The spacious firmament on high,

With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens, a shining frame,

Their great Original proclaim.

2 Th’ unwearied sun, from day to day,

Does his Creator’s power display,

And publishes to every land

The work of an almighty hand.

3 Soon as the evening shades prevail,

The moon takes up the wondrous tale,

And nightly to the listening earth

Repeats the story of her birth:

4 While all the stars that round her burn,

And all the planets in their turn,

Confirm the tidings as they roll,

And spread the truth from pole to pole,

5 What though in solemn silence all

Move round this dark terrestrial ball—

What though no real voice nor sound

Amid their radiant orbs be found—

6 In reason’s ear they all rejoice,

And utter forth a glorious voice;

For ever singing as they shine,

The hand that made us is divine!

Jehovah reigns: he dwells in light,

Arrayed with majesty and might;

The world, created by his hands,

Still on its firm foundation stands.

2 But ere this spacious world was made,

Or had its first foundation laid,

His throne eternal ages stood,

Himself the ever-living God.

3 For ever shall his throne endure;

His promise stands for ever sure;

And everlasting holiness

Becomes the dwellings of his grace.

Nature, with all her powers shall sing

God the Creator, and the King;

Nor air, nor earth, nor skies, nor seas

Deny the tribute of their praise.

2 Begin to make his glories known,

Ye seraphs, who sit near his throne;

Tune high your harps, and spread the sound

To the creation’s utmost bound.

3 Thus let our flaming zeal employ

Our loftiest thoughts, and loudest songs;

Nations, pronounce with warmest joy

Hosanna, from ten thousand tongues.

4 Yet, mighty God, our feeble frame

Attempts in vain to reach thy name;

The strongest notes that angels raise

Faint in the worship and the praise.

Greatest of beings, source of life;

Sovereign of air, and earth, and sea!

All nature feels thy pow’r, and all

A silent homage pay to thee.

2 Waked by thy hand, the morning sun

Pours forth to thee its earlier rays,

And spreads thy glories as it climbs;

While raptured worlds look up and praise.

3 The moon, to the deep shades of night,

Speaks the mild luster of thy name;

While all the stars, that cheer the scene,

Thee, the great Lord of light, proclaim.

4 And groves and vales, and rocks and hills,

And every flower, and every tree,

Ten thousand creatures, warm with life,

Have each a grateful song for thee.

5 But man was formed to rise to heaven;

And, blest with reason’s clearer light,

He views his Maker through his works,

And glows with rapture at the sight.

6 Nor can the thousand songs that rise,

Whether from air, or earth, or sea,

So well repeat Jehovah’s praise,

Or raise such sacred harmony.

Sing to the Lord with cheerful voice;

From realm to realm the notes shall sound,

And heaven’s exulting sons rejoice

To bear the full hosanna round.

2 When, starting from the shades of night,

Obedient, Lord, to thy behest,

The sun arrayed his limbs in light

And earth her virgin beauty drest;

3 Thy praise transported nature sung

In pealing chorus loud and far;

The echoing vault with rapture rung,

And shouted every morning star.

4 When bending from his native sky,

The Lord of life in mercy came,

And laid his bright effulgence by,

To bear on earth a human name;

5 The song, by cherub voices raised,

Rolled through the dark blue depths above,

And Israel’s shepherds heard amazed

The seraph notes of peace and love.

And shall not man the concert join,

For whom this bright creation rose—

For whom the fires of morning shine

And eve’s still lamps, that woo repose?

2 And shall not he the chorus swell,

Whose form the incarnate Godhead wore,

Whose guilt, whose fears, whose triumph tell

How deep the wounds his Saviour bore?

3 Long as yon glittering arch shall bend,

Long as yon orbs in glory roll,

Long as the streams of life descend

To cheer with hope the fainting soul,

4 Thy praise shall fill each grateful voice,

Shall bid the song of rapture sound;

And heaven’s exulting sons rejoice

To bear the full hosanna round.

There seems a voice in every gale,

A tongue in every opening flower,

Which tells, O Lord! the wondrous tale

Of thy indulgence, love, and power.

2 The birds that rise on soaring wing

Appear to hymn their Maker’s praise,

And all the mingling sounds of spring

To thee a general paean raise.

3 And shall my voice, great God, alone

Be mute ’midst nature’s loud acclaim?

No; let my heart with answering tone

Breathe forth in praise thy holy name.

4 And nature’s debt is small to mine;

Thou bad’st her being bounded be,

But—matchless proof of love divine—

Thou gav’st immortal life to me.

Thou art, O God, the life and light

Of all the wondrous world we see;

Its glow by day, its smile by night,

Are but reflections caught from thee;

Where’er we turn, thy glories shine,

And all things fair and bright are thine.

