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.
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?
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.
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.
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.
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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