Acts of God

203 He is worthy to be praised

1 SONGS of praise the angels sang, Heaven with hallelujahs rang, When Jehovah's work begun, When He spake, and it was done.

2 Songs of praise awoke the morn, When the Prince of Peace was born:

Songs of praise arose when He Captive led captivity.

3 Heaven and earth must pass away;

Songs of praise shall crown that day:

God will make new heavens and earth;

Songs of praise shall hail their birth.

4 And shall man alone be dumb Till that glorious kingdom come?

No; the church delights to raise Psalms and hymns, and songs of praise

5 Saints below, with heart and voice, Still in songs of praise rejoice;

Learning here, by faith and love, Songs of praise to sing above.

6 Borne upon their latest breath, Songs of praise shall conquer death;

Then, amidst eternal joy, Songs of praise their powers employ.

James Montgomery, 1819

204 "Thou hast created all things."

1 PRAISE to Thee, Thou great Creator!

Praise be Thine from every tongue;

Join, my soul, with every creature, Join the universal song.

2 Father! Source of all compassion!

Pure, unbounded grace is Thine:

Hail the God of our salvation!

Praise Him for His love divine.

3 For ten thousand blessings given, For the hope of future joy, Sound His praise through earth and heaven, Sound Jehovah's praise on high.

4 Joyfully on earth adore Him, Till in heaven our song we raise;

There, enraptured fall before Him, Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

John Fawcett, 1782, a.

205 "He that built all things is God”

1 I SING the almighty power of God That made the mountains rise; That spread the flowing seas abroad, And built the lofty skies.

2 I sing the wisdom that ordain'd The sun to rule the day; The moon shines full at His command, And all the stars obey.

3 I sing the goodness of the Lord, That fill'd the earth with food;

He form'd the creatures with His word, And then pronounced them good.

4 There's not a plant or flower below, But makes Thy glories known; And clouds arise, and tempests blow, By order from Thy throne.

5 Creatures, as numerous as they be, Are subject to Thy care;

There's not a place where we can flee But God is present there.

6 In heaven He shines with beams of love, With wrath in hell beneath;

'Tis on His earth I stand or move, And 'tis His air I breathe.

7 His hand is my perpetual guard, He guides me with His eye:

Why should I then forget the Lord, Who is for ever nigh?

Isaac Watts, 1715.

206 Creating and Creating New 1 LET them neglect Thy glory, Lord, Who never knew Thy grace; But our loud songs shall still record The wonders of Thy praise.

2 We raise our shouts, O God, to Thee, And send them to Thy throne;

All glory to the united Three— The undivided One.

3 'Twas He, and we'll adore His name, That form'd us by a word;

'Tis He restores our ruin'd frame:

Salvation to the Lord!

4 Hosanna! let the earth and skies Repeat the joyful sound;

Rocks, hills, and vales reflect the voice In one eternal round.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

207 Divine Predestination 1 KEEP silence, all created things, And wait your Maker's nod; My soul stands trembling while she sings The honours of her God.

2 Life, death, and hell, and worlds unknown, Hang on His firm decree;

He sits on no precarious throne, Nor borrows leave to be.

3 Chain'd to His throne a volume lies, With all the fates of men, With every angel's form and size Drawn by th' eternal pen.

4 His providence unfolds the book, And makes His counsels shine;

Each opening leaf, and every stroke Fulfils some deep design.

5 Here He exalts neglected worms To sceptres and a crown;

Anon the following page He turns, And treads the monarch down.

6 Not Gabriel asks the reason why, Nor God the reason gives; Nor dares the favourite angel pry Between the folded leaves.

7 My God, I would not long to see My fate with curious eyes, What gloomy lines are writ for me, Or what bright scenes may rise.

8 In Thy fair book of life and grace May I but find my name, Recorded in some humble place Beneath my Lord the Lamb!

Isaac Watts, 1709.

208 All our Ways appointed 1 SOVEREIGN Ruler of the skies!

Ever gracious, ever wise!

All my times are in Thy hand, All events at Thy command.

2 His decree, who form'd the earth, Fix'd my first and second birth;

Parents, native place, and time—

All appointed were by Him.

3 He that form'd me in the womb, He shall guide me to the tomb;

All my times shall ever be Order'd by His wise decree.

4 Times of sickness, times of health;

Times of penury and wealth;

Times of trial and of grief;

Times of triumph and relief;

5 Times the tempter's power to prove;

Times to taste a Saviour's love:

All must come, and last, and end, As shall please my heavenly Friend.

6 Plagues and deaths around me fly, Till He bids I cannot die: Not a single shaft can hit Till the God of love thinks fit.

7 O Thou Gracious, Wise, and Just, In Thy hands my life I trust: Have I somewhat dearer still?

I resign it to Thy will.

8 May I always own Thy hand Still to the surrender stand;

Know that Thou art God alone, I and mine are all Thine own.

9 Thee, at all times, will I bless;

Having Thee, I all possess;

How can I bereaved be, Since I cannot part with Thee?

John Ryland, 1777

209 Providence wise and good 1 THY ways, O Lord! with wise design, Are framed upon Thy throne above, And every dark and bending line Meets in the centre of Thy love.

2 With feeble light and half obscure, Poor mortals Thy arrangements view; Not knowing that the least are sure, And the mysterious just and true.

3 Thy flock, Thy own peculiar care, Though now they seem to roam uneyed, Are led or driven only where They best and safest may abide.

4 They neither know nor trace the way;

But, trusting to Thy piercing eye, None of their feet to ruin stray, Nor shall the weakest fail or die.

5 My favour'd soul shall meekly learn To lay her reason at Thy throne;

Too weak Thy secrets to discern, I'll trust Thee for my guide alone.

Ambrose Serle, 1787, a.

