159.

S. M.

WATTS.

God's abounding Compassion. Ps. 103.

1 My soul, repeat his praise
Whose mercies are so great―
Whose anger is so slow to rise,
So ready to abate.

2 High as the heavens are raised
Above the ground we tread,
So far the riches of his grace
Our highest thoughts exceed.

3 His power subdues our sins;
And his forgiving love,
Far as the east is from the west
Doth all our guilt remove.

4 The pity of the Lord

To those that fear his name, Is such as tender parents feel; He knows our feeble frame.

5 Our days are as the grass, Or like the morning flower:

If one sharp blast sweep o'er the field, It withers in an hour.

6 But thy compassions, Lord,

To endless years endure;
And children's children ever find
Thy words of promise sure.

160.

S. M.

WATTS.

Bless the Lord for his Mercies. Ps. 103.

10 BLESS the Lord, my soul;
Let all within me join,

And aid my tongue to bless his name
Whose favors are divine.

2 O bless the Lord, my soul;
Nor let his mercies lie
Forgotten in unthankfulness,
And without praises die.

3 'Tis he forgives thy sins;
'Tis he relieves thy pain;
"Tis he that heals thy sicknesses,
And makes thee young again.

4 He crowns thy life with love

When ransomed from the grave: He that redeemed my soul from hell Hath sovereign power to save.

5 He fills the poor with good;

He gives the sufferers rest;— The Lord hath judgments for the proud, And justice for th' oppressed.

6 His wondrous works and ways
He made by Moses known;

But sent the world his truth and grace
By his beloved Son.

161.

S. M.

MONTGOMERY.

The Same. Ps. 103.

10 BLESS the Lord, my soul;
His grace to thee proclaim;
And all that is within me join
To bless his holy name.

2 O bless the Lord, my soul;
His mercies bear in mind;
Forget not all his benefits:
The Lord to thee is kind.

3 He will not always chide-
He will with patience wait:
His wrath is ever slow to rise,
And ready to abate.

4 He pardons all thy sins-
Prolongs thy feeble breath;
He healeth thine infirmities,
And ransoms thee from death.

5 He clothes thee with his love,
Upholds thee with his truth,
And, like the eagle, he renews
The vigor of thy youth.

6 Then bless his holy name

Whose grace hath made thee wholeWhose loving kindness crowns thy days: O bless the Lord, my soul.

162.

L. M. 61.

God our Shepherd. Ps. 23.

*ADDISON.

1 THE Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noonday walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.

2 When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountains pant,
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps he leads,
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.

3 Though in the paths of death I tread,
With gloomy horrors overspread,
My steadfast heart shall fear no ill,
For thou, O Lord, art with me still.
Thy friendly staff shall give me aid,
And guide me through the dreadful shade.

4 Though, in a bare and rugged way,
Through devious, lonely wilds I stray,
Thy bounty shall my pains beguile,—
The barren wilderness shall smile,
With sudden greens and herbage crowned,
And streams shall murmur all around.

1 THE Lord my shepherd is:
I shall be well supplied;
Since he is mine, and I am his,
What can I want beside ?

2 He leads me to the place
Where heavenly pasture grows,
Where living waters gently pass,
And full salvation flows.

3 If e'er I go astray,

He doth my soul reclaim,

WATTS.

And guides me in his own right way,

For his most holy name.

4 Whilst he affords his aid, I cannot yield to fear;

Though I should walk through death's dark shade, My shepherd's with me there.

5 In sight of all my foes

Thou dost my table spread; My cup with blessings overflows, And joy exalts my head.

6 The bounties of thy love

Shall crown my following days; Nor from thy house will I remove, Nor cease to speak thy praise.

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