Library · Hymns and Spiritual Songs
Book 2 · Hymns 161–170
Hymns and Spiritual Songs · Isaac Watts
Hymn 2:161. Christian virtues; or, The difficulty of conversion.
1 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.
2 Beloved self must be deny'd,
The mind and will renew'd:
Passion suppress'd, and patience try'd,
And vain desires subdu'd.
3 [Flesh is a dangerous foe to grace,
Where it prevails and rules;
Flesh must be humbled, pride abas'd,
Lest they destroy our souls.
4 The love of gold be banish'd hence,
(That vile idolatry);
And every member, every sense
In sweet subjection lie.]
5 The tongue, that most unruly power,
Requires a strong restraint;
We must be watchful every hour,
And pray, but never faint.
6 Lord, can a feeble helpless worm
Fulfil a task so hard?
Thy grace must all my work perform,
And give the free reward.
Hymn 2:162 Meditation of heaven; or, The joy of faith.
1 My thoughts surmount these lower skies
And look within the veil;
There springs of endless pleasure rise,
The waters never fail.
2 There I behold with sweet delight
The blessed Three in One;
And strong affections fix my sight
On God's incarnate Son.
3 His promise stands for ever firm,
His grace shall ne'er depart;
He binds my name upon his arm,
And seals it on his heart.
4 Light are the pains that' nature brings,
How short our sorrows are,
When with eternal future things,
The present we compare!
5 I would not be a stranger still
To that celestial place,
Where I for ever hope to dwell
Near my Redeemer's face.
Hymn 2:163. Complaint of desertion and temptations.
1 Dear Lord, behold our sore distress;
Our sins attempt to reign;
Stretch out thine arm of conquering grace,
And let thy foes be slain.
2 [The lion with his dreadful roar
Affrights thy feeble sheep;
Reveal the glory of thy power,
And chain him to the deep.
3 Must we indulge a long despair,
Shall our petitions die;
Our mournings never reach thine ear,
Nor tears affect thine eye?]
4 If thou despise a mortal groan,
Yet hear a Saviour's blood;
An Advocate so near the throne
Pleads and prevails with God.
5 He bought the Spirit's powerful sword
To slay our deadly foes;
Our sins shall die beneath thy word,
And hell in vain oppose.
6 How boundless is our Father's grace,
In height and depth, and length!
He makes his Son our righteousness,
His Spirit is our strength.
Hymn 2:164. The end of the world.
1 Why should this earth delight us so?
Why should we fix our eyes
On these low grounds where sorrows grow,
And every pleasure dies?
2 While time his sharpest teeth prepares
Our comforts to devour,
There is a land above the stars,
And joys above his power.
3 Nature shall be dissolv'd and die,
The sun must end his race,
The earth and sea for ever fly
Before my Saviour's face.
4 When will that glorious morning rise!
When the last trumpet sound,
And call the nations to the skies
From underneath the ground?
Hymn 2:165. Unfruitfulness, ignorance, and unsanctified affections.
1 Long have I sat beneath the sound
Of thy salvation, Lord
But still how weak my faith is found,
And knowledge of thy word!
2 Oft I frequent thy holy place
And hear almost in vain;
How small a portion of thy grace
My memory can retain!
3 [My dear Almighty, and my God,
How little art thou known
By all the judgments of thy rod,
And blessings of thy throne!]
4 [How cold and feeble is my love!
How negligent my fear!
How low my hope of joys above!
How few affections there!]
5 Great God, thy sovereign power impart
To give thy word success:
Write the salvation in my heart,
And make me learn the grace.
6 [Shew my forgetful feet the way
That leads to joys on high;
There knowledge grows without decay,
And love shall never die.]
Hymn 2:166. The divine perfections.
1 How shall I praise th' eternal God,
That infinite unknown?
Who can ascend his high abode,
Or venture near his throne?
2 [The great Invisible! he dwells
Conceal'd in dazzling light;
But his all-searching eye reveals
The secrets of the night.
3 Those watchful eyes that never sleep
Survey the world around;
His wisdom is a boundless deep
Where all our thoughts are drown'd.]
4 [Speak we of strength? His arm is strong
To save or to destroy:
Infinite years his life prolong,
And endless is his joy.]
