4.

Ye mists and vapours, hail and snow, And you who through the concave blow Swift to perform the mandates of his word, Whirlwinds and tempests, praise the'almighty Lord.

5.

Praise him, old monuments of time, O praise him, ye in youthful prime; Praise him, who shine in beauty's excellence, And praise him, thou sweet age of innocence.

6.

Let the wide world his praises sing, From whom its various blessings spring: Let echoing anthems make his praises known, On earth his footstool, as in heaven his throne! 69. L. M. WATTS.

Praise to God from all nature.

1.

NATURE with all her powers shall sing

God the creator and the king:

Nor air, nor earth, nor skies, nor seas,
Deny the tribute of their praise.

2.

Begin to make his glories known,
Ye angels, that surround his throne;
Exalt
your strains, and spread the sound
To the creation's utmost bound.

3.

All mortal things of meaner frame,
Exert your force, and own his name;
Whilst with our souls, and with our voice,
We sing his honours, and our joys.

4.

Yet, mighty God, our feeble frame Attempts in vain to reach thy name; The strongest notes that angels raise Faint in the worship and the praise.

70. c. M. MRS. ROWE. Praise to the God of nature.

1.

BEGIN, my soul, the lofty strain,
In solemn accents sing

A sacred hymn of grateful praise
To heaven's almighty King.

2.

Bear it, ye winds, on all your wings, To distant climes away,

And round the wide-extended world The lofty theme convey.

3.

Take the glad burthen of his name,
Ye clouds, as you arise,
Whether to deck the golden morn,
Or shade the evening skies.

4.

Let harmless thunders roll along
The smooth æthereal plain,
And answer from the crystal vault
To every bounding strain.

5.

Long let it warble round the spheres,

And echo through the sky;

Let angels with immortal skill

Improve the harmony:

6.

Whilst we, with sacred rapture fired,
The great Creator sing,
And utter consecrated lays
To heaven's eternal King.

71. c. M. LIVERPOOL COLLECTION. Praise to the God of nature.

1.

HAIL, King supreme! all wise and good!
To thee our thoughts we raise,
While nature's beauties wide display'd
Inspire our souls with praise.

2.

At morning, noon, and evening mild
Thy works engage our view;
Oft as we gaze, our hearts exult
With transports ever new.

3.

Thy glory beams in every star
That gilds the gloom of night,
And decks the rising face of morn
With rays of cheering light.

4.

The sunny hill, the dewy lawn

With thousand beauties shine : The silent grove and awful shade Proclaim thy power divine.

5.

From tree to tree, a constant hymn
Employs the feather'd throng;
To thee their cheerful notes they swell,
And chaunt their thankful song.

6.

Great nature's God! still may these scenes

Our serious hours engage!

Still may our grateful hearts consult

Thy works' instructive page!

72. P. M. ORATORIO OF ABEL.

Nature calling man to devotion.

1.

How cheerful along the gay mead
The daisy and cowslip appear!
The flocks, as they carelessly feed,
Rejoice in the spring of the year.

2.

The myrtles that shade the gay bowers,
The herbage that springs from the sod,
Trees, plants, cooling fruits, and sweet flowers,
All rise to the praise of my God.

3.

Shall man, the great master of all,
The only insensible prove?
Forbid it, fair gratitude's call!
Forbid it, devotion and love!

4.

The Lord, who such wonders could raise,
And still can destroy with a nod,

My lips shall incessantly praise;

My soul shall be rapt in

my God.

73. L. M.

ENFIELD.

Praise to the Lord of nature.

1.

THOU, through all thy works adored, Great power supreme, almighty Lord! Author of life, whose sovereign sway Creatures of every tribe obey!

2.

To thee, most high, to thee belong
The suppliant prayer, the joyful song;
To thee will we attune our voice,
And in thy wondrous works rejoice.

3.

Planets, those wandering worlds above,
Guided by thee, incessant move;
Suns, kindled by a ray divine,
In honour of their maker shine.

4.

From thee proceed heaven's varied store,
The changing wind, the fruitful shower,
The flying cloud, the colour'd bow,
The moulded hail, the feather'd snow.

5.

Tempests obey thy mighty will;
Thy awful mandate to fulfill,
The forked lightnings dart around,
And rive the oak, and blast the ground.

6.

Yet pleased to bless, kind to supply,
Thy hand supports thy family,
And fosters with a parent's care

The tribes of earth, and sea, and air.