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.