Ye echoing hills, the notes prolong;
Earth, seas, and stars, your anthems raise,
All vocal with your Maker's praise !
HYMNS. 263
. S M. Hudson. Mornington.
U^\ God our Creator and Beaefxctor.
1 MY Maker and i.iv King !
To thee my all I owe;
Thy sovereign bounty is the spring,
Whence all my blessings flow.
2 Thou ever goon and kind !
A thousand reasons move,
A thousand obligations bind
My heart to grateful love.
3 The creature of thy hand,
On thee alone I live ;
My God, thy benefits demand
More praise than I can give.
4 Lord, what can 1 impart,
When all is thine before ;
Thy love demands a thankful heart;
The gift, alas! how poor!
5 Shall I withhold thy due?
And shall my passions rove?
Lord, form this wretched heart anew,
And fill it with thy love.
6 Oh let thy grace inspire
My soul with strength divine;
Let all my powers to thee aspire,
And all my days be thine.
L. M. Danvers. Alt'reton
1 THIS frame, O God ā these noble powers,
To thy creating hand I owe :
Thy providence preserves me safe,
And crowns my every wish below.
2 Oft in the visions of the night,
My thoughts o'er all thy mercies rove ;
And, every midnight wakeful hour,
1 trace the wonders of thy love.
3 The pleasing, unexhausted theme
Each rising morn my soul pursues ā
In fervent prayer ascends to thee,
And still her grateful song renews.
4 Thy mercies, Lord, through endless years,
bhall all my raptured powers employ ;
Yet endless years will only swell
My wonder, gratitude, and joy.
25
264 HYMNS.
26
27
C. M. Bolton. Great Milton
1 YE humble souls, approach your God
With songs of sacred praise ;
For he is good ā immensely good,
And kind are all his ways.
2 All nature owns his guardian care ;
In him we live and move ;
But nobler benefits declare
The wonders of his love.
3 He gave his well beloved Son,
To save our souls from sin ;
'Tis here he makes his goodness known,
And proves it all divine.
4 To this sure refuge, Lord, we come,
And here our hope relies ;
A safe defence ā a peaceful home,
When storms of trouble rise.
5 Thine eye beholds, with kind regard,
The souls who trust in thee ;
Their humble hope thou wilt reward
With bliss divinely free.
6 Great God, to thy almighty love
What honors shall we raise !
Not all the raptured songs above
Can render equal praise.
C. M. St. John's. Eustis.
1 THY goodness, Lord, our souls confess ;
Thy goodness we adore ;
A spring, whose blessings never fail ā
A sea without a shore !
2 Sun, moon, and stars, thy love declare
In every golden ray;
Love draws the curtains of the night,
And love brings back the day.
3 Thv bounty every season crowns,
With all the bliss it yields ;
With joyful clusters loads the vines,
With strengthening grain, the fields.
4 But chiefly thy compassion, Lord,
Is in the gospel seen ;
There, like a sun, thy mercy shines,
Without a cloud between.
HYMNS. 265
5 There pardon, peace, and holy joy,
Through Jesus' name are given ;
He on the cross was lifted high,
That we might reign in heaven.
&0 CM. Howard's. Brattle Street .
1 WHEN all thy mercies, O my God,
My rising soul surveys,
Transported with the view, I'm lost
In wonder, love, and praise.
2 Unnumbered comforts to my soul
Thy tender care bestowed,
Before my infant heart conceived
From whom those comforts flowed.
3 When in the slippery paths of youth
With heedless steps I ran,
Thine arm, unseen, conveyed me safe,
And led me up to man.
4 Ten thousand thousand precious gifts
My daily thanks employ ;
Nor is the least a cheerful heart,
That tastes those gifts with joy.
5 Through every period of my life,
Thy goodness I'll pursue ;
And after death, in distant worlds,
The glorious theme renew.
t 6 Through all eternity, to thee
A joyful song I'll raise :
But oh ! eternity's too short
To utter all thy praise !
Ā«Ā»7 C. M. Nottingham. London.
1 ETERNAL Powerā almighty God !
Who can approach thy throne ?
Accessless light is thine abode,
To angel eyes unknown.
