7. These are a portion of his ways;
But who shall dare describe his face?
Who can endure his light or stand
To hear the thunders of his hand?
Hymn 2. L. M.
God far above all creatures; or man vain and mortal. Job iv. 17-21.
HALL the vile race of flesh and blood
Contend with their Creator, God?
Shall mortal worms presume to be
More holy, wise, or just, than he ?
2. Behold he puts his trust in none
Of all the spirits round his throne;
Their natures, when compar'd with his,
Are neither holy, just, nor wise.
3. But how much meaner things are they
Who spring from dust, and dwell in clay!
Touch'd by the finger of thy wrath,
We faint and vanish like the moth.
4. From night to day, from day to night,
We die by thousands in thy sight;
Buried in dust whole nations lie,
Like a forgotten vanity.
5. Almighty Power, to thee we bow;
How frail are we! how glorious thou!
No more the sons of earth shall dare
With an eternal God compare.
Hymn 3. с. м.
God's eternity.
ISE, rise, my soul, and leave the ground,
Stretch all thy thoughts abroad,
And rouse up ev'ry tuneful sound
To praise th' eternal God,
2. Long ere the lofty skies were spread,
Jebovah fill'd his throne;
Or Adam form'd, or Angels made,
The Maker liv'd alone.
3. His boundless years can ne'er decrease,
But still maintain their prime,
Eternity's his dwelling-place,
And ever is his time.
4. While like a tide our minutes flow,
The present and the past,
He fills his own immortal NOW,
And sees our ages waste.
5. The sea and sky must perishtoo,
And vast destruction come:
The creatures-look! how old they grow,
And wait their fiery doom.
6. Well, let the sea shrink all away,
And flames melt down the skies,
My God shall live an endless day,
When this creation dies.
Hymn 4. с. м.
God our Preserver.
ET others boast how strong they be,
Nor death nor danger fear;
While we confess, O Lord, to thee,
What feeble things we are.
2. Fresh as the grass our bodies stand,
And flourish bright and gay:
A blasting wind sweeps o'er the land,
And fades the grass away.
3. Our life contains a thousand springs,
And dies if one be gone;
Strange! that a harp of thousand strings
Should keep in tune so long.
4. But 'tis our God supports our frame,
The God that form'd us first;
Salvation to th' almighty Name
That rear'd us from the dust.
5. He spoke, and straight the heart and brain
In all their motions rose,
Let blood, said he flow round each vein,
And round each vein it flows.
6. While we have breath, or life, or tongues,
Our Maker we'll adore:
His Spirit moves our heaving lungs,
Or they would breathe no more.
Divine wrath and mercy: from Nahum i. 1, 2, 3, &c.
1. DORE and tremble, for our God
Is a consuming fire;
His jealous eyes his wrath inflame,
And raise his vengeance higher.
2. Almighty vengeance, how it burns;
How bright his fury glows!
Vast magazines of plagues and storms
Lie treasur'd for his foes.
3. Those heaps of wrath, by slow degrees,
Are forc'd into a flame;
But kindled, Oh! how fierce thy blaze!
And rend all nature's frame.
4. At his approach the mountains flee,
And seek a wat'ry grave;
The frighted sea makes haste away,
And shrinks up every wave.
5. Through the wide air the weighty rocks
Are swift as hail stones hurl'd;
Who dares to meet his fiery rage,
That shakes the solid world?
6. Yet, mighty God! Thy sov'reign Grace.
Sits regent on the throne,
The refuge of thy chosen race,
When wrath comes rushing down.
7. Thy hands shall on rebellious kings
A fiery tempest pour,
While we beneath thy shelt'ring wings
Thy righteous hand adore.
Hymn 6. L. м.
God's condescension to human affairs.
1. Pit Pito the Lord, who reigns on high,
And views the nations from afar,
Let everlasting praises fly,
And tell how large his bounties are.
2. He over-rules all mortal things,
And manages our mean affairs;
On humble souls the King of kings
Bestows his counsels and his cares
3. Our sorrows and our tears we pour
Into the bosom of our God;
He hears us in the mournful hour,
And helps to bear the heavy load.
4. In vain might lofty princes try
Such condescension to perform;
For worms were never rais 'd so high
Above their meanest fellow-worm.
5. O could our thankful hearts devise
A tribute equal to thy grace,
To the third heav'n our songs should rise,
And teach the golden harps thy praise.
If he contend in righteousness,
We fall beneath his rod.
2. To vindicate my words and thoughts
I'll make no more pretence;
Not one of all my thousand faults
Can bear a just defence.
3. Strong is his arm, his heart is wise;
What vain presumers dare
Against their Maker's hand to rise,
Or tempt th' unequal war?
4. Mountains by his Almighty wrath
From their old seats are torn;
He shakes the earth, from South to North,
And all her pillars mourn.
5. He bids the sun forbear to rise;
The obedient sun forbears;
His hand with sackcloth spreads the skies
And seals up all the stars.
6. He walks upon the raging sea;
And rides the stormy winds;
There's none can trace his wondrous way,
Or his dark footsteps find.
Hymn 8. s. м.
Preserving grace, Jude 24, 25.
To God the only wise,
Our Saviour and our King, Let all the saints below the skies. Their humble praises bring.
2. 'Tis his almighty love,
His counsel and his care,
Preserves us safe from sin and death,
And ev'ry hurtful snare.
3. He will present our souls
Unblemish'd and complete,
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