Whose ways are just and right.

54.               L. M.              Salisbury Co.

House of God.

1   Lo, God is here! Let us adore,
      And humbly bow before his face;
    Let all within us feel his power;
      Let all within us seek his grace.

2   Lo, God is here! Him, day and night
      United choirs of angels sing:
    To him, enthroned above all height,
      Heaven's host their noblest homage bring.

3   Being of beings! may thy praise
      Thy courts with grateful fragrance fill:
    Still may we stand before thy face--
      Still hear and do thy sovereign will.

55.               L. M.             New York Coll.

Sabbath Day.

1   We bless thee for this sacred day,
      Thou who hast every blessing given,
    Which sends the dreams of earth away,
      And yields a glimpse of opening heaven.

2   Lord, in this day of holy rest,
      We would improve the calm repose;
    And, in thy service truly blest,
      Forget the world, its joys and woes.

3   Lord! may thy truth, upon the heart,
      Now fall and dwell as heavenly dew,
    And flowers of grace in freshness start
      Where once the weeds of error grew.

4   May prayer now lift her sacred wings,
      Contented with that aim alone
    Which bears her to the King of kings,
      And rests her at his sheltering throne.

56.               C. M.                Montgomery.

Introduction to Evening Worship.

1   On the first Christian Sabbath eve,
      When his disciples met
    O'er his lost fellowship to grieve,
      Nor knew the Scripture yet,--

2   Lo! in their midst his form was seen,--
      The form in which he died;
    Their Master's marred and wounded mien,--
      His hands, his feet, his side.

3   Then were they glad their Lord to know,
      And hailed him, yet with fear;--
    Jesus, again thy presence show;
      Meet thy disciples here.

4   Be in our midst; let faith rejoice
      Our risen Lord to view,
    And make our spirits hear thy voice
      Say, "Peace be unto you!"

57.               C. M.                     Watts.

Going to Church.  Ps. 122.

1   How did my heart rejoice to hear
      My friends devoutly say,
    "In Zion let us all appear,
      And keep the solemn day!"

2   Up to her courts, with joys unknown,
      The holy tribes repair:
    The Son of David holds his throne,
      And sits in judgment there.

3   Peace be within this sacred place,
      And joy a constant guest;
    With holy gifts and heavenly grace
      Be her attendants blest.

4   My soul shall pray for Zion still
      While life or breath remains;
    There my best friends, my kindred, dwell;
      There God, my Saviour, reigns.

58.               L. M.                  Stennett.

Sabbath Morning.

1   Another six days' work is done,
    Another Sabbath is begun:
    Return, my soul, enjoy thy rest,
    Improve the day which God hath blest.

2   O that our thoughts and thanks may rise,
    As grateful incense, to the skies,
    And draw from heaven that sweet repose,
    Which none but he that feels it knows!

3   This heavenly calm within the breast
    Is the dear pledge of glorious rest,
    Which for the church of God remains,
    The end of cares, the end of pains.

4   In holy duties let the day--
    In holy pleasures--pass away:
    How sweet, a Sabbath thus to spend,
    In hope of one that ne'er shall end!

59.              7s. M.          Miss H. F. Gould.

The Sabbath.

1   Choice of God, thou blessed day,
    At thy dawn the grave gave way
    To the power of him within,
    Who had, sinless, bled for sin.

2   Thine the radiance to illume
    First, for man, the dismal tomb,
    When its bars their weakness owned,
    There revealing death dethroned.

3   Then the Sun of righteousness
    Rose, a darkened world to bless,
    Bringing up from mortal night
    Immortality and light.

4   Day of glory, day of power,
    Sacred be thine every hour,
    Emblem, earnest of the rest
    That remaineth for the blest!

60.               C. M.             Mrs. Bareauld.

The Lord's Day Morning.

1   Again the Lord of life and light
      Awakes the kindling ray,
    Unseals the eyelids of the morn,
      And pours increasing day.

2   O what a night was that which wrapped
      The heathen world in gloom!
    O what a sun which broke, this day,
      Triumphant from the tomb!

3   This day be grateful homage paid,
      And loud hosannas sung;
    Let gladness dwell in every heart,
      And praise on every tongue.

4   Ten thousand differing lips shall join
      To hail this welcome morn,
    Which scatters blessings from its wings
      To nations yet unborn.

61.               L. M.                     Watts.

Sabbath on Earth and in Heaven.  Ps. 92.

1   Sweet is the work, my God, my King,
    To praise thy name, give thanks, and sing;
    To show thy love by morning light,
    And talk of all thy truth at night.

2   Sweet is the day of sacred rest!
    No mortal cares shall seize my breast;
    O may my heart in tune be found,
    Like David's harp of solemn sound.

3   My heart shall triumph in the Lord,
    And bless his works, and bless his word:
    Thy works of grace, how bright they shine,
    How deep thy counsels, how divine!

4   But I shall share a glorious part
    When grace hath well refined my heart,
    And, raised to holier courts above,
    I praise thee with a purer love.

5   Then shall I see, and hear, and know,
    All I desired or wished below;
    And every power find sweet employ
    In that eternal world of joy.

62.             C. P. M.                  Merrick.

The Sabbath and the Earthly Temple.

1   The joyful morn, my God, is come,
    That calls me to thy sacred dome,
      Thy presence to adore:
    My feet the summons shall attend,
    With willing steps thy courts ascend
      And tread the hallowed floor.

2   With holy joy I hail the day,
    That warns my thirsting soul away;
      What transports fill my breast!
    For, lo! my great Redeemer's power
    Unfolds the everlasting door,
      And leads me to his rest!

3   Hither, from earth's remotest end,
    Lo! the redeemed of God ascend,
      Their tribute hither bring;
    Here, crowned with everlasting joy,
    In hymns of praise their tongues employ,
      And hail the immortal King.

63.               C. M.                     Watts.

Longing for the House of God.

1   Early, my God, without delay,
      I haste to seek thy face;
    My thirsty spirit faints away
      Without thy cheering grace.

2   So pilgrims on the scorching sand,
      Beneath a burning sky,
    Long for a cooling stream at hand;
      And they must drink, or die.

3   Not life itself, with all its joys,
      Can my best passions move,
    Or raise so high my cheerful voice,
      As thy forgiving love.

4   Thus, till my last expiring day,
      I'll bless my God and King;
    Thus will I lift my hands to pray,
      And tune my lips to sing.

64.               L. M.                     Heber.

The Worship of Earth and Heaven.

1   Hosanna! Lord, thine angels cry:
    Hosanna! Lord, we hear reply:
    Above, beneath us, and around,
    The dead and living swell the sound.

2   O Father! with protecting care
    Meet us in this, thy house of prayer;
    Assembled in Messiah's name,
    Thy promised blessing here we claim.

3   But, chiefest, in our cleansed breast,
    Eternal! let thy Spirit rest;
    And make our secret soul to be
    A temple pure, and worthy thee.

65.               L. M.                     Watts.

Watchfulness and Brotherly Reproof.  Ps. 141.

1   My God, accept my early vows,
    Like morning incense, in thy house;
    And let my nightly worship rise
    Sweet as the evening sacrifice.

2   Watch o'er my lips, and guard them, Lord,
    From every rash and heedless word;
    Nor let my feet incline to tread
    The guilty path where sinners lead.

3   O may the righteous, when I stray,
    Smite and reprove my wandering way;
    Their gentle words, like ointment shed,
    Shall never bruise, but cheer, my head.

4   When I behold them prest with grief
    I'll cry to heaven for their relief;
    And by my warm petitions prove
    How much I prize their faithful love.

66.               L. M.                     Watts.

The Pleasure of Public Worship.  Ps. 84.

1   How pleasant, how divinely fair,
    O Lord of Hosts, thy dwellings are!
    With long desire my spirit faints
    To meet the assemblies of thy saints.

2   Blest are the souls who find a place
    Within the temple of thy grace;
    There they behold thy gentler rays,
    And seek thy face and learn thy praise.

3   Blest are the men whose hearts are set
    To find the way to Zion's gate;
    God is their Strength; and through the road
    They lean upon their Helper, God.

4   Cheerful they walk with growing strength,
    Till all shall meet in heaven at length;
    Till all before thy face appear,
    And join the nobler worship there.

67.               L. M.                C. Robbins.

"Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth."

1   While thus thy throne of grace we seek,
    O God, within our spirits speak!
    For we will hear thy voice to-day,
    Nor turn our hardened hearts away.

2   Speak in thy gentlest tones of love,
    Till all our best affections move;
    We long to hear no meaner call,
    But feel that Thou art all in all.

3   To conscience speak thy quickening word,
    Till all its sense of sin is stirred:
    For we would leave no stain of guile,
    To cloud the radiance of thy smile.

4   Speak, Father, to the anxious heart,
    Till every fear and doubt depart:
    For we can find no home or rest,
    Till with thy Spirit's whispers blest.

68.               H. M.            Roman Breviary.

For a Blessing on Worship.

1     Here, gracious God! do thou
        For evermore draw nigh;
      Accept each faithful prayer,
        And mark each suppliant sigh:
    In copious shower, on all who pray,
    This holy day, thy blessings pour.

2     Here may we find from heaven
        The grace which we implore;
      And may that grace once given,
        Be with us evermore:
    Until that day, when all the blest
    To endless rest are called away.

69.               L. M.          Sun. School H. B.

Sabbath Hymn.

1   Called by the Sabbath bells away,
      Unto thy holy temple, Lord,
    I'll go, with willing mind to pray,
      To praise thy name and hear thy word.

2   O sacred day of peace and joy,
      Thy hours are ever dear to me;
    Ne'er may a sinful thought destroy
      The holy calm I find in thee.

3   Dear are thy peaceful hours to me,
      For God has given them in his love,
    To tell how calm, how blest shall be
      The endless day of heaven above.

70.               L. M.             Mrs. Barbauld.

The Worship of the Heart.

1   When, as returns this solemn day,
      Man comes to meet his Maker, God,
    What rites, what honors shall he pay?
      How spread his Sovereign's praise abroad?

2   From marble domes and gilded spires,
      Shall curling clouds of incense rise?
    And gems, and gold, and garlands deck
      The costly pomp of sacrifice?

3   Vain, sinful man! creation's Lord
      Thy golden offerings well may spare:
    But give thy heart, and thou shalt find
      Here dwells a God who heareth prayer.

71.              7s. M.          Sun. School H. B.

Sunday Evening.

1   Sacred day, forever blest!
    Day of all our days the best!
    Welcome hours of praise and prayer,
    Free from toil, fatigue, and care!

2   Happy, truly happy, Lord,
    Those who hear and read thy word!
    Happy those who dwell with thee!
    Who thy grace and glory see.

3   We once more have heard thy voice,
    Lord, in thee our souls rejoice;
    Borne by faith to worlds on high,
    Called to reign above the sky.

4   Though this day of rest we close,
    Still in thee our hearts repose;
    Guide and guard us all our days:
    O may all our lives be praise!

72.            7s. M. 6l.               J. Taylor.

Invitation to pure Worship.

1   At the portals of thy house,
    Lord, we leave our mortal cares:
    Nobler thoughts our souls engage,
    Songs of praise, and fervent prayers.
    Pure and contrite hearts alone
    Find acceptance at thy throne.

2   Hapless men, whose footsteps stray
    From the temple of the Lord!
    Teach them Zion's heavenly way;
    To their feet thy light afford.
    Let the world unite to raise
    Solemn harmonies of praise.

73.             L. M. 6l.               C. Wesley.

Worship in spirit and in truth.

