PSALM 19. (L. M.) The Books of Nature and of Scripture compared;
or, the Glory and Success of the Gospel.
I
The heavens declare thy glory, Lord,
In every star thy wisdom shines;
But when our eyes behold thy word,
We read thy name in fairer lines.
II
The rolling sun, the changing light,
And nights and days thy power confess;
But the blest volume thou hast writ
Reveals thy justice and thy grace.
III
Sun, moon, and stars convey thy praise
Round the whole earth, and never stand;
So when thy truth begun its race,
It touch'd and glanc'd on every land.
IV
Nor shall thy spreading gospel rest,
Till through the world thy truth has run;
Till Christ has all the nations blest
That see the light, or feel the sun.
V
Great Sun of Righteousness, arise,
Bless the dark world with heavenly light;
Thy gospel makes the simple wise,
Thy laws are pure, thy judgments right.
VI
Thy noblest wonders here we view
In souls renew'd and sins forgiven:
Lord, cleanse my sins, my soul renew,
And make thy word my guide to heaven.
Though the plain design of the psalmist is to shew the excellency
of the book of Scripture above the book of Nature, in order to convert
and save a sinner, yet the apostle Paul, in Rom. x. 18. applies or
accommodates the fourth verse to the spreading of the gospel over
the Roman empire, which is called the whole world in the New Testament:
And in this version I have endeavoured to imitate him.
