Hymn #1 (Hymns) is very simple and short but deep in its thought concerning God's purpose:
According to my knowledge, of all the hymns chosen by us to be included in our hymnal, apart from those written by us, no other hymn covers the New Testament economy of God in such a good way. The first and last verses cover the thought of the Triune God receiving glory. He receives glory because, first, He created the universe, and second, He will gain a group of sons. Verses 2 and 3 trace God's economy from creation to His sons, and verses 3 and 4 show how God unveils His love and affection to His many sons so that they may love Him with His love. Verse 5 shows that Christ in His redemption conquered all of His enemies in order to gain worshippers in the new creation. In summary, this hymn has the following main points: the old creation, God's desire to have a group of sons, His desire being according to His love, and Christ's redemption gaining worshippers in the new creation. What a wonderful hymn this is!
Today we are in the new creation. As people in the new creation, we must learn two things: the God-ordained principles in the Scriptures (Psa. 103:7) and the instant leading of the indwelling Spirit (Rom. 8:14). Psalm 103:7 says, "He [God] made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." In this verse, the word ways means principles. God showed His ordained principles to Moses, but the children of Israel knew only His acts. The children of Israel understood that God could do certain things, but they never understood the principles or the reasons why God did what He did. Moses understood these principles.