Praise to the Lord of Nature.
O Thou, through all thy works ador'd! Great Power Supreme! Almighty LORD! Author of life, whose sovereign sway Creatures of every tribe obey!
To thee, Most High! to thee belong
The suppliant prayer, the joyful song;
To thee would we attune our voice,
And in thy wondrous works rejoice.
Planets, those wandering worlds above,
Guided by thee, incessant move;
Suns, kindled by a ray divine,
In honour of their Maker shine..
From thee proceed heaven's varied stores,
The changing wind, the fruitful showers,
The flying cloud, the colour'd bow,
The moulded hail, the feather'd snow.
Tempests obey thy mighty will;
Thy awful mandate to fulfil,
The forked lightnings dart around,
And rive the oak, and blast the ground. 6.
The varying seasons all are thine,
All govern'd by the hand divine,
Supporting, through thy constant care,
The tribes of earth, and sea, and air.
To thee, of life the eternal Spring,
Invisible, all-powerful King,
One chorus let all creatures raise
One hymn of universal praise.
The Works and Word of God.
BEHOLD the lofty sky
Declares its Maker, God; And all his starry works on high Proclaim his power abroad.
The darkness and the light
Still keep their course the same;
While night to day, and day to night,
Divinely teach his name.
In every different land,
Their general voice is known; They speak the wonders of his hand, And orders of his throne.
Ye British Isles, rejoice;'
Here he reveals his word:
We are not left to nature's voice,
To bid us know the LORD.
His statutes and commands
Are set before our eyes;
He puts his gospel in our hands,
Where our salvation lies.
His laws are just and pure; His truth without deceit; His promises for ever sure, And his rewards are great.
GREAT GOD! the heaven's well-order'd frame
Declares the glories of thy name;
There thy rich works of wonder shine:
A thousand starry beauties there,
A thousand radiant marks appear
Of boundless power and skill divine.
From night to day, from day to night,
The dawning and the dying light
Lectures of heavenly wisdom read:
With silent eloquence, they raise
Our thoughts to our Creator's praise,
And neither sound nor language need.
Yet their divine instructions run
Far as the journies of the sun;
And distant nations know their voice:
The sun, in robes of splendour drest,
Breaks from the chambers of the east,
Moves round, and makes the earth rejoice.
Where'er he spreads his beams abroad,
He smiles, and speaks his Maker, GOD:-
All nature joins to shew thy praise:-
Thus GOD in every creature shines;
Bright in the book of nature's lines,
But brighter in the book of grace.
HYMNS RELATING TO CHRISTIAN BLESSINGS.
87. P. M.
The Book of Grace.
How precious, LORD! thy holy word!
What light and joy its truths afford
To souls benighted and distrest!
Thy precepts guide our doubtful way;
Thy fear forbids our feet to stray;
Thy promise leads the heart to rest.
Thy threatenings wake our slumbering eyes,
And warn us where our danger lies;
While gospel-truth and grace divine
Inspire the heart with filial love,
Exalt and fix our hopes above,
And make the willing spirit thine.
From the discoveries of thy law,
The perfect rules of life we draw;
Be these our study and delight:
May every deed, and word, and thought,
To truth and duty's standard brought,
Become well-pleasing in thy sight.
Oh may thy word those faults reveal,
Which blind self-love may yet conceal,
And from presumptuous sins restrain!
Thus taught to use the book of
grace,
We'll raise a grateful song of praise
That we possess it not in vain.
Praise for divine Revelation.
A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic as the sun;
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none.
The hand which gave it, still supplies
The gracious light and heat;
Its truths upon the nations rise;
They rise, but never set.
Let endless thanks, O God! be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.
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