2 His cov❜nant with the earth he keeps ; My tongue his goodness sing; Summer and winter know their time, His harvest crowns the spring.

3 Well pleas'd, the toiling swains behold The waving yellow crop;

With joy they bear the sheaves away,
And sow again in hope.

4 Thus teach me, gracious God, to sow
The seeds of righteousness;
Smile on my soul, and with thy beams
The rip'ning harvest bless.

5 Then in the last great harvest, I
Shall reap a glorious crop;
The harvest shall by far exceed
What I have sow'd in hope.

1

HYMN 83. C. M.

Winter.

STERN winter throws his icy chains,
Encircling nature round;

How bleak, how comfortless the plains,
Late with gay verdure crown'd!

2 The sun withdraws his vital beams,
And light and warmth depart;
And drooping lifeless, nature seems
An emblem of my heart.

3 My heart, where mental winter reigns, In night's dark mantle clad,

Confin'd in cold inactive chains,

How desolate and sad!

4 Return, O blissful Sun, and bring
Thy soul-reviving ray;

This mental winter shall be spring,
This darkness, cheerful day.

5 O happy state, divine abode,
Where spring eternal reigns;
And perfect day, the smile of God,
Fills all the heav'nly plains!

6 Great Source of light, thy beams display, My drooping joys restore,

And guide me to the seats of day,
Where winter frowns no more.

E

HYMN 84. L. M.

The Seasons crowned with goodness.
TERNAL Source of ev'ry joy!
Thy praise shall ev'ry voice employ,
While in thy temple we appear
To hail thee, Sov'reign of the year.

2 Wide as the wheels of nature roll,
Thy hand supports and guides the whole;
The sun is taught by thee to rise,
And darkness when to veil the skies.
3 The flow'ry spring, at thy command,
Perfumes the air, and paints the land;
The summer rays with vigour shine,
To raise the corn, and cheer the vine.
4 Thy hand, in autumn, richly pours
Thro' all our coasts redundant stores;
While winters, soften'd by thy care,
No face of want or horror wear.

5 Seasons, and months, and weeks, and days,
Demand successive songs of praise;
And be the grateful homage paid,
With morning light, and ev'ning shade.
6 Here in thy house let incense rise,
And circling sabbaths bless our eyes;
Till to those brighter courts we soar,
Where days and years revolve no more.

1 GOD

HYMN 85. L. M.

New-Year.

OD of our lives, thy constant care With blessings crowns each op'ning year; Our guilty lives thou dost prolong, And wake anew our annual song. 2 How many precious souls are fled To the vast regions of the dead, Since from this day the changing sun Thro' his last yearly period run! 3 Our breath is thine, eternal God; 'Tis thine to fix our soul's abode; We hold our lives from thee alone, On earth, or in the world unknown. 4 To thee our spirits we resign;

1

Make them and own them still as thine;
So shall they smile, secure from fear,
Tho' death should blast the rising year.

HYMN 86. L. M.

New-Year.

BLEST be th' Eternal Infinite!

Whose skill conducts this rolling sphere; Who rules our day, who guards our night, And guides the swift, revolving year! 2 Our race are falling ev'ry hour, While we distinguish'd yet appear; 'Tis of thy matchless love and pow'r, That we are spar'd another year. 3 O! for a sweet refreshing time; Saviour! thy people wish thee near: Come, and our joys shall be sublime,, While we begin another year.

4 May thy good spirit be our guide, While thus we stay as pilgrims here;

Nor let us from our God backslide,
As we have done the former year.

5 Strengthen our faith, increase our love:
Fill us with godly, filial fear;

And to thy waiting children prove Thy grace thro' ev'ry fleeting year. 6 This truth impress on ev'ry soul, That vast eternity is near;

That time's swift moments onward roll,
To bring the last, the closing year.
When nature in a blaze shall die,
Or death conclude our being here;
Then to our Jesus may we fly,
To spend a never-ending year.

HYMN 87. L. M.

New-Year.

REAT God, we sing that mighty hand,
By which supported, still we stand;
The op'ning year thy mercy shows;
Let mercy crown it till it close.

2 By day, by night, at home, abroad,
Still we are guarded by our God;
By his incessant bounty fed,
By his unerring counsel led.

3 With grateful hearts the past we own;
The future, all to us unknown,
We to thy guardian care commit,
And peaceful leave before thy feet.
4 In scenes exalted or depress'd,
Be thou our joy, and thou our rest;
Thy goodness all our hopes shall raise,
Ador'd thro' all our changing days.
5 When death shall interrupt our songs,
And silence these our mortal tongues,

1

Our helper God, in whom we trust,

In better worlds, our souls shall boast.

HYMN 88. C. M.

The Birth of Christ.

AWAKE, awake the sacred song

To our incarnate Lord:

Let ev'ry heart, and ev'ry tongue
Adore th' eternal Word.

2 Sinners awake, with angels join,
And chant the solemn lay;
Joy, love, and gratitude combine,
To hail th' auspicious day.

3 Then shone almighty pow'r and love,
In all their glorious forms;
When Jesus left his throne above,
To dwell with sinful worms.

4 Adoring angels tun'd their songs
To hail the joyful day;

With rapture then, let mortal tongues
Their grateful worship pay.

5 Hail, Prince of life, for ever hail!
Redeemer, Brother, Friend!

16

Tho' earth, and time, and life should fail,
Thy praise shall never end.

HYMN 89. P. M.

The Resurrection of Christ.

"CHRIST, the Lord, is ris'n to-day,"
Sons of men and angels say;

Raise your joys and triumphs high,
Sing, ye heav'ns, and earth reply.
2 Love's redeeming work is done,
Fought the fight, the battle won:
Lo! the sun's eclipse is o'er,
Lo! he sets in blood no more.