Epiphonema
15 Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise:
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend:
Then join the saints: wake every cheerful passion;
When Christ returns, he comes for your salvation.
Psalm 51:1. First Part. L. M.
A penitent pleading for pardon.
1 Shew pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live:
Are not thy mercies large and free?
May not a sinner trust in thee?
2 My crimes are great, but not surpass
The power and glory of thy grace;
Great God, thy nature hath no bound,
So let thy pardoning love be found.
3 O wash my Soul from every sin,
And make my guilty conscience clean;
Here on my heart the burden lies,
And past offences pain my eyes.
4 My lips with shame my sins confess
Against thy law, against thy grace:
Lord, should thy judgment grow severe,
I am condemn’d, but thou art clear.
5 Should sudden vengeance seize my breath,
I must pronounce thee just in death;
And if my soul were sent to hell,
Thy righteous law approves it well.
6 Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord,
Whose hope, still hovering round thy word,
Would light on some sweet promise there,
Some sure support against despair.
Psalms 51:2. Second Part. L. M.
Original and actual sin confessed.
1 Lord, I am vile, conceiv’d in sin;
And born unholy and unclean;
Sprung from the man whose guilty fall
Corrupts the race, and taints us all.
2 Soon as we draw our infant-breath,
The seeds of sin grow up for death;
Thy law demands a perfect heart,
But we’re defil’d in every part.
3 [Great God, create my heart anew,
And form my spirit pure and true:
O make me wise betimes to spy
My danger, and my remedy.]
4 Behold I fall before thy face;
My only refuge is thy grace:
No outward forms can make me clean;
The leprosy lies deep within.
5 No bleeding bird, nor bleeding beast,
Nor hyssop branch, nor sprinkling priest,
Nor running brook, nor flood, nor sea,
Can wash the dismal stain away.
6 Jesus, my God, thy blood alone
Hath power sufficient to atone;
Thy blood can make me white as snow;
No Jewish types could cleanse me so.
7 While guilt disturbs and breaks my peace,
Nor flesh, nor soul hath rest or ease;
Lord, let me hear thy pardoning voice,
And make my broken bones rejoice.
Psalm 51:3. Third Part. L. M. The backslider restored; or, Repentance and faith in the blood of Christ.
1 O thou that hear’st when sinners cry,
Tho’ all my crimes before thee lie,
Behold them not with angry look,
But blot their memory from thy book.
2 Create my nature pure within,
And form my soul averse to sin;
Let thy good Spirit ne’er depart,
Nor hide thy presence from my heart.
3 I cannot live without thy light,
Cast out and banish’d from thy sight:
Thine holy joys, my God, restore,
And guard me that I fall no more.
4 Tho’ I have griev’d thy Spirit, Lord,
His help and comfort still afford:
And let a wretch come near thy throne
To plead the merits of thy Son.
5 A broken heart, my God, my King,
Is all the sacrifice I bring;
The God of grace will ne’er despise
A broken heart for sacrifice.
6 My soul lies humbled in the dust,
And owns thy dreadful sentence just;
Look down, O Lord, with pitying eye,
And save the soul condemn’d to die.
7 Then will I teach the world thy ways;
Sinners shall learn thy sovereign grace;
I’ll lead them to my Saviour’s blood,
And they shall praise a pardoning God.
8 O may thy love inspire my tongue!
Salvation shall be all my song;
And all my powers shall join to bless
The Lord, my strength and righteousness.
Psalm 51:4. 3-13. First Part. C. M.
Original and actual sin confessed and pardoned.
1 Lord, I would spread my sore distress
And guilt before thine eyes;
Against thy laws, against thy grace,
How high my crimes arise.
2 Shouldst thou condemn my soul to hell,
And crush my flesh to dust,
Heaven would approve thy vengeance well,
And earth must own it just.
3 I from the stock of Adam came,
Unholy and unclean;
All my original is shame,
And all my nature sin.
4 Born in a world of guilt, I drew
Contagion with my breath;
And, as my days advanc’d, I grew
A juster prey for death.
5 Cleanse me, O Lord, and cheer my soul
With thy forgiving love;
O, make my broken spirit whole,
And bid my pains remove.
6 Let not thy Spirit quite depart,
Nor drive me from thy face;
Create anew my vicious heart,
And fill it with thy grace.
7 Then will I make thy mercy known
Before the sons of men;
Backsliders shall address thy throne,
And turn to God again.
Psalm 51:5. 14-17. Second Part. C. M.
Repentance and faith in the blood of Christ.
1 O God of mercy! hear my call,
My loads of guilt remove;
Break down this separating wall
That bars me from thy love.
2 Give me the presence of thy grace,
Then my rejoicing tongue
Shall speak aloud thy righteousness,
And make thy praise my song.
3 No blood of goats, nor heifers slain,
For sin could e’er atone;
The death of Christ shall still remain
Sufficient and alone.
4 A soul opprest with sin’s desert,
My God will ne’er despise;
A humble groan, a broken heart
Is our best sacrifice.
Psalm 53. 4-6.
Victory and deliverance from persecution.
1 Are all the foes of Sion fools,
Who thus devour her saints?
Do they not know her Saviour rules,
And pities her complaints?
2 They shall be seiz’d with sad surprise;
For God’s revenging arm
Scatters the bones of them that rise
To do his children harm.
3 In vain the sons of Satan boast
Of armies in array:
When God has first despis’d their host,
They fall an easy prey.
4 O for a word from Sion’s King
Her captives to restore!
Jacob with all his tribes shall sing,
And Judah weep no more.
Psalm 55:1. 1-8 16-18 22. C. M.
Support for the afflicted and tempted soul.
1 O God, my refuge, hear my cries,
Behold my flowing tears,
For earth and hell my hurt devise,
And triumph in my fears.
2 Their rage is levell’d at my life,
My soul with guilt they load,
And fill my thoughts with inward strife
To shake my hope in God.
3 With inward pain my heart-strings sound,
I groan with every breath;
Horror and fear beset me round
Amongst the shades of death,
4 O were I like a feather’d dove,
And innocence had wings,
I’d fly, and make a long remove,
From all these restless things.
5 Let me to some wild desert go,
And find a peaceful home,
Where storms of malice never blow,
Temptations never come.
6 Vain hopes, and vain inventions all
To ‘scape the rage of hell!
The mighty God on whom I call
Can save me here as well.
PAUSE.
7 By morning light I’ll seek his face,
At noon repeat my cry,
The night shall hear me ask his grace,
Nor will he long deny.
8 God shall preserve my soul from fear,
Or shield me when afraid;
Ten thousand angels must appear
If he command their aid.
9 I cast my burdens on the Lord,
The Lord sustains them all;
My courage rests upon his word
That saints shall never fall.
10 My highest hopes shall not be vain,
My lips shall spread his praise;
While cruel and deceitful men
Scarce live out half their days.
Psalm 55:2. 15-17 19 22. S. M.
Dangerous prosperity; or,
Daily devotions encouraged.
1 Let sinners take their course,
And choose the road to death;
But in the worship of my God
I’ll spend my daily breath.
