Classic Poem

I.

T O Thee, all-bounteous Lord and King,
My muse in sweetest strains shall sing;
Her morning and her evening lays,
Shall warble forth thy glorious praise.
Nor ever shall my grateful soul,
Forget thy goodness to extol.
Of pow'r and wisdom, source immense!
Unsearchable to mortal sense!
From age to age, the human race,
Thro' all thy works, the God shall trace,
Declaring to their progeny,
The wonders of thy majesty.
I too will join th' adoring throng,
Thy name shall dignify my song,
And with thy acts my tongue shall sound,
Responsive to the world around.

II.

The world around with heav'n shall join,
To tell that thou art love divine ;
Compassion, grace, and mercy sweet,
Hover, like cherubs, round thy seat.
And Goodness too, whose smile alone
Can beautify thy awful throne;
Justice , with fear, would strike us dead,
But Mercy rears each sinner's head.
Thy Love inspir'd the breathless clay,
And man sustains from day to day;
And not alone to man confin'd,
It gladdens ev'ry living kind;
Show'ring its blessings in each clime,
Thro' all the ceaseless rounds of time;
Painting the seasons as they roll,
And scatt'ring bliss from pole to pole;
Darting the sun's prolific beams,
Filling with silver fish the streams;
Giving sweet vegetation birth,
And breathing fragrance o'er the earth.

III.

To Thee, then, let all beings bend,
And shouts of joy the aether rend.
And chiefly let thy saints on high,
Laud the great Sovereign of the sky;
Leading on the exultant choir,
In strains of rapture, words of fire,
Till heav'n and earth and hell profound,
With the triumphant shouts resound.
Till all confess thy glorious fame,
And tremblingly adore thy name;
Thus ever shall thy reign endure,
In endless majesty secure.

IV.

When trouble sinks us to the dust,
To Thee, for aid, O Lord, we trust.
'Tis thine to heal affliction's smart,
And raise from death the languid heart.
In meagre want or poverty,
To thee we lift the suppliant eye;
Thy bounteous hand, profusely kind,
Pours the rich banquet unconfin'd;
To man and beast thou giv'st their food,
While all enjoy their proper good.

V.

Righteous and holy is the Lord,
And will to all his grace afford,
To all who his great name revere,
And worship him with hearts sincere.
Such in his glorious courts shall dwell,
And triumph over death and hell.
But those who his displeasure move,
Shall never share his heav'nly love.
Bless then, my soul, his sacred name,
And let all nature join the theme;
All nature to its God shall cry,
Who lives thro' vast eternity.