Psalms Of Watts 31-35
The
Psalms Of David
By Isaac Watts
In Metre
Psalm 31 - Part One.
Verses 5, 13-19, 22-23. Deliverance from death.
1 Into thine hand, 0 God of truth,
My spirit I commit;
Thou hast redeem'd my soul from death,
And sav'd me from the pit.
2 The passions of my hope and fear
Maintain'd a doubtful strife,
While sorrow, pain, and sin conspir'd
To take away my life.
3 "Mv times are in thine hand," I cry'd,
"Though I draw near the dust;"
Thou art the refuge where I hide,
The God in whom I trust.
4 O make thy reconciled face
Upon thy servant shine,
And save me for thy mercy's sake,
For I'm entirely thine.
PAUSE.
5 ['Twas in my haste, my spirit said,
"I must despair and die,
"I am cut off before thine eyes;"
But thou hast heard my cry.]
6 Thy goodness how divinely free!
How wondrous is thy grace
To those that fear thy majesty,
And trust thy promises!
7 O love the Lord, all ye his saints,
And sing his praises loud;
He'll bend his ear to your complaints,
And recompense the proud.
Psalm 31 - Part Two.
Verses 7-13, 18-21. Deliverance from slander and reproach.
1 My heart rejoices in thy name,
My God, my help, my trust;
Thou hast preserv'd my face from shame,
Mine honour from the dust.
2 "My life is spent with grief," I cry'd,
"My years consum'd in groans,
"My strength decays, mine eyes are dry'd,
"And sorrow wastes my bones."
3 Among mine enemies my name
Was a mere proverb grown,
While to my neighbours I became
Forgotten and unknown.
4 Slander and fear on every side,
Seiz'd and beset me round,
I to the throne of grace apply'd,
And speedy rescue found.
PAUSE.
5 How great deliverance thou hast wrought
Before the sons of men!
The lying lips to silence brought,
And made their boastings vain!
6 Thy children, from the strife of tongues,
Shall thy pavilion hide,
Guard them from infamy and wrongs,
And crush the sons of pride.
7 Within thy secret presence, Lord,
Let me for ever dwell;
No fenced city, wall'd and barr'd,
Secures a saint so well.
Psalm 32.
Forgiveness of sins upon confession.
1 O blessed souls are they
Whose sins are cover'd 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 conceal'd my guilt
I felt the festering wound,
Till I confess'd 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.
Psalm 32.
Free pardon and sincere obedience.
1 Happy the man to whom his God
No more imputes his sin,
But wash'd in the Redeemer's blood,
Hath made his garments clean!
2 Happy, beyond expression, he
Whose debts are thus discharg'd;
And from the guilty bondage free,
He feels his soul enlarg'd.
3 His spirit hates deceit and lies,
His words are all sincere;
He guards his heart, he guards his eyes,
To keep his conscience clear.
4 While I my inward guilt supprest,
No quiet could I find;
Thy wrath lay burning in my breast,
And rack'd my tortur'd mind.
5 Then I confess'd my troubled thoughts,
My secret sins reveal'd;
Thy pardoning grace forgave my faults,
Thy grace my pardon seal'd.
6 This shall invite thy saints to pray,
When, like a raging flood,
Temptations rise, our strength and stay
Is a forgiving God.
Psalm 32 - Part One.
Repentance and free pardon.
1 Blest is the man, for ever blest,
Whose guilt is pardon'd by his God,
Whose sins with sorrow are confess'd,
And cover'd with his Saviour's blood.
2 Blest is the man to whom the Lord
Imputes not his iniquities,
He pleads no merit of reward,
And not on works, but grace relies.
3 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.
4 How glorious is that righteousness
That hides and cancels all his sins!
While a bright evidence of grace
Thro' his whole life appears and shines.
Psalm 32 - Part Two.
A guilty conscience eased by 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,
Thine 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.
Psalm 33 - Part One.
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 bid 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 thro' every age,
And in full glory shines.
Psalm 33 - Part Two.
Creatures vain, and God all-sufficient.
