Family-Hymns out of Davids Psalms, Part 5 – Part 6
Hymns for some particular occasions proper to be sung after Meals.
Hymn XLIX. Psal. 104.24, 27, 28.
HOW many are thy Works, O Lord,
In Wisdom all compos'd?
The Earth by thee is richly stor'd
With Treasures there inclos'd.
On thee do all the Creatures wait,
And as Expectants stand,
To have their seasonable food
From thy dispensing hand.
That which thou giv'st as thou seest best,
They gather for their food;
Thy liberal hand thou openest,
And they are fill'd with good.
14, 15.
For Cattle thou mak'st Grass to spring,
And Herbs for Man's own use;
Convenient food for ev'ry thing
Thou mak'st the Earth produce.
To glad Man's heart, the fruitful Soil
Brings forth the Grape for Wine,
Heart-strength'ning Bread, and precious Oyl,
Which makes his face to shine.
—22.26. —103.22.
The Meek shall eat and be suffic'd,
And those that do endeavour
To know the Lord, shall praise his Name,
Your hearts shall live for ever.
O bless the Lord ye Works of his
Wherewith the World is stor'd,
Where-ever his Dominion is,
My Soul, bless thou the Lord.
Hymn L. [For the same occasion.] Psal. 145.1, 2, 9.
THY Sacred Name I will advance,
My King and God of Love;
I'll bless thee now, 'twill be my work
Eternally above.
The Lord is very good to all,
As we do daily find,
For all his works in ev'ry place
Taste of his Mercies kind.
10, 15, 16.
Therefore from all thy works thou dost
Tributes of praise receive;
But Saints much more with thankful hearts
Their Adorations give.
All Creatures do expect from thee
Supplies of daily food;
Thine open-handed bounty fills
All their desires with good.
—111.5. —37.19.
Chiefly to them that fear his Name
He giveth meat good store,
Because he will be mindful of
His Cov'nant evermore.
They shall not blush in evil times,
Nor hang their drooping head;
When Famine reigns they shall not want,
But be suffic'd with Bread.
—145.21.1.
My thankful Mouth shall be employ'd
God's praises to proclaim;
Let all the World adore his Pow'r,
And ever bless his Name.
Hymn LI. [Proper to be sung at Family-Catechizing.
Psal. 34.11, 12, 13, 14.2 Cor. 13.11.
COme Children, with a willing heart
Unto my words give ear,
I will instruct you what it is
Th'Eternal God to fear.
Who is the Man that would live long
And lead a blessed Life,
See thou restrain thy hasty Tongue
From all deceit and strife.
Depart from evil and do good,
Seek peace, and peace pursue;
Be of one mind, and dwell in Love,
And God shall dwell with you.
Psal. 2.11. —119.9.
See that ye do your selves employ
In God's true Service here;
Mix trembling always with your joy,
And worship him in fear.
For how shall Young men cleanse their way,
To walk before the Lord?
Surely by taking heed thereto
According to his Word.
The second Part. Psal. 90.16. —102.28.
Thy great and blessed work, O God,
Unto thy Servants show,
And let their tender Children too
Thy Grace and Glory know.
So shall thy joyful Servants Race
In happy state remain,
And the blest Issue of their Loins
Thy Favour shall sustain.
—22.30, 31.
And thus a Seed shall serve the Lord
Accounted and foreknown,
A Generation of the Lord's
Which he himself doth own.
They shall arise with Joy to tell
His Righteousness to those
Who shall be born when we are gone
That God did thus dispose.
89.29.
And so shall David's spiritual Seed
Be made to last always:
And his Establish'd Throne abide
As Heav'ns Eternal days.
Hymn LII. [Proper to be sung when a Child is born into the Family.]
Psal. 128.1, 2, 3.
BLest is the Man who fears the Lord,
And therefore him obeys,
That keeps his feet within the Paths
Of his prescribed ways.
Thou shalt with pleasure eat the sweet
Of what thy pains have got;
Prosperity shall gild thy days,
And crown thy happy Lot.
Thy Wife shall like the spreading Vines
With choicest fruit abound;
Thy Children like green Olive Plants
Adorn thy Table round.
—127.3, 4, 5.
For Children are an Heritage
Which from the Lord doth come;
And his Reward by Marriage
Is ev'ry fruitful Womb.
