A translation of the psalms of David :: :: University of Virginia Library

A translation of the psalms of David

attempted in the Spirit of Christianity, and adapted to the divine service. By Christopher Smart

Smart, Christopher (1722-1771)

[section]

A TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS OF DAVID.

GLORIA PATRI.

HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS FOR THE FASTS AND FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Collapse All | Expand All expand section

Ταδε λεγει ο αγιος, ο αληθινος, ο εχων την κλειδα του Δαβιδ. Rev. iii. 7.

[_]

In this translation, all expressions, that seem contrary to Christ, are omitted, and evangelical matter put in their room;—and as it was written with an especial view to the divine service, the reader will find sundry allusions to the rites and ceremonies of the Church of England, which are intended to render the work in general more useful and acceptable to congregations.

A TRANSLATION OF THE PSALMS OF DAVID.

PSALM I.

The man is blest of God thro' Christ,
Who is not by the world intic't,
Where broader ruin lies;
Nor has descended to a seat,
Where scoffers at the gospel meet,
Their Saviour to despise.

But for himself is wise to chuse
God's holy law, which he pursues
With all his means and might;
This as his exercise he takes,
And working morn and midnight makes
His duty his delight.

He like the tree, that bow'ring wide
Upon the river's sunny side
Has timely fasten'd root;
Shall duly each succeeding year,
In beauty and abundance rear
His bud, his bloom, and fruit.

His leaf shall spread a lasting shade,
Of ever-green that may not fade,
Or wear a languid hue;
And look ye forward to his end,
Success shall every work attend,
He takes in hand to do.

But otherwise with those it fares,
Whose life against the gospel dares,
And with their impious race;
They like the chaff from off the land
Shall by dispersing winds be fann'd,
From earth's offended face.

The sinners therefore shall be far
From confidence, when at the bar
Of God's tribunal tried;
Nor can the folk, with hearts unsound,
Assemble to maintain their ground
With men to Christ allied.

For God his special grace bestows
On him, whose work and way he knows,
The perfect man and just;
But not a path of the profane,
Nor shall a monument remain
To frowardness and lust.

PSALM II.

Why do the heathen zealots rage,
So boist'rous and so blind;
And all the people pre-engage
To vanity their mind?

The kings upon their God have warr'd,
Assembling all their might;
And worldly pow'rs against the Lord,
And Christ his Son unite.

Let us, each impious rebel cries,
Their bonds in sunder break;
We will not hold us to their ties,
Nor such salvation seek.

He that in heav'n supports his reign,
Of spotless virgin born,
Shall give them blessing for disdain,
And charity for scorn.

Then shall he make his day-spring shine
In evangelic peace;
And sinners from the wrath divine,
Thro' faith in him release.

I chose my king, whose worth and weight,
Have all compeers excell'd;
And, Zion, on thy topmost height
His coronation held.

This is my gospel and my lot,
That God himself should say—
“Thou art my Son whom I begot,
“And magnify this day.”

Desire, and I thy boon will bless,
And open to thy knock;
All earth thy pasture to possess,
And all mankind thy flock.

Their fictious gods of brass and stone,
Thine iron rod shall wound;
Like vessels of dishonour thrown,
And trample'd on the ground.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings,
From blood and rapine pause;
And come to learn celestial things,
Ye judges of the laws.

Come in the Christian cause sincere
Your services employ,
With godly love, and manly fear,
And with angelic joy,

Embrace the doctrine and the priest,
In which ye shall not die;
And bidden to the bridegroom's feast,
With lively faith comply.

PSALM III.

Lord, how my bosom foes increase,
How num'rous their allies;
The troublers of my peace
In multitudes arise!

For many a taunting wretch I grieve,
That scoff at God, and say,
'Tis hopeless to believe,
Nor is there fruit to pray.

But thou, Lord Jesus, art my fort
From every hostile dread;
My worship and support
Of this my drooping head.

When to the Lord my voice I sent
My hardships to recount,
A gracious ear he lent
From out his holy mount.

For due repose my couch I press'd,
And rose to pray'r again;
For God my slumbers bless'd,
My spirit to sustain.

Thro' him I will not be dismay'd,
Tho' thousand thousands rage;
And rank and file array'd
Domestic warfare wage.

Up, Lord, and as my foes rebel,
Let thy controuling might
Their fierce attacks repel,
And disannul their spite.

Salvation is from God to man,
Whom he delights to spare;
Our host from rear to van
His gen'ral blessing share.

PSALM IV.

To the call of pressing need,
Christ my righteousness repair;
Thou, whose blood my bondage freed,
With compassion hear my pray'r.

O ye sons of sinful dust,
Will ye still my fame belye;
As for vanities ye lust,
And to fond delusion fly?

Know ye this, that God has made
Men of piety his choice;
Wherefore, when I call for aid,
He will hearken to my voice.

Flee from sin, and stand in awe,
Sift thyself to curb thy will;
To thy private pray'r withdraw,
To thy conscience and be still.

Offer thou the righteous gift,
Which sincerity bestows:
All your thoughts to Jesus lift,
And in God your trust repose.

Some have made an impious doubt,
And descending grace withstood;
Saying, who shall help us out,
And describe the way to good?

Lord, do thou the blind illume,
From thy glorious presence dart
Rays of light to clear the gloom,
That surrounds the harden'd heart.

Thou hast made my joy compleat,
Since thro' thee my people thrive;
Such a crop of choicest wheat,
So much wine and oil they hive.

On my peaceful pillar thrown,
I myself of rest assure;
For 'tis thou, O Lord, alone,
In whose help I dwell secure.

PSALM V.

Weigh the words of my profession,
Lord, in thine indulgent scale;
Of a father's prepossession,
Let my thoughts themselves avail.

Give my suppliant voice the hearing,
To mine orisons repair;
For my God, my king appearing,
At thy shrine I make my pray'r.

At the dawn of morning soaring,
Thou shalt hear my voice betimes;
Lifted eyes and hands imploring,
As my soul herself sublimes.

For thou hast no inclination
To the vicious and the vain;
Nor in thy blest habitation
Shall a wicked thought remain.

Worldly fools and self-deceivers
Shall not rank within thy sight;
Impious men and unbelievers
Are offensive to the light.

Him that makes a lye his study,
And against his Saviour wars,
Men of subtle minds and bloody,
In his nature God abhors.

But my soul, in full persuasion
Of thy mercy, shall be meek;
And at all times take occasion
In thy church thy grace to seek.

In thy righteousness direct me,
Lord, because my friends are few;
Clear my passage, and protect me,
In the path that I pursue.

For with faithless lips they flatter,
And their speeches frame with art,
Clean without the cup and platter,
Foul within the head and heart.

With their breath their throats are tainted,
To the quick their conscience stung;
Yet like tombs inscrib'd and painted,
They dissemble with their tongue.

Save them, Jesu, lest they perish
Thro' their own debas'd conceit;
Give them Christian hope to cherish,
And the tempter to defeat.

And with thanks their praises blending,
Let thy faithful saints be glad;
For their innocence defending,
Thou their souls in joy hast clad.

To the good thou wilt be gracious,
In the fort or in the field;
And with kindness efficacious
Shalt protect him as a shield.

PSALM VI.

O gracious God, rebuke me not,
What time thy wrath is at the height;
Nor as resentment waxes hot,
Let David feel its weight.

O Lord, have mercy on my groans,
Let mine infirmities be spar'd;
My Saviour heal me, for my bones
Are harrass'd and impair'd.

My troubled spirits also droop
With all that puts my frame in fear;
But how much longer must I stoop
To trials so severe?

O captain of salvation, turn
My vessel from the nether lake,
Let mercy stand upon the stern
For my Redeemer's sake.

For all that grace and goodness gave,
What men in death a sense retains;
And who from forth th'ungrateful grave
Shall raise the sacred strains?

In this my lamentable plight,
Ev'n unto weariness I weep;
And all the melancholy night
My couch in tears I steep.

My healthy bloom thro' such excess
Of grief is wasted and declin'd;
Because of all the woes that press
At once upon my mind.

Away, and let my coast be clear'd
Of all the worldly men and vain;
For God, thro' Jesus Christ has heard
My voice as I complain.

God has received my soul's appeal,
And does her faithfulness allow;
God shall with David kindly deal,
And sanctify his vow.

But all that my good works defame,
Shall shame and terror overtake;—
And may that terror and that shame
For true repentance make.

PSALM VII.

O Lord, my God, I ground my creed
In thine almighty pow'r;
Preserve me, and their course impede,
Who chace me to devour.

Lest like the lion and the bear,
That came upon my fold,
They set about my soul to tear,
By no rebuke controul'd.

O Lord, if I have done the crime
Whereof I stand accus'd;
Or hand or heart at any time
To mischief have abus'd;

If e'er with them that well deserve
I treacherously deal;
Yea, rather if I cease to serve
My causeless foe with zeal;

Then let mine enemies be sped,
Nor give me to respire;
Yea, let them take my life, and tread
My trophies in the mire.

Stand up, O Lord, and plume thy crest
Against my rival's rage:
Arise—thy judgment be the test,
As we the contest wage;

So shall thy congregation make
Toward thy hallow'd fane;
And therefore for thy people's sake
Exert thyself again.

The Lord shall judge the common cause,
My plea, O Christ, admit;
As I have kept thy holy laws
Mine innocence acquit.

O let all wickedness and lust,
In penitence conclude;
But govern thou the good and just,
With grace and peace renew'd.

For God in righteousness explores
A man's interior part;
The reins, and all the secret pores
Of his deceitful heart.

My sole security from force
In God's assistance lies;
To his defence I have recourse,
Who saves the good and wise.

God is all-gracious to decide
For those that weep and pray;
Strong in his patience, which is tried
By sinners every day.

Yet e'en to those that love the dark,
His vengeance will be slow;
For pity built the floating ark,
And goodness bent his bow.

His swords are turn'd to shepherd's crooks,
The breast-plate and the helm;
His darts and spears to pruning hooks,
To dress the vine-clad elm.

Behold a virgin has conceiv'd,
By congress undefil'd,
And lost Jeshurun is retriev'd
By an almighty child.

Lo! he has dug the grave of death,
Destruction to destroy;
And open'd by his holy breath
The way to endless joy.

And all the labour of his love
To glory shall redound;
In earth beneath, in heaven above
His truth shall be renown'd.

To this his righteous word reveal'd,
I will in thanks reply;
And faithfully for ever yield
That Christ is God most high.

PSALM VIII.

O Lord, that rul'st the human heart,
How excellent thy name and art,
In all the world renown'd!
The glorious pillars of thy reign
No flight can reach, nor heav'ns contain,
Nor exaltation bound!

The very babes and sucklings cry,
Almighty Father, God most high!
Whom blasphemy profanes—
Thou hear'st and tak'st them by the hand,
Nor can the silenc'd fiend withstand
The strength that Christ ordains.

I will my soaring thoughts exalt
To yonder heaven's cerulean vault,
Whose height thy fingers form'd;
The moon attended at thy call,
Made marvelously fair, and all
The stars around her swarm'd!

Lord what is man, that he should find
A place in his Creator's mind
Or what his whole increase—
A race of rebels vain and weak,
That he should for a moment break
Upon his Saviour's peace?

An angel quite thou mad'st him not,
A little lower is his lot,
On earth thou set'st him down;
There his dominion and degree,
To glorify and worship thee
For glory and a crown.

Him thou deputed to review
The scenes of nature, and subdue
Thy creatures to his will;
Whose motley numbers own his sway,
And by his strength compell'd obey,
Or disciplin'd by skill.

All flocks of sheep and droves of kine,
Which as his olive and his vine,
To man their goodness yield;
And not a beast that can be nam'd,
But may be taken or be tam'd
In woodland or in field.

In air, in ocean he controuls,
The feather'd millions, finny shoals,
From minnows to the whale;
Whate'er beneath the waters creep,
Or glide within the yielding deep,
Or on the surface sail.

O thou that rul'st the human heart,
Supreme of nature and of art,
How is thy name renown'd!
How blest thy providential care,
In heav'n above, in earth and air,
And in the vast profound!

PSALM IX.

With my heart's sincere intention,
Lord, my prayer shall be preferr'd;
I will make melodious mention
Of the wonders of thy word.

Tow'ring with a previous relish
Of celestial joys I fly;
And my songs I will embellish
With thy name, O thou most high!

While mine enemies are routed,
Punish'd for their causeless strife;
They shall dread the God they doubted,
And reform their wicked life.

For by thy divine protection,
My just cause thou shalt maintain;
On a throne of true perfection
Thou support'st a righteous reign.

Thou hast check'd the heathen fury,
By thy hand the godless bleeds;
Thou hast driv'n them far from Jury,
To repent them of their deeds.

O thou enemy, destruction
Is with thy destroyer dead;
And the cities, whose reduction
Thou accomplish'd, are not read.

But o'er infinite duration
God th'eternal sceptre bears,
And for catholick salvation,
He his judgment-seat prepares.

For with merciful decision
He shall try his sinful foes,
And in judgment make provision
For his love to interpose.

God shall likewise be propitious
To the poor in their distress;
And from men and times malicious
With a shelter he shall bless.

And the men of godly science,
In thy name shall put their trust;
For the Lord has made alliance
With the pious and the just.

Praise the Lord, whose fair pavilion
Is on Zion's hill display'd;
Shew the people every million
Of the works, which he has made.

When he makes his inquisition
For a bleeding martyr'd saint,
He forgets not their petition,
Which in hardship make complaint.

Lord, let what I bear atoning
For my sins, thy servant save:
Thou that liftst my spirit, groaning
On the verges of the grave.

That I may thy praise illustrate,
Where fair Zion's daughters dwell;
In thy son, whose birth shall frustrate
Satan's wiles, my joy shall swell.

Their own pit has gap'd to smother,
Those that made it yawn so deep;
From the net they hid for other,
They their steps can scarcely keep.

But the Lord is known by sparing
Sinners thrown on rocks and shelves,
And ungodly self-ensnaring,
He delivers from themselves.

Men, whose ways are so perverted,
That in terror they would end;
Shall, thro' Christ, be disconcerted,
And by grace to bliss ascend.

As for those who, meek and lowly,
Are in worldly goods forgot,
They shall have from God most holy
An eternal glorious lot.

Lord, arise, let carnal traitors
Have no more the upper-hand;
Let thy spirit conquer natures,
That thy saving health withstand.

Those who, thy remonstrance scorning,
Still continue in their lust,
Lord, remind with early warning,
That they are but mortal dust.

PSALM X.

Lord, in this disastrous season
Why dost thou at distance keep?
Times of turbulence and treason
Loudly for thine absence weep.

Worldlings for their own false pleasure
Cruelly the poor intreat;
Deal them not, O God, the measure
They in craft to Christians mete.

For the self-applauding vicious
Speak the bravest and the best
Of the griping avaricious,
Whom God's bounteous laws detest.

There is infinite alliance
'Tixt ungodliness and pride;
In their thoughts they bid defiance
To the God their words deride.

Hard their ways are, disregarding
In what throngs opposers bleed,
While thy love, thy bolts retarding,
Gives them courage to proceed.

For they've to themselves suggested,
Tush! we are not like to fall;
Nor shall ever be molested
With the common lot of all.

Fraught with double-tongu'd expression
Are their mouths and base deceit;
With vain lies and lewd transgression,
Thought and speech they are replete.

In the thievish corners lurking,
They th'unmansion'd poor prevent:
Blood-shot eyes with terror working
On the private stab intent.

Like a lion fierce and greedy,
Couchant in his secret den,
They're in wait to grind the needy;
All is prey within their ken.

And without remorse they grind him
With their teeth for slaughter set;
Whensoe'er the traitors find him
Caught within their cover'd net.

Formal, with affected meekness,
Each a seeming saint behaves;
That the poor, thro' want and weakness,
May become their captain's slaves.

In their hearts themselves they flatter;
Tush! the Lord beholds us not;
And the knowledge of the matter
Christ himself has quite forgot.

Rise, O Lord, the cause examine,
And thy mighty hand uprear;
In the day of war and famine
For the poor in pow'r appear.

Why should every impious traitor
Such a foul presumption dare:
Tush! for God, the great Creator,
Will not for his creatures care.

Murder, theft, and devastation,
Thou hast seen their ruins lie,
For thy chosen church and nation
Are for ever in thine eye.

To thy goodness for their trial
The poor destitute appeal;
For with thee is no denial,
When for aid the friendless kneel.

Take from malice thy protection,
Throw the light on dark disguise,
Purge away each foul affection
And the wicked shall be wise.

Christ his crown of palms is wreathen,
And for ever, ever blooms;
King alike of Jews and heathen,
He th'eternal reign assumes:

Thou hast heard the poor's petition
Thou establishest their heart;
And the cry of their condition
Has ascended where thou art.

That with thy benign compassion
Thou thine orphans may'st redress;
From the men of worldly fashion,
Who are proud when they oppress.

PSALM XI.

In Christ, his work and word
I trust, why should ye say,
That like a tim'rous bird
My soul must wing her way,
And flee from those, whose deadly skill
At worst can but the body kill?

For, lo! the godless bend,
And expedite their bow;
At me the darts intend,
They in their quiver stow,
That they with private aim may wound
The men of upright heart and sound.

If thus the wicked spurn
At fundamental points,
The house they overturn,
And put it out of joints:
And what have pious Christians done,
That they such lawless lengths should run!

The Lord is in his church
Her pillars to sustain;
And there his cherubs perch,
And there his saints remain:
But his exalted glory dwells
Where heaven's interior convex swells.

The Lord directs his eyes
To where the poor man prays,
And to distress applies
Their charitable rays:
Our hearts his eyelids, as they move,
With infinite discernment prove.

The God of truth allows
The righteous man's pretence,
And ratifies his vows;
But every slave of sense
That on his holy spirit wars,
His perfect excellence abhors.

Yet tempest, fire and snares,
And brimstone of the lake,
Which vengeance still prepares,
And wrath and terror make,
He shall from penitents avert,
Thro' Christ his infinite desert.

For God, which is the light
And rectitude, receives
The man that acts aright,
And lives, as he believes;
The fair and equal he respects,
And with his countenance protects.

PSALM XII.

Assist, O Lord, for all have sinn'd,
And war with goodness wage;
For faithfulness is thinn'd
From every rank and age.

The conversation is in vain
Which friends and neighbours hold;
Their hearts within them feign,
Their flatt'ring lips are sold.

The Lord, which came from heav'n to speak,
His purpose has avow'd;
“I magnify the meek,
“And I degrade the proud.”

Such as have said we shall succeed
Against the word of God;
Our province is to plead
Without a master's nod.

Now for the sake of those that lie
And void of comfort grieve,
And for the bursting sigh,
Which suff'ring Lazars heave;

I will arise with full amends
Against the spoiler's claw,
“My brethren, sisters, friends
“Are such as keep my law.”

In purity God's words are weigh'd
Beyond all specious gloss,
As silver is essay'd,
And sev'n times purg'd of dross.

The Lord has bless'd their sure effect
To saints upon their knees,
And promis'd his elect
To shorten days like these.

The sons of wickedness abound,
And by the world are priz'd;
When such are chair'd and crown'd,
An honest man's despis'd.

PSALM XIII.

How long, O my God, shall I plead,
Nor thou for thy servant declare,
And wilt thou for ever recede,
For ever be hid from my pray'r?

How long shall I seek to my breast
For counsel in anguish of heart;
How long shall the rebels profest
From insult to triumph depart?

Consider, my God, and assist,
Thine ear, O my Saviour, I crave;
Enlighten mine eyes from their mist,
My sleep from the dread of the grave!

Lest they, mine oppressors, should vaunt,
And say to our arms he has bow'd;
For if my good courage they daunt,
Their joy will be furious and loud.

But I to thy dictates agree,
Which save me from Satan and Saul,
My trust in thy goodness to me,
My joy in thy mercy for all.

To Christ I my song will recite,
Whose grace, O my soul, is thy dow'r;
Most high in the regions of light,
Most mighty in love and in pow'r.

PSALM XIV.

The fool and fond of Mammon's leav'n
Has said it in his heart,
There is no God in Heav'n
To take fair virtue's part.

The worldly men themselves abuse,
In every course they run;
Forbidden things they chuse,
Nor is the needful done.

The Lord came down from heav'n, and said
The heir they will revere—
But his report he made,
“My kingdom is not here.”

For all the race is gone astray
From Eden to the wild;
Not one to fast or pray,
Not one but is defil'd.

Their cursing throats are baleful deep,
Like sepulchres that yawn,
And aspick poisons steep
The lips with which they fawn.

In blasphemy their voice they lift,
Their mouths are fill'd with gall;
Their devious feet are swift
To work their neighbour's fall.

Ruin and wretchedness attend,
Their feet by Satan shod;
They have no peace or friend,
No fear or hope in God.

Have they no thought that they inure
Their souls to sin alone;
And grind my helpless poor,
And daily pray'r postpone?

Hence guilt in pow'r with terror shakes,
Ev'n when no dread is nigh,
For God himself betakes
To where the righteous cry.

The poor and meek they mock'd and scourg'd,
And crucified and slew—
“Forgive them, sire, was urg'd,
“They know not what they do.”

Thus Christ has brought a change about,
And bore our sins away;
Let Israel's children shout,
And Jacob's banners play.

PSALM XV.

Lord, who shall dwell in thine abode
Of holiness and love;
To whom hast thou the grace bestow'd,
To reach the heights above?

To him who has reserv'd his youth
From Mammon's baits and spells,
And takes a pleasure in the truth,
Which from his heart he tells.

Whose tongu's unpractis'd in deceit,
Whose thoughts all wrong disclaim,
Nor are with virulence replete
Against his neighbour's fame.

So meek he will not over-rate,
When he his worth computes;
But glories on the good to wait,
And further their pursuits.

Whose word of promise is his oath,
And never made in vain,
Whose honest deed is more than both,
Tho' he the loss sustain.

Who hoarded money has not lent,
Exacting by the loan;
Nor took a bribe with black intent
To cause the martyr's groan.

Who that performs, and this forbears,
Shall never act amiss,
Nor fall into the worldly snares,
But speed for endless bliss.

PSALM XVI.

Preserve me, Lord, in this my state
Of trial, and a longer date
To my pursuits allow;
Since to thy glory they redoun'd,
For in thy name my hope I found,
And ratify my vow.

My soul has to the Lord profess'd,
Thou art my God supremely bless'd;
For whom I have declar'd;
The carnal charms that fools entice,
And all the world is of no price
When with thy love compar'd.

My soul's first rapture from my youth
Was for the champions of the truth,
Whose deeds the rest outshine;
Who, God and virtue on their side,
Have Satan and the world defy'd,
With wrath and zeal divine.

But such as from their colours run,
Shall be distracted and undone,
Of Antichrist the seed;
Who hold idolatrous conceits,
And to their images and cheats,
As priests and gods give heed.

I will not mind their house or hour,
When they their vain libations pour,
And hands in blood imbrue;
My lips their names shall not pollute,
Whose lives and rites themselves confute,
Unhallow'd and untrue.

My portion is my Saviour's grace,
Whose invitation I embrace
To his divine repast;
I drink thy cup my sin to blot,
Thou shalt maintain me in my lot,
To whom I feast and fast.

My private lot is fallen fair,
And God, thro' Christ, has made me heir
Of beautiful domains;
To him I give my youth and age,
And lo! a goodly heritage
My faithfulness regains.

My thanks to God shall be preferr'd,
Who gives me warning by his word,
And counsels me to good;
Also my reins by night beware
Of Satan's wiles, which are by pray'r
And vigils best withstood.

My duty lest I should forget,
I still before my eyes have set
Heav'n's omnipresent king;
And his good angel guides my hand,
I shall not therefore fail to stand
The mines that traitors spring.

Hence my glad heart is bound to bless,
And her big gratitude express
In all the pow'rs of praise;
Also my flesh in hope shall sleep,
For soul and body from the deep
Thy conq'ring word shall raise.

Thou shalt not leave my soul in hell,
Nor with the wretched fiends that fell
Thy holy one to stay:
The third day, and he shall arise,
Nor shall be like to him that dies,
And turns corrupted clay.

The gates of heav'n thou wilt unfold,
And thy right hand I shall behold
In triumph o'er the tomb;
There dwell the cherub and his mate,
There plenitude of pleasures wait,
And joys eternal bloom.

PSALM XVII.

In this my cause, O Lord, preside,
Weigh my complaint and take my part;
Attend my pray'r, untaught to glide
From lips of practis'd art.

Let me from thee my sentence learn,
Do thou mine innocence declare;
And let thine equal eyes discern
The bounds of false and fair.

I stand acquitted in the night
When my still heart thy spirit proves;
For I am bound with all my might
To speak as best behoves.

Warn'd by the works that men commit,
Against the word Jehovah spake,
By grace I kept me from the pit
Which sin and mis'ry make.

O bear me up as I proceed
In this my pilgrimage of pain;
And left I fail in strength or speed
My heart and feet sustain.

To God my suit I have referr'd,
And he shall his attention lend;
O grant an audience to the word
Of meekness which I send.

O thy stupendous goodness shew,
And all thy copious mildness show'r;
Thou Saviour of the faithful few,
From such as thwart thy pow'r.

Choice as the lustre of an eye,
Preserve me with thy precious things,
And let me to the covering fly
Of thy paternal wings,

To guard me from my foes profest,
That torture me with endless strife;
My enemies my bounds invest
To take away my life.

They're swoln with fatness, as their days
To sumptuous banquets they devote;
Their mouths are fill'd with pompous phrase,
As on their wealth they glote.

On every side our way they block,
And turn their eyes on every place,
Our stedfast purposes to shock,
And to prevent our race.

Like as a greedy lion works,
His prey from safety to decoy;
Or as his whelp in secret lurks
The trav'ler to destroy.

Up, Lord, the godless disconcert,
And to humility controul;
That bitter sword of thine avert
From David's faithful soul.

The worldly men, who're better sped,
Who have their portion here below;
Who from thy treasuries are fed
The prosp'rous carnal foe.

A num'rous offspring they conceive
According to their gross desires;
And their ill-gotten wealth they leave
To children like their sires.

Mean while to these my joyful eyes
Thou shalt thyself in truth present;
And when I in thy semblance rise,
My heart shall rest content.

PSALM XVIII.

Thee will I love, O Lord, my tow'r,
My Saviour of almighty pow'r
Is God, in whom I dare;
By whom my conq'ring bands are led,
My buckler in the hour of dread,
And refuge from despair.

I will invoke the great Supreme
Whose matchless merits are the theme
Of everlasting praise;
So when the furious warriours chafe,
I shall command the battle safe
From terror and amaze.

The sorrows of a death-like gloom,
And all the visions of the tomb
Came threat'ning as at hand;
And blood in such profusion spilt
By swords extravagant of guilt
My trembling heart unmann'd.

Hell with her agonizing pains,
And horror of eternal chains,
My vestibule alarm'd;
And by my active health forsook,
A ghastly consternation shook,
And all my strength disarm'd.

Thro' trouble when my members fail,
O Lord, I will myself avail
Of thy most holy name;
To thee prefer my soul's complaint,
And from diseases and restraint
Thy blest protection claim.

So that within thy sacred shrine
Thou shalt thy gracious ears incline,
As I thy help beseech;
Thy psalmist to the height shall soar,
And up at Heaven's interior door
Shall thine attention reach.

Strong dread redoubled to convulse
All nature's frame at every pulse,
And from their topmost height,
Down to the bottom of their base,
The hills were shaken and gave place,
Because his wrath was great.

Out in his presence issue wreathes
Of lucid smoak, and as he breathes
Flames from his mouth transpire;
Which rage so vehement and fierce,
The bowels of the earth they pierce,
And set her mines on fire.

The empyrean at his frown
Was humbled, and the heav'ns came down
With all the host incens'd
Of Michael summon'd from his seat,
And gathering underneath his feet,
The darkness was condens'd.

And on the innumerable flight
Of cherubims, the sons of light,
He rode in grand career;
And bore on the stupendous force
And speed of winged winds his course,
O'er vaulted space to steer.

A thick tremendous veil he made,
The glorious majesty to shade,
Where in the midst he storm'd;
And his pavilion was a cloud
Of deepest water, which to shroud,
His alter'd face he form'd.

But then the brightness which he beam'd,
As he the copious lustre stream'd,
The dusky scene controuls;
And as the gloom around was clear'd,
From out the central blaze appear'd,
Hail mixt with burning coals.

God also thunder'd—the most high
Pronounc'd his thunder in the sky,
The rolling pomp to drive;
And at his omnipresent word,
Above, beneath, around occurr'd
Hailstones and coals alive.

He from his loaded quiver drew
The forked arrows, and they flew
To make obstruction void;
He bade the heathen wrath avast,
And with the lightning that he cast,
Their menaces destroy'd.

The secret water springs the while
Were seen ev'n to the source of Nile,
And in the world beneath,
The pillars of th'inferior arch
Stood naked at the fires that search,
And his strong vengeance breathe.

His blessed angel he shall send
To fetch me, and in pow'r defend
From his terrific scourge;
With which he visits all around,
And from the floods of the profound
I shall to peace emerge.

He shall in love prevent my fall,
Till my worst enemy of all
With guilty shame shall blush;
And save me from the gross disgust
Of men with ruffian rage robust,
Whose furious weight would crush.

In that sad hour of pinching need,
They strove my progress to impede,
And from my point debarr'd;
But Christ the Lord, to whom I pray,
Upheld my goings in the way,
At once my guide and guard.

He saw my jeopardy discharg'd,
And freedom's ample walk enlarg'd
With plenty and content;
He set me in a spacious place,
Because I found peculiar grace,
When kneeling to repent.

The Lord shall my reward prepare,
Because my dealings have been fair,
And from all treach'ry free;
According to the spotless hue,
With which these harmless hands I shew,
My recompence shall be.

For I with courage have abode
By God and truth, and kept the road
Which goes to endless bliss;
Nor have deserted from his cause,
Like men that have not known his laws
The godless and remiss.

Because with application strict
I to thy laws my mind addict,
Their import to discern;
Nor poorly single out a part,
But keep them all with all my heart
As of the last concern.

I likewise found myself intire,
And pure from every vain desire,
Lascivious and unclean;
My former follies I eschew'd,
And all the past of life review'd,
My thoughts from vice to wean:

Wherefore the Lord, whom thus I please,
And which my righteous dealing sees
With his paternal eyes,
According as my hands are pure,
Shall to my soul in heav'n secure
The blest immortal prize.

Where saints and holy angels dwell,
Thou shalt in holiness excell,
And shalt have perfect peace;
Where perfected beyond the sketch
Of Nature, to their utmost stretch,
Faith, hope and grace increase.

In living waters thou shalt bathe,
And God with purity shall swathe
Thy loins as with a girth;
And with the clean and undefil'd,
Thou shall be number'd as a child,
In this thy second birth.

For thou shalt save the poor oppress'd,
And have his grievances redress'd,
By thine immediate aid;
And pompous pride, that is above
The works of charity and love,
Thou shalt to want degrade.

Thou shalt indulge a farther length
To David's life, and with new strength
My blazing lamp shall burn;
Again my vessel shall embark,
And God shall dissipate the dark,
And urge the day's return.

Thro' thee I shall maintain my post,
Nor of the fury of an host,
Or numbers, make account;
And, as thy present help supports,
Shall leap o'er battlements and forts,
And every bar surmount.

God's way is just, his word the same,
And proof against the sev'nfold flame,
When challeng'd to the test;
He is the Saviour and the shield
Of all that in his truth reveal'd
Their firm affiance rest.

For what is the Supreme, or who
But God Almighty, and all-true
On his eternal throne;
What is this pow'r and strength of ours,
And what is strength, or what are pow'rs
But God's, and God alone?

It is the Lord that girds my sword,
Whose grace and might their help afford,
Calm thought with wrath to mix;
Against each giant foe of Gath,
'Tis he alone directs my path,
His champion's fame to fix.

His mandates to my seat impart
The swiftness of the nimble hart,
To run with them that fly;
He takes me up from off the ground,
On which with active speed I bound,
And sets me up on high.

The Lord has with my forces fought,
And these my hardy members taught
The battle to sustain;
My hands are practical and apt,
And with their vigour I have snapt
A bow of steel in twain.

Thou'st plac'd salvation's glorious helm
Upon thy servant, and his realm
E'en to remotest Dan;
I rise augmented from thy rod,
And thy kind chastisement, O God,
Shall magnify the man.

Thou shalt enlarge me round about,
And wheresoe'er I take my rout,
My pilgrimage equip;
By thee directed I shall move,
And thou shalt keep as in a groove.
My footsteps lest they slip.

With God and Israel's cause at stake,
I shall their armies overtake,
Which our perdition seek;
Nor will my rapid courses slack,
Nor bring Jehudah's standard back,
Till I have made them meek.

I will attack them sword in hand,
Nor shall they my sure stroke withstand,
While God my arm uplifts;
One shall his thirst of glory glut
With hundreds vanquish'd—ten shall put
Ten thousand to their shifts.

Thy pow'r shall gird and brace my loins,
Whene'er the fierce encounter joins,
Thine angel shall aggrieve
The foe that Israel's coast alarms,
Till I by my victorious arms
Immortal fame atchieve.

Thou'st made mine enemies retreat,
Nor could they, previous of defeat,
My fair battalia front;
And I shall quell their boistrous boasts,
Invested by the Lord of Hosts,
With brav'ry scorners want.

Their clamours shall ascend the skies,
But none shall stay to hear their cries
Of angels or of men;
To God they shall address their suit,
Yet they shall have but little fruit,
To their devotions then.

They came in number, like the dust,
Their weapons in our heart to thrust,
Like dust they shall recede;
Or crumbled clay before the wind,
Nor shall an atom stay behind,
To signify their deed.

Thou shalt preserve thy servant's life
From faction and domestick strife,
However rais'd or spread;
And fresh from every clime and shore,
The heathen shall thy name adore,
With David at their head.

My swelling sails shall be unfurl'd,
And to reform a distant world,
Thou shall my fleets convoy;
And nations from thy word remote,
I to thine honour will devote,
And in thy ways employ.

Soon as my precepts they imbibe,
They shall to their good truth subscribe,
And their rude manners change;
Yea perjured hypocrites shall throng
To God and Jesus, whom they wrong
As they themselves estrange.

The stranger shall be taken in,
Redeem'd from slavery and sin,
Their Saviour to invoke—
Their nature shall no more despond
Of mercy, but embrace the bond
Of peace and Christ his yoke.

The God of all perfection lives,
And reigns o'er all things, and he gives
The laurel to my lance;
And I will bless him and applaud
His pow'rful succour, and his laud
And magnitude advance.

E'en he whose holy angels wage
Their warfare with me, and engage
Against the strength of stealth,
Of hate and falshood, and confirms
My people in submissive terms
By plenty, peace and wealth.

He shall my soul's salvation set
O'er those that cruel men abet,
Still pouring fresh and fresh;
And for my safety shall provide
From every loud blasphemer's pride,
And from an arm of flesh.

I therefore will my Saviour thank,
And from a faithful heart and frank
The song of praise produce;
And to the Gentiles will I sing
Of him who guides the warrior's sling,
Or fills the peaceful cruse.

Great things and prosperous hast thou done
In love to David—and his Son
Shall ride the royal mule;
King David thy free choice appoints,
And from his loins thy seer anoints
A man thy tribes to rule.

PSALM XIX.

The glory of the Lord appears,
In heav'n and all the clust'ring spheres,
Which in rotation shine;
The fleecy clouds and colour'd bow,
And arch of vaulted azure show
The handy work divine.

Day tells to day—as one recedes,
For early prayer the morrow speeds
In harmony to come;
To night the night succeeding chimes,
Sweet are the numbers and the times
That fill their annual sum.

There is no nation, clime or tongue,
Where their first mattins are not sung,
And in the spirit caught;
There is no language, sound or speech,
But their melodious vespers reach,
And warble to the thought.

The soothing symphanies, they frame,
O'er spacious nature are the same,
Isle, continent or main;
And their sweet notes, as on the wing,
The constancy of God they sing,
To farthest earth pertain.

Amidst their motions he displays
A grand pavilion, for the blaze
And rapture of the sun;
Who sallies forth as from a bride,
Or, as a giant in his pride,
The stated race to run.

From one extreme of heav'n he vaults,
Whence he his topmost height exalts
His fiercer darts to beam;
There's nothing hidden from his heat,
While his vast circuit to compleat,
He makes the far extream.

The law of God is passing pure,
By which such learning I procure,
As shall my soul renew;
His statutes are of endless trust,
And with the wisdom of the just,
The simple mind endue.

The statutes of the Lord are right,
And fill with gladness and delight
The good ingenuous mind;
The current tenour of his laws
Is plain and clear in every clause,
And lightens e'en the blind.

Clean, and most holy from offence,
Is God's religion, and from thence
Eternal and unchang'd;
His faithful judgments are above
All errors, founded by his love,
And in his truth arrang'd.

More precious are thy thousand fold,
And more desirable than gold,
Yea than the purest ore;
And with more sweets the heart content,
Than honey, which from heav'n is sent,
Or bees imblossom'd store.

And from the truths that they convey,
I likewise learn the readiest way
To please and serve the Lord;
And in observing of the ties
Which they inforce, there is a prize
Of infinite reward.

Who can his own offences tell,
How oft the busy fiend of hell,
His subtle snare intrudes?
O cleanse me from my wicked works,
And from the secret sin that lurks,
And all my search eludes.

And keep thy servant from the sin
Of gross presumption, lest it win
An empire in my breast;
So should I be defil'd, and fall
Into the blackest crime of all,
Ingratitude profest.

To these my words, in which I couch
My pray'r, and thy blest name avouch,
The pious sighs I heave,
And all the musings of my heart,
Attend, and in the better part,
Do thou from heav'n receive;

O Lord, the strengthner of my soul,
My final comfort, and the goal
Of every course I take;
Behold I ask, I seek, I knock,
Do thou comply, divulge, unlock,
For Jesus Christ his sake.

PSALM XX.

In time of need the Lord allow
Thy pray'r, and ratify thy vow;
May Jacob's God admit thy claim,
And save thee in his holy name.

Christ Jesus from his bosom send
Assistance, and thy peace defend;
From heavenly Zion midst the throng
Of cherub angels make thee strong.

Remember thy devoted gift,
And all thine orisons uplift;
His face to bless thy censer turn,
And meet thine odours, as they burn.

To thy good purposes aspire,
And grant thee all thy soul's desire;
To his commands direct thy will,
And all thou hast at heart fulfill.

We will rejoice in God's applause
To thy good work, and in his cause,
While we the streaming flags unrief,
Proclaim the Lord accept our chief.

Nor know I that my pray'r has place,
And God presents me with his grace,
That from the holiest heav'n he hears,
And his right hand my vessel steers.

Some on the prancing steed confide,
And some in chariots proudly ride;
But we to great Jehova trust,
And prostrate to the Lord our dust.

They that on helps like those rely,
Or shameful fall, or fearful fly;
But we, thro' Christ our hope renown'd,
Rise manful and maintain our ground.

Save, Lord, and hear us, we beseech,
Extend thy grace for all and each;
O king of sempiternal sway,
From heav'n regard us, as we pray.

PSALM XXI.

King David shall rejoice
In thee, O Lord, his tow'r,
The man of God's own choice,
Whom grace and might impow'r:
But when his Saviour he shall plead,
His joy to transport shall exceed.

Thou hast indulg'd thy gift,
And his petitions blest,
According to the drift
Of his supreme request,
Thou hast accepted, nor oppos'd
The name, in which his pray'r he clos'd.

Henceforth thou shalt prevent
By grace his heart's desires,
Thy blessing shall be sent
Or e'er his pray'r aspires;
His crown shall be of purest gold,
And Judah's sceptre he shall hold.

He with devotion su'd
For health and length of years,
And thou his life renew'd,
And freed him of his fears;
Thou shalt eternalize the grant,
And to perpetual bliss transplant.

The rays of his renown
From thy salvation beam,
Thou shalt his greatness crown
With grace and high esteem;
And glories which from heav'n advance
Upon his lifted face shall glance.

For thou shalt give him taste
Of everlasting bliss,
And from the carnal paste
Thou shalt his soul dismiss,
That he in heav'n may take his place,
And see his Saviour face to face.

And this because the king
Has his affiance built
On him, which o'er the sting
Of death and lures of guilt
Shall ever in the height prevail,
And in such hope he shall not fail.

Thine enemies shall find,
In spite of unbelief,
That thou art loving kind;
Th'adult'ress and the thief
Shall shed a penitential flood,
And own thine all-sufficient blood.

From everlasting death
Thou shalt their souls reprieve,
And from thy blessed breath,
Thy grace they shall receive;
The flames of hell thou shalt abate,
And blunt the darts of mortal hate.

Their children shall be taught
And nurtur'd in the right;
For with the price they're bought,
And Christ's eternal light,
Which beams from his victorious tree,
Shall of his burden make them free.

And all this mighty good
They shall from thee obtain;
Tho' they thy word withstood,
And tho' the Lamb was slain
By their confederate fraud and force,
Foul hands and hearts without remorse.

But thou shalt make them turn
Their backs upon their crimes;
And by repentance spurn
The filth of former times;
And to their rapture thou shalt show
The waters of thine em'ral'd bow.

Let exaltation pil'd
On exaltation bless
The man so much revil'd
For meekness in excess.
“Why callest thou me good”—adore,
Sing praise and magnify the more.

PSALM XXII.

O my God, my God, receive me,
Why am I no more thy care,
Why dost thou recede to leave me
In a state of pain and pray'r?

Lord, thou hearest not, thro' illness
As I weep upon my knees;
All the day, and in the stillness
Of the night I have no ease.

But there is no diminution
Of thy holiness and grace,
Through all change and revolution,
O thou praise of Jacob's race.

Faithful were our sires, and steady
To the hope they built in thee;
And thy gracious hand was ready
To support and set them free.

By thine angel they were aided
As they call'd upon thy name,
And of thy good truth persuaded,
They escap'd disgrace and shame.

But thy servant is neglected
Like a worm upon the turf;
Scarce a man, and disrespected
By the very scum and scurf.

All with smiles of scorn exploding,
As with taunts their spite is fed,
And with ignominy loading,
Shoot their lips and shake their head.

“On the Lord for help he waited
“Let the help attend his call,
“If a wretch so vile and hated
“Be of any price at all.”

But thy pow'rful love embrac'd me
Soon as from the womb I sprung;
And in thy remembrance plac'd me
When upon the breasts I hung.

I have walk'd by thy direction
Ever since my natal hour;
Thou the God of my protection,
From my mother's womb, in pow'r.

Keep not mercy at a distance
Now when trouble presses hard;
For I fail of all assistance,
If the Lord will not regard.

Youthful insolence confounds me,
Striplings of the hostile seed,
And maturer strength surrounds me,
Pride of Bashan's brawny breed.

Stalking to the gates of Zion
They my face with wrath behold,
Like the ramping roaring lion,
When he came upon my fold.

Loose, as to a fluid turning,
Are my bones, my joints relax,
And my heart, within me burning,
Is become like melting wax.

Like the fragments of a potter,
All my strength is dried and broke,
Parch'd my organs, and I totter,
As thou gave the final stroke.

For with mows of malediction
Crowds against my peace consent,
And with dark disguise and fiction
Artful traitors circumvent.

For my death their cross erecting,
Both my hands and feet they wound;
I can tell my bones projecting
To the staring crowd around.

As a spoil my garment's taken,
Into shares their band divide,
For my vest their lots are shaken,
Their contention to decide.

But, O Lord, by long secession,
Leave me not with woe to waste;
Thou my helper in oppression,
Quick to my deliv'rance haste.

From the weapons of the cruel,
Take my soul to life and light;
Mine inestimable jewel
From the carping pow'rs of spite.

From the tyrants that arraign me,
Speed me to thy righteous throne,
Thou that didst by grace sustain me
In the wilderness alone.

Jesus in my private station,
With my brethren will I praise;
And before the convocation,
Will his peerless marvels blaze.

Praise the Lord all ye that fear him,
And exalt him voice and mind;
You of Jacob's seed revere him,
And in Abr'ham all mankind.

For the friendless and unable
He disdains not to supply,
Nor rejects them from his table,
But attends whene'er they cry,

With communicants assembling
To thy church, my praise is thine;
And my vows with fear and trembling,
To their pray'rs I will subjoin.

God shall give the poor in spirit
Bread with everlasting peace;
Faith and praise shall realms inherit,
Where their pow'rs shall never cease.

Christ, by farthest earth asserted,
Shall remind them of their end;
All mankind shall be converted,
And the Christian Church attend.

For to Jesus is dominion,
Him all tongues and climes obey;
Wanton will and vague opinion
To the truth in Christ give way.

Such as in the world have flourish'd,
Whom true worth and fame reward,
Have been in the spirit nourish'd
By the nurture of the Lord.

Every saint that serves his Maker
Unto death, he shall restore
With his Son to be partaker
Of a life to die no more.

As for me and my descendants,
We will reverence his laws;
Reckon'd as the chief dependents
On his honour, house and cause.

My posterity shall glory,
As the heavens declare his reign,
Preaching his stupendous story
To the souls he shall regain.

PSALM XXIII.

The shepherd Christ from heav'n arriv'd,
My flesh and spirit feeds;
I shall not therefore be depriv'd
Of all my nature needs.

As slop'd against the glist'ning beam
The velvet verdure swells,
He keeps, and leads me by the stream
Where consolation dwells.

My soul he shall from sin restore,
And her free pow'rs awake,
In paths of heav'nly truth to soar,
For love and mercy's sake.

Yea, tho' I walk death's gloomy vale,
The dread I shall disdain;
For thou art with me, lest I fail,
To check me and sustain.

Thou shalt my plenteous board appoint
Before the braving foe;
Thine oil and wine my head anoint,
And make my goblet flow.

But greater still thy love and grace
Shall all my life attend;
And in thine hallow'd dwelling place
My knees shall ever bend.

Or this [PSALM XXIII.]

Christ Jesus has my name enroll'd,
And to his own peculiar fold
Above all want consign'd;
Thou hast to ghostly welfare brought
The sheep, thy precious blood has bought,
O shepherd of mankind.

Me plac'd beneath the blue serene,
In pastures ever fresh and green,
Where all is peace and still,
He feeds—and sets me on the brink
Of living waters, there to drink
Of comfort and my fill.

He shall convert my carnal heart,
And every Christian grace impart,
To fix me in his way;
For by his hallow'd name he swore,
And for the sake of that no more
Shall David ever stray.

Yea tho' from hence my journey lies
Down thro' the vale of tears and sighs,
And up the steep of pain,
No terror shall my course withstand;
Thy rod and staff are still at hand
To check me and sustain.

Thou shalt add plenty to thy grace,
And heap my board before their face,
My troublers to confound;
The head that thou hast lifted up,
Thou hast anointed, and the cup
Of my salvation crown'd.

The goodness and the grace divine,
Shall constant all along the line
Of utmost life extend;
And I shall in thy temple dwell,
In thankful psalmody to tell
Of transport without end.

PSALM XXIV.

The earth is God's, with all she bears
On fertile dale or woody hill;
The compass of the world declares
His all efficient skill.

For her foundations has he laid,
The flowing waters to restrain,
And all her firm consistence made
Upon the mighty main.

Who shall have strength and grace to climb
Up to the sacred mount of God?
And for the holy place sublime,
What pilgrim shall be shod?

Whose hands are clean, and heart is whole,
Whose mind and tongue vain thoughts suppress,
Nor stain with perjury his soul,
His neighbour to distress;

The Lord shall bless, and give him fruit
In heav'n as his salvation speeds,
And God shall righteousness impute
To his accepted deeds.

Such is the nature and reward
Of all the children of his grace,
E'en them, who zealous for their Lord,
O Jesus, seek thy face.

On golden hinges as ye swing,
Ye gates, ye doors of endless mass,
Lift, lift your arches, and the king
Of glory shall repass.

Who is the king of glory, who
Is worthy of so great a name?
E'en Christ all pow'rful to sudue,
Of vast victorious fame.

On golden hinges as ye swing,
Ye gates, ye doors of endless mass,
Lift, lift your arches, and the king
Of glory shall repass.

Who is the king of glory, say?
'Tis Christ most worthily renown'd;
He whom the hosts of heav'n obey,
Is king of glory crown'd.

PSALM XXV.

Lord and Master, to thine altar
In the heav'ns by faith I scale,
Let no terror make me faulter,
Nor let enmity prevail.

They shall never be confounded
Who upon thy grace depend,
But false hearts, by conscience wounded,
That without a cause offend.

In thy sacred institutions,
Lord, be thou my gracious guide,
Strengthen my good resolutions,
By thy canons to abide.

With a Christian education
Give my soaring soul her scope;
For thou, God of my salvation,
Art alone my daily hope.

Lord, with all their sweet effulgence,
Beam thy mercies on thy fold,
And remember thine indulgence
Shewn to thine elect of old.

Lord, upbraid not with the sallies,
And offences of my youth,
But exert that love, which tallies
With thy goodness and thy truth.

Gracious is the Lord, a lover
Of the thing that's just and right;
He the wand'rers shall recover
To the paths of life and light.

Men of gentle disposition
By his judgments shall he sway;
And for hearts above ambition
Shall facilitate his way.

Christ is truth with mercy treating
All his congregated sheep,
Which his liturgy repeating
All his ceremonies keep.

Lord, for Christ his intercession
In the blood of every stripe,
Spare and pardon my transgression,
Gross and for perdition ripe.

Where's the man dispos'd to center
All his views in God the word,
He shall by his guidance enter
In the way that Christ preferr'd.

After death his soul surviving,
Shall in peace her hours employ,
And his seed, thro' promise, thriving,
Shall their native land enjoy.

All the mysteries and mazes
Of the providential year,
To the man that fears and praises,
Clear, as nature's laws, appear.

For the church and constitution
I my soul by pray'r sublime,
From unequal destibution,
And the snares of men to climb.

Turn again, O Lord, restore me,
Let my breathings have access;
For the gloomy scenes before me
Are desertion and distress.

Sorrows in my heart are heighten'd,
And upon my spirit fall:
In afflictions am I streighten'd,
Lord, deliver me from all.

Look upon the fierce invasion
Of the powers that war within,
Mov'd from thence to take occasion
Of forgiveness to my sin.

See my foes, how much recruited,
To what swarms their musters swell,
Who my prowess have disputed,
And in tyrant hate rebel:

From the fury, that has thirsted
For my soul, O set me free,
Let me not be sham'd and worsted,
Since I put my trust in thee.

Let fair dealing and perfection
Steer me, as my course I run,
For my calling and election,
And my hope is Christ, thy Son.

All thy flock, which travel weakens,
Lord, by daily grace refresh;
Save the bishops, priests and deacons,
From the devil, world and flesh.

PSALM XXVI.

Be thou my judge, O Lord, of all
Mine innocence to clear;
My trust is I shall never fall,
If that through Christ appear,

Examine me, and take the part,
O Lord, so much thine own;
Try out my reins, and prove my heart,
Which thou canst know alone:

Because thy loving kindness stands
For ever full in view,
And in the truth of thy commands
My path I still pursue;

I have not for companions chose
The idle and the vain;
Nor love the neighbourhood of those,
Who teach an art to feign.

Where wicked men in parties meet,
I have the place abhorr'd;
Nor will I stoop to take a seat
With those that hate the Lord.

My hands already wash'd more clean
Mine innocence shall make;
And so prepar'd will I be seen
Thine eucharist to take.

That with exemplary delight
I may my thanks profess,
And raise my voice with all my might
Thy wond'rous works to bless;

Lord, I have made thy house my home,
And love to keep my post,
Where dwell beneath the hallow'd dome
Thine honour and thine host.

Shut not my soul amongst the cries
Of Anti-christ's domain,
Nor where they blood and burnings prize
Let me my life retain.

