Chapter 7

4 His purposes will ripen fast Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

5 Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; God is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain.

129. S. M. Montgomery.

"The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."

1 In darkness as in light, Hidden alike from view, I sleep, I wake within His sight, Who looks existence through.

2 From the dim hour of birth, Through every changing state Of mortal pilgrimage on earth, Till its appointed date;

3 All that I am,--have been,-- All that I yet may be, He sees at once, as he hath seen, And shall forever see.

130. C. M. Browne.

Universal Goodness of God.

1 Lord! thou art good: all nature shows Its mighty Author kind: Thy bounty through creation flows, Full, free, and unconfined.

2 The whole, and every part, proclaims Thine infinite good-will; It shines in stars, and flows in streams, And blooms on every hill.

3 We view it o'er the spreading main, And heavens which spread more wide; It drops in gentle showers of rain, And rolls in every tide.

4 Through the vast whole it pours supplies, Spreads joy through every part: O, may such love attract my eyes, And captivate my heart!

5 My highest admiration raise, My best affections move! Employ my tongue in songs of praise, And fill my heart with love!

131. L. M. Mme. Guion.

The Omnipresent Peace of God.

1 O Thou, by long experience tried, Near whom no grief can long abide;-- My Lord, how full of sweet content My years of pilgrimage are spent!

2 All scenes alike engaging prove, To souls impressed with sacred love; Where'er they dwell, they dwell in thee, In heaven, in earth, or on the sea.

3 To them remains nor place nor time; Their country is in every clime; They can be calm and free from care On any shore, since God is there.

4 While place we seek, or place we shun, The soul finds happiness in none; But with a God to guide our way, 'Tis equal joy to go or stay.

132. C. M. Eng. Bap. Coll.

Providence Kind and Bountiful.

1 Thy kingdom, Lord, forever stands, While earthly thrones decay; And time submits to thy commands, While ages roll away.

2 Thy sovereign bounty freely gives Its unexhausted store; And universal nature lives On thy sustaining power.

3 Holy and just in all its ways Is Providence divine; In all its works, immortal rays Of power and mercy shine.

4 The praise of God--delightful theme!-- Shall fill my heart and tongue; Let all creation bless his name, In one eternal song.

133. S. M. Watts.

A Holy God. Ps. 99.

1 Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at his feet; His nature is all holiness, And mercy is his seat.

2 When Israel was his church, When Aaron was his priest, When Moses cried, when Samuel prayed, He gave his people rest.

3 Oft he forgave their sins, Nor would destroy their race; And oft he made his vengeance known, When they abused his grace.

4 Exalt the Lord our God, Whose grace is still the same; Still he's a God of holiness, And jealous for his name.

134. C. M. Tate & Brady.

God's Condescension.

1 O Thou, to whom all creatures bow Within this earthly frame, Through all the world how great art thou! How glorious is thy name!

2 When heaven, thy glorious work on high, Employs my wondering sight,-- The moon, that nightly rules the sky, With stars of feebler light,--

3 Lord, what is man, that he is blessed With thy peculiar care! Why on his offspring is conferred Of love so large a share?

4 O Thou, to whom all creatures bow Within this earthly frame, Through all the world how great art thou! How glorious is thy name!

135. L. M. Wm. Taylor.

God the Universal Benefactor.

1 God of the universe! whose hand Hath sown with suns the fields of space, Round which, obeying thy command, Unnumbered worlds fulfil their race:

2 How vast the region, where thy will Existence, form, and order gives! Pleased the wide cup with joy to fill, For all that grows, and feels, and lives.

3 Lord! while we thank thee, let us learn Beneficence to all below; Those praise thee best, whose bosoms burn Thy gifts on others to bestow.

136. L. M. C. Wesley.

The Holiness of God.

1 Holy as thou, O Lord, is none! Thy holiness is all thine own; A drop of that unbounded sea Is ours, a drop derived from thee.