2 When day, with farewell beam, delays

Among the opening clouds of even,

And we can almost think we gaze,

Through opening vistas, into heaven—

Those hues that mark the sun’s decline,

So soft, so radiant, Lord, are thine.

3 When night, with wings of starry gloom,

O’ershadows all the earth and skies,

Like some dark, beauteous bird, whose plume

Is sparkling with unnumbered dyes—

That sacred gloom, those fires divine,

So grand, so countless, Lord, are thine.

4 When youthful Spring around us breathes,

Thy Spirit warms her fragrant sigh;

And every flower that Summer wreathes

Is born beneath thy kindling eye;

Where’er we turn, thy glories shine,

And all things fair and bright are thine.

I sing th’ almighty power of God,

That made the mountains rise,

That spread the flowing seas abroad,

And built the lofty skies.

2 I sing the wisdom that ordained

The sun to rule the day;

The moon shines full at his command,

And all the stars obey.

3 I sing the goodness of the Lord,

That filled the earth with food;

He formed the creatures with his word,

And then pronounced them good.

4 Lord! how thy wonders are displayed,

Where’er I turn my eye!

If I survey the ground I tread,

Or gaze upon the sky!

5 There’s not a plant or flower below

But makes thy glories known;

And clouds arise, and tempests blow,

By order from thy throne.

6 Creatures that borrow life from thee

Are subject to thy care;

There’s not a place where we can flee

But God is present there.

Praise ye the Lord, immortal choir!

In heavenly hights above,

With harp, and voice, and soul of fire,

Burning with perfect love.

2 Shine to his glory, worlds of light!

Ye million suns of space;

Ye moon and glittering stars of night,

Running your mystic race.

3 Shout to Jehovah, surging main!

In deep eternal roar;

Let wave to wave resound the strain,

And shore reply to shore.

4 Storm, lightning, thunder, hail and snow,

Wild winds that keep his word,

With the old mountains far below,

Unite to bless the Lord.

5 And round the wide world let it roll,

Whilst man shall lead it on;

Join, every ransomed human soul,

In glorious unison.

There’s not a tint that paints the rose

Or decks the lily fair,

Or streaks the humblest flower that blows,

But God has placed it there.

2 There’s not a star whose twinkling light

Illumes the distant earth,

And cheers the solemn gloom of night

But goodness gave it birth.

3 There’s not a cloud whose dews distill

Upon the parching clod,

And clothe with verdure vale and hill,

That is not sent by God.

4 There’s not a place in earth’s vast round,

In ocean deep, or air,

Where skill and wisdom are not found;

For God is everywhere.

5 Around, beneath, below, above,

Wherever space extends,

There heaven displays its boundless love,

And power with goodness blends.

Begin my soul the lofty strain,

In solemn accents sing

A sacred hymn of grateful praise

To heaven’s almighty King.

2 Ye curling fountains, as ye roll

Your silver waves along,

Whisper to all your verdant shores

The subject of my song.

3 Retain it long, ye echoing rocks

The sacred sound retain,

And from your hollow winding caves

Return it oft again.

4 Bear it, ye winds, on all your wings,

To distant climes away,

And round the wide-extended world

The lofty theme convey.

5 Take the glad burden of his name,

Ye clouds, as you arise,

Whether to deck the golden morn

Or shade the evening skies.

6 Whilst we, with sacred rapture fired,

The great Creator sing,

And utter consecrated lays

To heaven’s eternal King.

The heavenly spheres to thee, O God,

Attune their evening hymn;

All-wise, all-holy, thou art praised

In song of seraphim.

Unnumbered systems, suns, and worlds,

Unite to worship thee,

While thy majestic greatness fills

Space, time, eternity.

2 Nature, a temple worthy thee,

Beams with thy light and love;

Whose flowers so sweetly bloom below,

Whose stars rejoice above;

Whose altars are the mountain cliffs

That rise along the shore;

Whose anthems, the sublime accord

Of storm and ocean roar.

3 Her song of gratitude is sung

By spring’s awakening hours;

Her summer offers at thy shrine

Its earliest, loveliest flowers;

Her autumn brings its golden fruits,

In glorious luxury given;

While winter’s silver hights reflect

Thy brightness back to heaven.

Since o’er thy footstool here below

Such radiant gems are strewn,

O, what magnificence must glow,

Great God, about thy throne!

So brilliant here these drops of light—

There the full ocean rolls, how bright!

2 If night’s blue curtain of the sky—

With thousand stars inwrought,

Hung like a royal canopy

With glittering diamonds fraught—

Be, Lord, thy temple’s outer vail,

What splendor at the shrine must dwell!

