May we the Saviour love,
Redeem'd from Satan's chain;
Then, with him, in the world above,
We shall for ever reign.
183. L. M. The Greatness of Jehovah.
IVE to the Lord, ye men of might,
The honour due unto his name;
Worship your Maker with delight,
And his dominion, wide, proclaim.
His voice is heard upon the shore
When ocean raves, and tempests fly;
He speaks, when pealing thunders roar :
His voice is full of majesty !
The lofty pine and cedar proud,
On mountains high, by winds are rent,
While Lebanon, with discord loud,
Re-echoes through the firmament.
The scenes, around, his power confess,
Where eyes may see, and hearts may praise,
But he, amid the wilderness,
Alike his boundless might displays. [In human plaudits men delight;
To all beside their hearts are cold;
But God, remote from mortal sight,
Is great, as where all eyes behold.]
Thy throne, O God! shall stand secure,
And age to age thy power rehearse;
Thine altar is the Spirit pure!
Thy temple is the universe!
S. M. "Weeping may endure for a Night, but Joy cometh in the Morning."
NOW tears obstruct our sight,
And faultering is our voice;
But joy, returning with the light,
Shall make our hearts rejoice.
[We mourn another's woe,
The friend, both tried and dear;
Let us restrain the tears that flow,
His hour of joy is near.]
Sorrows we now endure
And days of mourning see;
Yet there are pangs which none can cure,
From which our souls are free!
We loss or cross sustain,
Both grievous to be borne ;
Let faith once more her seat regain,
And we shall cease to mourn.
Our Father, good and wise,
Knows, with the purpose kind,
When to support, or to chastise,
And we must be resign'd.
Though troubles weigh us down;
Dark clouds the heavens array;
Joy for the righteous still is sown,
Which shall not pass away!
Let us withhold our tears;
Night will not always last;
Christ will be better than our fears,
On whom our trust we cast.
We see the promised land!
Where we our Lord shall meet !
The morning hastes, and is at hand,
To make our joy complete!
185. C. M. Forgiveness with God
THE Lord will we delight to praise
While time and being last:
To him will we hosannahs raise,
On him our burdens cast.
Ye saints, with us, your tribute bring,
Give God his honour due;
With grateful hearts, in concert sing,
For he hath helped you.
He o'er your sins a mantle casts,
And loves your wounds to heal :
His anger but a moment lasts
When men contrition feel.
If sinners on his grace rely,
And in his Son confide,
Let the glad tidings round us fly,
His wrath is turn'd aside.
186. C. M. Pardon with God through Christ.
E thou, O Lord! that rock proclaim'd,
To which our souls may flee;
And may we never be ashamed
Of righteousness, and thee.
Our fathers trusted in thy name,
O'erwhelm'd with sorrow's wave;
And thou art still a God the same,
Omnipotent to save!
Though once our hearts to truth were cold,
And we in trespass lay;
Yet would we now thy face behold,
And go no more astray.
We have the voice of wisdom heard,
And rais'd to heaven our eye:
Thou hast bestow'd on us thy word,
To which, for hope, we fly:
Thou hast reveal'd the only way
(Faith in a Saviour's love)
Which leads to everlasting day,
At thy right hand above!
187. L. M. God the Refuge of his Servants.
BLESS'D is the man who trusts in heaven, And whose transgressions are forgiven;
To whom the Lord a friend will be,
Imputing not iniquity.
While we our sins confess, and mourn,
We would, O Lord! to thee return;
Through Christ, our trespasses forgive,
And let us in thy presence live.
While yet we see the light of day,
Instruct, and lead us in thy way;
May we aspire to Zion's hill,
And seek thy face, and do thy will.
The wicked, when afflictions press,
No comfort find in their distress:
The joys which once were their delight,
Like evening's glories, end in night.
But those who on the Lord rely,
Find a protector ever nigh;
Nor need their spirits feel dismay,
Though earth in one wide ruin lay.
188. L. M. God manifested in his Works.
E visionary hopes depart,
Which I too long have loved and known;
I now will dedicate my heart,
And all I have, to God alone.
He loves compassion to display ;
His words are truth, his ways are right;
The closing eve, the opening day,
Proclaim his goodness infinite.
When I behold the mighty deep,
Great thoughts of God my bosom fill;
He doth, in store, his billows keep,
To execute his sovereign will.
And when, with awe, I look on high,
The hosts of heaven his power declare;
The tranquil moon, the starry sky,
He call'd, from nothing, and they were.
Let all around the Lord confess,
And anthems to his greatness raise; Let the whole world the Saviour bless, And unborn ages shout his praise.
189. L. M. A call to praise and trust God.
HE Lord, at all times, I will bless,
And evermore his praise proclaim:
Confess his truth and righteousness,
And let us magnify his name.
O, taste and see that he is kind,
For him your time and talents spend ;
The poor, in God, a refuge find,
Th' oppress'd, an ever present friend.
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