2 Before the radiance of thine eye,
The heavens no longer shine ;
And all the glories of the sky
Are but the shade of thine,
ā p 3 Great God, and wilt thou condescend
To cast a look below ?
To this vile world thy notice bend ā
These seats of sin and wo ?
23
266 HYMNS.
4 How strange ! how wondrous is thy love*
With trembling we adore:
Not all th' exalted minds above
Its wonders can explore.
t 5 While golden harps and angel tongues
Resound immortal lays,
mp Great God, permit our humble songs
f To rise and speak thy praise.
eyr\ C. M. Greenfield. Medferd
God is Love.
1 AMID the splendors of thy state,
O God, thy love appears,
p Soft as the radiance of the moon
< Among Pthousand stars.
ā 2 In all thy doctrines and commands,
Thy counsels and designs,
In every work thy hands have framed,
Thy love supremely shines.
f 3 Sinai, in clouds, and smokĀ«, and fire,
Thunders thine awful name ;
p Bill Zion sings, in mejting notes.
The honors of the Lamb.
t " 4 Angels and men, the nevvs proclaim
Ihrough earth and heaven above,
And all with holy transport sing
That God the Lord is love.
Ol C. M. Bolton. Ormond.
And lift your souls above
Let every heart and voice accord,
To sing, that God is love.
2 This precious truth his word declares,
And all his mercies prove ;
While Christ, th' atoning Lamb, appears,
To show, that God is love.
3 Behold his loving-kindness waits,
For those who from him rove,
And calls of mercy reach their hearts,
To teach them, God is love.
4 And oh that you, whose hardened hearts
No fears of hell can move,
May hear the gospel's milder voice ā
That tells you, God is love.
HYMNS. . 267
ā 5 Oh may we all, while here below,
This best of blessings prove ;
f Till warmer hearts ā in brighter worlds,
Shall shout, that God is love.
OO L. M. Duke Street. Dunstan.
Condescension of God.
' Ā» 1 THUS saith the high and lofty One,
" 1 sit upon my holy throne ;
My name is God ā I dwell on high ;
Dwell in my own eternity.
2 " But I descend to worlds below;
On earth 1 have a mansion too ;
The humble spirit and contrite
Is an abode ot my delight.
3 "The humble soul my words revive,
I bid the mourning sinner live ;
Heal all the broken hearts I find,
And ease the sorrows of the mind."
m P 4 Lord, may thy pardoning grace be nigh,
Lest we should faint, despair, and die !
mf Then shall our grateful voice declare,
How free thy tender mercies are.
OO H. M. Harwich. DarwelPs.
Faithfulness of God.
1 THE promises I sing,
Which sovereign love hath spoke ;
Nor will th' eternal King
His words of grace revoke :
They stand secure Not Zion's hill
And steadfast still ; Abides so sure.
2 The mountains melt away,
When once the Judge appears ;
And sun and moon decay,
That measure mortal years ;
But still the same, The promise shines
In radiant lines | Through all the flame.
3 Their harmony shall sound
Through my attentive ears,
When thunders cleave the ground,
And dissipate the spheres ;
'Midst all the shock I stand serene,
Thy word my rock.
35
268 HYMNS.
34 C. M. Westmorland
1 FAITHFUL, O Lord, thy mercies are ;
A Rock that cannot move :
A thousand promises declare
Thy constancy of love.
2 Throughout the universe it reigns,
It stands forever sure ;
And while thy truth, O God, remains,
Thy goodness shall endure.
6s 8c 4s. Italian Hymn.
The Trinity.
1 COME, thou almighty King,
Help us thy name to sing,
Help us to praise !
Father all glorious,
O'er all victorious,
Come and reign over us,
Ancient of Days.
2 Jesus, our Lord, arise,
Scatter our enemies,
Now make them fall !
Let thine almighty aid
Our sure defence "be made,
Our souls on thee be stayed ā
n>p Lord, hear our call !
ā 3 Come, thou, incarnate Word,
Gird on thy mighty sword ;
P Our prayer attend !
ā Come, and thy people bless,
Come, give thy word success ;
Spirit of holiness,
On us descend !
4 Come, holy Comforter,
Thy sacred witness bear,
In this glad hour !
