HYMN 19. L. M.
Thoughts on God and Death.
HERE is a GOD that reigns above,
I fear his wrath, I ask his love,
And with my lips I sing his praise.
2 There is a law which he has writ,
To teach us all that we must do ;
My soul, to his commands submit,
For they are holy, just and true.
3 There is a gospel rich in grace,
Whence sinners all their comforts draw;
Lord, I repent and seek thy face,
For I have often broke thy law.
4 There is an hour when I must die,
Nor do I know how soon 'twill come;
How many younger much than I
Have pass'd by death to hear their doom.
5 Let me improve the hours I have,
Before the day of grace is fled;
There's no repentance in the grave,
Nor pardon offer'd to the dead.
HYMN 20. C. M.
A Song to Creating Wisdom.
TERNAL wisdom, thee we praise,
Thee, the creation sings;
With thy lov'd name, rocks, hills, and seas,
And heaven's high palace rings.
2 Thy hand, how wide it spreads the sky! How glorious to behold!
Ting'd with a blue of heavn'ly dye,
And starr'd with sparkling gokl.
3 Thy glories blaze all nature round,
And strike the gazing sight,
O'er skies, and seas, and solid ground,
With terror and delight.
4 Infinite strength, and equal skill
Shine thro' the worlds abroad!
Our souls with vast amazement fill,
And speak the builder God.
5 But still the wonders of thy grace
Our softer passions move;
Pity divine in Jesu's face
We see, adore, and love.
HYMN 21. L. M.
The safety of trusting in God's wise Providence.
HY ways, O Lord, with wise design,
Are fram'd upon thy throne above,
And ev'ry dark or bending line,
Meets in the centre of thy love.
2 With feeble light, and half obscure,
Poor mortals thy arrangements view;
Not knowing that they all are sure,
And tho' mysterious, just and true.
3 Thy flock, thy own peculiar care,
Tho' now they seem to roam un-ey'd,
Are led by pow'r and goodness where
They best and safest may abide
4 They neither know nor trace the way,
But guided by thy peircing eye,
None of their feet to ruin stray,
Nor shall the weakest fail or die.
5 My favor'd soul shall meekly learn,
To lay her reason at thy throne;
Too weak thy secrets to discern,
I'll trust thee for my guide alone.
HYMN 22. L. M.
Providence equitable and kind.
HRO' all the various shifting scenes
Tof life's mistaken good or ill:
Thy hand, O God, conducts unseen
Our changes by thy sov'reign will.
2 Thou givest with paternal care,
How'er unjustly we complain,
To each his necessary share
Of joy and sorrow, health and pain.
3 Trust we to youth, or friends, or pow'r, Fix we on this terrestrial ball,
When most secure, the coming hour,
If thou see fit, may blast them all.
4 When lowest sunk with grief and shame,
Fill'd with affliction's bitter cup,
Lost to relations, friends, and fame,
Thy powerful hand can raise us up.
5 Thy gracious consolations cheer;
Thy smiles suppress the deep fetch'd sigh;
Thy hand can dry the trickling tear
That secret wets th' afflicted eye.
6 All things on earth, and all in heav'n
On thy eternal will depend;
And all for greater good were giv❜n,
And all shall in thy glory end.
7 This be my care; to all beside
Indifferent let my wishes be;
Passion be calm; and dumb be pride,
And fix'd, O God, my soul on thee,
The Mysteries of Providence; or, light shining out of darkness
OD moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
2 Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never-failing skill,
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works his sov'reign will.
3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread,
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on your head.
4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust him for his grace;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
5 His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding ev'ry hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow'r.
6. Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain ;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
HYMN 24. C. M.
Mysteries to be explained hereafter. John xiii. 7.
REAT God of providence thy ways,
Are hid from mortal sight;
Wrapt in impenetrable shades,
Or cloth'd with dazzling light.
2 The wond'rous methods of thy grace
Evade the human eye;
The nearer we attempt t' approach,
The farther off they fly.
3 But in the world of bliss above,
Where thou dost ever reign,
These myst'ries shall be all unveil'd,
And not a doubt remain.
4 The Sun of Righteousness shall there
His brightest beams display,
And not a hov'ring cloud obscure
That never ending day.
Exhortation to trust in Providence.
YIVE to the winds thy fears,
Hope and be undismay'd,
God hears thy sighs, and counts thy tears;
He shall lift up thy head.
2 Thro' waves, and clouds, and storms,
He gently clears the way;
Wait thou his time, so shall this night
Soon end in joyous day.
3 Still heavy is thy heart?
Still sink thy spirits down?
Cast off the weight, let fear depart,
And every care be gone.
4 What tho' thou rulest not!
Yet heaven and earth and hell, Proclaim, God sitteth on the throne, And ruleth all things well.
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