 | The miscellaneous essays and occasional writings of Francis Hopkinson, Esq |  |
65
A PARAPHRASE.
ON THE 107th PSALM.
With choral voice, oh! let the nations join
And bless the Lord in harmony divine:
His tender mercy over all extends,
And vast creation on his pow'r depends.
Let those, with grateful hearts, his goodness tell
And to his praise the solemn anthem swell;
Whom he vouchsaf'd with kind directing hand,
To lead in safety from a hostile land;
At once with hunger and with thirst opprest,
The fainting soul pin'd in the panting breast.
In deep distress they call'd on God most high,
Who with his wonted mercy heard their cry:
The heav'ns did mans for their food distill,
And from the rock burst forth the limpid rill:
From desert wilds, where destitute they roam,
He brings at length the wearied wand'rers home;
They conquer, by his aid, the nations round,
And fill a land with cheerful plenty crown'd.
And bless the Lord in harmony divine:
His tender mercy over all extends,
And vast creation on his pow'r depends.
Let those, with grateful hearts, his goodness tell
And to his praise the solemn anthem swell;
Whom he vouchsaf'd with kind directing hand,
To lead in safety from a hostile land;
At once with hunger and with thirst opprest,
The fainting soul pin'd in the panting breast.
In deep distress they call'd on God most high,
Who with his wonted mercy heard their cry:
The heav'ns did mans for their food distill,
And from the rock burst forth the limpid rill:
From desert wilds, where destitute they roam,
He brings at length the wearied wand'rers home;
They conquer, by his aid, the nations round,
And fill a land with cheerful plenty crown'd.
66
Oh! that the people, with united voice,
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess:
To hungry souls he doth his joy impart,
And with sweet comfort soothe the wounded heart.
But those who light esteem'd his proffer'd love,
Did soon the terrors of his vengeance prove;
His injur'd justice will o'ertake his foes,
And punish all who dare his pow'r oppose;
Long in a dungeon's dreary depth they lay,
Shut from the radiance of the chearful day;
Where gall'ng chains their captive limbs confin'd,
And wasting anguish prey'd upon the mind.
But when to heav'n they lift their ardent pray'r,
And all the miseries of their state declare;
Sincerely swell the penitential sigh,
And for offended mercy loudly cry:
The God of mercy sends a quick relief,
And songs of triumph soon dispel their grief:
He breaks their bands, wipes all their tears away,
And on their darkness pours reviving day.
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess:
To hungry souls he doth his joy impart,
And with sweet comfort soothe the wounded heart.
But those who light esteem'd his proffer'd love,
Did soon the terrors of his vengeance prove;
His injur'd justice will o'ertake his foes,
And punish all who dare his pow'r oppose;
Long in a dungeon's dreary depth they lay,
Shut from the radiance of the chearful day;
Where gall'ng chains their captive limbs confin'd,
And wasting anguish prey'd upon the mind.
But when to heav'n they lift their ardent pray'r,
And all the miseries of their state declare;
Sincerely swell the penitential sigh,
And for offended mercy loudly cry:
The God of mercy sends a quick relief,
And songs of triumph soon dispel their grief:
He breaks their bands, wipes all their tears away,
And on their darkness pours reviving day.
Oh! that the nations, with united voice,
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
The guilty wretch is punish'd for his sin;
A wounded conscience tortures him within;
With growing horror, aggravated fear,
He sees the stroke of death already near:
Then, if to God his sorrowing soul returns,
And with contrition deep her trespass mourns,
The ear of pity waits on his distress,
And ready pardon will repentance bless:
The hand of mercy stops the hand of death,
The voice of love recalls his fleeting breath.
A wounded conscience tortures him within;
67
He sees the stroke of death already near:
Then, if to God his sorrowing soul returns,
And with contrition deep her trespass mourns,
The ear of pity waits on his distress,
And ready pardon will repentance bless:
The hand of mercy stops the hand of death,
The voice of love recalls his fleeting breath.