210 God's Counsels wise and just 1 WAIT, O my soul, Thy Maker's will:

Tumultuous passions, all be still; Nor let a murmuring thought arise: His ways are just, His counsels wise.

2 He in the thickest darkness dwells, Performs His work, the cause conceals;

And, though His footsteps are unknown, Judgment and truth support His throne.

3 In heaven and earth, in air and seas, He executes His wise decrees: And by His saints it stands confest, That what He does is ever best.

4 Wait, then, my soul, submissive wait, With reverence bow before His seat; And midst the terrors of His rod, Trust in a wise and gracious God.

Benjamin Beddome, 1818.

211 Providence mysterious 1 GOD moves in a mysterious way His wonders to perform;

He plants His footsteps in the sea, And rides upon the storm.

2 Deep in unfathomable mines Of never-failing skill, He treasures up His bright designs, And works His sovereign will.

3 Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take, The clouds ye so much dread Are big with mercy, and shall break In blessings on your head.

4 Judge not the Lord by feeble sense, But trust Him for His grace;

Behind a frowning providence He hides a smiling face.

5 His purposes will ripen fast, Unfolding every hour; The bud may have a bitter taste, But sweet will be the flower.

6 Blind unbelief is sure to err, And scan His work in vain:

God is His own interpreter, And He will make it plain.

William Cowper, 1774.

212 Providence to be trusted 1 LORD, we adore Thy vast designs, The obscure abyss of Providence, Too deep to sound with mortal lines, Too dark to view with feeble sense.

2 Now Thou arrayest Thine awful face In angry frowns, without a smile;

We, through the cloud, believe Thy grace, Secure of Thy compassion still.

3 Through seas and storms of deep distress We sail by faith, and not by sight;

Faith guides us in the wilderness Through all the briars and the night.

4 Dear Father, if Thy lifted rod Resolve to scourge us here below, Still we must lean upon our God, Thine arm shall bear us safely through.

Isaac Watts, 1709.

213 How unsearchable are Thy Judgments 1 LORD, my weak thought in vain would climb To search the starry vault profound; In vain would wing her flight sublime, To find creation's utmost bound.

2 But weaker yet that thought must prove To search Thy great eternal plan, Thy sovereign counsels, born of love, Long ages ere the world began.

3 When my dim reason would demand Why that, or this, Thou dost ordain, By some vast deep I seem to stand, Whose secrets I must ask in vain.

4 When doubts disturb my troubled breast, And all is dark as night to me, Here, as on solid rock I rest; That so it seemeth good to Thee.

5 Be this my joy, that evermore Thou rulest all things at Thy will:

Thy sovereign wisdom I adore, And calmly, sweetly, trust Thee still.

Ray Palmer, 1858.

214 Gratitude for Providence

1 WHEN all Thy mercies, O my God, My rising soul surveys, Transported with the view, I'm lost In wonder, love, and praise.

2 Oh how shall words, with equal warmth, The gratitude declare That glows within my ravish'd heart! But Thou canst read it there.

3 To all my weak complaints and cries Thy mercy lent an ear, Ere yet my feeble thoughts had learnt To form themselves in prayer.

4 When in the slippery paths of youth With heedless steps I ran, Thine arm unseen convey'd me safe, And led me up to man.

5 Through hidden dangers, toils, and deaths, It gently clear'd my way: And through the pleasing snares of vice, More to be fear'd than they.

6 When worn with sickness, oft hast Thou With health renew'd my face; And when in sins and sorrow sunk, Revived my soul with grace.

7 Through every period of my life Thy goodness I'll pursue; And after death, in distant worlds, The glorious theme renew.

8 When nature fails, and day and night Divide Thy works no more, My ever grateful heart, O Lord!

Thy mercy shall adore.

9 Through all eternity to Thee A joyful song I'll raise; But oh! eternity's too short To utter all Thy praise.

Joseph Addison, 1712

215 The God of Bethel

1 O GOD of Bethel, by whose hand Thy people still are fed; Who through this weary pilgrimage Hast all our fathers led.

2 Our vows, our prayers, we now present Before Thy throne of grace;

God of our fathers, be the God Of their succeeding race.

3 Through each perplexing path of life Our wandering footsteps guide:

Give us, each day, our daily bread, And raiment fit provide.

4 Oh spread Thy covering wings around, Till all our wanderings cease. And at our Father's loved abode, Our souls arrive in peace.

5 Such blessings from Thy gracious hand Our humble prayers implore; And Thou shalt be our chosen God, And portion evermore.

Philip Doddridge, 1755, a.

216 Goodness of God in Providence

1 SINCE all the downward tracks of time God's watchful eye surveys, Oh! who so wise to choose our lot, And regulate our ways?

2 Good, when He gives, supremely good! Nor less when He denies:

E'en crosses from His sovereign hand Are blessings in disguise.

3 Since none can doubt His equal love, Immeasurably kind, To His unerring, gracious will Be every wish resign'd.

James Hervey, 1745, a

217 "He careth for you."

1 OH, why despond in life's dark vale?

Why sink to fears a prey?

Th' almighty power can never fail, His love can ne'er decay.

2 Behold the birds that wing the air, Nor sow nor reap the grain;

Yet God, with all a Father's care, Relieves when they complain.

3 Behold the lilies of the field, They toil nor labour know;

Yet royal robes to theirs must yield, In beauty's richest glow.

4 That God who hears the raven's cry, Who decks the lily's form, Will surely all your wants supply, And shield you in the storm.

5 Seek first His kingdom's grace to share, Its righteousness pursue; And all that needs your earthly care Will be bestow'd on you.

6 Why then despond in life's dark vale?

Why sink to fears a prey?

Th' almighty power can never fail, His love can ne'er decay.

Sabbath Hymn Book, 1858