Attributes of God

179 The Perfections at a whole 1 HOW shall I praise th' eternal God, That infinite Unknown? Who can ascend His high abode, Or venture near His throne?

2 The great Invisible! He dwells Concel'd in dazzling light; But His all-searching eye reveals The secrets of the night.

3 Those watchful eyes, that never sleep, Survey the world around; His wisdom is a boundless deep, Where all our thoughts are drown'd.

4 He knows no shadow of a change, Nor alters His decrees;

Firm as a rock His truth remains, To guard His promises.

5 Justice upon a dreadful throne Maintains the rights of God;

While mercy sends her pardons down, Bought with a Saviour's blood.

6 Now to my soul, immortal King!

Speak some forgiving word;

Then 'twill be double joy to sing The glories of my Lord.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

180 Perfections as a Sovereign 1 JEHOVAH reigns! His throne is high His robes are light and majesty; His glory shines with beams so bright, No mortal can sustain the sight.

2 His terrors keep the world in awe; His justice guards His holy law; His love reveals a smiling face; His truth and promise seal the grace.

3 Through all His works His wisdomshines, And baffles Satan's deep designs; His power is sovereign to fulfil The noblest counsels of His will.

4 And will this glorious Lord descend To be my Father and my Friend?

Then let my songs with angels join;

Heaven is secure, if God be mine.

Isaac Watts, 1702

181 The Lord God Omnipotent reigneth

1 THE Lord is King; lift up thy voice, O earth, and all ye heavens rejoice: From world to world the joy shall ring, The Lord Omnipotent is King.

2 The Lord is King: who then shall dare Resist His will, distrust His care, Or murmur at His wise decrees, Or doubt His royal promises?

3 The Lord is King: child of the dust, The Judge of all the earth is just;

Holy and true are all His ways, Let every creature speak His praise.

4 He reigns! ye saints, exalt your strains: Your God is King, your Father reigns; And He is at the Father's side, The Man of love, the Crucified.

5 Come, make your wants, your burdens known;

He will present them at the throne; And angel-bands are waiting there, His messages of love to bear.

6 Oh! when His wisdom can mistake, His might decay, His love forsake, Then may His children cease to sing, The Lord Omnipotent is King.

Josiah Conder, 1824.

182 The Eternal and Infinite

1 GREAT God! how infinite art Thou!

What worthless worms are we!

Let the whole race of creatures bow, And pay their praise to Thee.

2 Thy throne eternal ages stood, Ere seas or stars were made;

Thou art the Ever-living God, Were all the nations dead.

3 Eternity, with all its years, Stands present in Thy view; To Thee there's nothing old appears;

Great God! there's nothing new.

4 Our lives through various scenes are drawn, And vexed with trifling cares, While Thine eternal thought moves on Thine undisturb'd affairs.

5 Great God! how infinite art Thou!

What worthless worms are we!

Let the whole race of creatures bow, And pay their praise to Thee.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

183 The Ancient of Days

1 GREAT Former of this various frame, Our souls adore Thine awful name, And bow and tremble, while they praise The Ancient of eternal days.

2 Before Thine infinite survey, Creation rose as yesterday; And as to-morrow shall Thine eye See earth and stars in ruin lie.

3 Our days a transient period run, And change with every circling sun; And while to lengthen'd years we trust, Before the moth we sink to dust.

4 But let the creatures fall around;

Let death consign us to the ground;

Let the last general flame arise, And melt the arches of the skies;

5 Calm as the summer's ocean we Can all the wreck of nature see;

While grace secures us an abode Unshaken as the throne of God.

Philip Doddridge, 1755, a.

184

Omniscience

1 GREAT God, Thy penetrating eye Pervades my inmost powers; With awe profound my wondering soul Falls prostrate, and adores.

2 To be encompass'd round with God, The holy and the just;

Arm'd with omnipotence to save, Or crush me into dust!

3 Oh, how tremendous is the thought!

Deep may it be impress'd! And may the Spirit firmly grave This truth within my breast!

4 By Thee observed, by Thee upheld, Let earth or hell oppose, I'll press with dauntless courage on, And dare the proudest foes.

5 Begirt with Thee, my fearless soul The gloomy vale shall tread; And Thou wilt bind th' immortal crown Of glory round my head.

Elizabeth Scott, 1764, a.

185

Omnipresence.

1 IN all my vast concerns with Thee, In vain my soul would try To shun Thy presence, Lord, or flee The notice of Thine eye.

