2 When once it enters to the mind,
It spreads such light abroad,
The meanest souls instruction find,
And raise their thoughts to God.
3 "Tis, like the sun, a heavenly light
That guides us all the day;
And, through the dangers of the night,
A lamp to lead our way.
4 The starry heavens thy rule obey;
The earth maintains her place;
And these, thy servants, night and day,
Thy skill and power express.
5 But still thy law and gospel, Lord,
Have lessons more divine;
Not earth stands firmer than thy word,
Nor stars so nobly shine.
6 Thy word is everlasting truth:
How pure is every page!
That holy book shall guide our youth,
And well support our age.
The Scriptures a Pillar of Fire.
1 WHEN Israel through the desert passed, A fiery pillar went before
To guide them through the dreary waste,
And lessen the fatigues they bore.
2 Such is thy glorious word, O God;
'Tis for our light and guidance given;
It sheds a lustre all abroad,
And points the path to bliss and heaven.
3 It fills the soul with sweet delight,
And quickens its inactive powers;
It sets our wandering footsteps right,
Displays thy love, and kindles ours.
4 Its promises rejoice our hearts;
Its doctrines are divinely true;
Knowledge and pleasure it imparts;
It comforts and instructs us too.
5 Ye favored lands, who have this word!
Ye saints, who feel its saving power!
Unite your tongues to praise the Lord,
And his distinguished grace adore.
The Excellence of the Scriptures.
1 FATHER of mercies, in thy word
What endless glory shines!
Forever be thy name adored
For these celestial lines.
2 Here may the wretched sons of want
Exhaustless riches find-
Riches above what earth can grant,
And lasting as the mind.
3 Here the fair tree of knowledge grows,
And yields a free repast;
Sublimer sweets than nature knows
Invite the longing taste.
4 Here the Redeemer's welcome voice
Spreads heavenly peace around;
And life and everlasting joys
Attend the blissful sound.
50 may these heavenly pages be
My ever dear delight;
And still new beauties may I see,
And still increasing light.
6 Divine Instructer! gracious Lord!
Be thou forever near;
Teach me to love thy sacred word,
And view my Savior there.
1 How precious, Lord, thy holy word!
What light and joy its truths afford
To souls benighted and distressed!
Thy precepts guide our doubtful way;
Thy fear forbids our steps to stray;
Thy promise leads the heart to rest.
2 Thy threatenings wake our slumbering eyes,
And warn us where our danger lies;
While gospel-truth and grace divine
Inspire the heart with filial love,
Exalt and fix our hopes above,
And make the willing spirit thine.
3 From the discoveries of thy law
What perfect rules of life we draw!
Be these our study and delight;
May every deed, and word, and thought,
To truth and duty's standard brought,
Become well-pleasing in thy sight.
4 O may thy word those faults reveal Which blind self-love may yet conceal,
And from presumptuous sins restrain: Thus taught to use the book of grace, We'll raise a grateful song of praise That we possess it not in vain.
The Scriptures a Lamp to our Feet.
1 How precious is the book divine,
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine,
To guide our souls to heaven.
2 It sweetly cheers our drooping hearts
In this dark vale of tears;
Life, light, and joy it still imparts,
And quells our rising fears.
3 This lamp, through all the tedious night
Of life, shall guide our way,
Till we behold the clearer light
Of an eternal day.
Worth and Influence of the Scriptures.
1 GOD, in the gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known;
Here love, in all its glory, shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.
2 May this blest volume ever lie
Close to our heart and near our eye,
Till life's last hour our souls engage,
And be our chosen heritage.
3 Wisdom its dictates here imparts
To form our minds, to cheer our hearts;
Its influence makes the sinner live,
And bids the drooping saint revive.
4 Here faith reveals to mortal eyes
A brighter world beyond the skies;
It brings our future home to view,
And guides us all our journey through.
50 grant us grace, almighty Lord,
To read and mark thy holy word;
Its truths with meekness to receive,
And by its holy precepts live.
1 LADEN with guilt, and full of fears,
I come to thee, my Lord;
For not a ray of hope appears
But in thy holy word.
2 The volume of my Father's grace
Does all my grief assuage;
There I behold my Savior's face
every sacred page.
3 This is the field where hidden lies
The pearl of price unknown;
Then blest is he who wisely tries
To make that pearl his own.
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