1 Blest is the nation where the Lord
Hath fix'd his gracious throne;
Where he reveals his heavenly word,
And calls their tribes his own.
2 His eye, with infinite survey,
Does the whole world behold;
He form'd us all of equal clay,
And knows our feeble mould.
3 Kings are not rescu'd by the force
Of armies from the grave;
Nor speed nor courage of an horse
Can the bold rider save.
4 Vain is the strength of beasts or men
To hope for safety thence;
But holy souls from God obtain
A strong and sure defence.
5 God is their fear, and God their trust,
When plagues or famine spread,
His watchful eye secures the just
Amongst ten thousand dead.
6 Lord, let our hearts in thee rejoice,
And bless us from thy throne;
For we have made thy word our choice,
And trust thy grace alone.
Psalm 33 - Part One.
Works of creation and providence.
1 Ye holy souls, in God rejoice,
Your Maker's praise becomes your voice;
Great is your theme, your songs be new:
Sing of his name, his word, his ways,
His works of nature and of grace,
How wise and holy, just and true.
2 Justice and truth he ever loves,
And the whole earth his goodness proves,
His word the heavenly arches spread;
How wide they shine from north to south!
And by the Spirit of his mouth
Were all the starry armies made.
3 He gathers the wide-flowing seas,
Those watery treasures know their place,
In the vast storehouse of the deep:
He spake, and gave all nature birth;
And fires, and seas, and heaven, and earth,
His everlasting orders keep.
4 Let mortals tremble and adore
A God of such resistless power,
Nor dare indulge their feeble rage:
Vain are your thoughts, and weak your hands;
But his eternal counsel stands,
And rules the world from age to age.
Psalm 33 - Part Two.
Creatures vain, and God all-sufficient.
1 Happy nation, where the Lord
Reveals the treasure of his word,
And builds his church his earthly throne!
His eye the heathen world surveys,
He form'd their hearts, he knows their ways;
But God their Maker is unknown.
2 Let kings rely upon their host,
And of his strength the champion boast;
In vain they boast, in vain rely;
In vain we trust the brutal force,
Or speed, or courage of an horse,
To guard his rider, or to fly.
3 The eye of thy compassion, Lord,
Doth more secure defence afford
When death or dangers threatening stand;
Thy watchful eye preserves the just,
Who make thy name their fear and trust,
When wars or famine waste the land.
4 In sickness or the bloody field,
Thou our physician, thou our shield,
Send us salvation from thy throne;
We wait to see thy goodness shine;
Let us rejoice in help divine,
For all our hope is God alone.
Psalm 34 - Part One.
God's care of the saints; or, Deliverance by prayer.
1 Lord, I will bless thee all my days,
Thy praise shall dwell upon my tongue;
Mv soul shall glory in thy grace,
While saints rejoice to hear the song.
2 Come, magnify the Lord with me,
Come, let us all exalt his name;
I sought th' eternal God, and he
Has not expos'd my hope to shame.
3 I told him all my secret grief,
My secret groaning reach'd his ears;
He gave my inward pains relief,
And calm'd the tumult of my fears.
4 To him the poor lift up their eyes,
Their faces feel the heavenly shine;
A beam of mercy from the skies
Fills them with light and joy divine.
6 His holy angels pitch their tents
Around the men that serve the Lord;
O fear and love him, all his saints,
Taste of his grace, and trust his word.
6 The wild young lions, pinch'd with pain
And hunger, roar thro' all the wood;
But none shall seek the Lord in vain,
Nor want supplies of real good.
Psalm 34 - Part Two.
Verses 11-22. Religious education;
or, Instructions of piety.
1 Children in years and knowledge young,
Your parents' hope, your parents' joy,
Attend the counsels of my tongue,
Let pious thoughts your minds employ.
2 If you desire a length of days,
And peace to crown your mortal state,
Restrain your feet from impious ways,
Your lips from slander and deceit.
3 The eyes of God regard his saints,
His ears are open to their cries;
He sets his frowning face against
The sons of violence and lies.
4 To humble souls and broken hearts
God with his grace is ever nigh;
Pardon and hope his love imparts
When men in deep contrition lie.
