Pause

God counts the sorrows of his saints, Their groans affect his ears; Thou hast a book for my complaints, A bottle for my tears.

When to thy throne I raise my cry The wicked fear and flee; So swift is prayer to reach the sky, So near is God to me.

In thee, most holy, just, and true, I have repos'd my trust; Nor will I fear what man can do, The offspring of the dust.

Thy solemn vows are on me, Lord, Thou shalt receive my praise; I'll sing, "how faithful is thy word, "How righteous all thy ways!"

Thou hast secur'd my soul from death; O set thy prisoner free, That heart and hand, and life and breath May be employ'd for thee.

Psalm 57. Praise for protection, grace, and truth.

My God, in whom are all the springs Of boundless love and grace unknown, Hide me beneath thy spreading wings Till the dark cloud is overblown.

Up to the heavens I send my cry, The Lord will my desires perform; He sends his angel from the sky, And saves me from the threatening storm.

Be thou exalted, O my God, Above the heavens where angels dwell: Thy power on earth be known abroad, And land to land thy wonders tell.

My heart is fix'd; my song shall raise Immortal honours to thy Name; Awake, my tongue, to sound his praise, My tongue, the glory of my frame.

High o'er the earth his mercy reigns, And reaches to the utmost sky; His truth to endless years remains, When lower worlds dissolve and die.

Be thou exalted, O my God, Above the heavens where angels dwell; Thy power on earth be known abroad, And land to land thy wonders tell.

Psalm 58. As the 113th Psalm. Warning to magistrates.

Judges, who rule the world by laws, Will ye despise the righteous cause, When th' injur'd poor before you stands? Dare ye condemn the righteous poor, And let rich sinners 'scape secure, While gold and greatness bribe your hands?

Have ye forgot, or never knew, That God will judge the judges too? High in the heavens his justice reigns? Yet you invade the rights of God, And send your bold decrees abroad, To bind the conscience in your chains.

A poison'd arrow is your tongue, The arrow sharp, the poison strong, And death attends where'er it wounds: You hear no counsels, cries or tears; So the deaf adder stops her ears Against the power of charming sounds.

Break out their teeth, eternal God, Those teeth of lions dy'd in blood; And crush the serpents in the dust: As empty chaff when whirlwinds rise, Before the sweeping tempest flies, So let their hopes and names be lost.

Th' Almighty thunders from the sky, Their grandeur melts, their titles die, As hills of snow dissolve and run, Or snails that perish in their slime, Or births that come before their time, Vain births, that never see the sun.

Thus shall the vengeance of the Lord Safety and joy to saints afford; And all that hear shall join and say, "Sure there's a God that rules on high, "A God that hears his children cry, "And will their sufferings well repay."

Psalm 60. 1-5 10-12. On a day of humiliation for disappointments in war.

Lord, hast thou cast the nation off? Must we for ever mourn? Wilt thou indulge immortal wrath? Shall mercy ne'er return?

The terror of one frown of thine Melts all our strength away; Like men that totter drunk with wine, We tremble in dismay.

Great Britain shakes beneath thy stroke, And dreads thy threatening hand; O heal the island thou hast broke, Confirm the wavering land.

Lift up a banner in the field, For those that fear thy Name; Save thy beloved with thy shield, And put our foes to shame.

Go with our armies to the fight, Like a confederate God; In vain confederate powers unite Against thy lifted rod.

Our troops shall gain a wide renown By thine assisting hand; 'Tis God that treads the mighty down, And makes the feeble stand.