Infinite lengths beyond the bounds
Where stars revolve their little rounds.
2 Earth from afar has heard thy fame,
And worms have learn'd to lisp thy name;
But, O! the glories of thy mind
Leave all our soaring thoughts behind!
3 God is in heaven, and men below;
Be short our tunes, our words be few!
A solemn reverence checks our songs,
And praise sits silent on our tongues.
121. C. M. Watts.
Christ our Strength and Righteousness.
MY
Y Saviour, my Almighty Friend,
When I begin thy praise,
Where will the growing numbers end,
The numbers of thy grace?
2 Thou art my everlasting trust,
Thy goodness I adore;
And since I knew thy graces first,
I speak thy glories more.
3 My feet shall travel all the length Of the celestial road,
And march with courage in thy strength To see my Father God.
4 How will my lips rejoice to tell
The victories of my King!
My soul, redeem'd from sin and hell,
Shall thy salvation sing.
5 My tongue shall all the day proclaim My Saviour and my God;
His death has brought my foes to shame,
And drown'd them in his blood.
6 Awake, awake, my tuneful powers;
With this delightful song,
I'll entertain the darkest hours,
Nor think the season long.
122. C. M. Watts.
The Robe of Righteousness.
AWAKE, my heart, arise my tongue,
Prepare a tuneful
In God, the life of all my joys,
Aloud will I rejoice.
2 'Tis he adorn'd my naked soul,
And made salvation mine;
Upon a poor polluted worm
He makes his graces shine.
3 And lest the shadow of a spot
Should on my soul be found,
He took the robe the Saviour wrought,
And cast it all around.
4 How far the heavenly robe exceeds
What earthly princes wear!
These ornaments how bright they shine!
How white the garments are!
5 The Spirit wrought my faith and love,
And hope and every grace;
But Jesus spent his life to work
The robe of righteousness.
6 Strangely, my soul, art thou array'd
By the great Sacred Three!
In sweetest harmony of praise
Let all thy powers agree.
123. L. M. Watts. Restoring and Persevering Grace.
WITH all my powers of heart and tongue,
I'll my in my song; Angels shall hear the notes I raise, Approve the song, and join the praise.
2 To God I cry'd when troubles rose; He heard me, and subdu'd my foes ; He did my rising fears control,
And strength diffus'd through all my soul.
3 The God of heaven maintains his state,
Frowns on the proud, and scorns the great;
But from his throne descends to bless
The humble souls that trust his grace.
4 Amidst a thousand snares I stand,
Upheld and guarded by thy hand;
Thy words my fainting hopes revive,
And keep my dying faith alive.
5 Grace will complete what grace begins,
To save from sorrow and from sins;
The work that wisdom undertakes,
Eternal mercy ne'er forsakes.
124. S. M. Watts.
Persevering Grace. Jude, ver. 24, 25.
God, the
Our Saviour and our King,
Let all the saints below the skies
Their humble praises bring.
2 "Tis his Almighty love,
His counsels and his care,
Preserves us safe from sin and death,
And every hurtful snare.
3 He will present our souls
Unblemish'd and complete,
Before the glory of his face,
With joys divinely great.
125. S. M. Swain.
The constraining motives to praise.
WHO can forbear to sing,
Who can refuse to praise,
When Zion's high celestial King
His saving power displays?
2 When sinners at his feet,
By mercy conquer'd, fall;
When grace and truth, and justice meet,
And peace unites them all?
3 When the sweet gospel sound,
The silver trump of heaven,
Proclaims to contrite souls around,
That all their sin 's forgiven ?-
4 When heaven's expanding gates
Invite the pilgrims' feet,
And Jesus at their entrance waits,
To place them on his seat?
5 Who can forbear to praise
Our high celestial King,
When sovereign, rich, redeeming grace,
Invites our tongues to sing?
126. C. M. Watts.
The examples of Christ and his Saints. GIVE me the wings of faith to rise
Within the and see
The saints above, how great their joys,
How bright their glories be!
f
2 Once they were mourning here below,
And wet their couch with tears;
They wrestled hard, as we do now,
With sins, and doubts, and fears.
3 I ask them whence their victory came?
They, with united breath,
Ascribe their conquest to the Lamb,
Their triumph to his death.
4 They mark'd the footsteps that he trod, His zeal inspir'd their breast;
And following their incarnate God,
Possess the promis'd rest;
5 Our glorious Leader claims our praise,
For his own pattern given;
While the long cloud of witnesses
Show the same path to heaven.
127. L. M. Watts.
A sight of God mortifies us to the world.
to the fields where angels lie,
waters
Fain would my thoughts leap out and fly, But sin hangs heavy on my soul.
2 Thy wondrous blood, dear dying Christ,
Can make this load of guilt remove;
And thou canst bear me where thou fly'st,
On thy kind wings, celestial Dove!
3 O might I once mount up and see
The glories of th' eternal skies;
What little things these worlds would be!
How despicable to mine eyes!
4 Had I a glance of thee, my God,
Kingdoms and men would vanish soon,
Vanish, as though I'saw them not,
As a dim candle dies at noon.
5 Then they might fight, and rage, and rave,
I should perceive the noise no more
Than we can hear a shaking leaf,
While rattling thunders round us roar.
6 Great All in All, eternal King!
Let me but view thy lovely face,
And all my powers shall bow and sing,
Thine endless grandeur, and thy grace.
God my only happiness.
my love,
MY God, my portion, and
My everlasting All;
I've none but thee in heaven above,
Or on this earthly ball.
2 What empty things are all the skies, And this inferior clod!
There's nothing here deserves my joys,
There's nothing like my God.
3 [In vain the bright, the burning sun, Scatters his feeble light;
Tis Thy sweet beams create my noon;
If Thou withdraw, 'tis night.
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