O GOD, my Saviour, to my voice
Incline thy gracious ear;
By day and night to thee I pray,
Vouchsafe my prayer to hear.
For troubles sore depress my soul;
My hopes are almost fled;
My life draws nigh unto the grave;
I'm counted with the dead.
To thee, my gracious God, I fly;
In mercy deign to spare;
O calm the terrors of my soul,
O keep me from despair.
PSALM LXXXIX.
God's Mercy and Truth celebrated.
HOW blest, O Lord, are they who hear
Salvation's ever-joyful sound;
Who in thy sacred courts appear,
With thine all-glorious presence crown'd.
Thy mercies are their grateful song,
On them their heart shall ever dwell;
To ages yet unborn, each tongue
Thy never-failing truth shall tell.
Thou spakest by thy prophet's voice,
"A great Deliv'rer I will send :
From Judah's tribe will I make choice
Of One, who shall my saints defend.
"In him my mercy I secure;
My cov❜nant make for ever fast;
His seed for ever shall endure;
His throne, till heav'n dissolves, shall last."
For such stupendous truth and love,
3oth heaven and earth just homage owe;
Get choirs of angels praise above;
Get saints assembled praise below.
The Shortness and Uncertainty of Life.
ST. STEPHEN'S. C. M.
O LORD, the Saviour and defence
Of us thy chosen race;
Our sure abiding place.
Thou turnest man, O Lord, to dust,
Of which he first was made;
And when thou speak'st the word "Return, "Tis instantly obey'd.
So teach us, Lord, with solemn thought,
Our fleeting days to mind;
That unto wisdom's voice our hearts
May ever be inclin’d.
To satisfy and cheer our souls,
Thy mercy quickly send;
That we may all our days to come
In joy and comfort spend.
PSALM XCI.
God the Protector of the Just.
HE that hath God his guardian made,
Shall, under the Almighty's shade,
Safe and unmov'd abide:
Thus to my soul of him I'll say,
He is my God, my strength, my stay,
In him will I confide.
His tender love and watchful care
Shall free me from the fowler's snare,
And noisome pestilence:
In his protection I will trust;
His pow'rful arm shall guard the just,
His truth be their defence.
For God, who hears his people pray,
Will save them in the evil day;
Their joy and strength increase:
And, when with undisturb'd content
Their long and happy lives are spent,
He'll crown their end with peace.
Delight in God's Works,
ST. PETER. P. M.
THOU, who art enthron'd above,
Thou, in whom we live and move,
Oh how sweet with heart and tongue
To resound thy name in song,
When the morning fills the skies,
When the evening stars arise.
From thy works my joy proceeds:
How I triumph in thy deeds!
Who thy wonders can express?
All thy thoughts are fathomless :
Lord, thou art most great, most high;
God from all eternity.
All who in their sins delight
Shall be scatter'd by thy might;
But, as palm-trees lift the head,
As the stately cedars spread,
So the righteous shall be seen,
Ever fruitful, ever green.
PSALM XCIII.
The Unchangeableness and Power of God.
WITH glory clad, with strength array'd,
The Lord, that o'er all nature reigns,
The world's foundation firmly laid,
And the vast fabric still sustains.
How surely stablish'd is thy throne,
Which shall no change or period see!
For thou, O Lord, and thou alone,
Art God from all eternity.
The raging floods lift up their voice,
And toss on high the troubled tide;
But God above can still their noise,
And make each angry wave subside.
Thy promise, Lord, is ever sure;
And they who in thy house would dwell,
That happy station to secure,
Must still in holiness excel.
God's merciful Corrections.
BEDFORD. C. M.
HOW blest the man, whom thou, O Lord,
In kindness dost reprove;
And inwardly direct his soul
To walk by laws of love.
Repose and safety he shall find
In seasons of distress;
While God prepares a pit for those
Who stubbornly transgress.
Thou, Lord, wilt never from thy saints
Thy sure protection take;
Thine own possession and thy lot
Thou never wilt forsake.
Thus shall the world confess thee just,
And true in ev'ry deed;
And they who choose thy perfect ways,
Shall in those paths proceed.
PSALM XCV.
Praise and Adoration to God.
PORTUGUESE. L. M.
O COME, loud anthems let us sing;
Give thanks to our almighty King:
For we our voices high should raise,
When our salvation's Rock we praise.
Into his presence let us haste,
To thank him for his favors past;
To him address, in joyful songs,
The praise that to his name belongs.
For God the Lord, enthron'd in state,
Is with unrivall'd glory great:
The strength of earth is in his hand;
He made the sea, and fix'd the land.
Oh let us to his courts repair,
And bow with adoration there;
On bended knees devoutly fall,
And on the Lord our maker call.
Praise to God for his Works and Grace.
LET all the earth their voices raise,
To sing their choicest psalm of praise,
And bless Jehovah's sacred name:
His glory let the heathen know,
His wonders to the nations shew,
And all his mighty works proclaim.
Oh come the great, the glorious hour,
When earth shall feel his sov'reign power,
And distant people all obey:
Then shall the race of man confess
The beauty of his holiness,
And in his courts his grace display.
PSALM XCVII.
The Majesty of God's Kingdom.
PORTUGAL. L. M.
JEHOVAH reigns, exalted high
O'er all the earth, o'er all the sky:
Though clouds and darkness veil his feet,
His dwelling is the mercy-seat.
O ye that love his holy name,
Hate ev'ry work of sin and shame:
He guards his chosen people well,
And saves them from the snares of hell.
Light for the upright man is sown,
Immortal light, and joys unknown;
Those glorious seeds shall spring and rise,
And the bright harvest bless our eyes.
Rejoice, ye righteous, and record
The sacred honors of the Lord;
None but the soul that feels his grace
Can triumph in his holiness.
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