Full of mercy to restore us,
Mercy beaming from above.
3 Every secret fault confessing,
Deed unrighteous, thought of sin,
Seize, O seize the proffered blessing,
Grace from God, and peace within !
Heart and voice with rapture swelling,
Still the song of glory raise;
On the theme immortal dwelling,
Join the universal praise.
HYMN 268. C. M. [#]
Excellency of Scripture.
1 FATHER of mercies, in thy word
What endless glory shines;
Forever be thy name adored,
For these celestial lines.
2 Here may the wretched sons of want
Exhaustless riches find;
Riches above what earth can grant,
And lasting as the mind.
3 Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
And yields a rich repast;
Sublimer sweets than nature knows
Invite the longing taste.
4 O may these heavenly pages be
My study and delight;
And still new beauties may I see,
And still increasing light.
5 Divine Instructer, gracious Lord,
Be thou forever near;
Teach me to love thy sacred word,
And view my Saviour there.
HYMN 269. C. M. [#]
The Scriptures.
1 LADEN with guilt, and full of fears,
I come to thee, my Lord;
For not a ray of hope appears
But in thy holy word.
2 The volume of my Father's grace
Does all my grief assuage;
Here I behold my Saviour's face
In every sacred page.
3 Here living water gently flows,
To wash me from my sin;
Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
Nor danger dwells therein.
4 This is the judge that ends the strife,
Where sense and reason fail;
My guide to everlasting life,
Through all this gloomy vale.
5 May thy wise counsels, O my God,
These roving feet command,
Lest I forsake the happy road
That leads to thy right hand.
Glory of the Sacred Pages.
1 WHAT glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun!
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none.
2 His hand that gave it still supplies
His 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 paths of truth and love;
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.
HYMN 271. L. M. [#]
Nature and Scripture compared.
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, lo, the volume thou hast writ
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.
3 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.
4 Great Sun of Righteousness, arise;
Bless the dark world with heavenly light:
Thy gospel makes the simple wise;
Thy laws are pure, thy judgments right.
5 Thy noblest wonders here we view,
In souls renewed, and sins forgiven :
Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make thy word my guide to heaven.
HYMN 272. S. M. [#]
Perfection of God's Word.
1 BEHOLD, the morning sun
Begins his glorious way;
His beams through all the nations run,
And life and light convey.
2 But where the gospel comes,
It spreads diviner light ;
It calls dead sinners from their tombs,
And gives the blind their sight.
3 How perfect is thy word!
And all thy judgments just!
For ever sure thy promise, Lord,
And men securely trust.
4 My gracious God, how plain
Are thy directions given !
I never read in vain,
O may
But find the path to heaven.
HYMN 273. C. M. [#]
Conquests of God's Word.
1 THE thirsty earth receives the rain,
And drinks the cooling showers;
Fresh verdure re-adorns the plain,
And wakes the drooping flowers.
2 The blushing mead, the fertile field,
Shall be with blessings filled;
And seed to him in plenty yield,
Who has its bosom tilled.
3 The living word of life divine
Its conquests shall extend,
Till every heart, in every clime,
Shall in submission bend.
4 Uninterrupted praise shall flow
From every creature's tongue,
And psalms and hymns by all below
In choral strains be sung.
HYMN 274. L. M. [#]
Scripture Teachings.
1 BRIGHT Source of intellect above,
Father of spirits and of love,
O dart, with energy unknown,
Celestial beamings from thy throne.
2 Thy sacred book we would survey,
Enlightened with that heavenly day,
And seek thine influence with the word.
To teach our souls to know the Lord.
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