A Hymn of Praise to God, as Creator
mised Glory, God’s Word, The Communion of Saints.
Publish ‘d for them who above curious art Relish the transcript of a serious heart.
A HYMN OF PRAISE TO GOD,
AS CREATOR.
Jehovah’s praises let us sing
With cheerful heart and [lively] voice.
And [humbly] this our offering bring; And with due fear [in Mm] rejoice.
Though we are vile, we tender it
By the pure hand of [Jesus] Christ.
Who now at God’s right hand doth sit, Our [great and] heavenly high priest.
Wonderful are thy works, O Lord,
In which [to man] thou dost appear;
They all preach to us, as thy word, The unseen God to [love and] fear.
* To the Tunes of the old 51 and 100 Psalms: but leaving out the words in the Italic Letter, they may be sung in very many shorter Psalm-tunes. “In Psalms, and Hymns, and Spiritual Songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” Col. 3. 16.
1Q0 BAXTER’S POEMS.
The Heav’ns above, the earth below,
[Daily] apparent to our sight,
To mortal in an do clearly shew
Thy [perfect] knowledge, love, and might.
This earth stands by thy pow’rful will;
Its [massy] bulk thou dost sustain: With thy rich store thou dost it fill,
And what thou mak’st [thou dost] maintain.
The various plants, delightful flowers, The [comely] verdure clothe the giounds:
Warm’d by the sun, fed with thy show’rs, With [pleasant] fruits the earth abounds.
On these more noble creatures live,
The [divers] beasts, the fruitful herbs: They all receive what thou dost give;
So do the [beauteous] singing birds.
Over all these thou placest man
In thy own [holy] image form’d, To serve thee as none of these can,
With [higher] faculties adorn ‘d.
The dreadful waves, the ocean deep,
Thou [mad’st ajid] perfectly dost know:
There fish of all sorts thou dost keep, With [life and] food we know not how.
Vast unseen airs, strong dreadful winds, Thy [lightnings] thunders, rain, and snow,
Constrain e’en careless sinners’ minds Of God [most high] to stand in awe.
Baxter’s poems. ig
And if this earth, so low and small,
Do thus thy [wond’rous] power shew;
What should we say if we saw all,
Which the bless ‘d [glorious] angels know? When tow’rds the heav’ns we turn our eyes,
And on the [lucid] regions look,
We see the shining stars and skies,
The [golden] letters of thy book.
How clear a preacher is the sun
In which God’s [glorious] pow’r doth shine, The speedy race the globes do run
Few would believe [were it] not seen.
All eyes at once behold its light
Which [from Heav’n] beyond earth extend, It’s strange if e’en an angel’s sight
This [glorious] globe can comprehend.
Who knows how many orbs there are, Beyond [those stars] which mortals see?
A system to each fixed star?
[0 then] how great a God have we.
How greatly should this God be fear’d?
How joyfully [should he] beprais’d?
And how obediently be heard?
And hearts [in love] to him be rais’d.
Who’d set against him sinful dust?
Or let [one base] temptation in?
To please a carnal will and lust?
How bad [how mad] is wilful sin?
Q2 BAXTER’S POEMS.