Hymns for Christian Devotion Part 17

1 Ere mountains reared their forms sublime, Or heaven and earth in order stood, Before the birth of ancient time, From everlasting thou art G.o.d.

2 A thousand ages, in their flight, With thee are as a fleeting day; Past, present, future, to thy sight At once their various scenes display.

3 But our brief life's a shadowy dream, A pa.s.sing thought, that soon is o'er, That fades with morning's earliest beam, And fills the musing mind no more.

4 To us, O Lord, the wisdom give, Each pa.s.sing moment so to spend, That we at length with thee may live Where life and bliss shall never end.

108. C. M. 6l. Conder.

Where is G.o.d?

1 Beyond, beyond that boundless sea, Above that dome of sky, Farther than thought itself can flee, Thy dwelling is on high; Yet dear the awful thought to me, That thou, my G.o.d, art nigh.

2 We hear thy voice when thunders roll Through the wide fields of air; The waves obey thy dread control: Yet still thou art not there.

Where shall I find Him, O my soul, Who yet is everywhere?

3 O, not in circling depth, or height, But in the conscious breast, Present to faith, though veiled from sight, There does his spirit rest.

O come, thou Presence Infinite, And make thy creatures blest.

109. L. M. Watts.

The all-seeing G.o.d.

1 Lord, thou hast searched and seen me through; Thine eye commands, with piercing view, My rising and my resting hours, My heart and flesh, with all their powers.

2 Within thy circling power I stand; On every side I find thy hand: Awake, asleep, at home, abroad, I am surrounded still with G.o.d.

3 Amazing knowledge, vast and great!

What large extent! what lofty height!

My soul, with all the powers I boast, Is in the boundless prospect lost.

4 O may these thoughts possess my breast Where'er I rove, where'er I rest!

Nor let my weaker pa.s.sions dare Consent to sin; for G.o.d is there.

110. L. M. 6l. Montgomery.

G.o.d Good and Omniscient.

1 How precious are thy thoughts of peace, O G.o.d! to me,--how great the sum!

New every morn, they never cease; They were, they are, and yet shall come, In number and in compa.s.s more Than ocean's sand, or ocean's sh.o.r.e.

2 Search me, O G.o.d! and know my heart, Try me, my secret soul survey; And warn thy servant to depart From every false and evil way: So shall thy truth my guidance be, In life and immortality.

111. L. M. Blacklock.

Omniscience and Omnipresence.

1 Father of all, omniscient Mind, Thy wisdom who can comprehend?

Its highest point what eye can find, Or to its lowest depths descend?

2 If up to heaven's ethereal height, Thy prospect to elude, I rise, In splendor there supremely bright, Thy presence shall my sight surprise.

3 Thee, mighty G.o.d, my wondering soul, Thee, all her conscious powers adore, Whose being circ.u.mscribes the whole, Whose eyes the universe explore.

4 Thine essence fills this breathing frame; It glows in every vital part, Lights up our souls with livelier flame, And feeds with life each beating heart.

5 To thee, from whom our being came, Whose smile is all the heaven we know, Inspired with this exalted theme, To thee our grateful strains shall flow.

112. C. M. Watts.

Infinity of G.o.d.

1 Great G.o.d, how infinite art thou!

How weak and frail are we!

Let the whole race of creatures bow, And homage pay to thee.

2 Thy throne eternal ages stood, Ere earth or heaven was made; Thou art the ever-living G.o.d, Were all the nations dead.

3 Eternity, with all its years, Stands present in thy view; To thee there's nothing old appears, Great G.o.d, there's nothing new.

4 Our lives through varying scenes are drawn, And vexed with trifling cares, While thine eternal thought moves on Thine undisturbed affairs.

113. S. P. M. Watts.