Pause

What though a thousand at thy side, At thy right hand ten thousand dy'd, Thy God his chosen people saves Amongst the dead, amidst the graves.

So when he sent his angel down To make his wrath in Egypt known, And slew their sons, his careful eye Pass'd all the doors of Jacob by.

But if the fire, or plague, or sword, Receive commission from the Lord To strike his saints among the rest, Their very pains and deaths are blest.

The sword, the pestilence or fire Shall but fulfil their best desire, From sins and sorrows set them free, And bring thy children, Lord, to thee.

Psalm 91:2. 1-16. Second Part. Protection from death, guard of angels, victory and deliverance.

Ye sons of men, a feeble race, Expos'd to every snare, Come make the Lord your dwelling-place, And try and trust his care.

No ill shall enter where you dwell; Or if the plague come nigh, And sweep the wicked down to hell, 'Twill raise his saints on high.

He'll give his angels charge to keep Your feet in all their ways; To watch your pillow while you sleep, And guard your happy days.

Their hands shall bear you, lest you fall And dash against the stones: Are they not servants at his call, And sent t' attend his sons?

Adders and lions ye shall tread; The tempter's wiles defeat; He that hath broke the serpent's head Puts him beneath your feet.

"Because on me they set their love "I'll save them," saith the Lord; "I'll bear their joyful souls above "Destruction and the sword.

"My grace shall answer when they call; "In trouble I'll be nigh; "My power shall help them when they fall, "And raise them when they die.

"Those that on earth my Name have known, "I'll honour them in heaven; "There my salvation shall be shown, "And endless life be given."

Psalm 92:1. First Part. A psalm for the Lord's day.

Sweet is the work, my God my King, To praise thy Name, give thanks and sing, To shew thy love by morning light, And talk of all thy truth at night.

Sweet is the day of sacred rest, No mortal cares shall seize my breast; O may my heart in tune be found Like David's harp of solemn sound!

My heart shall triumph in my Lord, And bless his works, and bless his word; Thy works of grace, how bright they shine! How deep thy counsels! how divine!

Fools never raise their thoughts so high; Like brutes they live, like brutes they die; Like grass they flourish, till thy breath Blast them in everlasting death.

But I shall share a glorious part When grace hath well refin'd my heart, And fresh supplies of joy are shed Like holy oil, to cheer my head.

Sin, (my worst enemy before) Shall vex my eyes and ears no more; My inward foes shall all be slain, Nor Satan break my peace again.

Then shall I see, and hear, and know, All I desir'd or wish'd below; And every power find sweet employ In that eternal world of joy.

Psalm 92:2. 12 &c. Second Part. The church is the garden of God.

Lord, 'tis a pleasant thing to stand In gardens planted by thine hand; Let me within thy courts be seen Like a young cedar fresh and green.

There grow thy saints in faith and love, Blest with thine influence from above; Not Lebanon with all its trees Yields such a comely sight as these.

The plants of grace shall ever live; (Nature decays but grace must thrive) Time, that doth all things else impair, Still makes them flourish strong and fair.

Laden with fruits of age, they shew The Lord is holy, just, and true; None that attend his gates shall find A God unfaithful or unkind.

Psalm 93:1. 1st Metre. As 100th Psalm. The eternal and sovereign God.

Jehovah reigns; he dwells in light, Girded with majesty and might: The world created by his hands Still on its first foundation stands.

But ere this spacious world was made, Or had its first foundations laid, Thy throne eternal ages stood, Thyself the ever-living God.

Like floods the angry nations rise And aim their rage against the skies; Vain floods that aim their rage so high! At thy rebuke the billows die.

For ever shall thy throne endure; Thy promise stands for ever sure; And everlasting holiness Becomes the dwellings of thy grace.

Psalm 93:2. 2d M. As the old 50th Psalm. The same.

The Lord of glory reigns; he reigns on high; His robes of state are strength and majesty: This wide creation rose at his command, Built by his word, and 'stablish'd by his hand: Long stood his throne ere he began creation, And his own Godhead is the firm foundation.

