1.
The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers.
My God, if thou art mine indeed,
Then I have all my heart can crave;
A present help in time of need,
Still kind to hear, and strong to say.
The face of the Lord is against them that do evil.
2.
God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?
His very word of grace is strong
As that which built the skies;
The voice that rolls the stars along,
Speaks all the promises.
Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.
3.
That whosoever believeth in him [“the Son of Man”] should not perish, but have eternal life.
Sinners, believe the Saviour’s word,
Trust in his mighty name and live;
A thousand joys his lips afford,
His hands a thousand blessings give.
He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
4.
Unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness.
His soul, well fixed upon the Lord,
Draws heavenly courage from his word;
Amidst the darkness light shall rise,
To cheer his heart and bless his eyes.
Surely he shall not be moved for ever: the righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance.
5.
They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
Bright as the firmament above
The truly wise shall shine,
Reflecting beams of truth and love
From Christ their Sun divine.
Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father.
6.
The LORD loveth judgment, and forsaketh not his saints; they are preserved for ever.
When sinners fall, the righteous stand
Preserved from every snare;
They shall possess the promised land.
And dwell for ever there.
Let thy lovingkindness and thy truth continually preserve me.
7.
The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way.
My God, the steps of pious men
Are ordered by thy will;
Though they should fall, they rise again.
Thy hand supports them still.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight.
8.
In the fear of the LORD is strong confidence: and his children shall have a place of refuge.
Fear him, ye saints, and ye shall then
Have nothing else to fear;
Make you his service your delight,
Your wants shall be his care.
The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life.
9.
My people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD.
Thy presence, Lord, can cheer my heart:
Though every earthly comfort die;
Thy smile can bid my pains depart,
And raise my sacred pleasures high.
O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.
10.
Our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.
Firm as his throne his promise stands,
And he can well secure
What I’ve committed to his hands
Till the decisive hour.
I ... am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
11.
He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.
To God I cried when troubles rose,
Be heard me and subdued my foes;
He did my rising fears control,
And strength diffused through all my soul.
Quicken us, and we will call upon thy name.
12.
The LORD is thy keeper: the LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand.
He will sustain our weakest powers
With his almighty arm;
And watch our most unguarded hours
Against surprising harm.
My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth.
13.
The same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.
O thou, from whom all goodness flows
I lift my heart to thee;
In all my sorrows, conflicts, woes,
Dear Lord, remember me.
For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
14.
Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the LORD will deliver him in time of trouble.
Blest is the man whose feelings move
And melt with pity to the poor,
Whose soul with sympathizing love
Feels what his fellow-saints endure.
LORD, be merciful unto me: heal my soul; for I have sinned against thee.
15.
The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.
He guards thy soul, he keeps thy breath,
Where thickest dangers come;
Go and return, secure from death,
Till God commands thee home.
The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.
16.
Ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
With my whole heart I’ve sought thy face,
O let me never stray
From thy commands, O God of grace,
Nor tread the sinner’s way.
With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.
17.
As the earth bringeth forth her bud, and as the garden causeth the things that are sown in it to spring forth; so the Lord GOD will cause righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations.
O child of sorrow, be it thine to know
That Scripture only is the cure of woe;
The field of promise, how it flings abroad
its perfume o’er the Christian’s thorny road;
The soul; reposing on assured relief,
Feels herself happy amidst all her grief;
Forgets her labors as she toils along,
Weeps tears of joy, and bursts into a song.
I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
18.
God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath: That by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us.
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in his excellent word;
What more can he say, than to you he hath said,
You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled?
Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; Whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus.
19.
The LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory.
Christ, whose glory fills the skies,
Christ, the true, the only light,
Sun of righteousness, arise,
Triumph o’er the shades of night:
Day-spring from on high, be near;
Day-star in my heart appear.
God be merciful unto us, and bless us; and cause his face to shine upon us.
20.
I have set the LORD always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.
My soul would all her thoughts approve
To His all-seeing eye;
Nor death nor hell my hope shall move.
While such a Friend is nigh.
Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
21.
I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses.
The Holy Spirit must reveal
The Saviour’s work and worth;
Then the hard heart begins to feel
A new and heavenly birth.
One shall say, I am the LORD’S; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the LORD, and surname himself by the name of Israel.
22.
The LORD preserveth all them that love him.
‘Tis Jesus, the first and the last,
Whose Spirit shall guide us safe home;
We’ll praise him for all that is past,
And trust him for all that’s to come.
Let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
23.
Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
Jesus, to thy wounds I fly,
Purge my sins of deepest dye;
Lamb of God, for sinners slain,
Wash away my crimson stain.
Thy sins are forgiven.
24.
[Christ] died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.
When from the dust of death I rise
To take my mansion in the skies,
E’en then shall this be all my plea,
Jesus hath lived, hath died for me.
Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.
25.
CHRISTMAS-DAY. Unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.
Hosannah to King David’s Son,
Who reigns on a superior throne!
We bless the Prince of heavenly birth,
Who brings salvation down to earth.
Let every nation, every age,
In this delightful work engage;
Old men and babes in Zion sing
The growing glories of her King.
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
26.
The LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.
Jesus, lover of my soul,
Let me to thy bosom fly,
While the raging billows roll,
While the tempest still is nigh.
Hide me, O my Saviour, hide,
Till the storm of life is past;
Safe into the haven guide,
O receive my soul at last.
To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
27.
He hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
Proclaim inimitable love—.
Jesus, the Lord of worlds above,
Puts off the beams of bright array,
And veils the God in mortal clay;
He that distributes crowns and thrones,
Hangs on a tree, and bleeds, and groans;
The Prince of Life resigns his breath,
The King of Glory bows to death.
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
28.
As the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
As rain on meadows newly mown,
So shall he send his influence down;
His grace on fainting souls distils,
Like heavenly dew on thirsty hills.
My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as the showers upon the grass.
29.
The redeemed of the LORD shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their head: they shall obtain gladness and joy; and sorrow and mourning shall flee away.
Cease, ye pilgrims, cease to mourn,
Press onward to the prize;
Soon the Saviour will return
Triumphant in the skies:
Yet a season, and you know
Happy entrance shall be given;
All your sorrows left below,
And earth exchanged for heaven.
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new.
30.
Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me.
A few more rolling suns, at most,
Will land me on fair Canaan’s coast;
Then I shall sing the song of grace,
And see my Saviour face to face.
Prepare to meet thy God.
31.
Surely I come quickly.
Lo, he beckons from on high!
Fearless to his presence fly;
Thine the merit of his blood,
Thine the righteousness of God:
Angels, joyful to attend,
Hovering round thy pillow bend,
Wait to catch the signal given,
And escort thee quick to heaven.
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.