3 Thy noblest wonders here we view, In souls renew'd, and sins forgiven: Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,

19

G

PART IV. 6 8's. New Court, 173. The books of nature and of Scripture.

REAT God, the heaven's well-order'd frame

Declares the glories of thy name;

There thy rich works of wonder shine: A thousand starry beauties there, A thousand radiant marks appear,

Of boundless power and skill 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 their divine instructions run Far as the journeys of the sun,

And every nation knows their voice: The sun, like some young bridegroom dress'd,

Breaks from the chambers of the east, Rolls round, and makes the earth rejoice.

4 Where'er he spreads his beams abroad,
He smiles, and speaks his maker, God;
All nature joins to show thy praise:
Thus God in every creature shines.
Fair is the book of nature's lines,
But fairer is thy book of grace,

PAUSE.

5 I love the volumes of thy word; What light and joy those leaves afford To souls benighted and distress'd! Thy precepts guide my doubtful way, Thy fear forbids my feet to stray,

Thy promise leads my heart to rest.

6 From the discoveries of thy law The perfect rules of life I draw,

These are my study and delight: Not honey so invites the taste, Nor gold that hath the furnace pass'd Appears so pleasing to the sight.

7 Thy threat'nings wake my slumbering

eyes,

And warn me where my danger lies; But 't is thy blessed gospel, Lord, That makes my guilty conscience clean, Converts my soul, subdues my sin,

And gives a tree but large reward.

8 Who knows the errors of his thoughts?
My God, forgive my secret faults,
And from presumptuous sins restrain;
Accept my poor attempts of praise,
That I have read thy book of grace,
And

Attend his people's humble cry;
Jehovah hears when Israel prays,
And brings deliverance from on high.

2 The name of Jacob's God defends
Better than shields or brazen walls;
He, from his sanctuary, sends
Succour and strength when Zion calls.
3 Well he remembers all our sighs,
His love exceeds our best deserts;
His love accepts the sacrifice
Of humble groans and broken hearts.
4 In his salvation is our hope,
And in the name of Israel's God
Our troops shall lift their banners up,
Our navies spread their flags abroad.

5 Some trust in horses train'd for war,
And some of chariots make their boasts;
Our surest expectations are
From thee, the Lord of heavenly hosts.
6 [Oh, may the memory of thy name
Inspire our armies for the fight!

Our foes shall fall and die with shame, Or quit the field with shameful flight.] 7 Now save us, Lord, from slavish fear; Now let our hopes he firm and strong, Till the salvation shall appear,

And joy and triumph raise the song.

21

1

C. M. Milbourn Port, 183.
Good kings the care of Heaven.

THE king, O Lord, with songs of praise
Shall in thy strength rejoice;
And, bless'd with thy salvation, raise
To heaven his cheerful voice.

2 Thy sure defence thro' nations round
Has spread his glorious name;
And his successful actions crown'd
With majesty and fame.

3 Then let the king on God alone
For timely aid rely:

His mercy shall support the throne,
And all our wants supply.

4 But, righteous Lord, his stubborn foes
Shall feel thy dreadful hand;
Thy vengeful arm shall find out those
That hate his mild command.

5 When thou against them dost engage,
Thy just, but dreadful doom,
Shall, like a fiery oven's rage,

Their hopes and them consume.

6 Thus, Lord, thy wondrous power declare And thus exalt thy fame;

Whilst we glad songs of praise prepare

21

L. M.

Ayliffe-street, 241.

Ver. 1-9. Christ exalted to the kingdom.

DAVID rejoiced in God his strength, Raised to the throne by special grace; But Christ, the Son, appears at length, Fulfils the triumph and the praise. 2 How great is the Messiah's joy In the salvation of thy hand!

Lord, thou hast raised his kingdom high, And given the world to his command. 3 Thy goodness grants whate'er he will, Nor doth the least request withhold; Blessings of love prevent him still, And crowns of glory, not of gold. 4 Honour and majesty divine Around his sacred temples shine; Bless'd with the favour of thy face, And length of everlasting days.

5 Thine hand shall find out all his foes; And as a fiery oven glows With raging heat and living coals,

So shall thy wrath devour their souls.

22

PART I. C. M.

Crowle, 3. Ver. 1-16. The sufferings and death of Christ.

1 WHY has my God my soul forsook,

Nor will a smile afford?

(Thus David once, in anguish, spoke, And thus our dying Lord.)

2 Though 't is thy chief delight to dwell Among thy praising saints,

Yet thou canst hear a groan as well,
And pity our complaints.

