Hymns for Christian Devotion

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4 Take up the burden of his name,
Ye clouds, as ye arise,
To deck with gold the opening morn,
Or shade the evening skies.

5 Long let it warble round the spheres,
And echo through the sky;
Let angels, with immortal skill,
Improve the harmony;--

6 While we, with sacred rapture fired,
The blest Creator sing,
And chant our consecrated lays
To heaven's eternal King.

170. 8s. M. Hogg.

God of Life.

1 Blessed be thy name forever,
Thou of life the Guard and Giver!
Thou canst guard thy creatures sleeping,
Heal the heart long broke with weeping:
God of stillness and of motion,
Of the desert and the ocean,
Of the mountain, rock and river,
Blessed be thy name forever!

2 Thou who slumberest not nor sleepest,
Blest are they thou kindly keepest.
God of evening's parting ray,
Of midnight gloom, and dawning day--
That rises from the azure sea
Like breathings of eternity;
God of life! that fade shall never,
Blessed be thy name forever!

171. H. M. H. Ballou, 2d.

Universal Praise.

1 Ye realms below the skies,
Your Maker's praises sing;
Let boundless honors rise
To heaven's eternal King;
O bless his name whose love extends
Salvation to the world's far ends.

2 Give glory to the Lord,
Ye kindreds of the earth;
His sovereign power record,
And show his wonders forth,
Till heathen tongues his grace proclaim,
And every heart adores his name.

3 'T is he the mountains crowns
With forests waving wide;
'T is he old ocean bounds,
And heaves her roaring tide;
He swells the tempests on the main,
Or breathes the zephyr o'er the plain.

4 Still let the waters roar,
As round the earth they roll;
His praise for evermore
They sound from pole to pole.
'Tis nature's wild, unconscious song
O'er thousand waves that floats along.

5 His praise, ye worlds on high,
Display with all your spheres,
Amid the darksome sky,
When silent night appears.
O, let his works declare his name
Through all the universal frame.

172. C. M. Lutheran Coll.

Goodness of God in his Works.

1 Hail, great Creator--wise and good!
To thee our songs we raise:
Nature, through all her various scenes,
Invites us to thy praise.

2 Thy glory beams in every star,
Which gilds the gloom of night,
And decks the smiling face of morn
With rays of cheerful light.

3 Great nature's God! still may these scenes
Our serious hours engage!
Still may our grateful hearts consult
Thy works' instructive page!

4 And while, in all thy wondrous ways,
Thy varied love we see:
Oh, may our hearts, great God, be led
Through all thy works to thee.

173. L. M. 6l. Montgomery's Coll.

The Beauties of Creation.

1 Ours is a lovely world, how fair
Thy beauties e'en on earth appear!
The seasons in their courses fall,
And bring successive joys. The sea,
The earth, the sky, are full of thee,
Benignant, glorious Lord of all!

2 There's beauty in the heat of day;
There's glory in the noon-tide ray;
There's sweetness in the twilight shades--
Magnificence in night. Thy love
Arch'd the grand heaven of blue above,
And all our smiling earth pervades.

3 And if thy glories here be found,
Streaming with radiance all around,
What must the fount of glory be!
In thee we'll hope, in thee confide,
Thou, mercy's never ebbing tide,
Thou, love's unfathomable sea!

174. L. M. 6l. Moore.

All Things are of God.

1 Thou art, O God, the life and light
Of all this 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 eyes,--
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.

175. L. M. Addison.

The Heavens declare the Glory of God.

1 The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great original proclaim.
Th' unwearied sun, from day to day,
Doth his Creator's power display;
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.

2 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:
Whilst all the stars which round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

3 What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball;
What though no real voice nor sound
Amidst their radiant orbs be found;
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
Forever singing, as they shine,--
"The hand that made us is divine."

176. C. M. Zinzendorf.

The Creator, God.

