A Psalm for Sunday Nights

On Sunday morning, I post “A Psalm for Sunday Nights.” Thomas Pestel wrote “A Psalm for Sunday Nights,” and it was published in 1659 in Sermons and Devotions Old and New. Pestel was educated at Queens’ College in Cambridge, graduating in 1609. The author was a chaplain to King Charles I. The title page of his book called him “the meanest amongst his late Majesties Chaplains in ordinary.” Written in Common Meter, in my opinion it would work nicely with Only Trust Him by John Hart Stockton. In this case, just sing the stanzas with the first half of the tune and leave off the chorus.

1. Come ravished souls with high delight;

In sweet immortal verse,

To crown the day, and welcome night;

Jehovah’s praise rehearse.

2. O sing the Glories of our Lord,

His Grace and Truth resound.

And his stupendous acts Record,

Whose mercies have no bound.

3. He made the all informing light

And hosts of angels fair:

’Tis he with shadows cloths the night,

He clouds or clears the air.

4. Those restless skies with stars encased

He on firm hinges set:

The wave embraced earth he placed

His hanging cabinet.

5. Wherein for us all things comply

Which he hath so decreed.

That each in order faithfully

Shall evermore proceed.

6. We in his Summer sunshine stand,

And by his favour grow,

We gather what his bounteous hand

Is pleased to bestow.

7. When he contracts his brow we mourn,

And all our strength is vain,

To former dust in death we turn,

Till he inspire again.

8. Then to this mighty Lord give praise

And all our voices prove.

The Glory of his name to raise,

The God of Peace and Love.

What is Praise?

WHAT IS PRAISE? by Mark Osgatharp

“The voice of the Lord makes the hinds to calve, and discovers the forests: and in his temple doth every one speak of his glory.” Psalm 29:9

Praise is speaking about the fact that God is the one who makes baby deer to be born at His command. If it is glory that God makes the “hinds to calve”, how much more when He makes a human baby to be born! Believe the ramifications of this one little verse of this one little Psalm and you will be overwhelmed by the presence and power of God Almighty! You will cry out with the seraphim, “Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory.” Isaiah 6:3

It has been my observation that many Christian people think that the creation is running on auto pilot. As if God formed the creation, put it in place and that it operates on perpetual motion. From a scientific perspective this is an absurd position. In the material world there is no such thing as perpetual energy. Crackpot inventors have tried for years to come up with a perpetual motion machine. They never have and never will because every form of energy will eventually deplete itself. Which is precisely why evolutionists claim the universe will eventually run out.

The consistent, clear and copious Biblical doctrine is that God is in constant and perpetual supervision and empowerment of the physical world. Even when animals, evil mean and evil angels are doing bad things, God is still so directing them as to accomplish His will.

This doctrine, though thoroughly Biblical, is repugnant to man because it forces us to deal with God as He is. It forces us to deal with the fact that God is responsible for injecting abject misery into our lives as well as the good things we enjoy.

It is easy to say “praise God” when He sends a soft rain on our thirsty garden. But it is difficult to actually praise God and verbally acknowledge He is the one who made our child sick unto death.

Think deeply on the ramifications of this truth.

[Cf. Job 1:21 and Job 2:10.]

God’s Glory in His Works

Another text found in The Psalter With Responsive Readings[i] is “Lord, Our Lord, Thy Glorious Name.” The hymn expresses how excellent the Lord’s name is in all the earth. The text is based in Psalm 8:1-6, 9, in 7s. meter, doubled. This metrical psalm praises the excellent name of the Lord, and his wondrous works. In The Psalter With Responsive Readings it appears with the tune Thanksgiving by Walter Bond Gilbert (1929-1910).

1. Lord, our Lord, thy glorious Name

All thy wondrous works proclaim;

In the heavens with radiant signs

Evermore thy glory shines. (v. 1)

Infant lips Thou dost ordain

Wrath and vengeance to restrain;

Weakest means fulfill Thy will,

Mighty enemies to still. (v. 2)

2. Moon and stars in shining height

Nightly tell their Maker’s might; (v. 3)

When thy wondrous heavens I scan,

Then I know how weak is man. (v. 4)

What is man that he should be

Loved and visited by Thee,

Raised to an exalted height,

Crowned with honor in Thy sight? (vs. 4-5)

3. With dominion crowned he stands

O’er the creatures of Thy hands;

All to him subjection yield

In the sea and air and field. (v. 6)

Lord, our Lord, Thy glorious Name

All Thy wondrous works proclaim;

Thine the Name of matchless worth,

Excellent in all the earth. (v. 9)

---

[i] John McNaugher, Chairman (1857-1947), Pittsburgh, PA: The United Presbyterian Board of Publication, 1912.

