2 O happy souls that pray
Where God appoints to hear;
O happy men that pay
Their constant service there!
They praise thee still, and happy they
That love the way to Zion's hill.
3 They go from strength to strength
Through this dark vale of tears,
Till each arrives at length,
Till each in heav'n appears :
O glorious seat, when God our King
Shall thither bring our willing feet!
4 To spend one sacred day
Where God and saints abide,
Affords diviner joy
Than thousand days beside :
Where God resorts, I love it more
To keep the door, than shine in courts.
5 God is our sun and shield,
Our light, and our defence;
With gifts his hands are fill'd,
We draw our blessings thence :
He shall bestow, on Jacob's race,
Peculiar grace and glory too.
6 The Lord his people loves,
His hand no good withholds
From those his heart approves,
From pure and pious souls :
Thrice happy he, O God of hosts,
Whose spirit trusts alone in thee !
1 HOW pleasant, how divinely fair,
O Lord of hosts, thy dwellings are!
With long desire my spirit faints
To meet th' assemblies of thy saints.
2 Blest are the souls that find a place
Within the temple of thy grace;
There they behold thy gentle rays,
And seek thy face, and learn thy praise.
3 Blest are the men whose hearts are set
To find the way to Zion's gate;
God is their strength, and through the road
They lean upon their helper God.
4 Cheerful they walk, with growing strength,
Till all shall meet in heaven at length;
Till all before thy face appear,
And join in nobler worship there.
1 O GOD of hosts, the mighty Lord!
How lovely is the place
Where thou in glory throned dost show
The brightness of thy face!
2 Our longing souls faint with desire
To view thy blest abode;
Our heart and flesh cry out for thee,
For thee the living God.
3 Blessed are they who in thy strength
Their sure defence have made,
Who long to tread the sacred paths
That to thy dwelling lead.
4 May we go on from strength to strength
And still approach more near,
Till all on Zion's holy mount
Before our God appear.
5 God of Hosts, the mighty Lord,
How highly blest is he
Whose hope, the anchor of the soul,
Is firmly cast on thee!
That he might be just, and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus. Rom. iii. 26.
1 Salvation is for ever nigh
The souls that fear and trust the Lord,
And grace descending from on high,
Fresh hopes of glory shall afford.
2 Mercy and truth on earth are met,
Since Christ the Lord came down from heaven;
By his obedience so complete,
Justice is pleased, and peace is given.
3 Now truth and honour shall abound,
Religion dwell on earth again,
And heavenly influence bless the ground
In our Redeemer's gentle reign.
4 His righteousness is gone before,
To give us free access to God,
Our wandering steps shall stray no more,
But mark his steps, and keep the road.
PSALM LXXXVI.
1 THOU great Instructor, lest I stray,
Oh teach my erring feet thy way;
Thy truth with ever fresh delight
Shall guide my doubtful steps aright.
2 How oft my heart's affections yield,
Scatter'd o'er all the world's wide field :
My vagrant passions, Lord reclaim,
Unite them all to fear thy name.
3 Then to my God, my heart and tongue
With all their powers shall raise the song,
On earth thy glories I'll declare,
Till heaven th' immortal notes prepare.
4 Thy mercies claim the song I raise,
The tribute of eternal praise:
And there the wondrous grace I'll tell,
Which saved me from the depths of hell.
1 TO my complaint, O Lord my God,
Thy gracious ear incline;
Hear me, distress'd and destitute
Of all relief but thine.
2 Thou Lord art good, nor only good,
But prompt to pardon too; Of plenteous mercy to all those Who for thy mercy sue.
3 Thy boundless mercy shewn to me,
Transcends my power to tell;
For thou hast oft redeem'd my soul
From lowest depths of hell.
4 Thee will I praise, O Lord my God,
Praise thee with heart sincere,
And to thy everlasting name
Eternal trophies rear.
5 Thee, Lord, their great Creator, thee
The nations shall adore;
Their long misguided prayers and praise
To thy blest name restore.
6 All shall confess thee great, and great
The wonders thou hast done;
Confess thee God, the God supreme,
Confess thee God alone.
1 GLORIOUS things of thee are spoken
Zion, city of our God!
He whose word can ne'er be broken,
Formed thee for his own abode.
On the rock of ages founded,
What can shake thy sure repose ?
With salvation's wall surrounded,
Thou art safe from all thy foes.
2 Here the stream of living waters
Springing from eternal love,
Flows to cheer thy sons and daughters,
And all dread of want remove.
None can faint where such a river
Freely pours their thirst t' assuage,
Blessings which, like God the giver,
Never fail from age to age.
3 Saviour! if in Zion's city
Thou record our worthless name,
Let the world deride or pity,
We may well endure the shame.
Fading is the sinner's pleasure,
All his boasted pomp and show,
Solid joy and lasting treasure
None but Zion's children know.
1 GOD in his earthly temple lays
Foundations for his heavenly praise,
He likes the tents of Jacob well,
But still in Zion loves to dwell.
2 His mercy visits every house
Which pays its night and morning vows,
But makes a more delightful stay
Where Churches meet to praise and pray.
3 What glories were described of old!
What wonders are of Zion told !
Thou city of our God below,
Thy fame shall Tyre and Egypt know.
4 Egypt and Tyre, and Greek and Jew,
Shall there begin their lives anew;
Angels and men shall join to sing
The hill where living waters spring.
5 When God makes up his last account
Of natives in his Holy Mount,
'Twill be an honour to appear
As one new born or nourished there.
PSALM LXXXVIII.
Applied to Christ.
1 LO! in Gethsemane's dark shade,
Our sins upon the Saviour laid
He pours his tears and cries,
Through life oppress'd with ceaseless woes;
But now in blood those sorrows close,
While thus his prayers arise :
2 "Say, shall the dead thy wonders see,
Shall death its captive prisoners free,
Thy praises to display?
Say, shall thy kindnesses be shown,
Unchanged thy faithfulness be known,
Where all things else decay?
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