3 The dazzling sun at noonday hour—

Forth from his flaming vase

Flinging o’er earth the golden shower

Till vale and mountain blaze—

But shows, Lord, one beam of thine;

What, then, the day where thou dost shine!

4 O, how shall these dim eyes endure

That noon of living rays!

Or how our spirits, so impure,

Upon thy glory gaze!

Anoint, Lord, anoint our sight,

And fit us for that world of light.

The Lord Jehovah reigns,

Let all the nations fear;

Let sinners tremble at his throne,

And saints be humble there.

2 Jesus, the Saviour, reigns;

Let earth adore its Lord;

Bright cherubs his attendants wait,

Swift to fulfill his word.

3 In Zion stands his throne;

His honors are divine;

His church shall make his wonders known,

For there his glories shine.

4 How holy is his name!

How fearful is his praise!

Justice, and truth, and judgment join

In all the works of grace.

The Lord Jehovah reigns,

And royal state maintains,

His head with awful glories crowned;

Arrayed in robes of light,

Begirt with sovereign might,

And rays of majesty around.

2 Upheld by thy commands,

The world securely stands,

And skies and stars obey thy word:

Thy throne was fixed on high

Before the starry sky:

Eternal is thy kingdom, Lord!

3 Thy promises are true;

Thy grace is ever new;

There fixed, thy church shall ne’er remove:

Thy saints, with holy fear,

Shall in thy courts appear,

And sing thine everlasting love.

Praise the Lord, his glories show,

Saints within his courts below,

Angels round his throne above,

All that see and share his love!

2 Earth to heaven, and heaven to earth,

Tell his wonders, sing his worth;

Age to age, and shore to shore,

Praise him, praise him, evermore!

3 Praise the Lord, his mercies trace;

Praise his providence and grace—

All that he for man hath done,

All he sends us through his Son.

4 Strings and voices, hands and hearts,

In the concert bear your parts:

All that breathe, your Lord adore;

Praise him, praise him, evermore!

Source of being, source of light,

With unfading beauties bright;

Thee, when morning greets the skies,

Blushing sweet with humid eyes;

Thee, when soft declining day

Sinks, in purple waves away;

Thee, O Parent, will I sing,

To thy feet my tribute bring!

2 Yonder azure vault on high,

Yonder blue, low, liquid sky;

Earth, on its firm basis placed,

And with circling waves embraced;

All-creating power confess,

All their mighty Maker bless;

Shaking nature with thy nod,

Earth and heaven confess their God,

3 Father, King, whose heavenly face

Shines serene upon our race;

Mindful of thy guardian care,

Slow to punish, prone to spare;

We thy majesty adore,

We thy well-known aid implore;

Not in vain thy aid we call,

Nothing want, for thou art all!

God eternal, Lord of all!

Lowly at thy feet we fall:

All the earth doth worship thee,

We amid the throng would be.

2 All the holy angels cry,

Hail, thrice holy, God Most High,

Glorified Apostles raise,

Night and day, continual praise.

Earth, with her ten thousand flowers,

Air, with all its beams and showers,

Ocean’s infinite expanse,

Heaven’s resplendent countenance;

All around, and all above,

Hath this record—God is love.

2 Sounds among the vales and hills,

In the woods and by the rills,

Of the breeze and of the bird,

By the gentle murmur stirred;

All these songs, beneath, above,

Have one burden—God is love.

3 All the hopes and fears that start

From the fountain of the heart;

All the quiet bliss that lies

In our human sympathies;

These are voices from above,

Sweetly whispering—God is love.

The Almighty reigns exalted high

O’er all the earth, o’er all the sky;

Though clouds and darkness vail his feet,

His dwelling is the mercy-seat.

2 O ye that love his holy name,

Hate every work of sin and shame;

He guards the souls of all his friends,

And from the snares of hell defends.

3 Immortal light and joys unknown

Are for the saints in darkness sown;

Those glorious seeds shall spring and rise,

And the bright harvest bless our eyes.

4 Rejoice, ye righteous, and record

The sacred honors of the Lord;

None but the soul that feels his grace

Can triumph in his holiness.

There’s nothing bright, above, below,

From flowers that bloom to stars that glow,

But in its light my soul can see

Some features of the Deity.

2 There’s nothing dark below, above,

But in its gloom I trace thy love,

And meekly wait the moment when

Thy touch shall make all bright again.

3 The light, the dark, where’er I look,

Shall be one pure and shining book,

Where I may read, in words of flame,

The glories of thy wondrous name.

My God, in whom are all the springs

Of boundless love and grace unknown,

Hide me beneath thy spreading wings,

Till the dark cloud is overblown.

