XV. A Song of Praise for the Gospel.
1
Blest be my God that I was Born,
To hear the Joyful Sound;
That I was Born to be Baptiz'd,
And bred on Holy ground.
That I was Bred where God appears,
In tokens of his Grace;
The Lines are Fallen unto me
In a most pleasant place.
2
I might have been a Pagan Bred,
Or else a Veiled Jew.
Or Cheated with an Alchoran
Among the Turkish Crew,
Dumb pictures might have bin my book
Dark Language my Devotion,
And so I might with blinded Eyes
Have Drunk a deadly Potion.
3
So in a Dungeon dark as Night
I might have Spent my dayes,
But thou hast sent me Gospel-Light,
To thine Eternal Praise.
The Sun which rose up in the East
And drove their Shades away;
His Healing Wings have reach'd the West
And turn'd our Night to Day.
4
England at first an Egypt was,
Since that proud Babels Slave;
At last a Canaan it became,
And then my Birth it gave.
Blest be my God that I have slept
The dismal Night away,
Being kept in Providence's Womb
To England's brightest day.
5
Blest be my God for what I see,
My God for what I hear;
I hear such blessed Newes from Heaven,
Nor Earth nor Hell I fear.
I hear my Lord for me was born,
My Lord for Me did dy;
My Lord for me did Rise again,
And did ascend on High.
6
On High he stands to plead my Cause,
And will return again,
And set Me on a Glorious Throne
That I with Him may Reign.
Glory to God the Father be,
Glory to God the Son.
Glory to God the Holy Ghost.
Glory to God Alone.
