2 Before thine infinite survey,
Creation rose as yesterday
And, as to-morrow, shall thine eye
See earth and stars in ruin lie.
3 Beyond the highest angel's sight,
Thou dwellést in eternal light,
Which shines with undiminished ray,
While suns and systems waste away.
4 Our days a transient period run,
And change with every circling sun;
And, while to lengthened years we trust,
Before the moth we sink to dust..
5 But let the creatures fall around;
Let death consign us to the ground;
Let the last general flame arise,
And melt the arches of the skies ;-
6 Calm as the summer's ocean, we
Can all the wreck of nature see;
While grace secures us an abode
Unshaken as the throne of God.
PSALM 102, First Part, C. M.
Prayer heard, and Zion restored.
IET Zion and her sons rejoice;
Behold the promised hour!
Her God hath heard her mourning voice,
And comes t' exalt his power.
2 Her dust and ruins that remain
Are precious in our eyes;
Those ruins shall be built again,
And all that dust shall rise.
3 The Lord will raise Jerusalem,
And stand in glory there;
Nations shall bow before his name,
And kings attend with fear.
mf 4 He sits a sovereign on his throne,
With pity in his eyes;
He hears the dying pris'ners' groan,
And sees their sighs arise.
5 He frees the souls condemned to death;
And, when his saints complain,
It sha' n't be said, that praying breath
Was ever spent in vain.
6 This shall be known, when we are dead,
And left on long record;
That ages, yet unborn, may read,
And trust and praise the Lord.
PSALM 102, Second Part, C. M.
A Prayer for the Afflicted.
aff 1 HEAR me, O God! nor hide thy face;
But answer, lest I die;
Hast thou not built a throne of grace,
To hear when sinners cry?
2 As, on some lonely building's top,
The sparrow tells her moan,
Far from the tents of joy and hope,
I sit and grieve alone.
3 But thou for ever art the same,
O my eternal God!
Ages to come shall know thy name,
And spread thy works abroad.
4 Thou wilt arise and show thy face,
Nor will my Lord delay
Beyond th' appointed hour of grace,
That long-expected day.
5 He hears his saints, he knows their cry,
And, by mysterious ways,
Redeems the pris'ners doomed to die;
And fills their tongues with praise.
PSALM 102, Third Part, C. M.
God unchangeable amid Changes of Creation.
THROUGH endless years thou art the same,
O thou eternal God!
Ages to come shall know thy name,
And tell thy works abroad.
2 The strong foundations of the earth,
Of old, by thee were laid;
By thee, the beauteous arch of heaven,
With matchless skill, was made.
3 Soon shall this goodly frame of things,
Formed by thy powerful hand,
Be, like a vesture, laid aside,
And changed at thy command.
4 But thy perfections all-divine,
Eternal as thy days,
Through everlasting ages shine,
With undiminished rays.
PSALM 102, 78.
Prayer in Affliction.
TEAR my prayer, Jehovah! hear:
Il Listen to my humble cries;
See the day of trouble near;
Heavy on my soul it lies.
2 Hide not, then, thy gracious face,
When the storm around me falls;
Hear me, O thou God of grace!
In the time thy servant calls.
3 Earth and hell their censures pour,
Madly rage against my soul:
When my God appears no more,
Who their fury can control?
4 Hide not, then, thy gracious face,
When the storm around me falls;
Hear me, O thou God of grace!
Hear me when thy servant calls.
PSALM 103, First Part, L. M.
The Goodness and Mercy of God celebrated.
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.
2 Bless, O my soul! the God of grace;
His favors claim thy highest praise:
Why should the wonders he hath wrought
Be lost in silence, and forgot?
3 'T is he, my soul! who sent his Son,
To die for crimes which thou hast dore:
He owns the ransom, and forgives
The hourly follies of our lives.
4 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.
PSALM 103, Second Part, L. M.
Forgiveness--gotle Chastisement.
HE Lord,-how wondrous are his ways!
How firm his truth, how large his grace!
He takes his mercy for his throne;
And thence he makes his glories known.
2 Not half so high, his power hath spread
The starry heavens, above our head,
As his rich love exceeds our praise,—
Exceeds the highest hopes we raise.
3 Not half so far, hath nature placed
The rising morning from the west,
As his forgiving grace removes
The daily guilt of those he loves.
4 How slowly doth his wrath arise!
On swifter wings salvation flies;
And, if he lets his anger burn,
How soon his frowns to pity turn!
5 But his eternal love is sure;
To all the saints it shall endure:
From age to age, his truth shall reign;
Nor children's children hope in vain.
PSALM 103, First Part, S. M.
The Mercies of God.
OH! bless the Lord, my soul!
Let all within me join,
And aid my tongue to bless his name,
Whose favors are divine.
2 Oh! bless the Lord, my soul!
Nor let his mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness,
And without praises die.
3 T is he forgives thy sins,
'T is he relieves thy pain,
"T is he who heals thy sicknesses,
And makes thee young again.
4 He crowns thy life with love,
When ransomed from the grave;
• He, who redeemed my soul from hell,
Hath sovereign power to save.
5 He fills the poor with good;
He gives the sufferers rest;
The Lord hath judgments for the proud,
And justice for th' oppressed.
6 His wondrous works and ways
He made by Moses known;
But sent the world his truth and grace,
By his beloved Son.
PSALM 103, Second Part. S. M.
Praise to God for his Mercies.
bless the Lord, my soul!
His grace to thee proclaim:
And all that is within me join
To bless his holy name.
mf 2 Oh! bless the Lord, my soul!
His mercies bear in mind:
Forget not all his benefits:
The Lord to thee is kind.
3 He will not always chide;
He will with patience wait;
His wrath is ever slow to rise,
And ready to abate.
4 He pardons all thy sins,
Prolongs thy feeble breath;
He healeth thy infirmities,
And ransoms thee from death.
5 Then bless his holy name,
Whose grace hath made thee whole;
Whose loving-kindness crowns thy days;
Oh! bless the Lord, my soul!
PSALM 103, Third Part, S. M.
Mercy in the midst of Judgment.
MY soul! repeat his praise,
Whose mercies are so great ;
Whose anger is so slow to rise,
So ready to abate.
2 High as the heavens are raised
Above the ground we tread,
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