2 Up to the heavens I send my cry,

The Lord will my desires perform;

He sends his angels from the sky,

And saves me from the threatening storm,

3 My heart is fixed: my song shall raise

Immortal honors to thy name;

Awake, my tongue, to sound his praise,

My tongue, the glory of my frame.

4 High o’er earth his mercy reigns,

And reaches to the utmost sky;

His truth to endless years remains,

When lower worlds dissolve and die.

5 Be thou exalted, O my God!

Above the heavens where angels dwell;

Thy power on earth be known abroad,

And land to land thy wonders tell.

No change of time shall ever shock

My firm affection, Lord, to thee;

For thou hast always been my rock,

A fortress and defense to me.

2 Thou my deliverer art, my God;

My trust is in thy mighty power;

Thou art my shield from foes abroad—

At home my safeguard and my tower.

3 To thee I will address my prayer,

To whom all praise I justly owe;

So shall I by thy watchful care,

Be guarded from my treacherous foe.

O love divine, that stooped to share

Our sharpest pang, our bitterest tear,

On thee is cast each earth-born care,

We smile at pain while thou art near!

2 Though long the weary way we tread,

And sorrow crown each lingering year,

No path we shun, no darkness dread,

Our hearts still whispering thou art near!

3 When drooping pleasure turns to grief,

And trembling faith is changed to fear,

The murmuring wind, the quivering leaf,

Shall softly tell us, thou art near!

4 On thee we fling our burdening woe,

O love divine, for ever dear,

Content to suffer while we know,

Living and dying, thou art near!

O Lord, how full of sweet content

My years of pilgrimage are spent!

Where’er I dwell, I dwell with thee,

In heaven, in earth, or on the sea.

2 To me remains nor place nor time;

My country is in every clime:

I can be calm and free from care

On any shore, since God is there.

3 While place I seek, or place I shun,

The soul finds happiness in none;

But with my God to guide my way,

’Tis equal joy to go or stay.

4 Could I be cast where thou art not,

That were indeed a dreadful lot;

But regions none remote I call,

Secure of finding God in all.

He sendeth sun, he sendeth shower;

Alike they’re needful for the flower;

And joys and tears alike are sent

To give the soul fit nourishment:

As comes to me or cloud or sun,

Father, thy will, not mine, be done!

2 Can loving children e’er reprove

With murmurs whom they trust and love?

Creator, I would ever be

A trusting, loving child to thee:

As comes to me or cloud or sun,

Father, thy will, not mine, be done!

3 O ne’er will I at life repine!

Enough that thou hast made it mine;

When fall the shadow cold of death,

I yet will sing, with parting breath—

As comes to me or shade or sun,

Father, thy will, not mine, be done!

Wait, O my soul, thy Maker’s will;

Tumultuous passions, all be still!

Nor let a murmuring thought arise;

His ways are just, his counsels wise.

2 He in the thickest darkness dwells,

Performs his work, the cause conceals;

But, though his methods are unknown,

Judgment and truth support his throne.

3 In heaven, and earth, and air, and seas,

He executes his firm decrees;

And by his saints it stands confest,

That what he does is ever best.

4 Wait then, my soul, submissive wait,

Prostrate before his awful seat;

And, ’midst the terrors of his rod,

Trust in a wise and gracious God.

The Lord my pasture shall prepare,

And feed me with a shepherd’s care;

His presence shall my wants supply,

And guard me with a watchful eye:

My noonday walks he shall attend,

And all my midnight hours defend.

2 When in the sultry glebe I faint,

Or on the thirsty mountains pant,

To fertile vales and dewy meads

My weary, wandering steps he leads,

Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,

Amid the verdant landscape flow.

3 Though in a bare and rugged way,

Through devious, lonely wilds I stray,

His bounty shall my pains beguile;

The barren wilderness shall smile,

With lively greens and herbage crowned,

And streams shall murmur all around.

4 Though in the paths of death I tread,

With gloomy horrors overspread,

My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,

For thou, O Lord! art with me still;

Thy friendly crook shall give me aid,

And guide me through the dismal shade.

With Israel’s God, who can compare?

Or who, like Israel, happy are?

O, people saved by the Lord,

He is our shield and great reward.

2 Upheld by everlasting arms,

We are secure from foes and harms;

In vain their plots, and false their boasts—

Our refuge is the Lord of hosts!

I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,

And when my voice is lost in death,

Praise shall employ my nobler powers:

My days of praise shall ne’er be past,

While life and thought and being last,

And immortality endures.

2 Happy the man whose hopes rely

On Israel’s God: he made the sky,

And earth, and seas, with all their train.

His truth for ever stands secure:

He saves th’ oppressed, he feeds the poor,

And none shall find his promise vain.