2 Thy all-surrounding sight surveys My rising and my rest; My public walks, my private ways, And secrets of my breast.

3 My thoughts lie open to the Lord, Before they're form'd within; And ere my lips pronounce the word He knows the sense! mean.

4 Oh wondrous knowledge, deep, and high; Where can a creature hide?

Within Thy circling arms I lie, Beset on every side.

5 So let Thy grace surround me still, And like a bulwark prove, To guard my soul from every ill, Secured by sovereign love.

6 Lord, where shall guilty souls retire, Forgotten and unknown? In hell they meet Thy dreadful fire, In heaven Thy glorious throne.

7 Should I suppress my vital breath To 'scape Thy wrath divine;

Thy voice would break the bars of death, And make the grave resign.

8 If wing'd with beams of morning light, I fly beyond the west;

Thy hand, which must support my flight, Would soon betray my rest.

9 If o'er my sins I think to draw The curtains of the night;

Those flaming eyes that guard Thy law Would turn the shades to light.

10 The beams of noon, the midnight hour, Are both alike to Thee:

Oh, may I ne'er provoke that power From which I cannot flee!

Isaac Watts, 1719.

186

Divine Glory.

1 ETERNAL Power! whose high abode Becomes the grandeur of a God:

Infinite lengths beyond the bounds Where stars revolve their little rounds.

2 The lowest step around Thy seat Rises too high for Gabriel's feet; In vain the tall archangel tries To reach Thine height with wond'ring eyes.

3 Lord, what shall earth and ashes do?

We would adore our Maker too; From sin and dust to Thee we cry, The Great, the Holy, and the High!

4 Earth from afar has heard Thy fame, And worms have learnt to lisp Thy name; But oh, the glories of Thy mind Leave all our soaring thoughts behind.

5 God is in heaven, and men below; Be short our tunes, our words be few; A sacred reverence checks our songs, And praise sits silent on our tongues.

Isaac Watts, 1706.

187 Incomprehensible and Sovereign

1 CAN creatures to perfection find Th' eternal, uncreated Mind? Or can the largest stretch of thought Measure and search His nature out?

2 'Tis high as heaven, 'tis deep as hell; And what can mortals know or tell? His glory spreads beyond the sky, And all the shining worlds on high.

3 God is a King of power unknown;

Firm are the orders of His throne;

If He resolves, who dare oppose, Or ask Him why, or what He does?

4 He wounds the heart and He makes whole;

He calms the tempest of the soul; When He shuts up in long despair, Who can remove the heavy bar?

5 He frowns, and darkness veils the moon; The fainting sun grows dim at noon; The pillars of heaven's starry roof Tremble and start at His reproof.

6 These are a portion of His ways, But who shall dare describe His face? Who can endure His light, or stand To hear the thunders of His hand?

Isaac Watts, 1709.

188 Holy and Reverend

1 HOLY and reverend is the name Of our Eternal King!

"Thrice holy Lord," the angels cry, "Thrice holy," let us sing.

2 The deepest reverence of the mind, Pay, O my soul, to God;

Lift, with thy hands, a holy heart To His sublime abode.

3 With sacred awe pronounce His name, Whom words nor thoughts can reach, A contrite heart shall please Him more Than noblest forms of speech.

4 Thou holy God, preserve my soul From all pollution free; The pure in heart are Thy delight, And they Thy face shall see.

John Needham, 1768.

189 Divine Purity and Holiness

1 HOLY, holy, holy, Lord, God of hosts, in heaven adored, Earth with awe has heard Thy name, Men Thy majesty proclaim.

2 Just and true are all Thy ways, Great Thy works above our praise;

Humbled in the dust, we own, Thou art holy, Thou alone.

3 In Thy sight the angel band, Justly charged with folly stand, Holiest deeds of creatures lie Meritless before Thine eye.

4 How shall sinners worship Thee, God of spotless purity? To Thy grace all hope we owe;

Thine own righteousness bestow.

Basil Manly, jun., 1850.

190 Holy, Holy, Holy

1 HOLY, holy, holy, Lord! Be Thy glorious name adored:

Lord, Thy mercies never fail;

Hail, celestial Goodness, hail!

2 Though unworthy, Lord, Thine ear, Deign our humble songs to hear;

Purer praise we hope to bring, When around Thy throne we sing.

3 There no tongue shall silent be, All shall join in harmony; That through heaven's capacious round Praise to Thee may ever sound.

4 Lord, Thy mercies never fail:

Hail, celestial Goodness, hail!

Holy, holy, holy, Lord! Be Thy glorious name adored.

Benjamin Williams, 1778, a.

