4 [A thousand of our years amount
Scarce to a day in thine account;
Like yesterday's departed light
Or the laft watch of ending night,]

PAUSE.

5 Death, like an overflowing stream,
Sweeps us away; our life's a dream;
An empty tale; a morning flow'r
Cut down and wither'd in an hour.]
6 [Our age to feventy years is fet;
How fhort the term how frail the state
And if to eighty we arrive,

We rather figh and groan than live.

7 But O how oft thy wrath appears,
And cuts off our expected years!
Thy wrath awakes our humble dread;
We fear that pow'r that strikes us dead.]

8 Teach us, O Lord, how frail is man;

And kindly lengthen out our fpan,
Till a wife care of piety

Fit us to die, and dwell with thee.

PSALM XC. 1,-5. First part. Common Metre.

O

Man frail, and God eternal.

UR God, our help in ages past,
Our hope for years to come,
Our shelter from the ftormy blaft,

And our eternal home.

2 Under the shadow of thy throne

Thy faints have dwelt fecure;
Sufficient is thine arm alone,

And our defence is fure.

3 Before the hills in order stood,
Or earth receiv'd her frame,
From everlasting thou art God,
To endless years the fame.

4 Thy word commands our flesh to duft, "Return ye fons of men:"

All nations rofe from earth at first,
And turn to earth again.

5 A thoufand ages in thy fight
Are like an ev'ning gone;

Short as the watch that ends the night
Before the rifing fun.

6 [The bufy tribes of flesh and blood
With all their lives and cares
Are carried downwards by the flood,
And loft in following years.

7 Time, like an ever-rolling ftream,
Bears all its fons away;
They fly, forgotten, as a dream
Dies at the op'ning day.

8 Like flow'ry fields the nations stand
Pleas'd with the morning light;
The flow'rs beneath the mower's hand
Ly withering ere 'tis night.].

9 Our God, our help in ages paft,
Our hope for years to come,

Be thou our guard while troubles laft,

And our eternal home.

192

PSALM XC. 8, 11, 9, 10, 12. Second Part. Common Metre.

Infirmities and mortality the effect of fin; or, Life, old age, and preparation for death.

L

ORD, if thine eyes furvey our faults,
And justice grows fevere,

Thy dreadful wrath exceeds our thoughts

And burns beyond our fear.

Thine anger turns our frame to duft;-
By one offence to thee,

Adam, with all his fons, have loft
Their immortality.

3 Life like a vain amusement flies,
A fable or a fong;

By fwift degrees our nature dies,
Nor can our joys be long.

4 'Tis but a few whose days amount
To threescore years and ten;
And all beyond that short account
Is forrow, toil, and pain.

5 [Our vitals with laborious strife
Bear up the crazy load,

And drag thefe poor remains of life
Along the tirefome road.]

6 Almighty God, reveal thy love,
And not thy wrath alone;

O let our fweet experience prove
The mercies of thy throne.

7 Our fouls would learn the heav'nly art
T'improve the hours we have,

That we may act the wifer part,
And live beyond the grave.

193

PSALM XC. 13, &c. Third Part. Com. Metre,

RE

Breathing after Heaven.

ETURN, O God of love, return;
Earth is a tirefome place:

How long fhall we thy children mourn
Our abfence from thy face?

2 Let heav'n fucceed our painful years,
Let fin and forrow cease,
And in proportion to our tears
So make our joys increase.

3 Thy wonders to thy fervants fhọw,'
Make thy own work complete,
Then fhall our fouls thy glory know,
And own thy love was great.

4 Then shall we fhine before thy throne,
In all thy beauty, Lord;

And the poor fervice we have done
Meet a divine reward.

PSALM XC. 5, 10, 12. Short Metre.

I

The Frailty and Shortness of Life.

LORD, what a feeble piece

Is this our mortal frame?

Our life how poor a trifle 'tis,
That fcarce deferves the name!

2 Alas, the brittle clay

That built our body first! And ev'ry month and ev'ry day 'Tis mould'ring back to duft. 3 Our moments fly apece, Nor will our minutes Ray; Juft like a food our hafty days Are fweeping us away.

4 Well, if our days must fly,
We'll keep their end in fight,
We'll spend them all in wisdom's way,
And let them fpeed their flight.
5 They'll waft us fooner o'er
This life's tempeftuous fea;

Soon we shall reach the peaceful fhore
Of bleft eternity.

PSALM XCI. 1-7. First part.

H

Safety in public difeafes and dangers. E that hath made his refuge God, Shall find a moft secure abode; Shall walk all day beneath his fhade, And there at night shall reft his head. 2 Then will I fay, "My God, thy pow'r "Shall be my fortrefs and my tow'r: "I that am form'd of feeble duft "Make thine almighty arm my trust. 3 Thrice happy man! thy Maker's care Shall keep thee from the fowler's fnare, Satan the fowler, who betrays Unguarded fouls a thousand ways.

4 Juft as a hen protects her brood

From birds of prey that feek their blood,
Under her feathers, fo the Lord
Makes his own arm his people's guard.

If burning beams of noon confpire
To dart a peftilential fire,

God is their life, his wings are fpread
To fhield them with an healthful fhade.

6 If vapours with malignant breath

Rife thick, and scatter midnight death,