The Covenant

227 The Covenant

1 WITH David's Lord, and ours, A covenant once was made, Whose bonds are firm and sure, Whose glories ne'er shall fade;

Sign'd by the sacred Three in One, In mutual love ere time begun.

2 Firm as the lasting hills, This covenant shall endure, Whose potent shalls and wills Make every blessing sure: When ruin shakes all nature's frame, Its jots and tittles stand the same.

3 Here, when thy feet shall fall, Believer, thou shalt see Grace to restore thy soul, And pardon, full and free;

Thee with delight shall God behold A sheep restored to Zion's fold.

4 And when through Jordan's flood Thy God shall bid thee go, His arm shall thee defend, And vanquish every foe; And in this covenant thou shalt view Sufficient strength to bear thee through.

John Kent, 1803, a.

227 An everlasting Covenant

1 MY God, the covenant of Thy love Abides for ever sure; And in its matchless grace I feel My happiness secure.

2 What though my house be not with Thee As nature could desire! To nobler joys than nature gives Thy servants all aspire.

3 Since Thou, the everlasting God, My Father art become;

Jesus, ray guardian and my friend, And heaven my final home.

4 I welcome all Thy sovereign will, For all that will is love; And when I know not what Thou dost, I'll wait the light above.

5 Thy covenant the last accent claims Of this poor faltering tongue; And that shall the first notes employ Of my celestial song.

Philip Doddridge, 1755.

227 The Covenant God extolled

1 THE God of Abraham praise Who reigns enthroned above, Ancient of everlasting days, And God of love!

Jehovah, great I AM! By earth and heaven confest;

I bow, and bless the sacred name, For ever blest!

2 The God of Abraham praise, At whose supreme command, From earth I rise, and seek the joys At His right hand:

I all on earth forsake, Its wisdom, fame, and power; And Him my only portion make, My shield and tower.

3 The God of Abraham praise, Whose all-sufficient grace Shall guide me all my happy days In all His ways:

He calls a worm His friend, He calls Himself my God! And He shall save me to the end, Through Jesus' blood.

4 He by Himself hath sworn, I on His oath depend;

I shall, on eagles' wings upborne, To heaven ascend:

I shall behold His face, I shall His power adore, And sing the wonders of His grace For evermore.

Part The Second

5 Though nature's strength decay, And earth and hell withstand, To Canaan's bounds I urge my way At His command: The watery deep I pass With Jesus in my view, And through the howling wilderness My way pursue.

6 The goodly land I see, With peace and plenty blest; A land of sacred liberty, And endless rest:

There milk and honey flow, And oil and wine abound, And trees of life for ever grow, With mercy crown'd.

7 There dwells the Lord our King, The Lord our righteousness!

Triumphant o'er the world and sin, The Prince of Peace. On Sion's sacred height, His kingdom still maintains; And glorious with His saints in light, For ever reigns.

8 The whole triumphant host Give thanks to God on high, "Hail Father, Son, and Holy Ghost!"

They ever cry:

Hail, Abraham's God, and mine!

I join the heavenly lays;

All might and majesty are Thine, And endless praise.

Thomas Olivers, 1771