The Blessedness of waiting upon God.
O LORD, thou mighty God of hosts,
My humble prayer regard;
Thou God of Jacob, let my cry
With favor still be heard.
For in thy courts one single day
"Tis better to attend,
Than, Lord, in any other place
A thousand days to spend.
For God, who is our sun and shield,
Will grace and glory give;
And no good thing will he withhold
From them that justly live.
O God, whom heav'nly hosts obey,
How highly blest is he,
Whose stedfast hope and holy trust
Are surely fixt on thee!
PSALM LXXXV.
The Blessings of Messiah's Kingdom.
MARTYRDOM. C. M.
IN mercy, Lord, do thou our hearts
To thine obedience turn;
Behold our tears, receive our prayers,,
Nor let thine anger burn.
Thy gracious favor, Lord, display,
Which we have long implor'd;
And for thy wondrous mercy's sake,
Thy promis'd aid afford,
Since mercy now with truth is join'd,‹ ›
And righteousness with peace,
Salvation shall thy saints surround,
And cause their fears to cease. Great Author of all righteousness, Who peace on earth restor'd; Grant us thy grace, that we no more Transgress thy holy word,
For Protection and spiritual Guidance.
DARWELL. P.M.
O FATHER, let me be
An object of thy care;
For daily unto thee
I lift my humble prayer;
Preserve my soul, for I am thine,
And guide me with thy truth divine.
When cares and troubles fall
On my afflicted soul;
To thee, O Lord, I call,
For thou canst make me whole:
And thou wilt hear my suppliant cry,
And bid affliction's tear be dry.
Teach me thy way, O Lord,
That I may walk therein;
Thy gracious help afford,
To keep my heart from sin.
So shall I praise thy glorious name,
And all thy mighty works proclaim.
PSALM LXXXVII.
The Privileges of God's House.
GLORIOUS things of thee are spoken,
Sion, city of our God!
He, whose word can ne'er be broken,
Form'd thee for his own abode :
On the Rock of Ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose!
With salvation's walls surrounded,
Thou may'st smile at all thy foes.
Lord, if thou in Sion's city,
Wilt record our worthless name,
Let the world deride, or pity,
We may well endure the shame.
Here the streams of living waters,
Springing from eternal love,
Flow to cheer thy sons and daughters,
And all dread of want remove.
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.
PORTUGAL. L. M.
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 prophets' 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,
Both heaven and earth just homage owe;
Let choirs of angels praise above;
Let saints assembled praise below.
The Shortness and Uncertainty of Life.
O LORD, the Saviour and defence
Of us thy chosen race;
From age to age thou still hast been
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 Goit.
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.
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