GOD THE FATHER.
TERNAL Power! whose high abode
Becomes the grandeur of a God,
Infinite lengths beyond the bounds
Where stars revolve their little rounds.
Thee while the first archangel sings,
He hides his face beneath his wings;
And ranks of shining thrones around,
Fall worshipping, and spread the ground.
Lord, what shall earth and ashes do?
We would adore our Maker too!
From sin and dust to Thee we cry,
The Great, the Holy, and the High.
Earth from afar hath heard Thy fame,
And worms have learned to lisp Thy name,
But, oh! the glories of Thy mind,
Leaving all our soaring thoughts behind.
God is in heaven, and men below:
Be short our tunes; our words be few;
A solemn reverence checks our songs,
And praise sits silent on our tongues.
GOD THE FATHER.
GOD! our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the stormy blast,
And our eternal home!
Under the shadow of Thy throne,
Thy saints have dwelt secure ;
Sufficient is Thine arm alone,
And our defence is sure.
Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth received her frame,
From everlasting Thou art God,
To endless years the same.
A thousand ages in Thy sight
Are like an evening gone,
Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rising sun.
The busy tribes of flesh and blood,
With all their lives and cares,
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And lost in following years.
Time, like an everlasting stream,
Bears all its sons away;
They fly forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the opening day.
Like flowery fields the nations stand
Pleased with the morning light;
The flowers beneath the mower's hand Lie withering ere 'tis night.
O God! our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Be Thou our guard while troubles last,
And our eternal home.
GOD THE FATHER.
H Father of Heaven! look down from above,
Illumine my paths by the light of Thy love,
That sleeping or waking, by night or by day,
My footsteps may ever be found in Thy way.
When the world's bright allurements before me are shining,
And to follow their course my fond heart is inclining—
Oh make me remember how small is their worth,
How empty and vain are the pleasures of earth!
When passions within their wild warfare are waging,
And sinful temptations my mind are engaging,
Be Thy arm my support, and if virtue should shrink,
Uphold the weak nature, which haply might sink.
When my soul is o'erwhelm'd by the waves of distress,
And doubt and despair my faint spirits oppress,
May the Beacon of Faith, beaming bright from above,
Guide my tempest-tost bark to Thy harbour of love!
When disease this corruptible form shall assail,
And human assistance no more can avail,
Be Thy mercy my stay when I draw my last breath,
And Thy grace my support through the valley of death!
And oh when the trumpet shall sound from on high, And the Saviour and Judge shall appear in the sky, May I hear the words spoken,' Thy sins are forgiven,' May my portion be that of the blessed in heaven!
GOD THE FATHER.
PRAISED the earth, in beauty seen
With garlands gay of various green ;
I praised the sea, whose ample field
Shone glorious as a silver shield;
And earth and ocean seemed to say,
'Our beauties are but for a day!'
I praised the sun, whose chariot roll'd
On wheels of amber and of gold;
I praised the moon, whose softer eye
Gleam'd sweetly through the summer sky!
And moon and sun in answer said,
'Our days of light are numbered.'
O God! O Good beyond compare!
If thus Thy meaner works are fair,
If thus Thy bounties gild the span
Of ruin'd earth and sinful man,
How glorious must the mansion be,
Where Thy redeem'd shall dwell with Thee!
ARK, the glad sound! the Saviour
The Saviour promised long;
Let every heart prepare a throne,
And every voice a song!
He comes the prisoners to release
In Satan's bondage held ;
The gates of brass before Him burst,
The iron fetters yield.
He comes from thickest films of vice
To clear the mental ray,
And on the eyeballs of the blind
To pour celestial day.
He comes the broken heart to bind,
The bleeding soul to cure,
And with the treasures of His grace
To enrich the humble poor.
Our glad Hosannas, Prince of Peace,
Thy welcome shall proclaim,
And heaven's eternal arches ring
With Thy beloved name.
OW sweet the Name of Jesu sounds
In a believer's ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary rest.
Dear Name! the rock on which I build,
My shield and hiding place,
My never-failing treasury fill'd
With boundless stores of grace.
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