Psalms Of Watts 46-50
The
Psalms Of David
By Isaac Watts
In Metre
Psalm 46 - Part One.
The church's safety and triumph
among national desolations.
1 God is the refuge of his saints,
When storms of sharp distress invade;
Ere we can offer our complaints
Behold him present with his aid.
2 Let mountains from their seats be hurl'd
Down to the deep, and buried there;
Convulsions shake the solid world,
Our faith shall never yield to fear.
3 Loud may the troubled ocean roar,
In sacred peace our souls abide,
While every nation, every shore,
Trembles, and dreads the swelling tide.
4 There is a stream whose gentle flow
Supplies the city of our God;
Life, love, and joy still gliding thro',
And watering our divine abode.
5 That sacred stream, thine holy word,
That all our raging fear controls:
Sweet peace thy promises afford,
And give new strength to fainting souls.
6 Sion enjoys her monarch's love,
Secure against a threatening hour;
Nor can her firm foundations move,
Built on his truth, and arm'd with pow'r.
Psalm 46 - Part Two.
God fights for his church.
1 Let Sion in her King rejoice,
Tho' tyrants rage and kingdoms rise;
He utters his almighty voice,
The nations melt, the tumult dies.
2 The Lord of old for Jacob fought,
And Jacob's God is still our aid;
Behold the works his hand has wrought,
What desolations he has made!
3 From sea to sea, thro' all the shores,
He makes the noise of battle cease;
When from on high his thunder roars,
He awes the trembling world to peace.
4 He breaks the bow, he cuts the spear,
Chariots he burns with heavenly flame;
Keep silence all the earth, and hear
The sound and glory of his name.
5 "Be still, and learn that I am God,
"I'll be exalted o'er the lands,
"I will be known and fear'd abroad,
"But still my throne in Sion stands."
6 O Lord of hosts, Almighty King,
While we so near thy presence dwell,
Our faith shall sit secure, and sing
Defiance to the gates of hell.
Psalm 47.
Christ ascending and reigning.
1 O for a shout of sacred joy
To God the sovereign King!
Let every land their tongues employ,
And hymns of triumph sing.
2 Jesus our God ascends on high,
His heavenly guards around
Attend him rising thro' the sky,
With trumpet's joyful sound.
3 While angels shout and praise their King,
Let mortals learn their strains;
Let all the earth his honour sing;
O'er all the earth he reigns.
4 Rehearse his praise with awe profound,
Let knowledge lead the song,
Nor mock him with a solemn sound
Upon a thoughtless tongue.
5 In Israel stood his ancient throne,
He lov'd that chosen race;
But now he calls the world his own,
And heathens taste his grace.
6 The British islands are the Lord's,
There Abraham's God is known,
While powers and princes, shields and swords,
Submit before his throne.
Psalm 48 - Part One.
Verses 1-8.
The church is the honour and safety of a nation.
1 [Great is the Lord our God,
And let his praise be great;
He makes his churches his abode,
His most delightful seat.
2 These temples of his grace,
How beautiful they stand!
The honours of our native place,
And bulwarks of our land.]
3 In Sion God is known
A refuge in distress;
How bright has his salvation shone
Thro' all her palaces!
4 When kings against her join'd,
And saw the Lord was there,
In wild confusion of the mind
They fled with hasty fear.
5 When navies tall and proud
Attempt to spoil our peace,
He sends his tempests roaring loud,
And sinks them in the seas.
6 Oft have our fathers told,
Our eyes have often seen,
How well our God secures the fold
Where his own sheep have been.
7 In every new distress
We'll to his house repair.
We'll think upon his wondrous grace,
And seek deliverance there.
Psalm 48 - Part Two.
Verses 10-14. The beauty of the church;
or, Gospel worship and order.
1 Far as thy name is known
The world declares thy praise;
Thy saints, O Lord, before thy throne
Their songs of honour raise.
2 With joy let Judah stand
On Sion's chosen hill,
Proclaim the wonders of thy hand,
And counsels of thy will.
3 Let strangers walk around
The city where we dwell,
Compass and view thine holy ground,
And mark the building well.
