PSALM CXXVIII.
[Bless'd is the man that fears the Lord]
Bless'd is the man that fears the Lord,
And walks in all His ways;
An earnest of his great reward
On earth his Master pays.
Thou shalt not spend thy strength in vain
For perishable food;
Thy Father shall His own sustain,
And fill thy soul with good.
Happy in Him thy soul shall be,
And on His fulness feed;
Jesus, who came from heaven for thee,
Shall be thy living Bread.
Thy wife shall as the fruitful vine
Her blooming offspring show;
Thy children shall be God's, not thine,
His pleasant plants below:
Around thy plenteous table spread
Like olive-branches fair,
Heavenward they in thy steps shall tread,
And meet their parents there.
Thus shall the man be bless'd who owns
His Maker for his Lord:
Or doubly bless'd with better sons
Begotten by the word.
The children of thy faith and prayer
Thy joyful eyes shall see;
Shall see the prosperous church, and share
In her prosperity.
Sion again shall lift her head,
And flourish all thy days;
Thy soul shall see the faithful seed,
And bless the rising race.
Fill'd with abiding peace Divine,
With Israel's blessing bless'd,
Thou then the church above shalt join,
And gain the heavenly rest.