2 My thoughts address his throne
When morning brings the light;
I seek his blessing every noon,
And pay my vows at night.
3 Thou wilt regard my cries,
O my eternal God,
While sinners perish in surprise
Beneath thine angry rod.
4 Because they dwell at ease,
And no sad changes feel,
They neither fear nor trust thy Name,
Nor learn to do thy will.
5 But I with all my cares
Will call upon the Lord,
I’ll cast my burdens on his arm,
And rest upon his word,
6 His arm shall well sustain
The children of his love;
The ground on which their safety stands
No earthly power can move.
Psalm 56.
Deliverance from oppression and falsehood; or,
God’s care of his people, in answer to faith and prayer.
1 Thou, whose justice reigns on high,
And makes th’ oppressor cease,
Behold how envious sinners try
To vex and break my peace!
2 The Sons of violence and lies
Join to devour me, Lord;
But as my hourly dangers rise,
My refuge is thy word.
3 In God most holy, just, and true,
I have repos’d my trust;
Nor will I fear what flesh can do,
The offspring of the dust.
4 They wrest my words to mischief still,
Charge me with unknown faults;
Mischief doth all their councils fill,
And malice all their thoughts.
5 Shall they escape without thy frown?
Must their devices stand?
O cast the haughty sinner down,
And let him know thy hand!
PAUSE.
6 God counts the sorrows of his saints,
Their groans affect his ears;
Thou hast a book for my complaints,
A bottle for my tears.
7 When to thy throne I raise my cry
The wicked fear and flee;
So swift is prayer to reach the sky,
So near is God to me.
8 In thee, most holy, just, and true,
I have repos’d my trust;
Nor will I fear what man can do,
The offspring of the dust.
9 Thy solemn vows are on me, Lord,
Thou shalt receive my praise;
I’ll sing, “how faithful is thy word,
“How righteous all thy ways!”
10 Thou hast secur’d my soul from death;
O set thy prisoner free,
That heart and hand, and life and breath
May be employ’d for thee.
Psalm 57.
Praise for protection, grace, and truth.
1 My God, in whom are all the springs
Of boundless love and grace unknown,
Hide me beneath thy spreading wings
Till the dark cloud is overblown.
2 Up to the heavens I send my cry,
The Lord will my desires perform;
He sends his angel from the sky,
And saves me from the threatening storm.
3 Be thou exalted, O my God,
Above the heavens where angels dwell:
Thy power on earth be known abroad,
And land to land thy wonders tell.
4 My heart is fix’d; my song shall raise
Immortal honours to thy Name;
Awake, my tongue, to sound his praise,
My tongue, the glory of my frame.
5 High o’er the earth his mercy reigns,
And reaches to the utmost sky;
His truth to endless years remains,
When lower worlds dissolve and die.
6 Be thou exalted, O my God,
Above the heavens where angels dwell;
Thy power on earth be known abroad,
And land to land thy wonders tell.
Psalm 58. As the 113th Psalm.
Warning to magistrates.
1 Judges, who rule the world by laws,
Will ye despise the righteous cause,
When th’ injur’d poor before you stands?
Dare ye condemn the righteous poor,
And let rich sinners ‘scape secure,
While gold and greatness bribe your hands?
2 Have ye forgot, or never knew,
That God will judge the judges too?
High in the heavens his justice reigns?
Yet you invade the rights of God,
And send your bold decrees abroad,
To bind the conscience in your chains.
3 A poison’d arrow is your tongue,
The arrow sharp, the poison strong,
And death attends where’er it wounds:
You hear no counsels, cries or tears;
So the deaf adder stops her ears
Against the power of charming sounds.
4 Break out their teeth, eternal God,
Those teeth of lions dy’d in blood;
And crush the serpents in the dust:
As empty chaff when whirlwinds rise,
Before the sweeping tempest flies,
So let their hopes and names be lost.
5 Th’ Almighty thunders from the sky,
Their grandeur melts, their titles die,
As hills of snow dissolve and run,
Or snails that perish in their slime,
Or births that come before their time,
Vain births, that never see the sun.
6 Thus shall the vengeance of the Lord
Safety and joy to saints afford;
And all that hear shall join and say,
“Sure there’s a God that rules on high,
“A God that hears his children cry,
“And will their sufferings well repay.”
Psalm 60. 1-5 10-12.
On a day of humiliation for disappointments in war.
1 Lord, hast thou cast the nation off?
Must we for ever mourn?
Wilt thou indulge immortal wrath?
Shall mercy ne’er return?
2 The terror of one frown of thine
Melts all our strength away;
Like men that totter drunk with wine,
We tremble in dismay.
3 Great Britain shakes beneath thy stroke,
And dreads thy threatening hand;
O heal the island thou hast broke,
Confirm the wavering land.
4 Lift up a banner in the field,
For those that fear thy Name;
Save thy beloved with thy shield,
And put our foes to shame.
5 Go with our armies to the fight,
Like a confederate God;
In vain confederate powers unite
Against thy lifted rod.
6 Our troops shall gain a wide renown
By thine assisting hand;
’Tis God that treads the mighty down,
And makes the feeble stand.
Psalm 61. 1-6.
Safety in God.
1 When overwhelm’d with grief
My heart within me dies,
Helpless and far from all relief
To heaven I lift mine eyes.
2 O lead me to the rock
That’s high above my head,
And make the covert of thy wings
My shelter and my shade.
3 Within thy presence, Lord,
For ever I’ll abide;
Thou art the tower of my defence,
The refuge where I hide.
4 Thou givest me the lot
Of those that fear thy Name;
If endless life be their reward,
I shall possess the same.
Psalm 62. 5-12.
No trust in the creatures; or,
Faith in divine grace and power.
1 My spirit looks to God alone;
My rock and refuge is his throne;
In all my fears, in all my straits,
My soul on his salvation waits.
2 Trust him, ye saints, in all your ways,
Pour out your hearts before his face:
When helpers fail, and foes invade,
God is our all-sufficient aid.
3 False are the men of high degree,
The baser sort are vanity;
Laid in the balance both appear
Light as a puff of empty air.
4 Make not increasing gold your trust,
Nor set your heart on glittering dust;
Why will you grasp the fleeting smoke;
And not believe what God hath spoke?
5 Once has his awful voice declar’d,
Once and again my ears have heard,
“All power is his eternal due;
“He must be fear’d and trusted too.”
6 For sovereign power reigns not alone,
Grace is a partner of the throne:
Thy grace and justice, mighty Lord,
Shall well divide our last reward.
Psalm 63:1. 1 2 5 34. First Part. C. M.
The morning of a Lord’s day.
1 Early, my God, without delay
I haste to seek thy face;
My thirsty spirit faints away,
Without thy cheering grace.
2 So pilgrims on the scorching sand,
Beneath a burning sky,
Long for a cooling stream at hand,
And they must drink or die.
3 I’ve seen thy glory and thy power
Thro’ all thy temple shine;
My God, repeat that heavenly hour,
That vision so divine.