3 Our fathers trusted in thy name,
And great deliverance found:
But I'm a worm, despised of men,
And trodden to the ground.

4 Shaking the head, they pass me by,
And laugh my soul to scorn;
'In vain he trusts in God,' they cry,
'Neglected and forlorn.'

5 But thou art he who form'd my flesh
By thine almighty word,
And since I hung upon the breast,
My hope is in the Lord.

6 Why will my Father hide his face,
When foes stand threatening round,
In the dark hour of deep distress,
And not a helper found?

PAUSE.

7 Behold thy darling left among The cruel and the proud;

As bulls of Bashan, fierce and strong, As lions roaring loud.

8 From earth and hell my sorrows meet To multiply the smart;

They nail my hands, they pierce my feet, And try to vex my heart.

9 Yet if thy sovereign hand let loose
The rage of earth and hell,
Why will my heavenly Father bruise
The Son he loves so well?

10 My God, if possible it be,
Withhold this bitter cup;
But I resign my will to thee,
And drink the sorrows up.

11 My heart dissolves with pangs unknown, In groans I waste my breath;

Thy heavy hand hath brought me down Low as the dust of death.

12 Father, I give my spirit up,
And trust it in thine hand;

My dying flesh shall rest in hope,
And rise at thy command.

22.

PART II. C. M. Charmouth, 28 Ver. 20, 21, 27-31. Christ's sufferings and kingdom.

1'NOW from the roaring lion's rage,

Lord, protect thy Son;

Nor leave thy darling to engage
The powers of hell alone.'

2 Thus did our suffering Saviour pray,
With mighty cries and tears;
God heard him in that dreadful day,
And chased away his fears.

3 Great was the victory of his death,
His throne exalted high;
And all the kindreds of the earth
Shall worship, or shall die.

4 A num'rous offspring must arise
From his cxpiring groans;
They shall be reckon'd in his eyes
For daughters and for sons.

5 The meek and humble souls shall see His table richly spread;

And all that seek the Lord shall be
With joys immortal fed.

6 The isles shall know the righteousness Of our incarnate God:

And nations yet unborn profess
Salvation in his blood.

4 Barbarous people! cruel priests!
How they stood round like savage beasts,
Like lions gaping to devour,
When God hath left him in their power!

5 They wound his head, his hands, his feet,
Till streams of blood each other meet;
By lot his garments they divide,
And mock the pangs in which he died.
6 But God, his Father, heard his cry;
Raised from the dead, he reigns on high,
The nations learn his righteousness,
And humble sinners taste his grace.

23

1

ΜΥ,

Y Shepherd is the living Lord; Now shall my wants be well supHis providence and holy word [plied; Become my safety and my guide.

2 In pastures where salvation grows He makes me feed, he makes me rest; There living water gently flows, And all the food 's divinely bless'd. 3 My wandering feet his ways mistake, But he restores my soul to peace, And leads me, for his mercy's sake, In the fair paths of righteousness. 4 Though I walk through the gloomy vale, Where death and all its terrors are, My heart and hope shall never fail, For God my Shepherd's with me there. 5 Amidst the darkness and the deeps, Thou art my comfort, thou my stay; Thy staff supports my feeble steps, Thy rod directs my doubtful way. 6 The sons of earth and sons of hell Gaze at thy goodness, and repine To see my table spread so well With living bread and cheerful wine. 7 [How I rejoice when on my head Thy Spirit condescends to rest! 'T is a divine anointing, shed Like oil of gladness at a feast.

8 Surely the mercies of the Lord

Attend his household all their days:
There will I dwell to hear his word,
To seek his face and sing his praise.]

24

C. M.

1

Liverpool, 83.

Dwelling with God.

HE earth for ever is the Lord's, With Adam's numerous race; He raised its arches o'er the floods, And built it on the seas.

2 But who, among the sons of men, May visit thine abode?

He that has hands from mischief clean
Whose heart is right with God.

3 This is the man may rise and take
The blessings of his grace;
This is the lot of those that seek.
The God of Jacob's face.

4 Now let our souls, immortal powers, To meet the Lord prepare,

Lift up their everlasting doors,

and birds;

He raised the building on the seas,
And gave it for their dwelling-place.

2 But there's a brighter world on high,
Thy palace, Lord, above the sky;
Who shall ascend that bless'd abode,
And dwell so near his Maker God?

