Three Grains of Spiritual Frankincense, Hymn 1 – Hymn 3
Hymne 1.
This firſt Hymne (prepared for the publike Thankſgiving, injoyned on the thirtieth of Jan. 1650.) may, moſt properly, be ſung at the beginning of Divine Exerciſes, publike or private, the ſame day.
Sing this as the 100 Pſalm.
1.
WIth aweful Joy, and joyful Fear,
To ſanctifie, O Lord, this day,
Before thy Foot-ſtool we appear;
And, our Thank-offrings here to pay:
Which though it be no other thing,
Then thy Free-mercies to confeſſe;
Or, Songs, unto thy praiſe to ſing;
Vouchſafe acceptance, nay-the-leſſe.
2.
Within our ſelves, we are ſo poor,
That, we have nothing of our own,
But, what we had from thee, before;
Which, by our ſins impair'd is grown:
For, our wit, beauty, ſtrength, and health,
(The goods of body, and of mind)
Our time, our honours, and our wealth,
To ſerve our luſts, have been reſign'd.
3.
And, therefore, till thou ſhalt renew
Thine Image, by our fault defac'd,
We, and our Offrings, from thy view,
Deſervedly, may forth be caſt.
There is no muſick in our Songs,
That's worthy to be heard of thee;
Becauſe, our hearts, eyes, ears, and tongues,
Prophaned, and untuned be,
4.
Yet, by thoſe favours, heartned on;
Which were on us beſtown,of late,
A Hymn, we joyntly have begun,
To ſing this Day, at Mercies gate.
Lord! thoſe eternall doores uncloſe,
Through which thy ſpeciall graces flow;
The cords of our Corruption loſe,
And, let thy Spirit on us blow.
5.
Then, ev'ry word, we hear, or ſay,
With ey'ry thing, that's done, or thought
(In celebrating of this Day)
Shall do thee honour, as it ought:
And, they that ſtudy publike harms,
Or, flout, what we are doing here,
Shall be ſo bound up, by theſe Charms,
That when they flout us, they ſhall fear.
Hymne 2.
This other Hymne (compoſed for the ſame Day) may be ſung before the Sermon (or, between the Sermons, where two are preached) or, before the ſecond Chapter; or, after any pauſe (or change of Exerciſes) in Devotion.
Sing this as the 113. Pſalm.
1.
OH God! how good! how kind art thou!
What help, what grace, doſt thou beſtow
On us, in our diſtreſt eſtate!
Our tears to triumphs, thou haſt turn'd,
We now do ſing, who lately mourn'd,
And, by our Foes, were jeered at.
When we were weak, poor and forlorn,
Expos'd to dangers, fears and ſcorn,
Our Comforter, thou didſt become:
And, when we dreaded ſhame of face;
Spoils, death, or wounds, joyn'd with diſgrace;
Thoſe fears, we were deliver'd from.
2.
As thou, from baſe and ſervile bands,
And out of cruel Pharoahs hands,
Thine Heritage redeemd'ſt of old:
Ev'n ſo, from thoſe, who ſought our harm,
Thou broughtſt us off, with out-ſtretch'd arm,
With ſigns and wonders manifold.
They ſo, were blinded, Lord, by thee,
Who, might have ſeen, but vvould not ſee;
Nor hear when they were counſell'd well:
And He that fraud, and force imploy'd,
To make our Lavvs, and Freedomes void;
In our own view, like Pharoah, fell.
3.
This is the Day, whereon our Yoke
Of Norman Bondage, firſt was broke;
And, England from her chains made free.
This is the Day, vvhereon the Lord,
Did manumit us by the ſword,
And, 'tis novv ſignall, by decree.
Slaves, they deſerve to be, therefore,
And to be bar'd for evermore,
The Freedoms of this Commonweal,
Who ſhall not thankfull, now appear,
And vindicate with ſword and ſpear,
Gods juſt Replies, to our Appeal.
4.
By thee, our Freedoms, Lord, vve got;
Oh! to our keeping, leave them not:
But, ſtill their Guardianſhip retain.
And, let not thoſe, vvho under thee,
Sub-keepers, of thoſe Freedoms be,
Nor, our ſins, forfeit them, again:
On thoſe alone, that are unjuſt
Or ſhall be traytrous to their truſt,
To this Republike, or to Thee,
Let thy avenging juſtice fall;
And, on all thoſe who hinder ſhall,
That Peace, with Truth, may ſetled be:
5.