1   Father of omnipresent grace!
    We seem agreed to seek thy face:
    But every soul assembled here
    Doth naked in thy sight appear;
    Thou know'st who only bows the knee,
    And who in heart approaches thee.

2   To-day, while it is called to-day,
    Awake and stir us up to pray;
    The spirit of thy word impart,
    And breathe the life into our heart;
    Our weakness help, our darkness chase,
    And guide us by the light of grace.

74.               L. M.                 Doddridge.

Subjection to the Father of Spirits.

1   Eternal Source of light and thought!
    Be all beneath thyself forgot,
    Whilst thee, great parent-mind, we own,
    In prostrate homage round thy throne.

2   Whilst in themselves our souls survey
    Of thee some faint reflected ray,
    They wondering to their Father rise:
    His power how vast! his thoughts how wise!

3   O may we live before thy face,
    The willing subjects of thy grace;
    And through each path of duty move,
    With filial awe, and filial love.

75.               L. M.                Montgomery.

Public Worship.

1   God in his temple let us meet,
      In spirit, low before him bend:
    Here he hath fixed his mercy-seat,
      Here on his Sabbath we attend.

2   Arise into thy resting-place,
      Thou, and thine ark of strength, O Lord!
    Shine through the veil, we seek thy face:
      Speak, for we hearken to thy word.

3   With righteousness thy priests array:
      Joyful thy favored people be:
    Let those who teach, and those who pray,
      Let all--be holiness to thee!

76.             L. M. 6l.                  Dryden.

The Divine Spirit implored.

1   Creator Spirit, by whose light
    The sleeping worlds were called from night!
    Come, visit every pious mind,
    Come, pour thy joys on human kind;
    From sin and sorrow set us free,
    And make us temples worthy thee.

2   Plenteous in grace descend from high,
    Rich in thy sevenfold energy;
    Our frailty help, our vice control,
    Thou ruler of our secret soul!
    And, lest our feet should haply stray
    Protect and guide us in the way.

77.               L. M.                 J. Wesley.

"The healthful spirit of God's grace."

1   Spirit of grace, and health, and power!
      Fountain of light and love below!
    Abroad thy healing influence shower;
      On all thy servants let it flow.

2   Inflame our hearts with perfect love;
      In us the work of faith fulfil:
    So not heaven's host shall swifter move,
      Than we on earth to do thy will.

3   Father! 'tis thine each day to yield
      Thy children's wants a fresh supply;
    Thou cloth'st the lilies of the field,
      And hearest the young ravens cry.

4   On thee we cast our care; we live
      Through thee, who know'st our every need:
    O feed us with thy grace, and give
      Our souls this day the living bread!

78.               C. M.                 Doddridge.

Life dedicated to God.

1   Shine on our souls, eternal God!
      With rays of beauty shine;
    O let thy favor crown our days,
      And all their round be thine.

2   Did we not raise our hands to thee,
      Our hands might toil in vain;
    Small joy success itself could give,
      If thou thy love restrain.

3   With thee let every week begin;
      With thee each day be spent;
    For thee each fleeting hour improved,
      Since each by thee is lent.

4   Thus cheer us through the checkered road,
      Till all our labors cease,
    And heaven refresh our weary souls
      With everlasting peace.

79.              7s. M.               S. F. Smith.

Sabbath Evening.

1   Softly fades the twilight ray
    Of the holy Sabbath day;
    Gently as life's setting sun;
    When the Christian's course is run.

2   Night her solemn mantle spreads
    O'er the earth, as daylight fades;
    All things tell of calm repose
    At the holy Sabbath's close.

3   Peace is on the world abroad;
    'Tis the holy peace of God,--
    Symbol of the peace within,
    When the spirit rests from sin.

4   Still the Spirit lingers near,
    Where the evening worshipper
    Seeks communion with the skies,
    Pressing onward to the prize.

CLOSE OF WORSHIP.

80.               L. M.                 Anonymous.

Close of Worship. Evening.

1   Ere to the world again we go,
    Its pleasures, cares, and idle show,
    Thy grace once more, O God, we crave,
    From folly and from sin to save.

2   May the great truths we here have heard--
    The lessons of thy holy word--
    Dwell in our inmost bosoms deep,
    And all our souls from error keep.

3   Oh! may the influence of this day,
    Long as our memory with us stay,
    And as an angel guardian prove,
    To guide us to our home above.

81.               C. M.               Cappe's Sel.

Prayer for Divine Direction.

1   Eternal Source of life and light,
      Supremely good and wise,
    To thee we bring our grateful vows,
      To thee lift up our eyes.

2   Our dark and erring minds illume
      With truth's celestial rays;
    Inspire our hearts with sacred love,
      And tune our lips to praise.

3   Safely conduct us, by thy grace,
      Through life's perplexing road;
    And place us, when that journey's o'er
      At thy right hand, O God.

82.           8s. 7s. & 4s.                   Jay.

Prayer for a Blessing.

1   Come, thou soul-transforming Spirit,
      Bless the sower and the seed;
    Let each heart thy grace inherit;
      Raise the weak, the hungry feed;
          From the gospel
      Now supply thy people's need.

2   O, may all enjoy the blessing
      Which thy word's designed to give,
    Let us all, thy love possessing,
      Joyfully the truth receive,
          And forever
      To thy praise and glory live.

83.               C. M.                Montgomery.

After Divine Service.

1   Again our ears have heard the voice
      At which the dead shall live;
    O, may the sound our hearts rejoice,
      And strength immortal give!

2   And have we heard the word with joy?
      And have we felt its power?
    To keep it be our blest employ,
      Till life's extremest hour.

84.            8 & 7s. M.             Bickersteth.

Closing Hymn.

1   Israel's Shepherd, guide me, feed me.
      Through my pilgrimage below,
    And beside the waters lead me,
      Where thy flock rejoicing go.

2   Lord, thy guardian presence ever,
      Meekly kneeling, I implore;
    I have found thee, and would never,
      Never wander from thee more.

85.              7s. M.            Peabody's Coll.

Closing Supplication.

1   Father! bless thy word to all;
      Quick and powerful may it prove;
    O, may sinners hear thy call,
      May thy people grow in love.

2   Father, bid the world rejoice;
      Send thy heavenly truth abroad;
    May the nations hear thy voice,
      Hear it, and return to God.

86.               C. M.                 Bp. Heber.

"The Seed is the Word of God."

1   O God, by whom the seed is given,
      By whom the harvest blest;
    Whose word, like manna showered from heaven
      Is planted in our breast.

2   Preserve it from the passing feet,
      And plunderers of the air;
    The sultry sun's intenser heat,
      And weeds of worldly care!

3   Though buried deep, or thinly strewn,
      Do thou thy grace supply:
    The hope in earthly furrows sown
      Shall ripen in the sky.

87.               C. M.                 Anonymous.

"God giveth the Increase."

1   Now, Lord, the heavenly seed is sown,
      Be it thy servants' care
    Thy heavenly blessing to bring down
      By humble, fervent prayer.

2   In vain we plant without thine aid,
      And water, too, in vain:
    Lord of the harvest, God of grace,
      Send down thy heavenly rain.

3   Then shall our cheerful hearts and tongues
      Begin this song divine--
    "Thou, Lord, hast given the rich increase,
      And be the glory thine."

88.               L. M.                 H. Ballou.

Dismission.

1   From worship, now, thy church dismiss--
      But not without thy blessing, Lord;
    O grant a taste of heavenly bliss,
      And seal instruction from thy word.

2   Oft may these pleasant scenes return
      When we shall meet to worship thee;
    Oft may our hearts within us burn
      To hear thy word, thy goodness see.

3   And when these pleasant scenes are past,
      To thee, our God, O may we come,
    And meet th' assembled world at last,
      In Zion, our eternal home.

89.               H. M.                 J. Newton.

The Same.

      On what has now been sown
        Thy blessing, Lord, bestow;
      The power is thine alone
        To make it spring and grow.
    Do thou the gracious harvest raise,
    And thou alone shalt have the praise.

90.               H. M.                 E. Turner.

Thanks at the Close of Service.

1     Kind Lord, before thy face
        Again with joy we bow,
      For all the gifts and grace
        Thou dost on us bestow.
    Our tongues would all thy love proclaim,
    And chant the honors of thy name.

2     Here, in thine earthly house,
        Our joyful souls have met;
      Here paid our solemn vows,
        And felt our union sweet.
    For this our tongues thy love proclaim,
    And chant the honors of thy name.

3     Now may we dwell in peace
        Till here again we come;
      And may our love increase
        Till thou shalt bring us home.
    Then shall our tongues thy love proclaim,
    And chant the honors of thy name.

91.            8 & 7s. M.              C. Robbins.

Close of Worship. Evening.

1   Lo! the day of rest declineth;
      Gather fast the shades of night--
    May the Sun that ever shineth,
      Fill our souls with heavenly light.

2   Softly now the dew is falling;
      Peace o'er all the scene is spread;--
    On his children meekly calling,
      Purer influence God will shed.

3   While thine ear of love addressing,
      Thus our parting hymn we sing,
    Father, give thine evening blessing;
      Fold us safe beneath thy wing.

92.               C. M.              Kippis' Coll.

Close of Evening Worship.

1   Soon will our fleeting hours be past;
      And, as the setting sun
    Sinks downward in the radiant west,
      Our parting beams be gone.

2   May He, from whom all blessings flow,
      Our sacred rites attend,
    Uniting all in wisdom's ways,
      Till life's short journey end;

3   And as the rapid sands run down,
      Our virtue still improve,
    Till each receive the glorious crown
      Of never-fading love.

93.               L. M.                     Heber.

Close of Service.

1   Lord, now we part in thy blest name,
    In which we here together came:
    Grant us our few remaining days
    To work thy will and spread thy praise.

2   Teach us in life and death to bless
    The Lord our strength and righteousness;
    And grant us all to meet above;
    Then shall we better sing thy love.

94.              7s. M.                Montgomery.

Praise from all Lands.

1   All ye nations, praise the Lord;
      All ye lands, your voices raise;
    Heaven and earth, with loud accord,
      Praise the Lord, forever praise.

2   For his truth and mercy stand,
      Past and present, and to be,
    Like the years of his right hand,
      Like his own eternity.

3   Praise him, ye who know his love;
      Praise him from the depths beneath;
    Praise him in the heights above;
      Praise your Maker, all that breathe.

95.               L. M.                     Watts.

The Joy and Blessing of Worship.

1   Lord, how delightful 'tis to see
    A whole assembly worship thee;
    At once they sing, at once they pray,
    They hear of heaven and learn the way.

2   O, write upon our memory, Lord,
    The text and doctrines of thy word:
    That we may break thy laws no more,
    But love thee better than before.

96.            8 & 7s. M.             S. F. Adams.

Close of Worship.

1   Part in peace! is day before us?
      Praise his name for life and light;
    Are the shadows lengthening o'er us?
      Bless His care who guards the night.

2   Part in peace! with deep thanksgiving,
      Rendering, as we homeward tread,
    Gracious service to the living,
      Tranquil memory to the dead.

3   Part in peace! such are the praises
      God, our Maker, loveth best;
    Such the worship that upraises
      Human hearts to heavenly rest.

97.               L. M.                 Anonymous.

Close of Worship. Evening.

1   While now upon this Sabbath eve,
    Thy house, Almighty God, we leave
    'Tis sweet, as sinks the setting sun,
    To think on all our duties done.

2   Oh! evermore may all our bliss
    Be peaceful, pure, divine, like this;
    And may each Sabbath, as it flies,
    Fit us for joy beyond the skies.