Thou, who almighty art ;
Now rule in every heart,
And ne'er from us depart,
Spirit of power.
t 5 To thee, great One in Three,
The highest praises be,
Hence evermore !
36
HYMNS. 269
Thy sovereign majesty
May we in glory see,
And to eternity
Love and adore !
C. M. St. Martin's. Medford.
Praise to tlie Trinity.
1 FATHER of glory ! to thy name
Immortal praise we give,
Who dost an act of grace proclaim,
And bid us rebels live.
2 Immortal honor to the Son,
Who makes thine anger cease ;
Our lives he ransomed with his own,
And died to make our peace.
3 To thy almighty Spirit be
Immortal glory given ;
Whose influence brings us near to thee,
And trains us up for heaven.
4 Let men, with their united voice,
Adore th' eternal God,
f And spread his honors ā and their joys,
Through nations far abroad.
ā 5 Let faith, and love, and duty join
37
Let saints, in earth and heaven, combine
In harmony and praise.
L. M. Monmouth. Dresden.
1 FATHER of heaven ! whose love profound
A ransom for our souls hath found,
p Before thy throne we sinners bend ;
To us thy pardoning love extend.
ā 2 Almighty Son ! incarnate Word !
Our Prophet, Priest, Redeemer, Lord 1
P Before thy throne we sinners bend;
To us thy saving grace extend.
ā 3 Eternal Spirit ! by whose breath
The soul is raised from sin and death,
p Before thy throne we sinners bend ;
To us thy quickening power extend.
Ā»f 4 Jehovah ! Father, Spirit, Son !
Mysterious Godhead ! Three in One !
p Before thy throne we sinners bend ;
Grace, pardon, life, to us extend !
23*
270 HYMNS.
On L. M. Hamburg. Med way.
Incomprehensihleness of God.
1 WHAT finite power, with ceaseless toil,
Can fathom the eternal mind ?
Or who th' almighty Three in One,
By searching to perfection find ?
2 Angels and men in vain may raise,
tfarmonious, their adoring songs ;
Theirlaboring thoughts sinkdown oppressed
And praises die upon their tongues.
P 3 Yet would I lift my trembling voice,
A portion of his ways to sing;
And mingling with his meanest works,
< My humble, grateful tribute bring.
Si) C. M. Spencer. Dundee
1 HOW wondrous great ā how glorious bright
Must our Creator be !
Who dwells amidst the dazzling light
Of an eternal day !
2 Our soaring spirits upwards rise
Toward his celestial throne ;
Fain would we see the blessed Three,
And the almighty One.
3 Our reason stretches all its wings,
And mounts above the skies :
But still how far beneath thy feet
Our grovelling reason lies !
nĀ»p 4 Lord, here we bend our humble souls,
And awfully adore ;
< Thy power we feel ā thy glory see,
> Thy mercy we implore.
ā 5 With humble notes we raise the song
To heaven's almighty King,
f While angels tune their nobler powers,
And sweep th' immortal string.
40
L. M. Old Hundred. Duke Street.
Majesty and Vominion of God.
1 COME, O my soul, in sacred lays,
Attempt thy great Creator's praise :
But, oh, what tongue can speak his fame!
What mortal verse can reach the theme !
41
42
HYMNS. 271
2 Enthroned amid the radiant spheres,
He glory like a garment wears ;
To form a robe of light divine,
Ten thousand suns around him shine.
3 In all our Maker's grand designs,
Omnipotence, with wisdom, shines,
His works, through all this wondrous frame,
Declare the glory of his name.
4 Raised on devotion's lofty wing,
Do thou, my soul, his glories sing ;
And let his praise employ thy tongue,
Till listening worlds shall join the song !
L. M. Winchester. Rotterdam.
1 THE Lord, the God of glory, reigns,
In robes of majesty arrayed ;
His rule Omnipotence sustains,
And guides the worlds his hand s have made.
2 Ere rolling worlds began to move,
Or ere the heavens were spread abroad,
Thy awful throne was fixed above ;
From everlasting thou art God.
3 The swelling floods tumultuous rise,
Aloud the" angry tempests roar;
Lift their proucf billows to the skies,
And foam, and lash the trembling shore.