1 Lord, when thou said'st, "So let it be,"
The heavens were spread and shone,
And this whole earth stood gloriously;
Thou spak'st and it was done.

2 The whole creation still records,
Unto this very day,
That thou art God, the Lord of lords;
Thee all things must obey.

177. C. M. Bowring.

Nature's Evening Hymn.

1 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,
That beams with 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 ripened fruits,
In glorious luxury given;
While winter's silver heights reflect
Thy brightness back to heaven.

4 On all thou smil'st; and what is man
Before thy presence, God;
A breath, but yesterday inspired,
To-morrow but a clod.
That clod shall mingle in the vale,
But, kindled, Lord, by thee,
The spirit to thy arms shall spring,
To life, to liberty.

178. L. M. 6l. Bowring.

"Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge."

1 The heavens, O Lord! thy power proclaim,
And the earth echoes back thy name;
Ten thousand voices speak thy might,
And day to day, and night to night,
Utter thy praise--thou Lord above!
Thy praise, thy glory, and thy love.

2 And nature with its countless throng,
And sun, and moon, and planets' song,
And every flower that light receives,
And every dew that tips the leaves,
And every murmur of the sea--
Tunes its sweet voice to worship Thee.

3 Thy name thy glories they rehearse,
Great Spirit of the universe;
Sense of all sense, and soul of soul,
Nought is too vast for thy control;
The meanest and the mightiest share
Alike thy kindness and thy care.

179. 8s. & 7s. M. Heber.

"Consider the lilies of the field;--behold the fowls of the air."

1 Lo! the lilies of the field!
How their leaves instruction yield!
Hark to nature's lesson given
By the blessed birds of heaven!
Every bush and tufted tree
Warbles trust and piety:
Children, banish doubt and sorrow,--
God provideth for the morrow.

2 One there lives, whose guardian eye
Guides our earthly destiny;
One there lives, who, Lord of all,
Keeps his children lest they fall:
Pass we, then, in love and praise,
Trusting him, through all our days,
Free from doubt and faithless sorrow,--
God provideth for the morrow.

180. L. M. Peabody.

Religious Influences of Nature.

1 God of the fair and open sky!
How gloriously above us springs
The tented dome, of heavenly blue,
Suspended on the rainbow's rings!
Each brilliant star, that sparkles through
Each gilded cloud that wanders free
In evening's purple radiance, gives
The beauty of its praise to thee.

2 God of the rolling orbs above,
Thy name is written clearly bright
In the warm day's unvarying blaze,
Or evening's golden shower of light:
For every fire that fronts the sun,
And every spark that walks alone
Around the utmost verge of heaven,
Were kindled at thy burning throne.

3 God of the world, the hour must come,
And nature's self to dust return;
Her crumbling altars must decay;
Her incense-fires shall cease to burn;
But still her grand and lovely scenes
Have made man's warmest praises flow,
For hearts grow holier as they trace
The beauty of the world below.

181. 7s. & 6s. M. Conder.

"Day unto day uttereth speech."

1 The heavens declare his glory,
Their Maker's skill the skies:
Each day repeats the story,
And night to night replies.
Their silent proclamation
Throughout the earth is heard;
The record of creation,
The page of nature's word.

2 There, from his bright pavilion,
Like eastern bridegroom clad,
Hailed by earth's thousand million,
The sun sets forth; right glad,
His glorious race commencing,
The mighty giant seems;
Through the vast round dispensing
His all-pervading beams.

3 So pure, so soul-restoring
Is truth's diviner ray;
A brighter radiance pouring
Than all the pomp of day:
The wanderer surely guiding,
It makes the simple wise;
And evermore abiding,
Unfailing joy supplies.

182. L. M. 6l. Heber.

The Visible World a Shadow of the Invisible.

1 I praised the earth in beauty seen,
With garlands gay of various green;
I praised the sea, whose ample field
Shone glorious as a silver shield;
And earth and ocean seemed to say,
"Our beauties are but for a day."

