A General Song of Praise to Almighty God

HOW shall I Sing that Majesty
Which Angels do admire?
Let Dust in Dust and Silence lie,
Sing, Sing, ye Heavenly Quire.
Thousands of Thousands stand Around
Thy Throne, O God, most High;
Ten Thousand times Ten Thousand sound
Thy Praise; but who am I?

Thy Brightness unto them appears,
Whilst I thy Footsteps trace,
A Sound of God comes to my Ears;
But they behold thy Face.
They Sing because thou art their Sun,
Lord, send a Beam on me;
[…]or where Heaven is but once begun
There Hallelujahs be.

Enlighten with Faiths Light my Heart,
Enflame it with Loves Fire,
Then shall I Sing and bear a part,
With that Celestial Quire.
I shall, I fear, be dark and cold,
With all my Fire and Light:
Yet when thou dost accept their Gold,
Lord Treasure up my Mite.

How great a Being, Lord, is thine,
Which doth all Beings keep!
Thy Knowledge is the only Line
To found so vast a Deep.
Thou art a Sea without a Shore,
A Sun without a Sphere,
Thy Time is now and evermore,
Thy place is every where.

How good art thou whose Goodness is
Our Parent, Nurse and Guide;
Whose Streams do water Paradise
And all the Earth beside!
Thine Upper and Thine Nether Springs
Make both thy Worlds to thrive.
Under thy warm and sheltering Wings
Thou keep'st two Broods alive.

Thy Arm of Might, most mighty King,
Both Rocks and Hearts doth break.
My God, thou canst do every thing
But what would shew thee weak.
Thou canst not Cross thy self, or be
Less than thy self, or poor;
But whatsoever pleaseth Thee,
That canst thou do, and more.

Who would not fear thy Searching Eye,
Witness to all that's true?
Dark Hell and deep Hypocrisie
Lie plain before its View.
Motions and Thoughts before they grow
Thy Knowledge doth Espy.
What unborn Ages are to do
Is done before thine Eye.

Thy Wisdom, which both makes and mends,
We ever much Admire.
Creation all our Wit Transcends;
Redemption rises Higher.
Thy Wisdom guides stray'd Sinners home,
'Twill make the dead World rise,
And bring those Prisoners to their Doom;
Its Paths are Mysteries.

Great is thy Truth, and shall prevail
To Unbelievers shame,
Thy Truth and Years do never sail;
Thou ever art the same,
Unbelief is a Raging wave,
Dashing against a Rock.
If God doth not his Israel Save,
Then let Egyptians mock.

Most pure and Holy are thine Eyes,
Most Holy is thy Name,
Thy Saints, and Laws, and Penalties,
Thy Holyness proclaim.
This is the Devils scourge and sting,
This is the Angels Song,
Who Holy, Holy, Holy Sing,
In Heavenly Canaan's Tongue.

Mercy, that shining Attribute,
The Sinners Hope and Plea!
Huge Hosts of Sins in their Pursuit
Are drown'd in thy Red Sea;
Mercy is God's Memorial,
And in all Ages prais'd;
My God, thine only Son did fall,
That Mercy might be Rais'd.

Thy bright Back parts, O God of Grace,
I Humbly here Adore;
Shew me thy Glory and thy Face,
That I may praise Thee more.
Since none can see thy Face and live,
For me to die is best,
Through Jordan's streams who would not dive
To Land at Canaan's Rest?