4 Not all the blessings of a feast
Can please my soul so well,
As when thy richer grace I taste,
And in thy presence dwell.
5 Not life itself with all her joys,
Can my best passions move,
Or raise so high my cheerful voice
As thy forgiving love.
6 Thus till my last expiring day
I’ll bless my God and King;
Thus will I lift my hands to pray,
And tune my lips to sing.
Psalm 63:2. 6-10. Second Part.
Midnight thoughts recollected.
1 ’Twas in the watches of the night
I thought upon thy power,
I kept thy lovely face in sight
Amidst the darkest hour.
2 My flesh lay resting on my bed,
My soul arose on high;
“My God, my life, my hope,” I said,
“Bring thy salvation nigh.”
3 My spirit labours up thine hill,
And climbs the heavenly road;
But thy right hand upholds me still,
While I pursue my God.
4 Thy mercy stretches o’er my head
The shadow of thy wings;
My heart rejoices in thine aid,
My tongue awakes and sings.
5 But the destroyers of my peace
Shall fret and rage in vain;
The tempter shall for ever cease,
And all my sins be slain.
6 Thy sword shall give my foes to death,
And send them down to dwell
In the dark caverns of the earth,
Or to the deeps of hell.
Psalm 63:3. L. M. Longing after God; or, The love of God better than life.
1 Great God, indulge my humble claim
Thou art my hope, my joy, my rest;
The glories that compose thy Name
Stand all engag’d to make me blest.
2 Thou great and good, thou just and wise,
Thou art my Father and my God;
And I am thine by sacred ties;
Thy son, thy servant bought with blood.
3 With heart, and eyes and lifted hands,
For thee I long, to thee I look,
As travellers in thirsty lands
Pant for the cooling water-brook.
4 With early feet I love t’ appear
Among thy saints and seek thy face;
Oft have I seen thy glory there,
And felt the power of sovereign grace.
5 Not fruits nor wines that tempt our taste,
Not all the joys our senses know,
Could make me so divinely blest
Or raise my cheerful passions so.
6 My life itself without thy love
No taste of pleasure could afford;
’Twould but a tiresome burden prove,
If I were banish’d from the Lord.
7 Amidst the wakeful hours of night,
When busy cares afflict my head
One thought of thee gives new delight,
And adds refreshment to my bed.
8 I’ll lift my hands, I’ll raise my voice,
While I have breath to pray or praise;
This work shall make my heart rejoice,
And spend the remnant of my days.
Psalm 63:4. S. M.
Seeking God.
1 My God, permit my tongue
This joy, to call thee mine,
And let my early cries prevail
To taste thy love divine.
2 My thirsty fainting soul
Thy mercy doth implore;
Not travellers in desert lands
Can pant for water more.
3 Within thy churches, Lord,
I long to find my place,
Thy power and glory to behold,
And feel thy quickening grace.
4 For life without thy love
No relish can afford;
No joy can be compar’d to this,
To serve and please the Lord.
5 To thee I’ll lift my hands,
And praise thee while I live;
Not the rich dainties of a feast
Such food or pleasure give.
6 In wakeful hours at night
I call my God to mind;
I think how wise thy counsels are,
And all thy dealings kind.
7 Since thou hast been my help,
To thee my spirit flies,
And on thy watchful providence
My cheerful hope relies.
8 The shadow of thy wings
My soul in safety keeps;
I follow where my Father leads,
And he supports my steps.
Psalm 65:1. 1-5. First Part. L. M.
Public prayer and praise.
1 The praise of Sion waits for thee,
My God; and praise becomes thy house;
There shall thy saints thy glory see,
And there perform their public vows.
2 O thou, whose mercy bends the skies
To save when humble sinners pray,
All lands to thee shall lift their eyes
And islands of the northern sea.
3 Against my will my sins prevail,
But grace shall purge away their stain;
The blood of Christ will never fail
To wash my garments white again.
4 Blest is the man whom thou shalt choose,
And give him kind access to thee,
Give him a place within thy house,
To taste thy love divinely free.
PAUSE.
5 Let Babel fear when Sion prays;
Babel, prepare for long distress
When Sion’s God himself arrays
In terror, and in righteousness.
6 With dreadful glory God fulfils
What his afflicted saints request;
And with almighty wrath reveals
His love to give his churches rest.
7 Then shall the flocking nations run
To Sion’s hill, and own their Lord;
The rising and the setting sun
Shall see their Saviour’s name ador’d.
Psalm 65:2. 5-13. Second Part. L. M. Divine providence in air, earth, and sea; or, The God of nature and grace.
1 The God of our salvation hears
The groans of Sion mix’d with tears;
Yet when he comes with kind designs,
Thro’ all the way his terror shines.
2 On him the race of man depends,
Far as the earth’s remotest ends,
Where the Creator’s Name is known
By nature’s feeble light alone.
3 Sailors, that travel o’er the flood,
Address their frighted souls to God;
When tempests rage and billows roar
At dreadful distance from the shore.
4 He bids the noisy tempest cease;
He calms the raging crowd to peace,
When a tumultuous nation raves
Wild as the winds, and loud as waves.
5 Whole kingdoms shaken by the storm
He settles in a peaceful form;
Mountains establish’d by his hand,
Firm on their old foundations stand.
6 Behold his ensigns sweep the sky,
New comets blaze and lightnings fly,
The heathen lands, with swift surprise,
From the bright horrors turn their eyes.
7 At his command the morning-ray
Smiles in the east, and leads the day;
He guides the sun’s declining wheels
Over the tops of western hills.
8 Seasons and times obey his voice;
The evening and the morn rejoice
To see the earth made soft with showers,
Laden with fruit and drest in flowers.
9 ’Tis from his watery stores on high
He gives the thirsty ground supply;
He walks upon the clouds, and thence
Doth his enriching drops dispense.
10 The desert grows a fruitful field,
Abundant food the vallies yield;
The vallies shout with cheerful voice,
And neighb’ring hills repeat their joys.
11 The pastures smile in green array;
There lambs and larger cattle play;
The larger cattle and the lamb
Each in his language speaks thy Name.
12 Thy works pronounce thy power divine,
O’er every field thy glories shine;
Thro’ every month thy gifts appear;
Great God! thy goodness crowns the year.
Psalm 65:3. First Part. C. M.
A prayer-hearing God, and the Gentiles called.
1 Praise waits in Sion, Lord, for thee;
There shall our vows be paid:
Thou hast an ear when sinners pray,
All flesh shall seek thine aid.
2 Lord, our iniquities prevail,
But pardoning grace is thine,
And thou wilt grant us power and skill
To conquer every sin.
3 Bless’d are the men whom thou wilt choose
To bring them near thy face,
Give them a dwelling in thine house
To feast upon thy grace.
4 In answering what thy church requests
Thy truth and terror shine,
And works of dreadful righteousness
Fulfil thy kind design.
5 Thus shall the wondering nations see
The Lord is good and just;
And distant islands fly to thee,
And make thy Name their trust.