4 The orders of thy house,
The worship of thy court,
The cheerful songs, the solemn vows;
And make a fair report.
5 How decent and how wise!
How glorious to behold!
Beyond the pomp that charms the eyes,
And rites adorn'd with gold.
6 The God we worship now
Will guide us till we die,
Will be our God while here below,
And ours above the sky.
Psalm 49 - Part One.
Verses 6-14. Pride and death;
or, The vanity of life and riches.
1 Why doth the man of riches grow
To insolence and pride,
To see his wealth and honours flow
With every rising tide?
2 [Why doth he treat the poor with scorn,
Made of the self-same clay,
And boast as tho' his flesh was born
Of better dust than they?]
3 Not all his treasures can procure
His soul a short reprieve,
Redeem from death one guilty hour,
Or make his brother live.
4 [Life is a blessing can't be sold,
The ransom is too high;
Justice will ne'er be brib'd with gold
That man may never die.]
5 He sees the brutish and the wise,
The timorous and the brave,
Quit their possessions, close their eyes,
And hasten to the grave.
6 Yet 'tis his inward thought and pride, -
"My house shall ever stand;
"And that my name may long abide,
"I'll give it to my land."
7 Vain are his thoughts, his hopes are lost,
How soon his memory dies!
His name is written in the dust
Where his own carcass lies.
PAUSE.
8 This is the folly of their way;
And yet their sons, as vain,
Approve the words their fathers say,
And act their works again.
9 Men void of wisdom and of grace,
If honour raise them high.
Live like the beast, a thoughtless race,
And like the beast they die.
10 Laid in the grave like silly sheep,
Death feeds upon them there,
Till the last trumpet break their sleep
In terror and despair.
Psalm 49 - Part Two.
Verses 14-15. Death and the resurrection.
1 Ye sons of pride, that hate the just,
And trample on the poor,
When death has brought you down to dust,
Your pomp shall rise no more,
2 The last great day shall change the scene;
When will that hour appear?
When shall the just revive, and reign
O'er all that scorn'd them here?
3 God will my naked soul receive,
When sep'rate from the flesh;
And break the prison of the grave
To raise my bones afresh.
4 Heaven is my everlasting home,
Th' inheritance is sure;
Let men of pride their rage resume,
But I'll repine no more.
Psalm 49.
The rich sinner's death, and the saint's resurrection.
1 Why do the proud insult the poor,
And boast the large estates they have?
How vain are riches to secure
Their haughty owners from the grave!
2 They can't redeem one hour from death,
With all the wealth in which they trust;
Nor give a dying brother breath,
When God commands him down to dust.
3 There the dark earth and dismal shade
Shall clasp their naked bodies round;
That flesh, so delicately fed,
Lies cold, and moulders in the ground.
4 Like thoughtless sheep the sinner dies,
Laid in the grave for worms to eat;
The saints shall in the morning rise,
And find th' oppressor at their feet.
5 His honours perish in the dust,
And pomp and beauty, birth and blood:
That glorious day exalts the just
To full dominion o'er the proud.
6 My Saviour shall my life restore,
And raise me from my dark abode;
My flesh and soul shall part no more,
But dwell for ever near my God.
Psalm 50 - Part One.
Verses 1-6. The last judgment.
1 The Lord, the Judge, before his throne,
Bids the whole earth draw nigh,
The nations near the rising sun,
And near the western sky.
2 No more shall bold blasphemers say,
"Judgment will ne'er begin,"
No more abuse his long delay
To impudence and sin.
3 Thron'd on a cloud our God shall come,
Bright flames prepare his way,
Thunder and darkness, fire and storm,
Lead on the dreadful day.
4 Heaven from above his call shall hear,
Attending angels come,
And earth and hell shall know and fear
His justice and their doom.
5 " But gather all my saints," he cries,
"That made their peace with God,
" By the Redeemer's sacrifice,
"And seal'd it with his blood.
6 "Their faith and works brought forth to light
"Shall make the world confess
"My sentence of reward is right,
"And heaven adore my grace."