5 [He knows no shadow of a change,
Nor alters his decrees;
Firm as a rock his truth remains
To guard his promises.]
6 [Sinners before his presence die;
How holy is his Name!
His anger and his jealousy
Burn like devouring flame.]
7 Justice upon a dreadful throne
Maintains the rights of God;
While Mercy sends her pardons down,
Bought with a Saviour's blood.
8 Now to my soul, immortal King,
Speak some forgiving word;
Then 't will be double joy to sing
The glories of my Lord.
Hymn 2:167. The divine perfections.
1 Great God, thy glories shall employ
My holy fear, my humble joy;
My lips in songs of honour bring
Their tribute to th' eternal King.
[2 Earth and the stars and worlds unknown,
Depend precarious on his throne,
All nature hangs upon his word,
And grace and glory own their Lord.]
3 [His sovereign power what mortal knows?
If he command who dares oppose?
With strength he girds himself around,
And treads the rebels to the ground.]
4 [Who shall pretend to teach him skill?
Or guide the counsels of his will?
His wisdom like a sea divine,
Flows deep and high beyond our line.]
5 [His Name is holy, and his eye
Burns with immortal jealousy;
He hates the sons of pride, and sheds
His fiery vengeance on their heads.]
6 [The beamings of his piercing sight
Bring dark hypocrisy to light;
Death and destruction naked lie,
And hell uncover'd to his eye.]
7 [Th' eternal law before him stands;
His justice with impartial hands
Divides to all their due reward,
Or by the sceptre or the sword.]
8 [His mercy like a boundless sea
Washes our loads of guilt away,
While his own Son came down and dy'd,
T' engage his justice on our side.]
9 [Each of his words demands my faith,
My soul can rest on all he saith;
His truth inviolably keeps
The largest promise of his lips.]
10 O tell me with a gentle voice,
"Thou art my God," and I'll rejoice!
Fill'd with thy love, I dare proclaim
The brightest honours of thy Name.
Hymn 2:168. The same.
1 Jehovah reigns, his throne is high,
His robes are light and majesty;
His glory shines with beams so bright
No mortal can sustain the sight.
2 His terrors keep the world in awe,
His justice guards his holy law;
His love reveals a smiling face,
His truth and promise seal the grace.
3 Thro' all his works his wisdom shines,
And baffles Satan's deep designs;
His power is sovereign to fulfil
The noblest counsels of his will.
4 And will this glorious Lord descend
To be my father and my friend?
Then let my songs with angels join;
Heaven is secure if God be mine.
Hymn 2:169. As the 148th Psalm. The same.
1 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.
2 The thunders of his hand
Keep the wide world in awe;
His wrath and justice stand
To guard his holy law;
And where his love
Resolves to bless,
His truth confirms
And seals the grace.
3 Thro' all his ancient works
Surprising wisdom shines,
Confounds the powers of hell,
And breaks their curs'd designs:
Strong is his arm,
And shall fulfil
His great decrees,
His sovereign will.
4 And can this mighty King
Of Glory condescend?
And will he write his Name,
"My Father and my Friend?"
I love his Name,
I love his word;
Join all my powers,
And praise the Lord.
Hymn 2:170. God incomprehensible and sovereign.
1 Can creatures to perfection find [1]
Th' eternal uncreated mind?
Or can the largest stretch of thought
Measure and search his nature out?
2 'Tis high as heaven, 'tis deep as hell,
And what can mortals know or tell?
His glory spreads beyond the sky,
And all the shining worlds on high.
3 But man, vain man, would fain be wise,
Born like a wild young colt he flies
Thro' all the follies of his mind,
And swells and snuffs the empty wind.
4 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?
5 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?
6 He frowns, [2] and darkness veils the moon;
The fainting sun grows dim at noon;
The pillars [3] of heaven's starry roof
Tremble and start at his reproof.
7 He gave the vaulted heaven its form,
The crooked serpent and the worm;
He breaks the billows with his breath,
And smites the Sons of pride to death.
8 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?
[1] Job 11:7 &c. [2] Job 25:5.
[3] Job 26:11 &c.
End of the Second Book.
Hymns.
Book 3.
Prepared for the Lord's Supper.