The Eternity and Unchangeableness of God.
THROUGH endless years thou art the same,
O thou eternal God!
Ages to come shall know thy name,
And spread thy praise abroad.
The strong foundations of the earth
Of old by thee were laid;
By thee the beauteous arch of heaven
With wondrous skill was made.
Yet soon this universal frame,
Form'd by thy pow'rful hand,
Shall, like a vesture laid aside,
Be chang'd at thy command.
But thy perfections, all divine,
Eternal as thy days,
Through everlasting ages shine
With undiminish'd rays.
Gratitude for God's Love and Mercy.
ST. DUNSTAN's. L. M.
MY soul, inspir'd with sacred love,
God's holy name for ever bless
Of all his favors mindful prove,
And still thy grateful thanks express.
The Lord abounds with tender love,
And unexampled acts of grace;
His waken'd wrath doth slowly move;
His willing mercy flows apace.
As high as heaven its arch extends
Above this little spot of clay,
So far his boundless love transcends
The poor returns that we can pay.
As far as 'tis from east to west,
So far doth he our sins remove;
Who, with a father's tender breast,
Regards the children of his love.
Adoration of God's Majesty.
MY soul, praise the Lord, speak good of his name;
O Lord, our great God, how dost thou appear!
So passing in glory, that great is thy fame;
Honor and majesty in thee shine most clear.
With light as a robe thyself thou hast clad,
Whereby all the earth thy greatness may see:
The heavens in such sort thou also hast spread,
That they to a curtain compared may be.
His chamber-beams lie in the clouds full sure,
Which, as his chariots, are made him to bear :
And there with much swiftness his course doth endure,
Upon the wings riding of winds in the air.
His spirits he makes as heralds to go,
And lightnings to serve we see also prest:
His will to accomplish they run to and fro,
To save or consume us, as seemeth him best.
PSALM CIV. (SECOND VERSION,)
Adoration of God's Majesty.
BLESS God, O my soul; rejoice in his name;
O Lord, let my voice thy greatness proclaim ;
Surpassing in honor, dominion, and might,
Thy throne is the heaven, thy robe is the light.
The sky we behold, a curtain display'd;
The chambers of heaven on waters are laid;
The clouds are a chariot, thy glory to bear,
On winds thou art wafted, thou ridest on air.
As rapid as fire, thine angels on high
Convey thy commands; thy ministers fly;
The earth, on its basis eternal sustain'd,
Is fixt in the station thy wisdom ordain'd.
O Lord, I would sing, thy glory to raise;
Delightful the strain, when tun'd to thy praise:
The vile have their suff'rings, the just their rewar
Bless God, O my spirit, my soul praise the Lord
Rejoicing in God.
CAMBRIDGE NEW. C. M.
O RENDER thanks, and bless the Lord,
Invoke his sacred name;
Acquaint the nations with his deeds,
His glorious deeds proclaim.
Sing to his praise in lofty hymns,
His wondrous works rehearse;
Make them the theme of your discourse,
The subject of your verse.
Rejoice in his almighty name,
Alone to be ador'd;
And let their hearts o'erflow with joy
Who humbly seek the Lord.
Seek ye the Lord; his saving strength
Devoutly still implore;
And, where he's ever present, seek
His face for evermore.
Praise to God for his Goodness and Mercy.
NEW SABBATH. L. M.
O RENDER thanks to God above,
The fountain of eternal love;
Whose mercy firm through ages past
Hath stood, and shall for ever last.
Who can his mighty deeds express,
Not only vast, but numberless;
What mortal eloquence can raise
His tribute of immortal praise!
Happy are they, and only they,
Who from his precepts fear to stray:
Who know what's right.-nor, only so,
But strive to practise what they know.
Extend to me that favor, Lord,
Thou to thy chosen dost afford:
When thou return'st to set them free,
Let thy salvation visit me.
God the Protector of his Servants.
MARTYRDOM. C. M.
HOW are thy servants blest, O Lord!
How sure is their defence!
Eternal wisdom is their guide;
Their help, Omnipotence.
In foreign realms and lands remote,
Supported by thy care,
Through burning climes they pass unhurt,
And live in tainted air.
In midst of dangers, fears, and death,
Thy goodness we'll adore;
We'll praise thee for thy mercies past,
And humbly hope for more.
Our life, while thou preserv'st that life,
Thy sacrifice shall be:
And death, when death shall be our lot,
Shall join our souls to thee."
PSALM CVIII.
God magnified for his Goodness.
WINCHESTER NEW. D. C. M.
O GOD, my heart is fully bent'
To magnify thy name;
My tongue with cheerful songs of praise,
Shall celebrate thy fame:
Because thy mercy's boundless height
The highest heaven transcends; And far beyond the starry spheres Thy faithfulness extends.
Be thou, O God, exalted high
O'er this created frame:
And let the world, with one consent,
Confess thy glorious name;
That so thy chosen people thee
Their Saviour may declare;'
O let thy hand protect them still,
And answer thou their prayer.
The Guilt and Punishment of Treachery.
WHEN man for guilty gain betrays
His brother or his friend;
How awful is the traitor's doom,
How terrible his end!
Lost for the sordid thirst of gold,
That fills his impious breast;
Oh while we shudder at his fate,
May we the sin detest!
Lord, we would give thee all our heart;
Thine would we ever be;
Nor let a single sin have power
To make us false to thee,
The Kingdom and Priesthood of Messiah.
THUS spake Jehovah to my Lord,
(Let earth and heaven attend his word,)
"At my right hand assume thy seat;
Rule thou supreme amidst thy foes,
And they who dare thy reign oppose,
Shall fall confounded at thy feet.
"Thee, in thy power's triumphant day,
The willing nations shall obey,
Thy rising beams rejoice to view :
And, sav'd by thee from error's night,
Shall shine as numberless and bright,
As crystal drops of morning dew."
The Lord hath sworn, nor sworn in vain,
That like Melchizedec's his reign
And priesthood shall no period know:
God will exalt his glorious head,
Through the whole earth his kingdom spread,, And lay each haughty rebel low.
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