Write in our hearts, thy ſacred Law;
And, let no future failings, draw
Our former curſed bondage back:
But, our depraved wills renew,
And, to thy ſervice, keep us true;
Which, wil our Freedoms perfect make.
The Kingdom, Power, and Praiſe be thine,
As long as Moon, and Sun ſhall ſhine:
Be, likewiſe, thou our Heritage:
And, in this Nation, let there be
No other King, or GOD, but thee,
What e're they are, who thereat rage.
Hymne 3.
This third Hymne, may moſt properly be ſung the ſame day, after the concluſion of the laſt Sermon; or, at the conſummation of any other Devotion.
Sing this as the 148. Pſalm, doubling the laſt ſtrain of the Tune.
1.
ALl you, that preſent are,
Come, let our hearts, and tongues,
The Praiſe of God declare,
In new-Thanksgiving ſongs;
Come, let us ſing
Strains, that may make, the walls to ſhake,
The Roofs to ring:
Still ſounding higher,
Till thereby, we, with Angells, be
Joyn'd in one Quire.
2.
Related, we have heard,
What he, for us, hath done;
With how much diſregard,
Our Foes, he looks upon:
And, we have ſeen,
How, he befriends, when righteous ends
Purſu'd have been
VVe, likewiſe vievv
VVhat will befall, to thoſe that ſhall
Their luſt purſue.
3.
We ſee, or may behold,
That, he our Armies leads;
And (as in times of old)
His Banner o're them ſpreads,
And for our ſakes,
Through threats and ſpights, through depths and heights,
Their paſſage makes,
VVhilſt, to his praiſe
Their Foes to nought, are juſtly brought,
In plainer waies.
4.
He, made both Seas and Wind,
To them aſſiſtance lend;
And, what they had deſign'd,
Sun, Moon, and Clouds befriend.
Force, he repells;
He makes them bold, to march where cold,
And hunger dwells:
And, when their fear
Did moſt abound, they mercy found,
And Victors were.
5.
To him doth Praiſe belong;
For, he did them ſubdue,
Who num'rous were, and ſtrong,
When we were weak, and few;
And, when our Foes
Came bragging on, and thought all won,
They all did loſe.
Still, be it thus;
Lord! alway, ſo, them overthrow VVho malice us.
6.
His wiſe-foreſight prevents,
The Politicians wiles:
He, croſſes their intents,
He, at their Projects ſmiles:
In his due time,
…
Contrived by them:
And, in that ſnare,
VVhichWhich, for our feet, they cloſely ſet,
Still caught they are.
7.
Vain ſons of men, therefore,
Your bruitiſh grumbling ceaſe;
Purſue falſe hopes no more,
But follow after peace.
More prudent grow;
Reform your waies, and ſing his Praiſe
As now we do:
Oh! whilſt you may
In God rejoyce, and hear his Voice
VVhile 'tis to day.
8.
Let all men do the ſame,
Of whatſoe're degrees;
And magnifie his Name,
As all obliged be.
His Righteouſneſſe,
His Power and Grace, in ev'ry place
Let all confeſſe:
And lay aſide
Their own deſerts, their ſelfiſh hearts,
Their ſtinking pride.
9.
Your ſtrength to him ſubmit,
You, that have conqueſts won:
Wiſe men aſcribe your wit,
To him, ev'n him alone.
For, he ſupplies
The Fool with skill, and, when he will
Befools the wiſe.
And, certainly,
Unto to your Foes, he, gives the blows
By which they die.
10.
Rich-men, your precious things
Bring forth, your Thanks to ſhow;
Before him, (Oh'ye Kings)
Your Heads, and Scepters bow;
And, as 'tis meet,
Come from your Thrones, and caſt your Crown:
Beneath his feet:
For, Kingdomes all
To him pertain, and he again
Reſume them ſhall.
11.
Oh! let all things that were,
That are, or ſhall enſue;
(Or, but in thought appear)
Thy Praiſe, O God, forth-ſhew;
Till Times laſt bound:
And, let it run, when time is done,
An endleſſe Round;
Where, needs not be
Privations Night, that we true Light
May better ſee.
12.
Mean time, let not his praiſe
Be meerly, in our Voice,
As if vve thought to raiſe
A Trophy, out of Noiſe:
But, let us more
Our Thanks expreſſe, in Righteouſneſſe,
Then heretofore:
Els (this is plain)
Falſe ſhows we make, and, do but take
GODS Name in vain.
FINIS.
End of the text · George Wither, Three Grains of Spiritual Frankincense (1651)