3 He that abhors and fears to sin,
Whose heart is pure, whose hands are
clean;

Him shall the Lord the Saviour bless,
And clothe his soul with righteousness.
These are the men, the pious race,
That seek the God of Jacob's face;
These shall enjoy the blissful sight,
And dwell in everlasting light.

PAUSE.

5 Rejoice, ye shining worlds on high,
Behold the King of Glory nigh;
Who can this King of Glory be?
The mighty Lord, the Saviour 's he.
6 Ye heavenly gates, your leaves display
To make the Lord the Saviour way:
Laden with spoils from earth and hell,
The Conqueror comes with God to dwell.
7 Raised from the dead, he goes before,
He opens heaven's eternal door,
To give his saints a bless'd abode
Near their Redeemer and their God.

3

4

S. M.

Clapton, 55. Ver. 12, 14, 10, 13. Divine instruction.

W That fears to offend his God; That loves the gospel's joyful sound, And trembles at the rod?

THERE shall the man be found

The Lord shall make him know
The secrets of his heart;

The wonders of his covenant show,
And all his love impart.

Pelham, 333.

Ver. 1-11. Waiting for pardon and direction.

25 PART I.

S. M.

My wandering feet have trod?

Doth but enlarge my woe;

My spirit languishes, my heart Is desolate and low.

ways,

And try my reins, and try my heart; My faith upon thy promise stays, Nor from thy law my feet depart. 2 I hate to walk, I hate to sit With men of vanity and lies; The scoffer and the hypocrite Are the abhorrence of mine eyes. 3 Amongst thy saints will I appear With hands well-wash'd in innocence; But when I stand before thy bar, The blood of Christ is my defence. 4 I love thy habitation, Lord,

The temple where thine honours dwell; There shall I hear thine holy word, And there thy works of wonder tell. 5 Let not my soul be join'd at last With men of treachery and blood, Since I my days on earth have pass'd Among the saints, and near my God.

27

1

PART I. C. M.

Arabia, 324. Ver. 1-6. The church our delight and safety.

THE

Lord of Glory is my light,
And my salvation too;

God is my strength, nor will I fear
What all my foes can do.

2 One privilege my heart desires:
O grant me an abode

Among the churches of thy saints,
The temples of my God!

3 There shall I offer my requests,
And see thy beauty still;
Shall hear thy messages of love,
And there inquire thy will.

4 When troubles rise, and storms appear,
There may his children hide :
God has a strong pavilion, where
He makes my soul abide.

5 Now shall my head be lifted high
Above my foes around,
And songs of joy and victory
Within thy temple sound.

4 My fainting flesh had died with grief,
Had not my soul believed
To see thy grace provide relief,
Nor was my hope deceived.

5 Wait on the Lord, ye trembling saints, And keep your courage up:

He 'll raise your spirit when it faints, And far exceed your hope.

29

Storm and thunder.

1 GIVE to the Lord, ye sons of fame,

Give to the Lord renown and power; Ascribe due honours to his name, And his eternal might adore.

2 The Lord proclaims his power aloud, Over the ocean and the land;

His voice divides the watery cloud, And lightnings blaze at his command. 3 He speaks, and tempest, hail, and wind Lay the wide forests bare around; The fearful hart, and frighted hind, Leap at the terror of the sound. 4 To Lebanon he turns his voice, And, lo, the stately cedars break; The mountains tremble at the noise, The valleys roar, the deserts quake. 5 The Lord sits sovereign on the flood, The Thunderer reigns for ever King; But makes his church his bless'd abode, Where we his awful glories sing.

30

PART I.

6 In gentler language there, the Lord
The counsels of his grace imparts;
Amidst the raging storm, his word
Speaks peace and courage to our hearts.
L. M. Bramcoate, 8.
Sickness healed, and sorrow removed.
WILL extol thee, Lord, on high;
At thy command diseases fly;
Who but a God can speak and save
From the dark borders of the grave?
2 Sing to the Lord, ye saints of his,
And tell how large his goodness is;
Let all your powers rejoice and bless,
While you record his holiness.

1

I

3 His anger but a moment stays;
His love is life and length of days:
Though grief and tears the night employ,
The morning-star restores the joy.

30

1

2 Let not thy face be hid from me, Nor frown my soul away;

God of my life, I fly to thee In a distressing day.

FIRM

And I presumed 'twould ne'er be night; Fondly I said within my heart,

'Pleasure and peace shall ne'er depart.' 2 But I forgot thine arm was strong, Which made my mountain stand so long; Soon as thy face began to hide,