I'll suffer nothing near me there,
That shall offend thine eyes.
3 The man that doth his neighbour wrong,
By falsehood or by force,
The scornful eye, the slanderous tongue,
I'll banish from my doors.
4 I'll seek the faithful and the just,
And will their help enjoy;
These are the friends that I shall trust,
The servants I'll employ.
5 I'll purge my family around,
And make the wicked flee;
So shall my house be ever found
A dwelling fit for thee.
HEAR me, O God, nor hide thy face,
But answer lest I die;
Hast thou not built a throne of grace
To hear when sinners cry?
2 My days are wasted like the smoke
Dissolving in the air;
My strength is dried, my heart is broke,
And sinking in despair.
3 My spirits flag like withering grass,
Burnt with excessive heat;
In secret groans my minutes pass,
And I forget to eat.
4 As on some lonely building's top
The sparrow tells her moan,
Far from the tents of joy and hope
I sit and grieve alone.
5 My soul is like a wilderness,
Where beasts of midnight howl; Where the sad raven finds her place, And where the screaming owl.
6 Dark, dismal thoughts, and boding fears
Dwell in my troubled breast;
While sharp reproaches wound my ears,
Nor give my spirit rest.
7 My cup is mingled with my woes,
And tears are my repast;
My daily bread, like ashes, grows
Unpleasant to my taste.
8 Sense can afford no real joy
To souls that feel thy frown;
Lord, 'twas thy hand advanced me high,
Thy hand hath cast me down.
9 My looks, like withered leaves appear;
And life's declining light
Grows faint as evening's shadows are,
That vanish into night.
10 But thou for ever art the same,
O my eternal God!
Ages to come shall know thy name,
And spread thy works abroad.
11 Thou wilt arise and show thy face,
Nor will my Lord delay
Beyond the appointed hour of grace,
That long expected day.
12 He hears his saints, he knows their cry,
And by mysterious ways
Redeems the prisoners doomed to die,
And fills their tongues with praise.
ET Sion and her sons rejoice;
Behold the promised hour:
Her God hath heard her mourning voice,
And comes to exalt his power.
2 Her dust and ruins that remain,
Are precious in our eyes;
Those ruins shall be built again,
And all that dust shall rise.
3 The Lord will raise Jerusalem,
And stand in glory there;
Nations shall bow before his name,
And kings attend with fear.
4 He sits a sovereign on his throne,
With pity in his eyes;
He hears the dying prisoners' groan,
And sees their sighs arise.
5 He frees the souls condemned to death,
And when his saints complain,
It sha'nt be said, that praying breath
Was ever spent in vain.
6 This shall be known when we are dead,
And left on long record;
That ages yet unborn may read,
And trust and praise the Lord.
is the Lord our Saviour's hand,
Weakens our strength amidst the race;
Disease and death, at his command,
Arrest us, and cut short our days.
2 Spare us, O Lord, aloud we pray,
Nor let our sun go down at noon;
Thy years are one eternal day,
And must thy children die so soon!
3 Yet in the midst of death and grief,
This thought our sorrow shall assuage;
"Our Father and our Saviour live:
Christ is the same through every age."
4 'T was he this earth's foundation laid;
Heaven is the building of his hand;
This earth grows old, these heavens shall fade,
And all be changed at his command.
5 The starry curtains of the sky,
Like garments, shall be laid aside:
But still thy throne stands firm and high;
Thy church for ever must abide.
6 Before thy face, thy church shall live,
And on thy throne thy children reign;
This dying world shall they survive,
And the dead saints be raised again.
BLESS, O my soul, the living God,
Call home thy thoughts that rove abroad,
Let all the powers within me join
In work and worship so divine.
2 Bless, O my soul, the God of grace;
His favours claim the highest praise;
Why should the wonders he hath wrought
Be lost in silence and forgot?
3 'Tis he, my soul, that sent his Son
To die for crimes which thou hast done;
He owns the ransom, and forgives
The hourly follies of our lives.
4 The vices of the mind he heals,
And cures the pains that nature feels;
Redeems the soul from hell, and saves
Our wasting lives from threatening graves.
5 Our youth decayed his power repairs;
His mercy crowns our growing years:
He fills our store with every good,
And feeds our souls with heavenly food.
6 He sees th' oppressor and th' oppressed,
And often gives the sufferers rest;
But will his justice more display
In the last great rewarding day.
7 His power he showed by Moses' hands,
And gave to Israel his commands;
But sent his truth and mercy down
To all the nations by his Son.
8 Let the whole earth his power confess,
Let the whole earth adore his grace;
The Gentile with the Jew shall join
In work and worship so divine.
THE Lord, how wondrous are his ways!
How firm his truth! how large his grace!
He takes his mercy for his throne,
And thence he makes his glories known.
2 Not half so high his power hath spread
The starry heavens above our head,
As his rich love exceeds our praise,
Exceeds the highest hopes we raise.
3 Not half so far hath nature placed
The rising morning from the west,
As his forgiving grace removes
The daily guilt of those he loves.
4 How slow his awful wrath to rise!
On swifter wings salvation flies;
And if he lets his anger burn,
How soon his frowns to pity turn!
5 Amidst his wrath compassion shines;
His strokes are lighter than our sins;
And while his rod corrects his saints,
His ear indulges their complaints.
6 So fathers their young sons chastise,
With gentle hands and melting eyes;
The children weep beneath the smart,
And move the pity of their heart.
7 The mighty God, the wise and just,
Knows that our frame is feeble dust,
And will no heavy loads impose
Beyond the strength that he bestows.
8 He knows how soon our nature dies,
Blasted by every wind that flies;
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