2 And when thy purity we share, Only thy glory we declare; And humbled into nothing own, Holy and pure is God alone.

3 Sole self-existent God and Lord, By all the heavenly hosts adored! Let all on earth bow down to thee, And own thy peerless majesty.

137. 6s. M. Drummond.

Unity of God.

1 The God who reigns alone O'er earth, and sea, and sky, Let man with praises own, And sound his honors high.

2 Him all in heaven above, Him all on earth below, The exhaustless Source of love, The great Creator know.

3 He formed the living flame, He gave the reasoning mind; Then only He may claim The worship of mankind.

4 So taught his only Son, Blessed messenger of grace! The Eternal is but one, No second holds his place.

138. C. M. Thomson.

All-embracing Providence of God.

1 Jehovah God! thy gracious power On every hand we see; O may the blessings of each hour Lead all our thoughts to thee.

2 If, on the wings of morn, we speed To earth's remotest bound, Thy hand will there our footsteps lead, Thy love, our path surround.

3 Thy power is in the ocean deeps, And reaches to the skies; Thine eye of mercy never sleeps, Thy goodness never dies.

4 In all the varying scenes of time, On thee our hopes depend; Through every age, in every clime, Our Father, and our Friend!

139. C. M. Beddome.

The Mysteries of Providence.

1 Almighty God! thy wondrous works Of providence and grace, An angel's perfect mind exceed, And all our pride abase.

2 Stupendous heights! amazing depths! Creatures in vain explore: Or, if a transient glimpse we gain, 'Tis faint and quickly o'er.

3 Though all the mysteries lie concealed Beyond what we can see, Grant us the knowledge of ourselves, The knowledge, Lord, of thee.

140. L. M. Tate & Brady.

"Whither shall I go from thy presence?"

1 Thou, Lord, by strictest search hast known My rising up and lying down; My secret thoughts are known to thee, Known long before conceived by me.

2 O could I so perfidious be, To think of once deserting thee! Where, Lord, could I thy influence shun? Or whither from thy presence run?

3 If I the morning's wings could gain, And fly beyond the western main, Thy swifter hand would first arrive, And there arrest thy fugitive.

4 Or should I try to shun thy sight Beneath the sable wings of night, One glance from thee, one piercing ray, Would kindle darkness into day.

5 Search, try, O God, my thoughts and heart, If mischief lurks in any part; Correct me where I go astray, And guide me in thy perfect way.

141. L. M. 6l. W. Ray.

Perfection of God.

1 Thou art, almighty Lord of all, From everlasting still the same; Before thee dazzling seraphs fall, And veil their faces in a flame, To see such bright perfections glow-- Such floods of glory from thee flow.

2 What mortal hand shall dare to paint A semblance of thy glory, Lord? The brightest rainbow-tints are faint; The brightest stars of heaven afford But dim effusions of those rays Of light that round Jehovah blaze.

3 The sun himself is but a gleam, A transient meteor, from thy throne; And every frail and fickle beam, That ever in creation shone, Is nothing, Lord, compared to thee In thy own vast immensity.

4 But though thy brightness may create All worship from the hosts above, What most thy name must elevate Is, that thou art a God of love; And mercy is the central sun Of all thy glories joined in one.

142. L. M. Watts.

"Canst thou find out the Almighty?"

1 Can creatures to perfection find Th' eternal, uncreated Mind? Or can the largest stretch of thought Measure and search his nature out?

2 God is a King of power unknown; Firm are the orders of his throne; If he resolve, who dare oppose, Or ask him why or what he does?

3 He frowns, and darkness veils the moon The fainting sun grows dim at noon: The pillars of heaven's starry roof Tremble and start at his reproof.

4 These are a portion of his ways: But who shall dare describe his face? Who can endure his light, or stand To hear the thunders of his hand?

143. C. H. M. Anonymous.

The surpassing Glory of God.