God is th' eternal King: thy foes in vain Raise their rebellions to confound thy reign: In vain the storms, in vain the floods arise, And roar and toss their waves against the skies; Foaming at heaven, they rage with wild commotion, But heaven's high arches scorn the swelling ocean.

Ye tempests, rage no more; ye floods, be still; And the mad world submissive to his will: Built on his truth, his church must ever stand; Firm are his promises, and strong his hand: See his own sons, when they appear before him, Bow at his footstool, and with fear adore him.

Psalm 93:3. 3d M. As the old 122d Psalm. The same.

The Lord Jehovah reigns And royal state maintains, His head with awful glories crown'd; Array'd in robes of light, Begirt with sovereign might, And rays of majesty around.

Upheld by thy commands The world securely stands; And skies and stars obey thy word: Thy throne was fix'd on high Before the starry sky; Eternal is thy kingdom, Lord.

In vain the noisy crowd, Like billows fierce and loud, Against thine empire rage and roar; In vain, with angry spite, The surly nations fight, And dash like waves against the shore.

Let floods and nations rage, And all their powers engage, Let swelling tides assault the sky; The terrors of thy frown Shall beat their madness down; Thy throne for ever stands on high.

Thy promises are true, Thy grace is ever new; There fix'd thy church shall ne'er remove: Thy saints with holy fear Shall in thy courts appear, And sing thine everlasting love.

Repeat the fourth stanza to complete the old tune.

Psalm 94:1. 1 2 7-14. First Part. Saints chastised, and sinners destroyed; or, Instructive afflictions.

God, to whom revenge belongs, Proclaim thy truth aloud Let Sovereign Power redress our wrongs, Let justice smite the proud.

They say, "The Lord nor sees nor hears;" When will the fools be wise! Can he be deaf who form'd their ears? Or blind, who made their eyes?

He knows their impious thoughts are vain, And they shall feel his power; His wrath shall pierce their souls with pain In some surprising hour.

But if thy saints deserve rebuke, Thou hast a gentler rod; Thy providences and thy book Shall make them know their God.

Blest is the man thy hands chastise, And to his duty draw; Thy scourges make thy children wise When they forget thy law.

But God will ne'er cast off his saints, Nor his own promise break; He pardons his inheritance For their Redeemer's sake.

Psalm 94:2. 16-23. Second Part. God our support and comfort; or, Deliverance from temptation and persecution.

Who will arise and plead my right Against my numerous foes, While earth and hell their force unite, And all my hopes oppose?

Had not the Lord, my rock, my help, Sustain'd my fainting head, My life had now in silence dwelt, My soul amongst the dead.

"Alas! my sliding feet," I cry'd; Thy promise was my prop; Thy grace stood constant by my side, Thy Spirit bore me up.

While multitudes of mournful thoughts Within my bosom roll, Thy boundless love forgives my faults, Thy comforts cheer my soul.

Powers of iniquity may rise, And frame pernicious laws; But God, my refuge, rules the skies, He will defend my cause.

Let malice vent her rage aloud, Let bold blasphemers scoff; The Lord our God shall judge the proud, And cut the sinners off.

Psalm 95:1. C. M. A psalm before prayer.

Sing to the Lord Jehovah's Name, And in his strength rejoice; When his salvation is our theme, Exalted be our voice.

With thanks approach his awful sight, And psalms of honour sing; The Lord's a God of boundless might, The whole creation's King.

Let princes hear, let angels know, How mean their natures seem, Those gods on high, and gods below, When once compar'd with him.

Earth with its caverns dark and deep Lies in his spacious hand, He fix'd the seas what bounds to keep, And where the hills must stand.

Come, and with humble souls adore, Come, kneel before his face; O may the creatures of his power Be children of his grace!

Now is the time: he bends his ear, And waits for your request; Come, lest he rouse his wrath and swear "Ye shall not see my rest."

Psalm 95:2. S. M. A psalm before sermon.