98.            8 & 7s. M.          Toplady's Coll.

Dismission.

1   Lord, dismiss us with thy blessing,
      Hope and comfort from above;
    Let us each, thy peace possessing,
      Triumph in redeeming love.

2   Thanks we give, and adoration,
      For thy Gospel's joyful sound;
    May the fruits of thy salvation
      In our hearts and lives abound.

99.               L. M.                Montgomery.

Sunday Evening.

1   Millions within thy courts have been;
      Millions this day have bent the knee;
    But thou, soul-searching God! hast seen
      The hearts of all that worshipped thee.

2   From east to west the sun surveyed,
      From north to south, adoring throngs;
    And still, where evening stretched her shade,
      The stars came forth to hear their songs.

3   And not a prayer, a tear, a sigh,
      Hath failed this day some suit to gain;
    To those in trouble thou wert nigh;
      Not one hath sought thy face in vain.

4   Yet one prayer more;--and be it one,
      In which both heaven and earth accord:
    Fulfil thy promise to thy Son;
      Let all that breathe call Jesus Lord!

100.              L. M.                  Moravian.

The Lord's Prayer.

1   Thy name be hallowed evermore;
    O God! thy kingdom come with power!
    Thy will be done, and day by day,
    Give us our daily bread, we pray:

2   Lord! evermore to us be given
    The living bread that came from heaven:
    Water of life on us bestow,
    Thou art the Source, the Fountain thou.

CHARACTER, ATTRIBUTES AND PROVIDENCE OF GOD.

101.              L. M.               Mrs. Steele.

Being of God.

1   There is a God--all nature speaks,
      Through earth, and air, and sea, and skies:
    See, from the clouds his glory breaks,
      When first the beams of morning rise.

2   The rising sun, serenely bright,
      O'er the wide world's extended frame
    Inscribes, in characters of light,
      His mighty Maker's glorious name.

3   The flowery tribes, all blooming, rise
      Above the weak attempts of art;
    Their bright, inimitable dyes
    Speak sweet conviction to the heart.

4   Ye curious minds, who roam abroad,
      And trace creation's wonders o'er,
    Confess the footsteps of a God;
      Come, bow before him, and adore.

102.              S. M.               Mrs. Steele.

God our Father.

1     My Father! cheering name!
      O, may I call thee mine?
    Give me the humble hope to claim
      A portion so divine.

2     Whate'er thy will denies,
      I calmly would resign;
    For thou art just, and good, and wise:
      O, bend my will to thine!

3     Whate'er thy will ordains,
      O give me strength to bear
    Still let me know a father reigns,
      And trust a father's care.

4     Thy ways are little known
      To my weak, erring sight;
    Yet shall my soul, believing, own
      That all thy ways are right.

5     My Father!--blissful name!
      Above expression dear!
    If thou accept my humble claim,
      I bid adieu to fear.

103.              L. M.                    Bryant.

The Paternal Love of God.

1   Father! to thy kind love we owe
    All that is fair and good below;
    Bestower of the health that lies
    On tearless cheeks and cheerful eyes!

2   Giver of sunshine and of rain!
    Ripener of fruits on hill and plain!
    Fountain of light, that, rayed afar,
    Fills the vast urns of sun and star!

3   Yet deem we not that thus alone,
    Thy mercy and thy love are shown;
    For we have learned, with higher praise,
    And holier names, to speak thy ways.

4   In woe's dark hour, our kindest stay!
    Sole trust when life shall pass away!
    Teacher of hopes that light the gloom
    Of death, and consecrate the tomb!

104.              C. M.          Martineau's Coll.

Omnipotence of God.

1   'Twas God who fixed the rolling spheres,
      And stretched the boundless skies,
    Who formed the plan of endless years,
      And bade the ages rise.

2   From everlasting is his might,
      Immense and unconfined;
    He pierces through the realms of light,
      And rides upon the wind.

3   He darts along the burning sky;
      Loud thunders round him roar;
    Through worlds above his terrors fly,
      While worlds below adore.

4   He speaks,--great nature's wheels stand still
      And leave their wonted round;
    The mountains melt; each trembling hill
      Forsakes its ancient bound.

5   Ye worlds, and every living thing,
      Fulfil his high command;
    Pay grateful homage to your King,
      And own his ruling hand.

105.              C. M.               H. K. White.

Almighty Power and Majesty of God.

1   The Lord our God is clothed with might;
      The winds obey his will;
    He speaks, and in the heavenly height
      The rolling sun stands still.

2   Rebel, ye waves, and o'er the land
      With threatening aspect roar;
    The Lord uplifts his awful hand,
      And chains you to the shore.

3   Ye winds of night, your force combine
      Without his high behest,
    Ye shall not, in the mountain pine,
      Disturb the sparrow's nest.

4   His voice sublime is heard afar;
      In distant peals it dies;
    He binds the whirlwinds to his car,
      And sweeps the howling skies.

5   Ye nations, bend; in reverence bend;
      Ye monarchs, wait his nod,
    And bid the choral song ascend
      To celebrate our God.

106.              C. M.                     Watts.

God is Everywhere.

1   In all my vast concerns with thee,
      In vain my soul would try
    To shun thy presence, Lord, or flee
      The notice of thine eye.

2   Thine all-surrounding sight surveys
      My rising and my rest;
    My public walks, my private ways,
      And secrets of my breast.

3   My thoughts lie open to the Lord,
      Before they're formed within;
    And ere my lips pronounce the word,
      He knows the sense I mean.

4   O, wondrous knowledge, deep and high;
      Where can a creature hide?
    Within thy circling arms I lie,
      Beset on every side.

5   So let thy grace surround me still,
      And like a bulwark prove,
    To guard my soul from every ill,
      Secured by sovereign love.

107.              L. M.      Spirit of the Psalms.

Eternity of God.

1   Ere mountains reared their forms sublime,
      Or heaven and earth in order stood,
    Before the birth of ancient time,
      From everlasting thou art God.

2   A thousand ages, in their flight,
      With thee are as a fleeting day;
    Past, present, future, to thy sight
      At once their various scenes display.

3   But our brief life's a shadowy dream,
      A passing thought, that soon is o'er,
    That fades with morning's earliest beam,
      And fills the musing mind no more.

4   To us, O Lord, the wisdom give,
      Each passing moment so to spend,
    That we at length with thee may live
      Where life and bliss shall never end.

108.            C. M. 6l.                  Conder.

Where is God?

1   Beyond, beyond that boundless sea,
      Above that dome of sky,
    Farther than thought itself can flee,
      Thy dwelling is on high;
    Yet dear the awful thought to me,
      That thou, my God, art nigh.

2   We hear thy voice when thunders roll
      Through the wide fields of air;
    The waves obey thy dread control:
      Yet still thou art not there.
    Where shall I find Him, O my soul,
      Who yet is everywhere?

3   O, not in circling depth, or height,
      But in the conscious breast,
    Present to faith, though veiled from sight,
      There does his spirit rest.
    O come, thou Presence Infinite,
      And make thy creatures blest.

109.              L. M.                     Watts.

The all-seeing God.

1   Lord, thou hast searched and seen me through;
    Thine eye commands, with piercing view,
    My rising and my resting hours,
    My heart and flesh, with all their powers.

2   Within thy circling power I stand;
    On every side I find thy hand:
    Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
    I am surrounded still with God.

3   Amazing knowledge, vast and great!
    What large extent! what lofty height!
    My soul, with all the powers I boast,
    Is in the boundless prospect lost.

4   O may these thoughts possess my breast
    Where'er I rove, where'er I rest!
    Nor let my weaker passions dare
    Consent to sin; for God is there.

110.            L. M. 6l.              Montgomery.

God Good and Omniscient.

1   How precious are thy thoughts of peace,
      O God! to me,--how great the sum!
    New every morn, they never cease;
      They were, they are, and yet shall come,
    In number and in compass more
    Than ocean's sand, or ocean's shore.

2   Search me, O God! and know my heart,
      Try me, my secret soul survey;
    And warn thy servant to depart
      From every false and evil way:
    So shall thy truth my guidance be,
    In life and immortality.

111.              L. M.                 Blacklock.

Omniscience and Omnipresence.

1   Father of all, omniscient Mind,
      Thy wisdom who can comprehend?
    Its highest point what eye can find,
      Or to its lowest depths descend?

2   If up to heaven's ethereal height,
      Thy prospect to elude, I rise,
    In splendor there supremely bright,
      Thy presence shall my sight surprise.

3   Thee, mighty God, my wondering soul,
      Thee, all her conscious powers adore,
    Whose being circumscribes the whole,
      Whose eyes the universe explore.

4   Thine essence fills this breathing frame;
      It glows in every vital part,
    Lights up our souls with livelier flame,
      And feeds with life each beating heart.

5   To thee, from whom our being came,
      Whose smile is all the heaven we know,
    Inspired with this exalted theme,
      To thee our grateful strains shall flow.

112.              C. M.                     Watts.

Infinity of God.

1   Great God, how infinite art thou!
      How weak and frail are we!
    Let the whole race of creatures bow,
      And homage pay to thee.

2   Thy throne eternal ages stood,
      Ere earth or heaven was made;
    Thou art the ever-living God,
      Were all the nations dead.

3   Eternity, with all its years,
      Stands present in thy view;
    To thee there's nothing old appears,
      Great God, there's nothing new.

4   Our lives through varying scenes are drawn,
      And vexed with trifling cares,
    While thine eternal thought moves on
      Thine undisturbed affairs.

113.            S. P. M.                    Watts.

The Majesty of God.

1     The Lord Jehovah reigns,
      And royal state maintains,
    His head with awful glories crowned,
      Arrayed in robes of light,
      Begirt with sovereign might,
    And rays of majesty around.

2     Upheld by thy commands,
      The world securely stands,
    And skies and stars obey thy word;
      Thy throne was fixed on high
      Ere stars adorned the sky;
    Eternal is thy kingdom, Lord.

3     Thy promises are true;
      Thy grace is ever new;
    There fixed, thy church shall ne'er remove;
      Thy saints, with holy fear,
      Shall in thy courts appear,
    And sing thine everlasting love.

114.           8 & 7s. M.                 Bowring.

God is Love.

1   God is love; his mercy brightens
      All the path in which we rove;
    Bliss he wakes, and woe he lightens;
      God is wisdom, God is love.

2   Chance and change are busy ever;
      Man decays, and ages move;
    But his mercy waneth never;
      God is wisdom, God is love.

3   E'en the hour that darkest seemeth
      Will his changeless goodness prove;
    From the gloom his brightness streameth,
      God is wisdom, God is love.

4   He with earthly cares entwineth
      Hope and comfort from above:
    Everywhere his glory shineth;
      God is wisdom, God is love.

115.              L. M.                    Fergus.

God the Creator.

1   The Spirit moved upon the waves
      That darkly rolled, a shoreless sea;
    He spake the word, and light burst forth,
      A glorious, bright immensity.

2   At his command, the mountains heaved
      Their rocky pinnacles on high,
    Island and continent displayed
      Their desert grandeur to the sky.

3   The voice of God was heard again,
      And lovely flowers and graceful trees
    Appeared on every vale and plain,
      And perfumes floated on the breeze.

4   The word went forth, and vast and high
      The heavenly orbs gave out their light,
    O'er all the earth and sea and sky;
      The rulers of the day and night.

116.            L. M. 6l.       Montgomery's Coll.

Omnipresence of God.

1   Above, below, where'er I gaze,
      Thy guiding finger, Lord, I view,
    Traced in the midnight planets' blaze,
      Or glist'ning in the morning dew:
    Whate'er is beautiful or fair,
    Is but thine own reflection there.