2 I praised the sun, whose chariot rolled
On wheels of amber and of gold;
I praised the moon, whose softer eye
Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;
And moon and sun in answer said,
"Our years are told when we must fade."

3 O God, O, good beyond compare!
If thus thy meaner works are fair,--
If thus thy bounties gild the span
Of sinful earth and mortal man,--
How glorious must thy mansion be
Where thy redeemed shall dwell with thee.

183. L. M. Moore.

Nature a Temple.

1 The turf shall be my fragrant shrine;
My temple, Lord, that arch of thine,
My censor's breath the mountain airs,
And silent thoughts my only prayers.
My choir shall be the moonlight waves,
When murmuring homeward to their caves,
Or when the stillness of the sea,
E'en more than music breathes of thee.

2 I'll seek, by day, some glade unknown.
All light and silence like thy throne,
And the pale stars shall be, at night,
The only eyes that watch my rite.
Thy heaven, on which 'tis bliss to look,
Shall be my pure and shining book,
Where I can read, in words of flame,
The glories of thy wondrous name.

3 There's nothing bright, above, below,
From flowers that bloom, to stars that glow,
But in its light my soul can see
Some feature of thy Deity.
There's nothing dark, below, above,
But in its gloom I trace thy love,
And meekly wait that moment, when
Thy touch shall turn all bright again.

THE SCRIPTURES.

184. C. M. Tate & Brady.

Perfection of God's Law.

1 God's perfect law converts the soul,
Reclaims from false desires;
With sacred wisdom his sure word
The ignorant inspires.

2 The statutes of the Lord are just,
And bring sincere delight;
His pure commands, in search of truth,
Assist the feeblest sight.

3 His perfect worship here is fixed,
On sure foundations laid;
His equal laws are in the scales
Of truth and justice weighed.

4 Of more esteem than golden mines,
Or gold refined with skill;
More sweet than honey, or the drops
That from the comb distil.

5 My trusty counsellors they are,
And friendly warnings give;
Divine rewards attend on those,
Who by thy precepts live.

185. L. M. Watts.

Nature and Scripture. Ps. 19.

1 The heavens declare thy glory, Lord!
In every star thy wisdom shines;
But, when our eyes behold thy word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.

2 The rolling sun, the changing light,
And nights, and days, thy power confess;
But the blest volume thou hast writ
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.

3 Sun, moon, and stars, convey thy praise
Round the whole earth, and never stand;
So when thy truth began its race,
It touched and glanced on every land.

4 Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest
Till through the world thy truth has run;
Till Christ has all the nations blest,
That see the light, or feel the sun.

186. C. M. Cowper.

Light and Glory of the Word.

1 A glory gilds the sacred page,
Majestic like the sun:
It gives a light to every age;
It gives, but borrows none.

2 The hand that gave it still supplies
The gracious light and heat:
His truths upon the nations rise;
They rise, but never set.

3 Let everlasting thanks be thine,
For such a bright display,
As makes a world of darkness shine
With beams of heavenly day.

4 My soul rejoices to pursue
The steps of Him I love,
Till glory break upon my view
In brighter worlds above.

187. L. M. 6l. Spirit of the Psalms.

Praise to God for his Word.

1 Join, all ye servants of the Lord,
To praise him for his sacred word,--
That word, like manna, sent from heaven,
To all who seek it freely given;
Its promises our fears remove,
And fill our hearts with joy and love.

2 It tells us, though oppressed with cares,
The God of mercy hears our prayers;
Though steep and rough th' appointed way,
His mighty arm shall be our stay;
Though deadly foes assail our peace,
His power shall bid their malice cease.

3 It tells who first inspired our breath,
And who redeemed our souls from death;
It tells of grace,--grace freely given,--
And shows the path to God and heaven:
O, bless we, then, our gracious Lord,
For all the treasures of his word.

188. S. M. Watts.

Nature and Scripture. Ps. 19.