As Arrows fitted to the Bow
Are in a strong Man's hand;
So Children of the growing youth
Their Parents Glory stand.
That Man enjoys a happy state
Whose Quiver's thus supply'd;
He needs not fear when'ere his Cause
Shall in the Gate be try'd.
—107.41. —113.9.
Thus God the Poor doth set on high,
And from all harm doth keep,
And multiplies his Family
Like to a Flock of Sheep.
The solitary Wife he makes
A House-keeper well-stor'd,
With Joy to breed her faithful Seed;
Wherefore praise ye the Lord.
Hymn LIII. [Proper to be sung when Death is in the Family, or in the Family of any Neighbour or Relation.]
Psal. 102.11. —103.16.
THE days wherein my Life doth pass
Are like the Ev'ning shade;
And I am like the with'ring Grass
Which suddenly doth fade:
For it is gone and quickly too,
When some bleak Wind goes o're,
And then the place whereon it grew
Shall never know it more.
—39.4, 5, 6.
Lord, make me understand my End
And Days uncertain Date,
That I may clearly apprehend
The frailty of my State.
Behold thou hast my days reduc'd
Unto a narrow span;
Mine Age to thine as nothing is,
Vain at the best is Man.
The Worldling walks in a vain show,
Vexeth and toils in vain;
He heaps up Wealth, but doth not know
To whom it will remain.
The second Part.
7, 8.
And now, O Lord, what wait I for,
What are these Hopes at best?
My Hopes in thee, Lord, only are,
On thee my Soul doth rest.
Break thou these Cords of Sin and Guilt,
Wherewith my Soul is ty'd;
Let me not be the scorn of Fools,
That Piety deride.
9, 11.
When thou my comforts didst remove
I spake not but was dumb,
Because I knew my suff'rings, Lord,
From thy good hand did come.
When thou for sin dost Man correct,
His Beauties fade and dye
Like Garments fretted by the Moth;
Sure all are vanity.
12, 13.
My mournful state, O Lord, regard,
And to my Cry give Ear;
I am a stranger here on Earth
As all my Fathers were.
O spare me, Lord, and give me space,
My strength and peace restore,
Before I go away from hence,
And shall be seen no more.
Hymn LIV. [For the like occasion.]
Psal. 90.1, 2, 3, 4.
LORD thou hast been in Changes past
Our Refuge and Abode,
From Age to Age, beyond all Time,
Thou art Eternal God.
When thou recallest Man to dust,
He can no longer stay,
A thousand years are in thy sight
Past off as yesterday.
5, 9.
Swept with a hasty torrent hence
Like a vain dream we pass,
Spring up, and grow, and wither soon
As doth the short-liv'd Grass.
For in thy wrath our sinful days
To a swift Period tend.
Our years, by us unheeded, like
An idle Story end.
10, 12, 14.
Our Age to seventy years is set,
Or if we do arrive
To fourscore years, it's all but grief,
We rather dye than live.
Lord, teach us this Religious Art
Of numbring out our days,
That so we may apply our heart
To sacred Wisdom's ways.
O fill us early with thy Grace,
That so we may rejoyce,
And all our days, to the last breath,
Triumph in heart and voice.
Hymn LV. [Petition for the Church of God, and for the Nation.]
Psal. 74.12. —44.4. —7.9.
LORD, thou art Isr'el's King of old,
That hast Salvation brought;
Command thou that Deliv'rance now,
For. Jacob may be wrought.
Let Sinners sin come to an end,
But stablish stedfastly
The righteous men, O righteous God,
That Heart and Reins dost try.
—85.9. —80.3.
Let thy Salvation be at hand
To those that do thee fear,
That Glory may adorn our Land,
And be a Dweller there.
Turn us, O God, to thee again,
For we too long have swerv'd;
Cause thou thy face on us to shine,
And we shall be preserv'd.
—126.4, 5, 6.
Thy Captiv'd Churches, Lord, restore
As Streams in Southern parts;
For they that sow in tears are sure
To reap with joyful hearts.
He that his precious Seed bears out,
And tears behind him leaves,
Shall come again with joy, no doubt,
And with him bring his sheaves.
—14.6.
O that the sweet Salvation then
Which Isr'el waits for still,
Were fully come to all good men,
From out of Sion Hill.
When God his People's Bondage turns
That Freedom once is had,
Then Jacob shall rejoyce that mourns,
And Isr'el shall be glad.
