1 THY ways, O Lord, with wise design,
Are framed upon thy throne above,
And every dark or bending line
Meets in the centre of thy love.
2 With feeble light, and half obscure,
Poor mortals thine arrangements view,
Not knowing that the least are sure,
And the mysterious just and true.
3 Thy flock, thine 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 favored 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.
1 GREAT God of providence! thy ways Are hid from mortal sightWrapt in impenetrable shades,
Or clothed with dazzling light.
2 The wondrous methods of thy grace
Evade the human eye;
The nearer we attempt t' approach
The farther off they fly.
3 But in the world of bliss above,
Where thou dost ever reign,
These myst'ries shall be all unveiled,
And not a doubt remain.
4 The Sun of righteousness shall there
His brightest beams display,
And not a hovering cloud obscure
That never-ending day.
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.
Providence Kind and Sure.
1 THROUGH all the various passing scene
Of life's mistaken ill or good,
Thy hand, O God! conducts unseen
The beautiful vicissitude.
2 Thou givest, with paternal care,
Howe'er unjustly we complain,
To each their necessary share
Of joy and sorrow, health and pain.
3 When lowest sunk with grief and shame.
Filled with affliction's bitter cup,
Lost to relations, friends, and fame,
Thy powerful hand can raise us up.
4 Thy powerful consolations cheer,
Thy smiles suppress the deep-fetched sigh,
Thy hand can dry the trickling tear
That silent dims the widow's eye.
5 All things on earth, and all in heaven,
On thy eternal will depend;
And all for greater good were given,
And all shall in thy glory end.
6 This be my care to all beside
Indifferent let my wishes be,-
Passion be calm, and dumb be pride,
And fixed, O God, my soul on thee.'
1 THY way, O God! is in the sea;
Thy paths I cannot trace,
Nor comprehend the mystery
Of thy unbounded grace.
2 Here the dark vails of flesh and sense My captive soul surround; Mysterious deeps of providence
My wandering thoughts confound.
3 When I behold thy awful hand
My earthly hopes destroy,
In deep astonishment I stand,
And ask the reason why.
4 As through a glass, I dimly see
The wonders of thy love:
How little do I know of thee,
Or of the joys above!
5 'Tis but in part I know thy will:
I bless thee for the sight.
When will thy love the rest reveal
In glory's clearer light?
6 With rapture shall I then survey
Thy providence and grace,
And spend an everlasting day
In wonder, love, and praise.
Providence and Grace Unsearchable.
1 ALMIGHTY God, thy wondrous works
Of providence and grace,
An angel's perfect mind exceed,
And all our pride abase.
2 Stupendous heights! amazing depths!
Creatures in vain explore;
Or if a transient glimpse we gain,
'Tis faint, and quickly o'er.
3 Though all the mysteries lie concealed
Beyond what we can see,
Grant us the knowledge of ourselves,
The knowledge, Lord, of thee.
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 Thick darkness round his throne he draws;
His work performs-conceals the cause;
But though his methods are unknown,
Judgment and truth support his throne.
3 In heaven, and earth, and air, and seas,
He executes his firm decrees ;
And age to age has still confessed
That what he does is ever best.
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