6 They dread thy glittering tokens, Lord,
When signs in heaven appear;
But they shall learn thy holy word,
And love as well as fear.
Psalm 65:4. Second Part. C. M. The providence of God in air, earth, and sea; or, The blessing of rain.
1 ’Tis by thy strength the mountains stand,
God of eternal power;
The sea grows calm at thy command,
And tempests cease to roar.
2 Thy morning light and evening shade
Successive comforts bring;
Thy plenteous fruits make harvest glad,
Thy flowers adorn the spring.
3 Seasons and times, and moons and hours,
Heaven, earth, and air are thine;
When clouds distil in fruitful showers,
The author is divine.
4 Those wandering cisterns in the sky,
Borne by the winds around,
With watery treasures well supply
The furrows of the ground.
5 The thirsty ridges drink their fill,
And ranks of corn appear;
Thy ways abound with blessings still,
Thy goodness crowns the year.
Psalm 65:5. Third Part. C. M. The blessing: of the spring; or, God gives rain. A psalm for the husbandman.
1 Good is the Lord, the heavenly King,
Who makes the earth his care,
Visits the pastures every spring,
And bids the grass appear.
2 The clouds, like rivers rais’d on high,
Pour out, at thy command,
Their watery blessings from the sky,
To cheer the thirsty land.
3 The soften’d ridges of the field
Permit the corn to spring;
The vallies rich provision yield,
And the poor labourers sing.
4 The little hills on every side
Rejoice at falling showers;
The meadows, drest in all their pride,
Perfume the air with flowers.
5 The barren clods, refresh’d with rain,
Promise a joyful crop;
The parching grounds look green again,
And raise the reaper’s hope.
6 The various months thy goodness crowns;
How bounteous are thy ways;
The bleating flocks spread o’er the downs,
And shepherds shout thy praise.
Psalm 66:1. First Part. Governing power and goodness; or, Our graces tried by afflictions.
1 Sing, all ye nations, to the Lord,
Sing with a joyful noise;
With melody of sound record
His honours, and your joys.
2 Say to the power that shakes the sky,
“How terrible art thou!
“Sinners before thy presence fly,
“Or at thy feet they bow.”
3 [Come, see the wonders of our God,
How glorious are his ways:
In Moses’ hand he puts his rod,
And cleaves the frighted seas.
4 He made the ebbing channel dry,
While Israel pass’d the flood;
There did the church begin their joy,
And triumph in their God.]
5 He rules by his resistless might:
Will rebel mortals dare
Provoke th’ Eternal to the fight,
And tempt that dreadful war?
6 O bless our God and never cease;
Ye saints, fulfil his praise;
He keeps our life, maintains our peace,
And guides our doubtful ways.
7 Lord, thou hast prov’d our suffering souls,
To make our graces shine;
So silver bears the burning coals
The metal to refine.
8 Thro’ watery deeps and fiery ways
We march at thy command,
Led to possess the promis’d place
By thine unerring hand.
Psalm 66:2. 13-20. Second Part.
Praise to God for hearing prayer.
1 Now shall my solemn vows be paid
To that Almighty power,
That heard the long requests I made
In my distressful hour.
2 My lips and cheerful heart prepare
To make his mercies known;
Come, ye that fear my God, and hear
The wonders he has done.
3 When on my head huge sorrows fell,
I sought his heavenly aid,
He sav’d my sinking soul from hell,
And death’s eternal shade.
4 If sin lay cover’d in my heart,
While prayer employ’d my tongue,
The Lord had shewn me no regard,
Nor I his praises sung.
5 But God, (his Name be ever blest)
Hath set my spirit free,
Nor turn’d from him my poor request,
Nor turn’d his heart from me.
Psalm 67.
The nation’s prosperity and the church’s increase.
1 Shine, mighty God, on Britain shine
With beams of heavenly grace;
Reveal thy power thro’ all our coasts,
And shew thy smiling face.
2 [Amidst our isle, exalted high,
Do thou our glory stand,
And like a wall of guardian fire
Surround the favourite land.]
3 When shall thy Name, from shore to shore,
Sound all the earth abroad,
And distant nations know and love
Their Saviour and their God?
4 Sing to the Lord, ye distant lands,
Sing loud with solemn voice;
While British tongues exalt his praise,
And British hearts rejoice.
5 He the great Lord, the sovereign Judge,
That sits enthron’d above,
Wisely commands the worlds he made
In justice and in love.
6 Earth shall obey her Maker’s will,
And yield a full increase;
Our God will crown his chosen isle
With fruitfulness and peace.
7 God the Redeemer scatters round
His choicest favours here,
While the creation’s utmost bound
Shall see, adore, and fear.
Psalm 68:1. 1-6 32-35. First Part.
The vengeance and compassion of God.
1 Let God arise in all his might,
And put the troops of hell to flight,
As smoke that sought to cloud the skies
Before the rising tempest flies.
2 [He comes array’d in burning flames;
Justice and vengeance are his names:
Behold his fainting foes expire
Like melting wax before the fire.]
3 He rides and thunders thro’ the sky;
His name Jehovah sounds on high:
Sing to his Name, ye sons of grace;
Ye saints, rejoice before his face.
4 The widow and the fatherless
Fly to his aid in sharp distress;
In him the poor and helpless find
A Judge that’s just, a Father kind.
5 He breaks the captive’s heavy chain,
And prisoners see the light again;
But rebels that dispute his will,
Shall dwell in chains and darkness still.
PAUSE.
6 Kingdoms and thrones to God belong;
Crown him, ye nations, in your song;
His wondrous names and powers rehearse;
His honours shall enrich your verse.
7 He shakes the heavens with loud alarms;
How terrible is God in arms!
In Israel are his mercies known,
Israel is his peculiar throne.
8 Proclaim him King, pronounce him blest!
He’s your defence, your joy, your rest:
When terrors rise and nations faint,
God is the strength of every saint.
Psalm 68:2. 17 18. Second Part.
Christ’s ascension, and the gift of the Spirit.
1 Lord, when thou didst ascend on high,
Ten thousand angels fill’d the sky;
Those heavenly guards around thee wait,
Like chariots that attend thy state.
2 Not Sinai’s mountain could appear
More glorious when the Lord was there;
While he pronounc’d his dreadful law,
And struck the chosen tribes with awe.
3 How bright the triumph none can tell,
When the rebellious powers of hell
That thousand souls had captive made,
Were all in chains like captives led.
4 Rais’d by his Father to the throne,
He sent the promis’d Spirit down,
With gifts and grace for rebel men,
That God might dwell on earth again.
Psalm 68:3. 19 9 20-2. Third Part.
Praise for temporal blessings; or,
Common and special mercies.
1 We bless the Lord, the just, the good,
Who fills our hearts with joy and food;
Who pours his blessings from the skies,
And loads our days with rich supplies.
2 He sends the sun his circuit round,
To cheer the fruits, to warm the ground;
He bids the clouds with plenteous rain
Refresh the thirsty earth again.
3 ’Tis to his care we owe our breath,
And all our near escapes from death;
Safety and health to God belong;
He heals the weak, and guards the strong.
