His works are beautiful and understanding. O Lord, how manifold are Thy He hath made every thing beautiful in His time, Prov. iii. 2. Eccl. iii. 11. I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall iii. 14. complete. be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before Him. Manifest O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name the divine in all the earth! who hast set Thy glory above glory and the heavens. The heavens declare the glory delight. Nature is man's teacher. of God; and the firmament sheweth His Day unto day uttereth speech, and night Ps. viii. 1. 1, 2, 3. Ps.xix. The glory of the Lord endureth for ever: Ps.civ. the Lord shall rejoice in His works. : But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee and the fowls of the air and they shall tell thee. Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 31. Job. xii 7, 8. I meditate on all Thy works, I muse on the work of Thy hands. O Lord our Lord, how excellent is Thy name in all the earth! Ps. cxliii. 5 viii. 9. saint's delight. you, We also are men of like passions with Acts 14, 15. THE CREATION OF GOD. 221 Exhorta : O give thanks to the Lord of lords for His tion togive mercy endureth for ever. To Him that by thanks. wisdom made the heavens: To Him that MINISTER AND CONGREGATION. STANDING OR KNEELING. DEVOUT ASPIRATIONS. Ps. cxxxvi. 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, cl. 6. O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwellest between the cherubims, Thou art the God, even Thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth: Thou hast made heaven and earth. Is. xxxvii. 16.—Thou hast granted me life and favour, and Thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. Job. x. 12.—I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. My meditation of Him shall be sweet: I will be glad in the Lord. Let the sinners be consumed out of the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless thou the Lord, 0 my soul. Praise ye the Lord. Ps. civ. 33, 34, 35.--For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever, Amen. Rom. xi. 36. Minister. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. The Order of Religious Worship. SING. CHANT ANTHEM or HYMN. BIBLICAL READINGS: THE FORTY-SEVENTH SERVICE. The reign of God declared. Subject: THE REIGN OF GOD. Minister. xix. 6. And I heard as it were the voice of a great Rev. multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Ps. The Lord reigneth, He is clothed with xciii. majesty. 1. 2. Ps. Thy throne is established of old: Thou art from everlasting. God reigneth over the xlvii.8. heathen God sitteth upon the throne of His holiness. The Lord shall reign for ever, even cxlvi. thy God, O Zion, unto all generations. 10. Ps. The Lord reigneth; let the earth rejoice; let the multitude of isles be glad thereof. The xcvi.1. Lord reigneth; let the people tremble: Hexcix. 1. sitteth between the cherubims: let the earth be moved. The Lord said that He would dwell in thick 1Kngs. darkness. viii.12. The divine govern ment dark and mys terious. Ps. xcvii. 2 xviii. .11. Clouds and darkness are round about Him: righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. Thy lxxvii. way is in the sea, and Thy path in the great waters, and Thy footsteps are not known. 19. Ps. Jer. xxvii.5 Is. xlv. 7. It is the But our God is in the heavens: He hath reign of Sovedone whatsoever He hath pleased. I have cxv. 3. reignty. made the earth, the man and the beast that are upon the ground, by My great power and by My outstretched arm, and have given it unto whom it seemed meet unto me. I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil : I the Lord do all these things. For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. God is the judge: He putteth down one, and setteth up another. The reign of God universal. He rules by irresistible power. But Ps. lxxv. 6, 7. He revealeth the deep and secret things: Dan.ii. He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the 22, 23. light dwelleth with Him. I thank Thee and praise Thee, O Thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of Thee for Thou hast now made known unto us the King's matter. The Lord hath prepared His throne in the Ps.ciii. heavens and His kingdom ruleth over all. 19. For the kingdom is the Lord's: and He is the xxii.28 governor among the nations. From the place xxxiii. of His habitation He looketh upon all the 14, 15. inhabitants of the earth. He fashioneth their hearts alike; He considereth all their works. He ruleth by His power for ever; His eyes Ps. behold the nations: let not the rebellious lxvi. 7. exalt themselves. In whose hand is the His acts 24. soul of every living thing, and the breath of Job.xii not be moved: He shall judge the people Ps. 10. Gen. xviii. 25. Ps. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Justice and judgement are the habitation of Thy throne: mercy and truth shall before go Thy face. The King's strength also loveth lxxxix. judgment: Thou dost establish equity, Thou 14. executest judgment and righteousness in xcix. 4. Jacob. O let the nations be glad and sing for joy : Ps. for Thou shalt judge the people righteously, lxvii.4. and govern the nations upon earth. Hos. xiv. 9. So that a man shall say, Verily there is a Ps. reward for the righteous: verily He is a God lviii.11 Who is wise, and that judgeth in the earth. he shall understand these things? prudent, and he shall know them? for the ways of the Lord are right, and the just shall walk in them: but the transgressors shall fall therein. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things. Rom. ii. 2. I am the Lord which exercise lovingkind- Jer. ix. are essent-ness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the Lord. The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His works. ially benevolent. His reign eternal and un The Lord shall reign for ever and ever. change. Thou, O Lord, remainest for ever; Thy throne able. from generation to generation. Thy kingdom 24. Ps. cxlv.9. |