3 Lord, what is man, or man's frail race,
Who dwells so far below,

That thou shouldst visit him with grace,
And love his nature so?

4 That thy eternal Son should bear
To take a mortal form;
Made lower than the angels are,
To save a dying worm?

50 thou, to whom all creatures bow
Within this earthly frame,
Through all the world how great art thou!
How glorious is thy name!

1

PSALM 8. VERSION 2.

The wonders of creation and redemption.

O LORD, our King, how excellent
Thy name on earth is known!
Thy glory in the firmament

How wonderfully shown!

2 When I behold the heavens on high,
The work of thy right hand;

The moon and stars amid the sky,
Thy lights in every land;

3 Lord, what is man, that thou shouldst deign On him to set thy love,

Give him on earth awhile to reign,
Then fill a throne above?

4 O Lord, how excellent thy name!
How manifold thy ways!

Let time thy saving truth proclaim,
Eternity thy praise.

1

2

PSALMS.

PSALM 9.

Praise to God.

TO celebrate thy praise, O Lord,
I will my heart prepare;
To all the listening world thy works,
Thy wondrous works, declare.
The thought of them shall to my soul
Exalted pleasure bring;

Whilst to thy name, O thou most High,
Triumphant praise I sing.

All those who have his goodness prov'd
Will in his truth confide,

Whose mercy ne'er forsook the man
That on his help relied.

Sing praises, therefore, to the Lord,

From Sion, his abode;

Proclaim his deeds, till all the world
Confess no other God.

PSALM 11.

Confidence in God.

WHEN all bespeaks a Father's love, O wherefore, timorous as the dove, Should we in times of peril flee To any refuge, Lord, but thee? In vain the wicked bend their bow, And seek to lay the righteous low; Thou, from thine everlasting throne, With watchful care regard'st thine own. 3 Thy voice shall seal the sinner's fate; Just vengeance doth his crimes await; While the bright beams of grace divine Shall on thy faithful servants shine.

PSALMS.

PSALM 15.

The christian character.

1 WHO shall ascend thy heavenly place,
Great God, and dwell before thy face?
The man that minds religion now,
And humbly walks with God below.

2 Whose hands are pure, whose heart is clean; Whose lips still speak the things they mean; No slanders dwell upon his tongue :

He hates to do his neighbour wrong. 3 He loves his enemies, and prays

For those that curse him to his face;
And doth to all men still the same
That he could hope or wish from them.
4 Yet when his holiest works are done,
His soul depends on grace alone:
This is the man thy face shall see,
And dwell for ever, Lord, with thee.

PSALM 16.

Hope in the Resurrection.

1 HENCEFORTH my soul shall bless the Lord, Whose precepts give me light,

And private counsel still afford
In sorrow's dismal night.

2 I'll strive each action to approve
To his all-seeing eye;

No danger shall my hopes remove,
Because he still is nigh.

3 Therefore my heart all grief defies,
My glory does rejoice;

My flesh shall rest in hope to rise,
Wak'd by his powerful voice.

4 Thou shalt the paths of life display,
That to thy presence lead;
Where pleasures dwell without allay,
And joys that never fade.

PSALM 17.

Anticipation of future glory.

1 WHAT sinners value, I resign;
Lord, 'tis enough that thou art mine;
I shall behold thy blissful face,
And stand complete in righteousness.
2 This life's a dream, an empty show;
But the bright world to which I go,
Hath joys substantial and sincere;
When shall I wake and find me there?
3 O glorious hour! O blest abode!
I shall be near and like my God;
And flesh and sin no more controul
The sacred pleasures of the soul.

4 My flesh shall slumber in the ground
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's image rise.

1

2

PSALM 18.

The Majesty of God.

THE Lord descended from above,
And bow'd the heavens most high;

And underneath his feet he cast

The darkness of the sky.

On cherub and on cherubim,

Full royally he rode;

And on the wings of mighty winds,

Came flying all abroad.

3

He sat serene upon the floods,
Their fury to restrain ;

And he, as sovereign Lord and King,
For evermore shall reign.

PSALM 19. VERSION 1.

"The heavens declare the glory of God."

1 The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,

And spangled heavens, a shining frame,
Their great Original proclaim.

The unwearied sun, from day to day,
Does his Creator's power display,
And publishes to every land,"
The work of an Almighty hand.

2 Soon as the evening shades prevail,
The moon takes up the wondrous tale;
And nightly, to the listening earth,
Repeats the story of her birth:

While all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll,
And spread the truth from pole to pole.

3 What though, in solemn silence, all
Move round this dark terrestrial ball!
What though no real voice nor sound
Amid their radiant orbs be found!
In reason's ear they all rejoice,
And utter forth a glorious voice;
For ever singing, as they shine,
"The hand that made us is divine."