Hymn 170
God incomprehensible and sovereign.
[Can creatures to perfection find
Th’ eternal, uncreated Mind?
Or can the largest stretch of thought
Measure and search his nature out?
‘Tis high as heav’n, ’tis deep as hell
And what can mortals know or tell?
His glory spreads beyond the sky,
And all the shining worlds on high.
But man, vain man, would fain be wise;
Born like a wild young colt, he flies
Through all the follies of his mind,
And swells, and snuffs the empty wind.]
God is a King of power unknown,
Firm are the orders of his throne;
If he resolve, who dares oppose,
Or ask him why or what he does?
He wounds the heart, and he makes whole
He calms the tempest of the soul;
When he shuts up in long despair,
Who can remove the heavy bar?
He frowns, and darkness veils the moon;
The fainting sun grows dim at noon;
The pillars of heav’n’s starry roof
Tremble and start at his reproof.
He gave the vaulted heav’n its form,
The crooked serpent, and the worm;
He breaks the billows with his breath,
And smites the sons of pride to death.
These are a portion of his ways;
But who shall dare describe his face?
Who can endure his light, or stand
To hear the thunders of his hand?
Related poetry:
- Hymn 57 Original sin. Rom. 5:12, etc.; Psa. 51:5; Job 14:4. Backward with humble shame we look On our original; How is our nature dashed and broke In our first father’s fall! To all that’s good averse and blind, But prone to all that’s ill What dreadful darkness veils our mind! How obstinate our will! [Conceived in […]...
- Hymn 44 part 1 Christ’s dying, rising, and reigning. Luke 23:27,29,44-46; Mt. 27:50,57; 28:6ff. He dies! the friend of sinners dies! Lo! Salem’s daughters weep around; A solemn darkness veils the skies; A sudden trembling shakes the ground. Come, saints, and drop a tear or two For him who groaned beneath your load: He shed a thousand drops for […]...
- Hymn 165 Unfruitfulness, ignorance, and unsanctified affections. Long have I sat beneath the sound Of thy salvation, Lord; But still how weak my faith is found, And knowledge of thy word! Oft I frequent thy holy place, And hear almost in vain; How small a portion of thy grace My memory can retain! [My dear Almighty, and […]...
- Hymn 75 The description of Christ the beloved. SS 5:9-16. The wond’ring world inquires to know Why I should love my Jesus so: What are his charms,” say they, “above The objects of a mortal love?” Yes! my Beloved, to my sight Shows a sweet mixture, red and white: All human beauties, all divine, In my Beloved […]...
- A Noon Song There are songs for the morning and songs for the night, For sunrise and sunset, the stars and the moon; But who will give praise to the fulness of light, And sing us a song of the glory of noon? Oh, the high noon, the clear noon, The noon with golden crest; When the blue […]...
- Hymn 83 Afflictions and death under Providence. Job 5:6-8. Not from the dust affliction grows, Nor troubles rise by chance; Yet we are born to cares and woes; A sad inheritance! As sparks break out from burning coals, And still are upwards borne So grief is rooted in our souls, And man grows up to mourn. Yet […]...
- Hymn 34 part 1 The gospel the power of God to salvation. Rom. 1:16. What shall the dying sinner do That seeks relief for all his woe? Where shall the guilty conscience find Ease for the torment of the mind? How shall we get our crimes forgiv’n? Or form our natures fit for heav’n? Can souls all o’er defiled […]...
- Hymn 119 The different success of the gospel. 1 Cor. 1:23,24; 3:6,7; 2 Cor. 2:16. Christ and his cross is all our theme; The myst’ries that we speak Are scandal in the Jew’s esteem, And folly to the Greek. But souls enlightened from above With joy receive the word; They see what wisdom, power, and love Shine […]...
- Hymn 87 God dwells with the humble and penitent. Isa. 47:15,16. Thus saith the high and lofty One: “I sit upon my holy throne; My name is God, I dwell on high, Dwell in my own eternity. “But I descend to worlds below, On earth I have a mansion too; The humble spirit and contrite Is an […]...
- Hymn 85 Salvation, righteousness, and strength in Christ. Isa. 45:21-25. The Lord on high proclaims His Godhead from his throne: “Mercy and justice are the names By which I will be known. “Ye dying souls that sit In darkness and distress, Look from the borders of the pit To my recov’ring grace.” Sinners shall hear the sound; […]...
- Hymn 37 part 1 Christ’s humiliation, exaltation, and triumph. Phil. 2:8,9; Mark 15:20,24,29; Col. 2:15. The mighty frame of glorious grace, That brightest monument of praise That e’er the God of love designed, Employs and fills my lab’ring mind. Begin, my soul, the heav’nly song, A burden for an angel’s tongue: When Gabriel sounds these awful things, He tunes […]...
