2 Angels that make thy church their care
Shall witness my devotions there,
While holy zeal directs mine eyes
To thy fair temple in the skies.
3 I'll sing thy truth and mercy, Lord;
I'll sing the wonders of thy word;
Not all thy works and names below,
So much thy power and glory show.
4 To God I cried when troubles rose;
He heard me, and subdued my foes;
He did my rising fears controul,
And strength diffus'd through all my soul.
5 Amidst a thousand snares I stand,
Upheld and guarded by thy hand;
Thy words my fainting soul revive,
And keep my dying faith alive.
6 Grace will complete what grace begins,
To save from sorrows and from sins;
The work that wisdom undertakes,
Eternal mercy ne'er forsakes.
PSALM 139.
The omnipresence of God.
1 LORD, thou hast search'd and seen me through;
Thine eye commands, with piercing view,
My rising and my resting hours,
My heart and flesh, with all their powers.
2 Within thy circling power I stand,
On every side I find thy hand;
Awake, asleep, at home, abroad,
I am surrounded still with God.
3 If up to heaven I take my flight,
"Tis there thou dwell'st enthron'd in light;
Or dive to hell, there vengeance reigns,
And Satan groans beneath thy chains.
4 If mounted on a morning ray,
I fly beyond the western sea,
Thy swifter hand would first arrive,
And there arrest thy fugitive.
5 Or should I try to shun thy sight,
Beneath the spreading veil of night;
One glance of thine, one piercing ray,
Would kindle darkness into day.
6 O may these thoughts possess my breast,
Where'er I rove, where'er I rest!
Nor let my weaker passions dare
Consent to sin, for God is there.
A morning prayer.
MY God, acccept my early vows,
Like morning incense in thine house;
And let my nightly worship rise,
Sweet as the evening sacrifice.
Watch o'er my lips and guard them, Lord,
From every rash and heedless word;
Nor let my feet incline to tread,
The guilty paths where sinners lead.
O may the righteous when I stray
Smite and reprove my wandering way;
Their gentle words, like ointment shed,
Shall never bruise, but cheer my head.
When I behold them press'd with grief,
I'll cry to heaven for their relief;
And by my fervent prayer will prove,
How much I prize their faithful love.
For deliverance from spiritual enemies.
HEAR me, O Lord, in my distress;
Hear me in truth and righteousness;
For at thy bar of judgment tried,
None living can be justified.
Lord, I have foes without, within,
The world, the flesh, indwelling sin,
Life's daily ills, temptation's power,
And Satan roaring to devour.
These, these my fainting soul surround,
My strength is smitten to the ground;
Like those long dead, beneath their weight,
Crush'd is my heart and desolate.
Yet, in the gloom of silent thought,
I call to mind what God hath wrought,
Thy wonders in the days of old,
Thy mercies great and manifold.
O let me not thus hopeless lie,
Like one condemn'd at morn to die;
But with the morning may I see
Thy loving-kindness visit me.
Teach me thy will, subdue my own;
Thou art my God, and thou alone;
By thy good Spirit guide me still,
Safe from all foes, to Sion's hill.
Assistance and victory in the spiritual warfare.
1 FOR ever blessed be the Lord,
My Saviour and my Shield;
He sends his Spirit with his word,
To arm me for the field.
When sin and hell their force unite,
He makes my soul his care;
Instructs me to the heavenly fight,
And guards me through the war.
A friend and helper so divine
Does my weak courage raise;
He makes the glorious victory mine,
And his shall be the praise.
God's mercies over all his works.
SWEET is the memory of thy grace,
My God, my heavenly King;
Let age to age thy righteousness
In sounds of glory sing.
God reigns on high, but not confines
His goodness to the skies;
Through the whole earth his bounty shines,
And every want supplies.
With longing eyes thy creatures wait
On thee for daily food;
Thy liberal hand provides their meat,
And fills their mouth with good.
How kind are thy compassions, Lord!
How slow thine anger moves!
But soon he sends his pardoning word,
To cheer the souls he loves.
5 Creatures, with all their endless race,
Thy power and praise proclaim;
But saints, that know thy saving grace,
Delight to bless thy name.
Praise to God for his goodness and mercy.
I'LL praise my Maker with my breath;
And, when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Happy the man, whose hopes rely
On Israel's God: he made the sky,
And earth, and seas, with all their train: His truth for ever stands secure;
He saves the opprest, he feeds the poor;
And none shall find his promise vain.
The Lord gives eyesight to the blind;
The Lord supports the sinking mind;
And sends the labouring conscience peace:
He helps the stranger in distress,
The widow and the fatherless,
And grants the prisoner sweet release.
I'll praise him while he gives me breath;
And, when my voice is lost in death,
Praise shall employ my nobler powers:
My days of praise shall ne'er be past,
While life, and thought, and being last,
Or immortality endures.
Praise the christian's duty and privilege.
1 PRAISE ye the Lord; 'tis good to raise
Our hearts and voices in his praise;
His nature and his works invite
To make this duty our delight.
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