Those mighty orbs proclaim Thy power,
Their motions speak Thy skill;
And on the wings of every hour
We read Thy patience still.
But when we view Thy strange design
To save rebellious worms
Our souls are filled with awe divine
To see what God performs.
When sinners break the Father's laws,
The dying Son atones:
O the dear mysteries of His cross,
The triumph of His groans!
Now the full glories of the Lamb
Adorn the heavenly plains;
Sweet cherubs learn Immanuel's name,
And try their choicest strains.
I bear some humble part
In that immortal song!
Wonder and joy shall tune my heart,
And love command my tongue.
Praise Him all ye angels of His.
OD! the eternal awful name
That the whole heavenly army fears,
That shakes the wide creation's frame,
And Satan trembles when he hears.
Like flames of fire His servants are,
And light surrounds His dwelling-place;
But, O ye fiery flames! declare
The brighter glories of His face.
'Tis not for such poor worms as we
To speak so infinite a thing;
But your immortal eyes survey
The beauties of your sovereign King.
Tell how He shows His smiling face,
And clothes all heaven in bright array ;
Triumph and joy run through the place,
And songs eternal as the day.
Speak (for you feel His burning love)
What zeal it spreads through all your frame
That sacred fire dwells all above,
For we on earth have lost the name.
Proclaim His wonders from the skies,
Let every distant nation hear;
And while you sound His lofty praise,
Let humble mortals bow and fear.
RAISE ye the Lord! 'tis good to raise
Our hearts and voices in His praise:
His nature and His works invite
To make this duty our delight.
He formed the stars, those heavenly flames;
He counts their numbers, calls their names;
His wisdom's vast, and knows no bound,-
A deep where all our thoughts are drowned.
His saints are lovely in His sight;
He views His children with delight;
He sees their hope, He knows their fear,
He sees and loves His image there.
RAISE ye the Lord! my heart shall join
In works so pleasant, so Divine;
Now, while the flesh is mine abode,
And when my soul ascends to God.
Praise shall employ my noblest powers
While immortality endures;
My days of praise shall ne'er be past
While life, and thought, and being last.
His truth for ever stands secure ;
He saves the oppressed, He feeds the poor;
He sends the labouring conscience peace,
And grants the prisoner sweet release.
The Lord hath eyes to give the blind;
The Lord supports the sinking mind;
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow and the fatherless.
He loves His saints, He knows them well,
He calls them with Himself to dwell.
Thy God, O Zion! ever reigns;
Praise Him in everlasting strains.
THE GOODNESS OF GOD.
(WEET is the memory of Thy grace,
My God, my heavenly King;
Let age to age Thy righteousness
In sounds of glory sing.
God reigns on high, but not confines
His goodness to the skies;
Through the whole earth His bounty shines,
And every want supplies.
With longing eyes Thy creatures wait
On Thee for daily food,
Thy liberal hand provides their meat,
And fills their mouths with good.
How kind are Thy compassions, Lord!
How slow Thine anger moves!
How soon He sends His pardoning word
To cheer the souls He loves!
Creatures, with all their endless race,
Thy power and praise proclaim;
But saints that taste Thy richer grace
Delight to bless Thy name.
237 ISRAEL LED TO CANAAN: THE SAINTS TO HEAVEN.
(IVE thanks to God: He reigns above.
His mercy ages past have known,
And ages long to come shall own.
Let the redeemed of the Lord
The wonders of His grace record;
Israel, the nation whom He chose
And rescued from their mighty foes.
When God's almighty arm had broke
Their fetters and the Egyptian yoke,
They traced the desert, wandering round
A wild and solitary ground.
There they could find no leading road,
Nor city for a fixed abode;
Nor food, nor fountain, to assuage
Their burning thirst or hunger's rage.
In their distress to God they cried :
God was their Saviour and their Guide;
He led their march far wandering round,-
'Twas the right path to Canaan's ground.
Thus, when our first release we gain
From sin's old yoke and Satan's chain,
We have this desert world to pass,
A dangerous and a tiresome place.
He feeds and clothes us all the way,
He guides our footsteps lest we stray,
He guards us with a powerful hand,
And brings us to the heavenly land.
O let the saints with joy record
The truth and goodness of the Lord!
How great His works! how kind His ways!
Let every tongue pronounce His praise.
THE ETERNITY OF GOD.
REAT God, how infinite art Thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to Thee.
Thy throne eternal ages stood,
Ere seas or stars were made;
Thou art the ever-living God,
Were all the nations dead.
Nature and time quite naked lie
To Thine immense survey,
From the formation of the sky
To the great burning day.
Eternity, with all its years,
Stands present in Thy view;
To Thee there's nothing old appears;
Great God! there's nothing new.
Our lives through various scenes are drawn.
And vexed with trifling cares,
While Thine eternal thought moves on
Thine undisturbed affairs.
Great God, how infinite art Thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to Thee.
GOD'S DECREES AND PROMISES.
RAISE, everlasting praise, be paid
To Him who earth's foundations laid;
Praise Him by whose decrees were given
The unchanging laws of earth and heaven.
Praise to the goodness of the Lord,
Who rules His people by His word,
And there as strong as His decrees
He sets His kindest promises.
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