Still let me know a father reigns,
And trust a father's care.
5 Thy ways are little known
To my weak, erring sight;
Yet shall my soul, believing, own
That all thy ways are right.
6 My Father! - blissful name
Above expression dear!
If thou accept my humble claim,
I bid adieu to fear.
The Works of God recounted to Posterity.
1 LET children hear the mighty deeds
Which God performed of old,
Which in our younger years we saw,
And which our fathers told.
2 He bids us make his glories known,
His works of power and grace;
And we'll convey his wonders down
Through every rising race.
3 Our lips shall tell them to our sons,
And they again to theirs,
That generations yet unborn
May teach them to their heirs.
4 Thus shall they learn, in God alone
Their hope securely stands,
That they may ne'er forget his works,
But practise his commands.
The Divine Glories celebrated.
1 TO thee, O Lord, with humble fear,
The heavenly hosts their voices raise ;
E'en mortals share thy bounties here;
Let mortals, too, attempt thy praise.
2 Of all things thou the parent art,
Of all things thou alone the end;
On thee still fix our wandering heart,
To thee let all our actions tend.
3 Thou, Lord, art light; thy native ray
No shade, no variation knows ;
To our dark souls thy light display,
The glory of thy face disclose.
4 Thou, Lord, art love; the fountain thou
Whence mercy unexhausted flows;
On barren hearts, O, shed it now,
And make the desert bear the rose !
5 So shall our every power to thee
In love and holy service rise;
Yea, body, soul, and spirit be
Thy ever-living sacrifice.
1 IS there a lone and dreary hour,
When worldly pleasures lose their power?
My Father! let me turn to thee,
And set each thought of darkness free.
2 Is there a time of rushing grief,
Which scorns the prospect of relief ?
My Father! break the cheerless gloom,
And bid my heart its calm resume.
3 Is there an hour of peace and joy,
When hope is all my soul's employ?
My Father! still my hopes will roam,
Until they rest with thee, their home.
4 The noontide blaze, the midnight scene,
The dawn, or twilight's sweet serene,
The glow of life, the dying hour,
Father's grace and power.
Delight and Instruction from the Bible
1 I LOVE the volume of thy word;
What light and joy those leaves afford
To souls benighted and distressed!
Thy precepts guide my doubtful way;
Thy fear forbids my feet to stray ;
Thy promise leads my heart to rest.
2 Thy threatenings wake my slumbering eyes,
And warn me where my danger lies;
But 't is thy blesséd gospel, Lord,
That makes my guilty conscience clean,
Converts my soul, subdues my sin,
And gives a free, but large, reward.
3 Who knows the errors of his thoughts?
My God, forgive my secret faults,
And from presumptuous sins restrain ;
Accept my poor attempts of praise,
That I have read thy book of grace,
And book of nature, not in vain.
Strength and Peace from the Divine Word.
1 THERE is a stream whose gentle flow
Supplies the city of our God;
Life, love, and joy still gliding through,
And watering our divine abode.
2 That sacred stream, thy holy word,
Supports our faith, our fear controls;
Sweet peace thy promises afford,
And give new strength to fainting souls.
Light and Glory of the Word.
1 THE Spirit breathes upon the word,
And brings the truth to sight;
Precepts and promises afford
A sanctifying light.
2 A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun :
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none.
3 The hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat:
His truths upon the nations rise;
They rise, but never set.
4 Let everlasting thanks be thine
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.
5 My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of Him I love,
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.
L. M. 6 L. SPIRIT OF THE PSALMS.
Praise to God for his Word.
1 JOIN, all ye servants of the Lord,
To praise him for his sacred word, -
That word, like manna, sent from heaven,
To all who seek it freely given;
Its promises our fears remove,
And fill our hearts with joy and love.
2 It tells us, though oppressed with cares,
The God of mercy hears our prayers;
Though steep and rough th' appointed way,
His mighty arm shall be our stay ;
Though deadly foes assail our peace,
His power shall bid their malice cease.
3 It tells who first inspired our breath,
And who redeemed our souls from death;
It tells of grace, grace freely given, -
And shows the path to God and heaven :
O, bless we, then, our gracious Lord,
For all the treasures of his word.
Progress of Gospel Truth.
1 UPON the gospel's sacred page
The gathered beams of ages shine;
And, as it hastens, every age
But makes its brightness more divine.
2 On mightier wing, in loftier flight,
From year to year does knowledge soar ;
And, as it soars, the gospel light
Adds to its influence more and more.
3 Truth, strengthened by the strength of thought, Pours inexhaustible supplies,
Whence sagest teachers may be taught, And wisdom's self become more wise. 4 More glorious still as centuries roll,
New regions blessed, new powers unfurled, Expanding with th' expanding soul, Its waters shall o'erflow the world; 5 Flow to restore, but not destroy; As when the cloudless lamp of day Pours out its floods of light and joy, And sweeps each lingering mist away. C. M.
Excellency of the Scriptures.
1 LET all the heathen writers join
To form one perfect book;
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