No burning heats by day,
Nor blasts of evening air,
Shall take my health away,
If God be with me there :
Thou art my sun,
And thou my shade,
To guard my head
By night or noon.
Hast thou not given thy word
To save my soul from death?
And I can trust thee, Lord,
To keep my mortal breath :
I'll go and come,
Nor fear to die,
Till from on high
Thou call'st me home.
THE mighty God who rolls the spheres,
And storm and fire and hail prepares,
And guides this vast machine,
His powerful hand our life sustains,
And scatters all those joys and pains
That fill this chequer'd scene.
His piercing eye at once surveys
Where thousand suns and systems blaze,
And where the sparrow falls:
While seraphs tune their harps on high,
His ear attends the softest cry
When human misery calls.
Eternal God! who shall not fear,
And trust, and love with soul sincere,
Thine awful glorious name!
While man, thy creature, swift decays,
Time has no measure for thy days,
Nor limit for thy fame.
175. L. M. WATTS.
All creatures dependent upon God.
VAST are thy works, almighty Lord!
All nature rests upon thy word;
And the whole race of creatures stand
Waiting their portion from thy hand.
But when thy face is hid they mourn,
And, dying, to their dust return :
Both man and beast their souls resign;
Life, breath and spirit, all are thine.
Yet thou canst breathe on dust again, And fill the world with beasts and men : A word of thy creating breath
Repairs the wastes of time and death.
The earth stands trembling at thy stroke;
And at thy touch the mountains smoke:
Yet humble souls may see thy face,
And tell their wants to sovereign grace.
In thee my hopes and wishes meet,
And make my meditations sweet:
Thy praises shall my breath employ,
Till it expire in endless joy.
ANONYMOUS.
Man dependent on God.
THROUGH all the various shifting scene
Of life's mistaken ill or good,
Thy hand, O God, conducts, unseen,
The beautiful vicissitude.
Thou givest with a father's care,
Howe'er unjustly we complain,
To each their necessary share
Of joy and sorrow, health and pain.
All things on earth, and all in heaven, On thine eternal will depend;
And all for greater good were given, Would man pursue the appointed end.
Be this our care; to all beside
Indifferent let our wishes be:
Passion be calm, and dumb be pride,
And fixt our souls, O God, on thee.
Gratitude to God for his constant goodness.
GREAT source of unexhausted good,
Who giv'st us health and friends and food,
And peace and calm content:
Like fragrant incense, to the skies
Let songs of grateful praises rise
For all thy blessings lent.
Through all the dangers of the day
Thy providence attends our way,
To guard us and to guide;
Thy grace directs our wandering will,
And warns us, lest seducing ill
Allure our souls aside.
Thy smiles with a reviving light
Cheer the long darksome hours of night,
And gild the thickest gloom;
Thy watchful love around our bed
Doth softly like a curtain spread,
And guard the peaceful room.
To thee our lives, our all we owe,
Our peace and sweetest joys below,
And brighter hopes above;
Then let our lives, and all that's ours,
Our souls, and all our active powers,
Be sacred to thy love.
Thus, gracious Father, thee we praise; And while our feeble songs we raise To bless thee and adore,
Some spark of heavenly fire impart, And teach each humble, grateful heart To bless and love thee more.
God the refuge of his servants.
How are thy servants blest, O Lord!
How sure is their defence!
Eternal wisdom is their guide,
Their help omnipotence.
Thy mercy sweetens every soil,
Makes every region please;
The hoary alpine hills it warms,
And smooths the boisterous seas.
The storm is laid, the winds retire,
Obedient to thy will;
The sea, that roars at thy command,
At thy command is still.
From all my griefs and straits, O Lord,
Thy mercy sets me free,
Whilst in the confidence of prayer
My heart takes hold on thee.
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