O all ye good, who heav'n-born justice love

Verse 1

O all ye good, who heav'n-born justice love, The Lord Jehovah sing, that rules above; Your great creator joyfully extol; The blest employ befits the pious soul.

Verse 2

Strike, strike the lute, in honour of his name; His praise the ten-string'd psaltery proclaim;

Verse 3

In sweet harmonious song the voice employ, And let the clarion join the general joy.

Verse 4

For his all-pow'rful word the right commands, And righteous are the wonders of his hands;

Verse 5

His love to justice and to truth he shews, And o'er the spacious globe his goodness flows.

Verse 6

He spoke, and straitway into being sprung, High heav'n, with all it's radiant glories hung;

Verse 7

He spoke; the waters of the main obey'd, Shrunk within bounds, and in the depths were laid.

Verse 8

Thou too, O earth, thy great creator fear, And bid thy scatter'd sons his name revere;

Verse 9

For at his word firm thy foundation stood; From his behest thy ev'ry blessing flow'd.

Verse 10

'Tis he confounds of impious men the schemes; He bids; they fleet away like morning-dreams:

Verse 11

While firm and fix'd his counsels still remain, And all th' assaults of time 'gainst them are vain.

Verse 12

That nation's doubly blest, whose God's the Lord; What nobler grace can heav'n's high king afford, Than such peculiar favour to us shown, To chuse us thus, and feal us for his own?

Verse 13

From his celestial throne th' all-seeing God Looks down, and calls his awful eye abroad; The sons of men in all their secrets views; Their schemes thro' all their labyrinths pursues;

Verse 14

He forms the close recesses of the mind, And he each lurking thought therein can find.

Verse 15

Earth's haughty potentates confide in vain In armed turrets and in hosts of men; The valiant chieftain, in his prowess proud, In vain his strength, his courage boasts aloud:

Verse 16

And oft, tho' fleeter than the wind his speed, Deceives in battle, the impetuous steed.

Verse 17

While God, all-pow'rful, with a watchful eye, Looks down on those, who on his aid rely;

Verse 18

Their souls, when famine threatens, to relieve; From death's dark dreary horrors to reprieve.

Verse 19

Therefore on his beneficence we'll wait, Our shield, our sure defence, in ev'ry strait:

Verse 20

To him, 'cause never he'll our hopes deceive, Our hearts the tribute of their praise shall give.

Verse 21

Thy mercy, Lord, shall on thy servants shine; On thee our hopes are fix'd, and we are thine.