Chapter 20
3 Thy providence is kind and large; Both man and beast thy bounty share; The whole creation is thy charge, But saints are thy peculiar care.
4 Life, like a fountain, rich and free, Springs from the presence of my Lord; And in thy light our souls shall see The glories promised in thy word.
126. L. M. Kippis.
G.o.d Incomprehensible.
1 Great G.o.d! in vain man's narrow view Attempts to look thy nature through; Our laboring powers with reverence own Thy glories never can be known.
2 Not the high seraph's mighty thought, Who countless years his G.o.d has sought, Such wondrous height or depth can find, Or fully trace thy boundless mind.
3 And yet thy kindness deigns to show Enough for mortal minds to know; While wisdom, goodness, power divine, Through all thy works and conduct s.h.i.+ne.
4 O, may our souls with rapture trace Thy works of nature and of grace: Explore thy sacred truth, and still Press on to know and do thy will.
127. C. M. Tate & Brady.
G.o.d Unchangeable.
1 Through endless years thou art the same, O thou eternal G.o.d; Each future age shall know thy name, And tell thy works abroad.
2 The strong foundations of the earth Of old by thee were laid; By thee the beauteous arch of heaven With matchless skill was made.
3 Soon may this goodly frame of things Created by thy hand, Be, like a vesture, laid aside, And changed at thy command.
4 But thy perfections, all divine, Eternal as thy days,
128. C. M. Cowper.
Purposes of G.o.d developed by his Providence.
1 G.o.d moves in a mysterious way, His wonders to perform; He plants his footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.
2 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take; The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.
3 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust him for his grace; Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.
4 His purposes will ripen fast Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.
5 Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan his work in vain; G.o.d is his own interpreter, And he will make it plain.
129. S. M. Montgomery.
"The darkness and the light are both alike to thee."
1 In darkness as in light, Hidden alike from view, I sleep, I wake within His sight, Who looks existence through.
2 From the dim hour of birth, Through every changing state Of mortal pilgrimage on earth, Till its appointed date;
3 All that I am,--have been,-- All that I yet may be, He sees at once, as he hath seen, And shall forever see.
130. C. M. Browne.
Universal Goodness of G.o.d.
1 Lord! thou art good: all nature shows Its mighty Author kind: Thy bounty through creation flows, Full, free, and unconfined.
2 The whole, and every part, proclaims Thine infinite good-will; It s.h.i.+nes in stars, and flows in streams, And blooms on every hill.
3 We view it o'er the spreading main, And heavens which spread more wide; It drops in gentle showers of rain, And rolls in every tide.
4 Through the vast whole it pours supplies, Spreads joy through every part: O, may such love attract my eyes, And captivate my heart!
5 My highest admiration raise, My best affections move!
Employ my tongue in songs of praise, And fill my heart with love!
131. L. M. Mme. Guion.
The Omnipresent Peace of G.o.d.
1 O Thou, by long experience tried, Near whom no grief can long abide;-- My Lord, how full of sweet content My years of pilgrimage are spent!
2 All scenes alike engaging prove, To souls impressed with sacred love; Where'er they dwell, they dwell in thee, In heaven, in earth, or on the sea.