3 The flowery spring, at thy command, Perfumes the air and paints the land; The summer suns with vigor shine, To raise the corn and cheer the vine. 4 Thy hand, in autumn, richly pours Through all our coasts redundant stores; And winters, softened by thy care, No more the face of horror wear. 5 Seasons, and months, and weeks, and days, Demand successive songs of praise; And be the grateful homage paid, With morning light and evening shade. 857. L. M. Watts. The Goodness of God in the Seasons. Ps. 65. 1 At God's command, the morning ray Smiles in the east, and leads the day; He guides the sun's declining wheels Over the tops of western hills. 2 Seasons and times obey his voice; The evening and the morn rejoice To see the earth made soft with showers, Laden with fruit, and dressed in flowers. 3 The desert grows a fruitful field; Abundant food the valleys yield; The valleys shout with cheerful voice, And neighboring hills repeat their joys. 4 Thy works pronounce thy power divine; O'er every field thy glories shine; Through every month thy gifts appear: Great God! thy goodness crowns the year. 858. C. M. Fergus. The Promises of the Year. 1 The year begins with promises Of joyful days to come, Of Sabbath bells, of times of prayer, Of thoughts on heaven, our home: 2 Of seed-time, with its gentle winds, Soft dews and healthful showers, And streamlets gushing from the hills, And birds and opening flowers: 3 Of summer, with its warbling choir Amid the balmy leaves; Of autumn, with its fragrant herbs And fruits and bending sheaves: 4 Of countless mercies from our God, Who rules the changeful years, Both here and in the world of love, Beyond the heavenly spheres. 859. S. M. Watts. Blessings of Spring. 1 Good is the heavenly King, Who makes the earth his care, Visits the pastures every spring, And bids the grass appear. 2 Like rivers raised on high, The clouds, at thy command, Pour out their blessings from the sky, To cheer the thirsty land. 3 The hills, on every side, Rejoice at falling showers: The meadows, dressed in all their pride, Perfume the air with flowers. 4 The ridges drink their fill, And ranks of corn appear; Thy ways abound with blessings still, Thy goodness crowns the year. 860. C. M. Spring. 1 When verdure clothes the fertile vale, And blossoms deck the spray, And fragrance breathes in every gale, How sweet the vernal day! 2 Hark! how the feathered warblers sing! 'Tis nature's cheerful voice; Soft music hails the lovely spring, And woods and fields rejoice.