3 The Lord pours eyesight on the blind;

The Lord supports the fainting mind,

He sends the laboring conscience peace:

He helps the stranger in distress,

The widow and the fatherless,

And grants the prisoner sweet release.

4 I’ll praise him while he gives me breath,

And when my voice is lost in death,

Praise shall employ my nobler powers:

My days of praise shall ne’er be past,

While life, and thought, and being last,

And immortality endures.

O God of Bethel, by whose hand

Thy people still are fed;

Who through this weary pilgrimage

Hast all our fathers led—

2 Our vows, our prayers we now present

Before thy throne of grace;

God of our fathers, be the God

Of their succeeding race.

3 Through each succeeding path of life,

Our wandering footsteps guide;

Give us each day our daily bread,

And raiment fit provide.

4 O spread thy covering wings around,

Till all our wanderings cease,

And at our Father’s loved abode

Our souls arrive in peace.

O thou my light, my life, my joy,

My glory and my all!

Unsent by thee, no good can come,

Nor evil can befall.

2 Such are thy schemes of providence,

And methods of thy grace,

That I may safely trust in thee

Through all this wilderness.

3 ’Tis thine outstretched and powerful arm

Upholds me in the way;

And thy rich bounty well supplies

The wants of every day,

4 For such compassion, O my God!

Ten thousand thanks are due;

For such compassion I esteem

Ten thousand thanks too few.

Our God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Our shelter from the stormy blast,

And our eternal home!

2 Under the shadow of thy throne

Thy saints have dwelt secure:

Sufficient is thine arm alone,

And our defense is sure.

3 Before the hills in order stood,

Or earth received her frame,

From everlasting thou art God,

To endless years the same.

4 A thousand ages in thy sight

Are like an evening gone;

Short as the watch that ends the night

Before the rising sun.

5 Time, like an ever-rolling stream,

Bears all its sons away;

They fly forgotten as a dream

Dies at the opening day.

6 Our God, our help in ages past,

Our hope for years to come,

Be thou our guard while troubles last,

And our eternal home.

Sweet is the memory of thy grace,

My God, my heavenly King;

Let age to age thy righteousness

In songs of glory sing.

2 God reigns on high, but ne’er confines

His goodness to the skies:

Through the whole earth his bounty shines,

And every want supplies.

3 With longing eyes thy creatures wait

On thee for daily food,

Thy liberal hand provides their meat,

And fills their mouths with good.

4 How kind are thy compassions, Lord!

How slow thine anger moves!

But soon he sends his pardoning word

To cheer the souls he loves.

5 Creatures, with all their endless race,

Thy power and praise proclaim:

But saints that taste thy richer grace,

Delight to bless thy name.

O why despond in life’s dark vale?

Why sink to fears a prey?

Th’ almighty power can never fail,

His love can ne’er decay.

2 Behold the birds that wing the air,

Nor sow nor reap the grain;

Yet God, with all a father’s care,

Relieves when they complain.

3 Behold the lilies of the field:

They toil nor labor know;

Yet royal robes to theirs must yield,

In beauty’s richest glow.

4 That God who hears the raven’s cry,

Who decks the lily’s form,

Will surely all your wants supply,

And shield you in the storm.

5 Seek first his kingdom’s grace to share:

Its righteousness pursue:

And all that needs your earthly care

He will bestow on you.

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 on 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.

6 Through all eternity, to thee

A joyful song I’ll raise;

But O! eternity’s too short

To utter all thy praise!

God moves in a mysterious way

His wonders to perform;

He plants his footsteps on the sea,

And rides upon the storm.

2 Deep in unfathomable mines

Of never-failing skill,

He treasures up his bright designs,

And works his gracious will.

3 You fearful saints, fresh courage take;

The clouds you so much dread

Are big with mercy, and shall break

In 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.

My God, how wonderful thou art,

Thy majesty how bright!

How glorious is thy mercy-seat,

In depths of burning light!

2 Yet I may love thee too, O Lord,

Almighty as thou art;

For thou hast stooped to ask of me

The love of my poor heart.

3 No earthly father loves like thee,

No mother half so mild

Bears and forbears, as thou hast done

With me, thy sinful child.

4 My God, how wonderful thou art,

Thou everlasting Friend!

On thee I stay my trusting heart,

Till faith in vision end.

Father of mercies! God of love!

My Father and my God!

I’ll sing the honors of thy name,

And spread thy praise abroad.

2 In every period of my life

Thy thoughts of love appear;

Thy mercies gild each transient scene,

And crown each passing year.

3 In all thy mercies, may my soul

A Father’s bounty see;

Nor let the gifts thy grace bestows

Estrange my heart from thee.

4 Teach me, in times of deep distress,

To own thy hand, O God!

And in submissive silence learn

The lessons of thy rod.