Oh! that the nations, with united voice,
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in Hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in Hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
Those who in ships pursue their dangerous way
Thro' the vast empire of the trackless sea,
Behold the pow'r of Heav'n's almighty king,
And with a fearful awe his praises sing.
At his tremendous word the billows rise,
And clouds glide swiftly thro' the floating skies;
Sulphureous lightnings dart from pole to pole,
And o'er the burden'd æther heavy thunders roll;
The howling tempest seems to shake the globe,
Whilst troubled nature wears her darkest robe:
Yet doth the little bark the tumult brave,
And on the white top of the bursting wave
Quivering she hangs—her masts the clouds divide,
And from beneath, hell opes her portals wide:
Confusion reigns o'er all the watry realm;
Th' astonish'd seamen quit the useless helm:
With growing terrors are their bosoms fill'd,
And in their veins the purple currents chill'd:
In their distress to God they lift their pray'r,
And tho' the tempest roars, the Lord will hear:
The same dread word that swell'd the boiling main,
Commands a calm, and all is smooth again;
Their terrors vanish, whilst propitious gales
Swift to the port impel their swelling sails.
Thro' the vast empire of the trackless sea,
Behold the pow'r of Heav'n's almighty king,
And with a fearful awe his praises sing.
At his tremendous word the billows rise,
And clouds glide swiftly thro' the floating skies;
Sulphureous lightnings dart from pole to pole,
And o'er the burden'd æther heavy thunders roll;
The howling tempest seems to shake the globe,
Whilst troubled nature wears her darkest robe:
Yet doth the little bark the tumult brave,
And on the white top of the bursting wave
Quivering she hangs—her masts the clouds divide,
And from beneath, hell opes her portals wide:
Confusion reigns o'er all the watry realm;
Th' astonish'd seamen quit the useless helm:
68
And in their veins the purple currents chill'd:
In their distress to God they lift their pray'r,
And tho' the tempest roars, the Lord will hear:
The same dread word that swell'd the boiling main,
Commands a calm, and all is smooth again;
Their terrors vanish, whilst propitious gales
Swift to the port impel their swelling sails.
Oh! that the nations with united voice,
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
Would in the mercies of the Lord rejoice;
His holy name in hallelujahs bless,
And all the wonders of his pow'r confess!
The fruitful land is blasted for the sin
Of the rebellious race that dwell therein:
The springs forget to flow, the clouds to pour,
Upon the parched plains their wat'ry store;
In vain the husbandman with patient toil
Provokes to plenty the unyielding soil;
The drooping plant wither'd and barren dies,
Whilst all its vegetative moisture dries.
Of the rebellious race that dwell therein:
The springs forget to flow, the clouds to pour,
Upon the parched plains their wat'ry store;
In vain the husbandman with patient toil
Provokes to plenty the unyielding soil;
The drooping plant wither'd and barren dies,
Whilst all its vegetative moisture dries.
But unexhausted plenty from the Lord
Attend on those, who by his holy word
Direct their steps—for them shall gardens grow
In desert wilds and bubbling fountains flow:
Their flocks, their herds, their vineyards shall increase,
And smiling plenty dwell with gentle peace.
Attend on those, who by his holy word
Direct their steps—for them shall gardens grow
In desert wilds and bubbling fountains flow:
Their flocks, their herds, their vineyards shall increase,
And smiling plenty dwell with gentle peace.
69
Such are the blessings that await the just,
The lot of those who place in God their trust:
Then let the wise by virtue hope to prove,
The lasting mercies of his endless love:
For who can bear of guilt the secret sting,
Or dare to vengeance Heav'ns almighty king.
The lot of those who place in God their trust:
Then let the wise by virtue hope to prove,
The lasting mercies of his endless love:
For who can bear of guilt the secret sting,
Or dare to vengeance Heav'ns almighty king.
| The miscellaneous essays and occasional writings of Francis Hopkinson, Esq | |