6 Thus may I act the christian part, The social, humane and divine; Whilst a wise zeal inspires my heart,
Then shall I know that heaven is mine.
Abraham's Blessing extended to the Gentiles.
1 GENTILES by nature, we belong
To the wild olive wood;
Grace took us from the barren tree,
And grafts us on the good.
2 With the same blessings, grace endows The Gentile as the Jew;
If pure and holy be the root,
Such are the branches too.
3 Then let the children of the saints
Be sanctified to God,
In that great covenant, confirm'd
By water and by blood.
4 Thus to the parents, and their seed, Shall thy salvation come;
And numerous households meet at last
In one eternal home..
The Excellency of the Gospel.
1 GOD, in the gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known;
And sinners of a humble frame
May taste his grace, and learn his name.
2 Wisdom its dictates here imparts,
To form our minds, to cheer our hearts ;
Its influence makes the sinner live,
It bids the drooping saint revive.
3 Our raging passions it controls,
And comfort yields to contrite souls ;
It guides us all our journey through,
And brings a better world to view.
4 May this blest volume ever lie
Close to my heart and near my eye;
To life's last hour, my soul employ,
And fit me for the heavenly joy.
Sincerity and Hypocrisy.
1 GOD is a Spirit, just and wise,
He sees our inmost mind;
In vain to heaven we raise our eyes,
And leave our hearts behind.
2 Nothing but truth before his throne
With honour can appear;
The painted hypocrites are known,
Through the disguise they wear.
3 Their lifted hands salute the skies,
Their bended knees the ground;
But God abhors the sacrifice,
Where not the heart is found.
4 Lord, search my thoughts, and try my ways,
And make my soul sincere ;
Then shall I stand before thy face,
And find acceptance there.
Redeeming Time.
GOD of eternity, from thee
Did infant time its being draw;
Minutes and days and months and years
Revolve by thy unvaried law.
2 Silent and slow they glide away ;
Steady and strong the current flows;
Till lost in that unmeasur'd sea,
From which its being first arose.
3 The thoughtless sons of Adam's race
Upon the rapid stream are borne ;
To that unseen, eternal home,
From which no travellers return.
4 Yet whilst the shore, on either side,
Presents a gaudy, flattering show;
We gaze, in fond amazement lost,
Nor think to what a world we go.
5 Great Source of wisdom, teach our hearts
To know the price of every hour;
That time may bear us on to joys,
Beyond its measure and its power.
Gratitude for all Things.
1 GOD of my life, my thanks to thee
Shall, like my debts, continual be;
In constant streams thy bounty flows,
Nor end, nor intermission knows.
2 From thee, my comforts all arise,
My numerous wants thy hand supplies;
Nor can I need or wish for more,
Than thou canst furnish from thy store.
3 If what I ask, my God denies,
It is because he's good and wise;
And what for evils I mistake,
He can my greatest blessings make.
4 Deep, Lord, upon my thankful breast, Let all thy goodness be impress'd:
Dispose me, each revolving day,
For daily gifts my praise to pay.
5 In praise I'll spend my latest breath,
Then yield it to the call of death;
In hope that thou my flesh wilt raise,
To celebrate thy deathless praise.
Brown, with addition.
HYMN LXXIX. Long Metre.
Unceasing Praise.
1 GOD of my life, through all its days
My grateful tongue shall sound thy praise;
The song shall wake with dawning light,
And warble to the silent night.
2 When anxious cares would break my rest,
And grief would tear my throbbing breast,
Thy tuneful praises, rais'd on high,
Shall check the murmur and the sigh.
3 When death o'er nature shall prevail,
And all the powers of language fail,
Joy through my feeble eyes shall break,
And mean those thanks I cannot speak.
4 But when the final conflict's o'er,"
My spirit chain'd to flesh no more,
With what glad accents shall I rise
To join the musick of the skies!
5 Soon shall I learn th' exalted strains,
Which echo through he heavenly plains;
And emulate, with joy unknown,
The glowing seraphs round thy throne..
6 This cheerful tribute will I give,
Long as a deathless soul can live;
A work so vast, a theme so high,
Demands a whole eternity.
26
The Mysteries of Providence,
1 GOD moves in a mysterious way,
His counsels to perform;
He marks his footsteps on 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 sovereign will.
3 Let fearful saints fresh courage take;
The clouds, they so much dread,
Are big with mercy, and shall break
In blessings on their 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 every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
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 LXXXI. Common Metre. # or b
Divine Providence, and the Folly of Self-Dependence.
1 GOD reigns; events, in order flow,
Man's industry to guide;
But in a different channel go,
To humble human pride.
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