5 Then may I close my eyes in death,

Redeemed from anxious fear:

For death itself, my God, is life,

If thou be with me there.

Great Ruler of all nature’s frame,

We own thy power divine;

We hear thy breath in every storm

For all the winds are thine.

2 Wide as they sweep their sounding way,

They work thy sovereign will;

And, awed by the majestic voice,

Confusion shall be still.

3 Thy mercy tempers every blast

To them that seek thy face,

And mingles with the tempest’s roar,

The whispers of thy grace.

4 Those gentle whispers let me hear,

Till all the tumult cease;

And gales of paradise shall lull

My weary soul to peace.

Thy goodness, Lord, our souls confess;

Thy goodness we adore:

A spring whose blessings never fail;

A sea without a shore.

2 Sun, moon, and stars thy love attest

In every golden ray;

Love draws the curtains of the night,

And love brings back the day.

3 Thy 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.

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.

Beyond, beyond that boundless sea,

Above that dome of sky,

Further than thought itself can flee,

Thy dwelling is on high:

Yet dear the awful thought to me,

That thou, my God, art nigh!

2 Art nigh, and yet my laboring mind

Feels after thee in vain,

Thee in these works of power to find,

Or to thy seat attain.

Thy messenger the stormy wind;

Thy path, the trackless main:

3 These speak of thee with loud acclaim;

They thunder forth thy praise,

The glorious honor of thy name,

The wonders of thy ways:

But thou art not in tempest flame

Nor in the noontide blaze.

4 We hear thy voice when thunders roll

Through the wide fields of air;

The waves obey thy dread control;

But still, thou art not there:

Where shall I find him, O my soul!

Who yet is everywhere?

5 O! not in circling depth or hight,

But in the conscious breast,

Present to faith, though vailed from sight;

There doth his Spirit rest:

O, come, thou Presence infinite!

And make thy creature blest.

Since all the varying scenes of time

God’s watchful eye surveys,

O, who so wise to choose our lot,

Or to appoint our ways!

2 Good when he gives—supremely good—

Nor less when he denies;

E’en crosses, from his sovereign hand,

Are blessings in disguise.

3 Why should we doubt a Father’s love

So constant and so kind?

To his unerring, gracious will

Be every wish resigned.

I can not always trace the way

Where thou, almighty One, dost move;

But I can always, always say,

That God is love.

2 When fear her chilling mantle flings

O’er earth, my soul to heaven above,

As to her native home, upsprings;

For God is love.

3 When mystery clouds my darkened path,

I’ll check my dread, my doubts reprove;

In this my soul sweet comfort hath,

That God is love.

4 O may this truth my heart employ,

And every gloomy thought remove;

It fills my soul with boundless joy,

That God is love!

Almighty Father of mankind!

On thee my hopes remain;

And when the day of trouble comes,

I shall not trust in vain.

2 In early years, thou wast my guide,

And of my youth the friend;

And, as my days began with thee,

With thee my days shall end.

3 I know the Power in whom I trust,

The arm on which I lean;

He will my Saviour ever be,

Who has my Saviour been.

4 Thou wilt not cast me off, when age

And evil days descend;

Thou wilt not leave me in despair,

To mourn my latter end.

5 Therefore, in life I’ll trust in thee;

In death I will adore;

And after death will sing thy praise,

When time shall be no more.

Since God is mine, then present things

And things to come are mine;

Yea, Christ, his word, and Spirit, too,

And glory all divine.

2 Since he is mine, then from his love

He every trouble sends;

All things are working for my good,

And bliss his rod attends.

3 Since he is mine, I need not fear

The rage of earth and hell;

He will support my feeble power,

Their utmost force repel.

4 Since he is mine, let friends forsake,

Let wealth and honors flee:

Sure, he who giveth me himself,

Is more than these to me.

5 Since he is mine, I’ll boldly pass

Through death’s dark, lonely vale:

He is my comfort and my stay,

When heart and flesh shall fail.

6 And now, O Lord, since thou art mine,

What can I wish beside?

My soul shall at the fountain live,

When all the streams are dried.

Let the whole race of creatures lie

In dust before the Lord!

Whate’er his powerful hand has formed,

He governs with a word.

2 Ten thousand ages ere the skies

Were into motion brought,

All the long years and worlds to come

Stood present to his thought.

3 There’s not a sparrow, or a worm,

O’erlooked in his decrees:

He raises monarchs to a throne,

Or sinks with equal ease.

4 If light attend the course I go,

’Tis he provides the rays;

And ’tis his hand that hides the sun,

If darkness cloud my days.

5 Trusting his wisdom and his love,

I would not wish to know

What, in the book of his decrees,

Awaits me here below.