1 Behold! the lofty sky
Declares its Maker, God:
And all his starry works on high
Proclaim his power abroad.

2 Ye Christian lands, rejoice!
Here he reveals his word;
We are not left to nature's voice
To bid us know the Lord.

3 His statutes and commands
Are set before our eyes;
He puts his gospel in our hands,
Where our salvation lies.

4 While of thy works I sing,
Thy glory to proclaim,
Accept the praise, my God, my King,
In my Redeemer's name.

189. C. M. Rippon's Coll.

The Value of the Scriptures.

1 How precious is the book divine,
By inspiration given!
Bright as a lamp its doctrines shine,
To lead our souls to heaven.

2 O'er all the strait and narrow way
Its radiant beams are cast;
A light whose never weary ray
Grows brightest at the last.

3 It sweetly cheers our fainting hearts
In this dark vale of tears;
Life, light, and comfort it imparts,
And calms our anxious fears.

4 This lamp through all the dreary night
Of life shall guide our way,
Till we behold the glorious light
Of never-ending day.

190. C. M. Episcopal Coll.

Sufficiency of the Scriptures.

1 Great God, with wonder and with praise
On all thy works I look;
But still thy wisdom, power, and grace,
Shine brightest in thy book.

2 Here are my choicest treasures hid;
Here my best comfort lies;
Here my desires are satisfied;
And here my hopes arise.

3 Lord, make me understand thy law;
Show what my faults have been;
And from thy gospel let me draw
The pardon of my sin.

191. S. M. Beddome.

Superiority of the Scriptures.

1 O Lord, thy perfect word
Directs our steps aright;
Nor can all other books afford
Such profit or delight.

2 Celestial light it sheds,
To cheer this vail below;
To distant lands its glory spreads,
And streams of mercy flow.

3 True wisdom it imparts;
Commands our hope and fear;
O, may we hide it in our hearts,
And feel its influence there.

192. L. M. Beddome.

The Gospel Revelation.

1 God, in the Gospel of his Son,
Makes his eternal counsels known;
'Tis here his richest mercy shines,
And truth is drawn in fairest lines.

2 Wisdom its dictates here imparts,
To form our minds, to cheer our hearts;
Its influence makes the sinner live;
It bids the drooping saint revive.

3 Our raging passions it controls,
And comfort yields to contrite souls;
It brings a better world in view,
And guides us all our journey through.

4 May this blest volume ever lie
Close to my heart, and near my eye,
Till life's last hour my soul engage,
And be my chosen heritage.

193. C. M. Watts.

Revelation. Ps. 119.

1 Let all the heathen writers join
To form one perfect book,
Great God, if once compared with thine,
How mean their writings look!

2 Not the most perfect rules they gave
Could show one sin forgiven,
Nor lead a step beyond the grave;
But thine conduct to heaven.

3 I've seen an end of what we call
Perfection here below;
How short the powers of nature fall,
And can no farther go!

4 Our faith, and love, and every grace,
Fall far below thy word;
But perfect truth and righteousness
Dwell only with the Lord.

194. L. M. Anonymous.

The Scriptures.

1 Lamp of our feet! whose hallowed beam
Deep in our hearts its dwelling hath,
How welcome is the cheering gleam
Thou sheddest o'er our lowly path!
Light of our way! whose ways are flung
In mercy o'er our pilgrim road,
How blessed, its dark shades among,
The star that guides us to our God.

2 In the sweet morning's hour of prime,
Thy blessed words our lips engage,
And round our hearths at evening time
Our children spell the holy page;
The waymark through long distant years,
To guide their wandering footsteps on,
Till thy last loveliest beam appears,
Inscribed upon the churchyard stone.

3 Lamp of our feet! which day by day
Are passing to the quiet tomb,
If on it fall thy peaceful ray,
Our last low dwelling hath no gloom.
How beautiful their calm repose
To whom thy blessed hope is given
Whose pilgrimage on earth is closed
By the unfolding gates of heaven!