Whose hands at all times ready skill'd
To deeds of shame subscribe;
And their right hands display'd and fill'd
With Mammon's deadly bribe.

But as for me I will proceed
To run a virtuous race;
O Jesu Christ, let me be freed
By mercy from disgrace.

My stedfast foot I firmly fix,
And will maintain my ground,
And with the congregation mix
Thy glory to resound.

PSALM XXVII.

The God of Jacob's host
Is my defence and light,
Why should I quit my post,
Or shun the day of fight?
Christ Jesus is my strength and aid,
Why, therefore, should I be dismay'd?

When wicked men advanc'd
Embattel'd troops and bands,
And impious words inhanc'd
By violence of hands;
The Lord abash'd the pow'rs of hell,
And back they went, and down they fell.

Tho' hostile pow'rs increase,
Conspiracies to plan
Against my realm and peace,
I will asert the man;
Tho' war against me be declared,
My faith shall never be impair'd.

I have desired a boon,
By which I will abide,
With angels to commune,
And in thy house reside;
With champions in their Saviour bold,
Which now God's beauteous face behold.

For tho' the heathen chafe
And troublous times predict,
The Lord shall keep me safe
From these that would afflict;
Yea he shall in his temple seat,
And place upon a rock my feet.

And while my threatners halt,
That come so big with dread,
My Saviour shall exalt
The honours of my head,
To baffle the surrounding foes,
Who seek thy servant to depose.

I therefore will devote
In joyfulness divine,
Instead of ram or goat,
Myself before thy shrine.
With songs I will thy praises chant,
And in familiar talk descant.

To these my pray'rs attend,
As in thy house I kneel;
In pity condescend,
O Lord, to my appeal;
In mercy to my fervent suit
Thy blessed Comforter depute.

The holy spirit proves
The workings of my breast,
And as its impulse moves,
My heart is thus addrest.
“Seek ye my face”—resign'd and meek,
Thy face, Lord Jesus, will I seek.

O do not disengage
From my request thine ear,
Nor in this vicious age,
From David disappear,
Nor cast the servant of thy crust
From his dependence in disgust.

Thou hast from spite and spies
Been still my soul's resource,
And thy benign supplies
Have kept a constant course:
O leave me not—my measure still,
Thou God of my salvation, fill.

When all the ties direct
Of love no longer bind,
When fleshy sires neglect
And mothers prove unkind,
Then God receives me as his ward,
The child and orphan of the Lord.

O train me in the track
Of thine eternal way,
O Lord, and lead me back
From whence I went astray;
Because the traitors over-reach
Thy servant, and his truth impeach.

Surrender not my cause
To prejudice, the hate
Of rebels to thy laws
From virulence innate;
For on my fame they have let loose
False accusation and abuse.

I should have been depriv'd
Of spirits in my need,
But that I strength deriv'd
From this my steadfast creed;
That I shall God's perfections know,
Where life is in eternal flow.

O tarry thou in hope,
Expecting God's good hour,
And pray for strength to cope
With every adverse pow'r;
And he, the Comforter, shall bless
Thy soul, which in thy faith possess.

John xviii. ver. 6.

PSALM XXVIII.

To thee I pour my wailings out,
O Lord, my strength and my redoubt,
Nor my petition scorn;
Nor make as tho' thou hearest not,
Lest I be liken'd in my lot,
To men of hope forlorn.

Hear thou the language of my woe,
When to thy holy shrine I go
In meekness and in pray'r;
And as I lift my hands on high
Towards thy mercy-seat, reply
To my confession there.

O pluck me not in wrath away
With godless men, that disobey
Thy laws so much profest;
Who with their neighbours mildly treat,
But cherish mischief and deceit
Within a treach'rous breast.

Yet do not thou, O Lord, requite
My foes according to their spite,
But bless them to repent;
Nor give the sinners like for like,
The measure they for others strike,
And frauds that they invent.

Retaliate not their mighty wrongs,
Nor recompense them as belongs
To these their works malign;
The wages of their sin remit,
And keep their souls from out the pit,
Which they for others mine.

Tho' they regard not in their mind,
The works omniscient love design'd,
And hands almighty skill'd,
Yet may they for their crimes atone,
And all on Christ the corner-stone
In clemency rebuild.

The Lord with adoration hail,
For he has made my pray'r prevail,
As I from wrath abstain;
And my humility succeeds,
And that request which pity pleads,
I from his mercy gain.

God is my courage and my shield,
And to his name I have appeal'd,
And trusted in his aid;
Wherefore my heart with gladness springs,
While to his praise with voice and strings
The sweet oblation's paid.

God is my fortress and ally,
In whose strong prowess I defy
The sword and pointed shaft;
And all salvation and defence
Is from him, and for innocence,
To frustrate force and craft.

O save thy people and enlarge,
The flock of thy peculiar charge
From all the bonds of sin;
Feed them and in thy pasture place,
And grant them thine especial grace,
The topmost height to win.

PSALM XXIX.

Ye men of birth and high renown,
Who, zealous for the heav'nly crown,
Have gallant deeds atchiev'd,
The Lord with thankfulness adore,
The strength, the praise to him restore,
From whom ye both receiv'd.

Give to the Lord's most holy name,
The honour which his merits claim,
In meekness as ye kneel;
With reverence pay your daily vow;
In seemliness and order bow
With lively faith and zeal.

The word of infinite command,
August, adorable and grand,
The water-flood controuls;
And in terrific glory breaks
Upon the billows, and he speaks
The thunder as it rolls.

The voice of God and pow'r are one,
The mandate which he gives is done
In all the dread profound;
Vast operative strength and skill,
The proclamation of his will,
Is of majestic sound!

The voice of God in anger drives
The tempest to the mark, and rives
The cedar-trees in twain,
Yea Lebanon, with all his growth,
Was rifted when the Lord was wroth,
And strawn along the plain.

The lofty mountains huge and steep,
At voice of his commandment leap
Like calves upon the sod.
And Libanus and Sirion too
Bound like young unicorns to do
Obeisance to their God.

The voice of God divides the flakes
Of torrent fire, his mandate shakes
The wilderness with fear;
Yea Kadesh with his voice he shocks,
And caverns, mountains, woods and rocks
With dreadful trembling hear.

The voice of God upon the lawn
Descends and causes hinds to fawn,
The thicket disarrays;
With terror strikes the human race,
Who that tremendous time embrace,
For publick pray'r and praise.

The Lord in highest heav'n ascends,
The while his stedfast course he bends
All ocean's depth to ford;
From eastern to the western beam,
The Lord is evermore supream,
Is evermore ador'd.

The Lord shall make his people strong,
With corn and wine our lives prolong,
And cloath us with his fleece;
He shall the bonds of sin unloose,
And on our consciences diffuse
The blessing of his peace.

PSALM XXX.

O Lord, I will thy pow'r exalt,
Which hast advanc'd me far from shame,
And check'd my foes in their assault
Upon my realm and fame.

O Lord, the God of my belief,
To thee I sent the plaintive sounds,
And thou wert mov'd to sooth my grief,
And heal my gaping wounds.

Thou, Lord, hast brought my soul from hell,
And hast my fault'ring life sustain'd
From those that in the darkness dwell,
And in the pit are chain'd.

Give praises, O ye blest above,
And grateful songs to God combine,
For a memorial of his love,
And sanctity divine.

Wroth but the twinkling of an eye,
Pleas'd, and his smiles all nature buoy;
A night in heaviness we lie,
But morning teems with joy.

And in my prosp'rous hour I said,
My wealth is in a settl'd state;
Thou, Lord, hast of thy goodness made
Mine eminence so great.

But thou, to curb my growing pride,
The fost'ring radiance of thy face
Didst in thy just displeasure hide,
And I was in disgrace.

Then cried I, for I could not brook
God's dispensations in extreams,
And to the Lord myself betook
In meekness, as beseems.

Can there emolument arise
To God or man from out the pit,
When this my body they despise,
And to the dust commit?

Shall gratitude be mixt with clay,
And still retain her thankful powr's,
Or shall the man thy truth display,
Whose tongue the worm devours?

O Lord, attend and hear me out,
Be merciful, O most ador'd,
And to thy servant, thus devout,
Thy timely help afford.

Thou'st turn'd my heaviness to mirth,
And put off all my weeds of woe,
And shalt thy gladness, as a girth,
About my loins bestow.

Wherefore there is exceeding cause,
O God, that pray'r should never cease,
And I will praise thee without pause
In everlasting peace.

PSALM XXXI.

In thee, O righteous Lord, I lay
The ground of all my creed;
Let not confusion disarray
My well form'd thoughts, but as I pray
My soul unto her safety speed.

From heaven's interior shrine mature,
Thy favourable aid
Admission there let me procure,
In condescension to the poor,
When his remonstrances are made.

Be thou my bulwark to defend,
Like some strong bastion's mole,
That every sense of fear may end,
When on thy succour I depend,
To shield my body and my soul.

For thou art my munition strong,
And citadel of might;
Be my companion and my song,
To lead me safe thro' life along,
And for thy name's sake set me right.

Extract my soul from out the net,
Which they with secret spleen,
And as each other they abet,
With joint antipathy have set,
For on thy mighty pow'r I lean.

To thy good keeping I commit
My spirit, as is due,
For thou shalt of her sins acquit,
And save my soul from out the pit,
O Lord, thou God supremely true.

I scorn the fools that put their trust
In superstitious craft;
That worship vanities and lust,
And bow themselves before a bust,
But to the Lord my sighs I waft.

I will with joy and gladness hail
Thy charitable care;
Thou'st put my troubles in thy scale,
And made thy mercies countervail,
My tottering fabrick to repair.

Thou hast not given me up, nor bound
Within the stranger's hand,
Nor in the streights hast run aground
My vessel, but secure and sound
Hast brought her to a spacious land.

Lord, let thy beams of mercy shine,
For terror and distaste,
And every bitter woe is mine;
My eyes to see such objects pine,
Yea both my flesh and spirit waste.

My life within my veins is cold
With heaviness and tears,
And I with mourning am grown old,
Ere yet succeeding times have roll'd
The stated complement of years.

My strength my wasting frame forsakes
Thro' sin and rank abuse;
Each member with convlsion shakes,
My bones with various pains and aches
Are robb'd of their nutricious juice.

My name was nam'd as a reproof,
That neither friend nor foes,
Nor neighbours came beneath my roof,
And my companions kept aloof,
As other company they chose.

The world have all my deeds forgot,
And I am in the place
Of one, whose memory is not,
Whose body damps sepulchral rot,
And like an useless broken vase.

For I have heard the godless crowd
In blasphemy and strife,
And fear on every side's avow'd,
While fraud and faction are allow'd
To meet, and scheme against my life.

But thou, Lord, art my corner-stone,
I put my trust in thee,
And I thine omnipresence own,
O Christ, thou art my God alone,
To whom I bow the faithful knee.

In thy dispose is every hour
Of mine allotted time;
Save me from their confed'rate pow'r
Whose bands with steadfast malice show'r
Their darts, and from rebellion's crime.

Thy lustrous countenance reveal,
My watchings to reward,
And by thy gracious mercies heal
The cruel agonies I feel,
Thro' Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord.

O Lord, let no foul shame abash
The man that pays his vows,
But rather let confusion dash
The wicked, profligate and rash,
And thus a sense of guilt arouse.

The lying lips, O Lord, refrain,
That in despite extream,
And cruelty and sour disdain,
First take their Saviour's name in vain,
Then all his righteous sons blaspheme.

O how abundant is the store
Thy bounteous love provides
For all that thy commands adore,
Ere yet the course of life is o'er,
With wealth, and bliss in heav'n besides.

Thou in thy bosom shall protect
Their souls from kindling ire,
And to their peace have such respect,
That in thine house thou shalt select
A place for virtue to retire.

With thankful heart and willing mind,
I will the Lord renown,
Because he has been loving kind,
And to my need a fort assign'd
Within a strong rodoubted town.

In that precipitate pursuit,
When I was forc'd to fly,
I said my pray'r has cast its fruit;
The Lord will not my strength recruit,
Nor watch me with his gracious eye.

Yet not the less thou didst accept
The voice that I preferr'd;
Thou heardst the cries with which I wept,
And God amidst my doubtings kept
The purpose of his holy word.

O love the Lord all ye his sons,
On whom his angels smile;
For God preserves the man that runs
His race with faithfulness, and shuns
The commerce of the proud and vile.

Be strong and of a manly heart,
Ye champions of the cause,
And God new courage shall impart,
To parry every sword and dart
From those that triumph in his laws.

PSALM XXXII.

The man is blest that is asham'd
Of vice, and by the Lord reclaim'd,
Anew his life begins;
Who by his penitence abides,
Sav'd by that charity that hides
The multitude of sins.

The man to whom the Lord remits
His foul transgression, and acquits
Of all his evil ways;
In whose serene ingenuous smile
Is no deception, and no guile
In that he thinks or says.

When on the ash myself I cast
With sharp remorse for errors past,
And grief too great to speak;
Upon my pangs my lips were seal'd,
With groanings not to be reveal'd,
My flesh and bones were weak.

For in the day, and on my bed,
Thy hand lies heavy on my head
My failings to chastise;
My moisture scarce affords a tear,
Like earth what time the sultry year
Her bursting bosom dries.

I will acknowledge mine offence,
And wail my forfeit innocence,
As I thy grace invoke;
The base injustice of my deed
I said, nor with myself agreed
Its heinous filth to cloak.

I said I will redeem the time,
And to the Lord confess my crime
In that I have transgress'd;
And Christ, of peerless pow'r to save,
All mine iniquity forgave,
And my contrition bless'd.

By this the pious shall be warm'd,
And many a righteous vow perform'd
Where thou art to be found;
But conscious sinners from thy fane
Through overwhelming guilt abstain,
And fear themselves to sound.

Thy bosom is my soul'd retreat,
And there she would herself secrete
From all this world of woe;
Thou shalt inspire me to prevail,
And songs of gratulation hail
My triumph as I go.

I will to thee my ways unfold,
And teach thee whence thou shou'dst withhold
And where thy steps advance;
I thy misdoubtings will decide,
And with mine eye will be thy guide
From error and mischance.

Be ye not like to horse or mule,
That are not bless'd with reason's rule,
But restless and untam'd,
Until they're here and there impell'd,
Their mouths with bit and bridle held,
And feet in trammels fram'd.

A multitude of woes shall wait
Upon the wicked, whose estate
Is desperate and dread,
But those whom Christ has call'd to grace,
The heavenly mercy-beams embrace,
And their mild influence shed.

Be glad in God, ye sons of light,
Who think and speak and act aright,
And you ye sound of heart,
Whom Satan's wiles could ne'er decoy,
In fulness of immortal joy
Home to your peace depart.

PSALM XXXIII.

Rejoice in God, ye saints above
The wiles and fire of fraud and lust;
For gratitude is fruitful love,
And well becomes the just.

Praise with the harp the prince of grace,
Let lutes accord to him that sings,
Adapt the mellow sounding bass
With ten melodious strings.

Let novelty commend the strain,
And sing, adoring, as ye kneel,
And swell with all your might and main
The full resounding peal.

For Christ the word of his command
Is truth in all its various terms,
And all th'atchievements of his hand
His faithfulness confirms.

He has his righteousness at heart,
And love and mercy hold his rod,
And earth abounds in every part
With goodness and with God.

The firmament and all the host
Of heav'n by Christ the word were form'd,
And quickning to the Holy Ghost,
With active heat were warm'd.

In one great magazine compell'd,
The waters of the main he heaps,
And, as a store by warders held,
The briny depth he keeps.

Let earth in all her throng'd abodes,
And ye, where'er your tents are spread,
Ye people, bless in all the modes
Of reverence and dread.

With him the word and work are one,
The moulds were made, the forms were cast,
As he commanded it was done,
And stood for ever fast.

The Lord abolishes the schemes
And purposes of heathen sects;
The people's murmurs, prince's dreams
He quashes and rejects.

The councils of the Lord are sure,
As infinitely just and sage,
And all his precious thoughts endure
From age to rising age.

Blest are the people and the realm,
Where Christ is seated on the throne;
For whom their Saviour holds the helm,
Elected as his own.

The Lord from heav'n's imperial height
Beholds the sons of men below,
And thence considers their estate
Of transient wealth or woe.

By him their hearts are fram'd and turn'd,
By him the vital fountain plays;
He knows whatere is sought or spurn'd
In all their works and ways.

There is no monarch therefore sav'd,
Who has to multitudes recourse,
Nor is the stroke of conquest stav'd
By numbers or by force.

The horses that the spearmen mount,
When comes the trying hour of need,
Are of small service or account,
With all their strength and speed.

Lo! God with fatherly concern,
Looks down to see what course we steer,
And blesses those that live and learn
A godly hope and fear;

Their souls from terror to redeem,
And for their cup and social hearth
To raise the blade and fill the stream,
Against the hour of dearth.

Our souls by patience we possess,
Untill the Lord his angel send;
For he's our helper to redress,
Our buckler to defend.

Wherefore our spirits shall revive,
Because our special end and aim
Is still to keep our hope alive
By his most holy name.

Lord, let thy gracious love diffuse
Its influence on our fervent vows,
Like as our faith all doubt subdues,
And we thy cause espouse.

PSALM XXXIV.

Unceasing thanks, as thus I kneel,
I will to God return;
And still with eager lips reveal
Th'internal gratitude I feel,
And zeal to praise with which I burn.

With confidence in Jesus placed,
My soul herself shall plume;
The poor and by the world disgrac'd,
And those that have themselves abas'd,
Shall hear, and joyfulness assume.

O take the blessed theme of praise
Our spirits to expand;
And let us our conceptions raise,
God's glorious name together blaze,
And faithful worship hand in hand.

The Lord my Saviour I besought,
And he was quickly found,
And in his arms of mercy caught
My spirit, and to safety brought
From every terror, every wound.

Illumination beams on all
That to the Lord aspire;
And, when they to the godhead call,
Nought can abash them, or appal
In such a duty and desire.

Lo! the poor suff'rers importune
Their Saviour to attend,
And mercy gives them audience soon,
With speed accomplishes their boon,
And to their troubles puts an end.

The Lord his ever-blessed dove
Keeps hov'ring with her wings
For all that cherish fearful love,
And buoy their spirits up above
The peril of all earthly things.

O hear the summons—“Come and see”
And God's free grace receive;
Exalted to the first degree,
And of eternal worth is he,
Who stands determin'd to believe.

O to the Lord your God adhere,
Ye saints, in trembling dread;
For they which his decrees revere,
And nourish reverence by fear
Are in all exigencies sped.

The lions in the forest roar,
And hunger as they quest;
But heroes in the Lord, that soar
To heav'n, and there his face explore,
Shall have no want of what is best.

Come little children and imbibe
The nurture of my speech;
And I will list you of my tribe,
God's fear within your heart inscribe,
And early your Redeemer preach.

What man is he that would prolong
His pilgrimage on earth,
And live in lusty health and strong,
To see each day the theme of song
And full of melody and mirth.

O'er all thy craving members reign
Lest they thy soul defile;
Thy tongue with diligence restrain,
And thine unguarded lips contain
From idle words and active guile.

All evil thoughts and speech avoid,
And in the Christian race
Be with perpetual good employ'd,
Seek peace, nor ever be decoy'd
With ought that leads you from the chace

The Lord his omnipresent eyes
From highest heavens ascent,
The good and righteous supervise,
He hears their pray'rs as they arise
Towards his throne with ears intent.

God cannot countenance the deeds
Of them that act amiss,
But from their commerce he recedes,
Until their Saviour's merit pleads
To reinstate their souls in bliss.

Whene'er the righteous make complaint,
From heav'n attention stoops;
God has respect unto his saint
The more when he thro' grief is faint,
And wholly saves him ere he droops.

Christ is the neighbour of the meek,
Whose nature is renew'd,
And those that by contrition seek,
And with their tears his love bespeak,
He will within his fold include.

The crosses of the Lord's elect
Are grievous here below;
But God gives all his pray'rs effect,
And shall his ministers direct
To snatch him out of all his woe.

He keeps his bones and all intire
From fracture and mischance,
So that his foes, when set on fire
Of hell, they cruelly conspire,
Can only pierce him with a lance.

But mischief from the pit pursues
The wicked as they tread;
And who the grace of God refuse,
Their way from every virtue lose,
To death and desolation led.

The Lord his meritorious cross
Shall ransom all our souls,
And purify our filthy dross,
And they shall not be at a loss,
Whose faith he in his book enrolls.

PSALM XXXV.

O my God, my cause espousing,
From mine enemies protect;
On my side thy might arousing,
Let their insolence be checkt.

Take the weapon of the spirit
Faith's invulnerable shield,
Rear the standard of thy merit,
And assist me in the field.

Couch thy spear, and stand to parry
Every lance opposers send;
Say thy suit shall not miscarry,
I thy Saviour am thy friend.

Let their efforts be diverted,
Hunting souls and finding shame,
And their schemes be disconcerted,
Which at me direct their aim.

To the wind the dust condenses,
Settles when the skies are clear;
Thus let them and their offences
At thy bidding disappear.

To the thorny way, that narrows
Into final comfort, lead;
And let vengeance sheathe its arrows,
As they on their travel speed;

That no more, by dark combining,
They their secret nets may lay;
Nor by falshood undermining,
Me without a cause betray.

Let no violent perdition
Come upon them unaware;
Let them scape by true contrition
Every terror, every snare.

And my soul with exultation,
Shall the Lord in truth profess;
And rejoice in his salvation,
Who delights to bear and bless.

All my frame shall sing in rapture,
Who, like God, shall things adjust,
When the poor is made the capture
Of the man of lawless lust?

By false witnesses convicted
That against me were suborn'd,
I was punish'd and afflicted
For the very things I scorn'd.

For good offices, ungrateful,
They could evil things return,
In despite of kindness hateful
To my sorrowing soul's concern.

Yet when they were sick and ailing,
I was clad in weeds of woe;
But my service unavailing,
Shall into my bosom flow.

I behav'd as for a brother,
Or a dear familiar friend,
As one mourning for his mother
Just approaching to her end.

But in my distress they jested,
Yea the very abjects met,
Making mouths, my peace infested
Without ceasing or regret.

Fawning gluttons, in conjunction
With the mimicking buffoon,
Gnash their teeth without compunction,
And my miseries importune.

How long will my Saviour leave me
To the mercy of such men;
O from lions fierce reprieve me,
And my darling from the den.

So with thanks thy Godhead greeting,
In thy church I will adore;
And frequent the gen'ral meeting,
There my praises to restore.

O! let not my foes exulting,
In defiance of thy laws,
And with nods and winks insulting,
Bear me down without a cause.

For the scope of their communing
Is not insolence to curb;
But their tongue with treach'ry tuning,
They the publick peace disturb.

With distended mows censorious,
Every rank offender cries,
Fie upon thy crimes notorious,
We have seen them with our eyes.

All their impudent behaviour,
Thou, O God, from heav'n hast view'd;
Be not silent, O my Saviour,
Nor my just complaint exclude.

Rise, O Lord my God, attending
To the drift of this dispute,
And my righteous cause defending,
All mine enemies refute.

Judge me, O my God, to spare me,
As thy mercy is for all;
Let not clamour overbear me,
Nor exult upon my fall.

“All that we surmise has follow'd,”
Let them not with triumph boast,
“His remains the gulph has swallowed,
“He has given up the ghost.”

Make them blush with shame ingenuous,
Which at my distress rejoice;
Who against the truth are strenuous,
Give them grace to hear her voice.

Let them say, which like the measure,
That in charity I deal;
Blessed be the Lord, whose pleasure
Is his servant's bliss to seal.

As for me in heavenly phrases
I will harmonize my tongue,
Day by day Jehovah's praises
Shall in sweeter notes be sung.

PSALM XXXVI.

My heart within me is advis'd,
And but too sure conviction finds,
How little God is fear'd or priz'd
By men of worldly minds.

For they're self-flatterers to the last,
And supple servants of the times,
Till that, which sets them most aghast,
Detection blaze their crimes.

Their words are foolish and unfair
And full of falsehood and deceit;
Each act of wisdom they forbear,
With all that's good and meet.

They mischief on their couches plan,
The broader way of ruin chuse,
Nor that, whose touch defiles a man,
Do they at all refuse.

Thy mercy to thy people's faults
Thou hast in highest heav'n avow'd;
Thy faithfulness itself exalts
Beyond the topmost cloud.

Thy truth's like mountains strong and steep,
Which stand with rock-work for their ground,
And all thy judgments dreadful deep
Are like the vast profound!

Thou, Lord, shalt save both man and beast,
O how transcendent is thy grace:
Beneath thy wings from first to least
All flesh themselves shall place.

They from thy stores replenish'd still
Shall in thy spacious dome be fed;
And of thy pleasures take their fill
As from the fountain-head.

For in the holiest height with Thee
In heav'n is life's perennial well,
Light in thy light we there shall see,
And thence irradiate dwell.

O! with thy charity regal'd
Let them that know Thee still remain,
And let thy mercy be intail'd
Upon the good in grain.

O save me from the spurning heel
Of those, that with proud aspect frown,
Nor let his blow the ruffian deal
To cast thy servant down.

There are they founder'd in the flood
Such as were wicked for reward,
For there's no hope, save in the blood
Of Jesus Christ our Lord.

PSALM XXXVII.

Fret not thy self to find
How wicked worldlings thrive,
Nor with the hoards they hive
Bear thou an envious mind.

For soon they shall decay,
And be cut down like grass,
With all that they amass,
And fare like rotten hay.

But thou in God confide,
And deal with bounteous hand
The product of the land,
And thou shalt be supply'd.

Delight thou in the Lord,
And so thou shalt acquire
Thy soul's supream desire,
Thy virtue to reward.

Thy way to God commend,
In him repose thy trust,
Which all things shall adjust
To crown a blissful end.

He shall thy truth redeem
To make it clear as light,
And thy just dealing bright,
As is the noon-day beam.

Be still; with patience wait:
But grieve not at the course
Of those whom fraud and force
Have made ungodly great.

Leave off ere you begin
From rage and discontent;
If thou thyself torment
Thou shalt be mov'd to sin,

The wicked branch and root
Shall be from earth remov'd;
But men in patience prov'd
Shall bear and gather fruit.

But yet a little space
And guilt shall have its due,
You shall the men pursue
And hardly find their place.

But men resign'd and meek
Such shall possess the earth,
And in their second birth
The prince of Salem seek.

Disguise against the truth
For matter is in quest,
To rail the wise and blest,
And gnash with angry tooth.

The Lord with high disdain
Shall scoff at all they lease;
For he from heav'n foresees
The doom of the profane.

The wicked man is fierce,
Drawn swords and bended bows
To slay the poor, and those
Which with their God converse.

The prince of peace and light
Shall parry every sword,
When all things are restor'd,
And break the darts of spite.

The pittance of the good
Is better than the wealth
That comes by fraud and stealth,
When rightly understood.

For men in sin grown bold
Christ Jesus shall reduce,
And for a blessed use
The righteous man uphold.

The righteous Lord approves
The godly all their days,
And for eternal praise
To endless joy removes.

Such shall no foe confound;
But in the day of dread
To peace they shall be sped,
And e'en in dearth abound.

But vengeance shall consume
The sinners and self-will'd;
Yea tho' the LAMB was kill'd
To stave their day of doom.

When bad men run in debt
At payment they repine;
The gen'rous and benign
A better pattern set.

The men of virtuous fame
God's Canaan shall possess;
But such as will not bless,
Shall be expell'd with shame.

The Lord himself directs
The righteous in the road,
And to his own abode
His pilgramage protects.

Though in the way they err,
They shall not lose their all;
The lost shall God recall
And to his fold refer.

Youth was, and age is come;
I never saw the race
Of virtue in disgrace,
Or begging for a crumb.

The righteous is humane
And ever lends to need,
And his unnumber'd seed
Are blest and good in grain.

All evil acts avoid,
Persist in doing well,
So shalt thou surely dwell,
And be in heav'n employ'd.

God to the truth is love,
Nor e'er the good forsakes,
But him and his he takes
Up to the bliss above.

The wicked shall be scourg'd—
But yet his helpless seed
Their Saviour Christ may plead,
By due contrition purg'd.

The righteous are the heirs
For whom the Lord provides,
And all their stock resides
'Midst ceaseless hymns and pray'rs.

The righteous man's discourse
In wisdom is advis'd,
In judgment exercis'd,
Whose words the truth inforce.

The word is in his heart,
And on his faithful lip;
His footstep shall not slip,
Nor from God's way depart.

The wicked sees the joy
Attending God's free laws,
And grudging seeks a cause
Th'observer to destroy.

The Lord will not expose
His servants to the chair
Of judges so unfair,
Nor with their sentence close.

Hope—and the Lord adore,
And thee he shall promote,
And to those realms devote,
Where sin shall be no more.

I with these eyes have seen
The proud his pow'r display,
And flourish, like the bay,
So goodly and so green.

I went again to view
His wretched flatt'rers fawn;
But lo! the man was gone,
His place was made anew.

Thine innocence hold fast,
Beware of craft and guile,
And dying thou shall smile,
That there is peace at last.

But those that still transgress,
And all the sons of scorn,
Their hope is but forlorn,
To those that bear and bless.

Salvation of the soul
Is from the Lord of pow'r,
Which in his adverse hour
Can make the sufferer whole.

The good shall Christ assist,
And save them from the paws
Of rav'nous wolves—because
They in his band inlist.

PSALM XXXVIII.

Lord, rebuke me not, nor hasten
In thine ire my day of doom;
Nor in hot resentment chasten
Him whom pain and grief consume.

For thy poignant arrows thicken,
And come piercing on my pores;
By thine angel am I stricken
With innumerable sores.

For my sin and thy displeasure
All my flesh with anguish groans,
And tormented out of measure,
There's no quiet in my bones

For my wickedness excessive,
Now come down upon my head,
Is a burden too oppressive
For a sinner in his bed.

For my running wounds are fetid,
And the filth inhances pain,
Thro' my folies oft regretted,
And as often play'd again.

Bent and broke with toilsome sorrow
I am in such evil plight;
From each evening to the morrow
I go mourning day and night.

For my loins are all infected
With a noxious plague diseas'd,
Not a single part protected
Which the poison has not seiz'd.

Weak with this thy visitation,
And inflamed in every part,
I have roar'd in rank vexation,
And disquietude of heart.

Lord, thou knowest all the merit,
And extent of my appeal;
And the groanings of my spirit
I cannot from Thee conceal.

Strength is gone, and throbbing pulses
Shake my heart strings with dismay,
And the pain my sight convulses
That I cannot bear the day.

There is none to give assistance,
Friends and neighbours stand and look;
And my kinsmen keep their distance,
Nor can my misfortunes brook.

This was deem'd a lucky season
For my foes to lay their snares;
And they went about with treason
Breaking bounds and sowing tares,

As for me, with inattention
I was deaf to what they said,
Like the dumb, by whom no mention
Of his miseries is made.

I became as one astonish'd
Who to nothing gives his heed;
And whose foes are not admonish'd
From their purpose to recede.

For in Thee, O Lord, confiding
I with meekness kiss the rod;
Thou shalt plead for my back-sliding,
O my Saviour, O my God.

I have made my soul's petition
That my foes no more should swell,
For well-pleas'd with my condition,
They exulted when I fell.

And, in truth, I am surrounded
As the plagues come on apace,
And mine aching sight is wounded
While they stare me in the face.

For with penitent confession
I my worship will begin;
And acknowledge my transgression,
And be sorry for my sin.

But mine enemies surviving
Their own malice are in pow'r,
Hatred from no cause deriving,
Grow more num'rous every hour.

Those increase my persecution
Who for good the worst return,
To dismay my resolution
As with zeal for God I burn.

Let me, Lord, at this incursion
Of my foes thy succour prove;
Nor in anger or aversion
From thy supplicant remove.

O thou God of all perfection,
As my plaintive psalm I make,
From all terror and dejection
Speed me for thy mercy's sake.

PSALM XXXIX.

With severest circumspection
I will guard my ways, I said,
Lest at any time objection
To my converse should be made.

And my mouth as with a bridle
I will carefully restrain,
While the reprobate and idle
In my wearied sight remain.

With such rigour of suppression
Was I mute, that I forbore
Ev'n from words of good discretion,
But I was afflicted sore.

As I ponder'd with vexation,
My sad heart within me burn'd
Till it caused an inflammation,
When my wonted speech return'd.

Lord, by thy divine monition
Let me calculate my days,
That their length and their condition
May have influence on my ways.

Lo! a span is the dimension
Of my life, and all my reign
Is not worthy thine attention—
Surely every man is vain.

For in vain himself aggrieving
'Tis a shadow man pursues,
Gathering riches, nor conceiving
Who the hoarded heap shall use.

Where is therefore my affiance,
To what shelter shall I flee?
Truly, Lord, my sole reliance
And my hope is placed in Thee.

With thy hand of mercy lenient
Heal me, where my conscience wounds;
Stop the jesting inconvenient,
Which from thence the scoffer grounds.

I was of my speech divested,
And no more my lips could move,
For thy pow'r is uncontested,
When thou wouldst our patience prove.

Cease the stripes of thy displeasure,
Which I can no longer stand;
I am wasted out of measure
By thy strict afflicting hand.

Thy severe compunctions goading,
All our beauties fade and wane,
As the wool by moths corroding;
Surely every man is vain.

Hear my prayer, O Lord, as falling
On my face to thee I cry,
Let thine ears attend my calling,
And to these my tears reply.

For with Thee I am a stranger,
And a pilgrim's lot I share;
Train'd in hardship and in danger,
Ev'n as all my fathers were.

For a little space O spare me,
And my strength a while restore,
Ere thy final sentence bear me
To be seen on earth no more.

PSALM XL.

I tarried in the house of pray'r
To patient hope resign'd;
And God in his paternal care
To hear my voice inclin'd.

He saved me likewise from the shock
Of terror and dismay,
And set my feet upon a rock
To regulate my way.

Such mercies in my mouth inspire
A song of new delight,
A lesson for th'Hebrean lyre,
And grateful to recite.

This blessed change beyond their thought
The multitude shall see,
And put their trust in God that wrought
This miracle in me.

Blest is the man in God assur'd
Who has not turn'd his side
To him that has the tale procur'd,
Or him that hears in pride.

O Lord my God, thy works are plan'd
How marvellous and great,
Thy careful love and bounteous hand
What praises shall relate?

If I should set about the task
Their numbers to recount,
It would such shining talents ask
As my mean pow'rs surmount.

Fat lambs and firstlings of the year
Are better fed than slain;
For thou preferst a duteous ear
To what thy laws contain.

No more the flocks and herds shall die
For sinners to atone—
Then lo! I come—I come—said I
To give myself alone.

O God, 'tis written in thy book
That I should do thy will,
I from my heart have all forsook
That scripture to fulfill.

Thy righteousness I have declar'd
Before th'assembled tribes;
O Lord, thou know'st I have not spar'd
In that thy word prescribes.

I have not been reserv'd to balk
Thy holy word and ways;
But all the tenour of my talk
Was how their light might blaze.

I have not hid thy loving grace
And thine establish'd truth,
But shewn them to the genuine race
Of Boaz and of Ruth;

God of mine ancestors and arms,
Do not that truth withhold;
Preserve me in that love, which charms
Reluctance to thy fold.

Woes multitudinous surround,
My grief my spirit wears;
My sins my conscious heart confound,
Out-numbring ev'n my hairs.

O Lord, in thy good pity please
Thy servant to restore;
And with thy speedy succour ease
The hardships I deplore.

Give them, O Lord, the sense of shame
Who seek my soul's distress,
And those with sharp remorse reclaim
That wish me no success.

Let self-conviction be their lot
Join'd with the contrite sigh,
Who thus their poison'd bolts have shot,
“O fie, upon thee, fie!”

Let them rejoice whose final scope
Is placed in Christ their king,
And all the sons of love and hope
Their hallelujah sing.

As for my share of all this earth
It is but mean and poor,
And yet the Lord esteems me worth
A substance to endure.

Thou art my help, my Saviour thou,
Of all my goods the sum;
O tarry not, but now, ev'n now,
O come, Lord Jesus, come.

PSALM XLI.

[_]

Tune of old xxv.

The bounteous man is blest
Who feels for want and woe;
The Lord shall save him when opprest,
And to his need bestow.

The Lord preserve his health,
And keep him long alive;
Nor open violence nor stealth
His goodly lot deprive.

The Lord his spirit sooth
When pain his patience tries—
Yea Christ his bed of sickness smooth
As languishing he lies.

My state of death reprieve,
Thou gracious Lord, I said,
O heal and yet again receive,
For I have err'd and stray'd.

Mine enemies belye
My fame, and marr my peace,
Enquiring when shall David die
And his memorial cease?

And if they come or send
In their officious hate,
Vain talk and false conceits they vend
To misreport my state.

My foes together swarm,
And whisp'ring undermine;
For me this evil wish they form,
This cruelty design.

“The doom of guilt in pain
“Betide his parting breath,
“Nor ever let him rise again
“From his untimely death.”

Yea ev'n the man I chose,
On whom my soul relied,
My daily guest has join'd my foes
To trample and deride.

But let their rage excite
Thy mercy, Lord, the more,
And that I may their hate requite
With love, my strength restore.

By this I rest assur'd
That I have favour found,
Because thou hast my coast secur'd
From all the force around.

My health when I am well
Is from thy bounteous hands,
And thou shalt take my soul to dwell
Where now my angel stands.

Bless Christ the health of souls,
And Israel's gracious Lord,
While in immense eternal rolls,
Let heav'n and earth accord.

PSALM XLII.

Like as the hart desires the brook
In summer heat's extream degree,
With panting breast and wishful look,
So longs my soul for Thee!

O God—my spirit is athirst
For God in whom we live and move;
When in God's church shall I be first
My piety to prove?

My tears have been my constant food,
Which day and night my griefs supply,
While with malevolence renew'd
Where is thy God, they cry?

Now when I think thereon I shed
By stealth the show'rs of inward care;
For I before was wont to head
These multitudes to pray'r.

All in one voice of that delight
Which from the great thanksgiving flows,
As youths and maids, a goodly sight,
The festive wreathe compose.

Why do I drag this loathsome load,
Whence, O my soul, art thou opprest;
And what are these the stings, that goad,
And wound my tortur'd breast?

O trust in God his pow'r to save
The cup of thankfulness fulfill,
He keeps thy head above the wave,
And is thy Saviour still.

O God, internal griefs assail,
I therefore will direct my thought
To Hermon's hill and Jordan's vale,
Where thou such wonders wrought.

One sea unto another calls,
As to the whistling winds they swell;
But at thy word the tempest falls,
And I am safe and well.

The Lord is good and loving-kind
Through all the service of the day,
And him which made me man and mind
By night I sing and pray.

I will inquire of God my strength
Why hast thou left me thus to go
With such a load and such a length
Of life in war and woe?

My bones are smitten to the quick
As with the falchion's keener blade,
While at my face the cowards kick,
And my distress upraid.

To wit while reprobates intrude
My soul's deliv'rer to deny,
And with malevolence renew'd
Where is thy God, they cry?

Why do I drag this loathsome load,
Whence, O my soul, art thou opprest,
And what are these the stings, that goad,
And wound my tortur'd breast?

O put thy trust in God again
The cup of thankfulness fulfill;
He shall thy countenance sustain,
And is thy Saviour still.

PSALM XLIII.

O God, give sentence on my side,
And patronise my righteous cause
Against the sons of sin and pride
That violate thy laws.

For 'tis thy love which makes me strong,
Why dost thou then my soul divorce
To drag this load of life along
Beneath oppressive force?

O issue forth thy radiant beam,
Thy truth O give me to pursue;
Thy holy hill, thy living stream,
Thy temple let me view!

O God my God, that I may go
With joy and gladness to my pray'rs,
And touch, while thankful accents flow,
The harp's divinest airs!

Who do I drag this loathsome load,
Whence, O my soul, art thou opprest,
And what are these the stings, that goad,
And wound my tortur'd breast?

O put thy trust in God again,
The cup of thankfulness fulfill,
He shall thy countenance sustain,
And is thy Saviour still.

PSALM XLIV.

O God, our ancestors have told
Of thy stupendous fame,
What deeds thou didst of old,
And we have seen the same.

For thou didst Canaanites expell,
And planted Jacob's race;
And how the heathen fell,
Or fled before thy face.

For they gat Canaan to possess,
By prowess not their own,
Nor could maintain success
By human force alone.

But thy right hand their sword renown'd,
And smiles benignly bright;
As they acceptance found
And favour in thy sight.

Almighty God, thou art my king,
To my redemption speed;
Give strength to David's sling,
And succour Jacob's seed.

Through Thee we soon shall overturn
Our foes and their allies,
And in thy name shall spurn
Their armies as they rise.

For when th'assailants give the word
I will not trust my bow,
Nor vaunt the sword I gird,
Or glitt'ring spear I throw.

But 'tis that all-sufficient might
Of God the good and great
Saves us, and puts to flight
The sons of sin and hate.

In praising God we make the most
Of every lengthned day,
And will for ever boast
The name, to which we pray.

But now thy glory is remote
From our embattl'd bands;
And headless ranks denote
The weakness of our hands.

Thou mak'st our standard to give back,
Nor front the brave dispute;
So that our foes attack,
And take our goods to boot.

Like younglings to the glutton's tooth
We're giv'n to be devour'd;
And midst the foes of truth
Are scatter'd and o'erpow'r'd.

Thine own free men are sold and bough
And from their homes estrang'd,
Nor is there profit brought,
Or purchase money chang'd.

Each neighbour licens'd to contest
Our bounds, his venom spurts,
And we are made the jest
Of those that haunt our skirts.

We are a laughing-stock become,
And hear our ill report
From heathen dregs and scum,
That shake their heads in sport.

Day after day I am confus'd
While wretches taunt and hiss,
And blush to be abus'd
At such a shame as this,

And for the voice of them that bear
False witness and blaspheme,
For foes unus'd to spare,
And thirst of blood extream.

And tho' thy people are beset
With woes they cannot stave;
Yet do we not forget
Thy laws, or misbehave.

Our hearty purpose was not shook
But to thy truth has stood,
Nor have our steps forsook
The narrow way to good.

No, not when wrath was ripe to tread
Our souls where dragons hide,
And darkness overspread
Where death and night reside.

If we thy truth have disbeliev'd
Or gone to idol fanes,
God cannot be deceiv'd,
Which tries the heart and reins.

For we die daily for thy sake,
And our precarious life
Is every hour at stake,
Like fatlings for the knife.

Up, Lord, in our behalf arise,
Thy mercy-beams disclose,
And when thy saint applies,
No more indulge repose.

Why dost thou hide thee, and neglect
Our perils to confront,
And will not recollect
Our wretchedness and want?

For to the ground our spirits fall,
And rancle with disgust,
And on our hands we crawl
With bowels in the dust.

Arise, O Lord, and help us now
Thy honour is at stake:
Save us and hear our vow,
And that for Christ his sake.

PSALM XLV.

Exalted by a blessed thought
My soul is on the wing;
I speak, as in the spirit taught,
The praise of Christ my king.

My lips are eager and delight
Glad tidings to impart,
As is the pen of them that write
With equal ease and art.

Thy form is fairer than the race
Of men from Adam sprung;
And God has giv'n eternal grace
To thy persuasive tongue.

Thy sword's effulgent lightning sheathe
On thy redoubted thigh;
And crown'd with fame and merit breathe
The peace of God Most High.

God thy thrice-honour'd mission speed,
In love and meekness ride
To do the right thy word decreed,
And truth shall be thy guide.

Sharp is the voice of thy reproof
When sin thy spirit grieves,
Ev'n underneath the sacred roof
Amidst the trading thieves.

Thy seat, Lord Jesus, shall remain,
And endless pow'r is thine;
The sceptre of thy heav'nly reign
Is rectitude divine.

Thy truth all falsehood disallows,
Whence God, thy God profest,
His oil has gladden'd for thy brows,
Above thy fellows blest.

Thy garments of rich cassia smell,
Of aloes and of myrrh,
From iv'ry rooms, where psalmists dwell
And joyful pray'rs prefer.

The dames of honour not a few
Are in thy train enroll'd;
The seat upon thy right stall shew
Thy spouse in flow'rs and gold.

Consider, daughter, and attend—
Forget thy carnal sire,
The wealthy pomp, the worldly friend,
And every mean desire.

Thus shall the prince of peace have joy
In beauty so supreme;
Thy service and thy song employ
In Christ thy God and theme.

The daughter of the Tyrian port
Shall bring her gifts to thee;
The rich of nations pay their court,
And supplicate the knee.

The bride of Jesus Christ is great
In glories of the soul,
Of regal gold a precious weight
Adorns her flowing stole.

Before her Saviour shall she stand
In needle-work array'd,
And those wise virgins of her band
With blazing lamps display'd.

In joy and gladness not to cease
They shall be led along
To Christ the palace of his peace,
The house of pray'r and song.

Of no terrestial father born,
Thy servants are thine heirs,
Whom thou shalt leave the world to warn
By preaching and by pray'rs.

I will thy holy name adore
As I such hope presage;
Thy saints shall bless thee more and more
In every world and age.

PSALM XLVI.

God is our hope, the mighty pow'r,
From whence the host its strength derives
A present succour in the hour
Whene'er the battle strives:

We shall not therefore be dismay'd
Though earth repeated shocks sustain,
And though the hill should be convey'd
To range the midmost main.

And tho' the billows swell and roar
And their tremendous tumult make,
Till mountains distant from the shore
The turbulence partake;

The rivers which the floods supply
Shall run with sweet composure down
To glad the fort of God most high,
The place of blest renown.

God in the citadel resides
Where Zion her strong tow'r sublimes;
He shall assist her in the tides
Of wealth and woe betimes.

The heathen rages and revolts,
Whole realms have strange commotions felt;
But God his glorious voice exalts,
And earth herself shall melt.

The Lord of hosts is with our cause,
By him are Jacob's legions led,
And Michael with a million draws
His weapon at our head.

O come ye hither and survey
Where God his thunderbolts has hurl'd,
With what destruction and dismay
He hath convuls'd the world.

All tumults at his mandates cease,
He breaks the bow, the spear he mars,
And to the triumph of his peace
He burns th'embattl'd cars.

Be still and know the voice divine,
For exaltation is my due,
And exaltation shall be mine
O'er Gentile and o'er Jew.

The Lord of hosts is with our cause,
By him are Jacob's legions led,
And Michael with a million draws
His weapon at our head.

PSALM XLVII.

O join your hands with loud applause,
Ye people, and the common cause
Of Christian zeal attend:
In voice and spirit sing and shout,
By hearty melody devout,
And hymns to God ascend.

For a tremendous God is ours,
Most high, most holy, and the pow'rs,
The majesty, the might,
And all things glorious, all things great
In empire are subordinate,
And bow to him of right.

The people from his grace remov'd
Shall in our converse be improv'd,
And to his altars speed;
The Gentiles thus shall he subdue,
And all the runagates renew
In Abraham's chosen seed.

For his lov'd tribes he shall select
A better country, and direct
Our travel to his throne;
And Jacob's glory, Jacob's care,
Which is in gratitude and pray'r,
Shall reckon to his own.

Christ is gone up, the king of kings,
And joyful acclamation rings,
As thankless earth he spurns;
The marshall'd cherubs stand in rows,
From inmost heav'n the trumpet blows
While God from death returns.

In Christ your God the song commence,
Which said “arise let us go hence,”
By flights of lively praise;
To Christ your king in grateful strain
Raise pealing anthems, and again
The pealing anthems raise.

By God supream all earth is sway'd,
By him administer'd and made,
Let us perform our part,
Sing vying for th'immortal prize
In high-wrought verse and heed full wise,
Like masters of your art.

The heathen also he controuls,
In whose obnubilated souls
His image is effac'd;
God sits upon his throne to bless,
His throne by purest holiness
And boundless mercy plac'd.

Each rebel Jew the church rejoins,
And every prince from Abraham's loins
Again his fruit shall yield;
For God, whose exaltation soars
O'er heav'n, and whom all earth adores,
Shall be himself our shield.

PSALM XLVIII.

Great is the Lord in every clime,
And worthy of the strain sublime
Which echoes to his throne;
But chiefest in his holy hill,
In his own city, where his will
And word are fully known.

Mount Zion! she is passing fair,
Whose noble piles and purest air,
And stately palms invite;
Salem is on the northern wing,
The city of th'almighty king,
And all the world's delight.

The sojourner that seeks to God,
And they that flee the tyrants rod,
Arrive from every shore;
For known is that benign command
Which blesses every lib'ral hand,
And hospitable door.

Behold! the kings and their allies
Came to Jerusalem, like spies,
Our treasures to survey;
They saw our glory with remorse,
And with their vast united force
The monarchs went their way.

The walls they measured in their mind,
And view'd those ramparts they design'd
To brave and circumvent;
But troubl'd at the tow'rs in spite,
Of malice, multitudes and might,
They fled with discontent.

For fear took hold upon them there,
And anguish working on despair
Confounded man and steed;
Such are the terror and the cries
Of some base harlot when she dies
Of an abortive seed.

The vessels of enormous rate
Conducted o'er their armed freight
From Tarshish faithless coasts;
He sent upon them, hulk and mast,
The spirit of the eastern blast,
And overwhelm'd their boasts.

As we have heard it with our ears,
So now thy loving care appears
Within these sacred walls,
Which thou the God of arms hast made;
He shall be present to their aid
Whene'er his people calls.

O God, the tribes of thine elect
In trembling fearfulness expect
Beneath thine hallow'd roof,
Until the word of thy good will
Descend our wishes to fulfill,
And keep our wants aloof.

O God, thy praise and endless fame
Is as that universal name
To which all flesh appeals;
By thee remotest earth is bless'd,
And daily bounties heap'd and press'd
For all thy justice deals.

Let Zion dedicate the day
To mirth, and let the streamers play
From every goodly spire;
Th'almighty judge is on our side,
And let Judea's blooming pride
In joy themselves attire.

March out from Zion, walk the rounds,
And measure all her utmost bounds,
Survey her fort by fort;
Her tow'rs their altitude and strength,
Her villages their breadth and length,
And make a true report.

The ramparts and the moat review—
The palaces—with caution due
Apply the reed and line—
Deliver what the Lord has done,
And safely now from sire to son
The property consign.

For this our Saviour from the rage
Of tyrants is in every age
Our succour and defence;
Christ o'er his people shall preside,
Christ e'en to death shall be our guide,
And shall redeem us thence.

PSALM XLIX.

O ye people, hear and ponder
In your ears and in your mind,
All that dwell in homes or wander
Thro' the world of human kind.

You of high or low gradation
To my words alike attend,
Men as well of wealth and station
As the poor without a friend.

I will speak of things essential
To the folk that would be wise,
And with words and thoughts prudential
Heart and mouth I will advise.

My harmonious ear inclining
To the great mysterious verse,
And with harp and hand divining,
I will oracles rehearse.

Wherefore in these times flagitious
Should I my good courage lose,
When with practices pernicious
Guile prepares my heel to bruise?

Some there are that have affiance
In the goods they get by stealth,
And grow proud by vain reliance
On the rust of worldly wealth.

But for brotherly affection,
That in pride and pomp is lost;
Could they buy the Lord's protection,
They would scruple of the cost.

Deeds of charity and kindness,
Which would tend their souls to save,
They thro' vice and carnal blindness
Must relinquish to the grave.

Yea and that tho' God has lengthn'd
The duration of their years,
And their fleshly veil has strengthn'd
From the dread sepulchral fears.

For they see the gen'ral sentence,
Fools and wise together die,
And the rich in late repentance
With their hoards an heir supply.

Yet they think that their succession
Shall not be extinct at all;
And the places at discretion
After their own names they call.

Yet is man from his beginning
Weak, nor honour long retains,
And degrades himself by sinning
To the brutes o'er which he reigns.

