, and death, Thy goodness we 'll adore;
And praise thee for thy mercies past, And humbly hope for more.
8 Our lives, while thou preserv'st our lives, Thy sacrifice shall be ;
And, O may death, when death shall come, Unite our souls to thee!
Man's Dependence on God.
1 THROUGH all the various, shifting scene Of life's mistaken ill or good, Thy hand, O God! conducts unseen, The beautiful vicissitude.
2 Thou givest with paternal care, Howe'er unjustly we complain, To all, their necessary share Of joy and sorrow, health and pain.
3 Trust we to youth, or friends, or power? Fix we on this terrestrial ball?
When most secure, the coming hour, If thou seest fit, may blast them all.
4 All things on earth, and all in heaven, On thine eternal will depend;
And all for greater good were given, Would man pursue the appointed end. 5 Be this my care!-to all beside Indifferent let my wishes be;
Passion be calm, and dumb be pride, And fixed my soul, great God! on thee.
Equity of the Divine Dispensations.
1 WHO, gracious Father! shall complain Under thy mild and equal reign? Who does a weight of duty share,
More than his aids and powers can bear?
2 With differing climes, and differing lands, With fertile plains, and barren sands, Thy hand hath framed this earthly round, And set each nation in its bound.
3 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 has shown. 4 O the abounding grace which brought To us, the words by Jesus taught! So blest, and with such hopes inspired, How much is given, how much required!
God no Respecter of Persons.
1 THOU, with impartial eye, great King, Survey'st each human tribe; No earthly pomp thy eyes can charm, Nor wealth thy favour bribe.
2 The rich and poor, of equal clay, Thy powerful hand didst frame; All souls are thine, and thee alike Their common Parent claim.
3 Thou oft dost visit in thy love The captive's lonely cell; And with the penitent who mourns, 'Tis thy delight to dwell:
4 The downcast spirit to revive, The sorrowful to cheer;
And from the bed of dust, to raise The man of heart sincere.
5 With thee, dwells no relentless wrath Against the human race:
The souls which thou hast formed, shall find A refuge in thy grace.
The Mystery and Benignity of Providence.
1 Gon moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform : He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
2 Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his great designs, And works his sovereign will.
3 Ye fearful saints! fresh courage take : The clouds ye so much dread, Are big with mercy, and will break In blessings on your head.
4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace: Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
5 His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour:
The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.
6 Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain : God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain.
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