Thy grace employ my humble tongue,
Till death and glory raise the song.

2 The wings of ev'ry hour shall bear
Some thankful tribute to thine ear;
And ev'ry setting sun shall see
New works of duty done for thee.

3 Thy truth and justice I'll proclaim:
Thy bounty flows, an endless stream;
Thy mercy swift, thine anger slow,
But dreadful to the stubborn foe.

4 Thy works with boundless glory shine,
And speak thy majesty divine;
Let land to land aloud proclaim
The matchless honours of thy name.

5 Let distant times and nations raise
The long succession of thy praise;
And unborn ages make my song
The joy and labour of their tongue.

6 But who can speak thy wondrous deeds?
Thy greatness all our thoughts exceeds;
Vast and unsearchable thy ways!
Vast and immortal be thy praise!

1

128.

Common Metre. WATTS.

The greatness and goodness of God.

LONG as I live, I'll bless thy name,

eternal love!

My work and joy shall be the same,
In the bright world above.

2 Great is the LORD, his pow'r unknown; And let his praise be great:

I'll sing the honours of thy throne,
Thy works of grace repeat.

3 Thy grace shall dwell upon my tongue;
And while my lips rejoice,
The men that hear my sacred song
Shall join their cheerful voice.

4 Fathers to sons shall teach thy name,
And children learn thy ways;
Ages to come thy truth proclaim,
And nations sound thy praise.

5 Thy glorious deeds of ancient date
Shall thro' the world be known:
Thine arm of pow'r, thy heav'nly state,
With public splendour shown.

6 The world is manag'd by thy hands,
Thy saints are rul'd by love;
And thine eternal kingdom stands,
Tho' rocks and hills remove.

1

129.

Long Metre. WATTS.

The perfections and providence of God.

1HIG

IGH in the heav'ns, eternal GOD!
Thy goodness in full glory shines;

Thy truth shall break thro' ev'ry cloud That veils and darkens thy designs. 2 For ever firm thy justice stands, As mountains their foundations keep; Wise are the wonders of thy hands; Thy judgments are a mighty deep. 3 Thy providence is kind and large; Both man and beast thy bounty share: The whole creation is thy charge, But saints are thy peculiar care. 4 My God! how excellent thy grace, Whence all our hope and comfort springs! The sons of Adam in distress,

Fly to the shadow of thy wings.

5 From the provisions of thy house,
We shall be fed with sweet repast;
There mercy like a river flows,
And brings salvation to our taste.
6 Life, like a fountain rich and free,
Springs from the presence of the LORD;
And in his light our souls shall see
The glories promis'd in his word.

PART V.

Government and providence of God.

130.

Common Metre. JERVIS.

The being, omnipresence, and providence of

1

God.

GREAT GOD, how vast is thine abode!

Mysterious are thy ways!

Unseen, thy footsteps in the air,

And trackless in the seas.

2 Yet the whole peopl'd world bespeaks
Thy being and thy pow'r,
'Midst the resplendent blaze of day,
And awful midnight hour.

3 Nor all the peopl'd world alone,
Rich fields and verdant plains,
But lonely wilds by man untrod,
Where silent horror reigns.

4 Tempests and storms that sweep the sky,
And cataracts sublime;
Volcanoes, earthquakes, hurricanes,
That waste the torrid clime;

5 Vast caverns deep, and cloud-topt hills,
Huge mountains rude and bare,
Terrific rocks and swelling waves—
Thy grandeur all declare.

6 Through all creation's widest range
The hand of heav'n is near:
Where'er I wander in the world,
Lo! GOD is present there.

1

131.

Long Metre. WATTS.

The divine nature, providence, and grace. RAISE ye the LORD, 'tis good to raise Our hearts and voices in his praise: His nature and his works invite

To make this duty our delight.

2 Great is the LORD! and great his might, And all his glories infinite:

His wisdom's vast, and knows no bound,
A deep where all our thoughts are drown'd.

3 He loves the meek, rewards the just,
Humbles the wicked in the dust,
Melts and subdues the stubborn soul,
And makes the broken spirit whole.

4 His saints are precious in his sight;
He views his children with delight;
He sees their hope, he knows their fear,
Approves, and loves his image there.