Thus it is with self-deceivers,
Fools which heav'nly hope defeat,
And a race of unbelievers
Praise and practise the deceit.

Such like rotten sheep infected
Worms their beauty shall devour,
And o'er them the saints elected
In eternal peace shall tow'r,

But from out the dreary mansion
God my spirit hath set free,
Height sublime and free expansion,
Bliss celestial are for me.

Be not daunted at the lustre
Of thy neighbour's countless store,
At his glory, and the cluster
Of dependents at his door.

For his wealth and gaudy splendor
Shall not wait upon his bier;
Pomp and all he must surrender
When the train of death appear.

While he liv'd, in his adherence
To the world, he thought him blest:
Long as thou support'st appearance,
Busy tongues will speak the best.

Soon his father he shall follow,
In the greedy grave to rot,
And the gulph his soul shall swallow,
If repentance save him not.

Men of honour and promotion,
Which of carnal things have far'd,
Model'd to the vulgar notion,
With the beasts are well compar'd.

PSALM L.

The Lord, e'en Christ supremely blest,
O'er worlds his merit won,
Convokes from east to west
All flesh beneath the sun.

From Zion in the spirit rais'd
Amongst the heights above,
Has fair perfection blaz'd
In glory, peace, and love.

The Lord shall come again to try
His servant and his foe;
Before his face on high
The dreadful trump shall blow.

The heav'n and earth he shall arraign,
And ev'ry cause decide;
His sheep he shall retain,
And from the goats divide.

Collect my saints from far and near,
Which, in distress and want,
Were strengthen'd to revere
Their promise at the font.

And heav'n its verdict shall declare,
How good thou art and true;
For Christ shall judge to spare,
And all to love subdue.

Hear my remonstrances, ye tribes,
I am thy God, improve
By what thy God prescribes,
And all thy filth remove.

I will not urge your gross defect,
In that which ye disuse,
And in such sort neglect
To give the Lord his dues.

I will not take the slaughter'd ox
For sin, as heretofore;
The fatling of thy flocks
To me shall bleed no more.

For all the forrest-beasts are mine,
Whose life the hunter spills,
As are the sheep and kine
Upon a thousand hills.

I know the fowls that haunt the groves
Or mountains in their flight,
And all the grazing droves
Are ever in my sight.

Shall Christ, the bread of life, repeal
The laws his mercy taught,
And shall he want a meal,
Which made the world from thought?

Shall God, eternal, self-complete,
Whom highest heav'n receives,
Obey thy low conceit,
And eat of kids and beeves?

Not in thine ew'r or dish he dips;
No—'tis the thankful heart
And homage of thy lips
That are thy Maker's part.

Whene'er calamities assail
The suppliant in distress,
Thy Saviour shall not fail
To give him cause to bless.

But God disowns the rebel race—
My laws why should ye teach,
With hearts deprav'd and base,
And ostentatious speech?

Whereas thou hat'st the narrow track,
Which saints and martyrs tread,
And turn'st thine impious back
To where my word is read.

Thou lov'st the thief where'er he lurks,
And traitors to their trust;
Thou hast partook the works
Of foul adult'rous lust.

Thy mouth is giv'n to foul discourse,
That Christ the Word defies,
Thou hast to fraud recourse
To propagate thy lies.

Thou sittest in the seat of shame,
And brethren are revil'd,
Nor scruplest to defame
Thy mother's duteous child.

These things thou didst, till thou presum'd
That God at sin conniv'd—
To death by conscience doom'd,
Thou art in Christ reviv'd.

Consider, therefore, and repent,
Nor lose, by ling'ring late,
The bridegroom's good intent,
Which condescends to wait.

Whom praise and gratitude commend,
Is fit for heav'ns employ—
“Well done, thou faithful friend,
“Receive thy Saviour's joy.”

PSALM LI.

On a soul with sins encumber'd,
Lord, have pity and redeem,
As thy mercies are unnumber'd,
And thy goodness is extream.

Wash me throughly so polluted
With this hateful filth within;
Let thy merit be imputed
To my tears to cleanse my sin.

For by faith and fair confession
I my follies have resign'd,
And a sense of my transgression
Is for ever in my mind.

Thee, thine awful presence solely
Has my sin prophan'd, and shown
That thou art most true, most holy,
When thy words and works are known.

Lo! I was engender'd vicious,
And the lump within the womb,
Made against the Lord malicious,
Did false principles assume.

But internal truth demanding,
Thou hast search'd me to the heart;
And to raise my understanding
Secret wisdom shalt impart.

With the wholesome hyssop purging,
Pure again my veins shall flow,
And in springing baths immerging,
Thou shalt make me white as snow.

Thou shalt make me hear the voices
Which with joy thy name invoke,
As thy healing pow'r rejoices
All the bones that thou hast broke.

Turn thee from my foul disgraces,
Nor my soul in terror plunge;
Spare my sins, and all the traces
Of my evil deeds expunge.

With another heart endue me,
And my tainted vitals clean;
In the spirit, Lord, renew me,
And my troubled mind serene.

Cast me not away for ever
From the glory of thy face,
Nor my sinking soul dissever
From the spirit of thy grace.

O console me to inherit
All my part in thee again,
And confirm me with thy spirit
Thy true freedom to maintain.

So shall I, so prone to trample
And thy holy laws desert,
Both by precept and example
Sinners to thy ways convert.

Rid me from this guilt's compunction,
Lord, with healing in thy wing,
And my tongue, in sweet conjunction
With my harp, thy truth shall sing.

With thy blessed inspiration,
Lord, thou shalt my lips unseal,
And my mouth with exultation
Shall thy glorious laud reveal.

Gifts for thy returning favour
I would give, didst thou require;
But thou likest not the savour
Which is wafted from the fire.

God's best off'ring is contrition
From a man divinely meek;
Thou reject'st not the condition
Of a heart at point to break.

O again be good and gracious,
Zion's ruin'd state review;
Walls so high and streets so spacious,
Come and build her up anew.

Thus our all-benign Creator
We shall better please and praise;
Pray'r and gratitude are greater
Than when loaded altars blaze.

PSALM LII.

O thou that art from God endow'd
With wealth and pow'r above the crowd,
Why is thy heart elate with pride,
If all these goods are misapplied?

Whereas benevolence divine
The mercy-beams that daily shine,
Are in proportion to the might
Of God, and gen'ral as the light.

No more let thy conception frame,
Nor tongue divulge thy neighbour's shame,
No more in keen invectives deal,
But learn to cover and conceal.

No more from virtue's precepts err,
But goodness and the Lord prefer;
Thy commerce in the world amend,
Nor truth nor decency offend.

No more let time be misemploy'd
In words which wisdom should avoid,
Whose tenour may thy neighbours hurt,
And nothing but the truth assert.

Henceforward may thy soul expect,
And find the love of God direct
To snatch thee to a better birth,
From Christians militant on earth.

The saints elect in heav'n shall see
The penitent's felicity,
And joy for such a sheep as this,
More than for ninety-nine in bliss.

Behold a man restor'd at length,
Who took not Jesus for his strength;
But put his trust in worldly store,
Behold him change to change no more.

For me—I like an olive thrive
With all my verdure still alive,
And rooted in the church I place
My trust in Christ's eternal grace.

My praises for thy mercies past,
Through all futurity shall last;
And on thy name my hope shall dwell,
For all thy servants like it well.

PSALM LIII.

The man to modes and times enslav'd,
His soul's conception is deprav'd,
The Christian faith to blot;
And such and such alone devise
The lowest and the last of lies,
To say that God is not.

Corrupt beyond the former times,
They are outrageous in their crimes,
And vanities pursue;
Tho' grace alike has beam'd on all,
Tho' multitudes have heard the call,
The chosen flock are few.

The Lord, at such a grievous cry,
Came down in person from on high,
His creatures to restore;
And see if they would understand,
“The heav'nly kingdom is at hand,”
And therefore sin no more.

But they are all at once astray,
And quite perverted from the way,
Their vanities pursue;
Tho' grace alike hast beam'd on all,
Tho' multitudes have heard the call,
The chosen flock are few.

And have they understanding hearts,
These dealers in detested arts,
My people to devour?
The faces of the poor they grind,
Nor have they to their God inclin'd,
Nor do they own his pow'r.

The conscious traitors stood dismay'd,
Nor knew from whence they were afraid
For my belief to crown,
And circumventing guile to quell,
Lo! Satan to the depth of hell,
Like lightning, is come down.

O that salvation were receiv'd,
And, Zion, all thy doom repriev'd,
My soul is pray'r for thee!
O that the Lord would break our chains,
And where triumphant Jesus reigns,
Would make his people free!

Then Jacob should lift up his voice,
And from his jeopardy rejoice,
In festive garments clad;
And Israel's children to a man,
Through all our host from rear to van,
Should be for ever glad.

PSALM LIV.

O God, the name to which I pray,
Of boundless love and pow'r,
O pass, if possible, away
This bitter cup and hour.

Yet if these drops must thus be spilt,
Thou, Father, knowest best;
And be it rather as thou wilt,
Than to my soul's request.

Lo! strangers to thy truth arise,
Nor put their trust in thee;
And Herod, leagu'd with Pilate, vies
To nail me to the tree.

But God shall raise from stripes and scorn
The Lamb betray'd and kill'd;
And on the third triumphant morn
This temple shall rebuild.

Then thou shalt greater grace supply
To have the worst redeem'd;
And truth shall make them free to die
For him they once blasphem'd.

A victim patient and resign'd
I for the cross prepare,
And bless thy name, because I find
Such consolation there.

For he has caus'd me to respire,
And all my vows have thriv'n;
Mine eye has seen my heart's desire
In every foe forgiv'n.

PSALM LV.

O God, with gracious ears receive
My fervent vows in Christ addrest,
Nor take thyself away to leave
Thy supplicant unblest.

Observe my melancholy state,
My pangs let consolation ease,
And this vexatious grief abate
While thus I bend my knees.

So loud opposers shout and throng,
So near the wicked bands are seen;
For they are bent to do me wrong,
Their malice is so keen;

My heart within me is dismay'd,
And thoughts relating to my end,
My firmness into fear degrade,
And all my pow'rs suspend.

A shudd'ring terror takes my limbs,
And horrid visions fill my head;
My brain with wild confusion swims,
And overwhelming dread.

And oh! that I had wings, I cry'd,
To bear me ballanc'd as the dove;
Then would I to those regions glide
Where dwells the peace I love.

Lo! then would I my course betake
Till distance bold attempt defeat,
And to some friendly covert make
In solitude's retreat.

I would my flight's direction shape,
Myself in safety to embow'r,
Before th'imprison'd winds escape,
And skies tempestuous low'r.

O Lord, the busy tongues confound,
And their malevolence destroy;
For wickedness and strife abound,
And all our streets annoy.

Idlers by day and night patrole,
And through the worst uncleanness wade;
There dwells anxiety of soul,
There mischief is a trade.

All love is froze within the walls
And licens'd lust and envy burn,
And force attacks and guile enthralls
Which way soe'er we turn.

For it was not a foe in mail
That this extream dishonour dar'd,
To such I had been without fail
Both patient and prepar'd.

Nor was it secret spite that wrought
This odious deed of publick shame,
For so by pray'r I might have sought
A cover from it's aim.

But it was even Thou, a part
Of David, and his soul's resource;
The dear companion of his heart
In all his painful course!

The mutual commerce of the mind
In sweetness we were wont to share,
And at the house of God we join'd
The work of common pray'r.

But let not sudden death surprize,
And send them quick into the pit;
Though in their dwellings are the cries
Of horrors they commit.

For me and for my seed I speak,
We will to Christ our God appeal,
And he shall hear and raise the meek,
And their salvation seal.

At morning and at evening song,
And constant at the hour of noon,
I will my stated pray'r prolong,
And God shall grant my boon.

'Tis God alone that has restor'd
My peace, and my redemption won;
Nor is it numbers or the sword
That such a deed has done.

Yea, God on his eternal throne,
Thro' Christ shall hear me and forgive,
Whose words shall melt the hearts of stone
That they may turn and live.

The hands of violent assault
He laid on inoffensive folk,
From his own league he made revolt,
His own agreement broke.

His speech as melting butter smooth
With hostile heart the flatt'rer fram'd,
His oily words he tun'd to sooth
Whence secret darts were aim'd.

O cast thy heavy lading down,
And Christ himself shall give thee rest,
The proud shall not for ever frown
Upon the poor opprest.

And as for them, the Lord shall shock
Their pride with a tremendous blow,
When Christ, our meritorious rock,
Shall try his friend and foe.

Short is the reign, and dread the blast
Of bloody men by guile deprav'd,
But persevering to the last
In Christ my soul is sav'd.

PSALM LVI.

O Christ, have mercy on thy sheep
From man's licentious pow'r;
Each day the foes thy fence o'erleap
To worry and devour.

Their sweeping swarms in hostile steel
The daily skirmish try,
I therefore to thy name appeal,
Most holy and most high.

Whene'er I find myself dismay'd
Which threats at times obtain,
I will rely for instant aid
On Christ betray'd and slain.

I will the words of Christ adore,
Whose voice my faith confirms;
In him I trust, and dread no more
The pow'r of dust and worms.

They daily from its true intent
In craft my language wrest,
Thoughts misemploy'd, and time mispent,
My ruin to suggest.

Their bands with cowardice extream
Assemble and retreat,
And as against my life they scheme,
They mark me by my feet.

Shall they escape the doom they dread,
Who plan their neighbour hurt?
Yea, Jesu, from their impious head
The final doom avert.

Thou seest the wand'rings of my pray'r
From woes I cannot brook,
Thy phial for my tears prepare
And note them in thy book.

Whene'er thy Saviour I invoke,
My foes the siege shall raise;
For this from heav'n I have bespoke,
In Christ my pray'r and praise.

From Christ the word of life deriv'd,
My joyful psalm resounds;
In Christ the word my soul reviv'd,
Her consolation grounds.

My trust in Jesus I repose,
And hence my hope pursue;
I will not fear my carnal foes,
Nor what vain man can do.

To Christ my solemn vows I owe,
My daily debt is great,
I will my mite of praise bestow,
And at thine altar wait.

My soul from death thy merit clears,
My feet are firm and free;
And to the public view appears
My light renew'd in thee.

PSALM LVII.

Lord, let thy mercy make me whole,
For with a Christian's creed
I seek thy wing, until my soul
From slavery be freed.

I will to heav'n my pray'rs detach,
Invoking God most high,
The gracious God which shall dispatch
The righteous cause I try.

From heav'n he shall his angel send,
And from this foul disgrace,
The scorn of ruffian bands, defend,
That urge the bloody chace.

The Lord shall delegate his truth,
His mercy to display;
My soul lies open to the tooth
Of lions in her way.

Amongst the sons of men I dwell,
Whose guilt their conscience sears,
Whose tongues against the word rebel,
Whose teeth are darts and spears.

Set up the the standard of thy worth,
O Christ, beyond the skies,
O'er every steepl'd fane on earth
Let all thy glories rise.

To press my spirit down, a net
They have in craft prepar'd,
And in the very traps they set
They are themselves ensnar'd.

My heart is fixt, O God, my heart
Is fixt to change no more;
With all my best melodious art
I will thy praise explore.

Awake thou glorious east, and thou
Awake my lute and lyre,
Myself awake, my morning vow
Right early shall aspire!

Lord, midst thy tribes with thankful mind
I will thy laud rehearse,
And 'mongst the nations of mankind
My tuneful psalms disperse.

For o'er the heav'n of heav'ns thy love
Inshrines herself in light,
And lofty is thy truth above
The clouds of highest flight.

Set up the standard of thy worth,
O Christ, beyond the skies,
O'er every steepled fane on earth
Let all thy glories rise!

PSALM LVIII.

Ye congregation of the tribes,
On justice do you set your mind;
And are ye free from guile and bribes
Ye judges of mankind?

Nay, ye of frail and mortal mould
Imagine mischief in your heart;
Your suffrages and selves are sold
Unto the gen'ral mart.

Men of unrighteous seed betray
Perverseness from their mother's womb;
As soon as they can run astray,
Against the truth presume.

They are with foul infection stain'd,
Ev'n with the serpent's taint impure;
Their ears to blest persuasion chain'd,
And lock'd against her lure.

Tho' Christ himself the pipe should tune,
They will not to the measure tread,
Nor will they with his grief commune
Tho' tears of blood he shed.

Lord, humanize their scoff and scorn,
And their malevolence defeat;
Of water and the spirit born
Let grace their change compleat.

Let them with pious ardour burn,
And make thy holy church their choice;
To thee with all their passions turn,
And in thy light rejoice.

As quick as lightning to its mark,
So let thy gracious angel speed;
And take their spirits in thine ark
To their eternal mead.

The righteous shall exult the more
As he such pow'rful mercy sees,
Such wrecks and ruins safe on shore,
Such tortur'd souls at ease.

So that a man shall say, no doubt,
The penitent has his reward;
There is a God to bear him out,
And he is Christ our Lord.

PSALM LIX.

O rescue me, thou God of all,
As foes against my life conspire,
That follow the command of Saul
For hatred and for hire.

Preserve me from the bands expert
In vice and vengeance from the first,
That still procure their neighbour's hurt,
As for their blood they thirst.

For lo! with treach'rous sword and spear
Their lawless bands my soul assault;
A mighty force—while I am clear
Of all offence or fault.

Without my fault themselves they arm,
From post to post they pitch their tents;
Arise and shield my steps from harm,
Thou Lord of all events.

O God of all the hosts above,
Stand up thou Lord of Jacob's might;
Let not the ballance of thy love
Be for the sons of spite.

These fugitives from God to sin,
At ev'ning's dubious light one meets,
As dogs without a master grin,
And quest along the streets.

Behold! their fawning lips abound
With oil, and yet conceal a dart;
For “who is he whose skill can sound
“The language of our heart?”

But thou, Lord Jesus, shall deride,
And keep them from the depths they seek;
By winning souls from worldly pride,
And making boasters meek.

The strength by which such ills I bear,
O God, I will ascribe to thee;
For to thy succour I repair,
And for my refuge flee.

To me his grace the Lord bestows
In measure, and shall make me blest,
By his converting of my foes,
Which is my soul's request.

Lord, slay them not amidst their crimes,
But as examples of remorse
To vicious manners, evil times,
Their alter'd lives enforce.

For now their lips shall not offend
With words indecent and uncouth;
Their pride they shall by pray'r amend,
And preach of peace and truth.

Let them be spar'd till fury cools,
Whene'er thy vengeful bolts are hurl'd;
And know that 'tis the Lord that rules,
All Israel and the world.

Returning then to God from sin,
They'll haunt no more their usual beats,
As dogs without a master grin,
And quest along the streets.

No more they will their neighbours judge,
And seek for craving malice food,
Nor in their conversation grudge,
If Christian love intrude.

For me, I will my praise commence
To bless thy love at morning's dawn,
And pow'r, which has been my defence
When other help was gone.

To thee, O God, I sing, the goal
And blest supporter of my race;
Thou art the bosom of my soul,
And refuge from disgrace.

PSALM LX.

O God, thy flock thou hast dispers'd
In every clime and shore;
O let our sentence be revers'd
And be displeas'd no more.

Thou sent'st an earthquake to convulse,
And rend the land in twain;
Heal thou the shock of that repulse
Whose terrors still remain.

Our heavy hearts despond and shrink
At such an awful sign,
And thou hast made thy people drink
Of wrath's unmingled wine.

Thou didst a gracious signal make
For such as own'd thy fear;
That they might triumph for the sake
Of truth, whose voice they hear.

Hence good men have not undergone,
Nor felt the gen'ral dread;
O save us from the gulphs that yawn,
And let our pray'r be sped.

God in his holiness profess'd
My mercy shall regale,
And canton Sichem to be bless'd,
And measure Succoth's vale.

Mine is all Gilead's balmy realm,
Manasses is my own;
Let Ephraim be salvation's helm,
And Judah grace the throne.

Moab's a purifying vase,
And Edom shall be shod,
With gospel-peace—Philistia's race,
Rejoice yourselves in God.

What harbinger shall shew the way
To Edom's forts and tours,
That they may see Christ's streamers play,
And join their pray'rs with ours.

Has God deserted then our coast,
And will he not employ,
His angel to conduct our host
To such a work of joy?

O send thy succour from on high
When woes or wealth increase;
For man is but a poor ally
In trouble or in peace.

Thro' Christ our Saviour we shall do
Beyond our strength or skill,
And he shall all our foes subdue
To his most blessed will.

PSALM LXI.

O God, thy gracious ear apply,
And keep me from despair,
Look down upon my streaming eye,
Give audience to the bursting sigh,
Which interrupts my plaintive pray'r.

Where'er on earth I pitch my tent,
I will thy name invoke,
To sooth me when my strength is spent,
And toilsome heaviness has bent
My heart and members to her yoke.

O land me on some rocky shore
Above my helpless height;
Thou art my hope from long before,
The fortress that mine eyes explore,
As spoilers for my shipwreck wait.

I will within thy temple dwell
And there for ever sing;
There likewise all the choir compell,
For mine infirmities are well
Beneath the shadow of thy wing.

For thou, O righteous Lord, hast heard
My soul's supreme desires;
And hast in covenant appear'd
To those that have thy name rever'd,
And act as thy blest word inspires.

Thou shalt unto thy king extend
The number of his days,
So that his reign shall have no end,
And to his years thou shalt commend
The lot of everlasting praise.

He shall before God's face abide
In sempiternal youth,
O thou whose hosts in heav'n reside,
For his reception there provide
Thy loving mercy—and thy truth.

So shall I never cease to bless
The glory of thy name,
To that in penitence confess,
To that in gratitude address,
By goodly pride and honest shame.

PSALM LXII.

Truly all my soul's reliance
Is the patient hope, she pleads;
And in Christ she rests affiance
For from him her health proceeds.

This is faithful—my salvation
And my strength is Christ alone;
From that rock of exaltation
By no blast shall I be blown.

Ever shall your tongues dissemble,
And your hearts your neighbours wound;
Frail and like the walls that tremble,
Hanging o'er a broken mound.

Their device is to diminish
Him whom God has made so great;
Flatt'ring they begin, and finish
In deception, lies and hate.

Thou my spirit, notwithstanding,
Still expect the Lord's release;
For I trust at thy commanding
That she shall be sped to peace.

That is faithful—my salvation
And my strength is Christ alone,
From that rock of exaltation
By no blast shall I be blown.

Help and hope, and strength are Jesus,
And the glories, as they glow;
To that height from whence he sees us,
At the last I trust to go.

O confide with meek subjection
In the Lord, ye faithful flock,
Kneeling with sincere affection,
For Christ Jesus is our rock.

Men, without his grace attending,
Are but emptiness and lies,
Lighter in the scale ascending
Than the vanities they prize.

Keep from theft, nor be injurious,
Quit the scenes of pomp and pride;
Be not in your wealth penurious,
Nor in worldly goods confide.

God himself in glory seated
Spake amidst seraphic throngs;
Twice I've heard the same repeated,
“That the pow'r to God belongs.

And that thou, O Lord, delightest
Grace and mercy to diffuse;
And the sons of men requitest
Ev'n as they their talents use.

PSALM LXIII.

Abba, FATHER, my dependence
Is on thee, thou most benign,
Early will I pay attendance,
O my God, before thy shrine.

Hear I languish for thy blessing,
Spirits faint and wearied out;
Thirst and grievous heat oppressing
In a land of dearth and drought.

Thus in pray'r I have expected
That thou wouldst thy mercy show'r,
And mine eyes might be directed
Where thy glory comes in pow'r.

For thy charity is better
Than the life that is thy loan,
I profess myself thy debtor,
And my lips thy praise shall own.

Long as I that life inherit
I will give thee land to thee,
In the flesh and in the spirit
Lifted hands and bended knee.

In this dreary situation,
As with dainties I shall fare,
While my lips in exultation
Bless the sure effects of pray'r.

When I to my rest surrender,
Are not thoughts of thee my dream?
Do I not, when waking, tender
Homage to thy pow'r supreme?

For secure of thy protection,
In the shadow of thy wings,
With due rev'rence and affection
My delighted spirit clings.

Thy benignities embolden
Souls that to thy truth adhere;
And thy right hand has upholden
Mine infirmities and fear.

These that seek my soul to wound her,
In th'unhospitable waste,
That deserve to sink around her,
And the pangs of terror taste;

Threaten'd with the sword's perdition,
Destin'd to the beasts for food—
Give them, Christ, to true contrition,
Let them be with grace renew'd.

Thus the king shall be victorious
In the Lord's thrice-honour'd name;
While the wicked and vain-glorious
Shall be put to silent shame.

PSALM LXIV.

Hear, O my God, my voice accept
My wailings, and the tears I wept
In agony of pray'r,
Preserve my soul from those that deal
In death, who have not sense to feel,
Nor pity to forbear.

Prevent me from the secret mines,
And rescue from the dark designs
Of guilt combin'd with rage;
From those who rising in a band
To do the work that Satan plann'd,
By mutual ties engage.

Their tongues exasperate with spite,
Like falchions whetted for the fight,
Are eager to defame;
They bend their bows, and strain their strings,
And give their poison'd arrows wings,
E'en bitter words of shame.

That they may from an ambush shoot
At those that yield abundant fruit,
The godly and the just;
And swift the desp'rate archers dart
The pointed mischief to the heart
Of men without mistrust.

To wickedness they plight their troth,
And work each other up to wrath,
And in their crimes agree;
They privily by stealth convene,
And sneak to lay their snares unseen,
Blaspheming “who shall see!”

In malice mischief they conceive,
And then to murder and to thieve,
Their several bands they file;
Each on his fellow's guilt relies,
And all their practices disguise
In subtlety and guile.

But God, their treason to detect,
Against the traitors shall direct
His arrows swift as thought;
And terror shall their conscience wound,
And all the schemes that they propound
Be to confusion brought.

Yea, they their dealings shall impeach
With their own tongues, and make a breach
Upon the webs they spun;
And they that their event behold,
And those that hear their story told,
Their deeds shall scorn and shun.

And they that their event behold,
And those that hear their story told
Shall praise the Lord alone;—
“It is the Lord's resistless pow'r,
“That sav'd us in the dreadful hour,
“The people and the throne.”

Inspir'd with mercies so profuse,
The wise and good shall give a loose
To transport and delight;
And every man, whose heart is whole
From treason, shall with all his soul
This song of joy recite.

PSALM LXV.

To thee, O God, on Zion's hill,
Shall praise and adoration bow,
And Salem's dome thy saints shall fill
To pay their daily vow.

Thou, whose paternal ears receive
The contrite sinners as they kneel,
In thee shall all mankind believe,
And to thy love appeal.

Thro' rooted vice my spirits fail,
Which o'er my heart an empire wins,
O let thy mercy countervail
To cover all our sins.

The man is blest thou hast ordain'd,
Which from the pulpit feeds thy sheep;
In sweet serenity sustain'd
Thy treasures he shall keep.

The Lord our Saviour shall disclose,
His wond'rous truths till all applaud;
Thou hope of utmost earth and those
That plough the briny broad.

The mighty mountains of the earth
His hands upon their bases found;
For unresisted pow'r's the girth
With which his loins are bound.

At his command the waves asswage,
The roaring seas are peace enjoin'd,
And clamours of the crowd, that rage
With every shifting wind.

To those that dwell in climes afar,
Thy dispensations dread excite,
Which mak'st the morn and evening star
To praise thy purer light.

Thy gracious visitation cheers,
And blesses all the genial soil;
The rising wealth of fruitful years
Repays the workman's toil.

The stream by God's direction glides,
To yield abundance in its course;
Thro' thee the season'd corn provides
An annual due resource.

Each ridge and furrow of the field
Is water'd by the dew of God;
The blessed rains their nurture yield
In every soften'd clod.

The years, by thy good hand renew'd,
Are to their consummation led;
Thy clouds etherial richness brood,
And from their chambers shed.

They shall in mild profusion show'r
Their drops upon the tented green,
The little hills, which trees embow'r,
Shall gladden all the scene.

The thriving sheep the folds shall throng,
Rank ears the golden valley grace;
To call forth laughter and a song
From nature's voice and face.

PSALM LXVI.

The honours of the pow'r supreme,
All earth with joy rehearse;
O make his praise the glorious theme
Of everlasting verse.

Confess with wonder and delight,
O God, thy works abound;
How thy magnificence and might
Thine enemies confound!

For ev'ry nation, tongue and clime
Shall adoration pay,
And raise to thee the strains sublime
Thy glories to display.

O come, ye to his church repair,
And from his wonders trace;
How vast his providential care
From all the human race.

The floods were dried at his decree,
On foot through waves we went;
And in the middle of the sea
We sung the great event.

For ever o'er the realms, he rules,
He casts a father's eyes;
But harden'd unbelieving fools
Shall to no honour rise.

Our God, ye realms, with praises crown,
And bless his righteous reign,
And make the voice of his renown
Sweet, audible and plain.

In him we live, we move and breathe,
And all our beings hold;
And lest we slip by guile beneath,
The tempter is controul'd.

For we, O God, thy test abide,
In love's kind ballance weigh'd;
Thou also hast our spirits try'd
As silver is essay'd.

In hostile snares our bands were caught
Forsaken of our God;
And thou upon our loins has brought
The terrors of thy rod.

Thou suffer'dst men to bruise our head,
And our fair fame to brand;
At length thro' fire and seas we sped
Into this wealthy land.

I will before thy holy shrine
With precious odours wait,
And pay that solemn vow of mine
When I was in a strait.

The rams and goats that us'd to burn,
The Saviour Christ reprieves,
And hymns and anthems serve the turn
Of kidlings and of beeves.

O come, ye guests, whom God has bid
Within his church to bless,
And I will shew you what he did
For David in distress.

To God, who has my organs tun'd,
I with my mouth have sung,
And with him in my heart commun'd,
Which harmoniz'd my tongue.

Should I to wickedness desert,
Who such conviction feel,
The Lord will not my cause assert,
Nor bless me when I kneel.

But now my pray'r his pity moves,
As on my knees I bend;
And he considers and approves
My sighs as they ascend.

Blest be the Lord, which gives me fruit,
As thus I pray and fast;
Nor turns his mercy from my suit,
But loves me to the last.

PSALM LXVII.

O God, indulge us with thy grace,
And bless with evangelic light,
And shew the lustre of that face
Which mercy makes so bright.

That Christ his gospel may be known,
Where lands extend or oceans roll,
And all the scatter'd nations own
That health which saves the soul.

The glory and the praise be thine,
O God, from every heart and tongue;
Yea, let all congregations join
When such a song is sung.

O let the nations far and wide
Speak forth triumphant joy and mirth,
For righteous shalt thou reign and guide
The nations upon earth.

The glory and the praise be thine,
O God, from every heart and tongue;
Yea, let all congregations join
When such a song is sung.

Then shall the riches of increase
Upon earth's fertile glebe attend;
And God, the God of Israel's peace,
His daily blessing send!

God shall his faithful people bless,
And all the nations of mankind
Shall by our commerce have access
His saving grace to find.

PSALM LXVIII.

Arouse—and let thy foes disperse
Thou master of the universe,
Arouse thee from on high;
Take up the trumpet and alarm,
And at the terror of thine arm
Let those that hate thee fly.

Like as afflicting smoke's dispell'd,
Let them be driv'n away and quell'd,
As wax before the fire,
Let fraud at thine effulgence fail,
And let the multitudes in mail
Before my God retire.

But let the men of righteous seed,
Accepted in their father's deed,
Rejoice before the shrine;
Yea, let them shout till heav'n resounds,
There is no need of end or bounds
To joyfulness divine.

Give praise—with songs your praises blend,
And as your thoughts to heav'n ascend,
And leave the world beneath,
Extol his universal name,
Who rides on the celestial flame,
In IAH, which all things breathe.

The father of the friendless child,
To keep the damsel undefil'd,
And judge the widow's cause,
Is God upon his righteous throne,
Whence he the hands to rapine prone
O'ersees and overawes.

Thy Lord domestick peace creates,
And those his Mercy congregates,
Who solitary dwell;
The slave delivers from his chain,
But rebels in dry wastes remain,
And where no waters well.

When thou Jehovah led the way,
Before thy people in array,
From Egypt's barb'rous cost;
Thro' boundless wilds exposed and parch'd,
In pillar'd majesty thou march'd
The captain of the host.

The earth in ecstasy gave place,
With vast vibrations on her base
The present God she found;
Ev'n Israel's God—the heav'ns dissolv'd,
And Sinai's mount in clouds involv'd,
Felt all his rocks rebound.

O God, thou bad'st the heav'ns dispense
The bread of thy benevolence,
Down with the daily dew;
And fixt the people of thy pow'r,
Amidst their doubtings by a show'r
Miraculous and new.

Therein thy congregation dwelt,
E'en midst the manna, which thou dealt
So plentiful and pure;
Thy goodness to confirm the weak,
Thy charity to bless and break,
The largess for the poor.

God, in stupendous glory deck'd,
His gracious covenant direct,
Came down from heav'n to teach;
Great was the trembling and the fear
Of crouds, that rush'd that word to hear,
They were enjoin'd to preach

Each talking tyrant at the head
Of thousands and ten thousands fled,
They fled with all their might;
And all Judea's blooming pride,
The spouse, the damsel and the bride,
Dispos'd the spoil at night.

Though ye the bitter bondage wept,
And midst Rhamnesian tripods slept,
Hereafter is your own;
Ye shall as turtle-doves unfold,
The silver plumage wing'd with gold,
And make melodious moan.

When kings were scatter'd for our sake,
And God alarm'd his host to take
His vengeance on the foe;
On Israel's countenance benign
He made his radiant grace to shine
As bright as Salmon's snow.

Jehovah's hill's a noble heap,
And ev'n as Bashan's spiry steep,
From which the cedars nod;
And Zion's mount herself sublimes,
And swells her goodly crest and climbs
To meet descending God.

Ye haughty hills that leap so high,
What is th'exertion that ye try?
This is God's hallow'd mount,
On whose blest top the glories play,
And where the Lord desires to stay
While we his praise recount.

The chariots of the Lord are made
Of angels in a cavalcade
Ev'n twenty thousand strong,
Those thousands of the first degree,
O'er Sinai—in the midst is He,
And bears the pomp along.

God is gone up from whence he rose
With gifts accepted for his foes,
His loaded altars smoke;
Captivity, from chains repriev'd,
Is made his captive, and receiv'd
To thy most blessed yoke.

God is our help from every ill,
And gives to every want its fill,
For us and all our race;
By him we're every hour review'd,
To him the daily pray'r's renew'd
For daily bread and grace.

God, that great God whom we profess,
Is all-benevolent to bless,
Omnipotent to save;
In God alone is our escape,
From death and all the gulphs that gape,
From terror and the grave.

God shall not send his blessing down
To rest upon the hoary crown
Of those which grace resist;
But shall afflict the heads of all,
That after his repeated call
To penitence, persist.

From Bashan, which they pass'd of yore,
Said God, I will my tribes restore,
And bring them back again;
Where Abr'ham worshipp'd and was bless'd,
Of Canaan they shall be possess'd,
Emerging from the main.

That thy baptized foot may tread,
Where proud blasphemers laid their head,
By judgments unreclaim'd;
And that thy shepherd's dogs may chace
Thy flocks into their pleasant place,
Who made the earth asham'd.

They've seen their errors to disprove
My God in blest procession move,
The pomp of God my king;
Accordant to the train below,
The dances rise, the streamers flow,
And holy flow'rs they fling.

The goodly shew the singers lead,
The minstrels next in place proceed,
With musick sweet and loud;
The damsels, that with wild delight,
The brisk-resounding timbrels smite,
Are in the mid-most crowd.

O thou Jeshurun, yield thy thanks,
All ages, sexes, tribes and ranks,
In congregated bands;
To God united thanks restore,
Brought from the heart its inmost core,
And with protesting hands.

There Benjamin in triumph goes,
Least but in love the Lord of those
That dwell in tents and bow'rs;
And Judah next to the most high,
With Zebulon and Naphtali
Their princedoms and their powr's.

God to the sires of all the tribes
Some great peculiar gift ascribes,
To each his talents told;
The loan with such long-suff'ring lent,
Do thou establish and augment
Ten thousand thousand fold.

From this thy temple which we lay,
To thee the homage they shall pay,
To thee the praise impute;
Kings shall their annual gifts renew,
And give Melchisedec his due,
The glory and the fruit.

Rebuke the spearmen with thy word,
Those calves and bulls of Bashan's herd,
Which from our ways abhor;
Let them pay toll, and hue the wood,
Which are at enmity with good,
And love the voice of war.

The nobles from the sons of Ham,
Shall bring the bullock and the ram,
Idolatrous no more;
The Morians soon shall offer alms,
And bow their heads, and spread their palms,
God's mercy to implore.

Ye blessed angels of the Lord,
Of nations and of kings the ward,
That further thanks and pray'r,
To Jesus Christ your praise resound,
Collected from the regions round
Your tutelary care.

In other days before the sev'n,
Upon that ante-mundane heav'n,
In glorious pomp he rode—
He sends a voice, which voice is might,
In inconceivable delight
Th'acknowledg'd word of God.

Ye heroes foremost in the field
That couch the spear, or bear the shield,
Bless God that ye prevail;
His splendour is on Israel's brow,
He stands all-pow'rful on the prow
Midst all the clouds that sail.

O God, all miracle thou art,
Ev'n thou the God of Israel's heart
Within thy holy shrine,
Thou shalt with strength and pow'r protect,
Thy people in the Lord elect,
Praise, endless praise be thine.

PSALM LXIX.

O save me, thou supremely blest,
These floods of tears controul,
For inward weeping clogs my breast,
And overwhelms my soul.

I am bemir'd in filth so deep,
And where no bottom lies;
Mine enemies in torrents sweep
My remnant, as they rise.

I am fatigu'd, as thus I wail,
My throat is hoarse and dry;
Mine eyes with looking upward fail,
As to the Lord I cry.

More than my hairs the sons of strife
In causeless hate unite,
And foes against my guiltless life
Have muster'd all their might.

I paid extortioners their price
For what they yet detain;
Thou know'st my simpleness, my vice,
O God, is but too plain.

Let not thy sons, O Lord of hosts
Be for my follies blam'd,
Nor let thy servants quit their posts
Thro' my default asham'd.

And why! I suffer for thy sake,
Dishearten'd and reprov'd;
And of this foul disgrace partake
From thy defence remov'd.

I am become to all my kin
As foreign to their care;
My mothers children from within
Refuse me entrance there.

For zeal relating to thy cause
Upon my spirit preys;
And, who blasphemes thy church and laws,
Against my heart inveighs.

I wept and mortify'd my flesh
With fasting and with tears;
On that my foes came on afresh
With obloquy and sneers.

The sackcloth too in grief I wore,
And threw me on the dust,
Which meekness but provok'd the more
Their jesting and disgust.

The mob that sit without the gate
Are pleasant on my wrongs,
And drunkards make mine abject state
The subject of their songs.

But Lord, I will my pray'r submit
To thy most righteous pow'r,
And of my vow myself acquit
In this propitious hour.

Hear me, O Lord, in thine excess
Of goodness to my need,
According to thy truth express,
In which my sins are freed.

Take me from out the sinking slough,
And set me on the ground;
And from the scorner's angry brow,
And from the gulph profound.

Let not the water flood of woes
Above my level swell,
Nor let the deep it's jaws disclose
To shew the pit of hell.

Thy cordial clemency extend,
And hear me as I pray;
And as it knows nor bounds nor end,
Again thy love display.

Do not thy radiant face withdraw
For trouble presses hard;
And as the pangs vexations gnaw,
With speed my groans regard.

Draw nigh, my soul in mercy save
With pregnant anguish big,
O come and rescue from the grave
Which spite and treach'ry dig.

This shame, reproof, and foul disgrace
So justly made my own,
Thou know'st, and seest the coward race
Which prostrate mis'ry stone.

Thine anger touches me so nigh
That care disturbs my mind;
I look'd, but not a pitying eye
No comfort cou'd I find.

They for my morsel gave me gall
Their sinking souls to plunge,
And to my poignant thirst withal
They minister'd the spunge.

Yet let them not the less receive
The lot of plenteous wealth,
And their condemn'd estate reprieve
With thine eternal health.

Ope thou their eyes, that they may see
Thy glory's heav'nly tracks,
And lay, while they submit their knee,
Thy burden on their backs.

In love account them of thy fold,
And on thy bread subsist;
Give them thy presence to behold,
And of thy saints inlist.

With children let their house be fill'd,
And of misfortunes void,
And let their fertile lands be till'd,
And granaries employ'd.

Do this for them, who yet awhile
Embarrass'd grief perplex,
And who, as Satan's snares beguile,
Thy wounded servant vex.

Let them emerge from strength to strength,
And rise as they repent;
And their converted souls at length
To final peace be sent.

Let them escape the hand that wipes
The recreant from thy page,
And live in those eternal types
Which write the saint and sage.

Me, while these agonies I feel,
In such dejection sunk,
O God, thy help shall ease and heal
The sinews which have shrunk.

O God, I will extoll thy name
In ever-grateful verse,
And records of thy giorious fame
Throughout the world disperse.

These God had rather I should give,
Love's unpolluted proofs,
Than beasts, which he has made to live,
And fenc'd with horns and hoofs.

The humble shall consider this,
And be for ever glad;
Seek ye the Lord, and heav'nly bliss
He to your souls shall add.

For there is audience to the poor
With their all-gracious Lord,
Who scorns not those whom bars immure,
And keepers have in ward.

Let earth adore, as from the spring
Her choicest flow'rs she straws;
Let heav'n and ocean have their swing
Of infinite applause.

For Jesus shall repair the road
To Zion's heav'nly courts,
That men may settle their abode
Where endless joy transports.

And there the race of his elect
Shall hold their souls in peace;
And all that his dear name affect,
Its lustre shall increase.

PSALM LXX.

Haste, haste to do me right,
And give my suff'rings ease,
Lord Jesus, speed thy flight
To David on his knees.

Let all this bloody chace
In shame and sorrow cease,
And grant the traitors grace
That plot against my peace.

With speed their spirits break
To heart-afflicting sighs,
That thus insult the meek,
“There, there the grov'ler lies.”

But endless joy reward
The saints of Christ the king,
And all that love the Lord
Their hallelujah sing.

The pangs of pinching need
My pow'r of patience tire;
Redouble, Lord, thy speed,
And aid me to respire.

Thou art, O Christ, alone
My Saviour, God, and friend,
No longer then postpone,
But on my pray'rs attend.

PSALM LXXI.

In thy name my faith is rooted,
Save me, Jesu, from dismay;
Have me rescu'd and recruited,
And, All-righteous, hear me pray.

Be my bulwark to secure me,
And the promis'd help fulfil;
In thy strongest fort immure me,
For thou art my Saviour still.

From the godless and licentious,
Lord, thy supplicant release;
From the cruel and contentious,
Joining hands against my peace.

For with ardour heav'nly-minded
Thee, Lord Jesus, I embrace;
Nor by carnal pleasures blinded,
Ev'n from youth I court thy grace.

From my birth thou hast sustain'd me,
From the womb hast set me free,
And the praises thou ordain'd me
Shall for ever flow to thee.

In the vulgar estimation
As a monster am I thought,
Yet I hope for thy salvation,
Which by Jesus Christ was bought.

Give me gracious elocution
Day by day thy laud to tell,
That with grateful retribution
On thy glory I may dwell.

Leave me not with age declining,
As increasing years prevail,
When my lamp no longer shining,
Strength and wonted spirits fail.

For my sland'rous foes have taken
Ev'ry step to have it said,
“Grind him, of his God forsaken;
“Seize him, destitute of aid.”

Go not far from my petition,
O my God, when life's at stake;
Haste with gracious expedition,
O my God, for Christ his sake.

Yet for all their deeds despiteful,
Keep them from eternal shame;
And disgrace and pain so rightful
Let them 'scape in Christ his name.

As for me, I will endeavour
Patience to support by pray'r,
And thy glorious laud for ever
More and more will I declare.

Daily shall my mouth make mention
Of the Christian faith and hope,
Though 'tis not in man's invention
To define their boundless scope.

Made in Christ another creature,
And through grace to fulness grown,
I will sing in holy metre
Of thy righteousness alone.

Lord, thou taught the first noviciate
Of my grace-directed youth,
Therefore shall mine age officiate
To promulge thy wond'rous truth.

Spare me, Lord, so weak and hoary,
As the vital heat decays,
Till I shew the pow'r and glory
Of thy reign to future days.

Far above revenge and rigour
Tow'rs thy truth sublimely bright;
What comparison or figure
Shall describe thy matchless might?

In what floods of grief immersing
Hast thou prov'd me! in what pain!
Yet my bitter lot reversing,
Thou hast brought me up again.

Thou hast rais'd me to promotion,
These imperial reins to guide,
And encourag'd my devotion
To thy name on ev'ry side.

Wherefore with my verse harmonious
I thy faithfulness will sing,
Striking from the harp symphonious
Praise to Christ the spotless king.

With my lips by zeal impassion'd,
And the heart thou hast restor'd;
To the thought the numbers fashion'd,
Thee I sing, O most ador'd.

And thy truth shall be resounded
Daily in my speech and song;
For the wretches are confounded
That conspir'd to do me wrong.

PSALM LXXII.

From thine everlasting tables,
O my God, the king endue,
While thy grace his son enables
Thy just judgments to pursue.

Then shall he preside, directing
After thy behoof his reign,
And defend the poor, respecting
Those that in distress complain.

With rich harvests on the mountains
Peace her garners shall amass,
And the hills shall play their fountains
To bring righteousness to pass.

By his upright jurisdiction
Widows, orphans he shall feed,
And the cause of their affliction
He the spoilers shall implead.

Each succeeding generation
They thy justice shall revere,
Long as the prescrib'd rotation
Of the lights that rule the year.

He shall come on earth, descending,
Like the rain, on Gideon's fleece,
As the genial dew commending
Everlasting joy and peace.

In his time the saints shall flourish,
And benevolence divine,
And sweet peace abundance nourish,
Long as sun and moon shall shine.

His domain shall be stupendous,
Spreading wide from pole to pole;
And the pow'r that shall defend us
Reach the world's extreamest goal.

In the wild the sons of error
Shall kneel down before his feet,
And his foes, abash'd with terror,
Fall to earth, and grace intreat.

They of Tharsis gifts shall offer,
Sheba's kings, and isles remote,
Sages from th'Arabian coffer,
Myrrh and frankincense devote.

Ev'ry king shall fall before him
In humiliation meek;
All the subject world adore him,
And to his redemption seek.

For the poor, the sick, the stranger,
Halt, and dumb, and deaf, and blind,
To his triumph from his manger,
In thy love their help shall find.

To the simple folk and needy
He the gospel light shall show,
Ever gracious, ever speedy
To relieve the souls in woe.

From the Herods and the Neros
He his martyrs shall requite,
And the blood of Christian heroes
Shall be precious in his sight.

He shall live for everlasting,
High above all empire rais'd,
And with off'rings, pray'r, and fasting
Daily shall his name be prais'd.

Fill'd by his angelic legions,
Crops and vintages shall teem,
And all cultivated regions
Fresh as Lebanon shall seem.

Fame is his through all the stages
Of posterities and times;
Blest through him, the better ages
Shall adorn converted climes.

Blessed be the Lord, indulging
To his people grace anew,
By his precious words promulging
What his matchless wonders shew.

To his glorious name all orders,
Men and angels, bend your knee,
Preach'd through earth's remotest borders,
Yea—for Christ his merit—yea.

PSALM LXXIII.

God is in very truth benign
To Jacob, and his seed,
To such as heartily decline
From filth in word and deed.

And yet my feet had well nigh lost
The conduct of their guide,
And my firm treadings, to my cost,
Were on the point to slide.

For wherefore? I was griev'd to see
Ungodly men so great,
And wealth and pow'r to that degree
On Satan's servants wait.

For they themselves of age assure,
As though excus'd to die,
And lustily they live secure,
And Christ in strength deny.

The tides of trouble, that confound
Their betters, they can stem;
And crosses, which their neighbours wound,
Are far enough from them.

Hence pride has bound their stiffen'd neck
As with a gorgeous chain,
And as in robes themselves they deck
In wrath and high disdain.

Their wanton eyes with fatness swell,
As in themselves they trust,
And in proud palaces they dwell,
To do whate'er they lust.

Their commerce is contagious too,
As loudly they blaspheme;
Their conversation they renew,
Against the great Supreme.

For with their clamour they invade,
Where heav'n its vault sublimes,
And their untoward talk is made
The fashion of the times.

Therefore to them the people crave
For profit and for ease;
And from each voluntary slave
No trivial tax they squeeze.

Shall God (the scorners say) perceive,
Who dwells in heavens unknown,
And what we dare and disbelieve,
Be laid before his throne?

Lo! these are what religion brands,
Yet make the world their mart,
If so, in vain I've wash'd my hands,
I cry'd, and purg'd my heart.

I have been mortify'd all day,
And griev'd such men were born,
And chasten'd with the rising ray
For many an irksome morn.

Yea, I had almost join'd the fools—
But then I shou'd have blam'd
The wholesome discipline, which schools
Thy sons that are reclaim'd.

Then labour'd I to comprehend
This mystery of thine,
But could not its immediate end
With all my skill divine.

Until I went into thy fane
To recommend my plea,
And there thou mad'st it very plain
Why these events should be.

To wit, how all their pride they prop
Upon a tott'ring base,
Whence at thy bidding down they drop,
And sink into disgrace.

How instantaneous one and all
Are blasted and consume,
And perish at thy wrath, and fall
Upon a dreadful doom.

Like as a dream, when men awake,
And from their fright are freed;
So from the city shalt thou make
Their image to recede.

Thus in my heart was discontent,
And gall within me flow'd,
And thro' my loins vexation went,
And in my reins abode.

So foolish in my vain dispute
Was I before my God,
And void of wisdom as the brute,
By which the corn is trod.

And yet I keep within thy courts
One constant strain of pray'r,
And my right hand thy pow'r supports,
While I thy surplice wear.

My road thy counsel shall direct,
And thro' all straits convoy,
And thou shalt welcome thine elect
To glory and to joy.

Whom have I in the heav'ns above
Like thee my hope to raise,
Nor is there ought on earth I love,
In measure as thy praise?

My spirits have forsook my heart,
My vigour fails my flesh;
But God, in whom I have a part,
Shall with new strength refresh.

For they that from thy banner run,
Shall find an hasty grave,
Nor ought but thine all-righteous Son
Can such adult'rers save.

But it is good for me to hold
My service and my song,
And God—the works of God unfold,
Where Zion's daughters throng.

PSALM LXXIV.

Lord Jesus, why dost thou retard
The grace thou lov'st to send,
And all thy pastoral regard
In kindling wrath suspend?

O think upon thy chosen seed,
Reproach'd and disesteem'd,
Which, as thy holy word decreed,
Thy precious blood redeem'd.

O think upon Jehudah's race,
The tribe so much thine own,
And on fair Zion's special place,
Where thou hast fixt thy throne.

Prepare thy blessed feet, and come
With peace angelic shod,
And purge away the dross and scum,
That stain the house of God.

Thy foes display their flags and boast,
That they thy battles fight,
And schismatics maintain their post
Amongst the sons of light.

The servile hand that hew'd the wood
From out the stately trees,
Was, in his place, ordain'd to good,
And shap'd his work to please.

But now these artizans untune
The musick that they made,
The carvers break each fair festoon,
And counteract their trade.

Nay more, they've carried force and fire
Against each shrine around;
And levell'd, in their godless ire,
Thy temple with the ground.

Yea, in their wishes they combine
That not a church should stand,
And thus incendiaries mine
The faith of all the land.

No signs the wonted grace attest—
The services unsung;
And few to prophesy the best,
And learn each sacred tongue.