Melancholy Thoughts Suppressed

What follows is a hymn by Thomas Greene, under the heading “Melancholy Thoughts Suppressed.” It is given as it appears in Poems on Various Subjects, Chiefly Sacred. By the late Thomas Greene of Ware, Hertfordshire (London: H. Goldney, 1780, pp. 253-254). Lines in brackets are not in that publication, but often appear in printings of the hymn. According to Josiah Miller, “Mr. Greene was a gentleman of good means, residing at Ware...a member of the Congregational church...” He is also author of “It is the Lord, enthron’d in light, whose claims all all divine...” – found in the same 1780 Poems on Various Subjects.

1. Why should my soul indulge complaints,
Or sit and brood despair? [And yield to dark despair?]
The meanest of my Father’s saints
Are safe beneath his care.

2. Why should I thus desponding bow,
Or why with anguish bleed?
Tho’ darkness veils my passage now,
Yet glory shall succeed.

3. Why should my envious foes prevail
In what they most desire?
My faith, though weak, can never fail,
Nor humble hope expire.
[3. Why should my fears so far prevail,
When they my hopes accost?
My faith, though weak, can never fail,
Nor shall my hopes be lost.]

4. A thousand promises are wrote
In characters of blood,
And those emphatic lines denote
The ever-faithful God.

5. Thro’ these sweet promises I range,
And (blessed be his name !)
Tho’ I, a fickle mortal, change,
His love is still the same.

6. Grace, like a fountain, ever flows,
Fresh succours to renew:
The Lord my wants and weakness knows,
My sins and sorrows too.

7. ’Tis not perpetual sunshine here,
Yet I’m assured of this,
Oceans’s wild tumults shall endear
The port of endless bliss.

8. My God, my everlasting friend,
Directs my doubtful ways;
Will give salvation in the end,
And his shall be the praise.
[8. ’Tis he directs my doubtful way,
When dangers line the road;
Here I my Ebenezer raise,
And trust a gracious God.]

Praise the Savior

Praise the Savior, all ye nations,
Praise Him, all ye hosts above;
Shout, with joyful acclamation,
His divine, victorious love.
With my substance will I honor
My Redeemer and my Lord;
Were ten thousand worlds my manor,
All were nothing to His Word:
While the heralds of salvation
His abounding grace proclaim,
Let His friends, of every station,
Gladly join to spread His fame.
Benjamin Francis (1734-1799)

The Lord is risen

On Easter many Christians and much of the world celebrate the resurrection. Regardless of the date, the resurrection of Jesus Christ is real, a central truth of biblical doctrine, and the hope on which the Christian rests. "But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruit of them that slept."

Angels, roll the stone away.
Death, yield up the mighty prey!
See! He rises from the tomb,
Glowing with immortal bloom.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

Now, ye saints lift up your eyes.
Now to glory see Him rise,
In long triumph up the sky--
Up to waiting worlds on high.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

Praise Him, all ye heavenly choirs,
Praise, and sweep your golden lyres;
Praise Him in the noblest songs,
Praise Him from ten thousand tongues.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

Let Immanuel be adored
Ransom, mediator, Lord;
To creation's utmost bound,
Let the immortal praise resound.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord.

By Thomas Gibbons

We plow the fields and scatter

We plow the fields, and scatter
the good seed on the land,
but it is fed and watered
by God's almighty hand;
He sends the snow in winter,
the warmth to swell the grain,
the breezes and the sunshine,
and soft refreshing rain.
Refrain:
All good gifts around us
are sent from heaven above,
then thank the Lord, O thank the Lord
for all His love.

He only is the Maker
of all things near and far;
He paints the wayside flower,
He lights the evening star;
the winds and waves obey Him,
by Him the birds are fed;
much more to us, His children,
He gives our daily bread. Refrain

We thank Thee, then, O Father,
for all things bright and good,
the seed time and the harvest,
our life, our health, and food;
no gifts have we to offer,
for all Thy love imparts,
and, what Thou most desirest,
our humble, thankful hearts. Refrain

Words: Matthias Claudius, 1782;
trans. Jane Montgomery Campbell, 1861

O LORD, I will praise thee!

Isaiah 12:1-6 You will say in that day: "I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, that you might comfort me. "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the LORD GOD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation." With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name, make known his deeds among the peoples, proclaim that his name is exalted. "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be made known in all the earth. Shout, and sing for joy, O inhabitant of Zion, for great in your midst is the Holy One of Israel."

1 I will praise thee every day
Now thine anger's turned away!
Comfortable thoughts arise
From the bleeding sacrifice.

2 Here in the fair gospel field,
Wells of free salvation yield
Streams of life, a plenteous store,
And my soul shall thirst no more.

3 Jesus is become at length
My salvation and my strength;
And his praises shall prolong,
While I live, my pleasant song.

4 Praise ye, then, his glorious name,
Publish his exalted fame!
Still his worth your praise exceeds,
Excellent are all his deeds.

5 Raise again the joyful sound,
Let the nations roll it round!
Zion shout, for this is he,
God the Savior dwells in thee.

By William Cowper (7s.)
Olney Hymns, Book 1. Hymn 58

The Lord of harvest

Sing to the Lord of harvest,
Sing songs of love and praise;
With joyful hearts and voices
Your Hallelujahs raise.
By Him the rolling seasons
In fruitful order move;
Sing to the Lord of harvest,
A joyous song of love.