195. C. M. Watts.

Comfort from the Bible.

1 Lord, I have made thy word my choice,
My lasting heritage;
There shall my noblest powers rejoice,
My warmest thoughts engage.

2 I'll read the histories of thy love,
And keep thy laws in sight,
While through the promises I rove,
With ever-fresh delight.

3 'T is a broad land of wealth unknown,
Where springs of life arise,
Seeds of immortal bliss are sown,
And hidden glory lies.

4 The best relief that mourners have,
It makes our sorrows blest;
Our fairest hope beyond the grave,
And our eternal rest.

196. L. M. Anonymous.

The Same.

1 Thou Book of life!--in thee are found
The mysteries of my Maker's will;
Treasures of knowledge here abound,
The deepest, loftiest mind to fill.

2 Thou art a banquet;--choicest food
I'll seek in thee: thou art a rock,
Whence pour sweet waters; every good
From thee doth flow for Christ's own flock.

3 Light of the world! thy beams impart
To lead my feet through life's dark way;
O shine on this benighted heart,
Nor let me from thy guidance stray.

4 Healer of all the woes of life!
The balm of souls diseased; to save
From all earth's pain; and end the strife
Of death, with victory o'er the grave!

197. S. M. E. Taylor.

The Bible.

1 It is the one true light,
When other lamps grow dim,
'T will never burn less purely bright,
Nor lead astray from Him.
It is Love's blessed band,
That reaches from the throne
To him--whoe'er he be--whose hand
Will seize it for his own!

2 It is the golden key
Unto celestial wealth,
Joy to the sons of poverty,
And to the sick man, health!
The gently proffer'd aid
Of one who knows and best
Supplies the beings he has made
With what will make them blessed.

3 It is the sweetest sound
That infant years can hear,
Travelling across that holy ground,
With God and angels near.
There rests the weary head,
There age and sorrow go;
And how it smooths the dying bed,
O! let the Christian show!

CHRIST; HIS CHARACTER AND OFFICES.

198. C. M. Christian Psalmist.

The Saviour Foretold.

1 Behold my servant; see him rise
Exalted in my might!
Him have I chosen, and in him
I place supreme delight.

2 On him in rich effusion poured,
My spirit shall descend;
My truth and judgment he shall show
To earth's remotest end.

3 Gentle and still shall be his voice;
No threats from him proceed;
The smoking flax shall he not quench,
Nor break the bruised reed.

4 The feeble spark to flames he'll raise;
The weak will not despise;
Judgment he shall bring forth to truth,
And make the fallen rise.

5 The progress of his zeal and power
Shall never know decline,
Till foreign lands and distant isles
Receive the law divine.

199. 11s. M. Drummond.

"Prepare ye the Way of the Lord."

1 A voice from the desert comes awful and shrill;
The Lord is advancing! prepare ye the way!
The word of Jehovah he comes to fulfil,
And o'er the dark world pour the splendor of day.

2 Bring down the proud mountain though towering to heaven,
And be the low valley exalted on high;
The rough path and crooked be made smooth and even,
For, Zion! your King, your Redeemer is nigh.

3 The beams of salvation his progress illume;
The lone, dreary wilderness sings of her Lord;
The rose and the myrtle there suddenly bloom,
And the olive of peace spreads its branches abroad.

200. 7s. M. Bowring.

Report of the Watchman.

1 Watchman! tell us of the night,
What its signs of promise are.
Traveller! o'er yon mountain's height,
See that glory-beaming star.
Watchman! does its beauteous ray
Aught of joy or hope foretell?
Traveller! yes; it brings the day,
Promised day of Israel.

2 Watchman! tell us of the night;
Higher yet that star ascends.
Traveller! blessedness and light,
Peace and truth its course portends.
Watchman! will its beams alone
Gild the spot that gave them birth?
Traveller! ages are its own;
See, it bursts o'er all the earth.

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