O God, how long shall traitor's sting,
And hiss with spite and guile,
And with th'establish'd church and king
Their Saviour Christ revile?

Why dost thou our defence withdraw
At this so great alarm,
Nor keepest Antichrist in awe
By thine almighty arm?

For Christ, my king from long ago,
Is with me to this hour;
All hope above, and help below,
Are solely from his pow'r.

That pow'r astonish'd floods avow'd,
Dividing heap from heap;
Thou smote the dragons as they plough'd
The waters of the deep.

The huge Leviathan was stunn'd
At that stupendous roar
Of billows, breaking to refund
The fishes on the shore.

The living springs and streams profuse
Thy people to supply,
Thy mandate could from rocks educe,
And made the river dry.

The day is subject to thy rule,
The night to thy decree,
The blessed sunshine and the cool
Are made and chang'd by thee.

Thou by thy wisdom hast ordain'd
The borders of the world,
And summer's genial heat maintain'd,
And wintry winds unfurl'd.

Consider, Lord, how men blaspheme
The honour of thy name,
And fools, in their ambitious dream,
Have lost the sense of shame.

Let not thy turtle-dove be sold,
To crowds and ruffian rage,
Nor from the prostrate poor withhold
Thy love for such an age!

Thy gracious covenant review,
For in this earth beneath
The worldlings dark designs pursue,
And fell revenge they breathe.

Let not the simple man depart
Abash'd at fruitless pray'r;
But give the poor a joyful heart
Thy glory to declare.

Arise, O God, thy cause support,
Thine own eternal cause,
Reclaim the folly that in sport
Contemns thy name and laws.

O let thy words of comfort drown
The voice of rank excess,
And bring their gross presumption down
To worship and to bless.

PSALM LXXV.

To thee Jeshurun, of all ranks,
In thankful pray'r agree,
—Yea, Lord, we yield the thanks
To mercy, love and Thee.

Thy blessed word is also nigh
Each day and every hour,
And that thy works imply
In spirit and in pow'r.

What time th'assembly shall attend
On my judicial chair,
I will the truth defend,
Deciding right and fair.

Earth totters on her lowest base,
And all her tenants shrink;
But Jesus shall replace
Her pillars, ere she sink.

I said unto the fools, eschew
Your pride and senseless scorn,
And to the godless crew,
No more exalt your horn.

No more exalt your horn in vain,
But your ambition check,
Nor for your speeches strain
With such a stiffen'd neck.

For tho' promotion plumes your crest,
And fills with pomp your mouth,
'Tis not from east or west,
Nor is it from the south.

And why the Lord is judge supreme,
And one man he degrades,
And one from want extreme
He raises up and aids.

For in his hand the Lord presents
A cup of vinous juice,
Full mixt with red contents,
And pours it out profuse:

The dregs thereof the men of pride,
From out th'inverted cup
Shall drink as they subside,
And wholly suck them up.

But I will fashion my discourse
Of Jacob's God to sing,
And evermore inforce
The praise of Zion's king.

Recall thy servants, that revolt,
Again to pay their vows,
And righteous men exalt,
And crown their honour'd brows.

PSALM LXXVI.

In Jury is the Lord renown'd
The nation that he chose,
His name Jeshurun's songs resound,
And to his glory close.

At Salem his pavilions stand
Amidst celestial fires,
His seat is in the Holy Land,
Where Zion's hill aspires.

And there he brake the bowman's shaft,
The javeline and the shield,
The sword and the proud warriour's craft,
And all th'embattled field.

Thy matchless might, which knows no change,
More lustre has assum'd,
Than yonder everlasting range
Of hills, where clouds are plum'd.

Contending tyrants now are friends,
All dreams of empire cease,
As his own olivet ascends
The prince of endless peace,

At thy rebuke, O Lord, alarm
Upon the mighty came;
Thy host both horse and car disarm,
And put the chiefs to shame.

Thou, Lord, ev'n thou by trembling fear
Art worthily ador'd,
Nor wrath nor rapine persevere
When thou hast sheath'd the sword.

Christ his own oracle declares
Supremely just and wise,
And silenc'd Satan now forbears
His dark ambiguous lies.

When Shilo shall his meek embrace,
And wolves with lambkins play,
Where flourish in the bramble's place
The myrtle and the bay.

The fierceness of the men of war
Thou shalt to praise convert,
And those that from thy peace abhor,
Thy gospel shall assert.

To God engage and keep your vow,
Your vassalage renew,
Bring presents, and by pray'r allow
That rev'rence is his due.

He by his wonders shall refrain
The spirit of the prince,
And of his everlasting reign
Usurping man convince.

PSALM LXXVII.

To God I will my voice direct,
A voice of love and fear,
And it shall have the due effect
With his paternal ear.

To Christ my Saviour I complain
Midst sores and raging smart;
When tedious night increases pain,
Discomfort damps my heart.

When grief o'erpow'rs with its excess
My mind, and blunts her edge,
My soul's vexation for redress
I will to God alledge.

Mine eyes thy plagues withhold from rest,
And on my slumbers break;
I am so feeble and oppress'd,
That I can scarcely speak.

I have reflected on the years
With happy seasons clast,
And strove to sooth my streaming tears
By thinking on the past.

I call to mind my dawn and noon,
Which were the themes of song,
And with my heart by night commune,
To make my spirits strong.

Will God from mine incessant cries
Eternal absence keep,
And will he send no more supplies
To those that pray and weep?

Are all his mercies wholly gone,
That nothing can restore,
And are his promises withdrawn
For ever, evermore?

Has God forgotten to be kind
When mortals are diseas'd,
And shall his goodness be confin'd,
Because he is displeas'd?

My guilt precipitates my sand—
I therefore will recall
The days of God's indulgent hand
To Jacob more than all:

Thy charity to restiff souls
Thy works and arm sublime;
And I will recognize the rolls
Of antiquated time.

I will on that convincing force
Of all thine actions dwell,
And in colloquial intercourse
Thy truth and marvels tell.

Thy ways are very truth and light,
And thee their God declare;
What pow'r in magnitude and might
Can with our God compare?

Thou art the God, which self-aver'd
Such wonders couldst achieve;
And hast promulg'd thy pow'rful word,
That mortals might believe.

The people whom thy might restor'd,
Thy mercy shall acquit,
Redeeming Jacob from the sword,
And Joseph from the pit.

The waters saw thee, O'Most High,
The waters were afraid,
And ocean left his bottom dry,
His inmost depths dismay'd.

The clouds their copious rain distill'd,
And midst the waters hot
The sounding air the thunder fill'd,
And all thy darts were shot.

Thy thunder's voice was heard around,
The quickning lightnings shone,
And run and flash upon the ground,
Earth's hollow caverns groan.

Thy way is where the waters yield,
And in the briny baths,
And there thy footsteps are conceal'd,
Nor can one trace thy paths.

Their way, like sheep, thy people won
Before the shepherd's rod,
Their priest was Aaron, Jethro's son
Their chief, and Christ their God.

PSALM LXXVIII.

List, O my people, to the law,
Which grace and truth indulge,
And in your ears receive with awe
The doctrine I promulge.

I will in high mysterious verse
The parable unfold,
And to th'assembled tribes rehearse
Hard sentences of old.

Ev'n such as we ourselves have heard,
And in our mem'ries known,
Or which by filial love endear'd
Our aged sires have shown.

That we should not such truths conceal,
But hand directly down
To our posterity with zeal
God's wonders and renown.

With Jacob's race a league he struck,
A law for ev'ry tribe,
Which infants, when they ceas'd to suck,
Might from their sires imbibe:

That thence proceeding heir from heir,
Each other they might warn,
And a preservative prepare
For children yet unborn;

To this intent, that when they came
To their maturer growth,
Their issue might embrace the same
God's solemn league and oath.

That they might their affections set
And on their God confide,
And not his miracles forget,
But by his laws abide.

And not be like their father's race
Impatient and absurd,
A generation far from grace
And traitors to the word.

Like Ephraim's sons, which arm'd for blows,
And muster'd for assault,
With their habergeons, and their bows
Made infamous revolt.

The holy covenant of God
Was not by them observ'd,
They left the paths of peace untrod,
And from his ways they swerv'd;

Hence all th'atchievements that were past,
They taught their thoughts to shun,
And those stupendous things and vast,
Which he for them had done.

Prodigious works, THE GREAT I AM,
Before the patriarch swains,
Accomplish'd in the land of Ham,
And Zoan's famous plains.

He for his people's passage cleft
The waters of the deep,
The parted billows right and left
Ascended on an heap.

A pillar'd cloud, their guide by day,
Forbade the sun to scorch,
And fire from heav'n to shew the way
Was in the night their torch.

He clave the flints, which teem'd with sap
To quench their raging drouth,
The stream descended from the gap,
As from a torrent's mouth.

He brought out waters from the rocks
Which other murmurs hush'd,
And for their families and flocks
It like the rivers rush'd.

Yet for all this with eager haste
Their congregation sinn'd
Against the Highest in the waste,
Until their swarms he thinn'd.

They tempted goodness to defeat
God's mercy by distrust;
With impious hearts requiring meat
To gratify their lust.

They also blasphemously said,
Shall God provide us food,
And shall sufficient be convey'd
Into this desart rude?

He smote the stony rock indeed
The thirsty to refresh,
But will the miracle succeed
To give his people flesh?

At Israel then Jehovah's wrath
Was kindled like a fire;
And him to whom he pledg'd his troth
He spurn'd in grievous ire.

Because their eyes and ears they shut,
Nor would his works believe,
Nor in his help their trust they put
Their errors to retrieve:

So he controul'd the clouds above
To render up their stores,
And op'd in his indulgent love
The heav'ns exterior doors.

From heav'n itself he gave them bread,
Their clam'rous mouths to stop,
And in due measure o'er their head
He made the manna drop.

So man was bidden to partake
With angels in the skies,
For to their craving maws he brake
A plenty to suffice.

He caus'd his eastern blast to lowr
Upon the earth beneath,
And gave the south-west wind his pow'r
A stronger gale to breathe.

He rained flesh upon them thick
As dust upon the ground,
And fowls he lavish'd, quill'd and quick,
Like sand beside the sound.

Upon their camp he let them fall,
And in their tents bestow'd;
And crouded by the rapid squall
They came to their abode.

So they regal'd till all were fill'd,
And their desire obtain'd;
And from their lust the fleshy-will'd
Were by no checks restrain'd.

But while ev'n now their meat they chew,
The wrath of God awoke;
And of their wealthiest princes slew,
And Israel's pillars broke.

And tho' this terror and alarm
Might better things have taught;
They sinn'd the more, nor hail'd that arm
Which such great works had wrought.

He therefore left their youthful bloom
To vain licentious ways;
Their years of travel to the doom
Of trouble and amaze.

When he, the Godhead to assert,
Destroy'd them for their crimes,
Their hearts they hasted to convert,
And sought the Lord betimes.

And their dead mem'ries rous'd at length,
Acknowledg'd that the Lord,
E'en God most highest, was their strength,
Their Saviour and their ward.

Yet not the less they feign'd to sooth
His vengeance with their tongue,
And with dissembling lips and smooth
Their recantation sung.

For in their heart they were not whole
His dictates to espouse,
Nor kept his laws with all their soul,
According to their vows.

Yet he was still so loving kind
That he their sin forgave;
Nor unto death their deeds assign'd,
But let his vengeance wave.

Yea, oft he would his wrath asswage,
And to his love return;
Nor suffer'd all his mighty rage
Against his tribes to burn.

For he consider'd of what stuff
Frail mortals are begot,
And that they're like the wind—a puff
Which passes, and is not.

Oft they conspir'd, where desarts howl,
Their Saviour to incense;
And in the wilderness were foul
With many a gross offence.

They turn'd them back, and chose a chief,
God's fuffering love to prove;
And by their perfidy to grief
The holy one they move.

They thought not of his mighty hand,
Nor of that great event,
When he the waters chang'd to land,
And made their foes repent;

The works which he in Egypt did,
That harden'd hearts might yield,
And all the carcasses he hid
In Zoan's conscious field.

He turn'd their waters into blood,
And made their rivers stink,
That in the vitiated flood
They could not lave nor drink.

Of every sort the vermin swarm'd
To eat them up alive;
And frogs the royal rooms deform'd,
Too dreadful to survive.

His dread commands upon their fruit
The locust-troops employ,
The caterpillar and the newt
Their labours to destroy.

The hailstones batter'd down the grape
Of so much care and cost;
Nor could the mulberries escape
The penetrating frost.

Their cattle too with hail he smote,
As well as verdant groves,
To death his thunderbolts devote
Their folded flocks and droves.

His wrath and fury fierce and strict
He sent upon their host,
And fiends he suffer'd to afflict
And vex their trembling coast.

He let his indignation loose
Their bodies to infest,
The blasts their forfeit lives reduce
To perish with the pest.

And by his angel smote the prime
Of all th'Egyptian youth;
The most exalted and sublime
Amongst the foes of truth.

But on his chosen tribes he smil'd,
And led them forth in peace,
And safe conducted through the wild,
As one that tends the fleece.

He brought them from the tyrant's realm,
And was himself their guard,
While waves prevail'd their foes to whelm,
And all their chariots marr'd.

And as their mind his grace instructs,
And sanctifies from vice,
To that blest mountain he conducts
He purchas'd with the price.

His host th'idolatrous eject,
Lest they with them should mix,
And give their land to his elect,
His wand'ring flock to fix.

So once more they began to thwart
The will of God most high,
And with the way his laws exhort
They scrupl'd to comply.

Like broken bows they started back,
Preparing to rebel,
And keeping their forefathers track
As from the Lord they fell.

For to provoke his wrath they built
The shrines that he forbad;
And grieving Christ, the fiends of guilt
In human forms they clad.

These crying sins the highest reach,
And inmost heav'n offend;
And on his tribes he makes a breach
While vengeful bolts descend.

The tabernacle he forsook,
And stopt the voice of mirth,
And would no longer overlook
The tent he pitch'd on earth.

Their strength no longer reinforc'd
He doom'd to servile toil,
And all their beauteous bloom divorc'd
To grace a foreign soil.

He gave his people to the sword,
Their goodly lot revers'd,
And by their pray'r no more implor'd
His heritage amerc'd.

Their young men into flames were driv'n
For burnings to dispatch;
So that the damsels were not giv'n
To their connubial match.

The sword, with its remorseless edge,
The holy priests assail'd;
Nor was there left a tender pledge
Or widow that bewail'd.

Then up arose as from a trance
Th'omnipotence divine,
As warriors to the field advance,
And leave their wives and wine.

He smote his foes, their hinder parts,
And all their boasting quash'd,
And with perpetual shame their hearts
By his rebuke abash'd.

To Joseph's house he would not grant
This royal rank to see,
Nor deign'd, O Ephraim, to plant
This glorious wreath on thee.

But blessed Judah was his choice,
The tribe of most account,
And from his heav'n he gave his voice
For Zion's favourite mount.

There pillar'd up with molten brass,
His temple stands secure,
Made like the earth's continual mass
For ever to endure.

He chose out David from the ranks,
And plac'd above the world;
From folded sheep, and from the banks
Where silver Kidron purl'd.

From following ewes with young ones big
The tribes his task enlarge,
To place beneath his vine and fig
The Lord's peculiar charge.

So with a heart God's special gift,
And love by wisdom cool'd,
And with munificence and thrift
O'er Jacob's sons he rul'd.

PSALM LXXIX.

From afar, O God, the nations
Thy possessions storm and sweep,
Churches now are desolations,
And Jerusalem an heap.

These unform'd barbarian forces
Birds with our dead bodies feast,
And thy saints dismember'd corses
Give they to each savage beast.

Human blood, like wasted water,
Round about the wall is shed,
And such universal slaughter
Leaves no burial for the dead.

Us of God's own circumcision,
All our adversaries brand;
Scorn'd we are, the trite derision
E'en for outcasts of the land.

Lord, how long shall thy displeasure
Punish our perverted ways;
Fed and fann'd beyond all measure
Shall thy jealous fury blaze?

Let the bolts of thy correction
Those who know thee not chastise;
Realms and kings in disaffection
Who thy glorious name despise.

For revengeful and voracious
They have prey'd on Jacob's race,
And have laid their hands rapacious
On his goodly dwelling place.

O remember not how grievous
Were thy servants sins of old,
But in mercy soon relieve us
To such fell destroyers sold.

Help us, O thou blest Redeemer,
For the glory of thy name;
Ward the ruffian, foil the schemer,
And have mercy on our shame.

Wherefore should the heathen scoffer
Say with supercilious brow,
Where is he to whom they offer,
Where is God their helper now?

O let vengeance now be sated,
Let the blood that's shed atone,
And from those who thus have hated
Take away the hearts of stone.

From the dungeon deep resounding
Hear the pris'ners as they sigh;
O let grace to pow'r abounding,
Save the poor, condemn'd to die!

For their words of foul expression,
Which our evil neighbours urge;
Give them grace unto confession,
With thy blood blasphemers purge.

So shall they thou chose to sever
To thyself a special stock,
Yield thee thanks and praise for ever,
Blessed pastor of our flock.

PSALM LXXX.

O pastor of Jeshurun's flock,
Whom Joseph's sons intreat,
Give audience, and the bars unlock
Of thy cherubic seat.

While Ephraim and Manasses bow,
By Benjamin ador'd;
Stir up thyself, thy might avow,
And grant the help implor'd.

Turn us, O God—diffuse that light
Which penetrates the soul,
Remove the scales that dim our sight,
And thou shalt make us whole.

O Lord, to whom the saints resort,
God, whom the hosts obey;
How long wilt thou thy people thwart,
Which in contrition pray?

Their piteous souls thy throne accost,
The bread of tears they break;
The cup of weeping they exhaust,
As for thy grace they seek.

We are become a strife to those
That dwell on every side;
And thou hast made our deadly foes
Thy servants to deride.

Turn us, O God, diffuse that light,
Which penetrates the soul,
Remove the scales that dim our sight
And thou shalt make us whole.

From Egypt thou hast brought a vine
Of goodly branch and bloom;
Thou mad'st thy foes the field resign,
And set it in their room.

A place where it might spread and shoot
Thy love dispos'd and plann'd;
And when it once had fasten'd root,
It's clusters fill'd the land.

The hills were cover'd with the shade,
The tendrils interwove;
The grateful bow'rs the foliage made
Was like a cedar-grove.

Her branches to the ports she sent,
Where wafting ocean foams,
And her strong boughs with fruit were bent
As far as Jordan roams.

Why hast thou broken down her mound,
And rais'd her stately tow'r;
That all the wand'ring thieves around
Her grapes at will devour.

The furious boars with greedy tusk
The ranges overturn,
And goats and foxes to the husk
The luscious bunches churn.

Turn then again, O Lord of hosts,
Thy countenance benign,
And in our provinces and coasts
Revisit this thy vine.

And look upon the horrid waste
Where thine own vineyard stood,
And to the wounded branches haste
Thou made so strong and good.

Its boughs are yielded to the flame,
Its fibres to the knife;
But let thy grace their rage reclaim,
And they shall mend their life.

O set thine hand upon the head
Of thine adopted heir,
And bless us, that our foes may dread
Such savage deeds to dare.

PSALM LXXXI.

To God our strength the strains repay
With gladness and delight;
Make all the musick that you may
To Christ's eternal might.

Take up your voice the psalm to swell,
And strike the timbrel true;
Ye that on lute and harp excel
The sprightly notes renew.

Blow up the trumpet, as you see
The moon's increasing rays,
Nor bate a jot of that decree
That bids us sing and praise.

For this was more coercive made
By him that did no wrong,
Which met the night he was betray'd
To hymn the parting song.

And this he likewise deign'd to teach,
When Joseph's sons return'd
From tyrants of a foreign speech,
With whom they had sojourn'd.

'Twas I, ev'n Christ, thy shoulders eas'd
From weight they could not bear;
And loos'd thy hands by Pharaoh seiz'd,
To shape the potter's ware.

I heard thee humbled and devout,
And girt thy trembling reins;
When cataracts began to spout,
And whirlwinds swept the plains.

I prov'd thee in the floods of strife,
Degraded for thy sake,
The fountain and the bread of life,
Of which ye drank and brake.

Hear, O my flock, and rest assur'd,
Thy hope is Jesus still;
For if thou had thyself inur'd
To my most holy will;

Thy thoughts should not have been deprav'd
To worship wood and stone;
The name in which thou must be sav'd
Is Jesus Christ alone.

I am the Lord thy God that bought
Thy ransom on the rood;
Ope then thy mouth, thou shalt be taught
A taste for heav'nly food.

But ah! the fools and slow of heart
The scriptures to believe
For ever from my laws depart;
My prophets misconceive.

So for a season they were left
To their licentious lust,
And of the grace of God bereft,
Their own conceits to trust.

O that my people had an ear
To that my words expound,
For if Jeshurun's faith and fear
Had in my ways been found;

I should have silenc'd all the boast
Of heathens at a blow,
And turn'd the Lord's victorious host
Against their ghostly foe.

The tongues that prophesy'd in hate
Should have renounc'd their lies,
But deathless should have been their date,
And their's th'immortal prize.

The shepherd had his best bestow'd
To feed his faithful flock;
While streams of milk and honey flow'd
From Jesus Christ thy rock.

PSALM LXXXII.

What time the delegates of pride
In pomp assemble to decide
Each controverted cause;
The judge supreme of Jesse's root
Is with the doctors to dispute
The worth of human laws.

How long (says conscience as it stings)
Will ye pronounce on men and things,
That brib'd and bias'd sit;
The key of knowledge ye conceal,
Nor those that to her court appeal
Your fallacies admit.

Defend the widows of the poor,
And to the fatherless secure
The property of peace;
Do justice to th'afflicted soul,
And give the needy wretch his dole
The pris'ner his release.

Dissembling hyprocrites uncloak,
Redeem the vassal from his yoke,
To want thine aid afford;
Restore the prodigal his pledge,
And take away the cruel edge
Of thine avenger's sword.

They know not, neither will they mind
Blind leaders of the wilful blind,
The sons of fraud and force;
In acts of godliness remiss,
Whence the strong springs of social bliss
Are broke and out of course.

I called your origin divine,
And prais'd the lustre of your line,
Ye bore your heads so high,
As sons of God, and nothing less,
Ye were so guarded of access,
So haughty of reply.

But ye shall share the common lot
With them whose worldly goods ye got,
The wretches you enslave;
And he, whose angel comes by stealth,
Shall take your princedom, pride and wealth,
And sink them in the grave.

Arise, and in thine own behalf
O Christ, destroy the golden calf,
And worshippers of gain;
Judge thou mankind, for thou shalt come,
In mercies without bound or sum,
O'er all the worlds to reign.

PSALM LXXXIII.

O God, no more thy word withhold,
Nor from our suit refrain,
But let thine oracles unfold
Thy gracious will again.

For lo! thy foes collect in swarms,
By busy murm'rers led;
And traitors in a thousand forms
Have lifted up their head.

For they against thy saints consult,
Who make the church their care;
And mine with treach'ries occult
The men of private pray'r.

Come let us root them out, they said,
By factious fury link'd,
Till tribes be desolations made,
And Israel's name extinct.

For they have held with one consent
Against the Lord's elect;
And with confed'rate discontent
Our infamy project.

Fierce Edomites their camp arrange,
And Ishmael's sons convene;
And Moabites a league exchange
To join the Hagarene.

Gebal with Ammon's force unites,
And Amalek attends;
And proud Philistia's chief invites
The Tyrians for his friends.

There Ashur too himself allies,
And has his blood forgot;
And with his rebel host supplies
The spurious seed of Lot.

But their embattl'd legions quell
As Madian's bands of old;
As Jabin, and as Sisera fell,
Where Kison's waters roll'd.

Who were from pompous chariots flung,
And mixt with Endor's dust,
And their dead carcasses like dung
Beneath the surface thrust.

As Zeb and Oreb far'd, the same
For their attempts provide;
Yea Zeba and Zalmunna's shame
Their chief and troops betide!

Let us with impious threats, they cry,
Upon the temples prey,
And from the shrines of the most high
The sacred gold convey.

Lord, back again their squadrons wheel,
Before such deeds are done,
And light as stubble let them feel
The changing wind and run.

As flames the woody mountain burn;
And in themselves expire;
So on their host their fury turn,
As they from us retire.

As thy tempestuous blasts pursue,
And dreadful thunder sounds,
Let them be warn'd, nor more renew
Their insults on our bounds.

O Lord, with shame's ingenuous sense
Their listless souls awake;
That they may a new life commence
And to thine altar make.

And all confusion in thy end,
And terrors after death,
In thy great love do thou defend
By thine all-pow'rful BREATH.

And they shall know, that thou whose love,
Can from such depths redeem,
E'n thou, LORD JESUS, art above
All thrones and pow'rs supreme.

PSALM LXXXIV.

O Lord, how lovely is thy bride,
The church thy spouse confest;
The regions where her saints reside,
How beautiful and blest!

My soul has made thy house her choice,
And longs thy court to see;
My heart and earning flesh rejoice,
Thou God of life in thee.

Yea, there the sparrow takes her perch,
And builds her house on high,
And swallows in their maker's church
Their craving nest supply.

These freely haunt the sacred walls,
And to thine altars cling;
O Lord of hosts, whom rapture calls,
My Saviour and my king.

They are the blest, that in thy courts
As in their homes remain,
And whom eternal grace supports
Thy praises to sustain.

The man is blessed, as he prays,
Whose reins thy strength receive,
And in whose heart thy word and ways
A deep impression leave.

As thro' this vale of tears he goes,
He purifies his flesh,
And washes, while the fountain flows,
Which rain and dews refresh.

Increasing still from strength to strength,
Such pilgrims urge their race,
And they shall see the Lord at length
In Zion, face to face.

O Lord, thou God of hosts descend
To these the pray'rs I make,
Thou God of Jacob's seed attend
For Jesus Christ his sake.

O Lord, let these my sighs induce
Thy mercy to look down
To him, on whom thou pour'd thy cruse,
And plac'd Judea's crown.

For but a day of love and fear
Within thy blest abode
Is better than the liveling year
On vain pursuits bestow'd.

Me would the service better please
God's temple-door to keep,
Than dwell, where pomp and pow'r at ease
On gorg'ous pillows sleep.

For Christ our light and shield shall give
An infinite reward
Of ev'ry good to them that live
A life unto the Lord.

O Lord, thou God, whom wise and just
The hosts of heav'n proclaim,
The man is blest, that puts his trust
In thy thrice hallow'd name.

OR THIS [PSALM LXXXIV.]

O how stupendous to the sight,
What lovely mansions of delight
Thy dwelling place displays!
O Lord, to whom the hosts belong
Of thousands, and ten thousands, strong
In thankfulness and praise.

My heart unto thy courts aspires,
And all its longings and desires
Are for the bliss above,
My zealous soul within me burns,
My very flesh cries out and yerns
For Christ the life of love.

Yea there the sparrow takes her rest,
There also to her craving nest
The swallow food may bring;
Ev'n at thine altar are they found,
O Thou, to whom the hosts resound,
My Lord, my God, and king!

They are the blessed which reside,
And for eternal peace provide
Within thy blest abodes,
With thee their spirits shall commune,
And always praising, sing and tune
Their holy harps and odes.

The man is blest, where'er he dwells,
That in religious works excels
With strength divine endu'd,
Whose stedfast life is to obey,
And in and from whose heart thy way
Is graven and pursu'd.

Such, as their errors they bewail
Thro' Baca's penitential vale,
And trust alone in him,
Refresh'd as in the well-spring's cool
Shall use it, and lo! ev'ry pool
Is swoln above the brim.

From strength redoubl'd, as they go,
To strength increasing shall they grow,
And to refresh and cheer
Their travail thro' the narrow gate,
The God of God's from Zion's height
In glory shall appear.

O Lord, to whom the hosts belong
Of thousands and ten thousands strong,
Incline thy gracious ear,
For ever and thou art the same,
The God of Jacob is thy name,
Thou God of Jacob hear.

O ever present to defend
Let thy benevolence descend
On this anointed head,
The face of thine elect behold,
On which, as by thy seer foretold,
The holy cruse was shed.

For one day in thy blest abode,
O Lord, with thankfulness bestow'd
On pray'r and praise and thee,
Better than thousands, thousand fold,
Ten thousand times ten thousand told,
Is such a day to me.

I would with joyfulness embrace
The keeper of the temple's place,
Whom constant care confines,
And rather there abide and bless,
Than dwell where pompous wickedness
In sumptuous tents reclines.

For God is our defence, is light,
And with his grace he shall requite,
With worship shall reward,
Nor ought that he delights to give
Shall he withhold from them that live
A life unto the Lord.

O God, to whom the hosts belong
Of thousands and ten thousands strong,
That bow towards thy throne,
The man is blest, whose strength thou art
Who puts his trust with all his heart
In thee, O Lord, alone.

PSALM LXXXV.

O Lord, thy land has favour found
And mercy speeds again,
To loosen Israel ty'd and bound
In Satan's irksome chain.

Thy grace to Jacob's chosen seed
With their remorse begins,
And Christ, the merit that we plead,
Has cover'd all our sins.

With them thou deignedst to betroth
Thou art no more displeas'd,
And God the Father's righteous wrath
Is thro' his son appeas'd.

O Lord, the Saviour of the poor,
Anew our hearts create,
And make the world's salvation sure
From its abandon'd state.

When Christ his tears our sins efface,
Can goodness ever fail,
And after this stupendous grace
Shall vice again prevail?

Wilt thou not reconcile our souls
To their eternal rest,
And glad our hearts, as Christ enrol's
Our name among the blest?

O Lord thy bounteous mercy shew
And these thy people spare,
And with thy saving health endue
The penitents at pray'r.

I will to my supreme content
The word of Christ explore—
“The heavenly king's at hand, repent,
“And go and sin no more.”

Whene'er a faithful two or three
Attend the warning peal,
There Christ himself deligts to be
His glories to reveal.

Thy truth and mercy for increase
Of love have met in bliss,
Stern righteousness and gentle peace
Have join'd the holy kiss.

From Christ the branch fair truth shall sprout
And bloom again on earth,
And justifying grace come out
From heav'n at Shilo's birth.

Yea, God's benevolence shall beam
As Satan's pow'r he stops,
And men and earth reform'd shall teem
With grace and fruitful crops.

A gracious message shall apprize
The world of better days;
His sermons, precepts, pray'r revise
And regulate our ways.

PSALM LXXXVI.

O Lord, thy supplicant receive
His wishes to obtain,
With fav'ring ear indulge thy leave
To poverty and pain.

My God for my defence prepare,
For I am sound and pure;
And of thy providential care
I still myself assure.

O Lord, in mercy condescend
My fervent pray'r to meet,
For day by day my knees shall bend
While I thy grace intreat.

O Lord, thy servant's soul refresh,
Which heaviness dismays;
For unto thee from out my flesh
That soul by pray'r I raise.

For thou, O Lord, art good to all,
And gracious in excess;
And great in mercy at the call
Of such as kneel and bless.

Attend, O Lord, while thus I pray,
And as my voice aspires,
From humbled members hear and weigh
The drift of my desires.

What time adversities deject,
And anguish is severe,
I will mine orisons direct
To thine attentive ear.

Midst angels and the thrones above,
There is no God like thee;
Nor is there any pow'r, but love,
That can such deeds decree.

All nations, whose stupendous sum
Thy word came forth to frame,
O Lord, shall to thine altar come,
And glorify thy name.

For thou art magnitude and might,
All wonders are thine own;
In love, in omnipresent light,
Art very God alone.

Lord, thine instructive grace impart,
That I may keep thy law;
O to thy nature knit my heart,
And to thine honour awe.

O Lord, my God, I will restore
The thanks so justly due;
And from my heart for evermore
The songs of praise renew.

For thy compassion is extream
My sorrows to dispel,
And thou my spirit shalt redeem
From out the depths of hell.

O God, the proud in armies rise,
And men of guile profound,
Who have not thee before their eyes,
Attempt my soul to wound.

But thou, O Lord our God, art fraught
With clemency divine,
Long-suff'ring, and surpassing thought
As faithful and benign.

O with thy mercy turn at length,
Nor my petition shun,
And as a servant give me strength,
And bless me as a son.

O show some token of thy grace
My sland'rers to refute,
For all my griefs thy words solace,
And my fatigues recruit.

PSALM LXXXVII.

Yea, her foundations are sublime,
And first the holy hills we climb,
Ere we can reach her gate;
And God fair Zion's tow'r renowns
Far more than all Judea's towns,
And loves to make her great.

Thy beauties are a theme to raise
Encomiasts to transcendent praise,
Illustrious as thou art;
All earth of thine alliance boasts,
Thou city of the Lord of hosts,
And fair Judea's heart.

Rahab amongst the wonders nam'd,
And Babylon so loudly fam'd,
Proud spires and sumptuous domes;
In these my psalms to God are known,
And they the praise of Zion own
In all their tongues and tomes.

Behold Philistia's sons aspire,
The Morians and the Men of Tyre,
Peculiar gifts adorn;
But Judah o'er all rivals tow'rs,
All claim and contest overpow'rs,
There is Emanuel born.

And Zion more applause shall gain,
That there is born in her domain
The child both God and man;
And Christ her lasting throne shall found,
From forth Beer-Sheba's utmost bound,
Ev'n to remotest Dan.

The Lord, in everlasting verse,
In ears of angels shall rehearse
That Jesus is his heir,
And he, by whom the tribes are seal'd
At Bethlehem—Judah is reveal'd,
And comes incarnate there.

Then shall he marshal every row
Of Cherubs that the trumpet blow,
And Seraphims that sing;
From Jordan purer streams shall rise,
Both Jews and Gentiles to baptize,
And consecrated spring.

PSALM LXXXVIII.

O my Saviour, I beseech thee
Day and night my cry to hear;
Oh! let these my breathings reach thee,
And my calling touch thine ear.

For my soul is weak and weary,
As the floods of grief prevail,
And my life in darkness dreary
Is upon the point to fail.

I am of no rank accounted,
Ev'n like one whom worms devour;
And consider'd as dismounted
From all eminence and pow'r.

Free to lay me down and perish,
Where the slaughter'd warrior moulds,
Whom no friendly mem'ries cherish,
And thy hand no longer holds.

Thou for punishment hast laid me
In the lowest pit to dwell,
And to outer gloom convey'd me
In the dismal depth of hell.

Thy fierce anger has embarrass'd
And my loaded heart depress'd;
All thy plagues at once have harrass'd,
All thy storms have wreck'd my rest.

Thou hast broke my sweet connections,
All my friends my wants exile;
And have turn'd their kind affections
To malevolence and bile.

Under such severe restriction
Am I to my bed confin'd,
That I cannot sooth affliction
By conversing with mankind.

I am weak thro' tears habitual
In my eyes and in my head;
Yet I daily serve thy ritual,
And to thee my hands I spread.

Wilt thou miracles exhibit
Wasted on the lifeless lump?
Shall the dead to pay their tribute
Rise before the warning trump?

Wilt thou speed the gracious mission
Of thy mercy to the pit;
And consign'd to deep perdition
Shall thy faith the man refit?

In the dark, when dead and rotten,
Shall the flesh thy works adore,
Where all favours are forgotten,
And where musick is no more?

Thee, Lord Jesus, I solicit
With my plaintive voice and lyre;
And deriv'd from faith implicit
Early shall my pray'r aspire.

Wherefore, Lord, is this denial,
As my spirit sues for grace?
Why at such a time of trial
Dost thou take away thy face?

Full of pain, with terror shaken,
Ev'n as gasping to depart,
All thy plagues I have partaken,
Youth and age, with anxious heart.

As my faith begins to waver,
Then the storms of wrath increase;
And the fear of thy disfavour
Has undone my private peace.

All mine enemies combining,
Come about me like a moat,
Harm against my life designing,
Which they to their wrath devote.

Banish'd every friend and lover,
Broke each link of dear delight;
And the shades of darkness hover
O'er my desolated sight.

PSALM LXXXIX.

The loving-kindness of the Lord
Shall grace the sacred page;
His truth the Psalmist shall record
From age to rising age.

For I have said that mercy's reign
Henceforward shall commence;
And fed by faithfulness maintain
Her infinite expence.

I have renew'd with mine elect
My covenant of peace,
And sworn to this benign effect
To him that kept the fleece.

Thy house I will for ever build,
And in thy seed descend;
The throne of David shall be fill'd,
And flourish without end.

O Lord, the heav'ns with sapphire cield,
And all the lights that blaze,
Their truth affords a beauteous field
For social saints to praise.

For who is he to heav'n referr'd,
Intelligence or form,
That can be nam'd with God the word,
In whom all life is warm?

Or what is he of most account
Amongst the pow'rs below,
That can be liken'd to the fount
From whence all honours flow?

Amidst the synod of the blest,
The Lord is greatly fear'd;
And with incessant pray'r addrest
By souls of saints inspher'd.

O Lord, incomparable God,
Thy truth around we hail,
From heav'ns first convex to the sod
That sheathes the humble vale.

Thou rul'st the raging of the sea,
When surges foam and chafe;
Thou bidst contending waves agree,
To send the navy safe.

Thou hast upon th'Egyptian land
Thy dreadful vengeance hurl'd;
And scatter'd with thy mighty hand
Their host throughout the world.

Thine are the heav'ns, and bright array
That in succession shine,
The earth, thy firm foundations stay,
And all therein is thine.

Thou hast divided north and south,
Bleak wind and genial flame;
And fragrant Hermon finds a mouth,
And Tabor sings thy name.

Strong is thine arm in deeds of love,
Thy hand of peerless proof;
Thy right hand brandishes above
The heav'n's interior roof.

Justice and equity beneath
Thy throne have placed their seat;
But truth and love thy spirit breathe,
And thy bright presence greet.

Blest is the people, whom the voice
Of conscience calls thine own;
Lord, in thy light they shall rejoice,
And seek towards thy throne.

They in thy name shall take delight,
Each consecrated hour;
And make their boast, as they recite
Thy deeds of righteous pow'r.

Thou art the glory of our strength,
In safeguard or assault;
And in the blessed Lamb at length
Our horn thou shalt exalt.

For God is our redoubted fort,
And our defence sustains,
And o'er each province, coast and port
The Lord Jehova reigns.

Thy visionary word of late
Thou deignedst to disclose;
A man by grace and nature great
I have prepar'd and chose.

My servant David have I tried,
And his good deeds allow;
My holy cruse I have applied
To bless his honour'd brow.

My hand his sceptre shall uphold,
And keep him in his seat;
And my right arm shall make him bold
Opposers to defeat.

Invidious foes shall have no force
When he his troops alarms,
The son of fraud shall have recourse
To flight before his arms.

I will his enemies destroy
Myself before his eyes;
And with my bitt'rest plagues annoy
Whoe'er his worth despise.

My mercy shall be with his sword,
My truth his acts adorn;
And by his fervent pray'r implor'd,
I will exalt his horn.

I likewise will advance his realm
Where distant oceans roll;
And his right hand shall hold the helm
The billows to controul.

He shall invoke my name in pray'r,
And in my service live;
“My God omnipotent to spare,
“My father to forgive.”

And I his pedigree will fix
Amongst celestial things,
Whose race and rank with angels mix
Above all earthly kings.

My mercy and mine aid shall be
For ever on his side;
And by the grant I now decree
I surely will abide.

Son after son he shall endure,
His offspring will I raise;
And his succession will secure
As heav'ns eternal days,

But if the shoots of such a stem
My dictate should refuse;
And in their lives that way condemn,
Which grace to faith foreshews;

If they should break the holy laws
Which my commandments urge,
I will my zealous angel cause
Their dire offence to scourge.

But yet I will not wholly take
My kindness from hisseed;
Nor void that blessed promise make
To which my truth agreed.

I will for my own glory care,
Nor change the word I past;
Once by my holiness I sware
That David's house shou'd last.

The line of his descent shall run
With deathless heroes crown'd;
Before my presence, as the sun,
His throne shall be renown'd.

His daughters shall be sweet and fair,
As is the lunar light;
That faithful type of heav'nly care,
And blessing of the night.

But thou hast with abhorrence spurn'd
And thine anointed left;
Thy love to indignation turn'd,
And of thy grace bereft.

The covenant is of no trust,
If thus his days he drag;
And o'er his crown, defil'd in dust,
His foes blaspheme and brag.

Around his borders are infring'd,
And all the tow'rs he barr'd;
The moats fill'd up, the gates unhing'd,
The strong munitions marr'd.

All those that pass along the road,
Upon his goods encroach;
And every neighbour comes to goad
His conscience with reproach.

Thou liftest up the hand that throws
The spear against his breast;
Thou hast delighted all his foes
Which his domains infest.

No longer is his weapon edg'd
To boast ten thousands slain,
And victory no more is fledg'd
For his renown'd campaign.

No more his blooming honours glow
With heav'ns effulgent beam;
His eminence is levell'd low,
And made of none esteem.

The riper days thou hast cut off
Of all his better age,
And giv'n his glory to the scoff
Of obloquy and rage.

For ever, Lord, wilt thou retire
From my submissive suit,
And shall thine anger burn like fire
In this my disrepute?

Remember how my time is brief,
How urgent nature's debt;
Why hast thou fashion'd man for grief,
And unavailing sweat?

What man is he, whose strength or art
Shall his own spirit save,
Or who, when gasping to depart,
Can countermine the grave?

Lord, where is thine indulgent oath
That David should despond,
And thy good truth engag'd to both
His truncheon and his wand?

Remember how thy gallant tribes
Are with invectives stung,
And how my loathing ear imbibes
The taunts of many a tongue.

Wherewith thine enemies insult,
And call our ways perverse;
And o'er thy servants faults exult,
And their good fame asperse.

Hosanna to the throne of grace—
Amen from all the throng;
Amen from him that holds his place
To lead the choir in song.

PSALM XC.

O Lord of everlasting praise,
Through anxious life's entangled maze,
Our never-failing guide;
Thou art our hope from race to race,
Our refuge and the dwelling place
In which our souls reside.

Ere on this earth were yet reliev'd
The mountains, ere this earth receiv'd
Her being or her frame
Before all worlds supreme thy will,
From ever, and from ever still,
Eternal is thy name.

Debas'd with error and abuse,
Thy terrors man to dust reduce,
That penitence may grow—
Again thy love paternal cries—
Arise, ye sons of men arise,
Return to bliss from woe.

For years thy creatures, as they flee,
Are all responsible to thee,
The present as the past;
Ev'n thousands in thy perfect sight,
Are as the watch of yester-night
When their account is cast.

Thou bidst them off into the deep
Of vast eternity to sleep,
And in their peace remain;
While others like the grass succeed,
For their determin'd gaol to speed,
Nor e'er revolve again.

Grass! in the morning fresh and green,
With many a various flow'r between,
A blessing for our eyes;
By noon to full perfection grown,
Ere evening darkens it is mown,
And like the gath'rer dies.

For thy fierce wrath contracts our span,
And this whole edifice of man
Is troubled and diseas'd;
And we of bitt'rest anguish taste,
And to our dissolution haste,
When thou art once displeas'd.

The crimes, with which we are disgrac'd,
Before thy judgment seat are plac'd
Their dreadful doom to hear;
Our lurking sins which hate the day,
All in thy sight themselves display,
And at thy word appear.

Our days to their conclusion run,
Since wrath against thy sinful son
Has made our frame more frail;
With pain from youth to age we climb,
And all the tenor of our time
Is like a trav'llers tale.

Of human life th'allotted length
Is sev'nty years, uncommon strength
Another ten survives;
Yet is that strength but toil and grief,
Whose grace of farther proof is brief,
And soon whose end arrives.

Who knows the pow'r and blest effect
Of thy dread anger? thine elect
Who thy just hand admire;
To those alone that act amiss,
And thwart their everlasting bliss,
The Lord prolongs his ire.

So teach us, gracious, to review
The past of nature, and pursue
The future in our mind;
To wisdom that we may apply
Our hearts, and learn like men to die,
The task for life assign'd.

O be thou placable by pray'r,
And stand between us and despair,
How long wilt thou postpone?
To these our off'rings as they burn,
Do thou propitiate thy return,
And let our tears atone.

O fill us with the sweet content
Of thy free grace, as we repent;
Thy saving health mature
For a perpetual resource
To joy and gladness, while the course
Of nature shall endure.

Our joys according to the date
Of all our ways proportionate,
Thou judge, immensely mild;
Let peace commence, where bondage ends,
And Canaan multiply amends
For Egypt and the wild.

The work of thy stupendous hand,
Which leads us to the promis'd land,
To these thy sheep compleat;
That glory may be giv'n to thee
From us and our posterity,
Which thou in peace shalt seat.

And may the glorious rays that beam
From forth the majesty supreme,
Each body bless and soul;
Prosper the sweat of every brow
And hand industrious—yea, do thou
Our handy work controul.

Adam.

PSALM XCI.

He that dwells beneath the cover
Of his blessed Saviour's wings,
Shall abide where cherubs hover,
Praising Christ, the king of kings.

I will hope for my admission,
Thro' the Lord, amongst the just;
Thou, O God, art my munition,
And the strength to which I trust.

For he shall thy soul deliver
From the hunter's secret snare;
And from death's determin'd quiver
In the pestilential air.

He beneath his wings shall hide thee,
To his downy bosom press'd;
Faith, the shield he shall provide thee,
Truth, the corslet of thy breast.

Thou shalt walk by night, defying
Damp and darkness, and dismay;
And the darts of envy flying
Thickest in the blaze of day.

Thou shalt scape the blasts contagious,
Ambush'd in the moonless night;
And the pestilence outrageous,
Rife in the meridian light.

Thousands, and ten thousands by thee
At the common blow shall fall;
But the stroke shall not come nigh thee,
Nor alarm thy life at all.

Yea, thine eyes shall see the terror
Of th'ungodly in distress,
The reward of wilful error,
Death and dread beyond redress.

For in Christ is expectation
That to peace I shall go hence;
On a glorious elevation
Stands thy fortress of defence.

No disasters shall undo thee,
With thy house it shall be well;
Nor shall any plague pursue thee,
But thou shalt in safety dwell.

For to guard thy life precarious,
He th'angelic host shall send;
And thro' dangers great and various
They thy travel shall attend.

With thy wings they shall surround thee,
In their arms they shall sustain,
Lest a stumbling stone should wound thee,
And delusion be thy bane.

Adders shall be void of danger,
Lions shall their fierceness loose;
Thou the dragon in thy manger
With thine infant heel shall bruise.

Since upon his heav'nly Father
He has set his love divine;
I will raise his name the rather
As he has acknowledg'd mine.

He shall call, and I will hear him,
And be with his low estate;
From his troubles I will clear him,
And his honour shall be great.

He shall know no dissolution,
But shall have th'immortal prize;
And from pain and persecution
To the joys of heav'n arise.

PSALM XCII.

The work is good, which duty claims
To thee when praises are restor'd;
O Christ, of beings, and of names
Most highest, most ador'd!

To tell of thy stupendous grace
Before the rising morn betimes,
In pensive night thy truth to trace,
When thought itself sublimes;

Upon the decachord and lute,
Upon the musick loud and strong,
Grave tones accordant with acute,
Upon the harp and song.

With gladness, which thy works excite,
My soul springs upwards and expands;
And I will blazon with delight
The wonders of thy hands.

O Lord, how glorious is that love
Of strength such miracles to breathe;
Thy thoughts from infinite above,
To infinite beneath!

Here he, to whom there is no beam
Of heav'nly wisdom, is at fault;
And his low mind to such a theme
A fool cannot exalt.

Ev'n in their bloom and verdant years
The godless soon shall to the grave;
But endless love thro' Christ his tears
Shall true contrition save.

For lo! thy mischief-working foes
Shall not continue in their guile;
Which must with death's last summons close,
Nor more their souls defile.

But like an unicorn my crest
Shall flourish and exalted be;
With oil anointed, newly prest,
From God's redundant tree.

God grant it to my lifted eyes,
To see my foes to Christ repair;
My ears to hear their contrite sighs,
And penitential pray'r!

The righteous man shall upwards spring,
Like palms which have with winter strove,
And spread abroad each godly wing,
Like cedars of the grove.

Such as the Lord himself transplants
And places in his hallow'd courts;
Their fences of protection grants,
And by his word supports.

In age more plenteous they shall fruit,
And rise beyond the temple's wall;
And from the tree-top to the root
Be shapely stout and tall.

That they most clearly may submit,
The rectitude of God to view;
That all his ways and works are fit,
Are holy, just and true.

PSALM XCIII.

The Lord the king himself arrays,
Arrays in robes of ambient light;
Around his glories as they blaze
He girds magnificence and might.

The earth on arches has he brac'd
With all the master's strength and art,
So that she may not be displac'd,
Nor ever from her center start.

Thou hast thy heav'nly throne of state
Ere since the world began decreed;
But thou from everlasting great,
All place and period didst precede.

O Lord, the sea tumultuous raves,
Contending billows foam and roar;
The floods have lifted up their waves
Above the rising cliffs ashore.

The sea is mighty as at will,
So dreadful mountainous he rolls;
But mightier He, whose “peace be still,”
At once his boist'rous rage controuls.

O Christ, our faith thy pow'r supports,
In truth thy testament excells;
And holiness in all thy courts
With dignity for ever dwells.

PSALM XCIV.

If to God alone pertaining,
All the pow'rs of vengeance bow,
Held in ward by love restraining,
God of vengeance hear us now.

Judge supreme, whose righteous spirit
Heav'n and earth pervades and tries;
Rise, and after their demerit
Hostile pomp and pride chastise.

Lord, how long shall guilt licentious
Take its swing and have its will;
O'er the good and conscientious
Shall it reign and triumph still?

Hands so foul, and hearts so naughty,
Shall they scoff and make parade;
And be arrogant and haughty
With the parts that they degrade.

Lord, with cruel persecution,
They transfix us to the heart;
And they damp our resolution,
Working with vexatious art.

They the widow tear in pieces,
And the stranger in his bed;
Nor their lust of murder ceases
Till the fatherless has bled.

Tush they say, with scoff malicious,
From the Lord no risque we run,
Nor is Jacob's God suspicious
That a thing like this is done.

Be ye ware of contradiction,
You that to your error cleave,
And amongst us brave conviction,
When will you the truth perceive?

Shall not God—O vain derision—
He that gave your hearing, hear,
He that form'd the orbs of vision,
Is not his discernment clear?

Shall not he which rules the nations,
And the heathen world sustains,
Teacher of all ranks and stations,
Hold the scourge as well as reins?

God the human heart inspecting,
Sees the way its workings tend;
All the plans of its projecting,
In what vanity they end.

Blessed is a man's submission
To his Saviour's wholesome rod;
For 'tis oft in such condition
That we have the grace of God;

That for all the hours of sorrow
Gifted patience may atone,
Till the terrors of to-morrow
Frown upon the foe alone.

For they shall not be deserted,
Which themselves of God profess;
But his pow'r is still exerted
When his people plead distress.

Ev'n until the dread appearance
Of the Lord to judge our race,
All true hearts with firm adherence
Shall his blessed word embrace.

Who will join me in defiance
Of the men that God oppose;
Where shall I obtain alliance
To discomfit virtue's foes?

If the Lord had not befriended
All my troops, however brave,
Doubtless this my life had ended
In the silence of the grave.

When I found my steps had stumbled,
Pray'r to thee was my resource—
Lord, thy mercy saw me humbled,
And upheld me in my course.

In the cloud of sorrows pressing
All at once upon my soul,
Thy consolatory blessing
Shall their sad effects controul.

Shall the slaves to Mammon bowing
Have a part in Christ the king,
With their practice of allowing
Mischief as a lawful thing!

While against the good convening,
They his righteous soul afflict,
And the base and bloody skreening,
Worth and innocence convict.

But from every vain pretender
That conspires to pull me down,
God himself is my defender,
And the fort of my renown.