4 He makes the saint and sinner prove
The common blessings of his love;
But the wide difference that remains,
Is endless joy, or endless pains.
5 The Lord, that bruis’d the serpent’s head,
On all the serpent’s seed shall tread;
The stubborn sinner’s hope confound,
And smite him with a lasting wound.
6 But his right hand his saints shall raise
From the deep earth, or deeper seas,
And bring them to his courts above,
There shall they taste his special love.
Psalm 69:1. 1-14. First Part. C. M.
The sufferings of Christ for our salvation.
1 “Save me, O God, the swelling floods
“Break in upon my soul:
“I sink, and sorrows o’er my head
“Like mighty waters roll.
2 “I cry till all my voice be gone,
“In tears I waste the day:
“My God behold my longing eyes,
“And shorten thy delay.
3 “They hate my soul without a cause,
“And still their number grows
“More than the hairs around my head,
“And mighty are my foes.
4 “’Twas then I paid that dreadful debt
“That men could never pay,
“And gave those honours to thy law
“Which sinners took away.”
5 Thus in the great Messiah’s name,
The royal prophet mourns;
Thus he awakes our hearts to grief,
And gives us joy by turns.
6 “Now shall the saints rejoice and find
“Salvation in my Name:
“For I have borne their heavy load
Of sorrow, pain, and shame.
7 “Grief, like a garment, cloth’d me round,
“And sackcloth was my dress,
“While I procur’d for naked souls
“A robe of righteousness.
8 “Amongst my brethren and the Jews
“I like a stranger stood,
“And bore their vile reproach to bring
“The Gentiles near to God.
9 “I came in sinful mortals’ stead,
“To do my Father’s will;
“Yet when I cleans’d my father’s house
“They scandaliz’d my zeal.
10 “My fasting and my holy groans
“Were made the drunkard’s song;
“But God, from his celestial throne,
“Heard my complaining tongue.
11 “He sav’d me from the dreadful deep,
“Nor let my soul be drown’d;
“He rais’d and fix’d my sinking feet
“On well establish’d ground.
12 “’Twas in a most accepted hour
“My prayer arose on high,
“And for my sake my God shall hear
“The dying sinner’s cry.”
Psalm 69:2. 14-21 26 29 32. 2d Part. C. M.
The passion and exaltation of Christ.
1 Now let our lips with holy fear
And mournful pleasure sing
The sufferings of our great High-Priest,
The sorrows of our King.
2 He sinks in floods of deep distress:
How high the waters rise!
While to his heavenly Father’s ear
He sends perpetual cries.
3 “Hear me, O Lord, and save thy Son,
“Nor hide thy shining face;
“Why should thy favorite look like one
“Forsaken of thy grace?
4 “With rage they persecute the man
“That groans beneath thy wound,
“While for a sacrifice I pour
“My life upon the ground.
5 “They tread my honour to the dust,
“And laugh when I complain
“Their sharp insulting slanders add
“Fresh anguish to my pain.
6 “All my reproach is known to thee,
“The scandal and the shame;
“Reproach has broke my bleeding heart,
“And lies defil’d my Name.
7 “I look’d for pity, but in vain;
“My kindred are my grief!
“I ask my friends for comfort round,
“But meet with no relief.
8 “With vinegar they mock my thirst;
“They give me gall for food;
“And sporting with my dying groans,
“They triumph in my blood.
9 “Shine into my distressed soul,
“Let thy compassion save;
“And tho’ my flesh sink down to death,
“Redeem it from the grave.
10 “I shall arise to praise thy Name,
“Shall reign in worlds unknown;
“And thy salvation, O my God,
“Shall seat me on thy throne.”
Psalm 69:3. Third Part. C. M.
Christ’s obedience and death; or,
God glorified and sinners saved.
1 Father, I sing thy wondrous grace,
I bless my Saviour’s Name,
He bought salvation for the poor,
And bore the sinner’s shame.
2 His deep distress has rais’d us high,
His duty and his zeal
Fulfill’d the law which mortals broke,
And finish’d all thy will.
3 His dying groans, his living songs
Shall better please my God
Than harp or trumpet’s solemn sound,
Than goats’ or bullocks’ blood.
4 This shall his humble followers see,
And set their hearts at rest;
They by his death draw near to thee,
And live for ever blest.
5 Let heaven, and all that dwell on high,
To God their voices raise,
While lands and seas assist the sky,
And join t’ advance the praise.
6 Zion is thine, most holy God;
Thy Son shall bless her gates;
And glory purchas’d by his blood
For thine own Israel waits.
Psalm 69:4. First Part. L. M.
Christ’s passion, and sinners’ salvation.
1 Deep in our hearts let us record
The deeper sorrows of our Lord;
Behold the rising billows roll
To overwhelm his holy soul.
2 In long complaints he spends his breath,
While hosts of hell, and powers of death,
And all the sons of malice join
To execute their curst design.
3 Yet, gracious God, thy power and love
Has made the curse a blessing prove;
Those dreadful sufferings of thy Son
Aton’d for sins which we had done.
4 The pangs of our expiring Lord
The honours of thy law restor’d;
His sorrows made thy justice known,
And paid for follies not his own.
6 O for his sake our guilt forgive,
And let the mourning sinner live;
The Lord will hear us in his Name,
Nor shall our hope be turn’d to shame.
Psalm 69:5. 7 &c. Second Part. L. M.
Christ’s sufferings and zeal.
1 ’Twas for thy sake, eternal God,
Thy son sustain’d that heavy load
Of base reproach and sore disgrace,
And shame defil’d his sacred face.
2 The Jews, his brethren and his kin,
Abus’d the man that check’d their sin:
While he fulfill’d thy holy laws,
They hate him, but without a cause.
3 [“My Father’s house, said he, was made
“A place for worship, not for trade;”
Then scattering all their gold and brass,
He scourg’d the merchants from the place.]
4 [Zeal for the temple of his God
Consum’d his life, expos’d his blood:
Reproaches at thy glory thrown
He felt, and mourn’d them as his own.]
5 [His friends forsook, his followers fled,
While foes and arms surround his head;
They curse him with a slanderous tongue,
And the false judge maintains the wrong.]
6 His life they load with hateful lies,
And charge his lips with blasphemies;
They nail him to the shameful tree:
There hung the man that dy’d for me.
7 [Wretches with hearts as hard as stones,
Insult his piety and groans;
Gall was the food they gave him there,
And mock’d his thirst with vinegar.]
8 But God beheld; and from his throne
Marks out the men that hate his Son;
The hand that rais’d him from the dead
Shall pour the vengeance on their head.
Psalm 71:1. 5-9. First Part.
The aged saint’s reflection and hope.
1 My God, my everlasting hope,
I live upon thy truth;
Thine hands have held my childhood up,
And strengthen’d all my youth.
2 My flesh was fashion’d by thy power,
With all these limbs of mine;
And from my mother’s painful hour
I’ve been entirely thine.
3 Still has my life new wonders seen
Repeated every year;
Behold my days that yet remain,
I trust them to thy care.