191 The Truth of God the Promiser

1 PRAISE, everlasting praise, be paid To Him that earth's foundation laid;

Praise to the God. whose strong decrees, Sway the creation as He please.

2 Praise to the goodness of the Lord, Who rules His people by His word; And there, as strong as His decrees, He sets His kindest promises.

3 Firm are the words His prophets give, Sweet words, on which His children live:

Each of them is the voice of God, Who spoke, and spread the skies abroad.

4 Each of them powerful as that sound That bid the new-made world go round; And stronger than the solid poles On which the wheel of nature rolls.

5 Oh, for a strong, a lasting faith, To credit what th' Almighty saith!

T' embrace the message of His Son, And call the joys of heaven our own.

6 Then should the earth's old pillars shake, And all the wheels of nature break, Our steady souls should fear no more Than solid rocks when billows roar.

7 Our everlasting hopes arise Above the ruinable skies, Where th' eternal Builder reigns, And His own courts His power sustains.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

192 Faithful and powerful in performing His Promises

1 BEGIN, my tongue, some heavenly theme, And speak some boundless thing; The mighty works, or mightier name Of our eternal King.

2 Tell of His wondrous faithfulness, And sound His power abroad;

Sing the sweet promise of His grace, And the performing God.

3 Proclaim Salvation from the Lord, For wretched, dying men: His hand has writ the sacred word With an immortal pen.

4 Engraved as in eternal brass The mighty promise shines; Nor can the powers of darkness rase Those everlasting lines.

5 He that can dash whole worlds to death, And make them when He please;

He speaks, and that almighty breath Fulfils His great decrees.

6 His very word of grace is strong As that which built the skies; The voice that rolls the stars along Speaks all the promises.

7 Oh, might I hear Thine heavenly tongue But whisper, "Thou art mine!"

Those gentle words should raise my song To notes almost divine.

8 How would my leaping heart rejoice, And think my heaven secure!

I trust the all-creating voice, And faith desires no more.

Isaac Watts, 1709

193 Faithful and Unchanging.

1 HOW oft have sin and Satan strove To rend my soul from Thee, my God! But everlasting is Thy love, And Jesus seals it with His blood.

2 The oath and promise of the Lord Join to confirm the wond'rous grace;

Eternal power performs the word, And fills all heaven with endless praise.

3 Amidst temptations sharp and long, My soul to this dear refuge flies;

Hope is my anchor, firm and strong, While tempests blow and billows rise.

4 The gospel bears my spirit up; A faithful and unchanging God Lays the foundation for my hope In oaths, and promises, and blood.

Isaac Watts, 1790.

194

Condescension

1 UP to the Lord, that reigns on high, And views the nations from afar, Let everlasting praises fly, And tell how large His bounties are.

2 He that can shake the worlds He made, Or with His word, or with His rod, His goodness, how amazing great! And what a condescending God!

3 God, that must stoop to view the skies, And bow to see what angels do, Down to our earth He casts His eyes, And bends His footsteps downward too.

4 He overrules all mortal things, And manages our mean affairs; On humble souls the King of kings Bestows His counsels and His cares.

5 Our sorrows and our tears we pour Into the bosom of our God;

He hears us in the mournful hour, And helps us bear the heavy load.

6 Oh, could our thankful hearts devise A tribute equal to Thy grace, To the third heaven our songs should rise, And teach the golden harps Thy praise.

Isaac Watts, 1790.

195

Condescension

1 MY God, how wonderful thou art, Thy majesty how bright, How beautiful Thy mercy-seat, In depths of burning light!

2 Oh, how I fear Thee, living God, With deepest, tenderest fears, And worship Thee with trembling hope, And penitential tears.

3 Yet I may love Thee too, O Lord, Almighty as Thou art, For Thou hast stoop'd to ask of me The love of my poor heart.

4 No earthly father loves like Thee, Or mother, half so mild, Bears and forbears, as Thou hast done With me Thy sinful child.

5 Father of Jesus, love's reward, What raptures will it be, Prostrate before Thy throne to lie, And ever gaze on Thee!

Frederick William Faber, 1852.

196

Loving-kindness

1 A WAKE, my soul, in joyful lays, And sing thy great Redeemer's praise He justly claims a song from me, His loving-kindness, on, how free!

2 He saw me ruin'd in the fall, Yet loved me, notwithstanding all;e saved me from my lost estate, His loving-kindness, oh, how great!

3 Though numerous hosts of mighty foes, Though earth and hell my way oppose, He safely leads my soul along, His loving-kindness, oh, how strong!

