Hymns for Christian Devotion Part 141

854. H. M. J. Taylor.

Providence acknowledged in the Seasons.

1 Rejoice! the Lord is King: Your Lord and King adore; Mortals! give thanks and sing, And triumph evermore: Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice; Rejoice, in sacred lays rejoice.

2 His wintry north winds blow, Loud tempests rush amain; Yet his thick showers of snow Defend the infant grain: Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice; Rejoice, in sacred lays rejoice.

3 He wakes the genial spring, Perfumes the balmy air; The vales their tribute bring, The promise of the year: Lift up your hearts, lift up your voice Rejoice, in sacred lays rejoice.

4 He leads the circling year; His flocks the hills adorn; He fills the golden ear, And loads the field with corn; O happy mortals! raise your voice; Rejoice, in sacred lays rejoice.

855. 7s. M. Barbauld.

The Seasons.

1 Praise to G.o.d, immortal praise, For the love that crowns our days!

Bounteous Source of every joy, Let thy praise our tongues employ.

2 All that Spring, with bounteous hand, Scatters o'er the smiling land,-- All that liberal Autumn pours From her rich o'erflowing stores,--

3 These to that dear Source we owe Whence our sweetest comforts flow; These, through all my happy days, Claim my cheerful songs of praise.

4 Lord, to thee my soul should raise Grateful, never-ending praise, And, when every blessing's flown, Love thee for thyself alone.

856. L. M. Doddridge.

The Same.

1 Eternal Source of every joy!

Well may thy praise our lips employ, While in thy temple we appear, To hail thee Sovereign of the year.

2 Wide as the wheels of nature roll, Thy hand supports and guides the whole; By thee the sun is taught to rise, And darkness when to veil the skies.

3 The flowery spring, at thy command, Perfumes the air and paints the land; The summer suns with vigor s.h.i.+ne, To raise the corn and cheer the vine.

4 Thy hand, in autumn, richly pours Through all our coasts redundant stores; And winters, softened by thy care, No more the face of horror wear.

5 Seasons, and months, and weeks, and days, Demand successive songs of praise; And be the grateful homage paid, With morning light and evening shade.

857. L. M. Watts.

The Goodness of G.o.d in the Seasons. Ps. 65.

1 At G.o.d's command, the morning ray Smiles in the east, and leads the day; He guides the sun's declining wheels Over the tops of western hills.

2 Seasons and times obey his voice; The evening and the morn rejoice To see the earth made soft with showers, Laden with fruit, and dressed in flowers.

3 The desert grows a fruitful field; Abundant food the valleys yield; The valleys shout with cheerful voice, And neighboring hills repeat their joys.

4 Thy works p.r.o.nounce thy power divine; O'er every field thy glories s.h.i.+ne; Through every month thy gifts appear: Great G.o.d! thy goodness crowns the year.

858. C. M. Fergus.

The Promises of the Year.

1 The year begins with promises Of joyful days to come, Of Sabbath bells, of times of prayer, Of thoughts on heaven, our home:

2 Of seed-time, with its gentle winds, Soft dews and healthful showers, And streamlets gus.h.i.+ng from the hills, And birds and opening flowers:

3 Of summer, with its warbling choir Amid the balmy leaves; Of autumn, with its fragrant herbs And fruits and bending sheaves:

4 Of countless mercies from our G.o.d, Who rules the changeful years, Both here and in the world of love, Beyond the heavenly spheres.

859. S. M. Watts.

Blessings of Spring.

1 Good is the heavenly King, Who makes the earth his care, Visits the pastures every spring, And bids the gra.s.s appear.

2 Like rivers raised on high, The clouds, at thy command, Pour out their blessings from the sky, To cheer the thirsty land.

3 The hills, on every side, Rejoice at falling showers: The meadows, dressed in all their pride, Perfume the air with flowers.

4 The ridges drink their fill, And ranks of corn appear; Thy ways abound with blessings still, Thy goodness crowns the year.