2   And when the radiant orb of light
      Hath tipped the mountain tops with gold
    Smote with the blaze, my weary sight
      Shrinks from the wonders I behold;
    That ray of glory, bright and fair,
    Is but thy living shadow there.

3   Thine is the silent noon of night,
      The twilight eve, the dewy morn;
    Whate'er is beautiful and bright,
      Thy hands have fashioned to adorn.
    Thy glory walks in every sphere,
    And all things whisper, "God is here."

117.              C. M.                     Watts.

The Perfections of God.

1   How shall I praise th' eternal God,
      That infinite Unknown?
    Who can ascend his high abode,
      Or venture near his throne?

2   Those watchful eyes that never sleep,
      Survey the world around:
    His wisdom is a boundless deep,
      Where all our thoughts are drowned.

3   Speak we of strength, his arm is strong,
      To save or to destroy:
    To him eternal years belong,
      And never-ending joy.

4   He knows no shadow of a change,
      Nor alters his decrees;
    Firm as a rock his truth remains,
      To guard his promises.

118.              C. M.                   Drennan.

"God is a Spirit."

1   The heaven of heavens cannot contain
      The universal Lord;
    Yet he in humble hearts will deign
      To dwell and be adored.

2   Where'er ascends the sacrifice
      Of fervent praise and prayer,
    Or on the earth, or in the skies,
      The God of heaven is there.

3   His presence is diffused abroad
      Through realms, through worlds unknown;
    Who seek the mercies of our God
      Are ever near his throne.

119.              C. M.                     Watts.

Power, Wisdom and Goodness of God.

1   I sing the mighty power of God,
      That made the mountains rise,
    That spread the flowing seas abroad,
      And built the lofty skies.

2   I sing the wisdom that ordained
      The sun to rule the day;
    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   There's not a plant or flower below,
      But makes thy glories known;
    And clouds arise, and tempests blow,
      By order from thy throne.

120.              L. M.               Mrs. Gilman.

God our Father.

1   Is there a lone and dreary hour,
    When worldly pleasures lose their power?
    My Father! let me turn to thee,
    And set each thought of darkness free.

2   Is there a time of rushing grief,
    Which scorns the prospect of relief?
    My Father! break the cheerless gloom,
    And bid my heart its calm resume.

3   Is there an hour of peace and joy,
    When hope is all my soul's employ?
    My Father! still my hopes will roam,
    Until they rest with thee, their home.

4   The noontide blaze, the midnight scene,
    The dawn, or twilight's sweet serene,
    The glow of life, the dying hour,
    Shall own my Father's grace and power.

121.             10s. M.               Mme. Guion.

God Incomprehensible.

1   Almighty Former of creation's plan,
    Faintly reflected in thine image, man;
    Holy and just,--the greatness of whose name
    Rules and supports this universal frame:--

2   Whose spirit fills the infinitude of space,--
    Who art thyself thine own vast dwelling place;--
    Soul of our soul, whom yet no sense of ours
    Discerns, eluding our most active powers:--

3   Encircling shades attend thine awful throne,
    That veil thy face, and keep thee still unknown;
    Unknown, though dwelling in our inmost part,
    Lord of the thoughts, and Sovereign of the heart!

122.              C. M.                   Wallace.

God seen in his Works.

1   There's not a star whose twinkling light
      Illumes the distant earth,
    And cheers the solemn gloom of night,
      But goodness gave it birth.

2   There's not a cloud whose dews distil
      Upon the parching clod,
    And clothe with verdure vale and hill,
      That is not sent by God.

3   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.

4   Around, within, below, above,
      Wherever space extends,
    There Heaven displays its boundless love,
      And power with goodness blends.

123.              C. M.                     Watts.

God the Creator.

1   Eternal Wisdom, thee we praise;
      Thee all thy creatures sing:
    While with thy name, rocks, hills, and seas,
      And heaven's high palace, ring.

2   Thy hand, how wide it spread the sky!
      How glorious to behold!
    Tinged with a blue of heavenly dye,
      And decked with sparkling gold.

3   Thy glories blaze all nature round,
      And strike the gazing sight,
    Through skies, and seas, and solid ground,
      With terror and delight.

4   Almighty power, and equal skill,
      Shine through the worlds abroad,
    Our souls with vast amazement fill,
      And speak the builder, God.

124.              S. M.               Mrs. Steele.

God, our Creator and Benefactor.

1     My Maker and my King!
      To thee my all I owe:
    Thy sovereign bounty is the spring,
      From whence my blessings flow.

2     Thou ever good and kind!
      A thousand reasons move,
    A thousand obligations bind
      My heart to grateful love.

3     The creature of thy hand,
      On thee alone I live:
    My God! thy benefits demand
      More praise than tongue can give.

4     O let thy grace inspire
      My soul with strength divine;
    Let all my powers to thee aspire,
      And all my days be thine.

125.              L. M.                     Watts.

The Good Providence of God.  Ps. 36.

1   High in the heavens, eternal God!
      Thy goodness in full glory shines;
    Thy truth shall break through every cloud
      That veils and darkens thy designs.

2   Forever firm thy justice stands,
      As mountains their foundations keep;
    Wise are the wonders of thy hands;
      Thy judgments are a mighty deep.

3   Thy providence is kind and large;
      Both man and beast thy bounty share;
    The whole creation is thy charge,
      But saints are thy peculiar care.

4   Life, like a fountain, rich and free,
      Springs from the presence of my Lord;
    And in thy light our souls shall see
      The glories promised in thy word.

126.              L. M.                    Kippis.

God Incomprehensible.

1   Great God! in vain man's narrow view
    Attempts to look thy nature through;
    Our laboring powers with reverence own
    Thy glories never can be known.

2   Not the high seraph's mighty thought,
    Who countless years his God has sought,
    Such wondrous height or depth can find,
    Or fully trace thy boundless mind.

3   And yet thy kindness deigns to show
    Enough for mortal minds to know;
    While wisdom, goodness, power divine,
    Through all thy works and conduct shine.

4   O, may our souls with rapture trace
    Thy works of nature and of grace:
    Explore thy sacred truth, and still
    Press on to know and do thy will.

127.              C. M.              Tate & Brady.

God Unchangeable.

1   Through endless years thou art the same,
      O thou eternal God;
    Each future age shall know thy name,
      And tell thy works abroad.

2   The strong foundations of the earth
      Of old by thee were laid;
    By thee the beauteous arch of heaven
      With matchless skill was made.

3   Soon may this goodly frame of things
      Created by thy hand,
    Be, like a vesture, laid aside,
      And changed at thy command.

4   But thy perfections, all divine,
      Eternal as thy days,
    Through everlasting ages shine,
      With undiminished rays.

128.              C. M.                    Cowper.

Purposes of God developed by his Providence.

1   God moves in a mysterious way,
      His wonders to perform;
    He plants his footsteps in the sea,
      And rides upon the storm.

2   Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
      The clouds ye so much dread
    Are big with mercy, and shall break
      In blessings on your head.

3   Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
      But trust him for his grace;
    Behind a frowning providence
      He hides a smiling face.

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.

3   Be joyful, ye saints sustained by his might,
      And let your glad songs awake with each morn;
    For those who obey him are still his delight--
      His hand with salvation the meek will adorn.

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

163.              L. M.                     Watts.

Universal Praise.

1   Wide as his vast dominion lies,
      Make the Creator's name be known;
    Loud as his thunders speak his praise,
      And sound it lofty as his throne.

2   Jehovah!--'tis a glorious word;
      O may it dwell on every tongue;
    But saints, who best have known the Lord,
      Are bound to raise the noblest song.

3   Speak of the wonders of that love
      Which Gabriel plays on every chord;
    From all below, and all above,
      Loud hallelujahs to the Lord.

164.              C. M.                   Patrick.

Te Deum.

1   O God, we praise thee, and confess,
      That thou the only Lord
    And everlasting Father art,
      By all the earth adored.

2   To thee all angels cry aloud--
      To thee the powers on high,
    Both cherubim and seraphim,
      Continually do cry--

3   "O holy, holy, holy Lord,
      Whom heavenly hosts obey,
    The world is with the glory filled
      Of thy majestic sway."

4   Th' apostles' glorious company,
      And prophets, crowned with light,
    With all the martyrs' noble host,
      Thy constant praise recite.

5   The holy church throughout the world,
      O Lord, confesses thee--
    That thou eternal Father art
      Of boundless majesty.

165.          8s. & 7s. M.                Fawcett.

God of our Salvation.

1   Praise to thee, thou great Creator;
      Praise be thine from every tongue;
    Join, my soul, with every creature,
      Join the universal song.

2   Father, source of all compassion,
      Free, unbounded grace is thine:
    Hail the God of our salvation;
      Praise him for his love divine.

3   For ten thousand blessings given,
      For the hope of future joy,
    Sound his praise through earth and heaven,
      Sound Jehovah's praise on high.

4   Joyfully on earth adore him,
      'Till in heaven our song we raise;
    There, enraptured, fall before him,
      Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

166.              H. M.             George Sandys.

General Praise.

1   All, from the sun's uprise,
      Unto his setting rays,
    Resound in jubilees,
      The great Jehovah's praise.
        Him serve alone;
          In triumph bring
          Your gifts, and sing,
        Before his throne.

2   Man drew from man his birth,
      But God his noble frame
    Built of the ruddy earth,
      Filled with celestial flame.
        His sons we are;
          Sheep by him led,
          Preserved and fed
        With tender care.

3   O to his portals press
      In your divine resorts:
    With thanks his power profess,
      And praise him in his courts.
        How good! How pure!
          His mercies last;
          His promise past,
        Forever sure.

167.              C. M.                 M. Rayner.

The Same.

1   Hail! Source of light, of life, and love,
      And joys that never end;
    In whom all creatures live and move:
      Creator, Father, Friend.

2   All space is with thy presence crowned:
      Creation owns thy care;
    Each spot in nature's ample round,
      Proclaims that God is there.

3   Attuned to praise be every voice;
      Let not one heart be sad:
    Jehovah reigns! Let earth rejoice;
      Let all the isles be glad.

4   Then sound the anthem loud and long,
      In sweetest, loftiest strains;
    And be the burden of the song,
      The Lord, Jehovah, reigns!

RELIGION OF NATURE.

168.            L. M. 6l.                   Watts.

God revealed in his Works.

1   Great God! the heavens' well ordered frame
    Declares the glory of thy name,
      There thy rich works of wonder shine:
    A thousand starry beauties there,
    A thousand radiant marks appear,
      Of boundless skill and power divine.

2   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.

3   Yet thy divine instructions run
    Far as the journeys of the sun:
      Thy light and truth are known abroad;
    We see thy smile in Nature's face,
    And in the pages of thy grace
      We read the glories of our God.

169.              C. M.                      Rowe.

Praise from all Nature.

1   Begin the high, celestial strain,
      My raptured soul, and sing
    A sacred hymn of grateful praise
      To heaven's almighty King.

2   Ye curling fountains, as ye roll
      Your silver waves along,
    Repeat to all your verdant shores
      The subject of the song.

3   Bear it, ye breezes, on your wings,
      To distant climes away,
    And round the wide-extended world
      The lofty theme convey.

4   Take up the burden of his name,
      Ye clouds, as ye arise,
    To deck with gold the opening morn,
      Or shade the evening skies.

5   Long let it warble round the spheres,
      And echo through the sky;
    Let angels, with immortal skill,
      Improve the harmony;--

6   While we, with sacred rapture fired,
      The blest Creator sing,
    And chant our consecrated lays
      To heaven's eternal King.