1 Since o'er thy footstool here below Such radiant gems are strown, O what magnificence must glow, Great God, about thy throne! So brilliant here these drops of light-- There the full ocean rolls--how bright!

2 If night's blue curtain of the sky-- With thousand stars inwrought, Hung like a royal canopy With glittering diamonds fraught-- Be, Lord, thy temple's outer veil, What splendor at the shrine must dwell!

3 The dazzling sun, at noon-day hour-- Forth from his flaming vase Flinging o'er earth the golden shower Till vale and mountain blaze-- But shows, O Lord, one beam of thine: What, then, the day where thou dost shine?

4 O how shall these dim eyes endure That noon of living rays! Or how our spirits so impure, Upon thy glory gaze!-- Anoint, O Lord, anoint our sight, And fit us for that world of light.

144. C. M. Sternhold.

Majesty of God. Ps. 18.

1 The Lord descended from above, And bowed the heavens most high, And underneath his feet he cast The darkness of the sky.

2 On cherubim and seraphim Full royally he rode, And on the wings of mighty winds Came flying all abroad.

3 He sat serene upon the floods, Their fury to restrain, And he, as sovereign Lord and King, Forevermore shall reign.

145. C. M. Watts.

Decrees and Providence of God.

1 Let the whole race of creatures lie Abased before the Lord: Whate'er his mighty hand has formed He governs with a word.

2 Ten thousand ages ere the skies Were into motion brought, All the long years and worlds to come Stood present to his thought.

3 Trusting thy wisdom, God of love, We would not wish to know What, in the book of thy decrees, Awaits us here below

4 Be this alone our fervent prayer,-- Whate'er our lot shall be, Or joys, or sorrows, may they form Our souls for heaven and thee.

146. L. M. Walker's Coll.

"God, with whom is no Variableness."

1 All-powerful, self-existent God, Who all creation dost sustain! Thou wast, and art, and art to come, And everlasting is thy reign!

2 Fixed and eternal as thy days, Each glorious attribute divine, Through ages infinite, shall still With undiminished lustre shine.

3 Fountain of being! Source of good! Immutable thou dost remain! Nor can the shadow of a change Obscure the glories of thy reign.

4 Earth may with all her powers dissolve, If such the great Creator's will; But thou forever art the same, I AM, is thy memorial still.

147. C. M. Anonymous.

God Omnipresent.

1 There's not a place in earth's vast round, In ocean deep, or air, Where skill and wisdom are not found, For God is everywhere.

2 Around, within, below, above, Wherever space extends, There heaven displays its boundless love, And power with mercy blends.

3 Then rise, my soul, and sing his name, And all his praise rehearse, Who spread abroad earth's wondrous frame, And built the universe.

4 Where'er thine earthly lot is cast, His power and love declare; Nor think the mighty theme too vast, For God is everywhere.

148. L. M. Anonymous.

Providence Mysterious.

1 Thy ways, O Lord, with wise design, Are framed upon thy throne above, And every dark or bending line Meets in the centre of thy love.

2 With feeble light, and half obscure, Poor mortals thine arrangements view, Not knowing that the least are sure, And the mysterious just and true.

3 They neither know nor trace the way; But, trusting to thy piercing eye, None of their feet to ruin stray, Nor shall the weakest fail or die.

4 My favored soul shall meekly learn To lay her reason at thy throne; Too weak thy secrets to discern, I'll trust thee for my guide alone.

GENERAL PRAISE.

149. L. M. Tate & Brady.

Praise to the great Jehovah.

1 Be thou, O God, exalted high; And as thy glory fills the sky, So let it be on earth displayed, Till thou art here, as there, obeyed.

2 O God, our hearts are fixed and bent Their thankful tribute to present; And, with the heart, the voice, we'll raise To thee, our God, in songs of praise.

3 Thy praises, Lord, we will resound To all the listening nations round; Thy mercy highest heaven transcends; Thy truth beyond the clouds extends.

