University of Virginia Library

PSALM XVIII.

[Thee will I love, O Lord, my power!]

PART I.

Thee will I love, O Lord, my power!
My rock and fortress is the Lord,
My God, my Saviour, and my tower,
My horn and strength, my shield and sword;
Secure I trust in His defence,
I stand in His omnipotence.

Still will I invocate His name,
And spend my life in prayer and praise,
His goodness own, His promise claim,
And look for all His saving grace,

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Till all His saving grace I see,
From sin and hell for ever free.

He saved me in temptation's hour,
Horribly caught and compass'd round,
Exposed to Satan's raging power,
In floods of sin and sorrow drown'd,
Condemn'd the second death to feel,
Arrested by the pangs of hell.

To God, my God, with plaintive cry
I call'd, in agony of fear;
My humble wailing pierced the sky,
My groaning reach'd His gracious ear;
He heard me from His glorious throne,
And sent the timely rescue down.

PART II.

When God did on my part appear,
Astonish'd at His frowning look,
The earth was moved, and quaked for fear,
The hills to their foundation shook,
The everlasting mountains bow'd,
In presence of my angry God.

A smoke out of His nostrils pour'd,
And upwards roll'd its gloomy spire;
A fire out of His mouth devour'd,
A stream of sin-consuming fire;
His lightnings flew with surest aim,
His foes were fuel to the flame.

The heavens in His descent He bow'd,
And darkness for His carpet spread,
His chariot was a sable cloud,
The wind His fervid wings He made,
By chariots drawn, the King of kings
Came flying on a whirlwind's wings.

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Darkness He made His secret place,
And threw the wide pavilion round;
Darkness and clouds eclipsed His face,—
How inaccessibly profound!
Implunged in waves of deepest night
The' Eternal Uncreated Light!

A ray He darted from His throne,
And bade the scatter'd clouds retire;
His clouds dispersed, His terrors shone,
And dropp'd in flakes of livid fire;
The waves, congeal'd, with horror fell
In hasty showers of rattling hail.

The Lord from heaven in thunder spoke;
The Lord most terrible, most high,
Sent forth His mighty voice, and shook
The battlements of earth and sky;
His wrath in storms of hail He show'd,
As burning coals His judgments glow'd.

He launch'd the weapons of His war,
His arrows of vindictive flame;
His lightnings, with pernicious glare
And right inevitable aim,
Before the rolling thunder flew,
And all my blasted foes o'erthrew.

The watery stores discover'd were,
Broke open by His chiding breath;
It laid the world's foundations bare,
And show'd the mighty springs beneath:
The deep at Thy rebuke was seen,
The centre let Thine earthquake in.

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He sent His warrant from above,
And claim'd, and seized my soul for His;
He drew me by the cords of love,
Implunged in sin's profound abyss;
Redeem'd me from the tempter's power,
Nor let my stronger foes devour.

They caught me in my evil day,
On every side they kept me in;
But God was my defence and stay,
He pluck'd me from the straits of sin,
Brought forth into a wealthy place,
And freely saved me by His grace.

PART III.

Thou still shalt save the poor oppress'd,
And bring their proud oppressors down;
The Lord will give His people rest,
Will comfort His afflicted one;
My God shall in my darkness shine,
And fill my lamp with light Divine.

By Thee I have a troop broke through,
And scaled the wall, O God, by Thee;
Thy way is right, Thy word is true,
And fully verified in me:
My Lord is faithful to redeem,
The shield of all that trust in Him.

For who, except the Lord, is God?
Who is a rock but God alone?
My soul He hath with strength endued,
To perfect love He leads me on;
My feet, through Him, the hinds outfly,
And spurn the earth and scale the sky.

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'Tis God instructs my hands to war,
My arms have broke a bow of steel;
My soul is more than conqueror,
And strong in strength invincible;
Thou hast a shield on me bestow'd,
The mercy of my Saviour-God.

Sustain'd by Thine almighty hand,
And greaten'd by Thy gentle love,
My feet, new-taught on Thee to stand,
And swiftly in Thy paths to move,
Confirm'd, upheld on every side,—
My feet could neither sink nor slide.

My foes I challenged forth to fight,
And vex'd them with offensive war,
Follow'd, o'ertook, and stopp'd their flight,
Nor would from the pursuit forbear,
Till crush'd, consumed, beneath my power,
They sunk, they fell, to rise no more.

Thou, Lord, hast girded me with might,
And arm'd my soul for conquests new;
When other hosts appear'd in sight,
Thine arm did other hosts subdue,
Compell'd the aliens to submit,
And bow'd their necks beneath my feet.

The Lord for me doth ever live:
Blessing ascribe to God most high!
Glory and thanks to Jesus give,
The Rock on which I still rely!
Extol His power, His mercies raise,
The God of my salvation praise!

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'Tis God who vindicates my right,
And all my foes persists to' o'erthrow;
Thou hast redeem'd me by Thy might,
Superior to my inbred foe,
Thy love hath set my spirit free,
And bade me live, O Lord, to Thee.

Wherefore I will exalt Thy name,
And teach the heathen world Thy praise;
In songs of sacred joy proclaim
Thy riches of redeeming grace,
Till all the heathen world confess
And hymn the Lord our Righteousness.

Mighty to save, His love we sing,
The love that doth our souls convert;
The Christian is His priest and king,
The David after His own heart;
And all His seed—His church—adore
The love that saves for evermore.