4 The Lord, the mighty God, on high,
Controls the fiercely raging seas ;
He speaks ā and noise and tempest fly,
The waves sink down in gentle peace.
5 Thy sovereign laws are ever sure,
Eternal holiness is thine ;
And, Lord, thy people shall be pure,
And in thy blest resemblance shine.
L. M. Ralston. Sunderland
Men not comparable to God.
1 SHALL 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 compared with his,
Are neither holy, just, nor wise.
272 HYMNS.
3 Almighty Power, to thee we bow !
How frail are we ! ā how glorious thou !
No more the sons of earth shall dare
With thee ā th' eternal Godā compare.
A o L. M. Duke Street. Lowell.
Angels the Ministers of God.
1 HIGH on a hill of dazzling light
The King of glory spreads his seat,
And hosts of angels stretched for flight,
Stand waiting round his awful feet.
2 Are they not all thy servants Lord ?
At thy command they go and come ;
With cheerful haste obey thy word,
And guard thy children to their home.
A A L. M. Dunstan. Lowell.
Perfections of 'God combined in his Government.
1 JEHOVAH reigns ā his throne is high,
His robes are light and majesty ;
His glory shines with beams so bright,
No mortal can sustain the sight.
2 His terrors keep the world in awe ;
His justice guards his holy law ;
His love reveals a smiling face,
His truth and promise seal the grace.
3 Through all his works his wisdom shines,
And baffles Satan's deep designs ;
His power is sovereign to fulfil
The noblest counsels of his will,
mp 4 And will this glorious Lord descend
To be my father and my friend ?
f Then let my songs with angels join ;
Heaven is secure, if God be mine.
45
H. M Haddam.
1 THE Lord Jehovah reigns,
His throne is built on high ;
The garments he assumes
Are light and majesty ;
His glories shine I No mortal eye
With beams so bright, | Can bear the sight.
2 The thunders of his hand
Still keep the world in awe ;
HYMNS. 273
His wrath and justice stand
To guard his holy law ;
And where his love I His truth confirms
Resolves to bless, | And seals the grace.
3 Through all his ancient works
Surprising wisdom shines,
Confounds the powers of hell,
And breaks their cursed designs ;
Strong is his arm, I His great decrees,
I His sovereign will.
And shall fulfil
p 4 And can this mighty King
Of glory condescend ?
And will he write his name,
1 My father, and my friend ?' ā
f I love his name ! I Join all my powers,
I love his word ! | And praise the Lord.
Af* C. M. Spencer. London.
Holiness of God.
1 HOLY and reverend is the name
Of our eternal King;
* Thrice holy Lord,' the angels cry ā
* Thrice holy,' let us sing !
l 2 The deepest reverence of the mind,
Pay, O my soul, to God ;
Lift, with thy hands, a holy heart,
To his sublime abode.
3 With sacred awe pronounce his name,
Whom words nor thoughts can reach ;
A contrite heart shall please him more
Than noblest forms of speech.
4 Thou holy God ! preserve my soul
From all pollution free ;
< The pure in heart are thy delight,
nĀ»f And they thy face shall see.
PROVIDENCE AND GOVERNMENT OF GOD.
A*r C. M. Burford. Litchfield.
Sovereign Purposes of God.
1 KEEP silenceā all created things,
And wait your Maker's nod ;
My soul stands trembling while she sings
The honors of her God.
274 HYMNS.
2 Life, death, and hell, and worlds unknown,
Hang on his firm decree ;
He sits on no precarious throne,
Nor borrows leave to be.
3 His providence unfolds his book,
And makes his counsels shine ;
Each opening leafā and every stroke,
Fulfils some deep design.
4 My God, I would not long to see
My fate, with curious eyes ā
What gloomy lines are writ for me,
Or what bright scenes may rise.
5 In thy fair book of life and grace,
Oh may I find my name,
Recorded in some humble place,
Beneath my Lord ā the Lamb.
48
C. M. Medford. Litchfield.
Purposes of God developed by his Providence.
1 GOD moves in a mysterious way,
His wonders to perform ;
He plants his footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
2 Deep, in unfathomable mines,
Ot never-failing skill.
He treasures up his bright designs,
And works Ins sovereign will.
