4 His goodness stands approved
Down to the present day;
I'll drop my burden at his feet,
And bear a song away.

God wise and merciful in Chastisement.

1 How gracious and how wise
Is our chastising GOD!

And O! how rich the blessings are,
That blossom from his rod!

2 He lifts it up on high

With pity in his heart,

That every stroke his children feel
May grace and peace impart.

3 Instructed thus, they bow,

And own his sovereign sway;
They turn their erring footsteps back
To his forsaken way.

4 His covenant love they seek,
And seek the happy bands,
That closer still engage their hearts
To honor his commands.

5 Our Father, we consent
To discipline divine;

And bless the pains that make our souls
Still more completely thine.

142

Blessing of God needful in all Things. Ps. 127. 1 IF God succeed not, all the cost And pains to build the house are lost; If God the city will not keep,

The watchful guards as well may sleep. 2 What if you rise before the sun, And work and toil when day is done, Careful and sparing eat your bread, To shun that poverty you dread; 3 'Tis all in vain, till God hath blest; He can make rich, yet give us rest; Children and friends are blessings too, If God our sovereign make them so. 4 Happy the man, to whom he sends Obedient children, faithful friends! How sweet our daily comforts prove, When they are seasoned with his love!

God all in all. Ps. 127.

1 IF God to build the house deny,
The builders work in vain;
And towns, without his wakeful eye,
A useless watch maintain.

2 Before the morning beams arise,
Your painful work renew,

And, till the stars ascend the skies,
Your tiresome toil pursue;

3 Short be your sleep, and coarse your fare ;
In vain, till God has blest;
But if his smiles attend your care,
You shall have food and rest.

4 Nor children, relatives, nor friends,
Shall real blessings prove,
Nor all the earthly joys he sends,
If sent without his love.

1 How large the promise, how divine,
To Abra'm and his seed!

"I'll be a God to thee and thine,
Supplying all their need.'

2 The words of his extensive love
From age to age endure;

The angel of the covenant proves,
And seals the blessings sure.

3 Jesus the ancient faith confirms
To our great fathers given;
He takes young children to his arms,
And calls them heirs of heaven.

4 Our God, how faithful are his ways!
His love endures the same,
Nor from the promise of his grace
Blots out the children's name.

144

God our Shepherd. Ps. 23.

1 My Shepherd is the living Lord, I therefore nothing need;

In pastures fair, near pleasant streams,
He setteth me to feed.

2 He shall convert and glad my soul,
And bring my mind in frame
To walk in paths of righteousness,
For his most holy name.

3 Yea, though I walk the vale of death, Yet will I fear no ill;

Thy rod and staff they comfort me,
And thou art with me still.

4 And, in the presence of my foes,
My table thou shalt spread;
Thou wilt fill full my cup, and thou
Anointed hast my head.

5 Through all my life thy favor is
So frankly shown to me,

That in thy house for evermore
My dwelling-place shall be.

157.

C. M.

TATE & BRADY.

God our Shepherd. Ps. 23.

1 THE LORD himself, the mighty Lord, Vouchsafes to be my guide;

The shepherd, by whose constant care
My wants are all supplied.

2 In tender grass he makes me feed,
And gently there repose;

Then leads me to cool shades, and where
Refreshing water flows.

3 He does my wandering soul reclaim,
And, to his endless praise,
Instruct with humble zeal to walk
In his most righteous ways.

4 I pass the gloomy vale of death,
From fear and danger free;
For there his aiding rod and staff
Defend and comfort me.

5 Since God doth thus his wondrous love
Through all my life extend,
That life to him I will devote,
And in his temple spend

158.

L.M. 61.

ADDISON. 1712.

1

God our Shepherd. Ps. 23.
THE Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye:
My noon-day walks he shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
2 When in the sultry glebe I faint,
Or on the thirsty mountain pant;
To fertile vales and dewy meads
My weary, wandering steps he leads;
Where peaceful rivers, soft and slow,
Amid the verdant landscape flow.