4 When trouble, like a gloomy cloud, Has gather'd thick and thunder'd loud, He near my soul has always stood, His loving-kindness, oh, how good!

5 Often I feel my sinful heart Prone from my Jesus to depart; But though I have Him oft forgot, His loving-kindness changes not.

6 Soon shall I pass the gloomy vale, Soon all my mortal powers must fail;

Oh may my last expiring breath His loving-kindness sing in death!

7 Then let me mount and soar away To the bright world of endless day; And sing with rapture and surprise, His loving-kindness in the skies.

Samuel Medley, 1787

197

Wisdom and Love

1 GOD is love, His mercy brightens All the path in which we rove:

Bliss He wakes, and woe He lightens;

God is wisdom, God is love.

2 Chance and change are busy ever, Man decays, and ages move; But His mercy waneth never;

God is wisdom, God is love.

3 E'en the hour that darkest seemeth Will His changeless goodness prove; From the mist His brightness streameth, God is wisdom, God is love.

4 He with earthly cares entwineth Hope and comfort from above;

Everywhere His glory shineth;

God is wisdom, God is love.

John Bowring, 1825.

198 All-sufficient in Grace

1 MY God!—how cheerful is the sound!

How pleasant to repeat!

Well may that heart with pleasure bound, Where God hath fix'd His seat.

2 What want shall not our God supply From His redundant stores?

What streams of mercy from on high An arm almighty pours!

3 From Christ the ever-living spring, These ample blessings flow:

Prepare, my lips, His name to sing, Whose heart has loved us so.

4 Now to our Father and our God Be endless glory given, Through all the realms of man's abode, And through the highest heaven.

Philip Doddridge, 1755.

199

Goodness of God

1 YE humble souls, approach your God With songs of sacred praise, For He is good, immensely good, And kind are all His ways.

2 All nature owns His guardian care, In Him we live and move; But nobler benefits declare The wonders of His love.

3 He gave His Son, His only Son, To ransom rebel worms;

'Tis here He makes His goodness known In its diviner forms.

4 To this dear refuge, Lord, we come;

'Tis here our hope relies: A safe defence, a peaceful home, When storms of trouble rise.

5 Thine eye beholds with kind regard The soul that trusts in Thee; Their humble hope Thou wilt reward With bliss divinely free.

6 Great God, to Thy almighty love, What honours shall we raise? Not all the raptured songs above Can render equal praise.

Anne Steele, 1760

200 Goodness and Kindness

1 GIVE thanks to God, He reigns above:

Kind are His thoughts, His name is love, His mercy ages past have known, And ages long to come shall own.

2 Let the redeemed of the Lord The wonders of His grace record;

How great His works! how kind His ways!

Let every tongue pronounce His praise.

Isaac Watts, 1719.

201 The Mercy of God

1 THY mercy, my God, is the theme of my song, The joy of my heart, and the boast of my tongue;

Thy free grace alone, from the first to thelast, Hath won my affections, and bound my soul fast.

2 Without Thy sweet mercy, I could not live here, Sin soon would reduce me to utter despair; But through Thy free goodness my spirits revive, And He that first made me still keeps me alive.

3 Thy mercy is more than a match for my heart, Which wonders to feel its own hardness depart;

Dissolved by Thy goodness, I fall to the ground, And weep to the praise of the mercy I've found.

4 The door of Thy mercy stands open all day, To the poor and the needy, who knock by the way; No sinner shall ever be empty sent back, Who comes seeking mercy for Jesus's sake.

5 Thy mercy in Jesus exempts me from hell; Its glories I'll sing, and its wonders I'll tell;

'Twas Jesus, my friend, when He hung on the tree, That open'd the channel of mercy for me.

6 Great Father of mercies! Thy goodness I own, And the covenant love of Thy crucified Son;

All praise to the Spirit, whose whisper divine Seals mercy, and pardon, and righteousness mine!

John Stocker, 1776, a.

202 A Pardoning God

1 GREAT God of wonders! all Thy ways Are matchless, God-like, and divine; But the fair glories of Thy grace More God-like and unrivall'd shine: Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?

2 Crimes of such horror to forgive, Such guilty, daring worms to spare; This is Thy grand prerogative, And none shall in the honour share: Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?

3 In wonder lost, with trembling joy We take the pardon of our God;

Pardon for crimes of deepest dye; A pardon bought with Jesus' blood: Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?

4 Oh may this strange, this matchless grace This God-like miracle of love, Fill the wide earth with grateful praise, And all th' angelic choirs above: Who is a pardoning God like Thee? Or who has grace so rich and free?

President Davies, 1769.