University of Virginia Library

2. PART THE SECOND.

Recitative.

Great is the Lord, and wonderful His pow'r!
He measur'd in the hollow of His hand
Th'exulting Ocean, and the highest Heav'ns
He comprehended with a span, and weigh'd
The mighty mountains in His golden Scales:
He shone supreme, who was himself the light,
Ere yet Refraction learn'd her skill to paint,
And bend athwart the clouds her beauteous bow.

Accompanied.

Arise, Angelic choirs, and with new strains
All Hymn your God; and thou, immortal Fame,
Arise, and sound thy everlasting trump.

Full Chorus.

In songs of glory, hymns of praise,
Let all their tuneful voices raise;
And let Heav'n's mansions loudly ring
With plaudits to th'Eternal King.

Recitative: Accompanied.

And thou, cherubic Gratitude, whose voice
To pious ears sounds silverly so sweet,
Come with thy precious incense, bring thy gifts,
And with thy choicest stores the Altar crown.

Air.

Man bless'd beyond the reach of thought,
Within the womb once lay conceal'd,
'Till Heav'n's high will its wonders wrought,
And Life and God-like pow'rs reveal'd.

Recitative.

Yet, boast not, Man; presume not on thy pow'rs,
For, thou art still imperfect, incorrect,
Perfection infinite with God remains;
He is the Being most supremely wond'rous,
Uncircumscrib'd, unsearchable, profound,
And estimable solely in Himself!

Air and Chorus.

In tuneful notes proclaim
Th'Almighty's boundless Fame,
Let sacred ardour glow;
Let Harmony its force employ,
Let choirs unite in songs of joy,
And loudly raise,
To sing his praise,
From whom all blessings flow.

Recitative.

What is that secret pow'r, that guides the brutes,
Which Ignorance calls Instinct? 'Tis from God,
It is the operation of His hands
Immediate, instantaneous; 'tis his wisdom,
That glorious shines transparent thro' His works.—
When Philomela, ere the cold domain
Of crippled Winter 'gins t'advance, prepares
Her annual flight, and in some poplar shade
Takes her melodious leave, who then's her pilot?
Who points her passage through the pathless void,
To realms from us remote, to us unknown?
Her science is the science of her God.

Air.

Observe the sage, industrious Ant,
To her, thou sluggard, go;
She guards against impending want,
When winter threatens woe:
By her example learn to live,
Her conduct make thy own;
For Heav'n directs her how to thrive,
And all her labours crown.

Recitative.

Who taught the feather'd matron, that the Hawk
Was hatch'd her foe, and liv'd by her destruction?
Her own prophetic soul is active in her,
And more than human providence her guard—
So the domestic animal, that guards,
At midnight hours, Man's threshold, if oppress'd
By sudden sickness, at his master's feet
Begs not that aid his services might claim,
But is his own physician, knows the case,
And from th'emetic herbage works his cure.

Air.

Such wond'rous works hath God alone,
For secrect purpose wrought;
For acts like these Mankind must own,
Beyond the reach of thought.

Recitative.

Avaunt, Conceit! Ambition, take thy flight
Back to the Prince of vanity and air!
Oh, 'tis a thought of energy most piercing,
Form'd to make pride grow humble; form'd to force
Its weight on the reluctant mind, and give her
A true, but irksome image of herself.—

Accompanied.

Woeful vicissitude! when Man, fall'n Man,
Who first from Heav'n, from gracious God himself,
Learn'd knowledge of the Brutes, must know by Brutes,
Instructed and reproach'd, the scale of being;
By slow degrees from lowly steps ascend,
And trace Omniscience upwards to its spring!
Yet murmur not, but praise—for tho' we stand
Of many a God-like privilege amerc'd
By Adam's dire transgression, tho' no more
Is Paradise our home, but o'er the portal
Hangs in terrific pomp the burning blade;
Still with ten thousand beauties blooms the Earth
With pleasures populous, and with riches crown'd.

Air.

Choice blessings hath the Lord bestow'd,
(To Him let incense burn)
Far more than Virtue can deserve,
Or Gratitude return.

Recitative.

Then, O ye People, O ye Sons of Men,
Whatever be the colour of your lives,
Whatever portion of itself his Wisdom
Shall deign t'allow, still patiently abide,
And praise Him more and more; nor cease to chant
'Till hoary Time his latest course hath run.

Full Chorus.

All Glory to th'Omniscient, and Praise,
And Pow'r, and Domination in the Height!