Hymns and sacred lyrics

Front matter

THE LIBRARY

OF

LOS ANGELES

Contents

THE CHURCH i

I. SUNDAY 6

II. MONDAY 8

II. Monday

And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. — GEN. i. 6.

THE earth, in robes of light arrayed, Obedient to its Maker's will,

His voice had heard, and owned His sway;

The glories of the opening day

Had come, and gone, and passed away, — And all once more was still.

God spake again, — and o'er the deep His Word in majesty forth went,

While swifter than the lightning glance

Upon the wondering waves' advance,

A curtain o'er the vast expanse He stretched the firmament.

The heavens were as a scroll unrolled,

And shrinking at His dread command

The startled floods were cleft in twain,

With gathering clouds to fall in rain,

Or rolled upon the rolling main, By His Almighty Hand.

HYMNS ON THE CREATION.

Then sing, thou firmament on high,

Let floods below prolong the strain, Ye waters on the sleepless sea, Ye clouds that ride so gloriously, All join in praise of Him; and ye, Ye glittering drops of rain.

And Thou, by Whose Creative Power

The world's new-laid foundations o'er The wandering clouds were made to move, O send us, in Thy wondrous love, As fruitful showers on hill and grove, Thy grace for evermore.

HYMNS ON THE CREATION.

III. Tuesday

And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear : and it was so. — GEN. i. 9.

And clouds on streaming pinions borne,

Through trackless ways of worlds untold

The earth 'mid burnished waters rolled,

A fiery ball of liquid gold ; — The second day had gone.

God spake again, — His mighty Word O'er all the waters far and near

From east to west, from south to north,

In glorious majesty went forth —

" Ye floods, be gathered off the earth, And let dry land appear."

Then sea and land divided were,

And from the now upheaving shore

The waves, that had encircled all,

Swept backward as a living wall,

In never-ending chimes to fall, Till time shall be no more.

HYMNS ON THE CREATION. n

God spake, — and fresh with verdure clad

The earth arose exceeding fair, A virgin from the seething seas, With grassy banks and whispering trees, Which smiled with every passing breeze, And felt that God was there.

Then praise Him, O ye land and sea,

Each boundless plain, and pathless deep,

Let wave on wave their strain upraise

In cadence of unwearied praise,

Whilst trees pour forth their rustling lays, As breezes o'er them sweep.

And Thou Who mad'st the fruitful land Rise fresh with sea-born beauty rife, Make us, who all baptized have been, Rise cleansed in that pure fount from sin, Bear fruits of righteousness, and win Our rest in endless life.

HYMNS ON THE CREATION.

IV. Wednesday

And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night. — GEN. i. 14.

So grass and herb and fruitful tree,

Whose seed was in itself alone, Each perfect from the heavenly store, On hill and vale were scattered o'er, Where all was bleak and bare before ; God spake, and it was done.

Then in the firmament of heaven

He set, — dividing dark from light, — Two light-diffusing orbs, the one To rule the day, the glorious sun, The moon her monthly course to run As regent of the night.

For signs, and seasons, and for years, For interchanging night and day,

With stars the heavens were studded o'er,

Their light with sun and moon to pour

In liquid rays on sea and shore, Till earth shall pass away.

Then praise Him, O ye sun and moon, And ye, ye answering stars of night,

Ye seasons that in order move,

Praise Him, Who in His wondrous love

On all below and all above

Hath poured His gift of light.

And Thou, Great God, Who mad'st the sun

To shine o'er all created things, Hear now Thy suppliant children's cries, And grant that on their gladdened eyes The Sun of Righteousness may rise, With Healing in His wings.

V. Thursday

And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. — GEN. i. 20.

FOUR days had come and gone to rest, — The fifth arose with wonder blent,

For God had said, Let sea and sky

New life bring forth abundantly,

Whales, creeping things, and fowls that fly Amid the firmament.

And from the Great Creator's throne

A voice is heard, unheard before, " Ye fowls, increase on heath and hill, Ye fish, who know your Maker's will, Go forth — with swarming myriads fill The seas from shore to shore."

Then praise Him, all ye living things,

Great whales that track the pathless sea,

And ye, ye swarming myriads, bring

Your tribute to your Almighty King,

And every bird upon the wing Unite in harmony.

And ye, who God's own image bear,

Raise higher yet your joyous strain,

To Him Who came on earth to die,

And now in glory throned on High,

Has captive led captivity,

And gifts received for men.

VI. Friday

And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. — GEN. i. 26.

THE last great day of work had come, God spake again, — now let the earth

With joy her teeming brood forth-bring,

Beast, cattle, every creeping thing,

Whilst birds their happy welcome sing In carols at their birth.

So beast and cattle, creeping thing, Each perfect in their order stood,

And trod the yet untrodden strand,

Obedient to the High command,

Fresh from their Great Creator's hand, Who saw that all was good.

God spake, — and through the Heavenly spheres

A thrill of adoration ran, Now let Us in our image make, And from the sleeping dust awake, Ere yet the Sabbath morn shall break,

In Our own likeness — man.

Then rose from earth's benignant breast In fearless freedom at his birth,

Not then as now, worn, weak, and wan,

But calm, majestic, guiltless, man

Formed with a wondrous power to span The void 'tween heaven and earth.

And as in wonder, love, and joy

They stood on earth's primeval shore,

The word went forth — Increase and fill

Each fruitful valley, plain, and hill,

Fulfilling all your Maker's will, Both now and evermore.

And over all dominion hold,

And all alike shall own thy sway ; Fish, beast, and cattle be thy care, And every bird that cleaves the air ; — So th' evening and the morning were The last great working day.

Then praise Him, sun, and moon, and stars, Beast, cattle, creeping things, and ye

Ye heavens above, and earth beneath,

And everything that draweth breath,

His praises sing in life and death, In endless harmony.

c i8 HYMNS ON THE CREATION.

But thou in God's own image made,

In song more glad His Name adore,

Who hath in mercy given to thee,

Thou child of immortality,

A soul to live unfettered, free, With Him for evermore ;

And Who, when thou wast dead in sin, Hath come in His redeeming love,

The Second Adam, to restore

His image, that was thine before ;

And dying, opened wide the door To deathless Life above.