4 Cast me not off when strength declines,
When hoary hairs arise;
And round me let thy glories shine
Whene’er thy servant dies.
5 Then in the history of my age,
When men review my days,
They’ll read thy love in every page,
In every line thy praise.
Psalm 71:2. 15 14 16 23 22 24. 2d Part.
Christ our strength and righteousness.
1 My Saviour, my almighty Friend,
When I begin thy praise,
Where will the growing numbers end,
The numbers of thy grace?
2 Thou art my everlasting trust,
Thy goodness I adore;
And since I knew thy graces first
I speak thy glories more.
3 My feet shall travel all the length
Of the celestial road,
And march with courage in thy strength
To see my Father God.
4 When I am fill’d with sore distress
For some surprising sin,
I’ll plead thy perfect righteousness,
And mention none but thine.
5 How will my lips rejoice to tell
The victories of my King!
My soul redeem’d from sin and hell
Shall thy salvation sing.
6 [My tongue shall all the day proclaim
My Saviour and my God;
His death has brought my foes to shame,
And drown’d them in his blood.
7 Awake, awake my tuneful powers;
With this delightful song
I’ll entertain the darkest hours,
Nor think the season long.]
Psalm 71:3. 17-21. Third Part.
The aged Christian’s prayer and song; or,
Old age, death, and the resurrection.
1 God of my childhood and my youth,
The guide of all my days,
I have declar’d thy heavenly truth,
And told thy wondrous ways.
2 Wilt thou forsake my hoary hairs,
And leave my fainting heart?
Who shall sustain my sinking years
If God my strength depart?
3 Let me thy power and truth proclaim
To the surviving age,
And leave a savour of thy Name
When I shall quit the stage.
4 The land of silence and of death
Attends my next remove;
O may these poor remains of breath
Teach the wide world thy love.
PAUSE.
5 Thy righteousness is deep and high,
Unsearchable thy deeds;
Thy glory spreads beyond the sky,
And all my praise exceeds.
6 Oft have I heard thy threatenings roar,
And oft endur’d the grief;
But when thy hand has press’d me sore,
Thy grace was my relief.
7 By long experience have I known
Thy sovereign power to save;
At thy command I venture down
Securely to the grave.
8 When I lie buried deep in dust,
My flesh shall be thy care
These withering limbs with thee I trust
To raise them strong and fair.
Psalm 72:1. First Part.
The kingdom of Christ.
1 Great God, whose universal sway
The known and unknown worlds obey,
Now give the kingdom to thy Son,
Extend his power, exalt his throne.
2 Thy sceptre well becomes his hands,
All heaven submits to his commands;
His justice shall avenge the poor,
And pride and rage prevail no more.
3 With power he vindicates the just,
And treads th’ oppressor in the dust;
His worship and his fear shall last
Till hours and years and time be past.
4 As rain on meadows newly mown
So shall he send his influence down;
His grace on fainting souls distils
Like heavenly dew on thirsty hills.
5 The heathen lands that lie beneath
The shades of overspreading death,
Revive at his first dawning light,
And deserts blossom at the sight.
6 The saints shall flourish in his days,
Drest in the robes of joy and praise;
Peace like a river from his throne
Shall flow to nations yet unknown.
Psalm 72:2. Second Part.
Christ’s kingdom among the Gentiles.
1 Jesus shall reign where’er the sun
Does his successive journies run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to shore,
Till moons shall wax and wane no more.
2 [Behold the islands with their kings,
And Europe her best tribute brings;
From north to south the princes meet
To pay their homage at his feet.
3 There Persia glorious to behold,
There India shines in eastern gold:
And barbarous nations at his word
Submit, and bow, and own their Lord.]
4 For him shall endless prayer be made
And princes throng to crown his head;
His Name like sweet perfume shall rise
With every morning sacrifice.
5 People and realms of every tongue
Dwell on his love with sweetest song:
And infant voices shall proclaim
Their early blessings on his Name.
6 Blessings abound where’er he reigns,
The prisoner leaps to lose his chains,
The weary find eternal rest,
And all the sons of want are blest.
7 [Where he displays his healing power,
Death and the curse are known no more;
In him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.
8 Let every creature rise, and bring
Peculiar honours to our King;
Angels descend with songs again,
And earth repeat the long Amen.]
Psalm 73:1. First Part. C. M. Afflicted saints happy, and prosperous sinners cursed.
1 Now I’m convinc’d the Lord is kind
To men of heart sincere,
Yet once my foolish thoughts repin’d
And border’d on despair.
2 I griev’d to see the wicked thrive,
And spoke with angry breath,
“How pleasant and profane they live!
“How peaceful is their death!
3 “With well-fed flesh and haughty eyes
“They lay their fears to sleep;
“Against the heavens their slanders rise,
“While saints in silence weep.
4 “In vain I lift my hands to pray,
“And cleanse my heart in vain,
“For I am chasten’d all the day,
“The night renews my pain.’
5 Yet while my tongue indulg’d complaints,
I felt my heart reprove;
“Sure I shall thus offend thy saints,
“And grieve the men I love.”
6 But still I found my doubts too hard,
The conflict too severe,
Till I retir’d to search thy word,
And learn thy secrets there.
7 There, as in some prophetic glass,
I saw the sinner’s feet
High mounted on a slippery place,
Beside a fiery pit.
8 I heard the wretch profanely boast,
Till at thy frown he fell;
His honours in a dream were lost,
And he awakes in hell.
9 Lord, what an envious fool I was!
How like a thoughtless beast!
Thus to suspect thy promis’d grace,
And think the wicked blest.
10 Yet I was kept from full despair,
Upheld by power unknown;
That blessed hand that broke the snare
Shall guide me to thy throne.
Psalm 73:2. 23-8. Second Part.
God our portion here and hereafter.
1 God my supporter and my hope,
My help for ever near,
Thine arm of mercy held me up
When sinking in despair.
2 Thy counsels, Lord, shall guide my feet
Thro’ this dark wilderness;
Thine hand conduct me near thy seat
To dwell before thy face.
3 Were I in heaven without my God,
’Twould be no joy to me;
And whilst this earth is my abode,
I long for none but thee.
4 What if the springs of life were broke,
And flesh and heart should faint!
God is my soul’s eternal rock,
The strength of every saint.
5 Behold the sinners that remove
Far from thy presence die;
Not all the idol gods they love
Can save them when they cry.
6 But to draw near to thee, my God,
Shall be my sweet employ;
My tongue shall sound thy works abroad,
And tell the world my joy.
Psalm 73:3. 22 3 6 17-20. L. M.
The prosperity of sinners cursed.
1 Lord, what a thoughtless wretch was I,
To mourn, and murmur, and repine
To see the wicked plac’d on high,
In pride and robes of honour shine!
2 But O their end, their dreadful end!
Thy sanctuary taught me so:
On slippery rocks I see them stand,
And fiery billows roll below.
3 Now let them boast how tall they rise,
I’ll never envy them again;
There they may stand with haughty eyes,
Till they plunge deep in endless pain.
