e earth in beauty seen,
With garlands gay of various green;
I praised the sea, whose ample field
Shone glorious as a silver shield;
And earth and ocean seemed to say,
"Our beauties are but for a day."

2 I praised the sun, whose chariot rolled
On wheels of amber and of gold;
I praised the moon, whose softer eye
Gleamed sweetly through the summer sky;
And moon and sun in answer said,
"Our years are told when we must fade."

3 O God, O, good beyond compare!
If thus thy meaner works are fair,--
If thus thy bounties gild the span
Of sinful earth and mortal man,--
How glorious must thy mansion be
Where thy redeemed shall dwell with thee.

183. L. M. Moore.

Nature a Temple.

1 The turf shall be my fragrant shrine;
My temple, Lord, that arch of thine,
My censor's breath the mountain airs,
And silent thoughts my only prayers.
My choir shall be the moonlight waves,
When murmuring homeward to their caves,
Or when the stillness of the sea,
E'en more than music breathes of thee.

2 I'll seek, by day, some glade unknown.
All light and silence like thy throne,
And the pale stars shall be, at night,
The only eyes that watch my rite.
Thy heaven, on which 'tis bliss to look,
Shall be my pure and shining book,
Where I can read, in words of flame,
The glories of thy wondrous name.

3 There's nothing bright, above, below,
From flowers that bloom, to stars that glow,
But in its light my soul can see
Some feature of thy Deity.
There's nothing dark, below, above,
But in its gloom I trace thy love,
And meekly wait that moment, when
Thy touch shall turn all bright again.

THE SCRIPTURES.

184. C. M. Tate & Brady.

Perfection of God's Law.

1 God's perfect law converts the soul,
Reclaims from false desires;
With sacred wisdom his sure word
The ignorant inspires.

2 The statutes of the Lord are just,
And bring sincere delight;
His pure commands, in search of truth,
Assist the feeblest sight.

3 His perfect worship here is fixed,
On sure foundations laid;
His equal laws are in the scales
Of truth and justice weighed.

4 Of more esteem than golden mines,
Or gold refined with skill;
More sweet than honey, or the dro