University of Virginia Library

Thee will I bless, my God and King,
Nor cease thy wondrous Acts to sing.

From earliest morn to latest eve
Thy praises on my tongue shall live;
To Thee my harp shall wake each string,
Nor cease thy wondrous Acts to sing.

Great is our God: In vain our praise
His Excellence in equal lays
Would celebrate; in vain the Mind
Its height, its depth, essays to find.
Age to succeeding age thy Might
Shall speak, thy Works, blest Lord, recite.
My tongue thy glory shall proclaim,
The faithful witness of thy fame,
Bid Contemplation's inmost thought
Survey the wonders thou hast wrought,
And with assenting myriads join
To bless the Majesty divine.
Thy dreaded Pow'r shall each rehearse,
Thy Greatness shall my thankful verse
Inspire, thy Righteousness and Love
Our hearts inflame, our songs improve.
Thee good and kind shall Mortals own,
To anger slow, to pity prone.
Thy Mercies on the sons of Earth,
On All whom Thou hast call'd to birth,
Far as Creation's bounds extend,
Thy Mercies, heav'nly Lord, descend.
One chorus of perpetual praise
To Thee thy various works shall raise,
Thy Saints to Thee in hymns impart
The transports of a grateful heart,
The splendors of thy Kingdom tell,
Delighted on thy Wonders dwell,
And bid the World's wide realms admire
The glories of th' Almighty Sire,
Whose Throne shall Nature's wreck survive,
Whose Pow'r through endless Ages live.
His Promise Truth eternal guides,
And Mercy o'er his Act presides.
The feet whose steps to lapse incline
With faithful care the Arm divine
Shall prop; the Spirit bow'd with woe
His All-supporting aid shall know.
From Thee, great God, while ev'ry eye
Expectant waits the wish'd supply,
Their bread proportion'd to the day
Thy op'ning hands to each convey.
Thy Ways eternal Justice guides,
And Mercy o'er thine Act presides:
Who ask thine aid with heart sincere,
Thee ever gracious, ever near,
Shall own; their pray'r, in each distress,
To Thee thy Servants, Lord, address,
And find thee (verging on the grave,)
Nor slow to hear, nor weak to save.

Ye Souls among his Saints inroll'd,
In God your sure defence behold,
While fierce Destruction at his word
Shall bathe in impious blood its sword.

Long as I breathe, my grateful tongue
To Him shall meditate the song;
From Man's whole Race his hallow'd Name
Shall thanks and endless honour claim.