4 Be thou, O God, exalted high; And as thy glory fills the sky, So let it be on earth displayed, Till thou art here, as there, obeyed.

150. 7s. M. Salisbury Coll.

Adoration.

1 Holy, holy, holy Lord, Be thy glorious name adored; Lord, thy mercies never fail; Hail, celestial goodness, hail!

2 Though unworthy, Lord, thine ear, Deign our humble songs to hear; Purer praise we hope to bring, When around thy throne we sing.

3 There no tongue shall silent be; All shall join in harmony; That, through heaven's capacious round, Praise to thee may ever sound.

4 Lord, thy mercies never fail; Hail, celestial goodness, hail! Holy, holy, holy Lord, Be thy glorious name adored.

151. 10s. & 11s. Grant.

God Glorious.

1 O, worship the King, all glorious above, And gratefully sing his wonderful love, Our Shield and Defender, the Ancient of Days, Pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise.

2 Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? It breathes in the air, it shines in the light, It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, And sweetly distils in the dew and the rain.

3 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail, In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail; Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end! Our Maker, Defender, Redeemer, and Friend.

4 Father Almighty, how faithful thy love! While angels delight to hymn thee above, The humbler creation, though feeble their lays With true adoration shall lisp to thy praise.

152. C. M. Hemans.

Invitation to offer Praise.

1 Praise ye the Lord; on every height Songs to his glory raise; Ye angel hosts, ye stars of night, Join in immortal praise.

2 O fire and vapor, hail and snow, Ye servants of his will; O stormy winds, that only blow His mandates to fulfil;--

3 Mountains and rocks, to heaven that rise Fair cedars of the wood; Creatures of life that wing the skies, Or track the plains for food;--

4 Judges of nations; kings, whose hand Waves the proud sceptre high; O youths and virgins of the land; O age and infancy;--

5 Praise ye his name, to whom alone All homage should be given, Whose glory, from th' eternal throne, Spreads wide o'er earth and heaven.

153. 7s. M. Milton.

Praise to God.

1 Let us, with a gladsome mind, Praise the Lord, for he is kind; For his mercies shall endure, Ever faithful, ever sure.

2 Let us sound his name abroad, For of gods he is the God; Who, with all-commanding might, Filled the new-made world with light;

3 Caused the golden-tressed sun All day long his course to run; And the moon to shine by night, 'Mongst her spangled sisters bright.

4 His own people he did bless, In the wasteful wilderness; He hath, with a piteous eye, Viewed us in our misery.

5 All his creatures he doth feed; His full hand supplies their need; Let us, therefore, warble forth His high majesty and worth.

154. L. M. Tate & Brady.

Praise and Holiness.

1 O render thanks to God above, The fountain of eternal love; Whose mercy firm through ages past Has stood and shall forever last.

2 Who can his mighty deeds express?-- Not only vast, but numberless! What mortal eloquence can raise His tribute of immortal praise?

3 Happy are they, and only they, Who from thy judgments never stray; Who know what's right, nor only so, But always practise what they know.

4 Extend to me that favor, Lord, Thou to thy chosen dost afford: When thou return'st to set them free, Let thy salvation visit me.

155. 7s. M. J. Taylor.

The Divine Glories Celebrated.

1 Glory be to God on high, God, whose glory fills the sky; Peace on earth to man forgiven, Man, the well-beloved of Heaven.

2 Favored mortals! raise the song; Endless thanks to God belong; Hearts o'erflowing with his praise, Join the hymns your voices raise.

3 Mark the wonders of his hand! Power no empire can withstand; Wisdom, angel's glorious theme; Goodness, one eternal stream.

4 Awful Being! from thy throne Send thy promised blessings down; Let thy light, thy truth, thy peace, Bid our raging passions cease.

156. H. M. Sacred Lyrics.

Perpetual Praise.

1 To thee, great Source of light! My thankful voice I'll raise; And all my powers unite To celebrate thy praise; And, till my voice is lost in death, May praise employ my every breath.