170.             8s. M.                      Hogg.

God of Life.

1   Blessed be thy name forever,
    Thou of life the Guard and Giver!
    Thou canst guard thy creatures sleeping,
    Heal the heart long broke with weeping:
    God of stillness and of motion,
    Of the desert and the ocean,
    Of the mountain, rock and river,
    Blessed be thy name forever!

2   Thou who slumberest not nor sleepest,
    Blest are they thou kindly keepest.
    God of evening's parting ray,
    Of midnight gloom, and dawning day--
    That rises from the azure sea
    Like breathings of eternity;
    God of life! that fade shall never,
    Blessed be thy name forever!

171.              H. M.             H. Ballou, 2d.

Universal Praise.

1     Ye realms below the skies,
        Your Maker's praises sing;
      Let boundless honors rise
        To heaven's eternal King;
    O bless his name whose love extends
    Salvation to the world's far ends.

2     Give glory to the Lord,
        Ye kindreds of the earth;
      His sovereign power record,
        And show his wonders forth,
    Till heathen tongues his grace proclaim,
    And every heart adores his name.

3     'T is he the mountains crowns
        With forests waving wide;
      'T  is he old ocean bounds,
        And heaves her roaring tide;
    He swells the tempests on the main,
    Or breathes the zephyr o'er the plain.

4     Still let the waters roar,
        As round the earth they roll;
      His praise for evermore
        They sound from pole to pole.
    'Tis nature's wild, unconscious song
    O'er thousand waves that floats along.

5     His praise, ye worlds on high,
        Display with all your spheres,
      Amid the darksome sky,
        When silent night appears.
    O, let his works declare his name
    Through all the universal frame.

172.              C. M.             Lutheran Coll.

Goodness of God in his Works.

1   Hail, great Creator--wise and good!
      To thee our songs we raise:
    Nature, through all her various scenes,
      Invites us to thy praise.

2   Thy glory beams in every star,
      Which gilds the gloom of night,
    And decks the smiling face of morn
      With rays of cheerful light.

3   Great nature's God! still may these scenes
      Our serious hours engage!
    Still may our grateful hearts consult
      Thy works' instructive page!

4   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.

173.            L. M. 6l.       Montgomery's Coll.

The Beauties of Creation.

1   Ours is a lovely world, how fair
    Thy beauties e'en on earth appear!
      The seasons in their courses fall,
    And bring successive joys. The sea,
    The earth, the sky, are full of thee,
      Benignant, glorious Lord of all!

2   There's beauty in the heat of day;
    There's glory in the noon-tide ray;
      There's sweetness in the twilight shades--
    Magnificence in night. Thy love
    Arch'd the grand heaven of blue above,
      And all our smiling earth pervades.

3   And if thy glories here be found,
    Streaming with radiance all around,
      What must the fount of glory be!
    In thee we'll hope, in thee confide,
    Thou, mercy's never ebbing tide,
      Thou, love's unfathomable sea!

174.            L. M. 6l.                   Moore.

All Things are of God.

1   Thou art, O God, the life and light
      Of all this wondrous world we see;
    Its glow by day, its smile by night,
      Are but reflections caught from thee;
    Where'er we turn, thy glories shine,
    And all things fair and bright are thine.

2   When day, with farewell beam delays
      Among the opening clouds of even,
    And we can almost think we gaze,
      Through opening vistas into heaven,--
    Those hues that mark the sun's decline,
    So soft, so radiant, Lord, are thine.

3   When night, with wings of starry gloom,
      O'ershadows all the earth and skies,
    Like some dark, beauteous bird, whose plume
      Is sparkling with unnumbered eyes,--
    That sacred gloom, those fires divine,
    So grand, so countless, Lord, are thine.

4   When youthful spring around us breathes,
      Thy spirit warms her fragrant sigh;
    And every flower that summer wreathes
      Is born beneath thy kindling eye:
    Where'er we turn, thy glories shine,
    And all things fair and bright are thine.

175.              L. M.                   Addison.

The Heavens declare the Glory of God.

1   The spacious firmament on high,
    With all the blue ethereal sky,
    And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
    Their great original proclaim.
    Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
    Doth his Creator's power display;
    And publishes to every land
    The work of an Almighty hand.

2   Soon as the evening shades prevail,
    The moon takes up the wondrous tale,
    And nightly to the listening earth
    Repeats the story of her birth:
    Whilst all the stars which round her burn,
    And all the planets in their turn,
    Confirm the tidings as they roll,
    And spread the truth from pole to pole.

3   What though, in solemn silence, all
    Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
    What though no real voice nor sound
    Amidst their radiant orbs be found;
    In reason's ear they all rejoice,
    And utter forth a glorious voice;
    Forever singing, as they shine,--
    "The hand that made us is divine."

176.              C. M.                Zinzendorf.

The Creator, God.

1   Lord, when thou said'st, "So let it be,"
      The heavens were spread and shone,
    And this whole earth stood gloriously;
      Thou spak'st and it was done.

2   The whole creation still records,
      Unto this very day,
    That thou art God, the Lord of lords;
      Thee all things must obey.

177.              C. M.                   Bowring.

Nature's Evening Hymn.

1   The heavenly spheres, to thee, O God,
      Attune their evening hymn;
    All wise, all holy, thou art praised,
      In song of seraphim!
    Unnumbered systems, suns and worlds,
      Unite to worship thee,
    While thy majestic greatness fills
      Space, time, eternity.

2   Nature,--a temple worthy thee,
      That beams with light and love;
    Whose flowers so sweetly bloom below,
      Whose stars rejoice above,
    Whose altars are the mountain cliffs
      That rise along the shore;
    Whose anthems, the sublime accord
      Of storm and ocean roar;

3   Her song of gratitude is sung
      By spring's awakening hours;
    Her summer offers at thy shrine
      Its earliest, loveliest flowers;
    Her autumn brings its ripened fruits,
      In glorious luxury given;
    While winter's silver heights reflect
      Thy brightness back to heaven.

4   On all thou smil'st; and what is man
      Before thy presence, God;
    A breath, but yesterday inspired,
      To-morrow but a clod.
    That clod shall mingle in the vale,
      But, kindled, Lord, by thee,
    The spirit to thy arms shall spring,
      To life, to liberty.

178.            L. M. 6l.                 Bowring.

"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."

1   The heavens, O Lord! thy power proclaim,
    And the earth echoes back thy name;
    Ten thousand voices speak thy might,
    And day to day, and night to night,
    Utter thy praise--thou Lord above!
    Thy praise, thy glory, and thy love.

2   And nature with its countless throng,
    And sun, and moon, and planets' song,
    And every flower that light receives,
    And every dew that tips the leaves,
    And every murmur of the sea--
    Tunes its sweet voice to worship Thee.

3   Thy name thy glories they rehearse,
    Great Spirit of the universe;
    Sense of all sense, and soul of soul,
    Nought is too vast for thy control;
    The meanest and the mightiest share
    Alike thy kindness and thy care.

179.          8s. & 7s. M.                  Heber.

"Consider the lilies of the field;--behold the fowls of the air."

1   Lo! the lilies of the field!
    How their leaves instruction yield!
    Hark to nature's lesson given
    By the blessed birds of heaven!
    Every bush and tufted tree
    Warbles trust and piety:
    Children, banish doubt and sorrow,--
    God provideth for the morrow.

2   One there lives, whose guardian eye
    Guides our earthly destiny;
    One there lives, who, Lord of all,
    Keeps his children lest they fall:
    Pass we, then, in love and praise,
    Trusting him, through all our days,
    Free from doubt and faithless sorrow,--
    God provideth for the morrow.

180.              L. M.                   Peabody.

Religious Influences of Nature.

1   God of the fair and open sky!
      How gloriously above us springs
    The tented dome, of heavenly blue,
      Suspended on the rainbow's rings!
    Each brilliant star, that sparkles through
      Each gilded cloud that wanders free
    In evening's purple radiance, gives
      The beauty of its praise to thee.

2   God of the rolling orbs above,
      Thy name is written clearly bright
    In the warm day's unvarying blaze,
      Or evening's golden shower of light:
    For every fire that fronts the sun,
      And every spark that walks alone
    Around the utmost verge of heaven,
      Were kindled at thy burning throne.

3   God of the world, the hour must come,
      And nature's self to dust return;
    Her crumbling altars must decay;
      Her incense-fires shall cease to burn;
    But still her grand and lovely scenes
      Have made man's warmest praises flow,
    For hearts grow holier as they trace
      The beauty of the world below.

181.          7s. & 6s. M.                 Conder.

"Day unto day uttereth speech."

1   The heavens declare his glory,
      Their Maker's skill the skies:
    Each day repeats the story,
      And night to night replies.
    Their silent proclamation
      Throughout the earth is heard;
    The record of creation,
      The page of nature's word.

2   There, from his bright pavilion,
      Like eastern bridegroom clad,
    Hailed by earth's thousand million,
      The sun sets forth; right glad,
    His glorious race commencing,
      The mighty giant seems;
    Through the vast round dispensing
      His all-pervading beams.

3   So pure, so soul-restoring
      Is truth's diviner ray;
    A brighter radiance pouring
      Than all the pomp of day:
    The wanderer surely guiding,
      It makes the simple wise;
    And evermore abiding,
      Unfailing joy supplies.

182.            L. M. 6l.                   Heber.

The Visible World a Shadow of the Invisible.

1   I praised the earth in beauty seen,
    With garlands gay of various green;
    I praised the sea, whose ample field
    Shone glorious as a silver shield;
    And earth and ocean seemed to say,
    "Our beauties are but for a day."

2   I praised the sun, whose chariot rolled
    On wheels of amber and of gold;
    I praised the moon, whose softer eye
    Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;
    And moon and sun in answer said,
    "Our years are told when we must fade."

3   O God, O, good beyond compare!
    If thus thy meaner works are fair,--
    If thus thy bounties gild the span
    Of sinful earth and mortal man,--
    How glorious must thy mansion be
    Where thy redeemed shall dwell with thee.

183.              L. M.                     Moore.

Nature a Temple.

1   The turf shall be my fragrant shrine;
    My temple, Lord, that arch of thine,
    My censor's breath the mountain airs,
    And silent thoughts my only prayers.
    My choir shall be the moonlight waves,
    When murmuring homeward to their caves,
    Or when the stillness of the sea,
    E'en more than music breathes of thee.

2   I'll seek, by day, some glade unknown.
    All light and silence like thy throne,
    And the pale stars shall be, at night,
    The only eyes that watch my rite.
    Thy heaven, on which 'tis bliss to look,
    Shall be my pure and shining book,
    Where I can read, in words of flame,
    The glories of thy wondrous name.

3   There's nothing bright, above, below,
    From flowers that bloom, to stars that glow,
    But in its light my soul can see
    Some feature of thy Deity.
    There's nothing dark, below, above,
    But in its gloom I trace thy love,
    And meekly wait that moment, when
    Thy touch shall turn all bright again.

THE SCRIPTURES.

184.              C. M.              Tate & Brady.

Perfection of God's Law.

1   God's perfect law converts the soul,
      Reclaims from false desires;
    With sacred wisdom his sure word
      The ignorant inspires.

2   The statutes of the Lord are just,
      And bring sincere delight;
    His pure commands, in search of truth,
      Assist the feeblest sight.

3   His perfect worship here is fixed,
      On sure foundations laid;
    His equal laws are in the scales
      Of truth and justice weighed.