6 Be this alone my fervent prayer:

Whate’er my lot may be,

Or joys, or sorrows—may they form

My soul for heaven and thee!

The Lord descended from above

And bowed the heavens most high,

And underneath his feet he cast

The darkness of the sky.

2 On cherubim and seraphim

Full royally he rode;

And on the wings of mighty winds,

Came flying all abroad.

3 He sat serene upon the floods,

Their fury to restrain;

And he, as sovereign Lord and King,

For evermore shall reign.

Thy way is in the sea;

Thy paths we can not trace;

Nor solve, O Lord, the mystery

Of thy unbounded grace.

2 Here the dark vails of sense

Our captive souls surround;

Mysterious deeps of providence

Our wandering thoughts confound.

3 As through a glass we see

The wonders of thy love;

How little do we know of thee,

Or of the joys above.

4 In part we know thy will,

And bless thee for the sight;

Soon will thy love the rest reveal

In glory’s clearer light.

5 With joy shall we survey

Thy providence and grace;

And spend an everlasting day

In wonder, love and praise.

How gentle God’s commands!

How kind his precepts are!

Come, cast your burdens on the Lord,

And trust his constant care.

2 His bounty will provide,

His saints securely dwell;

That hand which bears creation up,

Shall guard his children well.

3 Why should this anxious load

Press down your weary mind?

O, seek your heavenly Father’s throne,

And peace and comfort find.

4 His goodness stands approved,

Unchanged from day to day;

I’ll drop my burden at his feet,

And bear a song away.

O bless the Lord, my soul!

Let all within me join,

And aid my tongue to bless his name

Whose favors are divine.

2 O bless the Lord, my soul!

Nor let his mercies lie

Forgotten in unthankfulness,

And without praises die.

3 ’Tis he forgives thy sins;

’Tis he relieves thy pain;

’Tis he that heals thy sicknesses,

And gives thee strength again.

4 He crowns thy life with love,

When rescued from the grave;

He that redeemed our souls from death,

Hath boundless power to save.

5 He fills the poor with good;

He gives the sufferers rest:

The Lord hath justice for the proud,

And mercy for the oppressed.

6 His wondrous works and ways

He made by Moses known;

But sent the world his truth and grace

By his beloved Son.

The Lord my shepherd is;

I shall be well supplied:

Since he is mine, and I am his,

What can I want beside?

2 He leads me to the place

Where heavenly pasture grows,

Where living waters gently pass,

And full salvation flows.

3 If e’er I go astray,

He doth my soul reclaim,

And guides me in his own right way,

For his most holy name.

4 While he affords his aid,

I can not yield to fear;

Tho’ I should walk thro’ death’s dark shade,

My shepherd’s with me there.

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,

So far the riches of his grace

Our highest thoughts exceed.

3 His power subdues our sins,

And his forgiving love,

Far as the east is from the west,

Doth all our guilt remove.

4 The pity of the Lord,

To those that fear his name,

Is such as tender parents feel:

He knows our feeble frame.

5 Our days are as the grass,

Or like the morning flower:

If one sharp blast sweeps o’er the field,

It withers in an hour.

6 But thy compassions, Lord,

To endless years endure;

And children’s children ever find

Thy words of promise sure.

God is the fountain whence

Ten thousand blessings flow;

To him my life, my health, and friends,

And every good, I owe.

2 The comforts he affords

Are neither few nor small;

He is the source of fresh delights,

My portion and my all.

3 He fills my heart with joy,

My lips attunes for praise;

And to his glory I’ll devote

The remnant of my days.

Let us with a joyful mind

Praise the Lord, for he is kind;

For his mercies shall endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

Let us sound his name abroad,

For of gods he is the God

Who by wisdom did create

Heaven’s expanse and all its state;

2 Did the solid earth ordain

How to rise above the main;

Who, by his commanding might,

Filled the new-made world with light;

Caused the golden-tresséd sun

All the day his course to run;

And the moon to shine by night,

’Mid her spangled sisters bright.

3 All his creatures God doth feed,

His full hand supplies their need;

Let us therefore warble forth

His high majesty and worth.

He his mansion hath on high,

’Bove the reach of mortal eye;

And his mercies shall endure,

Ever faithful, ever sure.

To thee, O God! to thee,

With lowly heart I bend;

Lord, to my prayer attend,

And haste to succor me,

Thou never-failing friend!

For seas of trouble o’er me roll,

And ’whelm with tears my sinking soul.

2 On thee, O God! on thee,

With humble hope I’ll lean;

Thou who hast ever been

A hiding place to me

In many a troubled scene;

Whose heart, with love and mercy fraught,

Back to the fold thy wanderer brought.

Yes, for me, for me he careth

With a brother’s tender care;

Yes, with me, with me he shareth

Every burden, every fear.

