Psalm 125

Words: Isaac Watts

Note: there is also a Short Metre version on this page.

Common Metre Tunes.

The saint's trial and safety,
   1  Unshaken as the sacred hill,
         And firm as mountains be,
      Firm as a rock the soul shall rest
         That leans, O Lord, on thee.
   2  Not walls nor hills could guard so well
         Old Salem's happy ground,
      As those eternal arms of love
         That ev'ry saint surround.
   3  While tyrants are a smarting scourge
         To drive them near to God,
      Divine compassion does allay
         The fury of the rod.
   4  Deal gently, Lord, with souls sincere,
         And lead them safely on
      To the bright gates of Paradise,
         Where Christ their Lord is gone.
   5  But if we trace those crooked ways
         That the old serpent drew,
      The wrath that drove him first to hell
         Shall smite his followers too.

Common Metre Tunes.

The saint's trial and safety; or, Moderated afflictions.
   1     Firm and unmoved are they
         That rest their souls on God;
      Firm as the mount where David dwelt,
         Or where the ark abode.
   2     As mountains stood to guard
         The city's sacred ground,
      So God and his almighty love
         Embrace his saints around.
   3     What though the Father's rod
         Drop a chastising stroke,
      Yet, lest it wound their souls too deep,
         Its fury shall be broke.
   4     Deal gently, Lord, with those
         Whose faith and pious fear,
      Whose hope, and love, and ev'ry grace,
         Proclaim their hearts sincere.
   5     Nor shall the tyrant's rage
         Too long oppress the saint;
      The God of Isr'el will support
         His children lest they faint.
   6     But if our slavish fear
         Will choose the road to hell,
      We must expect our portion there,
         Where bolder sinners dwell.


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Page last modified on: 07/29/2004