3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread,
Are big with mercy ā and shall break
With blessings on your head.
4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense.
But trust him for his grace ;
Behind a frowning providence,
He hides a smiling face.
5 His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flower.
6 Blind unbelief is sure to err,
And scan his work in vain ;
God is his own interpreter,
And he will make it plain.
49
50
HYMNS. 275
C. M. Ormond. Medford.
The Mysteries of Providence.
1 THY way, O Lord, is in the sea;
Thy paths 1 cannot trace,
Nor comprehend the mystery
Of thine unbounded grace.
2 'Tis but in part 1 know thy will ;
I bless thee for the sight : ā
When will thy love the'rest reveal,
In glory's clearer light ?
3 With rapture shall I then survey
Thy providence and grace ;
And spend an everlasting day
In wonder, love, and praise.
C. M. Charming. Tatmcw.
Almighty Power and Majesty of God.
1 THE Lord our God is clothed with might,
The winds obey his will ;
He speaks ā and in his heavenly height
The rolling sun stands still.
2 Rebel, ye waves ā and o'er the land
With threatening aspect roar !
The Lord uplifts Ins awful hand,
And chains you to the shore.
3 Howl, winds of night ! your force combine !
Without his high behest,
Ye shall not, in the mountain pine,
pp Disturb the sparrow's nest.
ā 4 His voice sublime is heard afar,
> In distant peals it dies ;
f He yokes the whirlwinds to his car,
And sweeps the howling skies.
rap 5 Ye nations, bend ā in reverence bend;
Ye monarchs, wait his nod,
ff And bi the choral song ascend
To celebrate our God.
>
FALL AND NATURAL CHARACTER OF MAN.
r | S. M. Little Marlboro'. Aylesbury.
Hope from the Gospel only.
1 GOD'S holy law, transgressed,
Speaks nothing but despair;
Burdened with guiltā with grief oppressed,
We find no comfort there
276 HYMNS.
2 Not all our groans and tears,
Nor works, which we have done ;
Nor vows, nor promises, nor prayers,
Can e'er for sin atone.
3 Relief alone is found
In Jesus' precious blood :
'Tis this that heals the mortal wound,
And reconciles to God.
4 High lifted on the cross,
The spotless victim dies : ā
This is salvation's only source ā
Hence all our hopes arise.
OJl S. M. Little Marlboro'. Aylesbury.
1 AH, how shall fallen man
Be just before his God !
If he contend in righteousness,
We fall beneath his rod.
2 If he our ways should mark
With strict inquiring eyes,
Could we for one of thousand faults
A just excuse devise ?
3 All-seeing, powerful God !
Who can with thee contend?
Or who that tries th' unequal strife,
Shall prosper in the end ?
4 The mountains, in thy wrath,
Their ancient seats forsake !
The trembling earth deserts her place,
Her rooted pillars shake !
5 Ah, how shall guilty man
Contend with such a God ?
None ā none can meet him, and escape,
But through the Saviour's blood.
S. M. St. Thomas. Calmar.
Christ a Light in Darkness.
Solo or Semi-chorus.
1 HOW heavy is the night
That hangs upon our eyes ā
Chorus.
Till Christ, with his reviving light,
Over our souls arise !
Solo or Semi-chorus.
2 Our guilty spirits dread
To meet the wrath of Heaven : ā
53
HYMNS. 277
Chorus.
' But in his righteousness arrayed,
We see our sins forgiven.
Solo or Semi-chorus.
p 3 Unholy and impure
Are all our thoughts and ways :
Chorus.
f His hands infected nature cure
With sanctifying grace.
Solo or Semi-chorus.
ā 4 The powers of hell agree
To hold our souls in vain ;
Chorus.
He sets the sons of bondage free,
And breaks the cursed chain.
Chorus.
m P 5 Lord, we adore thy ways,
To bring us near to God ;
ā Thy sovereign power ā thy healing grace,
And thine atoning blood.