Foes of their benign Creator,
Would, as their own malice, fare,
Did not Christ the Mediator
Plead his merits and his pray'r.

PSALM XCV.

Come, O come with exultation,
From your hearts your voices swell
To the strength of our salvation;
To the Lord your transport tell.

Let us congregate before him,
And his awful presence hail;
And with joyful psalms adore him
As we kneel before the veil.

For the Lord our God tremendous,
Great beyond conception tow'rs;
His dominion is stupendous
Far o'er other thrones and pow'rs.

All the regions and recesses
Of this earth are in his hand,
And each hill his strength confesses,
Heap'd aloft upon the land.

Ocean is his creature, rolling
Waves on waves which foam and roar,
And his hands, the floods controuling,
Laid the glebe, and rais'd the shore.

Come, O come with Christian union
Let us these our frames abase,
And approach to his communion
Kneeling, falling on our face.

For he is our Lord and master,
We the people of his choice;
He's a most indulgent pastor
To the sheep that know his voice.

Rule your hearts through self-denial,
Let my word attention win,
Nor behave as at your trial
In the wilderness of Sin;

When your sires, my spirit grieving,
Seeking after signs, rebell'd,
And were restiff, disbelieving
What their very eyes beheld;

Forty years my grace was thwarted
By this impious race I said;
From the words which I exhorted,
From my ways their hearts have stray'd.

Unto whom I pass'd my sentence,
That they should remain unbless'd;
Yet through faith and true repentance
They shall come into my rest.

PSALM XCVI.

O sing to Jesus Christ a song
Of grace and novelty combin'd;
O swell an anthem sweet and strong,
Ye nations of mankind.

O sing, your blessed Saviour's name
With grateful blazonry display,
And let his love your breasts inflame
Day rising upon day.

His honour to the heathen shew,
And thence their grov'ling thoughts sublime,
And bring his wonders to the view
Of ev'ry realm and clime.

For God is infinitely great,
Above all praise his merit tow'rs,
Above the magnitude and height
Of other thrones and pow'rs.

All idols are but frail and fond,
To which the heathen pray'r's preferr'd;
But God made heav'n, and heav'n beyond,
By his Almighty Word.

Worship and glorious pomp precede,
Whene'er he makes his awful march,
And very pow'r and fame indeed
His temple over-arch.

Ascribe, ye families of love,
To God the gracious Lord of light;
Ascribe ye to the Lamb and Dove
The worship and the might.

Ascribe ye to the Lord with zeal
The honour which his name supports,
And with our heart's free off'ring kneel,
And come into his courts.

With all the grace of praise and pray'r,
And adoration's meekest bow,
O let all tongues in fear declare
His truth, and pay their vow.

The Lord's supremacy maintain,
And bid the heathen folk believe
On him which fixt the starry train,
And judges to reprieve.

Rejoice ye to the FIRST and LAST,
The heav'ns and earth, with all that breathe,
And sea voluminous and vast,
With them that are beneath.

Let all the verdant field be glad,
With ev'ry motion, ev'ry voice,
And trees, in blooming fragrance clad,
Before the Lord rejoice.

For lo! he comes, he comes to try,
And o'er the world supreme to sit,
When all that to his truth apply
His mercy shall acquit.

PSALM XCVII.

The Lord is king, Jehovah reigns—
The hills, the valleys and the plains
Confess their genial joys;
Hence pregnant nature blooms and smiles;
Hence gladness in unnumber'd isles
Which ocean's bosom buoys.

In circling clouds he sits inclos'd,
Round him the darkness is dispos'd
His radiant form to veil;
Judgment and righteousness are laid
The ground, on which his throne is made,
Th'eternal beam and scale.

Before him of seraphic fame
Goes forward a devouring flame
Of intellectual fire;
At which his enemies consume,
To which all peopl'd space gives room,
All obstacles retire.

The subtle flames he fixt and sent,
And made the lightning permanent
O'er all the world's expanse;
Earth saw and trembl'd with dismay,
And, on her pillars as she lay,
She rous'd as from a trance.

The hills were melted at th'amaze
And fury of th'effulgent blaze,
Like wax upon the hearth,
When he was present to dispense
The terrors of Omnipotence,
Which sways both heav'n and earth.

The heav'ns in goodly pomp display'd,
And peerless pulchritude array'd,
Thy perfect truth attest;
And all the earth her mingled race
Have witness'd thy descending grace,
In shining glory drest.

Shame on the seeker after signs,
That vanity and vice enshrines,
And serves the prince of hell;
Hear at his word, ye painted stocks,
And worship him, ye chissel'd rocks,
And fall as Dagon fell.

Zion exulted at the stroke,
To hear, when Ashdod's god was broke,
The tumult and the bruit,
Judah's glad damsels were alive;
Whene'er thy blessed bolts arrive,
Love also claims its fruit.

For seated on the topmost height,
O God, thou art immensely great,
And thine is nature's law;
Sublime above sublime he sees,
And overlooks the rocks and trees
From whence their gods they saw.

Ye who the love of God profess,
See that no evil ye caress,
Nor cast a look behind;
He keeps the souls of all his saints
From those whose vicious commerce taints,
And mars both man and mind.

For Christ is justify'd alone,
Light evangelical is sown,
And God's new day is sprung;
And from his peace he shall impart
His gladness to the sound of heart,
And to the true of tongue.

Ye sheep of God's peculiar choice,
Whom faith has justify'd, rejoice
That you are form'd anew;
Incessant praise, your incense heap,
By practical thanksgiving keep
His holy name in view.

PSALM XCVIII.

O frame the strains anew,
Your grateful natures shew
To Christ, the source of holy song;
For passing deeds he wrought,
Until to God he brought,
By miracle, the faithless throng.

With hands which saints revere,
And arm without compeer,
He has the vast atchievement done,
And over death and hell,
With all the Fiends that fell,
This day's immortal trophies won.

CHRIST JESUS has declar'd
That sinners shall be spar'd,
And that through him salvation came;
The world could not convince
Of sin the righteous prince,
So manifest his spotless fame.

He still has bore in mind
His mercies, loving kind,
And truth to Jacob's house engag'd;
And all remotest earth
Have seen, in Shilo's birth,
Salvation, as by seers presag'd.

Them, O ye peopl'd lands,
Unite in tuneful bands,
And to the Lord your gladness tell,
For such a blest reverse
Your hymns of thanks rehearse,
Your songs of exultation swell.

Ye jocund harpers, kneel,
As you the impulse feel,
And to the Lord your praise intend;
Ye holy psalmists join
In harmony divine,
And all your grateful voices blend.

The chearful trumpet sound,
And let the horns be wound,
To yield thro' twisted brass their tone;
The choicest notes employ,
To prove your hearty joy
In him that sits upon the throne.

Let ocean make a noise
With ev'ry isle he buoys,
And all the life his floods contain,
The rounded world above,
And all that live and love
Their Maker on the hills or plain.

The vast and briny broad
All hands aloft applaud,
E'en as the mountain or the rock,
Which also have their ways,
In spirit God to praise,
Who comes by Christ to judge his flock.

Descending from on high,
His people he shall try,
In mercy, goodness, and in grace;
His merits we shall plead,
Till rigour must recede,
And wrath to charity give place.

OR THIS [PSALM XCVIII.]

[_]

To the tune of the old CIV.

O sing a new song,
and sound an alarm
In Christ, who has done
vast deeds of amaze;
With his mighty prowess,
and God's holy arm
He has prov'd victorious
o'er wonder and praise.

The Lord has made known
his marvellous grace,
To save the whole world,
submitting to view
His virtue and merits
throughout the wide space
Of service and empire,
to Gentile and Jew.

His mercy and truth
for us has he shewn,
Remembring his oath
with Abraham his friend;
Of gospel salvation
good tidings have flown
From Dan to Beersheba,
and to the world's end.

O make yourselves glad
in God, all ye lands,
Ye nations and tongues
your Saviour proclaim,
With sweet exultation,
and palms in your hands,
Present your thanksgiving,
and dwell on his name.

His goodness extol
with hand on the lyre,
And as the strings vie
in songs of delight;
In joy to Jehovah,
ye psalmists aspire,
As gratitude dictates,
his praises recite.

With soul-soothing shawms,
in tune to the wings
Of breezes serene
O temper your mirth,
And with the shrill trumpet
sound, hail King of kings,
Thy creatures adore thee
their Saviour on earth.

Let sea make a noise,
his legions and shoals,
Which glide on his wave,
or love the still deep,
And let the round convex
exult on his poles,
With all that beneath it
God's benefits reap.

Resound ye proud floods
with glorious applause,
And soar as the hills
which range on the shore;
Let both bless together
the Lord and his laws,
For he comes in judgment
the world to restore.

'Tis he comes to judge
in mercy supream
The just for unjust,
to live and to die,
When his sinful people
his love shall redeem,
And to the lost myriads
his merits apply.

PSALM XCIX.

The Lord is king, the world submits
And trembles to his sway;
'Twixt cherubims he sits,
Let utmost earth obey.

On Zion's hill the Lord is great,
Sublime upon sublime,
And of exalted state
O'er ev'ry realm and clime.

They shall give thanks, and bless his name
From ev'ry peopl'd land,
Which is of hallow'd fame,
And wonderful and grand.

The pow'r of Christ is righteous love,
Whose ways thou hast prepar'd;
Thy word from heav'n above
To Jacob's tents declar'd.

O magnify the Lord your God,
And on your face remain,
Meek hearts, and feet unshod,
For holy is his reign.

Moses and Aaron of his priests,
And Samuel of his seers,
These worship'd in the east,
And God, when blest, appears.

He spake from out the pillar'd cloud,
Their faithfulness to try,
And they his laws avow'd,
As publish'd from on high.

O Lord, our God, thy mercy sav'd
Their sinking souls from hell;
From them thy wrath was wav'd,
And on their idols fell.

O magnify the Lord our God,
Upon his mount remain,
Meek hearts, and feet unshod,
For holy is his reign.

PSALM C.

Hosanna! let the choir be mann'd,
To God ye distant regions throng,
In one melodious service band,
And glad his presence with a song.

Know Christ is God, the human frame
Is not of mortal will or deed;
His creatures from his hands we came,
His flock upon his pasture feed.

O go your way into his gates,
Approach with thankful heart the veil,
As gratitude his laud relates,
His name with loud applauses hail.

For endless grace the Lord supplies,
And boundless love his word contains;
His truth with his duration vies,
And still from race to race remains.

ANOTHER of the C. [PSALM]

Hosanna! people of all lands
Unite your voices, lift your hands,
And to the Lord repair,
And thankful fall upon your face,
And hail with songs the throne of grace,
And shew your gladness there.

Yourselves in this belief confirm,
That man his talent and his term
Are God's, and not his own;
We are the flock he folds and feeds
With milk and honey in his meads,
The Lord is God alone.

O go, but send your song before,
Into his courts, his temple door,
His name in anthems raise—
Give thanks the soul's immortal food,
And speak him great, and speak him good,
Your hearts with rapture blaze.

For race by race he is renown'd
In mercies which to peace abound,
In truth reveal'd and taught;
And gracious is the Lord of love,
Above all estimate, above
The flight of time and thought.

PSALM CI.

My song shall be of mercy's reign,
And of the great tremendous day;
And I will consecrate the strain
To Christ's triumphant sway.

O make my notions strong and clear
Of ev'ry word thy laws promulge,
And that I may thy truth revere,
Her brightest rays indulge.

With thine illuminations blest,
When thou thy Spirit shalt impart,
I will prepare for such a guest
An open honest heart.

I basely will not undertake
To act injustice, or deceive;
I hate the vices of the snake,
To such I will not cleave.

Whoe'er defrauds, or goes beyond
His brother, him I will expel;
With churls I will not correspond,
Or with the wicked dwell.

Whoe'er with private caution smite
Behind their backs their neighbour's fame,
Their folly and their dastard spite
I from my soul disclaim.

Whose heart is hard, and stomach high,
And looks disdainful on the poor,
I will not to his word reply,
Nor his discourse endure.

By search industrious in my mind,
I cast about, and with my eyes
To find the good and well-inclin'd
For friends and for allies.

Whoe'er is studious to deserve,
And lives in innocence and pray'r,
O'er all my servants he shall serve,
And in my substance share.

But treachery, disguise, and fraud,
Shall not be seen beneath my roof,
And he that carries lies abroad,
Shall keep himself aloof.

I soon shall banish with the rod
Of justice all the worthless crew;
But I with meekness pray to God
That threats alone may do.

PSALM CII.

To my pray'r, O Lord, applying
Thine indulgent ear, give heed,
Let the voice of hardship crying
In its orisons succeed.

In the tedious hours of trouble,
As for pity thus I pine,
And my soul's complaint redouble,
Quickly to my vows incline.

For my days in pain revolving,
Like the wreathed smoke expire,
And my wasted bones dissolving,
Are like billets in the fire.

In my heart I am dejected,
Wither'd like the garner'd hay,
And through dread I have neglected
The refreshment of the day.

For with thine afflicting arrow
I reiterate my groans,
There's no nurture in my marrow,
Nor consistence in my bones.

In this dreary situation,
Like a pelican I seem,
Or an owl, that takes her station
Where the moons on deserts gleam.

I have labour'd my researches,
Pond'ring on my lonely state,
Watching as the sparrow perches
On the house without his mate.

For their malice advantageous
This my case my foes deride;
All day long they are outrageous,
That against me are ally'd.

For with tears these ashes steeping,
I have eaten them for bread;
And my cup with bitter weeping
I have mingled on my bed.

This proceeds from thy resentment,
Which afflicts me more than all;
And the days of my contentment
Now exasperate my fall.

Vain and void of satisfaction,
All my days like shadows pass;
And through illness and inaction,
I am wither'd as the grass.

But thy Spirit by transfusion,
Height and depth eternal sounds,
And in glorious revolution
Thy memorial has no bounds.

Rise, and with thy gracious blessing,
Visit Zion in her woe;
For necessity is pressing
That thy mercy-beams should flow.

For her fabricks firm and stately
Are thy servant's grief and care,
And the rubbish, which was lately
Tow'rs and Spires aloft in air.

As thy truth their doubt convinces,
Heathen realms thy name shall fear,
And the world's remotest princes
Shall thy majesty revere.

When the Lord his domes rebuilding,
Shall again fair Zion raise,
And her roofs from Ophir gilding,
When again his glories blaze.

When he to the poor aspiring,
Shall vouchsafe his pray'rs their fruit,
And to sorrow deep-desiring
His blest Comforter depute.

This a memorable chapter
In the chronicles shall stand;
And posterity with rapture
Shall adore their Saviour's hand.

For the holiest heav'ns unfolding,
In the Spirit he descends,
And terrestrial things beholding,
On our wants his love attends.

To decide the pris'ners causes,
And their bondage to unseal,
That, as human vengeance pauses,
He their sentence may repeal.

That with joy they may expatiate
On thy name at Zion's hill,
And their souls they may ingratiate,
As thy worship they fulfil.

When the multitude assemble
Their thanksgiving to unite,
And presented kingdoms tremble
At his throne, who judges right.

He my youthful strength afflicted,
As my pilgrimage I made,
And my progress interdicted,
Cutting off his blessed aid.

But my soul besought assistance,
O my Saviour, spare my prime;
As for thy divine existence,
It is not of space or time.

Thou, O Lord, this earth hast founded,
And her hills and valleys deckt,
And the lucid heav'ns were rounded
By thy hands of blest effect.

They shall perish—but the splendor
Of thy glory shall endure,
They like garments must surrender
All their gloss, and be obscure.

They shall change at thy direction,
And be folded like a scroll,
But in permanent perfection
All thy years eternal roll.

Our good offspring shall continue
Through our faith in Christ his name,
And with arms of genuine sinew
Shall support their father's fame.

PSALM CIII.

The praises, O my soul, restore
To God, as thus I kneel,
And all mine inward man adore
His holy name with zeal.

The praises, O my soul, repeat
To Christ, which paid thy debt,
Nor ever to remembrance sweet
His benefits forget;

Which all thy fault and frailty spares,
As his high merits plead,
And thine infirmity repairs
With succour in thy need.

Which suffer'd from the gulf profound
Thy spirit to redeem,
And has thy life with mercy crown'd,
And tenderness extreme.

Which makes a plenteous fare thine own,
And all thy nerves has strung;
E'en like an eagle newly flown,
So lusty and so young.

The Lord in righteousness decrees
The judgment of the poor,
And from the foul oppressor frees
All those that wrong endure.

His way to Moses he disclos'd
On Horeb's hallow'd rock;
His works stupendous interpos'd
To save his chosen flock.

The Lord, with boundless love and grace,
Has mercy on our state;
And long he bears the headstrong race,
His goodness is so great.

His spirit will not always strive
With guilt abash'd by fear,
Nor can his utmost wrath survive
One penitential tear.

He has not with our vices dealt
According to their cry;
Nor have our sins his anger felt,
Like their most grievous dye.

For look how high the heav'n is made
Above the verdant sod,
So great his mercy is display'd
To all that fear their God.

And see how wide yon eastern ray
Is from its western course,
So far from us that weep and pray
He shall our sins divorce.

Yea, as a tender father's love
Is to his child inclin'd,
E'en with such pity—far above
Such pity—God is kind.

For well the Maker knows the mould,
And gives allowance just;
And he remembers that we hold
A frame of mortal dust.

The days of man are as the hour
Of verdure on the lawn—
He thrives as flourishes the flow'r
That opens to the dawn.

For chives and stem to death are doom'd
By passing winds that blow,
And that gay place on which they bloom'd
No more their sweets shall know.

But God the Word has ever stood
By all his faithful sons,
And in the blood benign and good,
The certain blessing runs

For such as with attention deep
Reflect upon his will,
And all his laws with spirit keep,
And chearfully fulfil.

God on his right has rais'd a seat
To place the spotless Lamb;
Thrones, Pow'rs, Dominions kiss the feet
Of Jesus Christ “I AM.”

O praise the Lord, angelic band,
In excellency strong;
Ye that obey his dread command,
Or hearken to his song.

O praise the Lord, all ye his hosts,
Upon his will intent;
Ye servants that maintain your posts
In highest heav'n's ascent.

O all ye works, your Maker bless,
The good and gracious Lord;
And with all energy and stress
Do thou, my soul, accord.

OR THIS [PSALM CIII.]

O praise the Lord, my soul endu'd
With all the grace of gratitude,
And zeal's divinest flame:
And all that is within me bless
The merits of his holiness,
And honour of his name.

O praise the Lord, my soul—excite
Thy heart's free pow'rs do him right,
Which has such comfort sent;
His mercies present and behind
Remember, and maintain a mind
Upon his love intent.

Which thee of all thy crime acquits,
And thine iniquity remits
By his most precious cross;
Which earns thy troubles to appease,
And to remove thy sore disease,
And purify thy dross.

Which, by his tenderness extreme,
Could from the gulph of death redeem
Thy soul to vengeance bound;
And with his everlasting care,
His benediction on thy pray'r,
Thy forfeit life has crown'd.

Which has thine appetite restor'd
From pining sickness, and thy board
With plenteous bounty blest;
And has renew'd thy lusty strength,
Like some young eagle fledg'd at length,
And tow'ring from his nest.

The Lord his righteousness asserts,
And his avenging pow'r exerts
Against the tyrant's pride;
He hears the cries of saints oppress'd,
And sees their grievances redress'd,
And all their wants supply'd.

His holy ways himself he taught
To Moses, and the tribes he brought
To Horeb's hallow'd mount;
And deign'd in person, as they pray'd,
And were in meek prostration laid,
His wonders to recount.

The Lord is infinitely great
In mercy for our weak estate,
And gracious to endear;
His indignation he retards,
And all-beneficent regards
The penitential tear.

He will not long with Israel strive,
Nor let his chastisement survive
One pang of due remorse;
His wrath upon the rebel race
Is but a momentary space,
And not of endless force.

We have not his resentment felt
In measure, like as we have dealt
By his divine decrees;
Nor will he our misdoings try,
According to that heinous dye
Which in his truth he sees.

As that vast interval between,
Yon azure cloud and forests green,
Heav'ns vault o'er earth's expanse;
So marvellously great and clear,
For all the servants of his fear
His mercy-beams advance.

And as the womb of early day
Is distant from the setting ray
Which cheques the western shade;
So far from our afflicted sight
Into the realms of endless night
He has our sins convey'd.

Yea, as the father to his child
With fervent haste is reconcil'd,
And pities to forgive;
So shall the Lord of love receive
The children which on him believe,
And in his service live.

Because he knows our feeble frame,
Both what we are, and whence we came,
And where we loath or lust;
And he remembers well our terms,
How shortly must we to the worms
Resign our sinful dust.

The days of human life recede
Like grass, that's gather'd from the mead,
And which the cattle crops;
And all its pride, and all its pow'r,
Is but the triumph of a flow'r,
That buds, and blooms, and drops.

For soon as on the fragrant beds
The tempest blows, its chives it sheds,
And all its balmy store;
And that gay place on which it grew,
No more shall boast its beauteous hue,
And taste its sweets no more.

But God his mercies to his fold
From ever and for ever hold,
And his most righteous sway
From race to race is still maintain'd,
And childrens children unprofan'd,
His holy laws obey.

Such as his covenant peruse
With zealous diligence, and chuse
The paths of endless bliss;
Such as his testaments respect,
And in the truths his laws direct
Are never found remiss.

For one accepted Son alone
God has prepar'd an endless throne
In heav'ns stupendous height;
His irresistible domain
He shall o'er all the world retain,
Each region, realm, and state.

O bless the Lord, ye sons of light,
Ye that are excellent in might
To do his dread command;
Which in his presence are preferr'd,
And to the thunder of his word
In transport understand.

O bless the Lord, and make your boast
Of his perfection, all the host
Of Jesus and his spouse;
Ye his good pleasure who fulfill,
And act in all things as his will
Permits or disallows.

O bless the Lord in every part,
Ye works of his consummate art,
Where'er his wisdom guides;
From pole to sympathetic pole,
And thou too bless him, O my soul,
Which in my heart presides.

100

PSALM CIV.

Bless thou the Lord, my soul—how great,
O Lord, what a stupendous weight
Of honours crown thy name;
Thou'rt cloath'd with majesty and might,
And glories how exceeding bright
Come clust'ring on thy fame!

With light, which thou hast purer made,
As with a robe thou art array'd,
Whose pow'r the world upholds;
And hang'st the skies in beauteous blue,
Wav'd like a curtain to the view,
Down heav'n's high dome in folds.

His chamber-beams in floods he shrouds,
His chariots are the rolling clouds
Upon th'etherial arch;
And on the rapid winds their wings
Majestical, the king of kings
Walks in his awful march.

The guardian spirits know their post,
His heralds are th'angelic host
Obedient to his will;
The delegated lightnings fly,
And flames are sent on embassy
His mandates to fulfill.

Fair and full-finished at her birth,
Firm at the first he fixt the earth,
And wrought her bases fast;
Her deep foundations has he girt,
That as the lively springs exert,
Her state of rest might last.

Upon the surface deep and wide
Thou pouredst out the flowing tide,
Like some loose garment spread;
The rising waters stood around,
And swoln above the level ground,
O'ertop the mountain's head.

But at the thunder of thy word
Their inundations were deterr'd,
And thy rebuke obey'd;
And to the centre from the top,
Th'unfathom'd ocean to a drop
Was pacify'd and laid.

Then up into the hills they go,
And down upon the vales below
Again their way they find;
Till at such places they abide,
And in those due directions glide
Thy wisdom has assign'd.

Thou over-rul'st the liquid mass,
And in the bounds they may not pass
Thou shalt their floods restrain;
The way that is prescrib'd they learn
For ever, nor shall they return
To cover earth again.

The living springs at his command
Are sent a succour to the land,
For rivers the resource;
Which as by stooping woods they curve
'Mongst intermingl'd hills preserve
Their interrupted course.

All beasts that haunt the distant groves,
Frequent the lucid stream in droves,
As need and nature rule,
And asses of the wild, assuage
Their thirst, and the meridian age
Of sultry sun-beams cool.

Near them thro' blossoms bursting ripe
The birds upon the perches pipe,
As boughs the herbage shield;
And while each other they salute,
The trees from every quiv'ring shoot,
Melodious musick yield.

He from his chambers dew distills,
And waters with his rain the hills
Where'er their summits soar;
The vales, with sweet luxuriance clad,
Make all the face of nature glad
With never-failing store.

He laid the verdant turf to graze,
That earth the due supplies might raise
Of annual food and wealth;
And fragrant herbs and flow'rs profuse
The seasons on the field produce
For pleasure and for health.

101

He planted on the rock the vine,
To glad the heart of man with wine,
And crown the thankful bowl;
And to exhilarate the face,
He gave the cruise, and broke in grace
His bread sustains the soul.

The trees with precious balsam sweat,
Which GRACE in seemly rows has set
By her almighty pow'r;
And Lebanon, which God perfumes,
His crest with stately cedar plumes,
Whose tufted tops embow'r.

The feather'd families of air
Contrive their cunning fabricks there,
What time the sexes mix;
The storks for elevation seek
To loftier firs with bolder beak
Their pensile house to fix.

The kid that brouses on the thyme,
Looks from the precipice sublime,
And every peril braves;
The skulking connies dwell secure,
And for defence their young immure
In quarries and in caves.

He taught the silver moon her way,
Her monthly and nocturnal sway,
Where'er she wanes or grows;
The glorious globe that gilds the skies
Is conscious of his early rise,
And his descent he knows.

The lines of light and shade to mark
Is thine, thou bidst the night be dark,
Beneath whose solemn gloom
The forest-beasts forsake their den,
And all that shun the walks of men,
Their wonted haunts resume.

The lions rouse to fill the scene,
With eyes of baleful lightning keen
Upon the desart rude;
And as in surly-sounding tone
They make the hollow caverns groan,
From God require their food.

But at the glancing of the dawn,
Ere yet the sun-beams o'er the lawn
The burnish'd orb unveil;
Alarm'd they flee their nightly round,
And in their place with peace profound
Their weary'd limbs regale.

While man, frail nature to sustain,
Awakes to labour and to pain,
Till from the wish'd-for west
Th'approaches of the dusky eve
Give to his toil a short reprieve,
And send him home to rest.

How manifold thy works are made,
O Lord—by thankful man survey'd,
What an exhaustless theme!
In wisdom didst thou all dispense,
How with thy vast munificence
Heav'n, earth, air, all things teem!

So does the sea, whose shelvy rocks
And depths with numberless he stocks
From life's eternal fount;
Some in the nether crannies skulk,
And some of huge enormous bulk
The swelling floods surmount.

There go the ships from shore to shore,
Of distant climes the diff'rent store
To take and to discharge;
There that Leviathan resorts,
Which at thy blessed bidding sports
At leisure and at large.

All these upon thy love depend,
And on thy providence attend
Their daily wants to urge;
And as the stated hour revolves,
The bread is broke, the dew dissolves
Upon the rising surge.

They gather that which is diffus'd,
Nor ought is wasted or abus'd,
So has thy wisdom will'd;
Thy bounteous hand prepares a feast,
And all from greatest to the least
Thou fillest, and they're fill'd.

102

Thou hid'st thy face—however brief
Thy absence, it is instant grief
Of infinite degree;
'Tis thine to give, and to withdraw
Their breath, and by a stablish'd law
They are, or cease to be.

But by succession they survive,
And sense and pow'r to move derive,
As from thy spirit sent;
Anew their moulded dust is warm'd—
Ev'n earth herself by thee reform'd,
Shall other scenes present.

The glorious majesty and love
Of God shall have no bounds, above
All mortal change and chance;
The Lord shall heav'ns whole choir employ
In anthems of exceeding joy
To see his works advance.

Abash'd at his tremendous look,
The earth with strong commotions shook,
Which all her awe bespoke;
He touch'd the hills, their summits nod,
And at the weighty hand of God
They totter, and they smoke.

That goodness which these years prolongs,
Shall give new spirit to my songs
As measure to my span;
While I my life and limbs possess,
The bounteous author will I bless
With all the might of man.

As in the spirit I repeat
His praise, my musings shall be sweet,
To just refinement wrought;
Yea, while I yet suppress my voice,
To thee, O Lord, will I rejoice
In melody of thought.

The men, by carnal sins entic'd,
Must fall before the rod of Christ,
Confounded and amaz'd;—
Praise thou the Lord, my soul apart—
Praise ye, who hear with voice and heart—
The Lord our God be prais'd.

PSALM CV.

O to the Lord restore your thanks,
Invoke his name in pray'r;
And to the people of all ranks
His wond'rous works declare.

O let your holy songs ascend
In ecstasy of praise,
And let your conversation tend
His miracles to blaze.

With joy his hallow'd nam'd revere,
And let your mirth aspire;
And let their hearts be of good cheer
Which after him enquire.

Seek ye the Lord, and pay your court
For ever to his might;
Your bodies and your souls deport
Toward his heav'nly light.

Remember his stupendous hand
The blessings it conferr'd;
His visitations dreadful grand,
And judgments of his word.

O ye that from his servant rose
The fruit of Abraham's loins;
Ye sons of Jacob, whom he chose,
And from the world disjoins.

He is the Lord our God alone,
And from our faithful tribes
His truth o'er all the world is sown,
And laws which he prescribes.

He has been mindful of the deed
Where love and truth engage;
To bless and raise the patriarch's seed,
Ev'n to the thousandth age.

The grant at first for Abraham made,
Which still his oath confirms,
And then to Isaac was convey'd
Upon as easy terms.

103

And therewith Jacob in his turn
Was order'd to comply;
A law of infinite concern
And everlasting tie.

Importing “I will give to thee
“A land of wine and oil,
“And thou shalt peace and plenty see
“In Canaan's pleasant soil.

And this high grace he deign'd to shew
To pilgrims on the road,
When Israel was yet but few,
And of no fixt abode.

What time they with their flocks and kine
Thro' various nations rang'd;
And led by providence divine
So many climes they chang'd.

No man could hurt their goods or lives
As they their tents remov'd,
And for the virtue of their wives
He mighty kings reprov'd.

“Touch not mine elders, on whose head
“I've pour'd my hallow'd cruse,
“And save my prophets from the dread
“Of insult and abuse.”

Moreover, he the famine sent,
Which in their coasts prevail'd;
Till all their corn and bread was spent,
And their provision fail'd.

But still extremities to stave
He sped a man before;
E'n Joseph, who was made a slave
The plenty to restore.

Whose feet they in the stocks enthrall'd,
And to the soul they pierc'd;
For in the spirit he was gall'd
To find himself amerc'd.

Until his hardship in his youth
Was weigh'd, and cause was heard;
And by the Lord's prophetic truth
His innocence appear'd.

His words of peace the king convince—
Who straight his bounds enlarg'd,
And Egypt's fierce despotic prince
His jeopardy discharg'd.

And as he took him from his ward
Proceeded to console,
By making him a mighty lord
All Egypt to controul.

To teach their princes to conduct
Themselves by virtue's rule,
And all their senators instruct
In wisdom's godly school.

And Israel drove his herds and flocks
Where he was Pharaoh's guest,
And Jacob with his silver locks
Th'Egyptian monarch blest.

And by his grace his people rose
To be a mighty host;
And they were stronger than their foes
In their wide-peopl'd coast.

Whose heart was chang'd to black deceit
From friendship and good will;
The men with cruelty to treat,
And put in chains and kill.

Then Moses his command appoints
To succour their complaint,
And by the Holy Ghost anoints
Great Aaron for his saint.

And these applied his vengeful rod
Against their hate and guile,
And shew'd the miracles of God
In all the coasts of Nile.

He sent the dark till it was felt,
And grievous was the gloom;
Nor yet their hearts with pity melt,
But stiffly still presume.

He turn'd their waters into blood
As they rebell'd the more;
And fishes choak'd in such a flood
Were thrown upon the shore.

104

The pools o'erflow'd with frogs unclean
Which on the land were heap'd,
And were in royal chambers seen,
And on the couches leap'd.

He spake—and of a thousand forms
Came flies of deadly sting,
And filthy lice in swarms on swarms
On pompous garments cling.

The hail in massy stones he shot
The trees and herbs to wound;
And 'midst the show'r the lightnings hot
Came flashing on the ground.

He smote their vines and fig-trees void
Of blossom, leaf, and fruit;
And all their woods and groves destroy'd,
By breaking branch and root.

He spoke—the caterpillars came,
And locust with his pow'rs,
A numerous troop, to mar and maim
The tender grass and flow'rs.

The first born of the land he smote,
And caus'd a gen'ral grief,
Their youths of most especial note,
And of their strength the chief.

He brought them forth with gems and gold,
And led himself the van;
Nor could they in their tribes behold
One feeble child or man.

Egypt was glad when all their force
From their domains decamp'd,
Such terror added to remorse
Had their oppressors dampt.

A cloud its milder light reflects
Their rout by day to guide;
And fire their nightly march directs
From heav'n itself supply'd.

While to his name with cries they sought,
As life had been at stake,
Innumerable quails he brought,
The bread of heav'n he brake.

He call'd forth water from the veins
Of marble to their thirst,
So much, that on the desart plains
A new-form'd river burst.

For wherefore? he remember'd well
His covenant of grace,
When faithful Abraham meekly fell
Before him on his face.

Thus he his people to release
Kept angels in employ,
And led his heritage in peace,
His chosen flock with joy.

And he transferr'd into their hands
The heathen's vine to dress;
And all their labours and their lands
To people and possess;

That they might worship him, and serve
For more abundant cause,
And with fidelity observe
The dictates of his laws.

PSALM CVI.

O render thanks to God unfeign'd
For his exceeding grace,
Because his mercy is maintain'd
From race to rising race.

Who can his noble acts express
By which the world he sways,
Or with sufficient ardour bless
In all the modes of praise?

They are the blest to whom is giv'n
A deep judicious mind,
And who have in their dealings thriv'n
By being just and kind.

Regard my suit in that degree,
Thou blest our herds and fleece,
And made thy people fat and free—
O visit me with peace.

105

That I may see, and seeing share
The bliss of thine elect,
And join their gen'ral thanks and pray'r
Whom heav'nly pow'rs protect.

But maugre all we've seen and felt
Of gratify'd desires,
We have in base injustice dealt,
Offending like our sires.

Our fathers learnt not to regard
Thy pow'r and love display'd
In Egypt, but their hearts were hard,
When seas, ev'n seas obey'd.

Yet still the helpless he supplyd,
Weak heads with heart of stone,
That he might make his pow'r to pride
And heathen baseness known.

He gave the sea a reprimand—
It cleft itself in two;
And there, as on the desart land,
He led his people through.

And from their enemies he sav'd
And every servile fear,
And that stupendous gulph they brav'd
With armies in their rear;

Which as they harrass'd their retreat,
Returning waters drown'd,
And total was the strange defeat,
Not one a refuge found.

Then gave they credence to his word
Which freed their souls from wrong,
And praise upon the march preferr'd,
And sang the pilgrim's song.

But soon they hasted to forget
His wonders, and were naught;
Nor would their vain affections set
Upon the word he taught,

Their minds abandoning to lust
While they were in the wild,
And still provoking God's disgust
As they themselves defil'd.

And to their murmurs he bestow'd
Their bodies to regale,
While conscience ply'd his inward goad,
And made their spirits fail.

And Moses too, the man of God,
They in their tents inflam'd,
And Aaron—till the budding rod
The priest of God proclaim'd.

So yawning earth took Dathan in,
And all his sect devour'd,
And bold Abiram and his kin
The terror overpow'r'd.

From hell the fiery torrents rush'd
The rebels to consume,
And all th'ungodly crew were crush'd
In this tremendous doom.

At Horeb's mount they dar'd rebel,
When Aaron they controul'd,
And in absurd prostration fell
Before a calf of gold.

And thus they danc'd and made a feast
Their glory to estrange
Into the likeness of a beast,
That feeds upon the grange.

And God no longer was esteem'd,
Which from their woes and toils
And Egypt's grievous chains redeem'd
In triumph and with spoils.

Which did such wonders in the coast
Of them that disbeliev'd,
And in the sea o'er Pharaoh's host
Such fearful things atchiev'd.

So that the fatal hour was fixt
For lust and discontent,
If Moses had not stood betwixt
Perdition to prevent.

Yea, with misdoubtings and in scorn
That pleasant land they view'd,
The honey, milk, the wine and corn,
Which by his word he shew'd.

106

And murmur'd loudly in their camp
Against their Saviour's choice,
His goodness in conceit to cramp—
Nor hearken'd to his voice.

Then on their clamours and distaste
He rous'd his arm to lift,
And overthrew them in the waste,
And sent their souls adrift.

Their seed amidst their foes to cast
Upon a distant shore;
And whirl them with an adverse blast
Where comfort is no more.

To Baal-Peor in crowds they swarm'd
With folly at their head,
And ate, as they the rites perform'd,
Their off'rings of the dead.

Thus reprobate, and idly vague
From his indulgent yoke,
The tribes he visits with a plague
Determin'd to provoke.

Then Phineas had the grace to kneel,
And to the Lord he pray'd;
And as he whirl'd the missive steel
The plague at once was stay'd.

And this was plac'd to his account
As righteous and sublime,
By which his glory shall surmount
The force of death and time.

They also anger'd him by doubt
At Marah's floods of gall;
So that he let his fury out
On one to rescue all.

Because they wou'd their chief incense
By clamours in their drowth,
So that he fell upon offence
Incautious with his mouth:

Nor were th'idolatrous destroy'd
According to their charge,
But with their wiles were they decoy'd,
And let them live at large;

And mingled with the spurious foe
The genuine seed of Seth,
Which now into their customs grow,
And learn their deeds of death.

In such, that to a hammer'd stock
Their souls from God they wean'd,
And offer'd, human ears to shock,
Their children to the fiend.

Yea, their own tender babes themselves
They nipp'd in early bud,
Devoting them to Canaan's elves
Till earth was whelm'd with blood.

Thus with their works they went astray,
Their bodies to pollute
With acts of shame that shun the day,
From which there is no fruit.

Wherefore a dread consuming wrath
Was kindled from the Lord;
That those to whom he pledg'd his troth
He from his heart abhorr'd.

And into strangers hands he gave
Their liberties and lives,
Who schem'd their manners to deprave,
And put their limbs in gyves.

The barb'rous foe oppress'd their loins
Their morals to infect;
What God from his good grace disjoins,
The tyrant can subject.

Yea, many a time their ransom cost
A most stupendous price;
His patience they the more exhaust
With crimes of black device.

But when their cries began to pierce
Thro' hardship and constraint,
He gave their terrors a reverse,
And favour'd their complaint.

Himself in boundless love he binds
His mercy to maintain;
Nay more, he humaniz'd the minds
Of those that held their chain.

107

From heathen realms and gross revolt
To rank thy tribes restore,
And thee, O God! we will exalt,
And in thy praises soar.

Give endless praise to Christ the king
From ev'ry tongue and pen,
And let all congregations sing
Hosanna and Amen.

PSALM CVII.

Your thanks return,
O ye that burn
With zeal's immortal blaze;
For mercies beam
From God supream
To claim perpetual praise.

Let them repay
Their thanks to-day,
Who find themselves enlarg'd;
Whose galling yoke
The Lord has broke,
And from their foes discharg'd.

And call'd their bands
From distant lands
By mandate of his mouth;
From toil to rest
From east and west,
Cold north, and scorching south.

They took their rout,
And round about
Far from the ready road
In wilds remain'd,
Till they obtain'd
To settle their abode.

In desarts rude,
For lack of food,
And waters of the brook,
A gen'ral damp
Throughout the camp
For thirst their spirits took.

So through distress
The Lord they press
By force of fervent pray'r,
And to their need
His angels speed
To save them from despair.

He led them right
By day and night,
His influence they felt,
Until they came
To build and name
The cities where they dwelt.

O that our race
Had sense and grace
To bear a thankful mind,
And joyful own
His wonders shown
In goodness to mankind!

For in his courts
His word supports
All weakness, want and woe;
And for the poor
He will procure
What bounty can bestow.

Whom men commit,
Disgrac'd to sit
In misery and bonds;
Whom cares consume,
And in the gloom
Of death whose heart desponds.

And for this cause—
Against the laws
Of Jesus they rebell'd,
And set no price
On God's advice,
When he the council held.

He therefore brought
Their pride to nought,
And dash'd with gall their cup;
Which when they drunk,
In grief they sunk,
And none would help them up.

108

So through distress
The Lord they press,
By force of fervent pray'r,
And to their need
His angels speed
To save them from despair.

From horror's wing,
And from the sting
Of death they gat release;
He broke their gyves,
And sav'd their lives
For plenty and for peace.

O that our race
Had sense and grace
To bear a thankful mind,
And joyful own
His wonders shown
In goodness to mankind!

For gates of brass,
That we might pass,
He threw into the moat;
Embattl'd cars
Drove o'er the bars
Of steel in sunder smote.

His vengeance schools
The heart of fools
To purge them of offence;
And from their sins
By grace he wins
To thought and sober sense.

Left by the Lord,
Their souls abhorr'd
To take a crumb or drop,
As throes convulse,
The vital pulse
Was at the point to stop.

So through distress
The Lord they press
By force of fervent pray'r,
And to their need
His angels speed
To save them from despair.

He sent his word,
And though they err'd,
Their grievances he heal'd;
Perdition stav'd,
Their souls he sav'd,
And sentences repeal'd.

O that our race
Had sense and grace
To bear a thankful mind,
And joyful own
His wonders shown
In goodness to mankind!

That all and each
Would heart and speech
To blaze his works employ,
And praise prefer,
With spice and myrrh,
To Christ in thanks and joy.

They that go down
To seek renown,
Which ships of war maintain,
Or ply their trade,
By winds convey'd
Upon the mighty main;

These men behold
The sea controul'd,
And in observance keep
Each day and hour
God's work of pow'r,
And wonders in the deep.

For as he speaks,
All ocean reeks,
The stormy winds arise,
And boist'rous blow
The tides that flow
In billows to the skies.

Then up as high
As heav'n they fly,
And down again they drive
To gulphs beneath;
They scarce can breathe
To keep their souls alive.

109

With frequent shocks
The vessel rocks,
They stagger as in drink;
And as they toss,
Are at a loss
For pow'r to act or think.

So through distress
The Lord they press,
By force of fervent pray'r,
And to their need
His angels speed
To save them from despair.

For when he chides,
The storm subsides,
Submissive to his will;
And all the rage
Of winds assuage,
When he says “PEACE, BE STILL!”

Then they rejoice,
Because his voice
Has still'd the meek profound,
And as they sail,
A fav'ring gale
Conveys them where they're bound.

O that our race
Had sense and grace
To bear a thankful mind,
And joyful own
His wonders shown
In goodness to mankind!

That when they throng
To pray'r and song
They would exalt his laud,
And at the seat
Where senates meet
His glorious arm applaud!

His word can make
The spacious lake
A verdant lawn and wood;
And sent by him,
Whole navies swim
Where hilly desarts stood.

A fruitful soil
Of wine and oil
He turns to thorns and weeds;
And this event
From discontent
Of thankless lords proceeds.

Again he pours
The floods in show'rs
To make the wild a pool,
And gives the heath
A turfy sheath
Midst fountains fresh and cool.

And there prescribes
His hungry tribes
To set them down and feast,
And build and plan
High tow'rs for man,
And humble folds for beast.

There by his grant
They vineyards plant,
And sow their fields with corn,
And trees, whose fruit
And climbing shoot
The shaded land adorn.

His peace he sends
Which blessing tends
To multiply them all;
Nor lets their flock,
Or horned stock,
By rot or murrain fall.

If, on reverse,
The Lord amerse,
And all their wealth reduce;
The tyrant's rod,
Or plague from God,
Upon them be let loose;

Though for a while
He cease to smile,
Nor usual grace perform,
And lets them roam,
Remote from home,
In desarts, wind, and storm;

110

Yet is he seen
To stand between
The poor and utmost grief;
From caves and dens
His fold he pens
Their shepherd and their chief.

On things like these
Upon their knees
The righteous shall reflect,
And clam'rous foes,
That truth oppose,
Shall finally be checkt.

A man whose ways
True wisdom sways
Such wonders will observe,
And thence shall find
How good and kind
Is God to whom we serve.

PSALM CVIII.

My heart, Lord Jesus, is resign'd,
And fix'd to ev'ry point injoin'd
By thy divine decree;
I praise thee with my lips, the best
Of all my members, for they're blest
In magnifying thee.

Awake, and be thy strains renew'd,
Thou glory of my gratitude,
Awake, my harp, and play—
Awake, my lute—myself shall rise,
As soon as these uplifted eyes
Can catch a glance of day.

O Lord, with thankful voice and hand
Amongst the natives of the land
I will thy mercies blaze;
To strangers I will sing thy worth,
And make my progress through the earth,
To propagate thy praise.

That mercy which prevails in thee
Is greater than eternity,
Which nothing bounds or ends;
Thy truth illustrious and renown'd
Is from beneath the vast profound,
And o'er the heav'n ascends.

O God, arise, thyself exalt
Beyond the heav'n's stupendous vault
From whence thy glories flow,
Thy royal majesty assert,
And thy magnificence exert
O'er all the world below.

That thy belov'd, howe'er dispers'd,
Their banishment may be revers'd
By thy paternal care;
And that they may be sav'd from harm,
Lift thou thy mighty stretcht-out arm,
And expedite my pray'r.

My joy in Christ shall never cease,
The Word which God has sent in peace
To canton Sechem out,
And measure Succoth with my reed,
That there I may recall and feed
The sons of sin and doubt.

All Gilead's incense shall be mine,
Manasses of the blessed line
Shall yet be more my own;
Ephraim, who from the standard fled,
Shall be the strengthner of my head,
And Judah grace my throne.

Lot's devious children shall return,
And for a purifying urn
E'en Moab shall be spar'd:
Proud Palestine I will subdue,
O'er Edom I will cast my shoe
With gospel peace prepar'd.

Who leads me up to yonder tow'rs,
Whose local strength and active powers
Embattl'd troops deride;
Who spears against so grand a mark,
And on the ramparts sets our ark
Where Edom's dukes reside.

111

Shall it not be our watch and ward,
Can help be other than the Lord
To whom our pray'rs apply,
And wilt thou not our cause maintain,
And shall not in thy name again
Judea's streamers fly?

Lord, in the hour of doubt and chance
Thine efficacious aid advance,
Do thou direct our swords;
Our thoughts and deeds are of no price,
And vain the help and weak th'advice
That feeble man affords.

Through God our valour shall be proof
To make each adverse hand and hoof
Before our walls retreat,
With palm his champions he shall crown,
And finally beat Satan down
Beneath his servants feet.

PSALM CIX.

O God, to whom I make my suit,
Let not thine oracles be mute,
For vice, yea violence and fraud
Have spread their specious lies abroad.

And from their tongues with falshood fraught
They have their accusation brought,
And come about me with abuse,
Without a motive to induce.

But for the very love I bore,
Behold, they are my friends no more;
Mean while I practise to forbear,
Resign'd to patience and to pray'r.

Thus in my progress have they stood,
And thus rewarded bad for good,
Devising and committing ill
For turns of kindness and good-will.

Set thou a man of virtuous fame
My foe to rule and to reclaim,
And let thy holy angel stand
To guide the motions of his hand.

Whene'er his cause is heard and try'd,
Give thou the sentence on his side,
And let his pray'r thy favour win,
Refin'd from gross conceits and sin.

As he repents his former ways,
Add length unto his better days,
And grant him thine especial grace
To keep and to adorn his place.

To many children let him be
A sire, and live their sons to see,
And let him cherish in his wife
A help-meet to a godly life.

And let his rising race be fed
With freedom's best ingenuous bread;
To their own garners let them go,
Nor dearth nor desolation know.

Let God's good blessing of increase
Be on his cattle and his fleece,
Nor let the foreigner approach
Upon his labours to incroach.

Let him be register'd and clast
'Mongst neighbours of the Christian cast,
And for his heirs lay up the fort
And treasure of a good report.

Let his posterities extend
The honours that from him descend,
And when his years he has fulfil'd,
His name to greater credit build.

Let what his fathers did amiss
Be sunk in such a change as this,
And let him, as his praise exalts,
Atone for all his mother's faults.

And let the total sum of all,
His race recover'd from their fall,
Be shewn for mercy to behold,
And be by Christ himself enroll'd.

And this the more, as at the first
His mind was fashion'd for the worst,
And in vexatious actions dealt,
With soul unsympathiz'd to melt.

112

In unbelief he took delight,
In deeds of obloquy and spite;
But now he shall his tongue employ
In benediction, love, and joy.

From habits of invet'rate root
He had no grace, and bore no fruit;
But now through Christ his heart is new,
He shall another course pursue.

Let him by faith his sins uncloke,
And God through penitence invoke,
And let the Lord's most holy word
His loins with purity begird.

Let such returns as these dispose
To quick conversion all my foes,
And thus in love may I controul
The persecutors of my soul.

But thou, O Lord, benignly deal
With me, who thus for sinners feel,
According to thy name intreat
Thy servant, for thy love is sweet.

O let my charity procure
Thy speedy help, for I am poor,
And as mine enemies afflict,
My heart within my breast is prickt.

I haste this fleshly veil to quit,
Reduc'd like shadowy forms that flit,
And hurry'd from my vernal day,
Am driv'n like grashoppers away.

As with such rigour I abstain,
My knees are feeble and in pain;
For want of their nutricious sap
My lips and all my body chap.

Moreover I became the jest
Of those that knew me at the best,
And as they saw my alter'd look,
Their heads with shrewd remarks they shook.

O Lord, my Saviour, whom I serve,
From these calamities preserve,
And as with meekness I behave,
According to thy mercy save.

And they shall know that this degree
Of goodness is alone from thee,
That thou thyself to pray'r reveal'd,
All my infirmities hast heal'd.

Though they with ceaseless wrath malign,
Be thou the more and more benign,
And baffle those that bear me down,
With joys my fervent vows to crown.

Let all my foes to grace be sped,
By shame to true contrition led,
And find in a propitious hour
The Lord's regenerating pow'r.

To God I will my duty shew
With all that gratitude can do,
And where the multitude resort
By songs to lively praise exhort.

For Jesus shall the poor assist
The flesh and mammon to resist,
Who saves the soul from Satan's sieve,
And judges not but to forgive.

PSALM CX.

The Lord unto my Lord declar'd,
At my right hand I have prepar'd
Thine everlasting seat;
The subject universe is ours,
Kingdoms, dominions, thrones and pow'rs
All plac'd beneath thy feet.

The wand of thy pacific reign,
Behold, I give thee to sustain
From Zion's hallow'd shrine;
Be thou the Saviour of the soul,
And all thine enemies controul
By clemency divine.

The day thou art install'd the king,
From far shall pious easterns bring
Their off'rings of perfume;
The benediction on thy birth
Is as the dew-drops fresh on earth
From morning's pregnant womb.

113

He sware, nor shall the Lord repent,
For ever on the man I sent
My priesthood I transferr'd;
I know thee without blame or speck,
Thy order is Melchisedeck,
E'en God, th'incarnate Word.

The Lord of hosts upon thy right
Shall kings in indignation smite
With many a grievous wound;
But in thy stripes they shall be heal'd,
And all vindictive laws repeal'd,
When CHARITY is crown'd.

His judgment shall be to forgive,
And by his pow'r the dead shall live,
And issue from their grave;
The heads of all the various realms,
Whom vice enormous overwhelms,
His precious blood shall save.

Where the breeze sigh'd and Cedron purl'd,
There drank the Saviour of the world,
Without an home or friend;
For which his name above all names
Is glorious, and his meekness claims
All honour without end.

PSALM CXI.

[_]

Tune of the old CXIII.

My hearty thanks I will renew
To Christ amidst a faithful few
In private and domestic song,
And with the public worship close,
Where pious churchmen fill the rows,
And congregated angels throng.