4 Their fancy’d joys, how fast they flee!
Just like a dream when man awakes;
Their songs of softest harmony
Are but a preface to their plagues.
5 Now I esteem their mirth and wine
Too dear to purchase with my blood;
Lord, ’tis enough that thou art mine,
My life, my portion, and my God.
Psalm 73:4. S. M.
The mystery of providence unfolded.
1 Sure there’s a righteous God,
Nor is religion vain,
Tho’ men of vice may boast aloud,
And men of grace complain.
2 I saw the wicked rise,
And felt my heart repine,
While haughty fools with scornful eyes
In robes of honour shine.
3 [Pamper’d with wanton ease,
Their flesh looks full and fair,
Their wealth rolls in like flowing seas,
And grows without their care.
4 Free from the plagues and pains
That pious souls endure,
Thro’ all their life oppression reigns
And racks the humble poor.
5 Their impious tongues blaspheme
The everlasting God;
Their malice blasts the good man’s name,
And spreads their lies abroad.
6 But I with flowing tears
Indulge my doubts to rise
“Is there a God that sees or hears
“The things below the skies?”]
7 The tumults of my thought
Held me in hard suspense,
Till to thy house my feet were brought
To learn thy justice thence.
8 Thy word with light and power
Did my mistakes attend;
I view’d the sinners’ life before,
But here I learnt their end.
9 On what a slippery steep
The thoughtless wretches go;
And O that dreadful fiery deep
That waits their fall below.
10 Lord, at thy feet I bow,
My thoughts no more repine;
I call my God my portion now,
And all my powers are thine.
Psalm 74. The church pleading with God under sore persecutions.
1 Will God for ever cast us off?
His wrath for ever smoke
Against the people of his love,
His little chosen flock?
2 Think of the tribes so dearly bought
With their Redeemer’s blood;
Nor let thy Sion be forgot,
Where once thy glory stood.
3 Lift up thy feet and march in haste,
Aloud our ruin calls;
See what a wide and fearful waste
Is made within thy walls.
4 Where once thy churches pray’d and sang
Thy foes profanely roar;
Over thy gates their ensigns hang,
Sad tokens of their power.
5 How are the seats of worship broke!
They tear the buildings down,
And he that deals the heaviest stroke
Procures the chief renown.
6 With flames they threaten to destroy
Thy children in their nest;
“Come let us burn at once (they cry)
The temple and the priest.”
7 And still to heighten our distress
Thy presence is withdrawn;
Thy wonted signs of power and grace,
Thy power and grace are gone.
8 No prophet speaks to calm our woes,
But all the seers mourn;
There’s not a soul amongst us knows
The time of thy return.
PAUSE.
9 How long, eternal God, how long
Shall men of pride blaspheme?
Shall saints be made their endless song,
And bear immortal shame?
10 Canst thou for ever sit and hear
Thine holy Name profan’d?
And still thy jealousy forbear,
And still withhold thine hand?
11 What strange deliverance hast thou shown
In ages long before!
And now no other God we own,
No other God adore.
12 Thou didst divide the raging sea
By thy resistless might,
To make thy tribes a wondrous way,
And then secure their flight.
13 Is not the world of nature thine,
The darkness and the day?
Didst thou not bid the morning shine,
And mark the sun his way?
14 Hath not thy power form’d every coast,
And set the earth its bounds,
With summer’s heat and winter’s frost,
In their perpetual rounds?
15 And shall the sons of earth and dust
That sacred power blaspheme?
Will not thy hand that form’d them first
Avenge thine injur’d Name?
16 Think on the covenant thou hast made,
And all thy words of love;
Nor let the birds of prey invade
And vex thy mourning dove.
17 Our foes would triumph in our blood,
And make our hope their jest;
Plead thy own cause, almighty God!
And give thy children rest.
Psalm 75.
Power and government from God alone.
Applied to the glorious Revolution by King William, or
the happy Accession of King George to the Throne.
1 To thee, most holy, and most high,
To thee, we bring our thankful praise;
Thy works declare thy name is nigh,
Thy works of wonder and of grace.
2 Britain was doom’d to be a slave,
Her frame dissolv’d, her fears were great;
When God a new supporter gave
To bear the pillars of the state.
3 He from thy hand receiv’d his crown,
And sware to rule by wholesome laws
His foot shall tread th’ oppressor down,
His arm defend the righteous cause.
4 Let haughty sinners sink their pride,
Nor lift so high their scornful head;
But lay their foolish thoughts aside,
And own the king that God hath made.
5 Such honours never come by chance,
Nor do the winds promotion blow;
’Tis God the judge doth one advance,
’Tis God that lays another low.
6 No vain pretence to royal birth
Shall fix a tyrant on the throne:
God the great sovereign of the earth
Will rise and make his justice known.
7 [His hand holds out the dreadful cup
Of vengeance, mix’d with various plagues,
To make the wicked drink them up,
Wring out and taste the bitter dregs.
8 Now shall the Lord exalt the just,
And while he tramples on the proud,
And lays their glory in the dust,
My lips shall sing his praise aloud.]
Psalm 76. Israel saved, and the Assyrians destroyed; or, God’s vengeance against his enemies proceeds from his church.
1 In Judah God of old was known;
His Name in Israel great;
In Salem stood his holy throne,
And Sion was his seat.
2 Among the praises of his saints
His dwelling there he chose;
There he receiv’d their just complaints
Against their haughty foes.
3 From Sion went his dreadful word,
And broke the threatening spear;
The bow, the arrows, and the sword,
And crush’d th’ Assyrian war.
4 What are the earth’s wide kingdoms else
But mighty hills of prey?
The hill on which Jehovah dwells
Is glorious more than they.
5 ’Twas Sion’s King that stopt the breath
Of captains and their bands:
The men of might slept fast in death,
And never found their hands.
6 At thy rebuke, O Jacob’s God,
Both horse and chariot fell;
Who knows the terrors of thy rod?
Thy vengeance who can tell?
7 What power can stand before thy sight
When once thy wrath appears?
When heaven shines round with dreadful light,
The earth lies still and fears.
8 When God in his own sovereign ways
Comes down to save th’ opprest,
The wrath of man shall work his praise,
And he’ll restrain the rest.
9 [Vow to the Lord, and tribute bring,
Ye princes, fear his frown:
His terror shakes the proudest king,
And cuts an army down.
10 The thunder of his sharp rebuke
Our haughty foes shall feel:
For Jacob’s God hath not forsook,
But dwells in Sion still.]
Psalm 77:1. First Part.
Melancholy assaulting, and hope prevailing.
1 To God I cry’d with mournful voice,
I sought his gracious ear,
In the sad day when troubles rose,
And fill’d the night with fear.
2 Sad were my days, and dark my nights,
My soul refus’d relief;
I thought on God the just and wise,
But thoughts increas’d my grief.
3 Still I complain’d, and still opprest,
My heart began to break;
My God, thy wrath forbid my rest,
And kept my eyes awake.
