3 The scaly shoals, amidst the sea,
To thee, their Lord, a tribute pay;
The meanest fish that swims the flood
Leaps up, and means a praise to God.
4 [The larger monsters of the deep
On thy commands attendance keep;
By thy permission, sport and play,
And cleave along their foaming way.
5 If God his voice of tempest rears,
Leviathan lies still, and fears;
Anon he lifts his nostrils high,
And spouts the ocean to the sky.]
6 How is thy glorious power ador'd
Amidst those wat'ry nations, Lord!
Yet the bold men that trace the seas,
Bold men refuse their Maker's praise.
7 [What scenes of miracles they see,
And never tune a song to thee!
While on the flood they safely ride,
They curse the hand that smooths the tide.
8 Anon they plunge in wat'ry graves,
And some drink death among the waves:
Yet the surviving crew blaspheme,
Nor own the God that rescu'd them.]
9 O, for some signal of thy hand!
Shake all the seas, Lord, shake the land: Great Judge, descend, lest men deny That there's a God who rules the sky.
13}
HYMN 115. B. 2. C. M.
St. James, St. Ann's, Christmas.
Dominion and vengeance of God.
1 HIGH as the heavens above the ground
Reigns the Creator, God;
Wide as the whole creation's bound
Extends his awful rod.
2 Let princes of exalted state
To him ascribe their crown;
Render their homage at his feet,
And cast their glories down.
3 Know that his kingdom is supreme,
Your lofty thoughts are vain;
He calls you gods, that awful name,
But ye must die like men.
4 Then let the sov'reigns of the globe
Not dare to vex the just;
He puts on vengeance like a robe,
And treads the worms to dust.
5 Ye judges of the earth, be wise,
And think of heaven with fear;
The meanest saint that you despise
Has an avenger there.
14}
HYMN 17. B. 2. C. M.
Arlington, Devizes, Braintree.
Eternity of God.
1 RISE, rise, my soul, and leave the ground, Stretch all thy thoughts abroad;
And rouse up every tuneful sound
To praise th' Eternal God.
2 Long ere the lofty skies were spread,
Jehovah fill'd his throne:
Or Adam form'd, or angels made,
The Maker liv'd alone:
3 His boundless years can ne'er decrease, But still maintain their prime;
Eternity's his dwelling place,
And ever is his time.
4 While like a tide our minutes flow,
The present and the past;
He fills his own immortal now,
And sees our ages waste.
5 The sea and sky must perish too,
And vast destruction come;
The creatures-look! how old they grow, And wait their fiery doom.
6 Well, let the sea shrink all away,
And flames melt down the skies,
My God shall live an endless day,
When old creation dies.
15}
PSALM 89. 1st Part. C. M.
Irish, Devizes, St. Ann's.
Faithfulness of God.
1 MY never-ceasing song shall show
The mercies of the Lord;
And make succeeding ages know
How faithful is his word.
2 The sacred truths his lips pronounce
Shall firm as heaven endure:
And if he speak a promise once,
Th eternal grace is sure.
3 How long the race of David held
The promis'd Jewish throne!
But there's a nobler cov'nant seal'd
To David's greater Son.
4 His seed forever shall possess A throne above the skies;
The meanest subject of his grace
Shall to that glory rise.
5 Lord God of Hosts, thy wondrous ways Are sung by saints above;
And saints on earth their honours raise
To thine unchanging love.
16
PSALM 145. 2d Part. C. M.
Barby, Bedford.
Goodness of God.
1 SWEET is the mem'ry of thy grace, My God, my heavenly King;
Let age to age thy righteousness
In songs of glory sing.
2 God reigns on high, but not confines His goodness to the skies;
Through the whole earth his bounty shines, And every want supplies.
3 With longing eyes thy creatures wait
On thee for daily food:
Thy lib'ral hand provides their meat,
And fills their mouths with good.
4 How kind are thy compassions, Lord!
How slow thine anger moves!
But soon he sends his pard'ning word
To cheer the souls he loves.
5 Creatures, with all their endless race,
Thy power and praise proclaim;
But saints, that taste thy richer grace,
Delight to bless thy name.
17}
Goodness and mercy of God.
1 BLESS, O my soul, the living God,
Call home thy thoughts, that rove abroad:
Let all the powers within me join
In work and worship so divine.
PSALM 103. 1st Part. L. M. #
Shoel, Newcourt.
2 Bless, O my soul, the God of grace;
His favours claim thy highest praise;
Why should the wonders he hath wrought
Be lost in silence and forgot?
3 'Tis he, my soul, that sent his Son
To die for crimes which thou hast done;
He owns the ransom, and forgives
The hourly follies of our lives.
4 The vices of the mind he heals,
And cures the pains that nature feels,
Redcems the soul from hell, and saves
Our wasting life from threat'ning graves.
5 Our youth decay'd, his power repairs;
His mercy crowns our growing years;
He satisfies our mouth with good,
And fills our hopes with heavenly food.
6 He sees th' oppressor and th' oppress'd, And often gives the suff'rers rest;
But will his justice more display
In the last great rewarding day.
7 [His power he show'd by Moses' hands,
And gave to Israel his commands;
But sent his truth and mercy down
To all the nations by his Son.
8 Let the whole earth his power confess,
Let the whole earth adore his grace:
The Gentile with the Jew shall join
In work and worship so divine.]
18
PSALM 146. L. M.
Luton, Blendon.
Goodness and truth of God.
1 PRAISE ye the Lord; my heart shall join In work so pleasant, so divine
Now while the flesh is mine abode,
And when my soul ascends to God.
2 Praise shall employ my noblest powers, While immortality endures;
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last.
3 Why should I make a man my trust?
Princes must die and turn to dust;
Their breath departs, their pomp and power
And thoughts all vanish in an hour.
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