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2 Heaven's brightest lamps with Him compared,
How mean they look and dim!
The fairest angels have their spots,
When once compared with him.

3 Holy is He in all his works,
And truth is his delight;

But sinners, and their wicked ways,
Shall perish from his sight.

4 The deepest reverence of the mind
Pay, O my soul, to God;

Lift with thy hands a holy heart
To his sublime abode.

5 With sacred awe pronounce his name,
Whom words nor thoughts can reach
A broken heart shall please him more
Than the best forms of speech.

6 Thou holy God! preserve my soul
From all pollution free;

The pure in heart are thy delight,
And they thy face shall see.

232.

The Counsels of God unsearchable.

1 CAN creatures to perfection find
Th' eternal uncreated mind?

Or can the largest stretch of thought
Measure and search his nature out?

2 'Tis high as heaven, 'tis deep as hell,
And what can mortals know or tell;
His glory spreads beyond the sky,
And all the shining worlds on high.
3 God is a King of power unknown,
Firm are the orders of his throne;
If he resolves, who dare oppose,
Or ask him why? or what he does?

;

4 He wounds the heart, and he makes whole,
He calms the tempest of the soul;
When he shuts up in long despair,
Who can remove the heavy bar?

5 He gave the vaulted heaven its form,
The crooked serpent, and the worm;
He breaks the billows with his breath,
And smites the sons of pride to death.
6 These are a portion of his ways,

But who shall dare approach his face?
Who can endure his light, or stand
To hear the thunders of his hand?

233.

The Providence of God supreme.

1 KEEP silence, all created things,
And wait your Maker's nod;

My soul stands trembling while she sings
The honours of her God.

2 Chain'd to the throne a volume lies,
With all the fates of men;
Each angel here his rule descries,
Drawn by th' eternal pen.

3 His providence unfolds the book,
And makes his counsels shine;
Each opening leaf and every stroke,
Fulfils some deep design.

4 Here he exalts neglected worms,
To sceptres and a crown;

And there the following page he turns,
And treads the monarch down.

5 My God, I would not long to see
My fate with curious eyes;
What gloomy lines are writ for me,
Or what bright scènes may rise.
6 In thy fair book of life and grace,
0 may I find my name
Recorded in some humble place,
Beneath my Lord the Lamb.

234.

The Providence of God wise and good.

1 GOD moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.

2 Deep in unfathomable mines,
Of never failing skill,

He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov’reign will.

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

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

5 His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;

The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.

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

235.

The goodness of God.

1 YE humble souls approach your God,
With songs of sacred praise;
For he is good, immensely good,
And kind are all his ways.

2 All nature owns his guardian care,
In him we live and move;

But nobler benefits declare
The wonders of his love.

3 He gave his Son, his only Son,
To ransom rebel worms;

'Tis here he makes his goodness known,

In its diviner forms.

4 To this dear refuge, Lord, we come,
'Tis here our hope relies;

A safe defence, a peaceful home,
When storms of trouble rise.

5 Thine eye beholds, with kind regard,
The souls who trust in thee;

Their humble hope thou wilt reward,
With bliss divinely free.

6 Great God! to thine almighty love,
What honours shall we raise ?
Not all the raptured songs above
Can render equal praise.

236. The wisdom of God displayed in the harmony
of his attributes.

1 FATHER, how wide thy glory shines!
How high thy wonders rise!

Known through the earth by thousand signs,
By thousands through the skies.

2 But when we view thy great design
To save rebellious worms,

Where vengeance and compassion join,
In their divinest forms,

3 Our thoughts are lost in reverend awe,
We love, and we adore;
The first Archangel never saw
So much of God before.

4 Here the whole Deity is known,
Nor dares a creature guess
Which of the glories brightest shone,
The justice or the grace.

5 Now the full glories of the Lamb
Adorn the heavenly plains;
Bright cherubs learn Immanuel's name,
And try their choicest strains.

60 may I bear some humble part,
In that immortal song ;

Wonder and joy shall tune my heart,
And love command my tongue.

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1 COME let us lift our joyful eyes
Up to the courts above,

And smile to see our Father there,
Upon a throne of love!

2 Once 'twas a seat of dreadful wrath,
And shot devouring flame;
Our God appear'd consuming fire,
And vengeance was his name.

3 Rich were the drops of Jesus' blood,
That calm'd his frowning face t;
That sprinkled o'er the burning throne,
And turn'd the wrath to grace.

4 Now we may bow before his feet,
And venture near the Lord;
No fiery cherub guards his seat,
Nor double flaming sword.

5 The peaceful gates of heavenly bliss
Are open'd by the Son;

High let us raise our notes of praise,
And reach th' Almighty's throne.

6 To thee ten thousand thanks we bring,
Great Advocate on high;

And glory to the eternal King,
Who lays his anger by.

238. The condescending love of God.

1 THUS saith the high and lofty One,
I sit upon my holy throne;

My name is God, I dwell on high,
Dwell in my own eternity.

2 But I descend to worlds below,
On earth I have a mansion too;
The humble spirit and contrite
Is an abode of my delight.

3 The humble soul my words revive,
I bid the mourning sinner live;
Heal all the broken hearts I find,
And ease the sorrows of the mind.

4 When I contend against their sin,

I make them know how vile they've been ;
But should my wrath for ever smoke,

Their souls would sink beneath my stroke.

+ V. 3. It is erroneous thus to represent God as implacable; He himself so loved the world, in the first instance, as to give his begotten Son for its redemption.

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