4 My overwhelming sorrows grew
Till I could speak no more;
Then I within myself withdrew,
And call’d thy judgments o’er.
5 I call’d back years and ancient times,
When I beheld thy face;
My spirit search’d for secret crimes
That might withhold thy grace.
6 I call’d thy mercies to my mind
Which I enjoy’d before;
And will the Lord no more be kind?
His face appear no more?
7 Will he for ever cast me off?
His promise ever fail?
Has he forgot his tender love?
Shall anger still prevail?
8 But I forbid this hopeless thought,
This dark despairing frame,
Rememb’ring what thy hand hath wrought,
Thy hand is still the same.
9 I’ll think again of all thy ways,
And talk thy wonders o’er;
Thy wonders of recovering grace,
When flesh could hope no more.
10 Grace dwells with justice on the throne;
And men that love thy word
Have in thy sanctuary known
The counsels of the Lord.
Psalm 77:2. Second Part.
Comfort derived from ancient providences; or,
Israel delivered from Egypt, and brought to Canaan.
1 “How awful is thy chastening rod!”
(May thine own children say)
“The great, the wise, the dreadful God!
“How holy is his way!”
2 I’ll meditate his works of old;
The King that reigns above;
I’ll hear his ancient wonders told,
And learn to trust his love.
3 Long did the house of Joseph lie
With Egypt’s yoke opprest:
Long he delay’d to hear their cry,
Nor gave his people rest.
4 The sons of good old Jacob seem’d
Abandon’d to their foes;
But his almighty arm redeem’d
The nation that he chose.
5 Israel, his people, and his sheep,
Must follow where he calls;
He bid them venture thro’ the deep,
And made the waves their walls.
6 The waters saw thee, mighty God!
The waters saw thee come;
Backward they fled, and frighted stood,
To make thine armies room.
7 Strange was thy journey thro’ the sea,
Thy footsteps, Lord, unknown,
Terrors attend the wondrous way
That brings thy mercies down.
8 [Thy voice with terror in the sound
Thro’ clouds and darkness broke;
All heaven in lightning shone around,
And earth with thunder shook.
9 Thine arrows thro’ the skies were hurl’d;
How glorious is the Lord!
Surprise and trembling seiz’d the world,
And his own saints ador’d.
10 He gave them water from the rock;
And safe by Moses’ hand
Thro’ a dry desert led his flock
Home to the promis’d land.]
Psalm 78:1. First Part. Providence of God recorded; or, Pious education and instruction of children.
1 Let children hear the mighty deeds,
Which God perform’d of old,
Which in our younger years we saw,
And which our fathers told.
2 He bids us make his glories known,
His works of power and grace;
And we’ll convey his wonders down
Thro’ every rising race.
3 Our lips shall tell them to our Sons,
And they again to theirs,
That generations yet unborn
May teach them to their heirs.
4 Thus shall they learn in God alone
Their hope securely stands,
That they may ne’er forget his works,
But practise his commands.
Psalm 78:2. Second Part. Israel’s rebellion and punishment; or, The sins and chastisements of God’s people.
1 What a stiff rebellious house
Was Jacob’s ancient race!
False to their own most solemn vows,
And to their Maker’s grace.
2 They broke the covenant of his love,
And did his laws despise,
Forgot the works he wrought to prove
His power before their eyes.
3 They saw the plagues on Egypt light,
From his revenging hand:
What dreadful tokens of his might
Spread o’er the stubborn land!
4 They saw him cleave the mighty sea,
And march’d in safety thro’,
With watery walls to guard their way,
Till they had ‘scap’d the foe.
5 A wondrous pillar mark’d the road,
Compos’d of shade and light;
By day it prov’d a sheltering cloud,
A leading fire by night.
6 He from the rock their thirst supply’d;
The gushing waters fell,
And ran in rivers by their side,
A constant miracle.
7 Yet they provok’d the Lord most high,
And dar’d distrust his hand;
“Can he with bread our host supply
“Amidst this desert land?”
8 The Lord with indignation heard,
And caus’d his wrath to flame
His terrors ever stand prepar’d
To vindicate his Name.
Psalm 78:3. Third Part. The punishment of luxury and intemperance; or, Chastisement and salvation.
1 When Israel sins, the Lord reproves,
And fills their hearts with dread;
Yet he forgives the men he loves,
And sends them heavenly bread.
2 He fed them with a liberal hand,
And made his treasures known;
He gave the midnight clouds command
To pour provision down.
3 The manna, like a morning shower,
Lay thick around their feet;
The corn of heaven, so light, so pure,
As tho’ ’twere angels’ meat.
4 But they in murmuring language said,
“Manna is all our feast;
“We loathe this light, this airy bread;
“We must have flesh to taste.”
5 “Ye shall have flesh to please your lust;”
The Lord in wrath reply’d,
And sent them quails like sand or dust,
Heap’d up from side to side.
6 He gave them all their own desire;
And greedy as they fed,
His vengeance burnt with secret fire,
And smote the rebels dead.
7 When some were slain, the rest return’d,
And sought the Lord with tears;
Under the rod they fear’d and mourn’d,
But soon forgot their fears.
8 Oft he chastis’d and still forgave,
Till by his gracious hand
The nation he resolv’d to save,
Possess’d the promis’d land.
Psalm 78:4. 32 &c. Fourth Part.
Backsliding and forgiveness; or,
Sin punished, and saints saved.
1 Great God, how oft did Israel prove
By turns thine anger and thy love!
There in a glass our hearts may see
How fickle and how false they be.
2 How soon the faithless Jews forgot
The dreadful wonders God had wrought!
Then they provoke him to his face,
Nor fear his power, nor trust his grace.
3 The Lord consum’d their years in pain,
And made their travels long and vain;
A tedious march thro’ unknown ways
Wore out their strength and spent their days.
4 Oft when they saw their brethren slain,
They mourn’d and sought the Lord again;
Call’d him the Rock of their abode,
Their high Redeemer and their God.
5 Their prayers and vows before him rise
As flattering words or solemn lies,
While their rebellious tempers prove
False to his covenant and his love.
6 Yet did his sovereign grace forgive
The men who not deserv’d to live;
His anger oft away he turn’d,
Or else with gentle flame it burn’d.
7 He saw their flesh was weak and frail,
He saw temptation still prevail
The God of Abraham lov’d them still,
And led them to his holy hill.
Psalm 80. The church’s prayer under affliction; or, The vineyard of God wasted.
1 Great Shepherd of thine Israel,
Who didst between the cherubs dwell,
And led the tribes, thy chosen sheep,
Safe thro’ the desert and the deep.
2 Thy church is in the desert now,
Shine from on high and guide us thro’;
Turn us to thee, thy love restore,
We shall be sav’d, and sigh no more.
3 Great God, whom heavenly hosts obey,
How long shall we lament and pray,
And wait in vain thy kind return?
How long shall thy fierce anger burn?
4 Instead of wine and cheerful bread,
Thy saints with their own tears are fed;
Turn us to thee, thy love restore,
We shall be sav’d, and sigh no more.