The works of God are good and great,
And in the mind of man create
A zeal for infinite applause;
And all that take sublime delight,
The scholars of the word unite
Their studies in their truth and laws.

The works of God's consummate art
To laud and rev'rence warm the heart,
Where might and merit are supreme;
His justice o'er the foe prevails,
Suspending her impartial scales
Upon an everlasting beam.

The miracles of God the Son
In such stupendous grace are done,
And mercy to the race restor'd,
That their memorial should be kept,
And he that bled, and he that wept,
By ceaseless thanks and pray'rs ador'd.

By him his faithful flock is fed
With drink indeed and living bread,
Thro' which their grievous wounds are heal'd;
And happy they that take the crumbs
When now the promis'd Shiloh comes,
When now the testament is seal'd.

His goodness and his pow'r divine
He shew'd unto the patriarch's line,
The people which he nam'd his own,
That thence Emanuel's wondrous birth,
Salvation to remotest earth,
From Israel's learning might be known.

His works are very truth, and wrought
To full perfection of his thought,
Dispos'd in Christ the master's skill;
The angels of his word are just,
Which keep the records of his trust,
And all his prophecies fulfil.

His everlasting types display
Those truths which never can decay,
Tho' worlds consume and language cease;
Their doctrine's infinitely sound,
Their dispensations all abound
With matchless equity and peace.

He sent his Christ with joyful news
To foil the fiend and disabuse
The sinners, for whose sake he came;
He fixt his covenant of grace
Upon a sempiternal base;
August and holy is his name.

114

The fear of God begins the man—
'Tis our first wisdom and the plan
All hopeful edifice to raise;
Obedience God's applause obtains,
Where Christ our resurrection reigns
In everlasting pow'r and praise.

PSALM CXII.

The man of reverence to God
Is blessed in the highest class;
His ready feet with joy are shod,
To bring the word to pass.

His seed shall mighty pow'r invest,
And gain on earth the first repute,
And all the branches shall be blest
Of such a faithful root.

His soul shall have her full repast
Of wealth and earth's redundant store,
And his integrity shall last
In heav'n for evermore.

The good midst Satan's dark domain
The day-spring has before his view,
Such are benevolent in grain,
And loving, kind and true.

A good man is a common friend,
And in all characters complete,
He will be merciful to lend,
And in his words discreet.

For he shall never change his side,
But still keep stedfast and the same,
And God the honest man shall guide
To sempiternal fame.

His spirit shall not be dismay'd
At evil tidings unawares,
And his firm heart to Christ his aid
Submits his soul's affairs.

His heart none alteration knows,
Nor is from God to Belial wav'd;
And his desire upon his foes
Is that they should be sav'd.

His worldly goods unto the poor
He hath distributed around;
His worth for ever shall endure
In exaltation crown'd.

The wicked shall behold his rise,
And learn and imitate his ways,
Till all their envy, all their vice
Subside in pray'r and praise.

PSALM CXIII.

[_]

Tune of old C.

Attend, ye ministers of song,
And bless your ever-gracious Lord,
The praises of his name prolong
Upon the full-resounding chord.

In ceaseless blessing be he nam'd,
As by the fathers heretofore,
And in all tongues and times proclaim'd
From henceforth and for evermore.

All flesh his glorious MAKER hails,
Avow'd the GREATEST and the BEST,
From whence the sun the morn unveils
To his department in the WEST.

The Lord is high above the kings
Of all the scatter'd regions round,
The radiance of his glory springs,
And leaves the topmost heav'n aground.

Whence can comparison be made,
The God above sublime to shew,
Which deigns his glory to degrade,
The kings in heav'n and earth to view?

He takes the simple from the dust,
As down he meekly kneels to bless,
And all the poor that put their trust
In him, he succours from distress.

That he may raise their low degree,
And give them with the princes place,
And let presumptuous rulers see
Their virtue rescu'd from disgrace:

115

He makes the barren woman big,
If she beseech the Lord for seed;
And blest beneath her vine and fig
The prattling innocents to feed.

PSALM CXIV.

When Israel came from Egypt's coast,
And Goshen's marshy plains,
And Jacob with his joyful host
From servitude and chains;

Then was it seen how much the Jews
Were holy in his sight,
And God did Israel's kingdom chuse
To manifest his might.

The sea beheld it, and with dread
Retreated to make way;
And Jordan to his fountain head
Ran backwards in dismay.

The mountains, like the rams that bound,
Exulted on their base;
Like lambs the little hills around
Skipt lightly from their place.

What is the cause, thou mighty sea,
That thou thyself shou'd shun;
And Jordan, what is come to thee,
That thou shou'd backward run?

Ye mountains that ye leap'd so high
From off the solid rock,
Ye hills that ye should gambols try,
Like firstlings of the flock?

EARTH, from the centre to the sod
His fearful presence hail,
The presence of Jeshurun's God,
In whom our arms prevail.

Who beds of rocks in pools to stand
Can by his word compell,
And from the veiny flint command
The fountain and the well.

PSALM CXV.

Not to ourselves the praise we take,
O Lord, but to thy name
Ascribe for truth and mercy's sake
The merit of the claim.

Why should the heathen, who this hour
Have felt thy chast'ning rod,
Make impious question of thy pow'r
With “where is now their God?”

Our God, which has the battle won,
O'er heav'n and mortals reigns;
Whate'er his wisdom wills is done,
And what is done remains.

The stocks to which the pagan fools
Their sighs and incense waft,
Are gold and silver form'd by tools
Of mean mechanic craft.

Their mouths are fashion'd, but from thence,
Nor voice nor accent falls;
Theire eyes are grav'd, but have no sense
Of vision in their balls;

Their ears are hollow'd, which to hear
No clamour can compell;
The noses of their busts appear
With which they cannot smell.

Their hands are form'd, but not to feel
Their feet, but not to move;
Nor thro' their throats, while madmen kneel,
Comes breath their life to prove.

The stupid maker's like the bust,
And so are all degrees
Of impious slaves that put their trust,
And bow to gods like these.

But thou, Jeshurun, in the Lord
Alone your trust repose;
He is their saving-health to ward
The swords of all their foes.

116

And you, ye priests of Aaron's stock,
With faithfulness devout,
Trust in the Lord, he is their rock,
And unapproach'd redoubt.

And ye whose heart thro' fear repents,
Who meek obeisance yield,
Trust in the Lord—in all events
He is their help and shield.

The Lord regards us in success,
And in our day of need;
And Israel's children he shall bless,
And bless all Aaron's seed.

He blesses all that fear, and thank
Their Saviour for his grace;
As well the men of meaner rank
As those of wealth and place.

The Lord shall bless you more and more
In all you take in hand,
And prosper your increase and store,
Your children and your land.

Ye are thro' grace the Lord's elect,
And he can keep you free,
Which could th'etherial vault erect
O'er continent and sea.

The heav'ns are God's imperial throne
Beyond all mortal ken;
Earth to be travers'd, till'd and sown
He has bestow'd on men.

The barren grave affords no fruit,
O God, to praise or pray'r;
And mirth and melody are mute
In darkness and despair.

But we with all our zeal and force
Will in thy praises rise,
Praise ye the Lord thro' nature's course,
And for th'immortal prize.

PSALM CXVI.

Joy has taken full possession
Of my heart and triumphs there;
Since, thro' Christ his intercession,
God has hearken'd to my pray'r.

Since, his gracious ear inclining,
He has met my fervent vow,
To his name the praise assigning,
All my life my knees shall bow.

Long and painful did I languish,
Death his snares began to spread;
Horror and despair and anguish
Brought their terrors to my bed.

Grief and trouble are conditions,
And the colour of my state;
Hence my soul the Lord petitions
“Save thou blessed UNCREATE!”

For the Lord our God is gracious
And omnipotently true,
And his mercies efficacious
Weeping sinners to renew.

God receives to his protection
Simple folk when they repent;
I was in the last dejection
And his comforter he sent.

Turn again unto thy Saviour,
O my soul, and take thy rest;
God has weigh'd thy meek behaviour,
And with recompence hath blest.

For, my soul from death redeeming,
Thou thy servant hast solac'd;
Wip'd his eyes with sorrow streaming,
And his falling feet replac'd.

I shall therefore walk before thee,
And in God direct my ways,
Open in the light adore thee
For example and for praise.

My belief was firmly founded,
Therefore I with freedom spoke
From an heart with anguish wounded,
“All our race their meaning cloak.”

For his mercies great and tender,
For his benefits benign,
Is their recompence to render,
Is their honour to assign?

117

Mine infirmities uncloaking
I will my confession make,
At thy shrine thy grace invoking,
As thine eucharist I take.

In thy holy church with fervour
Now I will my vows direct;
Dear to their divine preserver
Are the lives of his elect.

See, O Lord, that I am under
The dominion of thy name,
Thou hast broke my bonds in sunder,
And I from thy handmaid came.

I will sacrifice thanksgiving,
Swelling voice and sounding chord;
In the fragrance of good living
I will worship to the Lord.

In thy holy church with fervour
Now my soul her pray'r shall frame;
Salem bless thy great preserver,
Priests and people praise his name.

PSALM CXVII.

Praise the Lord with awful mirth
Every nation, tribe and tongue;
Christians militant on earth,
Let your Saviour's praise be sung.

For his ministers of grace
Ever more and more impart;
Truth is his from race to race,
Hallelujah from the heart!

OR THIS [PSALM CXVII.]

O all ye nations of the peopl'd earth,
Whatever clime ye fill, whatever zone;
Praise God with hallow'd mirth,
Make Christ his merits known.

Because the current of his mercy flows
For evermore abundant, good and great;
His truth no period knows;
Hosanna in the height.

PSALM CXVIII.

O come ye to the holy place,
And pay to God's exceeding grace
What grateful natures owe;
For due descending day by day,
His mercy-beams themselves display,
Nor pause nor period know.

Let thankful Israel now confess
That he is gracious in excess,
To wrath and anger slow;
And that descending day by day,
His mercy-beams themselves display,
Nor pause nor period know.

Let Aaron's houshold now confess
That he is bountiful to bless,
From whom all mercies flow;
And that descending day by day,
His mercy-beams themselves display,
Nor pause nor period know.

Yea, let the congregation, here
Assembled in religious fear
In many a goodly row,
Confess with joy that day by day,
His mercy-beams themselves display,
Nor pause nor period know.

In sorrows bitt'rest depths immerg'd,
To God of heav'n my suit I urg'd
His vengeance to forbear;
And he my evil case review'd,
And in its utmost latitude
He granted all my pray'r.

Almighty God, which knows my heart,
Is always first to take my part
For love and mercy's sake;
I will not fear a fleshy arm,
Nor any terror or alarm
That mortal men can make.

The Lord, which my distress defends,
Is with all those that are my friends,
And in my band inlist;
So shall I have my heart's desire
To see mine enemies retire,
And their attempts desist.

118

'Tis better in the Lord to trust,
And all your actions to adjust
By what his laws explain,
Than on the son of man to lean,
Too weak an aid, a prop too mean
To succour or sustain.

'Tis better in the Lord to trust,
And to a holy God and just
With zeal to pay your court,
Than any confidence to ground
In princes, by the world renown'd
For honour or support.

All nations compass'd me about,
And strove my faithful troops to rout;
My courage to appall;
With multitudes their leaders came,
But in the Lord's tremendous name
I will defy them all.

On every side with black intent
My stedfast few to circumvent,
And work at once my fall,
They kept me in on every side,
But in the name of God my guide
I will defy them all.

Like swarms of hornets they came on,
Like fire extinguish'd they are gone
Through him on whom I call;
For in the name and matchless might
Of God my everlasting light
I will defy them all.

His steel the desp'rate swordsman drew,
And made a pass to run me thro'
With his determin'd blade;
But God in a propitious hour
Against the foe and all his pow'r
Came instant to my aid.

'Tis God alone that makes me strong,
And is the spirit of my song,
Which to my harp I chant;
He shall my name in heav'n enroll,
And sure salvation to my soul
Hereafter he shall grant.

The bloom of health and pleasure's voice
Dwell in their tents, whose wiser choice
Is virtue and the Lord;
The right hand of the King of kings
Atchieves sublime and glorious things
To punish and reward.

That right hand which can death dispense,
Or life—and hath pre-eminence,
O'er earth, and heav'n and hell,
Stupendous miracles has wrought,
Which all the pow'r of word and thought
By infinites excell!

DAVID, there is no death for thee,
Thy name is immortality,
And thou wert born to live,
God's wond'rous mercy to declare,
Which is omnipotent to spare,
To pity, to forgive.

The Lord his servant has chastis'd,
But hath not utterly despis'd,
Nor all his grace withdrawn;
And his compassion intervenes
'Twixt death and all the gloomy scenes
Where vaults sepulchral yawn.

As in the faith of God I knock,
The gates of righteousness unlock,
That I may enter first;
And there the fragrant odours burn,
And there demonstrate and return
The thanks with which I burst!

This is the gate the Lord has made,
And they that have his will obey'd,
The righteous, here may pass;
Who scorning Mammon and his leavn,
High in the treasuries of heav'n
Immortal wealth amass.

I will my hearty thanks restore,
That thou hast set so wide a door
To speed the pray'r I form'd;
And in salvation art so rich,
Which blessing to the highest pitch
My gratitude has warm'd.

119

That rock neglected and unknown
Is now become the corner stone
Ev'n of the house of God;
Which all the builders to a man
Refus'd, from him that drew the plan,
To him that bore the hod.

It is the work of God direct,
For he himself is architect,
So beautiful and bold;
'Tis elevated to surprize,
Beyond our thought, before our eyes,
Believe ye, and behold.

This is the day, whose livelier beams
The Lord has glorified, and teems
With thankfulness and praise;
In pleasure's whiter vestments clad,
We will be joyful, gay and glad,
And brighten to the blaze.

Now is the happy season, now,
O Lord, attend to hear my vow,
And further my pursuits;
Propitiate all thy people's toil,
And bless their corn, their wine and oil,
Their pastures and their fruits.

Blessed be he, or ere he came
On such a work, in such a name,
The Son of God indeed!
All ye that reckon to his fold,
Or in his church your office hold,
We wish you to succeed.

Christ Jesus is that light, the word
Above all thrones and pow'rs preferr'd,
Who brought the day-spring down;
Let loose the lambs for blood design'd,
And all the chains of death unbind—
With flow'rs his altar crown.

Thou art the God which I adore,
To thee the praise I will restore
As holden by thy laws;
Thou art the God in whom I live,
The glory and my life I give
To thee, and for thy cause.

O come ye to the holy place,
And pay to God's exceeding grace
What grateful natures owe;
For due descending day by day,
His mercy-beams themselves display,
Nor pause nor period know.

PSALM CXIX.

[HEBREW]

They are the blest, whom free from guile
No carnal appetites defile,
As they their way pursue;
Who by God's mandates walk direct,
And keep, severely circumspect;
His holy will in view.

They are the blest, the which abide,
Nor to the right or left aside
From his commandments start;
Who worship with observance meek,
And to their Lord and Saviour seek
With all their mind and heart.

For he who wisely shuns the snares
Of sin and Satan, and forbears,
To lead his life amiss,
Nor with his conscience holds debate,
Walks in the way, he makes so straight,
For everlasting bliss.

Thou hast with wondrous love enlarg'd
Upon our filial fear, and charg'd
With thy paternal care,
That we the laws thy church dispense,
Should keep with anxious diligence,
Nor pains nor patience spare.

O that my ways were made so clean,
And that I could myself demean
So regular and right,
That to thy temple when I speed,
I to thy statutes may give heed,
And in thy words delight!

So shall I never dread the lash
Of censure, nor shall shame abash
My spirit or my face,
While I thy holy word obey,
And an impartial reverence pay
To all thy laws by grace.

120

I will the debt of love restore,
And bless thy bounty more and more
With gratitude unfeign'd,
When I by Christ shall have access
To knowledge and true holiness,
I have through him attain'd.

I will to all thy rites adhere,
That order, decency revere,
Thy holy church adorn;
O never leave me to my foes,
Nor thy communicant expose
To malice and to scorn.

[HEBREW]

How shall a young man shun the lure
Of pleasures, and his way secure,
Thro' purity to peace?
Ev'n in conforming to thy word,
By which the devil is deterr'd,
And fleshly cravings cease.

With all my heart's desire, the tide
Of passions sway'd by God their guide,
I have thy presence sought;
O let me not from truth decline,
Nor deviate from the blest design
Of what thy voice has taught.

Thy wholesome dictates are imprest,
And treasur'd up within my breast,
As pearls of passing price,
That I may not the haunts repeat
Of fell temptation and deceit,
And turn from thee to vice.

O Lord, thy blessedness is great,
And is avow'd by those that wait
Upon thy righteous will;
To me thy blameless doctrine shew,
With wisdom and with grace endue
To know and to fulfill.

My lips are practis'd to recite
Those venerable rules of right,
God gave the tribes he chose;
Also the new command he sent,
That christian charity cement
All parties, sects and foes.

I have delight in that great end
To which thy testimonies tend,
Immortal life and fame,
More than in all the mighty mass
Of hoarded riches, which surpass
Their owner's pow'r to name.

My conversation shall abound
To good improvement, and confound
What profligates object;
And to the tenor of thy ways,
Thy glory and eternal praise,
I will have due respect.

Thy statutes shall be mine employ,
My private and sequester'd joy,
And to the world my boast;
I will confess thy wise decrees,
And those, when most myself I please,
I shall remember most.

[HEBREW]

O to thy servant be thou kind,
Nor from the motions of my mind
Thine influence withdraw;
My need supply, my sin forgive,
My strength confirm, that I may live,
And live up to thy law.

Dispel each obstacle that lies
'Twixt truth and me, and to mine eyes
Thy mysteries unfold;
That when I to thy shrine advance
The wonders of thine ordinance
I clearly may behold.

I am a stranger upon earth,
And to my burial from my birth
Is all a pilgrim's task;
O let thy temple open wide,
Nor from me thy commandments hide
When I for guidance ask.

My soul from out my flesh escapes,
And up to thee her flight she shapes
With fervour of desire;
Which, at all times, and every place,
She has thy judgments to embrace,
And nearer home admire.

121

Thou hast rebuk'd and disallow'd
The pompous speeches of the proud,
Who talk'd so fierce and fast;
The one thing needful to defer,
And from thy dread commandments err,
Is fatal at the last.

O from foul shame my lot remove,
Nor let contemptuous fools reprove
The servant of thine hand;
Because I for thy tables care,
And with solicitude and pray'r
Obey what they command.

The princes of this world convene
Their vile dependents, and their spleen
Against thy servant vent;
But he is happily bely'd,
That in thy truth is occupy'd,
And on thy bus'ness bent.

For I with joy to Christ repair,
His sermons, parables and pray'r
Which all conceptions hit;
And for instructions, on my march
As soldier of the Lord, I search
The rules of holy writ.

[HEBREW]

My soul adheres to lowth and dust,
And worldly cares and carnal lust
Her excellence degrade:
O with thy quick'ning spirit warm
My breast, and graciously perform
The promise thou hast made!

I have with meek contrition own'd
My ways, and for the past aton'd
With all my best amends;
Thou condescended to my suit—
O in thy precepts institute,
On which my peace depends,

Make me to comprehend thy way,
That I thy precepts may convey
In all their genuine force;
So shall the works of the supreme,
And all his wonders be the theme
I chuse for my discourse.

My soul, which daily care involves,
In its vexatious feuds dissolves
Thro' burthensome fatigue;
Let thou thine holy word refresh
My spirit from the world and flesh,
That make up Satan's league.

The liars and their ways expel
From my communion, and repel
The babbler and his tale;
Cause me the sland'rers to despise,
Thy laws to cherish and to prize,
Which o'er their spite prevail.

From my first hope in early youth
The way of thine eternal truth
I have preferr'd and trac'd;
As life is perilous and short,
Thy judgments, which from sin dehort,
I have before me plac'd.

I have on thy behalf believ'd,
And to thy testimonies cleav'd
As constant in thy cause;
O Lord, let no foul stain confuse,
Nor scoffers of the world amuse
My labour from thy laws!

Thy way, by grace so well begun,
I shall have farther strength to run
Until I reach the goal;
When, Jesus, from this low degree,
And bondage of mortality,
Thou hast enlarged my soul.

[HEBREW]

Thy statutes in my heart inscribe,
And teach me, that I may imbibe
Thy salutary lore;
O Lord, do thou the text explain,
And in my mind I shall retain
The sermon evermore!

Disperse and quell the guilt and gloom
Of baleful prejudice, illume
My heart with wisdom's dow'r;
So from thy laws I shall not swerve,
But their remonstrances observe
With all my strength and pow'r.

122

By thy benign assistance lead,
That in thy path I may proceed,
And to thy truth aspire;
For there I long with love intense,
And change the world's concupiscence
With that divine desire.

Endue me with the special gift
To keep thy statutes, and the thrift
Which heaps eternal hoards;
And let me not myself beguile
With perishable things and vile,
That earth beneath affords.

O from the pomp and pride below,
And this vain world's external show
To thee mine eyes avert;
That I may scorn the carnal leav'n,
And expedite my way to heav'n
Thy quick'ning grace exert!

O in my heart thy dictates root,
That I may bear such blessed fruit
As year by year improves;
And meekly worship at thy feet,
As for a sinner it is meet,
And servant it behoves!

Strike hellish defamation dumb,
Lest an offence thro' me should come,
Which is a shame I dread;
For all thy judgments love include,
And therefore let no man obtrude
His sentence in thy stead.

Behold I in thy words rejoice,
And pay obedience to thy voice,
O with thy quick'ning ray
Be with me, that I may not want
Religious courage to comfront
The foes of truth and day!

[HEBREW]

Moreover for the cross I bear,
Let Christ thy promis'd word declare,
Thy righteous wrath appeas'd;
Since now the Dove's command is done
Hear this, my Son, my darling Son,
In whom I rest well pleas'd.

So shall I check the sland'rous fool,
And tutor'd in the christian school,
Benevolence retort
For all his mockery and wrath,
Since I believe and give my troth
To what thy words exhort.

O let no superstition shut
The volume of thy truth, nor put
To silence pray'r and song;
For to thy judgments I submit,
And trust thy mercy will acquit
Thy holy church of wrong!

Thus in thine house betimes and late,
I shall observe and cultivate
The laws thy finger wrote;
Yea, to thy blessed word and will
For ever and for ever still
My services devote.

And free from tyranny and strife
I walk the pilgrimage of life,
And 'scape both floods and flame;
For those commandments in thine ark
Are what I seek for, and the mark
Where I direct my aim.

I likewise will myself present,
And speak upon thy Testament
Before the face of kings;
Nor shall a blush my cheeks invest,
'Tis God's ambassador profest
The sov'reign mandate brings.

This also to my peace shall add
A new delight, and make me glad
To think on things above;
And with just fear for all and each
Proceed to practise and to preach
Thy precepts which love.

My hands I also will address
Thy precepts which I love to bless,
And lift them up on high;
And thy commandments to peruse,
And on their gracious import muse,
With studious care apply.

123

[HEBREW]

O to thy servant have respect,
And all thy goodness recollect
For this mine humbled dust;
According to thy word of pow'r,
In which mine expectations tow'r,
And where I ground my trust!

The same is in the hour of woe
My consolation, when I go
About my soul's affairs;
For 'tis thy word, of cordial taste,
Which nature's weariness and waste
Requickens and repairs.

The proud, whose vanity is fed
By fools and flatt'rers, on my head
Their taunts unceasing heap;
They scoff, they menace, and they boast,
But yet I shrink not from my post,
Which is thy law to keep.

For when I to this truth attend,
That thy just judgments know not end,
Nor thy compassion bounds,
And that the term of life is brief,
The thought administers relief
And balm into my wounds.

Terror and fearful tremblings chill
My members, and, foreboding ill,
My soul within me shakes,
When I behold how folly thrives,
And with what peril of their lives
The world thy law forsakes.

The precepts which thy words endear
To mine affections and mine ear,
And in my heart implant,
All my anxieties assuage,
And in this toilsome pilgrimage
They are the songs I chant.

At night, when contemplation broods,
Nor business of the world intrudes,
My meditations soar,
And on thy name in rapture think;
While others on their couches sink,
My pray'rs thy word adore.

To this degree of grace I grew
As to my loud professions true
I kept my ways from guilt;
Prompt at all seasons to maintain
Allegiance to thy laws and reign,
In which my hopes are built.

[HEBREW]

Thou art my portion, the reward
And end of all my pains, O Lord;
I stand engag'd and bound
Before thy mercy-seat to pray,
And with a filial love obey
The truth thy laws propound.

Thy loving favour I besought,
When to sincere repentance brought
I at thine altar knelt;
O let thy work and word agree,
And to my heart's impassion'd plea
With tender mercy melt!

The failings of the former times,
And all my abdicated crimes
I have with tears review'd;
The loathsome filth of vice I spurn'd,
And to thy testimonies turn'd
With all the man renew'd.

I hasted from the paths impure
My soul's obedience to mature,
And consecrate my bloom;
Nor left what thy command appoints
For wither'd hands and feeble joints,
Which years and cares consume.

Tho' thieves into a gang unite,
And to despoil me of my right,
By dark my doors beset;
I keep my catechism still,
“Thou shalt not steal, thou shalt not kill,”
I well remember yet.

At midnight I will musick make,
And keep my gratitude awake
Before the blazing lamp;
Because the laws thou didst enact
Are righteous, to the truth exact,
And bear thine heav'nly stamp.

124

I my most cordial love attach
To godly men, and such as match
Their manly fear with mine;
My neighbours are the good and great,
And who from excellence innate
Unto thy laws incline.

This earth, O Lord, is heap'd and press'd,
And with thy benefits is bless'd,
Which day by day descend;
In thy New Testament instruct
My heart, and to my peace conduct,
As I by that shall mend.

[HEBREW]

O Lord, thy favour is extream,
And on my head thy mercies beam
Inestimably kind!
And to thy promise thou hast stood,
Beyond my hopes immensely good
Thy work of love I find.

O give me wisdom to discern,
And lively diligence to learn,
And relish what I read;
For thy commands I have believ'd,
With gladness thy report receiv'd,
And to its truth accede!

I went astray, and far from God
I wander'd, till thy vengeful rod
My grievous fault chastis'd;
But now, to vice no more a slave,
I with sobriety behave,
As by thy word advis'd.

Thy goodness glories to refresh
Thy creatures, and towards all flesh
Thy bounties are diffus'd;
O to my heart thy statutes teach
That I may keep them free from breach,
By conscience unaccus'd!

The proud, who thy decrees disdain,
Against thy servant falshoods feign,
And in them persevere;
But to thy laws I will ally
My heart with every pow'rful tye,
And with regard sincere.

While wealth abounds, and flatt'rers fawn,
With luxury as fat as brawn
Their carnal hearts they choak;
But I my consolation build
In that thy word I have fulfill'd,
And yield me to thy yoke.

'Tis good that with a hand so strict
And frequent stripes thou didst afflict
My youth to pain inur'd;
That I thy statutes thus might know,
And all my trials undergo
Undaunted and assur'd.

The law, which for thy mercies sake
Thy mouth amidst the thund'rings spake
To Jacob's sons of old,
Is in my sight of greater worth
Than all the treasuries of earth
In silver and in gold.

[HEBREW]

From thy creative hands I came
Compleat, and in a goodly frame
Thou hast my soul enwrapt;
My feeble faculties endow,
And to thy precepts as I bow,
By grace my thoughts adapt.

They that in fear thy name confess,
And on whose countenance express
Thy radiant blessing glows,
My glory will rejoice to see,
Since in thy holy word and thee
I still my trust repose.

I know, O Lord, thou judgest right,
And pains my gross misdeeds requite
Their filthiness to purge;
Thou shalt thy faithfulness exalt,
In that thou visitests my fault
With thy terrific scourge.

O send thy comforter to sooth
My bitter agonies, and smooth
My way thro' toil and care;
According to thy word of truth,
Where, in thy servant's early youth,
Acceptance bless'd his pray'r!

125

O show'r thy loving mercies down
At once my rising hopes to crown,
And to prolong my days;
For in thy law my life is spent,
Hence pleasure and serene content
My face in smiles arrays!

The scoffers and their pride abash,
And all their deep devices quash
With which they would destroy
And with contempt thy servant brand,
For in the word of thy command
I will myself employ.

Let such as in thy grace are grown,
And have thy testimonies known,
With all their precious terms,
Be turn'd to me—example warms
The penitent, yet more reforms
And ev'n the strong confirms.

O in my heart thy statutes ground,
Work it regenerate and sound,
That nothing may estrange
My soul from her eternal rest,
Or raise a terror in my breast,
Or make my colour change!

[HEBREW]

Cloy'd with the dull delights of sense,
For thy divine benevolence
With all my soul I long;
And I for that translation look,
As in the sanction of thy book
My tow'ring hope is strong.

Mine eyes, which to thy throne above
I lift in extacy of love,
Thy saving word beseech;
O when wilt thou refresh my soul,
I cry, while tears incessant roll,
Their sympathetic speech?

For tears and sobs mine utt'rance choke,
Like bottles season'd in the smoke
Mine organs are become;
Yet still upon thy word I wait,
Nor sin hath made me an ingrate,
Tho' sorrow strikes me dumb.

How many of my days remain,
When from this state of pray'r and pain
Shall I to thee remove?
When shall the wretches, who debase
Their souls by malice, have thy grace,
And by thy word improve?

The proud, who see me thus forlorn,
Increase their malice and their scorn,
They dig their pits by stealth,
Invoking all the pow'rs of hell,
And thus against thy laws rebel,
Thy peace and saving health.

All thy divine commands are true,
Which from my heart I keep and do,
O to mine aid attend,
And drive my furious foes aloof,
Who would condemn me without proof,
And punish without end!

I well nigh perish'd by the force
Of ruffian hands without remorse,
In wounds and death expert;
Yet was I never overaw'd
With open violence and fraud
Thy dictates to desert.

O with thy love my heart revive,
And to those truths I shall arrive
Thy blessed lips instill'd,
And in thy laws my life enjoy,
Which Jesus came not to destroy,
But for us all fulfill'd!

[HEBREW]

O Lord, of everlasting pow'r,
Whose throne immortal palms embow'r,
Where cherubims are heard,
And angels kneel—thy glorious word
For ever is in heav'n preferr'd,
Exalted and inspher'd.

Thy truth from race to race consists,
And from eternities exists;
The far-extended sweep
Of stedfast earth thou hast display'd,
And on the pillar'd arches laid
The waters of the deep.

126

Thy works continue to this day,
Both those that on their bases stay
And they which are revolv'd;
For all things at thy word began,
And serving to thy wondrous plan
Are into thee resolv'd.

Had I not valu'd from my birth
Thy laws for their internal worth,
And took delight therein,
My strength could not have been supply'd,
But in my trouble I had dy'd
In sorrow and in sin.

I keep my mind, while life permits,
Retentive of thy benefits,
Nor shall my tongue be mute
Upon the lessons of thy charge,
For my conceptions they are large,
And quicken my pursuit.

From baptism my god-childhood vow,
From confirmation until now
I am inlisted thine;
Save me, who with the price am bought,
For I with diligence have sought
The way thy laws injoin.

Ungodly men in numbers swarm'd,
And their conspiracy they form'd
To slay me with the sword;
But I will search for my relief
The words which to Jeshurun's chief
Thy gracious hand restor'd.

I see that all things have their doom,
And all the vanities consume
On which the world is bent;
But greater far than death and time
Thy word is simple and sublime,
And of immense extent.

[HEBREW]

Lord, how my study and delight
Is all the livelong day and night
To turn thy sacred page,
From whose clear mirror I derive
Ensamples for my youth and hive,
Resources for mine age.

I through thy spirit am discreet
Beyond my foes and their deceit,
Beyond my rivals wise;
For I thy word about me bear,
As bracelets on my wrist I wear,
And frontlets on my eyes.

Mine understanding comprehends
More than my regulating friends,
Or anxious teachers know;
For with shrewd questions unperplext,
My studies are the genuine text
Whence all good morals flow.

My prudence is beyond my years,
And elders, hoary priests and seers
Are of inferior skill,
Because, by special grace sustain'd,
I keep those precepts unprofan'd
Which thy commands instill.

My cautious feet from folly's maze
I have refrain'd, and all the ways
Of subtlety and craft,
That fruit thy covenant may yield,
Which is upon my forehead seal'd,
And on my heart ingraft.

I will not from thy banner run,
Or leave thy holy will undone
Whate'er the tempter threats;
For thou art with me to controul,
And the preceptor of my soul
A blessed pattern sets.

O thou hast sent my soul to sooth
Thy words, how musically smooth,
And elegantly chaste;
Yea sweeter they their sounds endear
To my conception and mine ear
Than honey to my taste!

Through thy monitions I explore
The depts of intellectual store,
And thence my steps adjust;
Therefore the ways that I suspect,
And all things base and indirect,
I from my soul disgust.

127

[HEBREW]

Thy word, as through the dang'rous road
Of life I bear a cumb'rous load,
Like lamps upon a fort,
Directs my path o'er treach'rous tides,
And by that light my vessel glides
Safe to the destin'd port.

I've sworn, and will observe the terms
While thine assistant grace confirms
The sanction of mine oath,
To keep with stedfast faith, and bless
The judgments of thy righteousness
From actual sin and sloth.

Incroaching grief by fits devours
My strength, nor can my weaken'd pow'rs
With such afflictions cope;
O Lord, my faculties renew,
That mercy to thy servant shew,
Thy word inspires to hope.

Let the free tribute of my tongue,
In hymns before mine altar sung,
Which love and faith suggest,
Be pleasing in thy sight, O Lord,
And all thy dread decrees record
Upon thy servant's breast.

In daily jeopardy I stand,
My soul is always in my hand,
And trembles in suspense;
Yet will I not forget a clause
Of what is written in thy laws
Through error or offence.

To traps and snares the traitors stoop,
Nor have they courage in their troop
To make a bold assault;
But I revere what thou hast taught,
Nor shall thy servant, e'en in thought,
From thy commands revolt.

With hopes of heav'nly bliss inflam'd,
I've in thy testimonies claim'd
An everlasting part;
And why? to be with thine and thee
Is the supreme felicity
Of my transported heart.

My heart I have with care revis'd,
And in thy statutes exercis'd,
Which also to perform
I will persist while that shall beat,
And while the bloomy vital heat
My swelling veins shall warm.

[HEBREW]

I hate the wretches that invert
God's order, and imagine hurt
Against the souls of men;
But I thy law in love receive,
And thence for all the best believe
Within conception's ken.

Where'er I rest, where'er I roam,
Thou art my sure defence at home,
And buckler for the sight;
And trusting in thy pow'r to save,
I fear that word beyond the grave,
Evangelists indite.

Away, ye ministers of hell,
Whose hearts against the light rebel,
And start as conscience stings;
For o'er God's charge I pray and fast,
And my true loyalty shall last
To Christ the King of kings.

O stablish me, which by thy word
Thou to thy servant hast averr'd,
That I in peace may live;
All my misgiving fears remove,
Nor let that hope abortive prove,
Which thou hast deign'd to give.

I shall emerge, if thou sustain,
And in security remain
By thy compassion buoy'd;
Yea, and as faith and hope compute
Thy statutes their eternal fruit,
Be with delight employ'd.

Thou hast rejected, and shalt crush
All them that to perdition rush
From thine eternal truth;
For they're deceitful in their souls,
Their artful tongue with flatt'ry trowls,
And poison in their tooth.

128

Thou from thy presence shalt divorce
The men who take an evil course,
Like dross from purer ore,
Who hug the snake, and spurn the Dove,
Therefore thy covenant I love
The mightier and the more.

From head to foot the tremblings seize
My body, while with bended knees
I think on my misdeeds,
And on thy great tribunal-day;
But still thy judgments to delay
Prevailing mercy pleads.

[HEBREW]

In truth and equity I deal,
And to thy righteous laws appeal
To justify my fame;
O save me from the pow'r of those
That on my back at once impose
The burden and the blame.

By thy compulsive grace instill
An inclination to thy will,
And to delight in good,
That wheresoe'er the proud and strong
Conspire to do thy servant wrong,
Their force may be withstood.

Mine eyes with watchfulness and tears
Are wasting, till thy mercy clears
The clouds that intervene,
And till thy righteous word be sent
To make a warning world repent,
And close the bloody scene.

O estimate my soul's offence
By thy divine benevolence,
Not from its grievous dye;
And on my heart thy laws impress,
That I in thankful faithfulness
All others may outvie!

I serve as teacher to thy fold,
The blessed doctrine which I hold,
O give me strength to scan!
And on the sacred text descant,
And urge the gracious covenant
Thou hast reveal'd to man.

'Tis time, O Lord, the flames to slack
With which the schismatics attack
Thine house, nor brook restraint,
And thy just judgments they deride,
Polluting all things sanctify'd,
And trampling every saint.

For thy commandments, which assist
The meek, whose word dispel the mist,
And raging torrent stems,
I prize in love's eternal bond
Beyond all pleasure, and beyond
Fine gold and polish'd gems.

Wherefore with firmness I conclude
That all thy laws are rectitude;
And all false ways that war
Against the welfare of mankind,
And in base chains the conscience bind,
I from my soul abhor.

[HEBREW]

Thy sacred oracles are great,
Above all wonder, and elate
The soul to glorious laud;
Therefore, where'er I set my staff,
I keep them in my own behalf,
And spread their use abroad.

Whene'er thy mighty word is shown,
And rolls in thunder from thy throne
Amidst celestial fires,
It cleanses that which is impure,
And lightens those that are obscure,
And simple folk inspires.

Thou, Lord and Master of my heart,
And well I say, for so thou art
In thine own words exprest;
My mouth I open'd, or had burst,
And hunger after thee, and thirst
For thy divine behest.

O on my bondage look and loose,
And with the rays of love transfuse
In pity to my case;
As thou art ever wont to do
To that select and blessed few,
Which thy dread name embrace!

129

Dispose me that my steps I take,
And act in all things for thy sake,
And as thy word appoints;
So shall no traitor over-reach,
Nor Satan with his crimes impeach
The man whom Christ anoints.

O shield me from the lewd reproach
Of loose companions, that incroach
Upon thy servant's bounds,
That I, nor broken nor beguil'd,
May keep thy doctrine undefil'd,
Whose light itself expounds.

Against this world of change and chance
Pour down thy radiant countenance,
And bless me to be brave;
The words that God pronounc'd from heav'n,
And Jesus gave his own eleven,
Upon my heart ingrave.

Mine eyes with tears of anguish gush,
And for the gen'ral guilt I blush,
With sobs my bosom heaves,
Because thy laws they will not fear,
But still with troubl'd minds we hear
Of murd'rers and of thieves.

[HEBREW]

The fair perfection of thy reign
Is endless justice without stain,
O sovereign Lord of Lords!
Thy judgments are exceeding wise,
The threaten'd death, the proffer'd prize,
Thy terrors and rewards!

The words of thy divine command,
Which high above thine altar stand,
That all may kneel and read,
Their truth and righteousness unblam'd,
All laws and rules that e'er were fram'd,
In worth and weight exceed.

My zeal upon my vitals preys,
Because of those perverted ways,
Which all my foes espouse;
Who, while thy statutes they forget,
And with thy goodness run in debt,
Mine indignation rouse.

Thy word in all extremes is try'd,
And can their ordeal flames abide,
More glorious from the proof;
And I, as join'd to thine elect,
With all my soul's desire affect
Its beauty and behoof.

I am but small and of no class,
The meanest of thy saints surpass
My utmost in desert;
Yet will I not thy precept slight,
But with all vehemence and might
Their excellence assert.

Thou art our righteousness declar'd,
And all things are, with thee compar'd,
Ungracious and uncouth,
And thine is the transcendent sway,
Which shall its eminence display
In sempiternal truth.

All bliss and comfort here below,
Thro' sad inquietude and woe,
Upon my spirit pall;
Yet have I joys which never fail,
When to thy word before the veil
With prostrate face I fall.

Thy testimonies are reveal'd
In justice not to be repeal'd,
And to retrench or add
Is not for mortals: O increase
My knowledge, and with endless peace
To transport make me glad.

[HEBREW]

O Lord, for strength to bear thy yoke,
Thee from my closet I invoke,
Thee, likewise, from my couch;
As from my heart my pray'rs ascend,
Thine ear to my devotions lend,
For I thy laws avouch!

Yea, thee will I invoke for aid,
And pray thy pity to persuade
To these my vows aspire,
And by thy help thou shalt enlarge
My mind her duty to discharge,
As thy decrees require.

130

To thee my soul herself sublimes,
And utt'ring her complaint betimes,
She must her griefs alledge;
For to the word thou deign'd to shew,
When thy tremendous trumpet blew,
My stedfast troth I pledge.

Mine eyes, upon thy word intent,
The watches of the night prevent,
Thy volumes I unroll,
And from all worldly cares detach
My spirit, that I may dispatch
The bus'ness of my soul.

O Lord, as I thy throne accost,
Let not my humble suit be lost,
But hearken to my plea;
According to thine usual grace,
Assist and animate my race
To heav'nly bliss and thee!

The rebels, by thy laws untaught,
And with malicious vengeance fraught,
My very doors besiege,
And by their wickedness evince,
How far they are from peace her prince,
And only sovereign liege.

Be thou, my Saviour, also nigh,
And to my need thy help apply,
Against this hostile rage;
For in thy truth thou hast decreed
A blessing on the righteous seed
Like to the thousandth age.

Thy holy laws, which Jesus crown'd
By sinless piety, redound,
To gen'ral joy and use,
And e'en by children understood,
Are fashion'd for eternal good,
To which they all conduce.

[HEBREW]

O with a fatherly regard
Consider my distress, how hard
Amongst thy sons my lot;
Attend and patronise my cause,
For mine allegiance to thy laws
I never have forgot.

For me and for my foes decide,
Against their virulence and pride,
And all their weapons ward;
Encourage me my woes to bear,
By praise, by patience, and by pray'r,
And to thy word accord.

Health is from wicked men remote,
Which on the pomp of Mammon glote,
And court the dust and moth;
Which, in all offices remiss,
Heed not the hopes of heavenly bliss,
Nor hazard of thy wrath.

Great is thy goodness in its fruits,
Of all thy blessed attributes
The nearest to thy heart;
My listless faculties arouse,
O Lord, and to my daily vows
Thy wonted grace impart!

I am oppress'd with foes and feuds,
And by combining multitudes
In tumult overborne;
Yet will I not in thought despise
Thy statutes, or apostatize
From that which I have sworn.

It grieves my heart when I behold
The world so careless and so cold
In what their soul concerns,
Because they will not be resolv'd,
But each, in carnal cares involv'd,
From church to vice returns.

Consider, ev'n in deep distress,
With what affection I caress
The Gospel Jesus spake.
O Lord, as thou art loving-kind,
Of all thy mercies in my mind
A lively sense awake!

Thy words are everlasting life,
And can their purpose in the strife
Of elements maintain;
And though the Lord predicts a day,
When heav'n and earth must pass away,
His Gospel shall remain.

131

[HEBREW]

Proud potentates, on no pretence,
And with unbounded insolence,
Against me have inveigh'd;
But with thy word my heart I arm,
And all their terror and alarm
Is clamour and parade.

When from thy word of light supreme
Some new illuminations beam,
I with the prize am pleas'd,
As one, that after blood and toil,
Upon some rich and gorgeous spoil
With eager hand has seiz'd.

All lies, and wretches who suborn
Their brethren to deceit, I scorn,
Of thought and speech the shame;
But I have fix'd my heart's delight
Upon those blessed rules of right,
Which bear our Saviour's name.

Each day, at sev'n appointed hours,
My soul to thee in fervour tow'rs
To bless thy pow'r divine;
Because thy gifts for homage call
And thy blest dispensations all
Are righteous and benign.

All those that keep themselves from sin,
Have great tranquillity within,
As they thy name adore,
Nor are offended at the course
Of practice which thy laws inforce,
But bless them more and more.

Lord, by a long-protracted space,
With love's impatience for thy grace,
I have devoutly sigh'd,
And thy divine commands pursu'd,
And heav'n-conducted, self-subdu'd,
In every point comply'd.

In all the laws of life adept,
My soul thy covenant has kept
As of her love the test,
And tenders it exceeding dear,
The rather as she verges near
To her eternal rest.

Thy covenant and each decree
Thou made, I keep, and bow the knee
To thee, O Lord, alone;
For I am prov'd upon thy scale,
And all my thoughts themselves unveil
Before thine awful throne.

[HEBREW]

Let my complaint, which I prefer,
That I from human weakness err,
Thro' Christ, O Lord, be heard;
According to thy word expand
My knowledge, let the chaff be fann'd,
And all the gloom be clear'd.

Grant to mine orisons access,
As I thy gracious throne address,
And with acceptance greet;
True to thy word my soul reprieve
From bondage, under which I grieve,
And all my vows compleat.

My lips, which cannot praise too much,
Shall speak as by thine hallow'd touch
They're sanctified and tun'd,
When thou thy law hast fully taught,
And from my heart each fruitless thought,
And vile affection prun'd.

Yea, I will take none other theme
For musick than thy word supreme,
Upon my heart or tongue;
For thy commands in truth compriz'd,
And with such blessings harmoniz'd,
Are worthiest to be sung.

Let thine hand save me from mischance,
That I may with my feet advance
Where now I send my voice;
For by thy statutes I procure,
My calling and election sure,
Because they are my choice.

I long to quit the world beneath,
And mine ejaculations breathe
Toward my Saviour's peace;
For from thy law my gladness springs,
O Lord, and from all earthly things
I sue for my release.

132

O give my soul to life and joy,
Where neither moth nor worms destroy
My toils in triumph crown;
Amongst thy glorious saints enlist,
And still thy judgments shall assist
While I thy name renown.

I went astray, of grace bereft,
Like some poor sheep, when he has left
The shepherd at a loss;
Let mercy seek, if love regret,
A vagrant who could not forget
The GOSPEL of thy CROSS.

PSALM CXX.

When strong calamity prevail'd,
And all my mirth was mute,
By pray'r the topmost heav'n I scal'd,
And Jesus heard my suit.

Shield me from lips with lies replete,
Or which their word revoke;
And from the language of the cheat
Expert his thoughts to cloak.

O tongue, deceitful and obscene,
What shall thy rage controul?
(Unless Christ's merits intervene)
Sharp darts and burning coal.

How long, ye faithless crooked race,
With you must I reside?
How long, said Christ, the prince of grace,
Must I your ways abide?

My soul her sorrows overcharge
Unto the last extreme,
For while I still on peace enlarge
They question and blaspheme.

I strive to work them up to peace
From horror and despair;
But at the word their bands increase,
And they their cross prepare.

PSALM CXXI.

Beyond the mountains hoary brow
I will my views extend,
From whence is help, and who shall now
The needful comfort send.

My help is from the Lord of love
In welfare or in woe,
Which arch'd the glorious heav'n above,
And laid the land below.

Through him thy feet their ground shall keep,
And move secure and free,
Nor shall the blessed watchman sleep,
Which is on guard for thee.

Behold Jeshurun's ward, that draws
The veil of thy repose,
His active nature needs no pause,
Nor sleep nor slumber knows.

The Lord, thy keeper, is intent
On his peculiar charge,
The Lord all dangers shall prevent,
Thy breast-plate and thy targe;

So that the sun's meridian lamp
Shall not thy veins inflame,
Nor shall the moon-beams, in the damp
Of midnight, chill thy frame.

The Lord thy safety shall insure,
All peril shall award;
Yea, and thy soul shall rest secure
When cherish'd by the Lord.

The Lord shall for thy ways provide
Thro' every sea and shore;
Thy travel and return to guide
From henceforth evermore.

PSALM CXXII.

My heart with gladness was elate
To hear it thus agreed,
On Jesus let us wait,
And to his temple speed.

133

Our weary foot shall rest its sole,
No more in tents to roam,
And Salem's moat and mole
Shall keep us safe at home.

Jerusalem's harmonious plan
Of building well describes
Our order man by man,
And union of our tribes.

For there the tribes, howe'er remote,
Upon the Lord attend,
Their off'rings to devote
And gratitude commend.

There is the mercy-seat, the place
For Israel to appeal,
For David and his race
Impartial truth to deal.

O pray for her eternal peace,
For Salem bend the knee;
Their welfare shall increase
Who have a love for thee!

The peace of God within thy ports,
And on thy walls abide,
And in thy splendid courts
His plenteousness reside.

For Christ, and for the brethrens sake,
And those with whom I dwell,
My soul thy part shall take,
And ever wish thee well.

Yea, for the zeal with which I prize
And for the church have stood,
My heart shall still devise
Thy glory and thy good.

PSALM CXXIII.

To thee from thy temple I lift up mine eyes,
And breathe from my heart-strings the passionate sighs,
O thou that with goodness and glory replete,
Hast fixt in the holiest of holies thy seat!

The looks of a servant his master revere,
The damsel her mistress with meekness and fear,
Thus elder and matron, and all our whole race
Attend at thy footstool for strength and for grace.

O Lord, let thine angel of comfort descend,
With blessed compassion our woes to befriend,
For in this dejection and wretched estate
They make us their object of scorn and of hate.

Our souls are disgusted and loaded with care,
Whilst hardly the taunts of the wealthy we bear,
And stand all abash'd at the spiteful disdain
We daily receive from the pompous and vain.

PSALM CXXIV.

If God himself, with joy and pride,
May Israel in salvation say;
If God had not been on our fide
On that tremendous day,

The hostile swarms had overpow'r'd
Our utmost efforts to engage,
And quick with fire and sword devour'd,
So furious was their rage.

Yea, Rabbah's waters stain'd with blood
Had borne our carcasses afloat,
And we had perish'd in the flood
That fills the circling mote.

The stream with flowing life enlarg'd,
Had giv'n their proud revenge delight;
The deep canal, with death surcharg'd,
Had gratify'd their spite.

But blessed be the God of peace,
Who hath not left his chosen fold
For thieves and murderers to fleece
With malice uncontroul'd.

As when the greedy fowler's snare
The birds by providence elude,
Our souls are rescu'd from despair,
And their free flight renew'd.

134

Our help in God's most holy name
With perfect confidence we place,
Which made the world's harmonious frame,
And man's unnumber'd race.

PSALM CXXV.

They, which their faithfulness have prov'd,
Shall, like fair Zion, spread, and soar
God's mount, that may not be remov'd,
But stands for evermore.

Round Salem's walls the hills ascend,
Ev'n so God's angels rank in air
His faithful people to defend,
For evermore his care.

For godless bands, which are a scourge,
Shall never share our blessed lot,
Lest they the righteous man should urge
His honest fame to blot.

Lord, thy benevolence maintain,
And kindly with thy people deal;
Thy people which are good in grain,
And have a heart to feel.

But they whose hearts relapse to sin,
Shall with the profligates be sped,
While peace external and within
Shall rest on Israel's head.

PSALM CXXVI.

When Zion's sons, in bonds detain'd,
God hasted to redeem,
A pleasing doubt at first remain'd
As unto those that dream.

Then smiles bedeckt each alter'd face
Thro' fulness of content;
And songs and anthems held the place
Of sighs in sorrow sent.

Then said the heathen, as they freed
Our feet from out the gyves,
God's wond'rous grace has thus decreed
Your liberties and lives.

Yea, God has done stupendous things
Both now and all along,
For which our grateful nation rings
With many a joyful song.

Turn thou, O Lord, our captive state
As southern rivers flow,
Which first foam turbid, but abate,
And brighten as they go.

To those who mournful till the ground,
And on the furrows weep,
Their travel shall to peace redound
When they with pleasure reap.

He that with tears his grief relieves,
And bears a kindly grain,
Shall in true gladness bind his sheaves
When Christ shall come again.

PSALM CXXVII.

If the work be not direct,
And the Lord the fabrick build,
All the plans that men project
Are but labour idly spill'd.

