·Trust in Almighty God.
ABRIDGE. C. M.
O GOD, the help of all thy saints,
Our hope in time of ill;
We'll trust thee, though thy face be hid,
And seek thy presence still.
Why should the men of pride and sin
Thy truth and power defy;
And boast, as if their evil way
Were hidden from thine eye?
Lord, thou hast seen; arise and save ;
To thee our cause we bring;
Reign thou in righteousness and power,
For thou alone art King.
All our desires to thee are known;
Thy help is ever near;
O first prepare our hearts to pray,
And then accept our prayer.
Confidence in God's Providence and Justice.
WILTSHIRE. C. M.
IN thee, O Lord, I put my trust;
Then wherefore should I flee?
When hosts of enemies conspire,
My refuge is in thee.
The Lord is in his holy place;
In heaven he sets his throne;
His eyes behold the sons of men ;'
To him their works are known.
In all the trials of the just,
God will their cause defend;
But wicked men provoke his wrath,
And judgment is their end.
The righteous Lord will righteous deeds
With signal favor grace;
And to the upright man disclose
The brightness of his face.
For Help against the Ungodly.
MARGATE LENT. S. M.
HELP, Lord! the godly fail;
Help, for the feeble flee;
And double hearts and tongues prevail,
Which spurn, O God, at thee.
With vanity and lies
They cheat the simple soul;
Teach men thy warnings to despise,
And scoff at thy control.
But, Lord, to thee we cry,
And we have heard thy voice;
Thy hand the mourner's tear shall dry,
And bid the poor rejoice.
As silver seven times tried,
Thy words, O Lord, are pure;
Though ills abound on ev'ry side,
Thy promises endure.
PSALM XIII.
God the Hope of the Righteous.
ISLINGTON. L. M.
HOW long, O Lord, shall I complain,
Like one who seeks his God in vain?
Wilt thou thy face for ever hide,
Shall I still pray, and be denied?
How would the powers of darkness boast,
If one poor suppliant were lost!
But I have trusted in thy grace,
And shall again behold thy face.
Whate'er my foes or fears suggest,
Thou art my hope, my joy, my rest;
My heart shall own thy love, and raise
My cheerful voice in songs of praise.
All Men Sinners.
ST. BRIDE'S. S. M.
"NO God!" the fool hath said:
They choose an evil way;
Their thoughts are all corrupt and vain,
Their feet are gone astray.
The Lord from heaven most high, Look'd down on all mankind: There was not one, that sought indeed The living God to find.
Who shall restore the lost!
Lord, when wilt thou fulfil
Thy promise once to Israel made
From Sion's holy hill?
O bring the wand'rers back;
The captive souls restore;
Then Jacob shall rejoice again,
And Israel weep no more.
PSALM XV.
A Citizen of Sion.
ST. STEPHEN'S. C. M.
LORD, who's the happy man that may
To thy blest courts repair;
Not stranger-like to visit them,
But to inhabit there?
The man who walks in pious ways,
And works with righteous hands;
Who trusts his Maker's promises,
And follows his commands:
Who speaks the meaning of his heart,
Nor slanders with his tongue;
Who scarce believes an ill report,
To do his neighbour wrong.
This is the man, who, rais'd from death,
Shall reach that high abode;
Where all the spirits of the just
Are perfect with their God.
Gratitude to God, and Love to his People.
FATHER of all, my soul defend;
On thee my stedfast hopes depend;
"Thou, mighty Lord," my heart hath cried,
"Thou art my God, and none beside."
No gifts, by mortal hand bestow'd,
Increase the treasures of my God;
Yet shall my heart to him incline,
Whose stedfast virtue marks him thine.
Thee will I praise, thou faithful guide,
Whose counsels o'er my life preside,
For safety through thy ceaseless care,
For choicest gifts vouchsaf'd to prayer.
Thou from the grave my soul shalt free,
And raise my dust to live with thee;
Where pleasures, all unmixt with wo,
At thy right hand for ever flow.
The Vanity of Life, and Hope in the Resurrection.
ST. OLAVE'S. L. M.
O GOD, on whom my hopes rely,
In thee I trust, to thee I cry;
Keep me from sin and danger free,
And guide my footsteps home to thee.
This life's a dream, an empty show;
But that bright world to which I go
Hath joys substantial and divine:
When shall I wake, and call them mine!
O glorious hour! O blest abode!
I shall be near, and like my God:
No more shall flesh and sin control
The sacred pleasures of my soul.
My dust shall slumber in the ground,
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with glad surprise,
And in thy glorious image rise.
God the Rock and Defence of his Saints.
NO change of times shall ever shock
My firm affection, Lord, to thee;
For thou hast always been a rock,
A fortress, a defence to me.
Thou art my Saviour, thon my God;
My trust is in thy mighty power;
Thou art my shield from foes abroad,
At home my safeguard and my tower.
Let the eternal Lord be prais'd,
The mighty rock on which we rest;
O'er highest heaven his name be rais'd,
Through earth his great salvation blest.
O God, to celebrate thy fame,
My grateful voice to heaven I'll raise;
And nations, strangers to thy name,
Shall learn to sing their Maker's praise.
PSALM XIX. (PART I)
God's Glory displayed in the Heavens.
UNIVERSITY. C. M.
THE heavens declare thy glory, Lord,
Which that alone can fill;
The firmament and stars express
Their great Creator's skill.
The dawn of each returning day
Fresh beams of knowledge brings;
And from the dark return of night
Divine instruction springs.
Their sacred lesson to no realm,
No region, is confin'd;
'Tis nature's language, and addrest
Alike to all mankind.
Wide as the circling sun they spread
Thy glorious truth abroad;
And teach the wond'ring world to sing
The praises of our God.
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