Psalm 50 - Part Two.
Verses 10-11, 14-15, 23.
Obedience is better than sacrifice.
1 Thus saith the Lord, "the spacious fields
And flocks and herds are mine
"O'er all the cattle of the hills
"I claim a right divine.
2 "I ask no sheep for sacrifice,
"Nor bullocks burnt with fire;
"To hope and love, to pray and praise,
"Is all that I require.
3 "Call upon me when trouble's near,
"My hand shall set thee free;
"Then shall thy thankful lips declare
"The honour due to me.
4 "The man that offers humble praise,
"He glorifies me best;
"And those that tread my holy ways
"Shall my salvation taste."
Psalm 50 - Part Three.
Verses 1, 5, 8, 16, 21-22.
The judgement of hypocrites.
1 When Christ to judgment shall descend
And saints surround their Lord,
He calls the nations to attend,
And hear his awful word.
2 "Not for the want of bullocks slain
"Will I the world reprove;
"Altars and rites and forms are vain,
"Without the fire of love.
3 "And what have hypocrites to do
"To bring their sacrifice?
"They call my statutes just and true,
"But deal in theft and lies.
4 "Could you expect to 'scape my sight,
"And sin without control?
"But I shall bring your crimes to light,
"With anguish in your soul."
5 Consider, ye that slight the Lord,
Before his wrath appear;
If once you fall beneath his sword,
There's no deliverer there.
Psalm 50.
Hypocrisy exposed.
1 The Lord, the Judge, his churches warns,
Let hypocrites attend and fear,
Who place their hope in rites and forms,
But make not faith nor love their care.
2 Vile wretches dare rehearse his name
With lips of falsehood and deceit;
A friend or brother they defame,
And soothe and flatter those they hate.
3 They watch to do their neighbours wrong;
Yet dare to seek their Maker's face;
They take his covenant on their tongue,
But break his laws, abuse his grace.
4 To heaven they lift their hands unclean,
Defil'd with lust, defil'd with blood;
By night they practise every sin,
By day their mouths draw near to God.
5 And while his judgments long delay,
They grow secure and sin the more;
They think he sleeps as well as they,
And put far off the dreadful hour.
6 O dreadful hour! when God draws near,
And sets their crimes before their eyes!
His wrath their guilty souls shall tear,
And no deliverer dare to rise.
Psalm 50.
The last judgment.
1 The Lord the Sovereign sends his summon forth,
Calls the south nations, and awakes the north;
From east to west the sounding orders spread
Thro' distant worlds and regions of the dead:
No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
Hs vengeance sleeps no more: behold the day!
2 Behold the Judge descends; his guards are nigh;
Tempest and fire attend him down the sky:
Heaven, earth and hell draw near; let all things come
To hear his justice and the sinners doom:
But gather first my saints (the Judge commands)
Bring them, ye angels, from their distant lands.
3 Behold! my covenant stands for ever good,
Seal'd by the eternal sacrifice in blood,
And sign'd with all their names; the Greek, the Jew,
That paid the ancient worship or the new.
There's no distinction here: come spread their thrones,
And near me seat my favorites and my sons.
4 I their Almighty Saviour and their God,
I am their Judge: ye heavens, proclaim abroad
My just eternal sentence, and declare
Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear:
Sinners in Zion, tremble and retire;
I doom the painted hypocrite to fire.
5 Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
Without the flames of love: in vain the store
Of brutal offerings that were mine before;
Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
Flocks, herds, and fields, and forests where they feed.
6 If I were hungry would I ask thee food?
When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks blood?
Can I be flatter'd with thy cringing bows,
Thy solemn chatterings and fantastic vows?
Are my eyes charm'd thy vestments to behold,
Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?
7 Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
A God, a Spirit, with such toys as these?
While with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,
Thou lov'st deceit, and dost thy brother wrong;
In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends,
Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends.
8 Silent I waited with long-suffering love,
But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
And cherish such an impious thought within,
That God the righteous would indulge thy sin?
Behold my terrors now: my thunders roll,
And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul.