If the Lord be not the guard,
And the forts and tow'rs sustain,
All the city gates are barr'd,
And the watchman wakes in vain.

Vainly for the bread of care
Late and early hours ye keep,
For 'tis thus by fervent pray'r
That he lays the blest asleep.

Lo! thy children are not thine,
Nor the fruits of female love,
But an heritage divine,
And a blessing from above.

Like as arrows in the grasp
Of a valiant man of might,
Are the children that you clasp
In some future hour of fight.

135

Blest! who in his quiver stows
Darts like these, a goodly freight,
Nor shall blush when with his foes
He shall parley in the gate.

PSALM CXXVIII.

Blessed are all that love and fear
The Lord their God, and self-severe
Their appetites restrain,
Who follow fame, and dread dispraise,
And walk directly in the ways
Which he has made so plain.

For thou shalt live upon thine own,
And what thine industry has sown
Thy hand shall surely reap;
When thou get'st up, O well is thee,
And in serene felicity
Securely shalt thou sleep.

Domestick sweetness shall be thine,
Thy partner like the fruitful vine
In all its clust'ring bloom,
Which to the gard'ner's will is bent,
And spreads an useful ornament
Round every shaded room.

The children of thy plighted vows
Shall flourish, like thine olive-boughs,
About thy social board;
And each o'er other, as they rise,
Shall to your love-delighted eyes
A pleasing scene afford.

Behold that blessings, great as these,
Shall rest upon the faithful knees
Of him who fears the Lord;
And he, the father of us all,
To those that on his godhead call
Such treasures shall award.

Reveal'd from Zion in the height,
The Lord new blessing shall create
Alike to thine and thee,
And highly favour'd branch and stem,
The welfare of Jerusalem
Thou all thy life shall see.

Yea, thou shalt live to see thy face
Resembled in thy children's race,
And hail the genuine breed;
Born in good days to shear the fleece,
When God sends plenty, pow'r and peace
To Jacob's chosen seed.

PSALM CXXIX.

Full often the barbarian host,
May Israel urge with truth,
Arose in arms against our coast,
To this my stablish'd reign from early youth.

Yea, many a time from youth till now
They have our coast assail'd;
But through our valour and our vow
They have not yet with all their force prevail'd.

With ploughs to mark their camp they came
As on our fields they throng'd,
And harrow'd up my vital frame
While their insulting furrows they prolong'd.

But God from fear his own exempts
Whatever foe invade,
To quell both violent attempts,
And foil the schemes of secret ambuscade.

Let their embattl'd lines be broke
And turn'd to flight with shame,
Whoe'er their idols aid invoke
Against fair Zion's fortitude and fame.

Make all the snares which they have plann'd,
Like grass upon the wall,
Which fades without the gath'rer's hand,
Of none effect, or benefit at all.

From whence the garner has no gain,
Nor damsel garland weaves,
Nor can there any thing remain
For him that whets the scythes or binds the sheaves.

136

So that the passenger beholds
No heaps to make him bless;
The Lord increase your lands and folds,
We wish you for the sake of Christ success.

PSALM CXXX.

From out the deep with piercing strain
My soul express'd her grief,
O Lord, let piteous cries obtain
An audience and relief.

O ponder with paternal ears
The voice with which I pray,
And these my penitential tears
With melting eyes survey.

If thou, O Lord of endless bliss,
Shouldst rigid truth assume,
To try what mortals do amiss,
Who shall support his doom!

But pow'rful mercy is thine own
In Christ that dy'd for all,
And therefore trembling at thy throne
Shall adoration fall.

I look for God, and watch and fast
To purify my dust;
My soul shall in his precepts cast
The anchor of her trust.

My soul to God pursues her flight
When once his aid's withdrawn,
As guards nocturnal seek the light,
And watchmen wish for dawn.

O Israel, in the Lord your king
A firm reliance ground,
Through him redemption's living spring
Both grace and truth abound.

And he most surely shall redeem
The manners and the times,
And hallow by his pow'r supreme
All Israel from their crimes.

PSALM CXXXI.

O Lord, I am not apt to deal
In pompous thoughts and self-esteem,
Nor, with the failings that I feel,
Upon superior greatness dream;
Nor, shew to bear my neighbour down,
A haughty supercilious frown.

I study not to train my tongue
In subtle and abstruse disputes,
Nor is my fixt attention hung
On him that reasons or refutes;
I am not fond to interfere
With things that soar beyond my sphere.

But grace by pray'r my soul refrains,
And keeps it low with all her means,
As when the nurse herself constrains,
And from the breast her infant weans;
Yea, like the suckling from the breast,
I keep my soul from food and rest.

O children of the chosen stock
From all the nations of mankind,
Your trust repose in God your rock,
And bear his benefits in mind;
And call'd of Jesus Christ, adore
His mercies ev'n more and more.

PSALM CXXXII.

Remember David's care,
O God of praise and peace,
To his complaints repair,
And all his debts release;
Which press upon him such a load,
And his repining heart corrode.

Remember how he nam'd
The Lord unto his vow,
And what an oath he fram'd,
As on fair Zion's brow
His soul adjur'd the Lord of hosts,
Whose angels, Jacob, guard thy coasts.

137

I will not quit the sod
From whence my pray'rs aspire,
Nor from the face of God
To privacy retire;
Nor by temptation's hand be led
To climb and rest upon my bed.

I will not bow to yield
Mine eyes in wonted sleep,
Nor let their lids be seal'd
As soothing slumbers creep;
Nor these my robes of pray'r divest
To let my temples take their rest.

Until at length I trace
For God's establish'd fane
An eligible place
His glory to contain;
An habitation in the east
For Jacob's gracious God and priest.

Of such a blessed site
We from the spirit learn'd,
And to our great delight
In Ephrata discern'd;
And there we mark'd it in the wood
The temple of the GREAT and GOOD.

We will with one accord
To his cathedral speed,
And to the blessed Lord
Our mutual ardour feed;
With meekness there his presence greet
And fall before his altar's feet.

Arise, O God, arise,
And to thy rest resort,
And as thy standard flies
Thy glorious host exhort;
And to thine ark of strength come down,
The hallow'd shrine of thy renown.

Let all thy mitred seers
With righteousness be clad,
Which rising virtue cheers
And reprimands the bad;
And let thy saints rejoice and sing
Hosanna to the Lord their king.

Thy succour we implore,
And that for David's sake;
Abscond thyself no more
From these the pray'rs we make;
Nor let us breathe in vain our vows,
Nor Christ be absent from his spouse.

The Lord my seed hath sown,
And made a faithful oath
Respecting David's throne,
Himself and children both;
Nor will he fail his word express,
By which he bound himself to bless.

From Jesse's goodly root
I will my BRANCH educe
Of matchless bloom and fruit,
By giving love a loose;
I will the throne of David build
Till it shall be with Jesus fill'd.

And if thy future sons
Shall to their Saviour earn,
The words, which he that runs
May read, if they will learn,
Their children also in thy room
The royal sceptre shall resume.

For God has set his mind
Upon fair Zion's mound,
The house his grace design'd
His goodness there shall found;
And for her heart-directed songs,
And pray'rs of penitence he longs.

Upon her stately tow'rs
My glory shall descend,
My word her height impow'rs
To flourish without end;
All rivalry she shall excell,
And I with her will love to dwell.

My blessing on her food
And on her garners sent,
Shall daily be renew'd,
Her stores I will augment;
Her poor shall to the full be fed,
Nor ever know the want of bread.

138

Her priests shall glow with health,
And strength to pray and fast,
While pleasures, thrift and wealth
Shall to the crowd be cast;
Her saints with heav'n-assisted voice
Shall in exalted hymns rejoice.

There will I cause the horn
Of David still to sprout,
And with those wreathes adorn
I weave for kings devout;
I will anoint and fix him mine
In a translucent sphere to shine.

I will the tumults hush
Which trouble his repose,
And spread a shameful blush
Upon his noisy foes;
But in his crown the gems shall beam,
And with superior lustre stream.

PSALM CXXXIII.

Behold, my brethren, which around
To these my psalms of praise attend,
How good a doctrine, and how sound,
And in what bliss it need must end;
To dwell together in the Lord
Like-minded, and of one accord.

'Tis like the precious fragrant cruse
When pour'd upon the hoary head,
Which ran upon the beard profuse,
Ev'n Aaron's beard where it was shed;
And thence descending from his breast,
It reach'd the border of his vest.

'Tis like the blessed honey-dew
Which first fair Hermon's cedars fill'd,
And thence with its etherial glue
On Zion's mount the sweets distill'd;
So that all orders and degrees
Might take the balmy prize with ease.

For in that heav'n-directed show'r
God deign'd a further bliss to send,
And promis'd Israel to embow'r
In glorious mansions without end;
Eternal life—immense reward,
And that thro' Jesus Christ our Lord.

PSALM CXXXIV.

Attend to the musick divine
Ye people of God with the priest,
At once your Hosanna combine
As meekly ye bow to the east.

Ye servants that look to the lights
Which blaze in the house of the Lord,
And keep up the watch of the nights
To bless each apartment and ward,

The holy of holies review,
And lift up your hands with your voice,
And there sing your anthems anew,
In praise to Jehova rejoice.

The Lord that made heav'n and earth,
Which rules o'er the night and the day,
His blessing bestow on your mirth,
And hear you whenever ye pray.

PSALM CXXXV.

O praise the Lord, and bless his name,
Ye servants of the Lord,
To God your anthems frame
With swelling voice and chord.

You unto whom are stated posts
Within God's hallow'd fane,
Who serve the Lord of hosts,
And in his courts remain,

O to the Lord address your praise,
Which is with grace replete,
His fair perfections blaze,
For they are passing sweet.

For Jacob claims his Saviour's care
As God's peculiar plant,
And Israel is his heir
Assign'd by special grant.

I know the Lord our God is great
And infinite, above
The measure or the weight
Of other pow'r or love.

139

Whatever is the Lord's command
Beyond, beneath the sun,
In ocean or by land,
Or in the depth, is done.

He from the world's remotest ends
The pregnant cloud explores;
With rain he lightning sends,
The wind is from his stores.

His plagues th'Egyptian race consume
From greatest to the least,
The firstlings from the womb
Of man as well as beast.

Then institutes his paschal lamb,
And triumphs o'er the waves,
And thee, O land of Ham,
With Pharaoh and his slaves.

He smote with his Mosaic rod
The realms of divers climes;
And he, th'almighty God,
Slew tyrants for their crimes.

Sihon, who dwelt at Heshbon, fell,
And Og, the world's disgrace,
And all the tools of hell,
In Canaan's boundless space;

And gave their regions far and wide
Of vineyards, fruits and flow'rs,
For Israel to divide,
Proud domes and fragrant bow'rs.

O God, thy name and word endure
In infinite renown;
From race to race secure
Thy fame is handed down.

For God, in our behalf arous'd,
Will strict reprisals make;
His people thus espous'd,
His special grace partake.

As for the gods the heathen serves
And true religion mocks,
They're mov'd by fictious nerves,
Cast gold and silver blocks.

Their mouths are fram'd, from whence there comes
Not e'en the breath of lies;
Ecstatic death benumbs
Their glass-constructed eyes.

Their ears are fashion'd by the mould,
Nor can they hear a sound;
Their molten lips are cold,
In breathless fetters bound.

The founders of such gods as these
Resemble their own dross,
And so do all whose knees
Are bow'd to form and gloss.

Praise ye the Lord, each branch and bud
Of Jacob's chosen root,
And you of Aaron's blood
The praise to God impute.

Praise ye the Lord of Levi's line
That in the temple keep;
In fear and praises join
Ye congregated sheep.

The Lord be praised from Zion's brow
Which dwells in Salem's dome,
And gives his people now
The promis'd milk and comb.

PSALM CXXXVI.

O to God your thanks repay,
For most gracious is his sway,
And his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

O give thanks to God, which claims
Homage from all pow'rs and names;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

O the thanks and praise restore,
And the Lord of lords adore;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

140

Which alone at once conceives,
And the wond'rous works atchieves;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Whose transcendent skill so high
Arch'd the cov'ring of the sky;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which the pregnant earth has spread
O'er the waters purer bed;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which hath fashion'd and renew'd
Lights of glorious magnitude;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

First the sun of genial beam,
O'er laborious day supreme;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Then the stars and lunar light
O'er the perils of the night;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Egypt, that his pow'r defy'd,
He destroy'd, their prince and pride;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

And brought Israel from his chain
In the midst of their domain;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

With the trumpet and alarm,
Mighty hand, and stretch'd-out arm;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which the Red-Sea right and left
Into wide partitions cleft;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

And made all his people pass
Safely thro' the liquid mass;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

But king Pharaoh and his slaves
Perish'd in the whelming waves;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which in most stupendous sort
Could his tribes through wilds escort;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which in indignation smote
Kings of most especial note;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Yea, encount'ring, overcame
Kings of memorable name;
For his mercy, since the fall
Is for ever and for all.

Sihon royally array'd,
Whom fierce Amorites obey'd;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

With gigantic Og, the boast
And the hope of Bashan's host;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

And their realms upon the spot
Gave for heritage by lot;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

E'en an heritage in lands
To his own victorious bands;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which remember'd us and bless'd,
When our tribes were sore oppress'd;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

141

And aveng'd our righteous cause
From blasphemers of his laws;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

Which is provident to give
Food for all that breathe and live;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

O give thanks to God alone,
Which has made the heav'n his throne;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

O with thankful rev'rence bow,
And the Lord of lords avow;
For his mercy, since the fall,
Is for ever and for all.

PSALM CXXXVII.

Pensive we sat the silent hours
Where by the Babylonian tow'rs
At large the waters stray,
Till mem'ry brought thee to our eyes,
O Zion, then the tears and sighs
Burst out and made their way.

No matter for our harps—our care
Was not on mirth and musick there,
All solace we declin'd;
We sate and suffer'd them in view
To hang as bended, or as blew
The willows or the wind.

When they, that led our captive train,
Bade us our heavy hearts refrain
From grief to joys extreme;
Thus they commanded their request,
“Sing us a song, and sing your best,
“And Zion be the theme!”

What, in a land by God abhorr'd,
Shall we profane unto the Lord
The consecrated songs;
And Israel's harp and hands employ,
To strike up symphonies of joy
'Mongst foreigners and wrongs?

Jerusalem! O blest in woe,
If I forget thee, or forego
When heav'n and nature call,
May this right hand, and God's own heart
Forget his spirit, and her art
To touch the strings at all!

May my tongue to my palate cleave
If I forget thee when I grieve;
If to all realms on earth
I not Jerusalem prefer,
Jerusalem! and harp on her
When most my might in mirth!

O Lord, when it shall be fulfill'd
That thou Jerusalem rebuild,
Remember unto good,
How “down with it, th'insulting band
“Cry'd, down with it, and mar the land
“Where all that splendour stood.”

Renown'd the man! that shall reward
And serve thee as thou'st serv'd the Lord,
Thou shalt thy turn deplore;
There's desolation too for thee,
Thou daughter of calamity,
And Babylon no more!

But he is greatest and the best,
Who spares his enemies profest,
And Christian mildness owns;
Who gives his captives back their lives,
Their helpless infants, weeping wives,
And for his sin atones.

PSALM CXXXVIII.

O Lord, my God, with zeal intense
I will declare the pious sense
Which my whole bosom warms,
I will return my lively thanks,
And that before cherubic ranks,
And glorious archangelic forms.

I will direct my face to pray
Betimes before the rising ray
Where stands thine eastern shrine;
For truth and love, thy word and name
Are far beyond what thought can frame,
Or utmost study can combine.

142

What time to thee thro' Christ I cry'd,
Thy kind attention was apply'd;
And when my soul was faint,
In him her vigour she renew'd,
And her celestial flight pursu'd
From grievous illness and restraint.

All kings and potentates that be,
Shall learn and give the praise to thee,
O Lord, for Christ his sake;
For they thy gospel have perus'd,
The words which GRACE to guilt infus'd
As humbl'd in the flesh he spake.

Yea, instituted in the ways
Which Christian verity displays,
They shall rejoice with songs,
That Christ is magnitude and might,
That glory to the Lord of right
And sempiternal fame belongs.

For tho' the Lord our God be high,
And tow'rs beyond the mental eye,
He yet regards the poor;
And for the sons of pomp and scoff
He keeps them at a distance off,
Nor can such insolence endure.

What tho' I walk along the road
Of life, while thorns of anguish goad,
Thou shalt my way refresh;
Thy hand outstretched shall controul
The furious hunters of my soul,
The Devil, the sinful world and flesh.

The Lord, which dy'd upon the rood,
Shall with my soul his peace conclude,
And to his promise stand;
Thy loving kindnesses to men
Endure for ever, scorn not then
The chosen vessels of thine hand.

PSALM CXXXIX.

O Lord, my soul thy spirit tries,
Thou know'st me when I close mine eyes,
And when my rest I leave;
My thoughts, from all deception free,
Unveil their purposes to thee
Ere I myself conceive.

Thou art about my daily tour,
And when my respite I procure
Thou art about my bed;
And all the complicated maze
Of truth and error in my ways
By thee are seen and read.

For lo! there's not a word or name,
These organs of my voice can frame,
But thou, O Lord, canst tell;
Ere yet my tongue itself prepare,
To give the measur'd accents air,
Thou understandest well.

Thou hast adorn'd with manly grace
The features of my ruddy face
In seemly sort agreed,
And laidst thy hand upon my loins,
Where strength with symmetry conjoins
To bless myself and seed.

Beyond my reach such wonders tow'r,
Too excellent thy art and pow'r
Above all height sublime;
My thoughts exalt themselves and grow,
Thy works stupendous leave them low
How far soe'er they climb.

Where shall I then thy spirit shun,
To what extremes of distance run
Its motions to escape;
And by what mystery or might
Shall I the bearings of my flight
From omnipresence shape?

Should I to highest heav'n ascend,
And with superior beings blend,
There art thou in thy reign;
Or should I in the depths immerge
Of death and hell's contiguous verge,
And thou art there again.

If with the morning's rosy wings
Quick from her perch my spirit springs,
And o'er the rolling tide
Her climate and her haunts she change,
And from thy house herself estrange,
And far from home abide,

143

There also nothing shall obstruct
Thy careful eye, thou shalt conduct
My wand'rings with thy hand;
And there thy right hand shall support,
And my good guard against the sport
Of chance and malice stand.

If to the darkness I appeal,
The darkness shall at least conceal
And quench thy piercing ray;
The thought convincing conscience checks,
And thine internal truth detects,
And turns my night to day.

To thee the darkness is no gloom,
Alike to thee the morning's womb,
And evening's barren shade;
Thee all created objects strike,
The dawn and the still dusk alike,
Which their relations made.

For modell'd by thy skill divine,
The texture of my reins is thine,
And in the female mould
When the weak embryo was inclos'd,
The forming parts thou then dispos'd,
And didst with care infold.

To what a rapture hast thou warm'd
These limbs, for fear and trembling form'd,
And in such wonder skill'd;
My conscious soul adores thine art,
And from the workings of my heart
My gratitude I build.

The substance of each nerve and bone
To thee are intimately known,
And at my hour of birth
Thou didst thy quick'ning spirit breathe,
Though I be taken from beneath,
And but refin'd from earth.

Thine eyes review'd th'imperfect sketch
Ere yet my limbs began to stretch
And were for action ripe;
Before my members were of age,
For birth, thou wrote them in thy page,
And with the fairest type.

Which day by day assay'd to live,
And as thou didst conception give,
Were warm'd with gradual heat;
When flesh and vital moisture both
Slept in the burial of their growth,
And none were yet compleat.

O God, to what a pitch are wrought
The councils of omniscient thought,
How dear unto my soul,
To what an infinite of sums
Their meanest estimation comes,
What worlds on worlds the whole!

If I should set about to count
Their number, they by far surmount
The sand upon the shore—
When in the morning first I wake,
By pray'r towards their source I make,
And on my face adore.

O Lord, shall not the foes to good
By thy protection be withstood,
The reprobates repress;
Depart ye men that are the first
To violate my laws, and thirst
For slaughter in excess?

Against thy providence they scheme,
And to thy name, which they blaspheme,
Unrighteous things impute;
And all thine enemies avow'd
Are open, insolent and loud
In their absurd dispute.

Are not the traitor and ingrate,
O Lord, the monsters of my hate,
And do I not disgust
The rebels of thy holy cause,
That arm against thy church and laws,
The fiends of wrath and lust?

Yea, from my soul I disapprove
All those dire engines that they move,
And friends which they suborn;
And I detest them more by far
Than when my private peace they mar
With all their rage and scorn.

144

Try me, O God, and seek the ground
Of this my heart, if it be sound,
And worthy of a man;
Do thou unravel all the clue
Of all and every thing I do,
And purposes I plan.

Peruse me well, if spite or guile
My breast with inward taint defile,
And with my nature mix;
Reform what there thou find'st amiss,
And in the way of endless bliss
For Christ his merit fix.

PSALM CXL.

Lord, save me from his wicked lure
Who for corruption strives;
And make, thro' grace, my rescue sure
From men of lawless lives;

From men, who mischief, for the sake
Of mischief, still conceive,
And keep the coals of wrath awake
From early day till eve.

Their tongue, by malice sharpen'd, works
With anger and untruth;
The venom of the viper lurks
Beneath their lip and tooth.

O Lord, preserve me from the hand
Of wickedness and force,
And from the godless men, who band
To overthrow my course.

The wealthy world's imperious lords
Have spread abroad their net,
And aim'd to take my feet with cords,
And traps which they have set.

Unto my Saviour I profess'd
I have no God but Thee;
O hear me, as thy name is bless'd,
And meekness bends my knee.

O Lord, thou shalt my health sustain,
And art my helm and targe
Whenever in th'embattl'd plain
I join the furious charge.

Let not the wicked have his will,
Who wishes for the worst,
Nor his outrageous thoughts fulfill,
Lest sin with pride should burst.

Let those that compass me around,
Whose bitter words I feel,
Be saved themselves from every wound
They meditate or deal.

Let not the flaming coals they blow
The mischief-makers burn,
Nor let them to those regions go
Whence soul nor flesh return.

A wordy man shall never reach
The point he has in view;
The consequence of evil speech
The babbler shall pursue.

I have a sure and certain sign
Of comfort in my soul,
That Jesus will the helpless join,
And with his woes condole.

The righteous also shall give thanks
To thine eternal might,
And he shall mingle with the ranks
Of angels in thy sight.

PSALM CXLI.

Lord, I thy present help implore,
Respect my voice, and meet
My breathings as they soar
Towards thy holy seat.

The pray'r which I set forth receive
As frankincense and nard,
And as a gift at eve
My lifted hands regard.

Set thou a watch my youth to ward
From inadvertent slips,
And lock, O gracious Lord,
The portal of my lips.

145

O let my heart be clean and chaste,
Nor let my members share
In wicked works, nor taste
Of Mammon's tempting fare.

No, let the righteous rather thwart
And friendly smite my cheek,
I would not then retort,
But be resign'd and meek.

But let not what they give for balm
Increase my raging smart;
Nay, I will pray my psalm
Against their hand and heart.

Let such false judges as commend
Their harsh precarious prose,
To this my song attend,
Which in sweet measure flows.

Our bones beside the grave are straw'd
From life's extinguish'd spark,
Like timber cast abroad,
Which woodmen fell and bark.

But, holy Lord, and God most just,
To thee mine eyes I turn;
In thee I put my trust,
Nor thou my spirit spurn.

Preserve me from the cover'd mines
That impious men have made,
And from the dark designs
Which traitors have assay'd.

Let shy deceivers be confus'd
As they their bounds infringe;
But let my soul be loos'd
From every net and springe.

PSALM CXLII.

To thy seat, O Consolation,
I have made my plaintive plea,
And preferr'd my supplication,
O my Saviour God, to thee.

Tears and tender strains diffusive,
I presented as I knelt,
And compos'd my words allusive
To the troubles which I felt.

Thou, when all my mirth subsided,
Saw the path I went to pray;
As to thee my steps I guided,
Traitors laid me by the way.

To my right-hand I bestow me,
Where my former friends were plac'd,
But I find that none will know me,
Thus dejected and disgrac'd.

Of our refuge, not a city
Op'd her hospitable gate,
Nor was there a man to pity
My poor soul's abandon'd state.

To the Lord I cry'd, confessing
His benevolence and pow'r;
Thou my hope, and thou my blessing,
Ev'n to life's extremest hour.

O consider my condition,
Whence arises such complaint
For, remov'd from thy tuition,
I am quite reduc'd and faint.

From my burden disencumber,
From my persecutors save;
For their malice, strength and number
Are too much for me to brave.

Take me from this bondage hateful,
Which my spirit so dismays,
That again the good and grateful
May attend my song of praise.

PSALM CXLIII.

Hear, O Lord, and weigh the motions
Of my spirit as I kneel,
Stoop to my sincere devotions,
Which to love and truth appeal.

146

And arraign me, not demanding
Strict account for every deed,
For at thy tribunal standing
Sinners no excuse can plead.

For the fiend of persecution
Has depress'd my life with those,
Whom in death and dissolution
Darkness and the grave inclose.

Hence my spirit is tormented,
Fretting with affliction's thorn,
And my heart is discontented,
And within my breast forlorn.

Yet I will indulge reflexion
As upon thy works I muse;
Yea, in thought to sooth dejection,
All thy wonders I peruse.

To thy throne my hands extending
In the spirit I complain,
And I gasp for grace descending,
As a thirsty land for rain.

Hear me, Lord, with expedition,
For my spirit faints with care,
Hide thee not from my contrition,
Lest a death-like form I wear.

Early with the rising morning
To my faith thy grace decree,
With thy word my conduct warning,
For I lift my soul to thee.

Lord, by Christ his intercession
From my furious foes release,
For I flee to take possession
Thro' his merits of thy peace.

Teach me that correct behaviour
Which is pleasing in thy sight;
For thou art my Lord and Saviour,
Speed me to the realms of light.

Lord, from this despondence rousing,
For the glory of thy name,
And my righteous cause espousing,
Bring my soul from bonds and shame.

And my foes and evil neighbours,
Lord, by charity controul;
For I dedicate my labours
To the Saviour of my soul.

PSALM CXLIV.

The glory to the Lord I yield,
Whose hands new strength impart,
To brave the ensanguin'd field,
And top the warrior's art.

My hope, my Saviour, and my helm,
My castle and my fort,
By whom my subject realm
Themselves in peace comport.

Lord, what is man, that thou should leave
For his concerns thy rest,
A sinful son of Eve
So cherish'd and so blest?

Man is a thing of little worth,
Thro' folly and misdeeds,
Resembling from his birth
The shadow, that recedes.

Bow down the heav'ns, O Lord, in pray'r
As I thy name invoke
Upon the mountains bear,
And incense they shall smoke.

Cast forth thy lightnings, and disperse
Ungodliness and gloom,
Thine arrows fiery fierce
Shall Satan's works consume.

O send and save me with that hand
Which all attempt controuls,
From adverse floods that land
The foreigners in shoals.

From every loud vain-glorious fool,
With tongue by truth unaw'd,
Whose right hand is a tool
Of violence and fraud.

147

O Lord, I will an anthem chuse
Of novelty divine,
And with thy holy muse
The ten-string'd bass shall join.

The royal arms have peace thro' thee,
By victory restor'd;
And David now is free
From hostile fire and sword.

Save me from tongues of foreign stile,
And of thy grace bereft,
Whose right hand is of guile,
A hand of blood and theft.

So that our sons like plants may grow,
Our polish'd daughters shine
Like cherubs in a row,
Carv'd in the holy shrine.

So that our garners be profuse
With much and various stores,
And that our sheep produce
Ten thousand at our doors.

So that our oxen may be strong,
As toil disease defeats;
That murmurs, rapes and wrong
No more infest our streets.

Blest is the people which have got
Such treasure in their coasts;
Yea, blessed is their lot
Who serve the Lord of hosts.

PSALM CXLV.

O God, my king, I will adore
And magnify thy name,
To thee the praise I will restore,
And blazon ever more and more
Thy glory, of eternal fame.

I will acknowledge day by day
Thy grace with thankful heart;
And to thy name the praise repay,
And thine immortal worth display,
Nor ever from the theme depart.

The Lord is infinitely great,
And of amazing might;
His endless being knows no date,
His greatness is above all height,
And should our utmost laud excite.

One generation shall declare
To all succeeding times
Thy works and providential care,
Thy pow'r, which high o'er earth and air,
And topmost heav'n itself sublimes.

As for my part, I will converse
Upon religious themes,
Thy glory and thy praise rehearse,
And psalms upon thy word disperse,
Which with perpetual wonder teems:

So that the language of mankind
Upon thine acts shall dwell;
Thy works in matchless skill design'd,
And in such harmony combin'd,
I likewise will the chorus swell.

The justly memorable tale
Of thine abounding love,
Shall o'er malevolence prevail,
And men with songs thy truth shall hail,
Connecting earth with heav'n above.

The Lord is of exceeding grace
In pardon to our sin,
Long-suffering to the human race,
And great our follies to efface,
And good our contrite hearts to win.

The Lord his tenderness extends
To every man and beast;
His pity with his bounty blends,
To all their sustenance he sends,
From greatest to the last and least.

Lord, all thy works thy laud include,
The vocal and the mute;
And all thy saints elect, endu'd,
With never-failing gratitude,
To their glad harps their numbers suit.

148

The glories of thine endless reign
In hymns of praise they shew;
And sing of thy supreme domain,
Which thou transcendest to maintain
By marvels various, great and new.

That thine uncontroverted pow'r,
The lustre of thy throne,
And might exerted day and hour,
Which can o'er all resistance tow'r,
Should to all human kind be known.

Thou art an everlasting king,
In endless glory crown'd;
Truth is the signet of thy ring,
And thy dominion takes a swing
From alpha—from omega—round.

The Lord, the grand support of all,
From heav'n where he resides,
Recovers such as faint or fall,
And kindly listens to the call
Of those that sink, or him that slides.

The eyes of all, O Lord, appeal,
And heav'nwards look to thee;
And in due season thou shalt deal
For every beak and mouth its meal,
By fixt and regular decree.

Thine hand, omnipotent to save,
Thou open'st from on high,
And to it all things living crave,
From air, from earth, and from the wave,
And have a plentiful supply.

The Lord has all his word fulfill'd
In measure passing thought;
And whatsoe'er his wisdom will'd,
His matchless art has aptly skill'd,
And to the last perfection brought.

The Lord to those is ever near
Whose lips his aid invoke;
Yea, such as hearty faith endear
By holy meekness, and by fear,
And yield them to his easy yoke.

He will compleat the fervent vows
Of them that fear his laws,
He likewise will their part espouse,
And for their help his might arouse,
And patronize their righteous cause.

The Lord is gracious to uphold
All those that love his word;
But severs from his special fold,
And will not such a race behold,
As have nor praise nor pray'r preferr'd.

My mouth shall to the Lord confess
His meritorious praise;
Let all mankind his fear caress,
And as with holy thanks they bless
His name for ever, ever blaze.

PSALM CXLVI.

To God, my soul, exalt the strains,
While I these active pow'rs possess;
Yea, while the life is in my veins
I will be bound to bless.

O wait not on a prince's smile,
Nor in a mortal put your trust,
For there's no grace of God in guile,
Nor is there help in dust.

For as the breath and life depart
From man returning to his mould,
Conception fails his head and heart
When once his limbs are cold.

The man is blest who pays his court
To Jacob's God to be supply'd;
And who for his eternal fort
In Jesus shall confide.

The Lord, who fram'd the brilliant spheres,
He roll'd the floods, the land he laid,
And for eternity reveres
The promise that he made.

Which to the souls that suffer wrong
Can their just property secure,
And helps the halt and lame along,
And feeds the hungry poor.

149

The Lord is present to unbind
The shackl'd prisoners as they pray,
The naked cloaths, and to the blind
Restores the chearful day.

The Lord recovers from the brink
Of hell, and from the tempter's snares,
All such as into danger sink,
And for the righteous cares.

He takes the weary stranger in,
And widows, orphans he defends;
And all the ways of death and sin
He by his truth amends.

The Lord, O Zion, Christ shall lead
Thine armies, and command thy sons,
While age from age and seed from seed
Th'eternal series runs.

PSALM CXLVII.

Hosanna—musick is divine,
When in the praise the psalmists join,
And each good heart is warm;
Yea, joy is sweetest so renew'd,
And all the rites of gratitude
Are rapture to perform.

The Lord fair Salem shall replace,
And set upon his ancient base
Hananiel's goodly tow'r;
Make captives free, the barren big,
And under his own vine and fig
All Jacob re-embow'r.

He shall the broken heart repair,
And for all sickness and despair
A cure in Christ provide;
And heal the wounded and the bruis'd,
His oil into their sores infus'd,
And soothing balm applied.

Tho' their bright swarms the sand surpass,
Of every magnitude and class
He knows th'etherial flames;
The numb'rer of their host is He,
And to his summons “here we be,”
They answer by their names.

For God is magnitude immense,
His prowess is omnipotence
That knows no date or end;
His wisdom infinitely great,
And all duration, depth and height,
His mysteries transcend.

The Lord with approbation sees
The meek, and from his faithful knees
He lifts him up on high;
But spurns the sinner and unjust,
And leaves low luxury and lust
To worms that never die.

Sing praises all degrees and ranks,
As in the pray'r of general thanks
The holy church commune;
As to the touch the harp revives,
Sing praises with your lips and lives
To Christ the word and tune.

He the blue heav'n in beauty shrouds,
And ballances the plumy clouds
Which for the rain he wrings;
He causes the mild dew to drop,
And grass upon the mountain top
In tufted verdure springs.

For every thing that moves and lives,
Foot, fin, or feather meat he gives,
He deals the beasts their food
Both in the wilderness and stall,
And hears the raven's urgent call,
And stills her clam'rous brood.

And yet his maker has no need
Of the train'd ox, or prancing steed,
Tho' thunder cloath his chest;
And man that manages the rein,
Is but a creature brief and vain
With such proportion blest.

But God is pleas'd with duteous fear,
Men with clean hands and conscience clear,
Which at thy mercy-gate
With ceaseless application knock,
And patient on him as their rock
For sure redemption wait.

150

O Sion, praise the Lord, and thou,
Fair Salem, to his praises bow
Thine olives and thy palms;
Are there afflicted? let them pray,
But mirth shall dedicate her day
To hymns and festive psalms.

For by his might the Lord supports
Thy mounds, and fortifies thy forts,
Thy brazen bars he nails;
Thy sportive children fill the streets,
Thy foe without the wall retreats,
Nor want within prevails.

He sheathes the sword and blunts the spears,
And thy redoubtable frontiers
Barbarian inroads scorn;
That thou may'st in thy peace possess
The blessings of a social mess,
And flour of choicest corn.

He sends his word upon the earth
To call conception into birth,
And kind with kind to match;
And to sustain all human race,
The blessed angels of his grace
Make infinite dispatch.

His snow upon the ground he teems,
Like bleaching wool beside the streams,
To warm the tender blade;
Like ashes from the furnace cast,
His frost comes with the northern blast
To pinch and to pervade.

Like vitreous fragments o'er the field,
In ice the waters are congeal'd,
Their liquid swiftness lost;
The breath steams on the sharpen'd air,
And who so hardy as to bear
The quickness of his frost!

He sends the word of his command
To melt and loosen all the land,
And let the floods at large;
He blows, and with the genial breeze,
The fount and river by degrees
Their usual tale discharge.

His word to Jacob he disclos'd,
When he upon the stones repos'd
And worship'd in a trance;
And laws to Israel enjoin'd
When o'er the nations of mankind
He bade his tribes advance.

Such wond'rous love has not been shown,
But to the patriarch's seed alone
His duty to requite;
And judgments on the rest impend,
Till Jesus make them comprehend
His ways, his truth and light.

PSALM CXLVIII.

Hosanna to the king
On his eternal throne,
Let heaven's high convex ring
With pray'r and praise alone!
Praise him which treads th'etherial vault,
And with the theme your strains exalt.

Praise him, cherubic flights,
And ye seraphic fires,
Angelical delights
With voices, lutes and lyres;
And vie who shall extol him most,
Ye blest innumerable host!

Praise him, thou source of heat,
Great ruler of the day,
And thou serenely sweet,
O moon, his praise display;
Praise him ye glorious lights that are,
The planet and the sparkling star.

Praise him ye heav'ns above
The highest heav'n sublime,
Where tun'd to truth and love
The spheres symphonious chime;
Praise him where holy spirits lave,
Ye waters of eternal wave.

Let them to praise his name
With choral musick flow;
For from his word they came,
He spake and it was so;
His are the glorious, great and fair,
For he commanded, and they were.

151

—For he hath made them fast
For ever and again;
For ever they shall last,
And in their spheres remain;
In all their movements seek or shun,
The law that he commands is done.

Praise ye the Lord of earth,
All ye that dwell therein,
And leap with active mirth,
Ye fish of ev'ry fin;
Praise ye, that hide where ocean sleeps,
Ye dragons of unfathom'd deeps.

Ye meteors, fire and hail,
With ev'ry cloud that snows,
As o'er the land they sail,
And various wind that blows
The rapid terror of the storm,
At once his mandate to perform.

Ye mountains of the air,
And hills of less degree,
And you ye groves that bear
On ev'ry goodly tree
The summer fruits, and vernal bloom,
And lofty cedars of perfume.

Ye beasts that haunt the wild,
From servile bondage loose,
Ye cattle tame and mild
For man's domestic use,
Ye reptiles of the ground adore,
Ye birds sing praises, as ye soar.

Praise him, each scepter'd seer
Advanc'd to hold the helm,
And to his praise appear,
Ye people of the realm;
Ye princes by the world renown'd,
And judges, that the laws expound.

Ye youths the maids engage
In melody divine,
Let infancy with age
To praise the Lord combine,
Whose name, whose merits have no end,
But measure and immense transcend.

He shall exalt the crest
Of his peculiar fold,
And all the wise and blest
This festival shall hold;
Ev'n Jacob's sons and Judah's bands,
Whose faith, whose firm allegiance stands.

OR THIS [PSALM CXLVIII.]

Hallelujah! kneel and sing
Praises to the heav'nly king;
To the God supremely great,
Hallelujah in the height!

Praise him, archangelic band,
Ye that in his presence stand;
Praise him, ye that watch and pray,
Michael's myriads in array.

Praise him, sun, at each extreme
Orient streak, and western beam,
Moon and stars of mystic dance,
Silv'ring in the blue expanse.

Praise him, O ye heights, that soar
Heav'n and heav'n for evermore;
And ye streams of living rill,
Higher yet, and purer still.

Let them praise his glorious name,
From whose fruitful word they came,
And they first began to be
As he gave the great decree.

Their constituent parts he founds
For duration without bounds,
And their covenant has seal'd,
Which shall never be repeal'd.

Praise the Lord on earth's domains,
And the mutes that sea contains,
Ye that on the surface leap,
And ye dragons of the deep.

Batt'ring hail, and fires that glow,
Steaming vapours, plumy snow,
Wind and storm his wrath incurr'd,
Wing'd and pointed at his word.

152

Mountains of enormous scale,
Ev'ry hill, and ev'ry vale,
Fruit-tries of a thousand dyes,
Cedars that perfume the skies.

Beasts that haunt the woodland maze,
Nibbling flocks, and droves that graze;
Reptiles of amphibious breed,
Feather'd millions form'd for speed;

Kings, with Jesus for their guide,
Peopl'd regions far and wide,
Heroes of their country's cause,
Princes, judges of the laws;

Age and childhood, youth and maid,
To his name your praise be paid;
For his word is worth alone,
Far above his crown and throne.

He shall dignify the crest
Of his people rais'd and blest,
While we serve with praise and pray'rs
All, in Christ, his saints and heirs.

PSALM CXLIX.

Hosanna! God be prais'd,
The song of thanks pursue;
Let ev'ry thought be rais'd,
And ev'ry note be new;
Let saints assembl'd in his fane
The chorus of applause sustain.

Let Jacob's heart be glad
In his Creator's name,
Ev'n him which made and clad
His soul in such a frame;
Let Zion's grateful sons be gay,
And bless his sempiternal sway.

Praise him, ye youthful pairs,
As ye the dance complete,
Which to the quick'ning airs
Has wing'd your active feet,
And strike the timbrel to the strings
Of him that plays the harp and sings.

Because there is increase
To God's eternal bliss
When men exult in peace
To such a tune as this,
And he shall in the spirit wait
On those, whose meekness makes them great.

Let those his holy saints
That have put off their earth,
Whom spite no more attaints,
Rejoice in glorious mirth,
And let their gladness be imprest
On those bright mansions, where they rest.

Let hymns, of praise compos'd
In mirth and mystic skill,
To God began and clos'd,
Their mouths with musick fill,
And as they modulate their psalms,
Their hands present triumphant palms.

To meditate the good
And glory of mankind,
That vice may be withstood,
And heathens well inclin'd;
That vengeance, violence, and guile
No more the human race defile.

To make their princes bow
To Christ's indulgent yoke,
And God's best name avow
As they their sins uncloak;
To bid their noblemen unite
With Christians in the Lord of light.

That war, and hate, and pride,
And ev'n the name of foe
May in that love subside
Which Christian champions show;
For thus the holy Gospel runs,
Such honour have his saints and sons.

OR THIS [PSALM CXLIX.]

Hallelujah! soul of song,
New from heav'n the notes conceive;
Saints, assembled morn and eve,
The grateful strains prolong.

153

Let the people of his choice,
Children that his heart allows,
To their Maker pay their vows,
To Christ their king rejoice.

Let the youth his praise repeat,
As they dance with active might;
To his laud the tabret smite,
And harp sublimely sweet.

For the Lord with pleasure deigns
To behold his faithful sheep,
As his festivals they keep,
And meekness he sustains.

Let his glorious saints from earth
Sever'd in his faith and fear,
Ev'ry martyr in his sphere,
Rejoice with heav'nly mirth.

For the words that Christ bequeath'd
Let them hold the book of grace;
Tears wip'd off from ev'ry face,
And ev'ry weapon sheath'd.

That opposers may be drawn
To the covenant of peace,
And that Christians may increase
From follies past and gone.

In the bond of love to bind
Kings contending for renown,
And their potentates to crown,
As worthies of mankind.

That as vengeance is controul'd,
Great salvation may attend
Truth persisting to the end,
As Christ assures his fold.

PSALM CL.

Hosanna! praise the Lord, and bless
According to his holiness,
And let your praises tow'r;
O bless him in sublimest strains,
Where in the firmament he reigns
Of his exalted pow'r.

The works of his Almighty hand,
Which on eternal record stand,
With hymns of thanks review;
On his majestic glory dwell,
Whose rays all excellence excel,
And give the praises due.

The best and boldest blast be blown
From trumpet of triumphant tone
Abroad his praise to send;
His name upon the lute be sung,
With citerns to his praises strung,
The work of joy attend.

Take up the trimbrel, let the sound
Extol him as the dances bound,
And let the pipes conspire
To give his praises to the wind,
And let your organ's voice be join'd
By minstrels on the wire.

Well order'd to a just degree
Of their most perfect melody
With cymbals praise his name
And let the cymbals full and strong
Together and with all their song
Aloud his praise proclaim.

Let all things that have breath to breathe
From heav'n above, from earth beneath,
To Christ's renown repair;
O give him back your breath again,
Put all the life into the strain,
And soar by praise and pray'r!

THE END OF THE PSALMS.

154

GLORIA PATRI.

TO THE FIRST MEASURE.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost in One,
The glory we restore;
As in beginning was, is now,
While on our knees we meekly bow,
And shall be evermore.

TO THE SECOND.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The glory we restore,
As is and was in Jacob's coast,
And shall be evermore.

TO THE THIRD.

To Christ the Godhead thrice in One
The glory we restore,
As is, was, shall be done
From henceforth evermore.

TO THE FOURTH.

Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
We the Trinity proclaim;
Blest of old in Jacob's coast,
Now and ever more the same.

TO THE FIFTH.

Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
We the Trinity proclaim,
Blest of old for might and merit
Now and evermore the same.

TO THE SIXTH.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The praise and glory we restore,
Which is and was in Jacob's coast,
And shall be evermore.

TO THE SEVENTH.

To Father, and to Son,
And to the Holy Ghost,
The Godhead thrice in One,
We sing and make our boast;
As is and was in ages past,
And ever shall be to the last.

TO THE EIGHTH.

To God, with the Lamb and the Dove,
All honour and praise we commend,
As is, was in truth, and in love,
And shall be the world without end.

TO THE NINTH.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost in One,
The praise and glory we restore
From henceforth and for evermore.

TO THE TENTH.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The glory we restore,
As is and was in Jacob's coast,
And shall be his eternal boast
From henceforth and for evermore.

TO THE ELEVENTH.

The glory we restore
To Father, and to Son,
And Holy Ghost in One,
From henceforth evermore.

TO THE TWELFTH.

The Godhead thrice in One,
Christ Jesus we adore,
As is, and was, and shall be done
From henceforth evermore.

TO THE THIRTEENTH.

To God, the Lamb and Dove
The Glory we restore,
As is our bounden love,
From henceforth evermore.

TO THE FOURTEENTH.

To God the Father, Son,
And Holy Ghost in One,
The praise and glory we restore,
As ever was, is now,
While on our knees we bow,
And shall be henceforth evermore.

156

TO THE FIFTEENTH.

To Father, to Son,
and their Holy Ghost,
All honour and praise
his servants commend,
As is, was, and shall be
throughout our own coast,
And all realms and regions
the world without end.

TO THE SIXTEENTH.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost,
The praise and glory we restore,
As is, and was in Jacob's coast,
And shall be henceforth evermore.

TO THE SEVENTEENTH.

Lord, Lamb, and Dove,
Faith, hope, and love,
The glory we restore;
And him avow,
Which was, is now,
And shall be evermore.

TO THE EIGHTEENTH.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost in One,
The praise and glory we restore;
As in beginning was, is now,
While on our knees we meekly bow,
And shall be henceforth evermore.

TO THE NINETEENTH.

To God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The praise and adoration we restore,
As was in Jacob's coast,
Is, shall be evermore.

TO THE TWENTIETH.

To Father, to Son, and to their Holy Ghost,
We sing the sweet service, and make our loud boast;
Which has been the glory of centuries past,
And shall be while thanks and true fervency last.

TO THE TWENTY-FIRST.

To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost
The Glory we restore,
As is and was in Jacob's coast,
And shall be henceforth and for evermore.

TO THE TWENTY-SECOND.

Hosanna! to the Lord of love,
Which all the world's wide empire sways,
Hosanna! to the Lamb and Dove,
Co-equal in their pow'r and praise;
As is and was in ages past,
And ever shall be to the last.

TO THE TWENTY-THIRD.

To the Father, and the Son,
And the Holy Ghost in One,
Praise and glory we restore
Henceforth and for evermore.

TO THE TWENTY-FOURTH.

To God the Father, God the Son,
And God the Holy Ghost in One,
The glory we restore;
As in beginning was, is now,
While on our knees we meekly bow,
And shall be henceforth evermore.

TO THE TWENTY-FIFTH.

Praise and glory we restore
To the Father, and the Son,
And the Comforter in One,
From henceforth evermore.

158

HYMNS AND SPIRITUAL SONGS FOR THE FASTS AND FESTIVALS OF THE CHURCH OF ENGLAND.

Te decet Hymnus.

[HEBREW]

159

HYMN I. NEW YEAR.

Word of endless adoration,
Christ, I to thy call appear;
On my knees in meek prostration
To begin a better year.

Spirits in eternal waiting,
Special ministers of pray'r,
Which our welcome antedating,
Shall the benediction bear.

Which, the type of vows completed,
Shall the wreathed garland send,
While new blessings are intreated,
And communicants attend.

Emblem of the hopes beginning,
Who the budding rods shall bind,
Way from guiltless nature's winning,
In good-will to human kind.

Ye that dwell with cherub-turtles
Mated in that upmost light,
Or parade amongst the myrtles,
On your steeds of speckl'd white.

Ye that sally from the portal
Of yon everlasting bow'rs,
Sounding symphonies immortal,
Years, and months, and days, and hours.

But nor myrtles, nor the breathing
Of the never-dying grove,
Nor the chaplets sweetly wreathing,
And by hands angelic wove;

Not the musick or the mazes
Of those spirits aptly tim'd,
Can avail like pray'r and praises
By the Lamb himself sublim'd.

Take ye therefore what ye give him,
Of his fulness grace for grace,
Strive to think him, speak him, live him,
Till you find him face to face.

Sing like David, or like Hannah,
As the spirit first began,
To the God of heights hosanna!
Peace and charity to man.

Christ his blessing universal
On th'arch-patriarch's seed bestow,
Which attend to my rehearsal
Of melodious pray'r below.

Tobit xxii. 15.

Zec. i. 8.

HYMN II. CIRCUMCISION.

When Abraham was bless'd,
And on his face profess'd
The Saviour Christ hereafter born,
“Thou pilgrim and estrang'd,
“Thy name, said God, is chang'd,
“Thy lot secur'd from want and scorn.

160

“O Abraham, my friend,
“My covenant attend,
“Which Shilo's self shall not repeal,
“Chastise from carnal sin
“Thy house and all thy kin,
“Thy faith by circumcision seal.”

The promis'd Shilo came,
And then receiv'd the name
Of Jesus, Saviour of the soul;
As he the law fulfill'd
Which checks the fleshly-will'd,
And o'er the passion gives controul.

O clean and undefil'd!
Thou shalt not be beguil'd
By youthful heat and female art,
To thee the strains belong
Of that mysterious song
Where none but virgins bear a part.

Come every purer thought,
By which the mind is wrought
From man's corruption, nature's dust;
Away each vain desire,
And all the fiends that fire
The soul to base and filthy lust.

Ye swans that sail and lave
In Jordan's hallow'd wave,
Ah sweet! ah pensive! ah serene!
Thou rose of maiden flush,
Like Joseph's guiltless blush,
And herb of ever-grateful green;

Ye lilies of perfume,
That triumph o'er the loom,
And gaudy greatness far outshine;
And thou the famous tree,
Whose name is chastity,
And all the brilliants of the mine;

Ye doves of silver down
That plume the seraph's crown,
All, all the praise of Jesus sing,
The joy of heav'n and earth,
And Christ's eternal worth,
The pearl of God, the Father's ring.

Let elegance, the flow'r
Of words, in tune and pow'r,
Find some device of cleanest choice
About that gem to place—
“This is my HEIR of GRACE,
“In whose perfections I rejoice.”

HYMN III. EPIPHANY.

Grace, thou source of each perfection,
Favour from the height thy ray;
Thou the star of all direction,
Child of endless truth and day.

Thou that bidst my cares be calmer,
Lectur'd what to seek and shun,
Come, and guide a western palmer
To the Virgin and her Son.

Lo! I travel in the spirit,
On my knees my course I steer
To the house of might and merit
With humility and fear.

Poor at least as John or Peter
I my vows alone prefer;
But the strains of love are sweeter
Than the frankincense and myrrh.

Neither purse nor scrip I carry,
But the books of life and pray'r;
Nor a staff my foe to parry,
'Tis the cross of Christ I bear.

From a heart serene and pleasant
'Midst unnumber'd ills I feel,
I will meekly bring my present,
And with sacred verses kneel.

Muse, through Christ the Word, inventive
Of the praise so greatly due;
Heav'nly gratitude retentive
Of the bounties ever new.

161

Fill my heart with genuine treasures,
Pour them out before his feet,
High conceptions, mystic measures,
Springing strong and flowing sweet.

Come, ye creatures of thanksgiving,
Which are harmoniz'd to bless,
Birds that warble for your living,
Beasts with ways of love express.

Thou the shepherd's faithful fellow,
As he lies by Cedron's stream,
Where soft airs and waters mellow
Take their Saviour for their theme.