2 Yes, o’er me, o’er me he watcheth,

Ceaseless watcheth, night and day;

Yes, e’en me, e’en me he snatcheth

From the perils of the way.

3 Yes, for me he standeth pleading

At the mercy-seat above;

Ever for me interceding,

Constant in untiring love.

4 Yes, in me abroad he sheddeth

Joys unearthly, love and light;

And to cover me he spreadeth

His paternal wing of might.

5 Yes, in me, in me he dwelleth;

I in him, and he in me!

And my empty soul he filleth,

Here and through eternity.

6 Thus I wait for his returning,

Singing all the way to heaven:

Such the joyful song of morning

Such the tranquil song of even.

Though troubles assail, and dangers affright,

Though friends should all fail, and foes all unite,

Yet one thing secures us, whatever betide,

The scripture assures us, The Lord will provide.

2 The birds without barn or storehouse are fed;

From them let us learn to trust for our bread:

His saints what is fitting shall ne’er be denied,

So long as ’tis written, The Lord will provide.

3 We may, like the ships, by tempests be tossed

On perilous deeps, but can not be lost:

Though Satan enrages the wind and the tide,

The promise engages, The Lord will provide.

4 His call we obey, like Abrah’m of old,

Not knowing our way, but faith makes us bold:

For though we are strangers, we have a good guide,

And trust, in all dangers, The Lord will provide.

5 No strength of our own, or goodness, we claim;

But since we have known the Saviour’s great name,

In this our strong tower for safety we hide—

The Lord is our power—The Lord will provide.

6 When life sinks apace, and death is in view,

The word of his grace shall comfort us through:

Not fearing or doubting, with Christ on our side,

We hope to die shouting, The Lord will provide.

Praise, my soul, the King of heaven;

To his feet thy tribute bring;

Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven,

Who like me his praise should sing?

Praise him! praise him!

Praise the everlasting King!

2 Praise him for his grace and favor

To our fathers in distress;

Praise him, still the same for ever:

Slow to chide, and swift to bless;

Praise him! praise him!

Glorious in his faithfulness!

3 Father-like he tends and spares us;

Well our feeble frame he knows;

In his hands he gently bears us—

Rescues us from all our foes;

Praise him! praise him!

Widely as his mercy flows!

4 Angels, help us to adore him:

Ye behold him face to face;

Sun and moon, bow down before him;

Dwellers all in time and space,

Praise him! praise him!

Praise with us the God of grace!

O, worship the King all-glorious above,

And gratefully sing his wonderful love—

Our shield and defender, the ancient of days,

Pavilioned in splendor and girded with praise.

2 O tell of his might, and sing of his grace,

Whose robe is the light, whose canopy space;

His chariots of wrath the deep thunder-clouds form,

And dark is his path on the wings of the storm.

3 Thy bountiful care what tongue can recite?

It breathes in the air, it shines in the light,

It streams from the hills, it descends to the plain,

And sweetly distills in the dew and the rain.

4 Frail children of dust, and feeble as frail,

In thee do we trust, nor find thee to fail,

Thy mercies how tender! how firm to the end,

Our Maker, Defender, Preserver, and Friend.

5 O Father Almighty, how faithful thy love!

While angels delight to hymn thee above,

The humbler creation, though feeble their lays,

With true adoration shall lisp to thy praise.

The Lord is my Shepherd, no want shall I know;

I feed in green pastures, safe folded I rest;

He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,

Restores me when wandering, redeems when opprest.

2 Through the valley and shadow of death tho’ I stray,

Since thou art my guardian, no evil I fear;

Thy rod shall defend me, thy staff be my stay;

No harm can befall, with my comforter near.

3 In the midst of affliction my table is spread;

With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o’er;

With perfume and oil thou anointest my head;

O what shall I ask of thy providence more?

4 Let goodness and mercy, my bountiful God!

Still follow my steps till I meet thee above;

I seek, by the path which my forefathers trod,

Through the land of their sojourn, thy kingdom of love.

Yes! our Shepherd leads with gentle hand,

Through the dark pilgrim-land,

His flock, so dearly bought,

So long and fondly sought.

Hallelujah!

2 When in clouds and mist the weak ones stray,

He shows again the way,

And points to them afar

A bright and guiding star.

Hallelujah!

3 Tenderly he watches from on high

With an unwearied eye;

He comforts and sustains,

In all their fears and pains.

Hallelujah!

4 Through the parched, dreary desert he will guide

To the green fountain-side:

Through the dark, stormy night,

To a calm land of light.

Hallelujah!

5 Yes! his “little flock” are ne’er forgot;

His mercy changes not:

Our home is safe above,

Within his arms of love.

Hallelujah!