The moon shines full at his command,
And all the stars obey.
3 I sing the goodness of the Lord,
That filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with his word,
And then pronounced them good.
4 Lord! how thy wonders are displayed,
Where'er I turn mine eye!
If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!
5 There's not a plant nor flower below,
But makes thy glories known;
And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
By order from thy throne.
6 Creatures, that borrow life from thee,
Are subject to thy care;
There's not a place where we can flee,
But God is present there.
HYMN 38, C. M.
Rejoicing in God, our Father.
COME, shout aloud the Father's grace,
And sing the Saviour's love;
Soon shall you join the glorious theme,
In loftier strains above.
mf 2 God, the eternal, mighty God,
To dearer names descends;
Calls you his treasure and his joy,
His children and his friends.
3 My Father, God! and may these lips
Pronounce a name so dear?
Not thus could heaven's sweet harmony
Delight my listening ear.
4 Thanks to my God for every gift
His bounteous hands bestow;
And thanks eternal for that love
Whence all those comforts flow.
Perfections of God in his Government.
1 JEHOVAH reigns-his throne is high, robes are light and majesty;
His glory shines, with beams so bright,
No mortal can sustain the sight.
2 His terrors keep the world in awe;
His justice guards his holy law;
His love reveals a smiling face;
His truth and promise seal the grace.
3 Through all his works his wisdom shines,
And baffles Satan's deep designs;
His power is sovereign to fulfill
The noblest counsels of his will.
4 And will this glorious Lord descend
To be my father and my friend?
Then let my songs with angels join;
Heaven is secure, if God be mine.
HYMN 40, C. M.
God, all in all.
God, my portion, and my love,
My, everlasting all!
I've none but thee in heaven above,
Or on this earthly ball.
2 What empty things are all the skies,
And this inferior clod!
There's nothing here deserves my joys,―
There's nothing like my God.
3 In vain the bright, the burning sun
Scatters his feeble light;
'Tis thy sweet beams create my noon;
If thou withdraw, 't is night.
4 How vain a toy is glittering wealth,
If once compared with thee!
Or what's my safety, or my health,
Or all my friends, to me?
5 Were I possessor of the earth,
And called the stars my own,—
Without thy graces and thyself,
I were a wretch undone.
6 Let others stretch their arms like seas,
And grasp in all the shore;
Grant me the visits of thy face,
And I desire no more.
HYMN 41, L. M.
God's Condescension.
UP to the Lord, who reigts on high,
And views the nations from afar,
Let everlasting praises fly,
And tell how large his bounties are.
2 He over-rules all mortal things,
And manages our mean affairs:
On humble souls the King of kings
Bestows his counsels and his care.
3 Our sorrows and our tears we pour
Into the bosom of our God;
He hears us in the mournful hour,
And helps us bear the heavy load.
4 Oh! could our thankful hearts devise
A tribute equal to thy grace,
To the third heaven our songs should rise,
And teach the golden harps thy praise.
HYMN 42, S. M.
Exhortation to Praise.
mf" 1 STAND up, and bless the Lord,
Ye people of his choice!
Stand up, and bless the Lord your God,
With heart, and soul, and voice.
2 Though high above all praise,
Above all blessing high,
Who would not fear his holy name,
And laud, and magnify?
mf 3 Oh! for the living flame
From his own altar brought,
To touch our lips, our souls inspiro,
And wing to heaven our thought!
4 God is our strength and song,
And his salvation ours;
Then be his love in Christ proclaimed,
With all our ransomed powers.
f" 5 Stand up, and bless the Lord,--
The Lord, your God, adore;
Stand up, and bless his glorious name,
Henceforth, for evermore.
HYMN 43, L. M.
Men not comparable with God.
HALL the vile race of flesh and blood
Contend with their Creator, God?
Shall mortal worms presume to be
More holy, wise, or just, than he?
2 Behold! he puts his trust in none
Of all the spirits round his throne;
Their natures, when compared with his,
Are neither holy, just, nor wise.
3 But how much meaner things are they,
Who spring from dust, and dwell in clay i
Touched by the finger of thy wrath,
We faint, and vanish like the moth.
4 Almighty Power! to thee we bow;
How frail are we-how glorious thou!
No more the sons of earth shall dare,
With an eternal God, compare.
HYMN 44, L. M.
Praise to God.
f" 1 PRAISE, everlasting praise, be paid
To him, who earth's foundation laid;
Praise to the God, whose strong decrees
Sway the creation, as he please.
mf 2 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.
mf 3 Whence, then, should doubts and fears arise?
Why trickling sorrows drown our eyes?
Slowly, alas! our mind receives
The comforts that our Maker gives.
mf' 4 Oh! for a strong, a lasting faith,
To credit what the Almighty saith;
T'embrace the message of his Son,
And call the joys of heaven our own.
"5 Then, should the earth's old pillars shake,
And all the wheels of nature break,
Our steady souls would fear no more,
Than solid rocks when billows roar.
HYMN 45, C. M.
Goodness of God seen in his Works.
[AIL! great Creator, wise and good!
To thee our songs we raise;
Nature, through all her various scenes,
Invites us to thy praise.
dol 2 At morning, noon, and evening mild,
Fresh wonders strike our view;
And, while we gaze, our hearts exult,
With transports ever new.
3 Thy glory beams in every star
Which gilds the gloom of night;
And decks the smiling face of morn,
With rays of cheerful light.
4 The lofty hill, the humble lawn,
With countless beauties shine;
The silent grove, the awful shade,
Proclaim thy power divine.
5 And while, in all thy wondrous ways,
Thy varied love we see;
Oh! may our hearts, great God! be led
Through all thy works to thee.
HYMN 46, L. M.
Wisdom and Knowledge of God.
WAKE, my tongue! thy tribute bring
To him, who gave thee power to sing;
Praise him, who is all praise above,-
The source of wisdom and of love.
2 How vast his knowledge-how profound!
A depth, where all our thoughts are drowned;
The stars he numbers; and their names
He gives to all those heavenly flames.
3 Through each bright world above, behold
Ten thousand thousand charms unfold;
Earth, air, and mighty seas combine,
To speak his wisdom all-divine.
f" 4 But in redemption,-Oh! what grace!
Its wonders,-Oh! what thought can trace!
Here wisdom shines for ever bright:-
Praise him, my soul! with sweet delight.
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