Thou too gaily grave domestic,
With whose young fond childhood plays,
Held too mean for verse majestic,
First with me thy Maker praise.

Brousing kids, and lambkins grazing,
Colts and younglings of the drove,
Come with all your modes of praising,
Bounding through the leafless grove.

Ye that skill the flow'rs to fancy,
And in just assemblage sort,
Pluck the primrose, pluck the pansy,
And your prattling troop exhort.

“Little men, in Jesus mighty,
“And ye maids that go alone,
“Bodies chaste, and spirits flighty,
“Ere the world and guilt are known.

“Breath so sweet, and cheeks so rosy—
“Put your little hands to pray,
“Take ye ev'ry one a posy,
“And away to Christ, away.”—

Youth, benevolence, and beauty,
In your Saviour's praise agree,
Which this day receives our duty,
Sitting on the virgin's knee.

That from this day's institution
Ev'ry penitent in deed,
At his hour of retribution,
As a child, through him may speed.

HYMN IV. CONVERSION OF SAINT PAUL.

Thro' him, the chief, begot by Nun,
Controul'd the progress of the sun;
The shadow too, through him, retir'd
The ten degrees it had acquir'd.

The barren could her fruit afford,
The woman had her dead restor'd,
The statesman could himself demean
To seek the river, and be clean.

At his command, ev'n Christ I Am,
The cruse was fill'd, and iron swam;
The floods were dry'd to make a track,
And Jordan's wave was driven back.

All these in ancient days occurr'd,
The great atchievements of the Word,
By Joshua's hand, by Moses' rod,
By virtue of the men of God.

But greater is the mighty deed
To make a profligate recede,
And work a boist'rous madman mild,
To walk with Jesus like a child.

To give a heart of triple steel
The Lord's humanity to feel;
And there, where pity had no place,
To fill the measure of his grace;

To wash internal blackness white,
To call the worse than dead to light;
To make the fruitless soil to hold
Ten thousand times ten thousand fold.

To turn a servant of the times
From modish and ambitious crimes;
To pour down a resistless blaze,
“Go, persecutor, preach and praise.”

HYMN V. KING CHARLES THE MARTYR.

The persecutor was redeem'd,
And preach'd the name he had blasphem'd;
But, ah! tho' worded for the best,
How subtle men his writings wrest.

162

Hence heresies and sects arose
According to the saint they chose,
All against Christ alike—but all
Of some distorted text of Paul.

Had not such reas'ners been at strife
With Christ's good doctrine and his life,
The land of God's selected sheep
Had 'scap'd this day to fast and weep.

Ah great unfortunate, the chief
Of monarchs in the tale of grief,
By marriage ill-advis'd, akin
To Moab and the man of sin!

When Christ was spitted on and slain,
The temple rent her veil in twain;
And in the hour that Charles was cast
The church had well nigh groan'd its last.

But now aloft her head she bears,
Accepted in his dying pray'rs;—
Great acts in human annals shine—
Great sufferings claim applause divine.

HYMN VI. THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE.

Preserver of the church, thy spouse,
From sacrilege and wrong,
To whom the myriads pay their vows,
Give ear, and in my heart arouse
The spirit of a nobler song.

When Hiero built, from David's plan,
The house of godlike style,
And Solomon, the prosp'rous man,
Whose reign with wealth and fame began,
O'erlaid with gold the glorious pile;

Great was the concourse of mankind
The structure to review;
Such bulk with sweet proportion join'd
The labours of a vaster mind,
In all directions grand and true.

And yet it was not true and grand
The Godhead to contain;
By whom immensity is spann'd,
Which has eternal in his hand
The globe of his supreme domain.

Tho' there the congregation knelt
The daily debt to pay,
Tho' there superior glories dwelt,
Tho' there the host their blessings dealt,
The highest GRACE was far away.

At length another fane arose,
The fabrick of the poor;
And built by hardship midst her foes,
One hand for work and one for blows,
Made this stupendous blessing sure.

That God should in the world appear
Incarnate—as a child—
That he should be presented here,
At once our utmost doubts to clear,
And make our hearts with wonder wild.

Present ye therefore, on your knees,
Hearts, hands resign'd and clean;
Ye poor and mean of all degrees,
If he will condescend and please
To take at least what orphans glean—

I speak for all—for them that fly,
And for the race that swim;
For all that dwell in moist and dry,
Beasts, reptiles, flow'rs and gems to vie
When gratitude begins her hymn.

Praise him ye doves, and ye that pipe
Ere buds begin to stir;
Ev'n every finch of every stripe,
And thou of filial love the type,
O stork! that sit'st upon the fir.

Praise him thou sea, to whom he gave
The shoal of active mutes;
(Fit tenants of thy roaring wave)
Who comes to still the fiends, that rave
In oracles and school disputes.

163

By Jesus number'd all and priz'd,
Praise him in dale and hill;
Ye beasts for use and peace devis'd,
And thou which patient and despis'd,
Yet shalt a prophecy fulfill.

Praise him ye family that weave
The crimson to be spread
There, where communicants receive,
And ye, that form'd the eye to grieve,
Hid in green bush or wat'ry bed.

Praise him ye flow'rs that serve the swarm
With honey for their cells;
Ere yet the vernal day is warm,
To call out millions to perform
Their gambols on your cups and bells.

Praise him ye gems of lively spark,
And thou the pearl of price;
In that great depth or caverns dark,
Nor yet are wrested from the mark,
To serve the turns of pride and vice.

Praise him ye cherubs of his breast,
The mercies of his love,
Ere yet from guile and hate profest,
The phenix makes his fragrant nest
In his own paradise above.

HYMN VII. ASH WEDNESDAY.

FIRST DAY OF LENT.

O charity! that couldst receive
The dying thief's repentant pray'r;
And didst upon the cross relieve
Thy fellow-suff'rer there!

Tho' he revil'd among the rest—
Before the point of utmost dread,
Grace unto pray'r was first imprest,
And then forgiveness sped.

Alas! the more of us defraud
The Lord of his most righteous due,
And live by guiding truth unaw'd,
And vanities pursue.

The harlot vice with joy we clasp,
Nor shun to meet her tainted breath;
And leave repentance to the gasp
Of hope-retarded death;

Albeit there are appointed times
For men to worship and to fast;
Then purge your conscience of its crimes
At least while those shall last.

The words of vengeance threat the tree,
And fix their axes to the helves—
Pray therefore—pray for such as flee
Their Saviour and themselves.

Since some are but the more defil'd,
As canons urge them to comply,
And Christ's example in the wild
By thwarting texts deny;

Read on your knees the holy book
That's penn'd to sooth despondent fears—
And if the Lord but deign a look,
Remember Peter's tears.

HYMN VIII. ST. MATTHIAS.

Hark! the cock proclaims the morning,
Match the rhime, and strike the strings;
Heav'nly muse, embrace the warning,
Raise thy voice, and stretch thy wings.

Lo! the poor, alive and likely
Midst desertion and distress,
Teach the folk that deal obliquely,
They had better bear and bless.

If we celebrate Matthias,
Let us do it heart and soul;
Nor let worldly reasons bias
Our conceptions from their goal.

As the fancy cools and rambles,
Keep her constant, keep her chaste;
Ward from wine, and from the shambles,
Sight and appetite, and taste.

164

Tho' thy craving bowels murmur
And against thy pray'r rebell;
Yet be firmer still, and firmer
In the work begun so well.

Sick and weakly, pris'ners, strangers,
Cold in nakedness we lie;
Train'd in hunger, thirst and dangers,
As in exercise to die.

All avail not to dispirit
Toil, determin'd to succed;
And we trust in Christ his merit,
As we have his woes to plead.

Yea, our lot is fallen fairer
Than the sons of wealth and pride;
While our Saviour is a sharer
In all hardships that betide.

Hard and precious are together,
Stripes and wounds are endless gain;
If with him the storm we weather,
With him also we shall reign.

We shall take the traitors places,
And their forfeit office hold,
And to Christ shall show our faces,
Not betray'd by us or sold.

Lord, our spirits disencumber,
From the world our hearts dismiss;
Let us reckon to the number
Of thy saints in fruitful bliss.

Let the few of Christ be hearty
In the cause they bleed to win,
And religion make her party
Good against the pow'r of sin.

Let us pray—by self-denial
Every sense to Christ resign,
Till we from the fiery trial
Pure as purity refine.

HYMN IX. THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN.

O purity, thou test
Of love amongst the blest,
How excellent thou art,
The Lord Jehovah's heart,
Whose sweet attributes embrace,
Every virtue, praise and grace.

Thou fair and good dispos'd,
'Midst glories undisclos'd,
Inspire the notes to play
Upon the virgin's day;
High above all females nam'd,
And by Gabriel's voice proclaim'd.

Glad herald, ever sent
Upon some blest event,
But never sped to men
On such a charge till then—
When his Saviour's feet he kiss'd,
To promulge his birth dismiss'd.

Hail mystery! thou source
Of nature's plainest course,
How much this work transcends
Thine usual means and ends—
Wherefore call'd, we shall not spare
Louder praise, and oft'ner pray'r.

But if the work be new,
So shou'd the song be too,
By every thought that's born
In freshness of the morn;
Every flight of active wings,
Every shift upon the strings.

To praise the mighty hand
By which the world was mann'd,
Which dealt to great and small
Their talents clear of all;
Kind to kind by likeness linkt,
Various all, and all distinct.

165

Praise him seraphic tone
Of instruments unknown,
High strains on golden wire,
Work'd by etherial fire;
Blowing on unceasing chords,
“King of kings, and lord of lords.”

Praise Hannah, of the three,
That sang in Mary's key;
With her that made her psalm
Beneath the bow'ring palm;
With the dame—Bethulia's boast,
Honour'd o'er th'Assyrian host.

Praise him faith, hope, and love
That tend Jehovah's dove;
By men from lust repriev'd
As females best conceiv'd;
To remount the man and muse
For above all earthly views.

HYMN X. THE CRUCIFIXION OF OUR BLESSED LORD.

The world is but a sorry scene,
Untrue, unhallow'd, and unclean,
And hardly worth a man;
The fiend upon the land prevails,
And o'er the floods in triumph sails,
Do goodness all she can.

How many works for such a day?
How glorious? that ye scourge and slay
Ye blind, by blinder led;
All hearts at once devising bad,
Hands, mouths against their Maker mad,
With Satan at the head—

Are these the race of saints profest,
That for authorities contest,
And question and debate?
Yet in so foul a deed rebell,
Beyond example, ev'n from hell,
To match its barb'rous hate.

Behold the man! the tyrant said,
As in the robes of scoff array'd,
And crown'd with thorns he stood;
And feigning will to let him go
He chose Barabbas, open foe
Of human kind and good.

And was it He, whose voice divine,
Could change the water into wine,
And first his pow'r averr'd;
Which fed in Galilea's groves
The fainting thousands with the loaves
And fishes of his word!

And was it He, whose mandate freed
The palsied suppliant, and in deed
The sabbath-day rever'd;
Which bade the thankful dumb proclaim
The Lord omnipotent by name,
Till loosen'd deafness heard!

And was it He, whose hand was such,
As lighten'd blindness at a touch,
And made the lepers whole;
Could to the dropsy health afford,
And to the lunatic restor'd
Serenity of soul!

The daughter that so long a term
By Satan's bonds had been infirm,
Was rescued and receiv'd;
Yea, with the foes of faith and hope
His matchless charity cou'd cope,
When Malchus was reliev'd.

The woman in his garment's hem
Conceiv'd a prevalence to stem
The sources of her pain;
He calls—the dead from death arise,
And as their legions he defies
The dev'ls descend again.

His irresistable command
Convey'd the vessel to the land,
As instant as his thought;
He caus'd the tempest to forget
Its rage, and into Peter's net,
The wond'rous capture brought.

166

The roarings of the billows cease
To hear the gospel of his peace
Upon the still profound—
He walk'd the waves—and at his will,
The fish to pay th'exactor's bill
To Judah's coast was bound.

The wither'd hand he saw and cur'd,
And health from gen'ral ail secur'd
Where'er disease was rife;
And was omniscient to tell
The woman at the patriarch's well
The story of her life.

But never since the world was known,
One so stupendous as his own,
And rich of vast event;
From love ador'd, as soon as seen,
Had not his hated message been
To bid the world repent.

Ah, still desirous of a king,
To give voluptuous vice its swing
With passions like a brute;
By Jesus Christ came truth and grace,
But none indulgence, pension, place,
The slaves of SELF to suit.

The Lord on Gabbatha they doom,
Before the delegate of Rome,
Deserted and exposed—
They might have thought on Israel's God,
Which on the sapphire pavement trod,
To sev'nty seers disclos'd.

They might have thought upon the loss
Of Eden, and the dreadful cross
That happen'd by a tree;
Ere yet with cursed throats they shout
To bring the dire event about,
Tho' prophesy'd to be.

O God, the bonds of sin enlarge,
Lay not this horror to our charge,
But as we fast and weep,
Pour out the streams of love profuse,
Let all the pow'rs of mercy loose,
While wrath and vengeance sleep.

HYMN XI. EASTER DAY.

Awake—arise—lift up thy voice,
Which as a trumpet swell,
Rejoice in Christ—again rejoice,
And on his praises dwell.

The muse at length, no more perplext
In search of human wit,
Shall kneel her down, and take her text
From lore of sacred writ.

My lot in holy ground was cast,
And for the prize I threw;
And in the path by thousands past
The Lord shall make me new.

O let the people, with the priest,
Adorn themselves to pray,
And with their faces to the east
Their adoration pay.

Let us not doubt, as doubted some,
When first the Lord appear'd;
But full of faith and rev'rence come
What time his voice is heard.

And ev'n as John, who ran so well,
Confess upon our knees
The prince that locks up death and hell,
And has himself the keys.

'Tis He that puts all hearts in tune
With strings that never jar,
And they that rise to praise him soon,
Shall win the MORNING STAR.

The morning star, and pearl of price,
And stone of lucid white,
Are all provocatives from vice,
To heav'n and true delight.

O GLADNESS! that suspend'st belief
For fear that rapture dreams;
Thou also hast the tears of grief,
And failst in wild extreams.

167

Tho' Peter make a clam'rous din,
Will he thy doubts destroy?
Will little Rhoda let him in,
Incredulous with joy?

And thus thro' gladness and surprize
The saints their Saviour treat;
Nor will they trust their ears and eyes
But by his hands and feet.

These hands of lib'ral love indeed
In infinite degree,
Those feet still frank to move and bleed
For millions and for me.

A watch, to slavish duty train'd,
Was set by spiteful care,
Lest what the sepulchre contain'd
Should find alliance there.

Herodians came to seal the stone
With Pilate's gracious leave,
Lest dead and friendless, and alone,
Should all their skill deceive.

O dead arise! O friendless stand
By seraphim ador'd—
O solitude! again command
Thy host from heav'n restor'd.

Watchmen sleep on, and take your rest,
And wake when conscience stings;
For Christ shall make the grave his nest
Till God return his wings.

He died—but death itself improv'd
To triumph o'er the foe,
And preach'd, as God's great spirit mov'd,
To sinners chain'd below.

The souls that perish'd in the flood
He bid again to bliss;
And caus'd his rod with hope to bud
From out the dread abyss.

The seventh day above the week
Still would he keep and bless;
The pain'd to sooth, the lost to seek,
And grievance to redress.

Yet never such a day before
Of holy work was spent,
While hardship infinite he bore
That malice might relent.

And whether from success exempt
The story is not told;
But sure most glorious was th'attempt,
Whose fame in heav'n's enroll'd.

And each man in his spirit knows
That mercy has no bound;
And from that upmost zenith flows
The lowest depth to sound.

And therefore David calls for praise
From all the gulphs that yawn,
Our thoughts by greater strokes to raise
Than e'er before were drawn.

Beyond the height that science kens,
Where genius is at home;
And poets take their golden pens
To fill th'immortal tome.

Ye that for psalmody contend,
Exert your trilling throats;
And male and female voices blend
With joys divinest notes.

By fancy rais'd to Zion's top
Your swelling organ join;
And praise the Lord on every stop
Till all your faces shine.

With sweetest breath your trumpets fill'd,
Shall forward strength and grace;
Then all your warbling measures build
Upon the grounding bass.

The boxen pipe, for deepness form'd,
Involve in strains of love,
And flutes, with inspiration warm'd,
Shall imitate the dove.

Amongst the rest arouse the harp,
And with a master's nail;
And from the quick vibrations carp
The graces of the scale.

168

The flow'rs from every bed collect,
And on the altar lift;
And let each silver vase be deckt
With nature's graceful gift.

And from the steeple's summit stream
The flag of golden gloss,
Exposing to the glancing beam
The glorious English cross;

And let the lads of gladness born
The ringers be renew'd;
And as they usher'd in the morn,
Let them the day conclude.

Rev. i. 18.

Rev. ii. 28.

Rev. ii. 17.

HYMN XII. ST. MARK.

Pull up the bell-flow'rs of the spring,
And let the budding greenwood ring
With many a chearful song;
All blessing on the human race,
From CHRIST, evangelist of grace,
To whom these strains belong.

To whom belong the tribe that vie
In what is musick to the eye,
Whose voice is “stoop to pray”—
While many colour'd tints attire
His fav'rites, like the golden wire,
The beams on wind flow'rs play.

To whom belong the dress and airs
Of nature in her warbling pairs,
And in her bloomy pride;
By whom the man of pray'r computes
His year, and estimates the fruits
Of every time and tide.

To whom the sacred penman cries,
And as he heav'nwards lifts his eyes,
With meekness kneels him down;
Then what inspiring truth indites,
His strengthen'd memory recites,
The tale of God's renown.

O holy Mark! ordain'd in youth
To be historian of the truth
From heav'ns first fountain brought;
And Christ his hand was on thy head,
To bless thee that thou shouldst be read,
And in his churches taught.

And tho', as Peter's scribe and son,
Thou mightst a charity have done
To cover his disgrace;
Yet strictly charg'd thou wouldst not spare
At large the treason to declare,
And in its order place.

Thus in the church, to cleanse our sin,
By fair confession we begin,
And in thanksgiving end;
And they that have the Lord deny'd,
Must not come there the crime to hide,
But promise to amend.

Then let us not this day refuse,
With joy to give the Christian dues
To Lazars at the door;
“O for the name and love of Christ
“Spare one poor dole from all your grist,
“One mite from all your store!”

And those that in by-places lurk,
Invite with overpay to work,
Thy garner'd hay to fill;
And worship on the new mown sod,
And active to the Lord thy God,
Keep lust and conscience still.

HYMN XIII. ST. PHILIP AND ST. JAMES.

Now the winds are all composure,
But the breath upon the bloom,
Blowing sweet o'er each inclosure,
Grateful off'rings of perfume.

Tansy, calaminth and daisies,
On the river's margin thrive;
And accompany the mazes
Of the stream that leaps alive.

169

Muse, accordant to the season,
Give the numbers life and air;
When the sounds and objects reason
In behalf of praise and pray'r.

All the scenes of nature quicken,
By the genial spirit fann'd;
And the painted beauties thicken
Colour'd by the master's hand.

Earth her vigour repossessing
As the blasts are held in ward;
Blessing heap'd and press'd on blessing,
Yield the measure of the Lord.

Beeches, without order seemly,
Shade the flow'rs of annual birth,
And the lily smiles supremely
Mention'd by the Lord on earth.

Couslips seize upon the fallow,
And the cardamine in white,
Where the corn-flow'rs join the mallow,
Joy and health, and thrift unite.

Study sits beneath her arbour,
By the bason's glossy side;
While the boat from out its harbour
Exercise and pleasure guide.

Pray'r and praise be mine employment,
Without grudging or regret,
Lasting life, and long enjoyment,
Are not here, and are not yet.

Hark! aloud, the black-bird whistles,
With surrounding fragrance blest,
And the goldfinch in the thistles
Makes provision for her nest.

Ev'n the hornet hives his honey,
Bluecap builds his stately dome,
And the rocks supply the coney
With a fortress and an home.

But the servants of their Saviour,
Which with gospel-peace are shod,
Have no bed but what the paviour
Makes them in the porch of God.

O thou house that hold'st the charter
Of salvation from on high,
Fraught with prophet, saint, and martyr,
Born to weep, to starve and die!

Great to-day thy song and rapture
In the choir of Christ and WREN
When two prizes were the capture
Of the hand that fish'd for men.

To the man of quick compliance
Jesus call'd, and Philip came;
And began to make alliance
For his master's cause and name.

James, of title most illustrious,
Brother of the Lord, allow'd;
In the vineyard how industrious,
Nor by years nor hardship bow'd!

Each accepted in his trial,
One the CHEERFUL one the JUST;
Both of love and self-denial,
Both of everlasting trust.

Living they dispens'd salvation,
Heav'n-endow'd with grace and pow'r;
And they dy'd in imitation
Of their Saviour's final hour.

Who, for cruel traitors pleading,
Triumph'd in his parting breath;
O'er all miracles preceding
His inestimable death.

HYMN XIV. THE ASCENSION OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST.

“And other wond'rous works were done
“No mem'ry can recall;
“Which were they number'd every one,
“Not all the space beneath the sun
“Cou'd hold the fair detail of all.”

170

The text is full, and strong to do
The glorious subject right;
But on the working mind's review
The letter's like the spirit true,
And clear and evident as light.

For not a particle of space
Where'er his glory beam'd,
With all the modes of site and place,
But were the better for his grace,
And up to higher lot redeem'd.

For all the motley tribe that pair,
And to their cover skim,
Became his more immediate care,
The raven urgent in his pray'r,
And those that make the woodland hymn.

For every creature left at will
The howling WASTE to roam,
Which live upon the blood they spill,
From his own hands receive their fill,
What time the desart was his home.

They knew him well, and could not err,
To him they all appeal'd;
The baest of sleek or shaggy fur,
And found their natures to recur
To what they were in Eden's field.

For all that dwell in depth or wave,
And ocean—every drop—
Confess'd his mighty pow'r to save,
When to the floods his peace he gave,
And bade careering whirlwinds stop.

And all things meaner from the worm
Probationer to fly;
To him that creeps his little term,
And countless rising from the sperm
Shed by sea-reptiles, where they ply.

These all were bless'd beneath his feet,
Approaching them so near;
Vast flocks that have no mouths to bleat,
With yet a spirit to intreat,
And in their rank divinely dear.

For on some special good intent,
Advancement or relief,
Or some great evil to prevent,
Or some perfection to augment,
He held his life of tears and grief.

'Twas his the pow'rs of hell to curb,
And men possess'd to free;
And all the blasting fiends disturb
From seed of bread, from flow'r and herb,
From fragrant shrub and stately tree.

The song can never be pursu'd
When Infinite's the theme—
For all to crown, and to conclude,
He bore and bless'd ingratitude,
And insult in its worst extreme.

And having then such deeds atchiev'd
As never man before,
From scorn and cruelty repriev'd,
In highest heav'n he was receiv'd,
To reign with God for evermore.

HYMN XV. WHITSUNDAY.

King of sempiternal sway,
Thou hast kept thy word to-day,
That the COMFORTER should come,
That gainsayers should be dumb.
While the tongues of men transfus'd
With thy spirit should be loos'd,
And untutor'd Hebrew speak,
Latin, Arabic, and Greek.

That thy praises might prevail
On each note upon the scale,
In each nation that is nam'd,
On each organ thou hast fram'd;
Every speech beneath the sun,
Which from Babel first begun;
Branch or leaf, or flow'r or fruit
Of the Hebrews ancient root.

171

This great miracle was wrought,
That the millions might be taught,
And themselves of hope assure
By the preaching of the poor—
O thou God of truth and pow'r
Bless all Englishmen this hour;
That their language may suffice
To make nations good and wise.

Yea, the God of truth and pow'r
Blesses Englishmen this hour;
That their language may suffice
To make nations good and wise—
Wherefore then no more success—
That so much is much to bless—
Revelation is our own,
Secret things are God's alone.

Deut. xxix. 29.

HYMN XVI. TRINITY SUNDAY.

If Jesus be reveal'd,
There is no truth conceal'd
For honour or for awe,
That tends to drive or draw
To the hope of heav'nly bliss,
From the dread of hell's abyss.

If oracles be mute,
And every dull dispute
Of ostentatious gloom
In Athens or in Rome;
We should, sure, amend our ways
By submission, pray'r and praise.

O THREE! of blest account
To which all sums amount,
For if the church has two
The work of pray'r to do,
God himself, th'Almighty word,
Will be there to make the third.

One Lord, one faith, one font,
Are all good christians want
To make the fiend retreat,
And build the saint compleat;
Where the Godhead self-allied,
Faith, hope, charity reside.

Man, soul and angel join
To strike up strains divine;
O blessed and ador'd,
Thine aid from heav'n afford;
HOLY, HOLY, HOLY THREE,
Which in One, as One agree.

For angel, man and soul
Make up upon the whole,
One individual here,
And in the highest sphere;
Where with God he shall repose,
From whose image first he rose.

Ye books, that load the shelves,
To lead us from ourselves,
Where things, in doubt involv'd,
Are rather made than solv'd;
Render to the dust and worm
All ye question or affirm.

Ye poets, seers and priests,
Whose lore the spirit feasts,
And keep the banquet on,
From Moses ev'n to John;
On your truth I will regale,
“Which is great and must prevail.”

The Trinity is plain,
So David's psalms maintain,
—Who made not God his boast
But by the HOLY GHOST;
Thence prophetick to record
All the suff'rings of the Lord.

Yet all the Scriptures run
That God is great and one,
Or else there is no cause
Of nature or her laws;
To controul and comprehend
All beginning, course and end.

172

HYMN XVII. THE KING'S RESTORATION.

Almighty Jesu! first and last,
The sole original and cause
Of all heroic actions past,
The God of patriot deeds, and gracious laws;
Which didst at sea this western empire found
The chief, the lords and people in thy love renown'd.

We thank thee that we were despis'd,
And as unblest barbarians held;
For then and therefore thou devis'd
All things in which we have the rest excell'd;
The progeny, that God's free woman bare,
In all their leagues and dealings faithful, just and fair.

We thank thee for the spacious stream,
Thrice rolling thro' the sounding arch;
O'er which the dome of CHRIST supreme
Sees George's gallant horse exalt their march,
And thence their prosp'rous embarkation speed,
Against the fraud and pride of Moab's spurious seed.

We thank thee for the naval sway
Which o'er the subject seas we claim;
And for the homage nations pay,
Submissive to the great Britannic fame;
Who soon as they thy precious cross discern,
Bow lowering to the staff on our imperial stern.

We thank thee for Eliza's reign,
When to the realm thy spirit spake;
And for thy triumphs on the main
By Howard, Forbisher, and glorious Drake;
Whose heart was offer'd, resolute and free,
To bleed for Englishmen, but that was done by thee.

We thank thee for thy pow'r divine,
By which our ships were mann'd from heav'n;
What wonder then if three should join
To play their destin'd balls and conquer scorn,
That Forest, Suckling, Langdon should prevail,
When thou hadst weigh'd the combatin thy righteous scale.

The glory to thy name we yield,
By which the vast exploit was done;
At Poictier's and in Cressey's field
Against vain Moab must'ring ten to one,
“Enough to kill, to take and put to flight,”
By faith of Englishmen in God's redoubted might.

The glory to thy name for Cam,
Immortal from the hour he bled,
Who stoutly fixt himself to dam
The torrent, rushing on his LEADER's head;
The glory to thy name, for each and all,
Of Henry's gifted sword, or Edward's noble stall.

The glory to thy name for Ann,
And for the houses that she built;
And for that great victorious man,
Who ran profane oppression to the hilt;
Born HIS sublime atchievement to fulfill,
Which bids IMPOSSIBLE make speed to do his will.

The glory to thy name for Ann,
Sweet princess, with thy grace endu'd;
And for that charitable plan,
By which the poor may preach, and have his food;
And for the special pray'r that she preferr'd,
Which for the famous march of deathless Webb was heard.

The glory to thy name for Ann,
Again a princess, and most sweet,
To meet her Saviour Christ she ran,
And gently stoopt to wash the poor man's feet;
Queen of the wave, to cherish with her wing
A Russel, Shovel, Rook, a Benbow, and a Byng.

We give the glory for the means
By which the reformation rose;
Thy grace to stop the bloody scenes
Of pride and cruelty, thy deadly foes;
Whence now the church in dignity sublimes,
The simple truth of Christ, and praise of pristine times.

173

We give the glory for thy word,
That it so well becomes our tongue;
And that thy spirit is transferr'd
Upon the strains of old in Hebrew sung.
And for the services dispers'd abroad,
—The church her seemly course of practic pray'r and laud.

We give the glory for the eyes
Of science, and the realm around;
The two great rivals for the prize,
Ingenuous to a blessing on the sound.
Well may their schools and num'rous chapels teach,
“The word is very Christ, that we adore and preach.”

O fair possessions! ghostly wealth!
Nigh laid and lost on Charles's block,
What time the constitution's health
Was broke, and ruin'd by the general shock;
Till God was with the loyal pray'r implor'd,
And THIS DAY saw the heir acknowledg'd and restor'd.

On this day, therefore, we support
The joy with such applause begun,
Which sounding from th'imperial fort,
Redoubles clam'rous roar from gun to gun.
Controuling unto good the sulph'rous blaze,
And making Satan's wrath benevolent of praise.

List!—as ye bless at each discharge,
Remember where the glory's due
(In every house, and bow'r and barge)
To Christ his love for everlasting true.
Accordant to the prophecies express,
His people to redeem, revisit and redress.

Remember all the pious vows
Made by our ancestors, for us,
That we should thus dispose the boughs,
And wear the royal oak in triumph thus;
And to the skies, the caps of freedom hurl'd,
Should thus proclaim the queen of islands and the world.

Ye soldiers reverend with scars,
Remember Chelsea's pleasant groves;
And you, ye students of the stars,
Remov'd from seaman's toils to fair alcoves;
Remember Edward's children train'd in art,
Which now can con the card, and now can plan the chart.

Remember all ye may of good,
Select the nosegay from the sod;
But leave the brambles in the wood—
Remember charity is God—
Which, scorning custom, her illib'ral crowds
Brings virtue to the sun, while slips and crimes she clouds.

HYMN XVIII. ST. BARNABAS.

Daring as the noon-tide ray
On the summer's longest day,
Is the truth of Christ supreme;
Proving at its sacred touch,
Whether Ophir's gold be such,
Or a shift to seem.

Joses, who can doubt thee now,
Who will not thy faith allow,
With thy lands, for Christ, at sale?
By foul lucre undefil'd,
In the spirit Jesus' child,
Son of comfort, hail!

For a substance to endure
Hast thou listed with the poor,
Triumph o'er thyself atchiev'd—
Thee thy Saviour God inrolls
In the calendar of souls,
Sainted and receiv'd.

Heroes of the Christian cause,
Candidates for God's applause,
—Leaving all for Christ his sake;
Scorning temporal reward,
Ready to confess the Lord
At the cross or stake.

174

Shew your everlasting store
To one great believer more,
And your ghostly gifts impart—
Grutching treasures for the moth,
To the Lord he pledg'd his troth,
And ally'd his heart.

Hence instructed, let us learn
Heav'n and heav'nly things to earn,
And with want by pray'r to cope;
To the Lord your wealth resign,
Destribution is divine,
Misers have no hope.

HYMN XIX. THE NATIVITY OF ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST.

Great and bounteous BENEFACTOR,
We thy gen'rous aid adjure,
Shield us from the foul exactor,
And his sons, that grind the poor.

Lo the swelling fruits of summer,
With inviting colours dy'd,
Hang, for ev'ry casual comer,
O'er the fence projecting wide.

See the corn for plenty waving,
Where the lark secur'd her eggs—
In the spirit then be saving,
Give the poor that sings and begs.

Gentle nature seems to love us
In each fair and finish'd scene,
All is beauteous blue above us,
All beneath is cheerful green.

Now when warmer rays enlighten
And adorn the lengthen'd time,
When the views around us brighten,
Days a rip'ning from their prime,

She that was as barren reckon'd,
Had her course completely run,
And her dumb-struck husband beckon'd
For a pen to write a son.

JOHN, the child of Zacharias,
Just returning to his earth,
Prophet of the Lord Messias,
And fore-runner of his birth.

He too martyr'd, shall precede him,
Ere he speed to heav'n again,
Ere the traitors shall implead him,
And the priest his God arraign.

John beheld the great and holy,
Hail'd the love of God supreme;
O how gracious, meek, and lowly,
When baptiz'd in Jordan's stream!

If from honour so stupendous
He the grace of pow'r deriv'd,
And to tyrants was tremendous,
That at fraud and filth conniv'd;

If he led a life of rigour,
And th'abstemious vow obey'd;
If he preach'd with manly vigour,
Practis'd sinners to dissuade;

If his voice by fair confession
Christ's supremacy avow'd;
If he check'd with due suppression
Self-incitements to be proud.

Vice conspiring to afflict him
To the death that ends the great,
Offer'd him a worthy victim
For acceptance in the height.

HYMN XX. ST. PETER.

High above the world's pursuit,
Far beyond the fool's conceit,
Where the cherub plays her lute,
Dwells the man of God complete.

Greatness here severely shunn'd,
Falls in heav'n to virtue's share,
And the poor man finds a fund
Of eternal treasures there.

175

To the Lord is not access
But by magnitude above,
And exalted strength must bless
In yon upper flights of love.

Peter from repentance rose
To the magnitude requir'd,
First of all his master chose
In celestial pomp attir'd.

But he is a stranger still
To the Roman frauds and fees;
He nor sold to vice her will,
Nor to Mammon left his keys.

Hence the practice, prais'd at Rome,
Christian principle confounds—
What! at eminence presume,
And not skill to know the grounds?

What! can pride and kingly pow'r,
With the soldier kept in pay,
And a crown like Babel's tow'r,
Suit the sons of YEA and NAY?

YEA is Christ avouch'd by truth,
Sharing hardship with her prince,
Feed my lambs—instrust the youth—
Feed my sheep—the old convince.

NAY is quit thy house and land,
And all carnal things abjure;
NAY is neither rich nor grand,
But refuses for the poor.

Peter, when with Christ he went,
Made this excellence his plea—
“Here we are, and rest content,
“Quitting all, and tending thee.”

Wherefore he was worthy deem'd
On the mountain-top to tread,
While surpassing glories beam'd
On his master's hallow'd head.

Wherefore too this day we hold
As of honourable note,
We of Christ's peculiar fold,
That protest against the goat.

Wheresoe'er we are dispers'd,
In the ocean, or ashore,
Still the service is rehears'd,
Still we worship and adore.

Thanks to God we have a form
Of sound words aboard the ship,
In the calm, or in the storm,
To exalt him heart and lip.

There Jehovah's dove may perch
On the topmast as she swims—
Ev'ry vessel is a church
Meet for praise, for pray'r, and hymns.

HYMN XXI. ST. JAMES.

Sure a seaman's lot is bless'd,
Gen'rous, faithful, frank, and brave,
Since the Lord himself possess'd
Of disciples from the wave.
Sure a realm, whose fame depends
On their deeds the rest transcends.

Yea, from fishers on the coast,
Poor, and by the nations scorn'd,
With our navy's gallant host
Seas are crouded and adorn'd,
Wheresoe'er the billows toss,
Bearing Christ's triumphant cross.

Lo! the Lord is on the cliff,
Peter's partner, come away;
Leave thy tackle and thy skiff
For a life to preach and pray—
James shall answer the command,
Soon as he can make the land.

Let the net no more be hawl'd,
Zebedee, thy sire neglect
Now, the son of thunder call'd,
E'en the word of God direct—
Thou disputing sects shall foil,
And conviction bless thy toil.

176

Having now obtain'd release
From thy low conerns and cares,
Go, and preach the Spaniard peace,
Teach ambitious pomp her pray'rs,
Fav'ring still, in Jesus' stead,
God in England at the head.

O that all the human race
In what region, clime, or zone,
Would the genuine faith embrace,
As in these thy kingdom's known;
Prosper thou the pilgrims sent
To prepare the great event.

Prosper thou, O God of light,
Them which propagate thy word
In the realms that fiends benight—
By no seas or toils deterr'd;
More and more in this employ
Thy cherubic guard convoy.

God of heartiness and strength,
God of English pray'r and laud,
May good-nature speed at length,
Join'd with grace, to foes abroad,
Thou that lend'st a special ear
To the simple and sincere.

HYMN XXII. ST. BARTHOLOMEW.

“Behold an Israelite indeed,
“In whom there is no guile,”—
Whom neither wordly ways mislead,
Nor treach'rous thoughts defile.

SINCERITY, belov'd of Christ,
For him herself has kept,
And neither purchas'd, nor intic't,
With him has smil'd and wept.

Her Jesus in his arms infolds,
And to his church ascribes—
She wears the precious ring that holds
Each jewel of the tribes.

Gold is not very gold, nor myrrh
True myrrh, nor rubies glow,
If first not try'd and prov'd by her
That they indeed are so.

She is a fountain from the truth,
And floods embracing all;
Hypocrisy shall gnash its tooth
Whene'er it hears her call.

Who then amongst mankind can thrive
That has such ghostly worth?
The saint must needs be flay'd alive,
Possessing her on earth.

Come then, or sword, or fire, or ax,
Devour me branch and stem,
I will not fail to pay the tax
Of life for such a gem.

HYMN XXIII. ST. MATTHEW.

Ev'n exactors of the toll,
And the harlot of the stew,
Sooner give the Lord his due
Than men disguis'd of soul.

Matthew made the Lord a feast,
Wealth and business left behind,
Of his tribe, and of his kind,
Among the worst and least.

Yet he had an eye to God
Soon as Jesus Christ drew near,
And with meekness, faith, and fear,
He worship'd to his nod.

Humbl'd therefore by the shame
Of his worldly filth and guilt,
By his hand the Lord has built
A pillar to his name.

One for ev'ry point are four,
Matthew for an obvious praise,
His in Hebrew chose to raise,
That easterns might adore.

177

Of a meaner order, Mark,
As he would the north address,
Yet his word of God express
Illuminates the dark.

Luke diffusive takes a sweep,
Rising to command the west,
And by Jesus Christ is blest,
Historic high and deep.

John, above the rest divine,
In the church her southern isle,
Stands of plain majestic stile,
Where warmth and brightness join.

These combin'd the church sustain,
But this day assigns to thee,
Matthew, rather than the three,
The heav'n directed strain.

Sure the mother-tongue is great,
Since it is what seraphs use;
Since with that the cherub woos
To mutual praise his mate.

HYMN XXIV. ST. MICHAEL AND ALL ANGELS.

Angelic natures, great in arms
Against the dragon and his pow'rs,
Whom Michael's excellence alarms
From highest heav'n's imperial tow'rs;

Ye that in Christ his church attend
What time the services are sung,
And your propitious spirits blend
With our united heart and tongue.

O come, celestial watch and ward,
As in the closet I adore
My fellow-servants of the Lord,
To whom these measures I restore.

If Satan's malice was withstood
Where Moses cold and breathless lay,
Give Michael, patient, meek, and good,
Through Christ, the glory of the day.

If Tobit's charitable soul,
A type of Jesus Christ to come,
Was blessed from the poor man's dole
Ev'n to the social sparrow's crumb;

If to the living and the dead
His hand was rich in deeds of love,
First Raphael from his Master fled
By mandate in the heights above.

If Zacharias was inform'd
That God his pious pray'rs should crown,
The barren womb to ripeness warm'd,
'Twas Gabriel brought the tidings down.

Hail mighty princes in the height,
Which o'er stupendous works preside
Of vast authority and weight—
But there are other pow'rs beside.

These, one for every man, are sent
God in the spirit to reveal,
To forward ev'ry good event,
And each internal grief to heal.

HYMN XXV. ST. LUKE.

Luke, physician of the wound,
Where the troubl'd conscience stings,
Far beyond the skill profound
Of the graduates here renown'd,
Or the costly springs.

Thy conversion soon is wrought,
When thou seest thy Saviour's cures,
So surpassing human thought,
What thy books from Greece have taught,
Or thy hope assures.

Henceforth, without scrip or purse,
Go on embassage divine,
Med'cines of the soul disperse
To the wicked and perverse
Thou wert wont to join.

178

Thee thy Saviour shall allot
His great actions to relate,
And thy brethren's sins to blot;
Greater blessing there is not
In a mortal state.

Thou shalt also tell the deeds
Of that apostolic band,
While the happy convert reads
How in Christ the pris'ner pleads
By a master's hand.

Sure thy skill in picture came
To th'assistance of thy pen,
If she was of heav'nly flame,
That is now a sin and shame,
By the frauds of men.

Her the hypocrites adore
In the fane of modern Rome,
And from shadow's aid implore,
That they may blaspheme the more,
And the more presume.

Christ from such detested arts
Guard thy church with watchful eyes,
Keep from Satan's snares and darts,
Innocent as doves our hearts,
But as serpents wise.

HYMN XXVI. THE ACCESSION OF KING GEORGE III.

By me, says Wisdom, monarchs reign,
And princes right decree;
The conduct of the land and main
Is minister'd by me.

Where neither Philip's son was sped,
Nor Roman eagles flew,
The English standard rears its head,
To storm and to subdue.

Our gallant fleets have won success,
Christ Jesus at the helm,
And let us therefore kneel and bless
The sovereign of the realm.

This day the youth began his race,
With angels for allies,
And God shall give him strength and grace
To claim the naval prize.

His righteous spirit he fatigu'd
To speak the nation's peace;
Yet more and more the Papists leagu'd
To mar the world's increase.

The Lord accept his good intent,
And be his great defence,
And may his enemies repent
At no prescrib'd expence.

As yet this isle the proof has stood,
Which God from all disjoins;
O make him singularly good,
And bless with fruit his loins.

His eastern, western bounds enlarge,
Which swarms in vain contest,
And keep the people of his charge
In wealth and godly rest.

HYMN XXVII. ST. SIMON AND ST. JUDE.

Peace be to the souls of those
Which for Jesus Christ have bled,
Or that triumph'd o'er their foes
With the coals upon their head.

Which for him have undergone
Any other dread or death,
Crucify'd, or stabb'd, or sawn,
Blessing to their latest breath.

Simon well may claim a place
In our book of Common Pray'r;
Here he likewise planted grace
By his apostolic care.

He his pilgrimage perform'd
Far as the Britannic coast,
And the ready converts swarm'd
To receive the Holy Ghost.

179

Fair sincerity's the ground
For the Lord to sow his seed,
That will flourish and abound
With a goodly crop indeed.

Christ is pow'rful to renew
Men so quick his will to know,
Whence ten thousand churches grew,
And ten thousand more shall grow.

Farther yet, and farther east,
English sails shall be unfurl'd,
Wafting many a pious priest
To protest against the world.

Farther yet, and farther west,
We shall send the faith abroad,
Against nations to protest,
That are still by Christ unaw'd.

We shall cite from holy Jude
Wholesome texts to mend their way,
Whom our praise and pray'rs include
In the duty of to-day.

He is full of just complaint,
As foul deeds his wrath provoke;
And they massacred the saint
For the cutting words he spoke.

Let us therefore well provide
This good festival to hold,
Lest to us they be apply'd
As to wand'rers from the fold.

Lo! the church herself attires
For the work of pray'r and song;
To the strains that Christ inspires
Crowds of either sex shall throng.

HYMN XXVIII. ALL SAINTS.

Many male and female names,
From the cross, the sword, and flames,
To their blessed Saviour dear,
Have escap'd memorial here.

These are all the Lord's elect,
Which the church must not neglect,
But appoints a day to raise
Anthems for a gen'ral praise.

Stars of the superior class,
Which in magnitude surpass,
From the time they rose and shone,
Have their names and places known.

Mazaroth his circuit runs,
With Arcturus and his sons;
Pleiad twinkles o'er the streams
Of Orion's bolder beams.

But what glories in array
Brighten all the milky way,
Where innumerables vie,
Told alone by God Most High!

Enoch of exceeding grace,
Abr'ham of unnumber'd race,
Jael bursting into fame,
Joab of stupendous name.

These the seers of God commit
To the rolls of holy writ,
With a multitude of note,
Which our children have by rote.

There are thousand thousands more,
Like the sand upon the shore,
Through the love of Christ reveal'd,
All in heav'n receiv'd and seal'd.

HYMN XXIX. THE FIFTH OF NOVEMBER.

What impression God and reason
Had on some abandon'd times,
Was made evident by treason,
And the most flagitious crimes.

England lay dissolv'd in slumber,
Toil and emulation ceas'd,
Till the malice, strength, and number
Of her foes were all increas'd.

180

Eat and drink, and die to-morrow,
From the cottage to the helm,
Till the blessed man of sorrow
Was not heard in all the realm.

This was deem'd a fit occasion
For the Papists to be bold,
For the children of evasion
To come sneaking from their hold.

What a plan of devastation,
That the dev'l alone could start,
How at once to crush the nation
In the bowels, head, and heart!

There is no such great perdition
In the story of mankind,
Not by craft and superstition,
Yea, and cruelty combin'd.

God, in a stupendous manner,
Bade a spendthrift nation home—
Let us therefore fix the banner
On the high cathedral's dome.

Play the musick—call the singers—
Open wide the prison door—
Make a banquet for the ringers—
Give to poverty the store.

Fire away the joyful volley,
Deck your houses, bless your wine;
Triumph o'er the Papists folly,
Who their God would undermine.

HYMN XXX. ST. ANDREW.

O Lord, thou God of bliss,
Which highest natures leave
To rectify the things amiss
Amongst the sons of Eve.

From time to time they came
To warn and to correct;
But ah! the dreadful sin and shame,
With small or none effect.

At length no more with-held
By seraph's tears and pray'r,
The God of heav'n himself compell'd
This fleshly veil to wear.

But how to find a friend
In poverty and woe,
Omnipotence must needs attend
His steps where'er they go.

When John his Saviour spy'd,
Behold the LAMB (said he).
If it be so, St. Andrew cry'd,
No more I follow thee.

His teacher he forsook,
And on his face he fell,
And instantly himself betook
To life's eternal well.

Then from a life reform'd,
He spread example wide,
And multitudes with zeal he warm'd
To take their Saviour's side.

At length the words prevail
Which Christ prophetic spake,
And to the cross the saint they hale
That ruffian traitors make.

Tormented, tried, and bound
Two well-supported days,
His life his dying accents crown'd,
E'en to their last essays.

His body was remov'd
From Patræ to the Turk,
Where it, through Christ, shall be improv'd
To do a glorious work.

The Spirit shall descend,
And churches shall aspire,
—And they that now the mosques attend,
Of Jesus shall inquire.

Yea Edom one and all
Shall choose the Lord their chief;
And he shall finally recall
The sons of unbelief.

181

HYMN XXXI. ST. THOMAS.

Ah! Thomas, wherefore wouldst thou doubt,
And put the Lord in pain,
And mad'st his wounds to spout
Anew from ev'ry vein?

Lo! those of God are blessed most,
Which, simple and serene,
Believe the Holy Ghost,
That operates unseen.

This is that great and prior proof
Of God and of his Son,
Beneath whose sacred roof
To-day the duty's done.

Tho' seventeen hundred years remote,
We can perform our part,
And to the Lord devote
The tribute of our heart.

O Lord, the slaves of sin release,
Their ways in Christ amend,
Our faith and hope increase,
Our charities extend.

Make thou our alter'd lives of use
To all the skirts around,
And purge from each abuse
Thy church, so much renown'd.

Enlarge from Mammon's spells her priests,
And from all carnal cares,
And bid to ghostly feasts,
To pure cherubic airs.

Thy people in that choir employ
Whose business is above,
In gratitude and joy,
In wonder, praise, and love.

HYMN XXXII. THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST.

Where is this stupendous stranger,
Swains of Solyma, advise,
Lead me to my Master's manger,
Shew me where my Saviour lies?

O Most Mighty! O MOST HOLY!
Far beyond the seraph's thought,
Art thou then so mean and lowly
As unheeded prophets taught?

O the magnitude of meekness!
Worth from worth immortal sprung;
O the strength of infant weakness,
If eternal is so young!

If so young and thus eternal,
Michael tune the shepherd's reed,
Where the scenes are ever vernal,
And the loves be love indeed!

See the God blasphem'd and doubted
In the schools of Greece and Rome;
See the pow'rs of darkness routed,
Taken at their utmost gloom.

Nature's decorations glisten
Far above their usual trim;
Birds on box and laurels listen,
As so near the cherubs hymn.

Boreas now no longer winters
On the desolated coast;
Oaks no more are riv'n in splinters
By the whirlwind and his host.

Spinks and ouzles sing sublimely,
“We too have a Saviour born;”
Whiter blossoms burst untimely
On the blest Mosaic thorn.

God all-bounteous, all-creative,
Whom no ills from good dissuade,
Is incarnate, and a native
Of the very world he made.

HYMN XXXIII. ST. STEPHEN.

O maker! of almighty skill,
Whose word all wonders can fulfil,
Where'er the sun, where'er the planets shine,
Exertion and effect at once are thine.

182

God! great and manifest around,
In earth, and air, and depth profound,
In every movement, animals that breathe,
And all the beauties visible beneath.

But nobler works about his throne,
And brighter glories are his own,
Where high o'er heav'n the loves his Spirit mates,
And virtues, graces, mercies he creates.

A saint is a stupendous thing,
Sublimest work of Christ the king;
For ere his blessed Saviour can succeed,
How many foes to foil, and veins to bleed!

Soon as the Lord resum'd the skies,
He put up his immortal prize,
And in a full maturity of soul,
Great Stephen ran the first, and past the goal.

His therefore is the champion's crown—
And his the firstlings of renown—
O GRACE, thou never rais'd a sweeter flow'r.
Which sprang, and gemm'd, and blossom'd in an hour.

Then welcome to a quick reward,
Ev'n in the bosom of the Lord,
To hear, “Well done, thou good and faithful friend,
“Receive thy Saviour's joy, that knows no end.

“Beyond the bliss of ear or eye,
“Beyond the heart's conception high,
“Beyond the topmost flight of mortal ken,
“Hosanna! halelujah! and amen.”—

HYMN XXXIV. ST. JOHN THE EVANGELIST.

Hosanna! yet again,
Another glorious day,
Ye cherubs sing and play,
Ye seraphs swell the strain.

Hail! highly favour'd man,
Thy name and lot transcend
All praise that e'er was penn'd
Since first the verse began.

O dear to Christ supreme,
His bosom friend declar'd,
And yet for all he car'd
With tenderness extreme.

As Benjamin was blest,
When he to Egypt came,
By Joseph full of fame,
And honour'd o'er the rest.

But Christ was meek and poor,
No chariot his to ride,
No Goshen to divide,
No favours to procure.

Yet in his realms above,
Which are the highest heav'n,
First of th'elect elev'n,
Thou claim'st thy master's love.

HYMN XXXV. THE HOLY INNOCENTS.

Love and pity are ally'd,
So are cruelty and pride;
But they never met till now,
As in Herod's hellish vow.

Ev'ry tyrant of his time
Stands abash'd at such a crime;
Not a monster since the flood
Was in equal guilt of blood.

Rachael, with a mother's grief,
Sees the ruffians and their chief,
Piercing heav'n and earth with cries,
For her children's rescue tries.

“Cherubs lend your aid in air;
“Seraphim, ye shall not dare
“Such a scene as this to see,
“And not succour God and me.”

183

Woman, speed thee back to bliss—
At a greater price than this,
Ere the plan of Christ we build,
Prophecies must be fulfill'd.

Blessed be the Lord's escape,
When the gulph began to gape,
And the fiends from hell were sent,
Man's salvation to prevent.

By the hope which prophets give,
By the psalmist “he shall live,”
Sav'd for a sufficient space
To perform his work of grace.

Though the heav'n and earth shall fail,
Yet his spirit shall prevail,
Till all nations have concurr'd
In the worship of the WORD.

THE END OF THE HYMNS.

FINIS.