9 Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake, before this dreadful morning rise;
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend;
Lest like a lion his last vengeance tear
Your trembling souls, and no deliverer near.
Psalm 50.
To the old proper Tune.
The last judgment.
1 The God of glory sends his summons forth,
Calls the south nations, and awakes the north;
From east to west the sov'reign orders spread,
Thro' distant worlds, and regions of the dead:
The trumpet sounds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
2 No more shall atheists mock his long delay;
His vengeance sleeps no more; behold the day;
Behold the Judge descends; his guards are nigh;
Tempests and fire attend him down the sky.
When God appears, all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him,
3 "Heaven, earth, and hell, draw near; let all things come
"To hear my justice and the sinner's doom;
But gather first my saints," the Judge commands,
"Bring them, ye angels from their distant lands:"
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
4 "Behold my covenant stands for ever good,
"Seal'd by th' eternal sacrifice in blood,
"And sign'd with all their names, the Greek, the Jew,
"That paid the ancient worship or the new."
There's no distinction here: join all your voices,
And raise your heads, ye saints, for heaven rejoices.
5 "Here (saith the Lord) ye angels, spread their thrones:
"And near me seat my favorites and my sons:
"Come, my redeem'd, possess the joys prepar'd
"Ere time began! 'tis your divine reward:"
When Christ returns, wake every cheerful passion,
And shout, ye saints; he comes for your salvation.
PAUSE THE FIRST.
6 "I am the Saviour, I th' Almighty God,
"I am the Judge: ye heavens, proclaim abroad
"My just eternal sentence, and declare
"Those awful truths that sinners dread to hear,"
When God appears all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
7 "Stand forth, thou bold blasphemer and profane,
"Now feel my wrath, nor call my threatenings vain,
"Thou hypocrite, once drest in saint's attire,
"I doom the painted hypocrite to fire,"
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
8 "Not for the want of goats or bullocks slain
"Do I condemn thee; bulls and goats are vain
"Without the flames of love; in vain the store
"Of brutal offerings that were mine before:"
Earth is the Lord's; all nature shall adore him;
While sinners tremble, saints rejoice before him.
9 "If I were hungry, would I ask thee food?
"When did I thirst, or drink thy bullocks blood?
"Mine are the tamer beasts and savage breed,
"Flocks, herds, and fields, and forests where they feed:"
All is the lord's; he rules the wide creation:
Gives sinners vengeance, and the saints salvation.
10 "Can I be flatter'd with thy cringing bows,
"Thy solemn chatterings and fantastic vows?
"Are my eyes charm'd thy vestments to behold,
"Glaring in gems, and gay in woven gold?"
God is the judge of hearts; no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
PAUSE THE SECOND.
11 "Unthinking wretch! how couldst thou hope to please
"A God, a Spirit with such toys as these!
"While with my grace and statutes on thy tongue,
"Thou lov'st deceit, and dost thy brother wrong!"
Judgment proceeds; hell trembles heaven rejoices:
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices.
12 "In vain to pious forms thy zeal pretends,
"Thieves and adulterers are thy chosen friends;
"While the false flatterer at my altar waits,
"His harden'd soul divine instruction hates."
God is the Judge of hearts; no fair disguises
Can screen the guilty when his vengeance rises.
13 "Silent I waited with long suffering love;
"But didst thou hope that I should ne'er reprove?
"And cherish such an impious thought within,
"That the All-Holy would indulge thy sin?"
See, God appears; all nature joins t' adore him;
Judgment proceeds, and sinners fall before him.
14 "Behold my terrors now; my thunders roll,
"And thy own crimes affright thy guilty soul;
"Now like a lion shall my vengeance tear
"Thy bleeding heart, and no deliverer near:"
Judgment concludes; hell trembles; heaven rejoices;
Lift up your heads, ye saints, with cheerful voices..
EPIPHONEMA.
15 Sinners, awake betimes; ye fools, be wise;
Awake before this dreadful morning rise:
Change your vain thoughts, your crooked works amend,
Fly to the Saviour, make the Judge your friend:
Then join the saints: wake every cheerful passion;
When Christ returns, he comes for your salvation.
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