2 Be the Lord your only theme; Who of gods is God fupreme; He to whom all lords befide Bow the knee, their faces hide. Who afferts his just command, By the wonders of his hand; He whofe wifdom, thron'd on high, Built the manfions of the sky. 4 He who bade the watery deep In appointed bounds to keep, And the ftars that gild the pole Through unmeafur'd ether roll. 5 Thee, O fun, whofe powerful ray Rules the empire of the day; You, O moon and ftars, whofe light Cheers the darkness of the night. 6 He with food fuftains, O earth, All which claim from thee their birth; For his bleffings wide extend,
And his mercy knows no end.
Pfalm CXXXVII. Common Metre. [
AR from our friends and country dear, In hoftile lands we moan;
No tender hand to wipe the tear Which flows with every groan !
2 Our foes infulting mock our grief, And fport with our complaints; No mercy prompts to give relief, Though languid mifery faints.
3 In retrospective fcenes employ'd, We think on former days ;
When peaceful fabbaths we enjoy'd, And all our work was praise. 4 But now, of liberty depriv'd, In folitude confin'd;
In vain we feek the word of life, To feed the starving mind.
To thee, O Lord, we lift our eye, To thee our caufe commend ;
Thou hear'ft the mourning pris'ner's figh; Thou art the fuff'rer's friend.
6 We feek no vengeance on our foes, But put our truft in thee
O let thy mercy interpofe,
And fet thy captives free.
Pfalm CXXXVIII. Common Metre. [*] A Song of Praise.
10 thee, my God, my heart fhall bring The lively grateful fong; Attending crowds fhall hear me fing
With rapture on my tongue.
2 Amidst the glories of thy name, Thy truth exalted fhines;
A faithful God, thy words proclaim In everlasting lines.
3 Th' eternal God looks kindly down On pious humble fouls;
But from afar his piercing frown The fons of pride controls.
Thou, Lord, wilt all my hopes fulfil; To thee, the work belongs;
Let endless mercy guide me ftill, And tune my grateful fongs.
Pfalm CXXXVIII. Long Metre. [
Reftoring and preferving Mercy.
WITH all my powers of heart and tongu
I'll praife my Maker in my fong; While holy zeal directs my eyes To thy fair temple in the kics. 2 I'll fing thy truth and mercy, Lord; I'll fing the wonders of thy word; Not all thy works and names below So much thy power and glory fhow.
The God of heaven maintains his ftate, Frowns on the impious, proud and great; But from his throne defcends to fee The fons of humble poverty.
4 Amidst a thousand fnares I ftand, Upheld and guarded by thy hand; Thy words my fainting foul revive, And keep my dying faith alive.
5 Grace will complete what grace begins, To fave from forrows or from fins; The work which wisdom undertakes, Eternal mercy ne'er forfakes.
Pfalm CXXXVIII. v. 3, 5. S. M. [*]
Spiritual Strength and Joy.
Y foul, review the time, In which my God I fought;
I cry'd aloud for aid divine, And aid divine he brought.
2 Through all my fainting heart, His fecret vigour spread; To me his ftrength he did impart, And rais'd my drooping head. 3 Then will I raise my voice, And form a cheerful fong; With all the faints I will rejoice, Who to his courts belong. 4 With them, the path I'll trace, Which leads to his abode ; And join to fing redeeming grace, Along the joyful road.
5 Here, flowers of paradise In rich profufion fpring; There, Zion's lofty towers arife, The feat of Zion's King. 6 Within thofe facred walls, I fhall be ever bleft;
I'll follow where my Father calls, And feek his heav'nly reft.
Pfalm CXXXIX. ift Part. C. M. [or] The nerfal Prefence of God.
Nall my vaft concerns with thee, In vain my foul would try
To hun thy prefence, Lord, or flee The notice of thine eye.
2 Thy all-furrounding fight furveys My rifing and my reft;
My public walks, my private. ways, And secrets of ray breast.
My thoughts lie open to the Lord, Bore they're form'd within;
And ere my lips pronounce the word, He knows the sense I mean.
4 O wond'rous knowledge, deep and high ! Where can a creature hide? Within thy circling arms I lie, Beset on ev'ry fide.
5 So let thy grace furround me ftill, And like a bulwark prove;
To guard my foul from every ill, Secur'd by fov'reign love.
Plaim CXXXIX. 2d Part. C. M.[
The all-feeing Eye of God.
LORD, where fhall guilty fouls retire,
In hell they meet thy dreadful ire; In heaven thy glorious throne. 2 Should I fupprefs my vital breath, T' efcape the wrath divine;
Thy voice would break the bars of death, And make the grave refign.
3 lf, wing'd with beams of morning light, I fly beyond the west,
Thy hand, which must support my flight, Would foon betray my rest.
4 If o'er my fins I think to draw The curtains of the night,
Those flaming eyes which guard thy law Would turn the fhades to light.
5 The beams of noon, the midnight hour Are both alike to thee;
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