54
C. M. Marlow. Howard'
1 PLUNGED in a gulf of dark despair,
We wretched sinners lay,
Without one cheerful beam of hope,
Or spark of glimmering day!
p 2 With pitying eyes the prince of grace
Beheld our helpless grief:
ā He saw ā and ā oh amazing love ! ā
He ran to our relief.
f 3 Down from the shining seats above
With joyful haste he fled,
ā Entered the grave in mortal flesh,
p And dwelt among the dead.
f II 4 Oh ! for this love let rocks and hills
Their lasting silence break,
And ail harmonious human tongues
The Saviour's praises speak.
5 Angels ! assist our mighty joys,
Strike all your harps of gold;
But when you raise your highest notes,
His love can ne'er be told.
24
278 HYMNS.
55
C. M. Grafton. Litchfield
P 1 HOW sad our state by nature is !
Our sin ā how deep it stains !
And Satan holds our captive minds
Fast in his slavish chains,
p" 2 But hark ! a voice of sovereign grace
Sounds from the sacred word ā
=Ā»<" ' Ho ! ye despairing sinners, come,
And trust upon the Lord.'
ā 3 My soul obeys the gracious call,
And runs to this relief;
I would believe thy promise, Lord ;
m P Oh help my unbelief.
P 4 A guilty, weak, and helpless worm,
On thv kind arms I fall:
56
Be thou my strength and righteousness,
My Saviour, and my all.
Barby. Spencer
1 GREAT King of glory and of grace !
We own, with humble shame,
How vile is our degenerate race,
And our first father's name.
2 We live estranged, afar from God,
And love the distance well ;
With haste we run the dangerous road,
That leads to death and hell.
3 And can such rebels be restored!
Such natures made divine !
Let sinners see thy glory, Lord,
And feel this power of thine.
mf 4 We raise our Father's name on high,
Who his own Spirit sends,
To bring rebellious strangers nigh,
And turn his foes to friends.
57
L. M. Uxbridge.
1 ALL-glorious God, what hymns of praise
Shall our transported voices raise !
What ardent love and zeal are due,
While heaven stands open to our view!
2 Once we were fallen ā oh how low !
Just on the brink of endless wo ;
HYMNS. 279
When Jesus, from the realms above,
Borne on the wings of boundless love, ā
3 Scattered the shades of death ard night,
And spread around his heavenly light !
By him what wondrous grace is shown
To souls impoverished and undone!
4 He shows, beyond these mortal shores,
A bright inheritance as ours ;
Where saints in light our coming wait,
To share their holy, happy state.
58 L. M. Hingham. Maiden.
Semi-chorus.
P 1 BURIED in shadows of the night,
We lie till Christ restores the hght; ā
Chorus.
' Wisdom descends to heal the blind,
And chase the darkness of the mind.
Semi-chorus.
p 2 Our guilty souls are drowned in tears,
Till his atoning blood appears : ā
Chorus.
t Then we awake from deep distress,
And sing " the Lord our righteousness."
rn C. M. Spencer. Grafton.
Death in Trespasses and Sins.
1 HOW helpless guilty nature lies,
Unconscious of her load !
The heart unchanged can never rise
To happiness and God.
2 Can aught beneath a power divine
The stubborn will subdue?
'Tis thine, eternal Spirit, thine,
To form the heart anew.
3 'Tis thine, the passions to recall,
And upwards bid them rise ;
To make the scales of error fall
From reason's darkened eyes ; ā
4 To chase the shades of death away,
And bid the sinner live :
A beam of heaven ā a vital ray,
'Tis thine alone to give.
An*
5 Oh! change these wretched hearts of ours,
And give them life divine;
Then shall our passions and our powers,
Almighty Lord, be thine.
280 HYMNS.
Ā£Jf| L. M. Medway. Sunderland.
Grief for the Sins and Miseries of Men.
Aff 1 ARISE, my tender thoughts, arise ;
Let torrents drown my weeping eyes ;
And thou, my heart, with anguish feel
Those evils which thou canst not heal.
2 See human beings sunk in shame ;
See scandals poured on Jesus' name ;
See God insulted through his Son,
The world abused ā the soul undone.
3 My heart with reverence hears thy word,
And trembles at thy threatenings, Lord ;
I know the wretched, dreadful end,
To which their careless steps descend.
4 But feeble my compassion proves,
It can but weep, where most it loves ;
Great God, thy saving grace employ,
And turn these drops of grief to joy.