- Hymn 86 God holy, just, and sovereign. Job 9:2-10. How should the sons of Adam’s race Be pure before their God? If he contend in righteousness, We fall beneath his rod. To vindicate my words and thoughts I’ll make no more pretence; Not one of all my thousand faults Can bear a just defence. Strong is his […]...
- Song. A Beautiful Mistress IF when the sun at noon displays His brighter rays, Thou but appear, He then, all pale with shame and fear, Quencheth his light, Hides his dark brow, flies from thy sight, And grows more dim, Compared to thee, than stars to him. If thou but show thy face again, When darkness doth at midnight […]...
- Sandpipers Sandland where the salt water kills the sweet potatoes. Homes for sandpipers-the script of their feet is on the sea shingles-they write in the morning, it is gone at noon-they write at noon, it is gone at night. Pity the land, the sea, the ten mile flats, pity anything but the sandpiper’s wire legs and […]...
- Hymn 169 The Divine Perfections. The Lord Jehovah reigns, His throne is built on high; The garments he assumes Are light and majesty: His glories shine With beams so bright, No mortal eye Can bear the sight. The thunders of his hand Keep the wide world in awe; His wrath and justice stand To guard his holy […]...
- Hymn 70 Christ inviting, and the church answering the invitation. SS 2:14-17. [Hark! the Redeemer from on high Sweetly invites his fav’rites nigh; From caves of darkness and of doubt, He gently speaks, and calls us out. “My dove, who hidest in the rock, Thine heart almost with sorrow broke, Lift up thy face, forget thy fear, […]...
- Hymn 154 Self-righteousness insufficient. “Where are the mourners,” saith the Lord, “That wait and tremble at my word, That walk in darkness all the day? Come, make my name your trust and stay. [“No works nor duties of your own Can for the smallest sin atone The robes that nature may provide Will not your least pollutions […]...
- Hymn 89 Youth and judgment. Eccl. 11:9. Ye sons of Adam, vain and young, Indulge your eyes, indulge your tongue, Taste the delights your souls desire, And give a loose to all your fire; Pursue the pleasures you design, And cheer your hearts with songs and wine; Enjoy the day of mirth, but know There is a […]...
- Hymn 13 The Son of God incarnate. Isa. 9:2,6,7. The lands that long in darkness lay Now have beheld a heav’nly light; Nations that sat in death’s cold shade Are blessed with beams divinely bright. The virgin’s promised Son is born, Behold th’ expected child appear: What shall his names or titles be? “The Wonderful, the Counsellor.” […]...
- Psalm 102 part 3 v.23-28 L. M. Man’s mortality, and Christ’s eternity. It is the Lord our Savior’s hand Weakens our strength amidst the race; Disease and death at his command Arrest us, and cut short our days. Spare us, O Lord, aloud we pray, Nor let our sun go down at noon; Thy years are one eternal day, […]...
- Hymn 112 The brazen serpent; or, Looking to Jesus. John 3:14-16. So did the Hebrew prophet raise The brazen serpent high, The wounded felt immediate ease, The camp forbore to die. “Look upward in the dying hour, And live,” the prophet cries; But Christ performs a nobler cure, When Faith lifts up her eyes. High on the […]...
- Hymn 97 Christ our wisdom, righteousness, etc. 1 Cor. 1:30. Buried in shadows of the night We lie till Christ restores the light; Wisdom descends to heal the blind, And chase the darkness of the mind. Our guilty souls are drowned in tears Till his atoning blood appears; Then we awake from deep distress, And sing, “The […]...
- Hymn 156 Presumption and despair; or, Satan’s various temptations. I hate the tempter and his charms, I hate his flatt’ring breath; The serpent takes a thousand forms To cheat our souls to death. He feeds our hopes with airy dreams, Or kills with slavish fear; And holds us still in wide extremes, Presumption or despair. Now he […]...
- Hymn to Love We are thine, O Love, being in thee and made of thee, As théou, Léove, were the déep thought And we the speech of the thought; yea, spoken are we, Thy fires of thought out-spoken: But burn’d not through us thy imagining Like fiérce méood in a séong céaught, We were as clamour’d words a […]...
- Hymn To Life The hair falling on your forehead suddenly lifted. Suddenly something stirred on the ground. The trees are whispering in the dark. Your bare arms will be cold. Far off where we can’t see, the moon must be rising. It hasn’t reached us yet, slipping through the leaves to light up your shoulder. But I know […]...
