And bathes in dew the opening flower,
To thee we owe her fragrant hour;
And when she pours her choral song,
Her melodies to thee belong.

2 Or when, in paler tints arrayed,

The evening slowly spreads her shade,
That soothing shade, that grateful gloom,
Can, more than day's enlivening bloom,
Still every fond and vain desire,
And calmer, purer thoughts inspire;
From earth the pensive spirit free,
And lead the softened heart to thee.

3 In every scene thy hands have dressed,
In every form by thee impressed,
Upon the mountain's awful head,
Or where the sheltering woods are spread,
In every note that swells the gale,
Or tuneful stream that cheers the vale,
The cavern's depth, or echoing grove,
A voice is heard of praise and love.

4 As o'er thy work the seasons roll,
And soothe, with change of bliss, the soul,
O, never may their smiling train

Pass o'er the human sense in vain!
But oft, as on their charms we gaze,
Attune the wandering soul to praise;
And be the joys that most we prize
The joys that from thy favor rise!

39

44

C. M.

God the Creator.

GROVE.

1 O LORD, how excellent thy name!
How glorious to behold,
Engraven fair on all thy works,
In characters of gold!

2 On heaven's immeasurable face,
In lines immensely great

In small, on every leaf and flower
Creator God is writ.

3 Though reason be not given to all,
Nor voice to thee, O sun,
Their Maker all proclaim, and here
Their language is but one.

4 From land to land, from world to world,
Thy fame is echoed round;
And ages, as they pass, transmit
The never-dying sound.

5 0, let us all give praise to God,
And magnify his name;

The wonders of his power and love
Let the whole world proclaim!

45

C. M.

SCOTCH PARAphrases.

Creation.

1 LET heaven arise, let earth appear,
Said the Almighty Lord;

The heaven arose, the earth appeared,
At his creating word.

2 Thick darkness brooded o'er the deep;
God said, "Let there be light;"
The light shone forth with smiling ray,
And scattered ancient night.

3 He bade the clouds ascend on high;
The clouds ascend, and bear
A watery treasure to the sky,
And float upon the air.

4 The liquid element below

Was gathered by his hand;
The rolling seas together flow,
And leave the solid land.

5 With herbs, and plants, and fruitful trees, The new-formed globe he crowned,

Ere there was rain to bless the soil,
Or sun to warm the ground.

6 Then, high in heaven's resplendent arch
He placed two orbs of light;
He set the sun to rule the day,

The moon to rule the night.

7 Next, from the deep the Almighty King
Did vital beings frame;
Fowls of the air of every wing,
And fish of every name.

8 To all the various brutal tribes
He gave their wondrous birth;
At once the lion and the worm
Sprung from the teeming earth.

9 Then, chief o'er all his works below,
At last was Adam made;

His Maker's image blessed his soul,
And glory crowned his head.

10 Fair in the Almighty Maker's eye
The whole creation stood;

He viewed the fabric he had raised;
His word pronounced it good.

46

C. M.

Praise for Creation and Providence.

WATTS.

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 ordained
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 filled the earth with food;
He formed the creatures with his word,
And then pronounced them good.

4 Lord, how thy wonders are displayed,
Where'er I turn my eye,

If I survey the ground I tread,
Or gaze upon the sky!

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

6 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.

7 His hand is my perpetual guard ;
He keeps me with his eye:

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

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L. M.

The Creator and Creatures.

WATTS.

1 FROM thy Great Self thy being springs; Thou art thy own original,

Made up of uncreated things,

And self-sufficience bears them all.

2 Thy voice produced the seas and spheres, Bid the waves roar and planets shine; But nothing like thyself appears

Through all these spacious works of thine.

3 Still restless nature dies and grows;

From change to change the creatures run;
Thy being no succession knows,
And all thy vast designs are one.

4 Who can behold the blazing light?
Who can approach consuming flame?
None but thy wisdom knows thy might,
None but thy word can speak thy name.

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L. M.

WATTS.

Creation, Dissolution, and Restoration of the World. 1 SING to the Lord that built the skies, The Lord that reared this stately frame; Let all the nations sound his praise,

And lands unknown repeat his name.