Eternal are thy mercies, Lord!
Eternal truths attend thy word;
Thy praise shall sound from shore to shore,
Till suns shall rise to set no more.
Praise God, from whom all blessings flow,
Praise him all creatures here below;
Praise him above, ye heav'nly host,
Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
Hymn 56. C. M.
THOU, whose tender
Contrition's humble sigh;
Whose hand, indulgent, wipes the tears
From sorrow's weeping eye!
See low before the throne of grace,
A wretched wand'rer mourn :
Hast thou not bid me seek thy face?
Hast thou not said, "Return?"
And shall my guilty fears prevail,
To drive me from thy feet?
O let not this dear refuge fail,
This only safe retreat.
Absent from thee, my guide, my light,
Without one cheering ray,
Through dangers, fears, and gloomy night,
How desolate my way!
O shine on this benighted heart,
With beams of mercy shine!
And let thy healing voice impart
A taste of joy divine.
Thy presence only can bestow
Delights which ne'er can cloy;
Be this my solace here below,
And my eternal joy.
Hymn 57. P. M.
HE Lord my pasture shall prepare
And feed me with a shepherd's care,
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads,
My weary wand'ring steps he leads,
Where peaceful rivers soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.
Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord! art with me still,
Thy friendly crook shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.
Though in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile;
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden streams and herbage crown'd,
And streams shall murmur all around.
Hymn 58. L. M.
THOU! to whose all searching sight,
The darkness shineth as the light,
Search, prove my heart-it pants for thee,
O burst these bands and set it free!
Wash out its stains, refine its dross,
Nail my affections to the cross;
Hallow each thought, let all within
Be clean, as thou, my God, art clean.
If in this darksome wild I stray,
Be thou my light, be thou my way:
No foes, no violence I fear,
No fraud, while thou, my God, art near.
When rising floods my soul o'erflow,
When sinks my heart in waves of woe,
Jesu, thy timely aid impart,
And raise my head and cheer my heart.
Saviour, where'er thy steps I see,
Dauntless, untir'd, I follow thee!
O let thy hand support me still,
And lead me to thy holy hill!
If rough and thorny be the way,
My strength proportion to my day;
Till toil, and grief, and pain shall cease,
Where all is calm, and joy, and peace.
H thou! who when I did complain,
Didst all my griefs remove;
O Saviour, do not now disdain
My humble praise and love!
Since thou a pitying ear didst give,
And heard'st me when I pray'd:
I'll call upon thee whilst I live,
And never doubt thy aid.
Pale death, with all its ghastly train,
My soul encompass'd round,
Anguish, and sin, and dread, and pain
On ev'ry side I found.
To thee, O Lord of life! I pray'd,
And did for succour flee;
"O save" (in my distress I said,)
"The soul that trusts in thee!"
How good thou art! how large thy grace!
How ready to forgive!
The helpless thou delight'st to raise,
And by thy love I love.
Then, O my soul! be never more
With anxious thoughts distrest,
God's bounteous love doth thee restore
To ease, and joy, and rest.
My eyes, no longer drown'd in tears,
My feet from falling free,
Redeem'd from death and guilty fears,
O Lord! I live to thee.
Hymn 60. C. M.
WHEN all the mercies of my God,
My rising soulsurveys,
Why, my cold heart, art thou not lost
In wonder, love, and praise?
Thy providence my life sustain'd,
And all my wants redrest,
While in the silent womb I lay,
And hung upon the breast.
To all my weak complaints and cries
Thy goodness lent an ear,
Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learnt
To form themselves in pray'r.
Unnumber'd comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestow'd,
infant heart conceiv'd
From whom those comforts flow'd.
When in the slipp'ry paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm, unseen, convey'd me safe
And led me up to man.
Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths,
It gently clear'd my way,
And through the pleasing snares of vice,
More to be fear'd than they.
Through ev'ry period of my life,
Thy goodness I'll pursue,
And after death, in distant worlds,
The pleasing theme renew.
Through all eternity, to thee
A grateful song I'll raise;
But oh! eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise.
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