Thy purpose then in me fulfil;
Forsake me not, for I am thine;
Perfect in me thine utmost will;

-Whate'er it be, that will be mine!

PSALM CXXXIX.

SEARCHER of hearts! to Thee are known
The inmost secrets of my breast;
At home, abroad, in crowds, alone,
Thou mark'st my rising and my rest,
My thoughts far off, through every maze,
Source, stream, and issue,-all my ways.

No word that from my mouth proceeds,
Evil or good, escapes thine ear;
Witness Thou art to all my deeds,
Before, behind, for ever near:
Such knowledge is for me too high;
I live but in my Maker's eye.

How from thy presence should I go,
Or whither from thy Spirit flee,
Since all above, around, below,
Exist in thine immensity?
-If up to heaven I take my way,
I meet Thee in eternal day.

If in the grave I make my bed

With worms and dust, lo! Thou art there;

If, on the wings of morning sped,
Beyond the ocean I repair,

I feel thine all-controlling will,
And thy right hand upholds me still.
"Let darkness hide me," if I say,
Darkness can no concealment be;

Night, on thy rising, shines like day,
Darkness and light are one with Thee;
For Thou mine embryo-form didst view
Ere her own babe my mother knew.

In me thy workmanship display'd,
A miracle of power I stand;
Fearfully, wonderfully made,

And framed in secret by thy hand;
I lived, ere into being brought,
Through thine eternity of thought.

How precious are thy thoughts of peace,
O God, to me! how great the sum!
New every morn, they never cease;

They were, they are, and yet shall come,
In number and in compass more
Than ocean's sand, or ocean's shore.

Search me, O God! and know my heart;
Try me, my secret soul survey,
And warn thy servant to depart
From every false and evil way;
So shall thy truth my guidance be
To life and immortality.

PSALM CXLI.

LORD! let my prayer like incense rise,
And when I lift my hands to Thee,

As on the evening sacrifice,

Look down from heaven, well-pleased, on me.

Set Thou a watch to keep my tongue,
Let not my heart to sin incline;
Save me from men who practise wrong,
Let me not share their mirth and wine.

But let the righteous, when I stray,

Smite me in love;-his strokes are kind; His mild reproofs, like oil, allay

The wounds they make, and heal the mind. Mine eyes are unto Thee, my God! Behold me humbled in the dust; I kiss the hand that wields the rod, I own thy chastisements are just. But oh! redeem me from the snares

With which the world surrounds my feet, -Its riches, vanities, and cares, Its love, its hatred, its deceit.

PSALM CXLII.

I CRIED unto the Lord most just,
Most merciful in prayer;

I cried unto Him from the dust,
I told Him my despair.

When sunk my soul within me,—then
Thou knew'st the path I chose;
Unharm'd I pass'd the spoiler's den,
I walk'd through ambush'd foes.

I look'd for friends,-there was not one
In sorrow to condole ;

I look'd for refuge, there was none;
None cared for my soul.

I cried unto the Lord;—I said,—
Thou art my refuge; Thou,
My portion ;-hasten to mine aid;

Hear and deliver now.

Now, from the dungeon, from the grave,

Exalt thy suppliant's head;

Thy voice is freedom to the slave,

Revival to the dead.

VOL. II.

PSALM CXLIII.

distress,

HEAR me, O Lord! in my
Hear me in truth and righteousness;
For, at thy bar of judgment tried,
None living can be justified.

Lord! I have foes without, within,
The world, the flesh, indwelling sin,
Life's daily ills, temptation's power,
And Satan roaring to devour.

These, these my fainting soul surround,
My strength is smitten to the ground;
Like those long dead, beneath their weight
Crush'd is my heart and desolate.

Yet, in the gloom of silent thought,
I call to mind what God hath wrought,
Thy wonders in the days of old,
Thy mercies great and manifold.

Ah! then to Thee I stretch my hands,
Like failing streams through desert-sands ;
I thirst for Thee, as harvest plains
Parch'd by the summer thirst for rains.

O! let me not thus hopeless lie,
Like one condemn'd at morn to die,
But with the morning may I see
Thy loving-kindness visit me.

Teach me thy will, subdue my own;
Thou art my God, and Thou alone;
By thy good Spirit guide me still,
Safe from all foes, to Zion's hill.

Release my soul from trouble, Lord!
Quicken and keep me by thy word;
May all its promises be mine!
Be Thou my portion-I am thine.

10

PSALM CXLV.

THE Lord is gracious to forgive,
And slow to let his anger move;
The Lord is good to all that live,
And all his tender mercy prove.

Thy works, O God! thy praise proclaim;
The saints thy wond'rous deeds shall sing,
Extol thy power, and to thy name
Homage from every nation bring.

Glorious in majesty art Thou;
Thy throne for ever shall endure;
Angels before thy footstool bow,
Yet dost Thou not despise the poor.

The Lord upholdeth them that fall;
He raiseth men of low degree;
O God! our health, the eyes of all,
Of all the living, wait on Thee.

Thou openest thine exhaustless store,
And rainest food on every land;
The dumb creation Thee adore,
And eat their portion from thy hand.

Man, most indebted, most ingrate,
Man only, is a rebel here;

Teach him to know Thee, ere too late ;
Teach him to love Thee, and to fear.

PSALM CXLVI.

PRAISE ye the Lord from pole to pole!
Praise Thou the Lord, my soul, my soul!

Long as I live, my voice shall raise,
My pulse repeat, the song of praise.