Poetical Works with a Memoir of Each Author:Isaac Watts Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: LYRICE. BOOK I. SACRED TO DEVOTION AND PIETT. WORSHIPPING WITH FEAR. Who dares attempt the eternal name With notes of mortal sound ? Dangers and glo... more »ries guard the theme, And spread despair around. Destruction waits to obey his frown, And Heaven attends his smile : A wreath of lightning arms his crown. But love adorns it still. Celestial King, our spirits lie, Trembling, beneath thy feet, And wish, and cast a longing eye, To reach thy lofty seat. When shall we see the Great Unknown, And in thy presence stand? Reveal the splendours of thy throne, But shield us with thy hand. In thee what endless wonders meet, What various glory shines ! The crossing rays too fiercely beat Upon our fainting minds. Angels are lost in sweet surprise, If thou unveil thy grace; And humble awe runs through the skies, When wrath arrays thy face. When mercy joins with majesty, To spread their beams abroad, Not all their fairest minds on high Are shadows of a God. Thy works the strongest seraph sings In a too feeble strain, And labors hard on all his strings, To reach thy thoughts, in vain. Created powers, how weak they be! How short our praises fall! So much akin to nothing we, And thou the eternal All. ASKING LEAVE TO SING. Yet, mighty God,indulge my tongue, Nor let thy thunders roar, Whilst the young notes and venturous song To worlds of glory soar. If thou my daring flight forbid, The muse folds up her wings; Or at thy word her slender reed Attempts almighty things. Her slender reed, inspired by thee, Bids a new Eden grow, With blooming life on every tree, And spreads a heaven below. She mocks the trumpet's loud alarms, Filled with thy dreadful breath: And calls the angelic hosts to...« less