To us thou dost, by morning-light,
Some comfort deign to shew.
This barren land, which for our sin
Was lately barren made,
Her fruitfulness doth new begin,
And we are therefore glad:
We for those creatures thankful be,
Which thou bestowest, Lord!
And for that plenty honour thee,
Which thou dost now afford.
O let us therefore in excess
Not wallow like to swine,
Nor into graceless wantonness
Convert this grace of thine;
But so receive our feeble pow'rs,
And so refresh the poor,
That thou may'st crown this land of ours
With plenty evermore.
SO cause us, Lord! to think upon
Those blessings we possess,
That what is for our safety done,
We truly may confess;
For we, whose fields, in times forepast,
Most bloody war did stain,
Whilst fire and sword doth others waste, In safety now remain.
No armed troops the ploughman fears,
No shot our walls o'erturn,
No temple shakes about our ears,
No village here doth burn;
No father hears his pretty child
In vain for succour cry,
Nor husband sees his wife defil'd,
Whilst he half dead doth lie.
Dear God! vouchsafe to pity those
In this distress that be,
They, to protect them from their foes,
May have a friend in thee;
For by thy friendship we obtain
These gladsome peaceful days,
And, somewhat to return again,
We thus do sing thy praise.
We praise thee for that inward peace,
And for that outward rest,
Wherewith, unto our joys' increase,
This kingdom thou hast blest.
O never take the same away,
But let it still endure;
And grant, O Lord! it make us may
More thankful, not secure.
WE love thee, Lord! we praise thy name,
Who, by thy great almighty arm,
Hast kept us from the spoil and shame
Of those, that sought our causeless harm':
Thou art our life, or triumph-song,
The joy and comfort of our heart;
To thee all praises do belong,
And thou the Lord of Armies art.
We must confess it is thy power,
That made us masters of the field:
Thou art our bulwark and our tower,
Our rock of refuge and our shield;
Thou taught'st our hands and arms to fight, With vigour thou did'st gird us round; Thou mad'st our foes to take their flight, And thou didst beat them to the ground. With fury came our armed foes, To blood and slaughter fiercely bent, And perils round did us inclose, By whatsoever way we went ;
That hadst not thou our captain been
To lead us on and off again,
We on that place had dead been seen,
Or mask'd in blood and wounds had lain.
This song we therefore sing to thee,
And pray that thou for evermore
Would'st our protector deign to be,
As at this time and heretofore;
That thy continual favour shewn,
May cause us more to thee incline,
And make it through the world be known,
That such as are our foes are thine.
For Deliverance from a Public Sickness.
WHEN thou would'st, Lord! afflict a land,
Or scourge thy people that offend,
To put in practice thy command,
Thy creatures all on thee attend;
And thou, to execute thy word,
Hast famine, sickness, fire, and sword.
And here among us, for our sin,
A sore disease hath lately reign'd,
Whose fury so unstaid hath been,
It could by nothing be restrain'd,
But overthrew both weak and strong,
And took away both old and young.
To thee our cries we therefore sent,
Thy wonted pity, Lord! to prove;
Our wicked ways we did repent,
Thy visitation to remove;
And thou thine angel didst command
To stay his wrath-inflicting hand:
For which thy love, in thankful wise,
Both hearts and hands to thee we raise,
And in the stead of former cries,
Do sing thee now a song of praise;
By whom the favour yet we have,
To 'scape the never-filled grave.
WHEN, Lord! we call to mind those things
That should be sought of thee,
Rememb'ring that the hearts of kings At thy disposings be,
And how of all those blessings which
Are outwardly possest,
To make a kingdom safe and rich,
Good princes are the best;
We thus are mov'd to sing thy praise,
For him thou deigned hast,
And humbly beg, that all our days
Thy care of us may last.
O bless our king, and let him reign
In peaceful safety long,
The faith's defender to remain,
And shield the truth from wrong!
With awful love and loving dread,
Let us observe him, Lord!
And, as the members with their head,
In Christian peace accord;
And fill him with such royal care
To cherish us for this,
As if his heart did feel we are
Some living part of his.
Let neither party struggle from
That duty should be shewn,
Lest each to other plagues become,
And both be overthrown:
For o'er a disobedient land
Thou dost a tyrant set,
And those, that tyrant-like command, Have still with rebels met.
O never let so sad a doom
Upon these kingdoms fall,
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