- Hymn 137 Salvation by grace in Christ. 2 Tim. 1:9,10. Now to the power of God supreme Be everlasting honors giv’n; He saves from hell, (we bless his name,) He calls our wand’ring feet to heav’n. Not for our duties or deserts, But of his own abounding grace, He works salvation in our hearts, And forms a […]...
- Hymn 50 The song of Zacharias. Lk. 1:68ff; John 1:29,32. Now be the God of Isr’el blessed, Who makes his truth appear; His mighty hand fulfils his word, And all the oaths he sware. Now he bedews old David’s root With blessings from the skies; He makes the Branch of Promise grow, The promised Horn arise. [John […]...
- Hymn 58 The devil vanquished; or, Michael’s war with the dragon. Rev. 12:7. Let mortal tongues attempt to sing The wars of heav’n, when Michael stood Chief general of th’ Eternal King, And fought the battles of our God. Against the dragon and his host The armies of the Lord prevail: In vain they rage, in vain […]...
- Psalm 119 part 2 Secret devotion and spiritual-mindedness. Ver. 147,55 To thee, before the dawning light My gracious God, I pray; I meditate thy name by night, And keep thy law by day. Ver. 81 My spirit faints to see thy grace, Thy promise bears me up; And while salvation long delays, Thy word supports my hope. Ver. 164 […]...
- Hymn 161 Christian virtues; or, The difficulty of conversion. Strait is the way, the door is strait, That leads to joys on high; ‘Tis but a few that find the gate, While crowds mistake, and die. Beloved self must be denied, The mind and will renewed Passion suppressed, and patience tried, And vain desires subdued. [Flesh is […]...
- The Starry Night That does not keep me from having a terrible need of shall I say the word religion. Then I go out at night to paint the stars. Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to his brother The town does not exist Except where one black-haired tree slips Up like a drowned woman into the hot […]...
- Hymn To Eros O Eros, silently smiling one, hear me. Let the shadow of thy wings Brush me. Let thy presence Enfold me, as if darkness Were swandown. Let me see that darkness Lamp in hand, This country become The other country Sacred to desire. Drowsy god, Slow the wheels of my thought So that I listen only […]...
- There Are Not Many Kingdoms Left I write the lips of the moon upon her shoulders. In a Temple of silvery farawayness I guard her to rest. For her bed I write a stillness over all the swans of the World. With the morning breath of the snow leopard I Cover her against any hurt. Using the pen of rivers and […]...
- A FORMER LIFE LONG since, I lived beneath vast porticoes, By many ocean-sunsets tinged and fired, Where mighty pillars, in majestic rows, Seemed like basaltic caves when day expired. The rolling surge that mirrored all the skies Mingled its music, turbulent and rich, Solemn and mystic, with the colours which The setting sun reflected in my eyes. And […]...
- Hymn To Joy Joy, thou goddess, fair, immortal, Offspring of Elysium, Mad with rapture, to the portal Of thy holy fame we come! Fashion’s laws, indeed, may sever, But thy magic joins again; All mankind are brethren ever ‘Neath thy mild and gentle reign. CHORUS. Welcome, all ye myriad creatures! Brethren, take the kiss of love! Yes, the […]...
- Ghosts in Love “Tell me, where do ghosts in love Find their bridal veils?” “If you and I were ghosts in love We’d climb the cliffs of Mystery, Above the sea of Wails. I’d trim your gray and streaming hair With veils of Fantasy From the tree of Memory. ‘Tis there the ghosts that fall in love Find […]...
- River Moons THE DOUBLE moon, one on the high back drop of the west, one on the curve of the river face, The sky moon of fire and the river moon of water, I am taking these home in a basket, hung on an elbow, such a teeny weeny elbow, in my head. I saw them last […]...
- Psalm 119 part 5 Delight in Scripture; or, The word of God dwelling in us. Ver. 97 O how I love thy holy law! ‘Tis daily my delight; And thence my meditations draw Divine advice by night. Ver. 148 My waking eyes prevent the day To meditate thy word; My soul with longing melts away To hear thy gospel, […]...
- Tonight I Can Write Tonight I can write the saddest lines. Write, for example, ‘The night is starry And the stars are blue and shiver in the distance.’ The night wind revolves in the sky and sings. Tonight I can write the saddest lines. I loved her, and sometimes she loved me too. Through nights like this one I […]...
- Hymn 160 Custom in sin. Let the wild leopards of the wood Put off the spots that nature gives, Then may the wicked turn to God, And change their tempers and their lives. As well might Ethiopian slaves Wash out the darkness of their skin, The deed as well might leave their graves, As old transgressors cease […]...