5 He tell their tears, he counts their groans,
His Son redeems their souls from death;
His Spirit heals their broken bones,
They in his praise employ their breath.
Psalm 34 - Part One.
Verses 1-10. Prayer and Praise for eminent deliverance.
1 I'll bless the Lord from day to day;
How good are all his ways!
Ye humble souls that use to pray,
Come, help my lips to praise.
2 Sing to the honour of his name,
How a poor sufferer cry'd,
Nor was his hope expos'd to shame,
Nor was his suit deny'd.
3 When threatening sorrows round me stood,
And endless fears arose,
Like the loud billows of a flood,
Redoubling all my woes;
4 I told the Lord my sore distress
With heavy groans and tears,
He gave my sharpest torments ease,
And silenc'd all my fears.
PAUSE.
5 [O sinners, come and taste his love,
Come, learn his pleasant ways,
And let your own experience prove
The sweetness of his grace.
6 He bids his angels pitch their tents
Round where his children dwell
What ills their heavenly care prevents
No earthly tongue can tell.]
7 [O love the Lord, ye saints of his;
His eye regards the just;
How richly blest their portion is
Who make the Lord their trust!
8 Young lions pinch'd with hunger roar,
And famish in the wood;
But God supplies his holy poor
With every needful good.]
Psalm 34 - Part Two.
Verses 11-22. Exhortations to peace and Holiness.
1 Come, children, learn to fear the Lord;
And that your days be long,
Let not a false or spiteful word
Be found upon your tongue.
2 Depart from mischief, practise love,
Pursue the works of peace;
So shall the Lord your ways approve,
And set your souls at ease.
3 His eyes awake to guard the just,
His ears attend their cry;
When broken spirits dwell in dust,
The God of grace is nigh.
4 What tho' the sorrows here they taste
Are sharp and tedious too,
The Lord, who saves them all at last,
Is their supporter now.
5 Evil shall smite the wicked dead;
But God secures his own,
Prevents the mischief when they slide,
Or heals the broken bone.
6 When desolation like a flood,
O'er the proud sinner rolls,
Saints find a refuge in their God,
For he redeem'd their souls.
Psalm 35 - Part One.
Verses 1-9. Prayer and faith of persecuted saints.
1 Now plead my cause, Almighty God,
With all the sons of strife;
And fight against the men of blood,
Who fight against my life.
2 Draw out thy spear and stop their way,
Lift thine avenging rod;
But to my soul in mercy say,
"I am thy Saviour God!"
3 They plant their snares to catch my feet,
And nets of mischief spread;
Plunge the destroyers in the pit
That their own hands have made.
4 Let fogs and darkness hide their way,
And slippery be their ground;
Thy wrath shall make their lives a prey,
And all their rage confound.
5 They fly like chaff before the wind,
Before thine angry breath;
The angel of the Lord behind
Pursues them down to death.
6 They love the road that leads to hell;
Then let the rebels die,
Whose malice is implacable
Against the Lord on high.
7 But if thou hast a chosen few
Amongst that impious race,
Divide them from the bloody crew
By thy surprising grace.
8 Then will I raise my tuneful voice
To make thy wonders known;
In their salvation I'll rejoice,
And bless thee for my own.
Psalm 35 - Part Two.
Verses 12-14. Love to enemies.
1 Behold the love, the generous love
That holy David shows;
Hark, how his sounding bowels move
To his afflicted foes!
2 When they are sick his soul complains,
And seems to feel the smart;
The spirit of the gospel reigns,
And melts his pious heart.
3 How did his flowing tears condole
As for a brother dead!
And fasting mortify'd his soul,
While for their life he pray'd.
4 They groan'd; and curs'd him on their bed,
Yet still he pleads and mourns;
And double blessings on his head
The righteous God returns.
5 O glorious type of heavenly grace!
Thus Christ the Lord appears;
While sinners curse, the Saviour prays,
And pities them with tears.
6 He, the true David, Israel's king,
Blest and belov'd of God,
To save us rebels, dead in sin,
Paid his own dearest blood.
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