9 Lord, when this vine in Canaan grew
Thou wast its strength and glory too;
Attack'd in vain by all its foes,
Till the fair Branch of Promise rose;
10 Fair Branch, ordain'd of old to shoot
From David's stock, from Jacob's root;
Himself a noble vine, and we
The lesser branches of the tree.
11 'Tis thy own Son, and he shall stand
Girt with thy strength at thy right hand;
Thy first-born Son, adorn'd and blest
With power and grace above the rest.
12 O! for his sake attend our cry,
Shine on thy churches lest they die;
Turn us to thee, thy love restore,
We shall be sav'd, and sigh no more.
Psalm 81. 1 8 16.
The warnings of God to his people; or,
Spiritual blessings and punishments.
1 Sing to the Lord aloud,
And make a joyful noise;
God is our strength, our Saviour God;
Let Israel hear his voice.
2 "From vile idolatry
"Preserve my worship clean;
"I am the Lord who set thee free
"From slavery and sin.
3 "Stretch thy desires abroad,
"And I'll supply them well
"But if ye will refuse your God,
"If Israel will rebel,
4 "I'll leave them," saith the Lord,
"To their own lusts a prey,
"And let them run the dangerous road,
"'Tis their own chosen way.
5 "Yet O! that all my saints
"Would hearken to my voice!
"Soon I would ease their sore complaints,
"And bid their hearts rejoice.
6 "While I destroy their foes,
"I'd richly feed my flock,
"And they should taste the stream that flows
"From their eternal Rock."
Psalm 82.
God the supreme Governor;
or, Magistrates warned.
1 Among th' assemblies of the great,
A greater Ruler takes his seat;
The God of heaven, as Judge, surveys
Those gods on earth and all their ways.
2 Why will ye then frame wicked laws?
Or why support th' unrighteous cause?
When will ye once defend the poor,
That sinners vex the saints no more?
3 They know not, Lord, nor will they know,
Dark are the ways in which they go;
Their name of earthly gods is vain,
For they shall fall and die like men.
4 Arise, O Lord, and let thy Son
Possess his universal throne,
And rule the nations with his rod;
He is our judge, and he our God.
Psalm 83.
A complaint against persecutors.
1 And will the God of grace
Perpetual silence keep?
The God of justice hold his peace,
And let his vengeance sleep?
2 Behold what cursed snares
The men of mischief spread;
The men that hate thy saints and thee
Lift up their threatening head.
3 Against thy hidden ones
Their counsels they employ,
And malice with her watchful eye,
Pursues them to destroy.
4 The noble and the base
Into thy pastures leap;
The lion and the stupid ass
Conspire to vex thy sheep.
5 "Come, let us join," they cry,
"To root them from the ground,
"Till not the name of saints remain,
"Nor memory shall be found."
6 Awake, almighty God,
And call thy wrath to mind;
Give them like forests to the fire,
Or stubble to the wind.
7 Convince their madness, Lord,
And make them seek thy Name
Or else their stubborn rage confound,
That they may die in shame.
8 Then shall the nations know
That glorious dreadful word,
Jehovah is thy name alone,
And thou the sovereign Lord.
Psalm 84:1. First Part. L. M.
The pleasure of public worship.
1 How pleasant, how divinely fair,
O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are!
With long desire my spirit faints
To meet th' assemblies of thy saints.
2 My flesh would rest in thine abode,
My panting heart cries out for God;
My God! my King! why should I be
So far from all my joys and thee?
3 The sparrow chuses where to rest,
And for her young provides her nest:
But will my God to sparrows grant
That pleasure which his children want?
4 Blest are the saints who sit on high,
Around thy throne of majesty;
Thy brightest glories shine above,
And all their work is praise and love.
5 Blest are the souls that find a place
Within the temple of thy grace;
There they behold thy gentler rays,
And seek thy face, and learn thy praise.
6 Blest are the men whose hearts are set
To find the way to Sion's gate;
God is their strength, and thro' the road
They lean upon their helper God.
7 Cheerful they walk with growing strength,
Till all shall meet in heaven at length,
Till all before thy face appear,
And join in nobler worship there.
Psalm 84:2. Second Part. L. M.
God and his church; or, Grace and glory.
1 Great God, attend, while Sion sings
The joy that from thy presence springs
To spend one day with thee on earth
Exceeds a thousand days of mirth.
2 Might I enjoy the meanest place
Within thine house, O God of grace,
Not tents of ease, nor thrones of power,
Should tempt my feet to leave thy door.
3 God is our sun, he makes our day;
God is our shield, he guards our way
From all th' assaults of hell and sin,
From foes without, and foes within.
4 All needful grace will God bestow,
And crown that grace with glory too:
He gives us all things, and withholds
No real good from upright souls.
5 O God, our King, whose sovereign sway
The glorious hosts of heaven obey,
And devils at thy presence flee,
Blest is the man that trusts in thee.
Psalm 84:3. 14 2 3 10. Paraphrased. C. M.
Delight in ordinances of worship;
or, God present in his churches.
1 My soul, how lovely is the place
To which thy God resorts!
'Tis heaven to see his smiling face,
Tho' in his earthly courts.
2 There the great Monarch of the skies
His saving power displays,
And light breaks in upon our eyes
With kind and quickening rays.
3 With his rich gifts the heavenly Dove
Descends and fills the place,
While Christ reveals his wondrous love,
And sheds abroad his grace.
4 There, mighty God, thy words declare
The secrets of thy will;
And still we seek thy mercy there,
And sing thy praises still.