4   Of more esteem than golden mines,
      Or gold refined with skill;
    More sweet than honey, or the drops
      That from the comb distil.

5   My trusty counsellors they are,
      And friendly warnings give;
    Divine rewards attend on those,
      Who by thy precepts live.

185.              L. M.                     Watts.

Nature and Scripture.  Ps. 19.

1   The heavens declare thy glory, Lord!
      In every star thy wisdom shines;
    But, when our eyes behold thy word,
      We read thy name in fairer lines.

2   The rolling sun, the changing light,
      And nights, and days, thy power confess;
    But the blest volume thou hast writ
      Reveals thy justice and thy grace.

3   Sun, moon, and stars, convey thy praise
      Round the whole earth, and never stand;
    So when thy truth began its race,
      It touched and glanced on every land.

4   Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest
      Till through the world thy truth has run;
    Till Christ has all the nations blest,
      That see the light, or feel the sun.

186.              C. M.                    Cowper.

Light and Glory of the Word.

1   A glory gilds the sacred page,
      Majestic like the sun:
    It gives a light to every age;
      It gives, but borrows none.

2   The hand that gave it still supplies
      The gracious light and heat:
    His truths upon the nations rise;
      They rise, but never set.

3   Let everlasting thanks be thine,
      For such a bright display,
    As makes a world of darkness shine
      With beams of heavenly day.

4   My soul rejoices to pursue
      The steps of Him I love,
    Till glory break upon my view
      In brighter worlds above.

187.            L. M. 6l.    Spirit of the Psalms.

Praise to God for his Word.

1   Join, all ye servants of the Lord,
    To praise him for his sacred word,--
    That word, like manna, sent from heaven,
    To all who seek it freely given;
    Its promises our fears remove,
    And fill our hearts with joy and love.

2   It tells us, though oppressed with cares,
    The God of mercy hears our prayers;
    Though steep and rough th' appointed way,
    His mighty arm shall be our stay;
    Though deadly foes assail our peace,
    His power shall bid their malice cease.

3   It tells who first inspired our breath,
    And who redeemed our souls from death;
    It tells of grace,--grace freely given,--
    And shows the path to God and heaven:
    O, bless we, then, our gracious Lord,
    For all the treasures of his word.

188.              S. M.                     Watts.

Nature and Scripture.  Ps. 19.

1     Behold! the lofty sky
      Declares its Maker, God:
    And all his starry works on high
      Proclaim his power abroad.

2     Ye Christian lands, rejoice!
      Here he reveals his word;
    We are not left to nature's voice
      To bid us know the Lord.

3     His statutes and commands
      Are set before our eyes;
    He puts his gospel in our hands,
      Where our salvation lies.

4     While of thy works I sing,
      Thy glory to proclaim,
    Accept the praise, my God, my King,
      In my Redeemer's name.

189.              C. M.             Rippon's Coll.

The Value of the Scriptures.

1   How precious is the book divine,
      By inspiration given!
    Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine,
      To lead our souls to heaven.

2   O'er all the strait and narrow way
      Its radiant beams are cast;
    A light whose never weary ray
      Grows brightest at the last.

3   It sweetly cheers our fainting hearts
      In this dark vale of tears;
    Life, light, and comfort it imparts,
      And calms our anxious fears.

4   This lamp through all the dreary night
      Of life shall guide our way,
    Till we behold the glorious light
      Of never-ending day.

190.              C. M.            Episcopal Coll.

Sufficiency of the Scriptures.

1   Great God, with wonder and with praise
      On all thy works I look;
    But still thy wisdom, power, and grace,
      Shine brightest in thy book.

2   Here are my choicest treasures hid;
      Here my best comfort lies;
    Here my desires are satisfied;
      And here my hopes arise.

3   Lord, make me understand thy law;
      Show what my faults have been;
    And from thy gospel let me draw
      The pardon of my sin.

191.              S. M.                   Beddome.

Superiority of the Scriptures.

1     O Lord, thy perfect word
      Directs our steps aright;
    Nor can all other books afford
      Such profit or delight.

2     Celestial light it sheds,
      To cheer this vail below;
    To distant lands its glory spreads,
      And streams of mercy flow.

3     True wisdom it imparts;
      Commands our hope and fear;
    O, may we hide it in our hearts,
      And feel its influence there.

192.              L. M.                   Beddome.

The Gospel Revelation.

1   God, in the Gospel of his Son,
    Makes his eternal counsels known;
    'Tis here his richest mercy shines,
    And truth is drawn in fairest lines.

2   Wisdom its dictates here imparts,
    To form our minds, to cheer our hearts;
    Its influence makes the sinner live;
    It bids the drooping saint revive.

3   Our raging passions it controls,
    And comfort yields to contrite souls;
    It brings a better world in view,
    And guides us all our journey through.

4   May this blest volume ever lie
    Close to my heart, and near my eye,
    Till life's last hour my soul engage,
    And be my chosen heritage.

193.              C. M.                     Watts.

Revelation.  Ps. 119.

1   Let all the heathen writers join
      To form one perfect book,
    Great God, if once compared with thine,
      How mean their writings look!

2   Not the most perfect rules they gave
      Could show one sin forgiven,
    Nor lead a step beyond the grave;
      But thine conduct to heaven.

3   I've seen an end of what we call
      Perfection here below;
    How short the powers of nature fall,
      And can no farther go!

4   Our faith, and love, and every grace,
      Fall far below thy word;
    But perfect truth and righteousness
      Dwell only with the Lord.

194.              L. M.                 Anonymous.

The Scriptures.

1   Lamp of our feet! whose hallowed beam
      Deep in our hearts its dwelling hath,
    How welcome is the cheering gleam
      Thou sheddest o'er our lowly path!
    Light of our way! whose ways are flung
      In mercy o'er our pilgrim road,
    How blessed, its dark shades among,
      The star that guides us to our God.

2   In the sweet morning's hour of prime,
      Thy blessed words our lips engage,
    And round our hearths at evening time
      Our children spell the holy page;
    The waymark through long distant years,
      To guide their wandering footsteps on,
    Till thy last loveliest beam appears,
      Inscribed upon the churchyard stone.

3   Lamp of our feet! which day by day
      Are passing to the quiet tomb,
    If on it fall thy peaceful ray,
      Our last low dwelling hath no gloom.
    How beautiful their calm repose
      To whom thy blessed hope is given
    Whose pilgrimage on earth is closed
      By the unfolding gates of heaven!

195.              C. M.                     Watts.

Comfort from the Bible.

1   Lord, I have made thy word my choice,
      My lasting heritage;
    There shall my noblest powers rejoice,
      My warmest thoughts engage.

2   I'll read the histories of thy love,
      And keep thy laws in sight,
    While through the promises I rove,
      With ever-fresh delight.

3   'T is a broad land of wealth unknown,
      Where springs of life arise,
    Seeds of immortal bliss are sown,
      And hidden glory lies.

4   The best relief that mourners have,
      It makes our sorrows blest;
    Our fairest hope beyond the grave,
      And our eternal rest.

196.              L. M.                 Anonymous.

The Same.

1   Thou Book of life!--in thee are found
      The mysteries of my Maker's will;
    Treasures of knowledge here abound,
      The deepest, loftiest mind to fill.

2   Thou art a banquet;--choicest food
      I'll seek in thee: thou art a rock,
    Whence pour sweet waters; every good
      From thee doth flow for Christ's own flock.

3   Light of the world! thy beams impart
      To lead my feet through life's dark way;
    O shine on this benighted heart,
      Nor let me from thy guidance stray.

4   Healer of all the woes of life!
      The balm of souls diseased; to save
    From all earth's pain; and end the strife
      Of death, with victory o'er the grave!

197.              S. M.                 E. Taylor.

The Bible.

1     It is the one true light,
      When other lamps grow dim,
    'T will never burn less purely bright,
      Nor lead astray from Him.
      It is Love's blessed band,
      That reaches from the throne
    To him--whoe'er he be--whose hand
      Will seize it for his own!

2     It is the golden key
      Unto celestial wealth,
    Joy to the sons of poverty,
      And to the sick man, health!
      The gently proffer'd aid
      Of one who knows and best
    Supplies the beings he has made
      With what will make them blessed.

3     It is the sweetest sound
      That infant years can hear,
    Travelling across that holy ground,
      With God and angels near.
      There rests the weary head,
      There age and sorrow go;
    And how it smooths the dying bed,
      O! let the Christian show!

CHRIST; HIS CHARACTER AND OFFICES.

198.              C. M.        Christian Psalmist.

The Saviour Foretold.

1   Behold my servant; see him rise
      Exalted in my might!
    Him have I chosen, and in him
      I place supreme delight.

2   On him in rich effusion poured,
      My spirit shall descend;
    My truth and judgment he shall show
      To earth's remotest end.

3   Gentle and still shall be his voice;
      No threats from him proceed;
    The smoking flax shall he not quench,
      Nor break the bruised reed.

4   The feeble spark to flames he'll raise;
      The weak will not despise;
    Judgment he shall bring forth to truth,
      And make the fallen rise.

5   The progress of his zeal and power
      Shall never know decline,
    Till foreign lands and distant isles
      Receive the law divine.

199.             11s. M.                 Drummond.

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord."

1   A voice from the desert comes awful and shrill;
      The Lord is advancing! prepare ye the way!
    The word of Jehovah he comes to fulfil,
      And o'er the dark world pour the splendor of day.

2   Bring down the proud mountain though towering to heaven,
      And be the low valley exalted on high;
    The rough path and crooked be made smooth and even,
      For, Zion! your King, your Redeemer is nigh.

3   The beams of salvation his progress illume;
      The lone, dreary wilderness sings of her Lord;
    The rose and the myrtle there suddenly bloom,
      And the olive of peace spreads its branches abroad.

200.             7s. M.                   Bowring.

Report of the Watchman.

1   Watchman! tell us of the night,
      What its signs of promise are.
    Traveller! o'er yon mountain's height,
      See that glory-beaming star.
    Watchman! does its beauteous ray
      Aught of joy or hope foretell?
    Traveller! yes; it brings the day,
      Promised day of Israel.

2   Watchman! tell us of the night;
      Higher yet that star ascends.
    Traveller! blessedness and light,
      Peace and truth its course portends.
    Watchman! will its beams alone
      Gild the spot that gave them birth?
    Traveller! ages are its own;
      See, it bursts o'er all the earth.

3   Watchman! tell us of the night,
      For the morning seems to dawn.
    Traveller! darkness takes its flight;
      Doubt and terror are withdrawn.

4   Watchman! let thy wanderings cease;
      Hie thee to thy quiet home.
    Traveller! lo! the Prince of Peace,
      Lo! the Son of God, is come.

201.          8s. & 7s. M.                 Cawood.

Song of the Angels of Bethlehem.

1   Hark! what mean those holy voices,
      Sweetly sounding through the skies?
    Lo! th' angelic host rejoices;
      Heavenly hallelujahs rise.

2   Listen to the wondrous story
      Which they chant in hymns of joy:
    "Glory in the highest, glory!
      Glory be to God most high!

3   "Peace on earth, good-will from heaven,
      Reaching far as man is found:
    Souls redeemed and sins forgiven:--
      Loud our golden harps shall sound.

4   "Christ is born, the great Anointed;
      Heaven and earth his praises sing!
    O, receive whom God appointed,
      For your Prophet, Priest and King."

5   Let us learn the wondrous story
      Of our great Redeemer's birth;
    Spread the brightness of his glory,
      Till it cover all the earth.

202.              C. M.               E. H. Sears.

Christmas Hymn.

