The Lord, how wondrous are His ways!
How firm His truth! how large His grace!
He takes His mercy for His throne,
And thence He makes His glories known.

Not half so high His power hath spread
The starry heav’ns above our head,
As His rich love exceeds our praise,
Exceeds the highest hopes we raise.

Not half so far hath nature placed
The rising morning from the west,
As His forgiving grace removes
The daily guilt of those He loves.

How slowly doth His wrath arise!
On swifter wings salvation flies;
And if He lets His anger burn,
How soon His frowns to pity turn.

Amidst His wrath compassion shines;
His strokes are lighter than our sins;
And while His rod corrects His saints,
His ear indulges their complaints.

So fathers their young sons chastise
With gentle hand and melting eyes;
The children weep beneath the smart,
And move the pity of their heart.

The mighty God, the wise and just,
Knows that our frame is feeble dust;
And will no heavy loads impose
Beyond the strength that He bestows.

He knows how soon our nature dies,
Blasted by every wind that flies;
Like grass we spring, and die as soon,
Or morning flowers that fade at noon.

But His eternal love is sure
To all the saints, and shall endure;
From age to age His truth shall reign,
Nor children’s children hope in vain.

When silent falls the gushing tear,
O’er cheeks grown pale with care;
And on the heart a cross is laid
That seems too hard to bear,
Remember what our Lord has said,
And trust, in weal or woe,
His holy Word, that changeth not,
Though uttered years ago.

Refrain

“Like as a father pitieth His children,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him,
So the Lord pitieth them that fear Him.”

When one by one our treasured hopes
Like autumn leaves decay,
And they who made our life most dear
Are borne from us away,
O look beyond the veil of time,
Where springs of comfort flow,
And trust His Word, that changeth not,
Though uttered years ago.

Refrain

The clouds that bode the darkest hour
The purest light may bring;
The heart that mourns its broken chords
The sweetest song may sing;
Though oft a rugged path we tread,
Yet this one thing we know,
God’s holy Word can never change,
Though uttered years ago.

Refrain

The tender love a father has
For all his children dear,
Such love the Lord bestows on them
Who worship Him in fear.

The Lord remembers we are dust,
And all our frailty knows;
Man’s days are like the tender grass,
And as the flower he grows.

The flower is withered by the wind
That smites with blighting breath;
So man is quickly swept away
Before the blast of death.

Unchanging is the love of God,
From age to age the same,
Displayed to all who do His will
And reverence His Name.

Those who His gracious cov’nant keep
The Lord will ever bless;
Their children’s children shall rejoice
To see His righteousness.

Mindful of our human frailty
Is the God in Whom we trust;
He Whose years are everlasting,
He remembers we are dust.

Man is like the tender flower,
And his days are like the grass,
Withered where it lately flourished
By the blighting winds that pass.

Changeless is Jehovah’s mercy
Unto those who fear His Name,
From eternity abiding
To eternity the same.

All the faithful to His covenant
Shall behold His righteousness;
He will be their strength and refuge
And their children’s children bless.

Make haste, O man, to live,
For thou so soon must die;
Time hurries past thee like the breeze;
How swift its moments fly!

To breathe, and wake, and sleep,
To smile, to sigh, to grieve;
To move in idleness through earth,
This, this is not to live!

Up, then, with speed, and work;
Fling ease and self away;
This is no time for thee to sleep,
Up, watch, and work, and pray!

The useful, not the great,
The thing that never dies,
The silent toil that is not lost—
Set these before thine eyes.

The seed, whose leaf and flower,
Though poor in human sight,
Bring forth at last th’eternal fruit,
Sow thou by day and night.

Make haste, O man, to live,
Thy time is almost o’er;
O sleep not, dream not, but arise,
The Judge is at the door!

The moon shines bright and the stars give a light
A little before the day:
Our mighty Lord He looked on us,
And bade us awake and pray.

Awake, awake, good people all,
Awake, and you shall hear,
The Lord our God died on the cross
For us He loved so dear.

O fair, O fair Jerusalem,
When shall I come to thee?
When shall my sorrows have an end,
Thy joy that I may see?

The fields were green as green could be,
When from His glorious seat,
Our blessèd Father watered us,
With His heavenly dew so sweet.

And for the saving of our souls
Christ died upon the cross;
We ne’er shall do for Jesus Christ
As He hath done for us.

The life of man is but a span,
And cut down in its flower,
We’re here today, tomorrow gone,
The creatures of an hour.

Instruct and teach your children well,
The while that you are here;
It will be better for your soul,
When your corpse lies on the bier.

Today you may be alive and well,
Worth many a thousand pound;
Tomorrow dead and cold as clay,
Your corpse laid underground.

With one turf at thine head, O man,
And another at thy feet;
Thy good deeds and thy bad, O man,
Will altogether meet.

My song is done, I must be gone,
I can stay no longer here;
God bless you all, both great and small,
And send you a joyful new year!

What sweet of life endureth
Unmixed with bitter pain?
’Midst earthly change and chances
What glory doth remain?

All is a feeble shadow,
A dream that will not stay;
Death cometh in a moment,
And taketh all away.

O Christ, a light transcendent
Shines in Thy countenance,
And none can tell the sweetness,
The beauty of Thy glance.

In this may Thy poor servant
His joy eternal find;
Thou calledst him, O rest him,
Thou Lover of mankind!

In the heav’ns the Lord Almighty
Fixed His everlasting throne;
Over all his His dominion,
He is God and He alone.

Bless the Lord, ye mighty angels,
Ye that hearken to His voice,
All His gracious word fulfilling,
Ever bless Him and rejoice.

Bless the Lord, all ye His servants,
Ministers of God Most High;
Ye His hosts, that do His pleasure,
God your Maker glorify.

Bless the Lord, all things created;
Be His holy Name adored
All throughout His wide dominion;
O my soul, bless thou the Lord.

Ye servants of God, your Master proclaim,
And publish abroad His wonderful Name;
The Name all victorious of Jesus extol,
His kingdom is glorious and rules over all.

The waves of the sea have lift up their voice,
Sore troubled that we in Jesus rejoice;
The floods they are roaring, but Jesus is here;
While we are adoring, He always is near.

When devils engage, the billows arise,
And horribly rage, and threaten the skies:
Their fury shall never our steadfastness shock,
The weakest believer is built on a rock.

God ruleth on high, almighty to save,
And still He is nigh, His presence we have;
The great congregation His triumph shall sing,
Ascribing salvation to Jesus, our King.

“Salvation to God, who sits on the throne!”
Let all cry aloud and honor the Son;
The praises of Jesus the angels proclaim,
Fall down on their faces and worship the Lamb.

Then let us adore and give Him His right,
All glory and power, all wisdom and might;
All honor and blessing with angels above,
And thanks never ceasing and infinite love.