Keep Silence, All Created Things

Keep si­lence

all cre­at­ed things

And wait your mak­er’s nod:

The muse stands trem­bling while she sings

The hon­ors of her God.

Life

death

and hell

and worlds un­known

Hang on His firm de­cree;

He sits on no pre­car­ious throne

Nor bor­rows leave to be.

Th’al­migh­ty Voice bid an­cient night

Her end­less realms re­sign

And lo

ten thou­sand globes of light

In fields of az­ure shine.

Now wis­dom with su­per­ior sway

Guides the vast mov­ing frame

Whilst all the ranks of be­ing pay

Deep rev­er­ence to His name.

He spoke; the sun obe­di­ent stood

And held the fall­ing day:

Old Jor­dan back­ward drives his flood

And di­sap­points the sea.

Lord of the ar­mies of the sky

He mar­shals all the stars;

Red co­mets lift their ban­ners high

And wide pro­claim His wars.

Chained to His throne

a vol­ume lies

With all the fates of men

With ev­ery an­gel’s form and size

Drawn by th’eter­nal pen.

His pro­vi­dence un­folds the book

And makes His coun­sels shine;

Each op­en­ing leaf

and ev­ery stroke

Fulfills some deep de­sign.

Here He ex­alts ne­glect­ed worms

To scep­ters and a crown;

And on the fol­low­ing page He turns

And treads the mon­arch down.

Not Ga­bri­el asks the rea­son why

Nor God the rea­son gives;

Nor dares the fa­vo­rite angel pry

Between the fold­ed leaves.

My God

I nev­er longed to see

My fate with cu­ri­ous eyes

What gloomy lines are writ for me

Or what bright scenes may rise.

In Thy fair book of life and grace

O may I find my name

Recorded in some hum­ble place

Beneath my Lord the Lamb.