1   Calm on the listening ear of night
      Come heaven's melodious strains,
    Where wild Judea stretches far
      Her silver-mantled plains!

2   The answering hills of Palestine
      Send back the glad reply;
    And greet, from all their holy heights,
      The dayspring from on high

3   O'er the blue depths of Galilee
      There comes a holier calm,
    And Sharon waves, in solemn praise,
      Her silent groves of palm.

4   "Glory to God!" the sounding skies
      Loud with their anthems ring,--
    Peace to the earth,--good-will to men,
      From heaven's eternal King!"

5   Light on thy hills, Jerusalem!
      The Saviour now is born!
    And bright on Bethlehem's joyous plains
      Breaks the first Christmas morn.

203.              S. M.              E. H. Chapin.

The Same.

1     Hark! hark! with harps of gold,
      What anthem do they sing?--
    The radiant clouds have backward rolled,
      And angels smite the string.
      "Glory to God!"--bright wings
      Spread glist'ning and afar,
    And on the hallowed rapture rings
      From circling star to star.

2     "Glory to God!" repeat
      The glad earth and the sea;
    And every wind and billow fleet,
      Bears on the jubilee.
      Where Hebrew bard hath sung,
      Or Hebrew seer hath trod,
    Each holy spot has found a tongue;
      "Let glory be to God."

3     Soft swells the music now
      Along that shining choir,
    And every seraph bends his brow
      And breathes above his lyre.
      What words of heavenly birth
      Thrill deep our hearts again,
    And fall like dew-drops to the earth?
      "Peace and good-will to men!"

4     Soft!--yet the soul is bound
      With rapture, like a chain:
    Earth, vocal, whispers them around,
      And heav'n repeats the strain.
      Sound, harps, and hail the morn
      With ev'ry golden string;--
    For unto us this day is born
      A Saviour and a King!

204.            S. H. M.             T. H. Bayley.

The Same.

1     No loud avenging voice
        Proclaimed Messiah's birth;
      The Son of God came down to teach
        Humility on earth,
    And by his sufferings to efface
    The errors of a sinful race.

2     Not on a purple throne,
        With gold and jewels crowned,
      But in the meanest dwelling place
        The precious babe was found:
    Yet star-directed sages came,
    And kneeling, glorified his name.

3     To shepherds first was shown
        The promised boon of heaven,
      Who cried, "To us a child is born--
        To us a Son is given!"
    Death from his mighty throne was hurled,
    Faith hailed Salvation to the world.

4     Lord! may thy holy cross
        Bear peace from clime to clime,
      Till all mankind at length are freed
        From sorrow, shame and crime:
    Dispel the unbeliever's gloom,
    And end the terrors of the tomb!

205.              L. M.                  Campbell.

The Same.

1   When Jordan hushed his waters still,
    And silence slept on Zion's hill;
    When Bethlehem's shepherds through the night
    Watched o'er their flocks by starry light:

2   Hark! from the midnight hills around,
    A voice of more than mortal sound,
    In distant hallelujahs stole,
    Wild murm'ring o'er the raptured soul.

3   "O Zion! lift thy raptured eye,
    The long expected hour is nigh;
    The joys of nature rise again,
    The Prince of Salem comes to reign.

4   "He comes, to cheer the trembling heart,
    Bids Satan and his host depart;
    Again the day-star gilds the gloom,
    Again the bowers of Eden bloom."

206.              S. M.                     Watts.

The Same.

1     Behold, the grace appears,
      The blessing promised long;
    Angels announce the Saviour near,
      In this triumphant song:--

2     "Glory to God on high
      And heavenly peace on earth;
    Good-will to men, to angels joy,
      At the Redeemer's birth."

3     In worship so divine
      Let men employ their tongues;
    With the celestial host we join,
      And loud repeat their songs:--

4     "Glory to God on high,
      And heavenly peace on earth;
    Good-will to men, to angels joy,
      At our Redeemer's birth."

207.              H. M.            Salisbury Coll.

The Same.

1   Hark! what celestial notes,
      What melody, we hear!
    Soft on the morn it floats,
      And fills the ravished ear.
        The tuneful shell,
          The golden lyre,
          And vocal choir,
        The concert swell.

2   Angelic hosts descend,
      With harmony divine;
    See, how from heaven they bend,
      And in full chorus join!
        "Fear not," say they;
          Jesus, your King,
          "Great joy we bring:
        Is born to day."

3   "Glory to God on high!
      Ye mortals, spread the sound,
    And let your raptures fly
      To earth's remotest bound!
        For peace on earth,
          From God in heaven,
          To man is given,
        At Jesus' birth."

208.             7s. M.                 Anonymous.

The Same.

1   Hail, all hail the joyful morn:
      Tell it forth from earth to heaven,
    That to us a child is born,
      That to us a Son is given.

2   Angels, bending from the sky,
      Chanted, at the wondrous birth,
    "Glory be to God on high,
      Peace--good-will to man on earth."

3   Join we then our feeble lays
      To the chorus of the sky;
    And, in songs of grateful praise,
      Glory give to God on high.

209.         11s. & 10s. M.                 Heber.

Star of the East.

1   Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
      Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
    Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,--
      Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

2   Cold on his cradle the dew-drops are shining;
      Low lies his head with the beasts of the stall;
    Angels bend o'er him, in slumber reclining,--
      Monarch, Redeemer, Restorer of all.

3   Say, shall we yield him in costly devotion,
      Odors of Edom, and offerings divine?
    Gems of the mountain, and pearls of the ocean,
      Myrrh from the forest, or gold from the mine?

4   Vainly we offer each ample oblation,
      Vainly with gold would his favor secure;
    Richer by far is the heart's adoration,
      Dearer to God are the prayers of the poor.

5   Brightest and best of the sons of the morning,
      Dawn on our darkness and lend us thine aid;
    Star of the East,--the horizon adorning,--
      Guide where the infant Redeemer is laid.

210.            L. M. 6l.                   Moore.

Christ's Birth.

1   Arrayed in clouds of golden light,
      More bright than heaven's effulgent bow,
    Jehovah's angel came by night,
      To bless the sleeping world below.
    How soft the music of his tongue!
    How sweet the hallowed strains he sung!

2   Good-will henceforth to man be given,
      The light of glory beams on earth:
    Let angels tune the harps of heaven,
      And saints rejoice in Shiloh's birth;
    In him all nations shall be blest,
    And his shall be a glorious rest.

211.            C. P. M.              Miss Roscoe.

Christmas Hymn.

1   O, let your mingling voices rise,
    In grateful rapture, to the skies,
      And hail a Saviour's birth:
    Let songs of joy the day proclaim,
    When Jesus all-triumphant came
      To bless the sons of earth.

2   He came to bid the weary rest,
    To heal the sinner's wounded breast,
      To bind the broken heart,
    To spread the light of truth around,
    And to the world's remotest bound
      The heavenly gift impart.

3   He came our trembling souls to save
    From sin, from sorrow, and the grave,
      And chase our fears away;
    Victorious over death and time,
    To lead us to a happier clime,
      Where reigns eternal day.

212.              C. M.                 Doddridge.

The Mission of Christ.

1   Hark, the glad sound! the Saviour comes!
      The Saviour promised long!
    Let every heart prepare a throne,
      And every voice a song.

2   On him the Spirit largely poured,
      Exerts its sacred fire;
    Wisdom and might, and zeal and love,
      His holy breast inspire.

3   He comes, from thickest films of vice
      To clear the mental ray;
    And on the eye-balls of the blind
      To pour celestial day.

4   He comes, the broken heart to bind,
      The bleeding soul to cure;
    And with the treasure of his grace
      Enrich the humble poor.

5   Our glad hosannas, Prince of Peace!
      Thy welcome shall proclaim;
    And heaven's eternal arches ring
      With thy beloved name.

213.              C. M.                     Watts.

The Kingdom of Christ.

1   Joy to the world! the Lord is come!
      Let earth receive her King;
    Let every heart prepare him room,
      And heaven and nature sing!

2   Joy to the earth! the Saviour reigns!
      Let men their songs employ;
    While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
      Repeat the sounding joy.

3   No more let sins and sorrows grow,
      Nor thorns infest the ground;
    He comes to make his blessings flow
      As far as sin is found.

4   He rules the world with truth and grace,
      And makes the nations prove
    The glories of his righteousness,
      And wonders of his love.

214.              C. M.                     Watts.

John the Herald of Christ.

1   John was the prophet of the Lord
      To go before his face;
    The herald which the Prince of Peace
      Sent to prepare his ways.

2   "Behold the Lamb of God," he cries,
      "That takes our guilt away;
    I saw the Spirit o'er his head,
      On his baptizing day.

3   "Be every vale exalted high,
      Sink every mountain low;
    The proud must stoop, and humble souls
      Shall his salvation know.

4   "Behold the Morning Star arise,
      Ye that in darkness sit;
    He marks the path that leads to peace,
      And guides our doubtful feet."

215.              C. M.               Exeter Coll.

The Baptism of Jesus.

1   See, from on high, a light divine
      On Jesus' head descend!
    And hear the sacred voice from heaven
      That bids us all attend.

2   "This is my well-beloved Son,"
      Proclaimed the voice divine;
    "Hear him," his heavenly Father said,
      "For all his words are mine."

3   His mission thus confirmed from heaven,
      The great Messiah came,
    And heavenly wisdom showed to man
      In God his Father's name.

4   The path of heavenly peace he showed
      That leads to bliss on high;
    Where all his faithful followers here
      Shall live, no more to die.

216.              S. M.                   Needham.

Christ the Light of the World.

1     Behold! the Prince of Peace,
      The chosen of the Lord,
    God's well-beloved Son, fulfils
      The sure prophetic word.

2     No royal pomp adorns
      This King of righteousness:
    Meekness and patience, truth and love,
      Compose his princely dress.

3     The spirit of the Lord,
      In rich abundance shed,
    On this great Prophet gently lights,
      And rests upon his head.

4     Jesus, the light of men,
      His doctrine life imparts;
    O, may we feel its quickening power
      To warm and glad our hearts.

5     Cheered by its beams, our souls
      Shall run the heavenly way;
    The path which Christ has marked and trod,
      Will lead to endless day.

217.              L. M.                   Bowring.

Jesus Preaching the Gospel.

1   How sweetly flowed the gospel's sound
      From lips of gentleness and grace,
    When listening thousands gathered round,
      And joy and reverence filled the place!

2   From heaven he came--of heaven he spoke
      To heaven he led his followers' way;
    Dark clouds of gloomy night he broke,
      Unveiling an immortal day.

3   "Come, wanderers, to my Father's home,
      Come, all ye weary ones, and rest!"
    Yes! sacred teacher,--we will come--
      Obey thee, love thee, and be blest!

4   Decay, then, tenements of dust!
      Pillars of earthly pride, decay!
    A nobler mansion waits the just,
      And Jesus has prepared the way.

218.              L. M.                   Butcher.

Miracles of Christ.

1   On eyes that never saw the day
    Christ pours the bright celestial ray;
    And deafened ears, by him unbound,
    Catch all the harmony of sound.

2   Lameness takes up its bed, and goes
    Rejoicing in the strength that flows
    Through every nerve; and, free from pain,
    Pours forth to God the grateful strain.

3   The shattered mind his word restores,
    And tunes afresh the mental powers;
    The dead revive, to life return,
    And bid affection cease to mourn.

4   Canst thou, my soul, these wonders trace,
    And not admire Jehovah's grace?
    Canst thou behold thy Prophet's power,
    And not the God he served adore?

219.              L. M.                   Russell.

"That ye through his poverty might be rich."