Come, sound his praise abroad, And hymns of glory sing; Jehovah is the sovereign God, The universal King.

He form'd the deeps unknown; He gave the seas their bound; The watery worlds are all his own, And all the solid ground.

Come, worship at his throne, Come bow before the Lord: We are his works and not our own; He form'd us by his word.

To-day attend his voice, Nor dare provoke his rod; Come like the people of his choice, And own your gracious God.

But if your ears refuse The language of his grace, And hearts grow hard, like stubborn Jews, That unbelieving race;

The Lord in vengeance drest Will lift his hand and swear, "You that despise my promis'd rest, "Shall have no portion there."

Psalm 95:3. 1 2 3 6-11. L. M. Canaan lost through unbelief; or, A warning to delaying sinners.

Come, let our voices join to raise A sacred song of solemn praise; God is a sovereign King; rehearse his honours in exalted verse.

Come, let our souls address the Lord, Who fram'd our natures with his word; He is our Shepherd; we the sheep His mercy chose, his pastures keep.

Come, let us hear his voice to-day, The counsels of his love obey; Nor let our harden'd hearts renew The sins and plagues that Israel knew.

Israel, that saw his works of grace, Yet tempt their Maker to his face; A faithless unbelieving brood That tir'd the patience of their God.

Thus saith the Lord, "how false they prove; "Forget my power, abuse my love; "Since they despise my rest, I swear, "Their feet shall never enter there."

[Look back my soul, with holy dread, And view those ancient rebels dead; Attend the offer'd grace to-day, Nor lose the blessing by delay.

Seize the kind promise while it waits, And march to Zion's heavenly gates; Believe, and take the promis'd rest; Obey, and be for ever blest.]

Psalm 96:1. 1-10. &c. C. M. Christ's first and second coming.

Sing to the Lord, ye distant lands, Ye tribes of every tongue; His new discover'd grace demands A new and nobler song.

Say to the nations, Jesus reigns, God's own almighty Son; His power the sinking world sustains, And grace surrounds his throne.

Let heaven proclaim the joyful day, Joy thro' the earth be seen; Let cities shine in bright array, And fields in cheerful green.

Let an unusual joy surprise The islands of the sea; Ye mountains, sink, ye vallies, rise, Prepare the Lord his way.

Behold he comes, he comes to bless The nations as their God; To shew the world his righteousness, And send his truth abroad.

But when his voice shall raise the dead, And bid the world draw near, How will the guilty nations dread To see their Judge appear!

Psalm 96:2. As the 113th Psalm. The God of the Gentiles.

Let all the earth their voices raise To sing the choicest psalm of praise, To sing and bless Jehovah's name: His glory let the heathens know, His wonders to the nations show, And all his saving works proclaim.

The heathens know thy glory, Lord; The wondering nations read thy word, In Britain is Jehovah known: Our worship shall no more be paid To gods which mortal hands have made; Our Maker is our God alone.

He fram'd the globe, he built the sky, He made the shining worlds on high, And reigns complete in glory there: His beams are majesty and light; His beauties how divinely bright! His temple how divinely fair!

Come the great day, the glorious hour, When earth shall feel his saving power, And barbarous nations fear his name; Then shall the race of man confess The beauty of his holiness, And in his courts his grace proclaim.

Psalm 97:1. 1-5. First Part. Christ reigning in heaven, and coming to judgment.

He reigns; the Lord, the Saviour reigns; Praise him in evangelic strains; Let the whole earth in songs rejoice, And distant islands join their voice.

Deep are his counsels and unknown; But grace and truth support his throne: Tho' gloomy clouds his ways surround, Justice is their eternal ground.

In robes of judgment, lo! he comes, Shakes the wide earth, and cleaves the tombs; Before him burns devouring fire, The mountains melt, the seas retire.

His enemies, with sore dismay, Fly from the sight, and shun the day; Then lift your heads, ye saints, on high, And sing, for your redemption's nigh.

Psalm 97:2. 6-9. Second Part. Christ's incarnation.

