4 That wisdom which to meekness turns,--Wisdom descending from above;
And let my zeal, whene'er it burns,
Be kindled by the fire of love.
The Kingdom of Christ. Ps. lxxii. 1—9. 1 GREAT God! whose universal sway The known and unknown worlds obey; Extend the kingdom of thy Son,
land his rule shall own.
2 The sceptre well becomes his hands,
And wise and good are his commands;
His laws protect the humble poor,
And bid oppression rage no more.
3 They form to righteousness the mind,
To all that's candid, gentle, kind;
Inspire with love the human breast,
And stormy passions sooth to rest.
4 As gentle rain on parching ground,
His gospel sheds its influence round;
Its grace on fainting souls distils,
Like heavenly dew on thirsty hills.
5 The heathen lands that lie beneath
The shades of darkness and of death,"
Revive at its first dawning light,
And deserts blossom at the sight.
6 His throne immoveable shall stand,
Upheld by thine almighty hand,
Till all shall love thee and adore,
And vice and misery be no more.
Trust in Divine Providence.
1 GREAT Lord of earth, and seas, and skies!
Thy wealth the needy world supplies;
And safe beneath thy guardian arm,
We live secured from every harm.
2 To thee perpetual thanks we owe
For all our comforts here below;
Our daily bread thy bounty gives,
And every rising want relieves.
3 On thee, O God! would we depend,
The rich, the sure, the faithful Friend,
Our portion may thy wisdom choose,
Nor let our hearts that choice refuse.
4 And should thy measures seem severe,
Thy just rebukes we'll calmly bear;
Without complaint to thee submit,
The unerring Judge of what is fit.
Divine Mercy moderating Affliction. Isa. xxvii. 8.
1 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 thy majestic voice,
Confusion shall be still.
3 Thy mercy tempers every blast
To those who seek thy face;
And mingles with the tempest's roar,
The whispers of thy grace.
4 Those gentle whispers let us hear,
Till all the tumult cease,
And heavenly hopes and prospects rise
To sooth our souls to peace.
God the Author of our Comforts and Hopes. Ps. cxvi. 8, 9.
1 GREAT Source of life! our souls confess
The various riches of thy grace;
Crowned with thy mercy, we rejoice,
And in thy praise exalt our voice.
2 By thee the arch of heaven was spread;
By thee were earth's foundations laid;
And all the scenes of man's abode
Proclaim a wise and gracious God.
3 Thy quickening hand restores our breath,
When trembling on the verge of death;
Gently it wipes away our tears,
And lengthens life to future years.
4 Our lives are sacred to the Lord;
Kindled by him, by him restored;
And while our days renew their race,
May sin no more our lives disgrace.
5 So, when by him our souls are led
Through unknown regions of the dead,
With hope triumphant shall they move
To scenes of nobler life above.
197. 8, 8, 6 M.
Benevolence.
1 HAIL, love divine! joys ever new,
While thy kind dictates we pursue,
Our souls delighted share;
Too high for sordid minds to know,
Who on themselves alone bestow
Their wishes and their care.
2 By thee inspired, the generous breast,
In blessing others only blessed,
With kindness large and free,
Delights the widow's tears to stay,
To teach the blind their smoothest way,
And aid the feeble knee.
3 O God! with sympathetic care,
In others' joys and griefs to share,
Do thou our hearts incline;
Each low, each selfish wish control,
Warm with benevolence the soul,
And make us wholly thine.
The Prospect of the Christian.
1 HAPPY the man, whose wishes climb
To mansions in the skies!
He looks on all the joys of time
With undesiring eyes.
2 He knows that all these fleeting things Must yield to sure decay;
And sees, on time's extended wings
How swift they pass away.
3 To things unseen by mortal eyes,
A beam of sacred light
Directs his view; his prospects rise
All permanent and bright.
4 His hopes, still fixed on joys to come,-
Those blissful scenes on high,
Shall flourish in immortal bloom
When time and nature die.
1 HAPPY the meek, whose gentle breast,
Clear as the summer's evening ray,
Calm as the regions of the blessed,
Enjoys on earth celestial day.
2 His heart no broken friendships sting,
No storms his peaceful tent invade;
He rests beneath the Almighty's wing,
Hostile to none, of none afraid.
3 Spirit of grace, all meek and mild!
Inspire our breasts, our souls possess ;
Repel each passion rude and wild,
And bless us, as we aim to bless.
The Character and Happiness of Christians. Mat. v. 3-12.
1 HAPPY the unrepining poor;
For them the heavenly rest is sure,
Whose patient minds, in every ill,
Submissive meet their Maker's will.
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