1   O'er the dark wave of Galilee
      The gloom of twilight gathers fast,
    And on the waters drearily
      Descends the fitful evening blast.

2   The weary bird hath left the air,
      And sunk into his sheltered nest;
    The wandering beast has sought his lair,
      And laid him down to welcome rest.

3   Still, near the lake, with weary tread,
      Lingers a form of human kind;
    And on his lone, unsheltered head,
      Flows the chill night-damp of the wind.

4   Why seeks he not a home of rest?
      Why seeks he not a pillowed bed?
    Beasts have their dens, the bird its nest;
      He hath not where to lay his head.

5   Such was the lot he freely chose,
      To bless, to save the human race;
    And through his poverty there flows
      A rich, full stream of heavenly grace.

220.              C. M.               Mrs. Hemans.

"Peace! be still!"

1   Fear, was within the tossing bark,
      When stormy winds grew loud,
    And waves came rolling high and dark,
      And the tall mast was bowed.

2   And men stood breathless in their dread,
      And baffled in their skill--
    But One was there, who rose and said
      To the wild sea, "Be still!"

3   And the wind ceased; it ceased! that word
      Passed through the gloomy sky,
    The troubled billows knew their Lord,
      And sank beneath his eye.

4   Thou that didst rule the angry hour,
      And tame the tempest's mood--
    Oh! send, thy Spirit forth in power
      O'er our dark souls to brood!

5   Thou that didst bow the billows' pride,
      Thy mandates to fulfil--
    Speak, speak to passion's raging tide,
      Speak and say--"Peace, be still!"

221.            L. M. 6l.                  Barton.

The Pool of Bethesda.

1   Around Bethesda's healing wave
      Waiting to hear the rustling wing,
    Which spoke the angel nigh, who gave
      Its virtue to that holy spring,
    With patience, and with hope endued
    Were seen the gathered multitude.

2   Had they who watched and waited there
      Been conscious who was passing by,
    With what unceasing anxious care
      Would they have sought his pitying eye;
    And craved with fervency of soul,
    His Power Divine to make them whole!

3   Bethesda's pool has lost its power!
      No angel, by his glad descent,
    Dispenses that diviner dower
      Which with its healing waters went.
    But he, whose word surpassed its wave,
    Is still omnipotent to save.

222.              L. M.                     Heber.

The Holy Guest.

1   Messiah Lord! who, wont to dwell
    In lowly shape and cottage cell,
    Didst not refuse a guest to be
    At Cana's poor festivity.

2   O when our soul from care is free,
    Then, Saviour, would we think on thee;
    And, seated at the festal board,
    In fancy's eye behold the Lord.

3   Then may we seem, in fancy's ear,
    Thy manna-dropping tongue to hear,
    And think,--"if now his searching view
    Each secret of our spirit knew!"

4   So may such joy, chastised and pure,
    Beyond the bounds of earth endure;
    Nor pleasure in the wounded mind
    Shall leave a rankling sting behind.

223.              C. M.                    Cowper.

"He steadfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem."

1   The Saviour, what a noble flame,
      Was kindled in his breast,
    When hasting to Jerusalem,
      He marched before the rest!

2   Good-will to men, and zeal for God,
      His every thought engross;
    He goes to be baptized with blood;
      He goes to meet the cross.

3   With all his sufferings full in view,
      And woes to us unknown,
    Forth to the task his spirit flew;
      'Twas love that urged him on.

4   And while his holy sorrows here
      Engage our wondering eyes,
    We learn our lighter cross to bear,
      And hasten to the skies.

224.              L. M.                    Milman.

Christ's Entry into Jerusalem.

1   Ride on, ride on in majesty!
    Hark! all the tribes hosanna cry!
    Thy humble beast pursues his road,
    With palms and scattered garments strowed.

2   Ride on, ride on in majesty!
    In lowly pomp ride on to die!
    O Christ, thy triumphs now begin,
    O'er captive death and conquered sin.

3   Ride on, ride on in majesty!
    The winged squadrons of the sky
    Look down with sad and wondering eyes,
    To see the approaching sacrifice.

4   Ride on, ride on in majesty!
    Thy last and fiercest strife is nigh;
    The Father on his glorious throne
    Expects his own anointed Son!

225.              C. M.             Mrs. Barbauld.

Christ's New Command to his Disciples.

1   Behold where, breathing love divine,
      Our dying Master stands!
    His weeping followers, gathering round,
      Receive his last commands.

2   "Blest is the man whose softening heart
      Feels all another's pain;
    To whom the supplicating eye
      Was never raised in vain;

3   "Peace from the bosom of his God,
      My peace to him I give;
    And when he kneels before his throne,
      His trembling soul shall live.

4   "To him protection shall be shown;
      And mercy from above
    Descend on those who thus fulfil
      The perfect law of love."

226.            C. H. M.                   Hemans.

The Agony in Gethsemane.

1     He knelt; the Saviour knelt and prayed,
        When but his Father's eye
      Looked, through the lonely garden's shade,
        On that dread agony:
    The Lord of high and heavenly birth
    Was bowed with sorrow unto death.

2     He knew them all,--the doubt, the strife,
        The faint perplexing dread;
      The mists that hang o'er parting life
        All darkened round his head;
    And the Deliverer knelt to pray;
    Yet passed it not, that cup, away.

3     It passed not, though the stormy wave
        Had sunk beneath his tread;
      It passed not, though to him the grave
        Had yielded up its dead;
    But there was sent him, from on high,
    A gift of strength, for man to die.

4     And was his mortal hour beset
        With anguish and dismay?
      How may we meet our conflict yet
        In the dark, narrow way?
    How, but through him that path who trod?
    "Save, or we perish, Son of God."

227.              L. M.                Montgomery.

Christ's Passion.

1   The morning dawns upon the place,
      Where Jesus spent the night in prayer;
    Through brightening glooms behold his face,
      No form or comeliness is there.

2   Last eve by those he called his own,
      Betrayed, forsaken or denied,
    He met his enemies alone,
      In all their malice, rage, and pride.

3   But hark! he prays;--'tis for his foes;
      He speaks;--'tis comfort to his friends;
    Answers;--and Paradise bestows;
      "'Tis finished!"--here the conflict ends.

4   "Truly, this was the Son of God!"
      --Though in a servant's mean disguise,
    And bruised beneath the Father's rod,
      Not for himself,--for man he dies.

228.              L. M.              W. B. Tappan.

Christ in Gethsemane.

1   'T is midnight; and on Olive's brow
      The star is dimmed that lately shone;
    'T is midnight; in the garden, now,
      The suffering Saviour prays alone.

2   'T is midnight; and from all removed,
      The Saviour wrestles lone, with fears;
    E'en that disciple whom he loved
      Heeds not his Master's grief and tears.

3   'T is midnight; and for others' guilt
      The man of sorrows weeps in blood;
    Yet he that hath in anguish knelt
      Is not forsaken by his God.

4   'T is midnight; from celestial plains
      Is borne the song that angels know;
    Unheard by mortals are the strains
      That sweetly soothe the Saviour's woe.

229.              C. M.                    Haweis.

Agony in the Garden.

1   Dark was the night and cold the ground
      On which the Lord was laid;
    His sweat like drops of blood ran down;
      In agony he prayed,--

2   "Father, remove this bitter cup,
      If such thy sacred will;
    If not, content to drink it up,
      Thy pleasure I fulfil."

3   Go to the garden, sinner; see
      Those precious drops that flow;
    The heavy load he bore for thee;
      For thee he lies so low.

4   Then learn of him the cross to bear;
      Thy Father's will obey;
    And, when temptations press thee near,
      Awake to watch and pray.

230.           7s. M. 6l.              Montgomery.

Christ our Example in Sufferings.

1     Go to dark Gethsemane,
        Ye that feel temptation's power,
      Your Redeemer's conflict see,
        Watch with him one bitter hour.
    Turn not from his griefs away,
    Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

2     Follow to the judgment-hall,
        View the Lord of life arraigned:
      O the wormwood and the gall!
        O the pangs his soul sustained!
    Shun not suffering, shame or loss;
    Learn of him to bear the cross.

3     Calvary's mournful mountain climb;
        There, admiring at his feet,
      Mark that miracle of time,
        God's own sacrifice complete:
    "It is finished," hear him cry;
    Learn of Jesus Christ to die.

4     Early hasten to the tomb
        Where they laid his breathless clay;
      All is solitude and gloom;
        --Who has taken him away?
    Christ is risen; he meets our eyes--
    Saviour, teach us so to rise.

231.              C. M.        Christian Psalmist.

The Crucifixion of Christ.

1   Behold the Saviour on the cross,
      A spectacle of woe!
    See from his agonizing wounds
      The blood incessant flow;

2   Till death's pale ensigns o'er his cheek
      And trembling lips were spread;
    Till light forsook his closing eyes,
      And life his drooping head.

3   'Tis finished--the Messiah dies
      For sins, but not his own;
    The great redemption is complete,
      And death is overthrown.

4   'Tis finished--ritual worship ends,
      And Gospel ages run;
    All old things now are past away,
      A new world is begun.

232.              L. M.                    Steele.

A Dying Saviour.

1   Stretched on the cross, the Saviour dies,
    Hark! his expiring groans arise;
    See, from his hands, his feet, his side,
    Descends the sacred, crimson tide.

2   And didst thou bleed?--for sinners bleed?
    And could the sun behold the deed?
    No; he withdrew his cheering ray,
    And darkness veiled the mourning day.

3   Can I survey this scene of woe,
    Where mingling grief and mercy flow,
    And yet my heart so hard remain,--
    Unmoved by either love or pain!

4   Come, dearest Lord, thy grace impart,
    To warm this cold, this stupid heart,
    Till all its powers and passions move,
    In melting grief and ardent love.

233.              L. M.                  Stennett.

Christ Suffering on the Cross.

1   "'T is finished!"--so the Saviour cried,
    And meekly bowed his head and died:
    "'T is finished!"--yes, the race is run,
    The battle fought, the victory won.

2   "'T is finished!"--all that heaven foretold
    By prophets in the days of old;
    And truths are opened to our view,
    That kings and prophets never knew.

3   "'T is finished!"--Son of God, thy power
    Hath triumphed in this awful hour;
    And yet our eyes with sorrow see
    That life to us was death to thee.

4   "'T is finished!"--let the joyful sound
    Be heard through all the nations round;
    "'Tis finished!"--let the triumph rise,
    And swell the chorus of the skies.

234.              L. M.                     Watts.

Christ's Death and Resurrection.

1   He dies! the Friend of sinners dies!
      Lo, Salem's daughters weep around!
    A solemn darkness veils the skies!
      A sudden trembling shakes the ground!

2   Come, saints, and drop a tear or two
      For him who groaned beneath your load!
    He shed a thousand drops for you--
      A thousand drops of richest blood!

3   Here's love and grief beyond degree;
      The Lord of glory dies for men;--
    But lo, what sudden joys we see!
      Jesus, the dead, revives again!

4   The rising Lord forsakes the tomb--
      The tomb in vain forbids his rise;
    Cherubic legions guard him home,
      And shout him welcome to the skies!

235.             7s. M.                   Gibbons.

Christ's Resurrection.

1   Angels, roll the rock away;
    Death, yield up thy mighty prey;
    See! he rises from the tomb,
    Glowing with immortal bloom.

2   'T is the Saviour! Angels, raise
    Fame's eternal trump of praise;
    Let the earth's remotest bound
    Hear the joy-inspiring sound.

3   Now, ye saints, lift up your eyes;