Psalm XLVI. Long Metre. Praise for national peace

Great ruler of the earth and skies, A word of thy almighty breath, Can sink the world or bid it rise, Thy smile is life, thy frown is death.

When angry nations rush to arms, And rage and noise and tumult reign, When war resounds its dire alarms, And slaughter spreads the crimson plain:

Thy sovreign eye looks calmly down, And marks their course and bounds their power; Thy word the angry nations own, And noise and war are heard no more.

Then peace returns with balmy wings, Reviving commerce spreads her sails; The fields are green and plenty sings, Responsive o'er the hills and vales.

Thou good and wise and righteous Lord, All move subservient to thy will; Both peace and war await thy word, And thy sublime decrees fulfill

To thee we pay our grateful songs, Thy kind protection still implore; O may our hearts, and lives and tongues Confess thy goodness and adore.