PSALM 67. (C. M.) The Nation's Prosperity and the Church's Increase.
I
Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine
With beams of heavenly grace;
Reveal thy power through all our coasts,
And shew thy smiling face.
II
Amidst our isle, exalted high,
Do thou our glory stand,
And like a wall of guardian fire
Surround the favourite land.
III
When shall thy name, from shore to shore,
Sound all the earth abroad,
And distant nations know and love
Their Saviour and their God?
IV
Sing to the Lord, ye distant lands,
Sing loud with solemn voice;
While British tongues exalt his praise,
And British hearts rejoice.
V
He the great Lord, the sovereign judge,
That sits enthron'd above,
Wisely commands the worlds he made
In justice and in love.
VI
Earth shall obey her Maker's will,
And yield a full increase;
Our God will crown his chosen isle
With fruitfulness and peace.
VII
God the Redeemer scatters round
His choicest favours here,
While the creation's utmost bound
Shall see, adore, and fear.
Having translated the scene of this psalm to Great Britain, I have
borrowed a devout and poetical wish for the happiness of my native
land, from Zech. ii. 5. and offered it up in the second stanza. I will
be a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her.
