Fondly I said within my heart,— "Pleasure and peace shall ne'er depart.” 2 But I forgot thine arm was strong, Which made my mountain stand so long, Soon as thy face began to hide,
My health was gone, my comforts died. 3 I cried aloud to thee, my God!"What canst thou profit by my blood? Deep in the dust can I declare
Thy truth, or sing thy goodness there?
4 "Hear me, O God of grace!" I said,
“And bring me from among the dead :”
Thy word rebuked the pains I felt,
Thy pard'ning love removed my guilt.
5 My groans and tears, and forms of wo,
Are turned to joy and praises now;
I throw my sackcloth on the ground,
And ease and gladness gird me round.
6 My tongue, the glory of my frame,
Shall ne'er be silent of thy name;
Thy praise shall sound thro' earth and heaven,
For sickness healed, and sins forgiven.
FIRST PART, C. M.
Deliverance from Death.
1 INTO thy hand, O God of truth!
My spirit I commit;
Thou hast redeemed my soul from death,
And saved me from the pit.
2 "My times are in thy hand," I cried,
"Though I draw near the dust;"
Thou art the refuge where I hide,
The God in whom I trust.
3 Oh! make thy reconciled face
Upon thy servant shine;,
And save me for thy mercy's sake,
For I'm entirely thine.
4 Thy goodness, how divinely free!
How wondrous is thy grace,
To those who fear thy majesty,
And trust thy promises!
5 Oh love the Lord, all ye his saints! And sing his praises loud;
He'll bend his ear to your complaints,
And recompense the proud.
SECOND PART, C. M.
Deliverance from Slander and Reproach.
1 MY heart rejoices in thy name,
My God, my help, my trust!
Thou hast preserved my face from shame,
Mine honor from the dust.
2 How great deliverance thou hast wrought, Before the sons of men!
The lying lips to silence brought,
And made their boasting vain!
3 Thy children, from the strife of tongues, Shall thy pavilion hide;
Guard them from infamy and wrongs,
And crush the sons of pride.
4 Within thy secret presence, Lord!
Let me forever dwell;
No fenced city, walled and barred,
Secures a saint so well.
THIRD PART, C. M.
Trust in God as a Father
1 MY God! my Father! blissful name!
Oh! may I call thee mine?
May I with sweet assurance claim
A portion so divine?
2 This only can my fears control,
And bid my sorrows fly:
What harm can ever reach my soul
Beneath my Father's eye?
3 Whate'er thy providence denies,
I calmly would resign;
For thou art good, and just, and wise;
Oh! bend my will to thine.
4 Whate'er thy sacred will ordains,
Oh! give me strength to bear;
Let me but know my Father reigns,
And trust his tender care.
5 If pain and sickness rend this frame,
And life almost depart,
Is not thy mercy still the same,
To cheer my drooping heart?
6 My God! my Father! be thy name
My solace and my stay;
Oh! wilt thou seal my humble claim,
And drive my fears away.
God, a Rock and Fortress.
1 LORD! I look for all to thee;
Thou hast been a rock to me:
Still thy wonted aid afford;
Still be near, my shield, my sword!
I my soul commit to thee,
Lord thy blood has ransomed me.
2 Faint and sinking on my road,
Still I cling to thee, my God!
Bending 'neath a weight of woes,
Harassed by a thousand foes,
Hope still chides my rising fears;
Joy's still mingle with my tears.
3 On thy word I take my stand;
All my times are in thy hand;
Make thy face upon me shine;
Take me 'neath thy wings divine:
Lord thy grace is all my trust;
Save, Oh! save thy trembling dust.
4 Oh! what mercies still attend
Those who make the Lord their friend!
Sweetly, safely shall they 'bide
'Neath his eye, and at his side:
Lord! may this my station be:
Seek it, all ye saints! with me.
FIRST PART, L. M.
Pardon and Obedience.
1 BLEST is the man, for ever blest,
Whose guilt is pardoned by his God; Whose sins with sorrow are confessed,
And covered with his Saviour's blood. 2 From guile his heart and lips are free; His humble joy, his holy fear
With deep repentance well agree, And join to prove his faith sincere. 3 How glorious is that righteousness
That hides and cancels all his sins!
While a bright evidence of grace,
Through his whole life, appears and shines.
SECOND PART, L. M.
Confession and Pardon.
1 WHILE I keep silence, and conceal
My heavy guilt within my heart,
What torments doth my conscience feel!
What agonies of inward smart!
2 I spread my sins before the Lord,
And all my secret faults confess;
Thy gospel speaks a pard'ning word,
Thy Holy Spirit seals the grace.
3 For this shall every humble soul
Make swift addresses to thy seat;
When floods of huge temptations roll,
There shall they find a blest retreat.
4 How safe beneath thy wings I lie,
When days grow dark and storms appear! And when I walk, thy watchful eye
Shall guide me safe from every snare.
1 OH! blessed souls are they,
Whose sins are covered o'er ;-
Divinely blest, to whom the Lord
Imputes their guilt no more.
2 They mourn their follies past,
And keep their hearts with care;
Their lips and lives, without deceit,
Shall prove their faith sincere.
3 While I concealed my guilt,
I felt the festering wound;
Till I confessed my sins to thee,
And ready pardon found.
4 Let sinners learn to pray,
Let saints keep near the throne;
`Our help, in times of deep distress,
Is found in God alone.
FIRST PART, C. M.
Works of Creation and Providence.
1 REJOICE, ye righteous! in the Lord;
This work belongs to you;
Sing of his name, his ways, his word;
How holy, just, and true!
2 His mercy and his righteousness
Let heaven and earth proclaim;
His works of nature and of grace
Reveal his wondrous name.
3 His wisdom and almighty word
The heavenly arches spread;
And, by the Spirit of the Lord,
Their shining hosts were made.
4 He bade the liquid waters flow
To their appointed deep;
The flowing seas their limits know,
And their own station keep.
5 Ye tenants of the spacious earth!
With fear before him stand:
He spake and nature took its birth,
And rests on his command.
6 He scorns the angry nations' rage,
And breaks their vain designs;
His counsel stands through every age,
And in full glory shines.
SECOND PART, C. M.
Creatures vain, and God all-sufficient.
1 BLEST is the nation, where the Lord
Has fixed his gracious throne;
Where he reveals his heavenly word,
And calls the tribes his own.
2 His eye, with infinite survey,
Does the whole world behold,
He formed us all of equal clay,
And knows our feeble mould.
3 God is our fear, and God our trust,
When plagues or famine spread;
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