The Lord is come, the heavens proclaim His birth; the nations learn his Name; An unknown star directs the road Of eastern sages to their God.

All ye bright armies of the skies, Go, worship where the Saviour lies: Angels and kings before him bow, Those gods on high, and gods below.

Let idols totter to the ground, And their own worshippers confound; But Judah shout, but Zion sing, And earth confess her sovereign King.

Psalm 97:3. Third Part. Grace and glory.

Th' Almighty reigns exalted high O'er all the earth, o'er all the sky, Tho' clouds and darkness veil his feet, His dwelling is the mercy-seat.

O ye that love his holy Name, Hate every work of sin and shame; He guards the souls of all his friends, And from the snares of hell defends.

Immortal light and joys unknown Are for the saints in darkness sown; Those glorious seeds shall spring and rise, And the bright harvest bless our eyes.

Rejoice, ye righteous, and record The sacred honours of the Lord; None but the soul that feels his grace Can triumph in his holiness.

Psalm 97:4. 1 3 5-7 11. C. M. Christ's incarnation, and the last judgment.

Ye islands of the northern sea, Rejoice, the Saviour reigns; His word like fire, prepares his way, And mountains melt to plains.

His presence sinks the proudest hills, And makes the vallies rise The humble soul enjoys his smiles, The haughty sinner dies.

The heavens his rightful power proclaim The idol-gods around Fill their own worshippers with shame, And totter to the ground.

Adoring angels at his birth Make the Redeemer known; Thus shall he come to judge the earth, And angels guard his throne.

His foes shall tremble at his sight, And hills and seas retire His children take their unknown flight, And leave the world in fire.

The seeds of joy and glory sown For saints in darkness here Shall rise and spring in worlds unknown, And a rich harvest bear.

Psalm 98:1. First Part. Praise for the gospel.

To our almighty Maker, God, New honours be address'd; his great salvation shines abroad, And makes the nations blest.

He spake the word to Abraham first, His truth fulfils the grace: The Gentiles make his Name their trust, And learn his righteousness.

Let the whole earth his love proclaim With all her different tongues; And spread the honours of his Name In melody and songs.

Psalm 98:2. Second Part. The Messiah's coming and kingdom.

Joy to the world; the Lord is come; Let earth receive her King; Let every heart prepare him room, And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the earth, the Saviour reigns; Let men their songs employ; While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains, Repeat the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow, Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make his blessings flow Far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace, And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness, And wonders of his love.

Psalm 99:1. First Part. Christ's kingdom and majesty.

The God Jehovah reigns, Let all the nations fear, Let sinners tremble at his throne, And saints be humble there.

Jesus the Saviour reigns, Let earth adore its Lord; Bright cherubs his attendants stand, Swift to fulfil his word.

In Zion is his throne, His honours are divine; His church shall make his wonders known, For there his glories shine.

How holy is his Name! How terrible his praise! Justice, and truth, and judgment join In all his works of grace.

Psalm 99:2. Second Part. A holy God worshipped with reverence.

Exalt the Lord our God, And worship at his feet; His nature is all holiness, And mercy is his seat.

When Israel was his church, When Aaron was his priest, When Moses cry'd, when Samuel pray'd, He gave his people rest.

Oft he forgave their sins, Nor would destroy their race; And oft he made his vengeance known, When they abus'd his grace.

Exalt the Lord our God, Whose grace is still time same; Still he's a God of holiness, And jealous for his Name.

Psalm 100:1. 1st M. A plain translation. Praise to our Creator.

Ye nations round the earth rejoice Before the Lord, your sovereign King; Serve him with cheerful heart and voice, With all your tongues his glory sing.

The Lord is God; 'tis he alone Doth life, and breath, and being give: We are his work, and not our own; The sheep that on his pastures live.

Enter his gates with songs of joy, With praises to his courts repair, And make it your divine employ To pay your thanks and honours there.

The Lord is good, the Lord is kind; Great is his grace, his mercy sure; And the whole race of man shall find His truth from age to age endure.