2 And when this feeble tongue Lies silent in the dust, My soul shall dwell among The spirits of the just; Then, with the shining hosts above, In nobler strains I'll sing thy love.

157. L. M. H. Ballou, 2d.

The Same.

1 Praise ye the Lord, around whose throne All heaven in ceaseless worship waits, Whose glory fills the worlds unknown-- Praise ye the Lord from Zion's gates.

2 With mingling souls and voices join; To him the swelling anthem raise; Repeat his name with joy divine, And fill the temple with his praise.

3 All-gracious God, to thee we owe Each joy and blessing time affords,-- Light, life, and health, and all below, Spring from thy presence, Lord of lords.

4 Thine be the praise, for thine the love That freely all our sins forgave, Pointed our dying eyes above, And showed us life beyond the grave.

158. L. M. Watts.

The Same. Ps. 145.

1 My God, my King, thy various praise Shall fill the remnant of my days; Thy grace employ my humble tongue Till death and glory raise the song.

2 The wings of every hour shall bear Some thankful tribute to thine ear; And every setting sun shall see New works of duty done for thee.

3 Let distant times and nations raise The long succession of thy praise, And unborn ages make my song The joy and labor of their tongue.

4 But who can speak thy wondrous deeds? Thy greatness all our thoughts exceeds Vast and unsearchable thy ways: Vast and immortal be thy praise.

159. 6s. 6s. & 4s. M. Anonymous.

The Same. Ps. 150.

1 Praise ye Jehovah's name; Praise through his courts proclaim; Rise and adore;-- High o'er the heavens above Sound his great acts of love, While his rich grace we prove, Vast as his power.

2 Now let the trumpet raise Sounds of triumphant praise Wide as his fame; There let the harp be found; Organs, with solemn sound, Roll your deep notes around, Filled with his name.

3 While his high praise ye sing, Shake every sounding string: Sweet the accord!-- He vital breath bestows: Let every breath that flows His noblest fame disclose-- Praise ye the Lord.

160. H. M. Tate & Brady.

Praise from Heaven and Earth.

1 Ye boundless realms of joy, Exalt your Maker's name; His praise your songs employ Above the starry frame: Your voices raise, Ye cherubim And seraphim, To sing his praise.

2 Let all adore the Lord, And praise his holy name, By whose almighty word They all from nothing came; And all shall last, From changes free; His firm decree Stands ever fast.

161. C. P. M. Ogilvie.

Praise from all Nature. Ps. 148.

1 Begin, my soul, th' exalted lay; Let each enraptured thought obey, And praise th' Almighty's name. Lo, heaven and earth and seas and skies In one melodious concert rise To swell th' inspiring theme.

2 Thou heaven of heavens, his vast abode-- Ye clouds, proclaim your Maker, God; Ye thunders, speak his power. Lo, on the lightning's rapid wings In triumph rides the King of Kings: Th' astonished worlds adore.

3 Ye deeps with roaring billows rise To join the thunders of the skies-- Praise him who bids you roll. His praise in softer notes declare, Each whispering breeze of yielding air, And breathe it to the soul.

4 Wake, all ye soaring throngs, and sing; Ye cheerful warblers of the spring, Harmonious anthems raise To him who shaped your finer mould, Who tipped your glittering wings with gold, And tuned your voice to praise.

5 Let man, by nobler passions swayed, The feeling heart, the reasoning head, In heavenly praise employ: Spread the Creator's name around, Till heaven's wide arch repeat the sound-- The general burst of joy.

162. 10s. & 11s. M. Doddridge.

A Call to Praise.

1 O praise ye the Lord--prepare a new song, And let all his saints in full concert join; With voices united the anthem prolong, And show forth his praises with music divine.

2 Let praise to the Lord, who made us, ascend; Let each grateful heart be glad in its King; The God whom we worship our songs will attend, And view with complacence the offering we bring.