Hymn LVI. Psal. 133. [To be often sung in Families.]
O Happy Families on Earth
Resembling that above,
Where Brethren peacefully unite
In sweet Accord and Love.
'Tis like the precious Ointment pour'd
On Aaron's sacred Head,
Which down his Face and Garments rich
Its fragrant Odors spread.
'Tis as the Dew which melting Clouds
On Hermon's top distill,
Or fruitful Showres which Heav'ns let fall
On Sion's Holy Hill.
For there the God of Love commands
And pours out blessings store,
The Comforts of this present Life,
And Life for evermore.
Four Hymns of Praise to be sung in the Tune of the 100th Psalm.
Hymn LVII. Psal. 9.1, 7, 8.
WIth my whole heart I'll bless thee, Lord,
And all thy mighty works proclaim,
My Joy in thee shall fill my Soul,
Whilst I sing praises to thy Name.
Th'Almighty Ever-living God
Hath fixt his Throne in Heav'nly Light,
When He appears to Judge the World,
His Sentence will be just and right.
10, 11, 14.
All those that know thy faithful Name
Their Hope and Trust in thee will place;
For never didst thou, Lord, forsake
Any that duly sought thy Face.
Sing Praises to the Holy One,
Who said he would in Sion dwell;
Therefore in Sian's Daughter's Gates
With Joy his great Salvation tell.
—130.7, 8.
Let us depend on God alone,
Because with him rich Mercy is,
And full Redemption from all sin
He gives with plent'ous Grace to his.
Hymn LVIII. Psal. 45.2, 3, 4.
O Glorious King, thy Form Divine
All Earthly Beauties doth out-shine;
Into thy Lips all Grace is pour'd,
On thee Eternal Blessings show'rd.
Gird on thy Sword, and in thy Might
For wronged Truth and Justice fight,
That all the World may understand
The Terror of thy Conqu'ring Hand.
6, 7.
Thy Throne, O God, doth still endure
Thy Sceptre is most just and pure.
That which is right thou lovest best,
But wickedness thou dost detest.
And therefore God thy God hath shed
Such Oyl of Gladness on thy Head,
As hath preferr'd thee far before
The Highest Angels evermore.
9, 11, 13, 17.
The Queen and her Attendants stand
To worship thee, at thy right Hand.
Her Clothing of wrought Gold is seen,
But all her Glory is within.
In all succeeding Times thy Name
Shall be preserv'd with lasting Fame:
Whilst thy glad Followers shall crown
With endless Praise thy High Renown.
Hymn LIX. Psal. 46. 1, 2.
GOD is our Refuge and Defence,
Our Hope is in his Providence,
Which still affords a present Aid,
When greatest Troubles do invade.
Therefore we shall not need to fear,
No, though the Earth removed were.
Or though the Hills and Mountains steep
Lay bury'd in the angry Deep.
3, 4, 5.
Although the raging Waters make
The Mountains with their swelling shake,
Yet calmer Rivers do embrace
God's City, his fair Dwelling-place.
Whose Tabernacles by his Love
Are kept that they can never move;
For he, in times of great distress
His early succour will address.
6, 7, 9, 10, 11.
The threatning Tempest he allays,
And is his People's strength and praise.
He maketh Strife and Wars to cease,
And crowns the trembling Earth with Peace.
This is our God, whose awful sway
Both Heav'n and Earth must still obey.
The Lord of Hosts is with his own,
And Jacob's God their Refuge known.
Hymn LX. Psal. 93.1, 2.
THE Lord doth Reign, and like a King,
Puts on his Robes of Glorious Light:
Tremble thou Earth, when he appears
Clothed and girt with boundless Might.
2.
Under his Rule th'unquiet World
Will gain Establishment and Peace;
Of old his Empire did begin,
And, like himself, shall never cease.
3.
In vain the World's Rebellious Pow'rs
In tumults and commotions rise,
Like the enraged Floods that swell
And bid defiance to the Skies.
4.
The Lord on high is mightier far
Than all this loud and threatning Noise;
And the proud Sea's unruly VVaves
Are still'd by his commanding Voice.
5.
Lord, as thy Pow'r can never fail,
So all thy Promises are sure.
'Tis thy Perfection to be true,
And theirs that serve thee to be pure.
FINIS.