By Him the clouds drop fatness,
The deserts bloom and spring,
The hills leap up in gladness,
The valleys laugh and sing.
He filleth with His fullness
All things with large increase,
He crowns the year with goodness,
With plenty and with peace.
-- John Samuel Bewley Monsell, Hymns of Love and Praise, 2nd edition, 1866

Teach me the measure of my days

Anne Steele (1716-1778) from the poem "When I Resolved to Watch My Thoughts"

Almighty Maker of my frame!
Teach me the measure of my days,
Teach me to know how frail I am,
And spend the remnant in Thy praise.

An Evening Hymn for a Little Family

Now condescend, Almighty King,
To bless this little throng;
And kindly listen while we sing
Our pleasant evening song.

We come to own the Power divine
That watches o'er our days:
For this our feeble voices join
In hymns of cheerful praise.

Jane Taylor (1783-1824)
Hymns for Infant Minds, 1832.
As posted on Song To The Lamb Thurs 8 May 2008

Hosanna in the highest

7.7.8.7. (Doubled)

Hosanna in the highest
To our exalted Savior,
Who left behind for all mankind
These tokens of His favor:
His bleeding love and mercy,
His all redeeming Passion;
Who here displays, and gives the grace
Which brings us our salvation.

Louder than gathered waters,
Or bursting peals of thunder,
We lift our voice and speak our joys
And shout our loving wonder.
Shout, all our elder brethren,
While we record the story
Of Him that came and suffered shame,
To carry us to glory.

Charles Wesley (1707-1788)
Hymns on the Lord's Supper, 1745.

An interesting hymn with a slightly unusual meter.

The giver of every good gift

Lamb of God, we fall before Thee,
Humbly trusting in Thy cross.
That alone be all our glory;
All things else are only dross.

Thee we own a perfect Savior,
Only source of all that's good.
Every grace and every favor
Comes to us through Jesus' blood.

Jesus gives us true repentance
By His Spirit sent from Heav'n;
Whispers this transporting sentence,
"Son, thy sins are all forgiv'n."

Faith He grants us to believe it,
Grateful hearts His love to prize;
Want we wisdom? He must give it,
Hearing ears and seeing eyes.

Jesus gives us pure affections,
Wills to do what He requires,
Makes us follow His directions,
And what He commands, inspires.

All our prayers and all our praises,
Rightly offered in His Name-
He that dictates them is Jesus;
He that answers is the same.

Joseph Hart (1712-1768)
First published in 1759.

God's presence is light in darkness

HYMN 54 C. M.

My God, the spring of all my joys,
The life of my delights,
The glory of my brightest days,
And comfort of my nights.

In darkest shades if he appear
My dawning is begun;
He is my soul's sweet morning star,
And he my rising sun.

The opening heav'ns around me shine
With beams of sacred bliss,
While Jesus shows his heart is mine,
And whispers, I am his.

My soul would leave this heavy clay
At that transporting word,
Run up with joy the shining way
T' embrace my dearest Lord.

Fearless of hell and ghastly death,
I'd break through every foe;
The wings of love and arms of faith
Should bear me conqueror through.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book II, 1707.
As posted on Song to the Lamb, 18 Oct 2007

God's eternal dominion

Great God! how infinite art thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee.

Thy throne eternal ages stood,
Ere seas or stars were made;
Thou art the ever-living God,
Were all the nations dead.

Nature and time quite naked lie
To thine immense survey,
From the formation of the sky
To the great burning day.

Eternity, with all its years.
Stands present in thy view;
To thee there's nothing old appears,
Great God! there's nothing new.

Our lives through various scenes are drawn,
And vexed with trifling cares,
While thine eternal thought moves on
Thine undisturbed affairs.

Great God! how infinite art thou!
What worthless worms are we!
Let the whole race of creatures bow,
And pay their praise to thee.

Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Hymns and Spiritual Songs, Book II, 1707.

Sing aloud

Psalm 81:1 - Sing aloud unto God our strength: make a joyful noise unto the God of Jacob.

We have all been there. At the local school play or a church program where the children are all brought out on stage, lined up so perfectly, dressed up so appropriately and then they are asked to sing. Occasionally you will get the child prodigy that can actually carry a tune. But most often you have three groups of children. The ones that looks dazed at the fact there are so many people looking at them. They have that sort of deer caught in the headlights look on their face. Sometimes they mumble a word or two, but usually its nothing. Then there are the ones that are trying. They don’t sing loud or soft or even on key for that matter. But they are participating. But most often there is one or two that sing as loud as they possibly can, almost to the point of screaming the words. You can’t shake them with laughter. You can’t even embarrass them by pointing. They are going to sing no matter what. Why? They want to. And if they are singing a song about loving mom, dad or grandparents it even brings a sentimental tear to an eye here and there. And you know what, I have never seen one parent actually die from embarrassment or get up and leave the room. No matter what that child did, that was their child and they loved them. Our verse today says sing aloud; make a joyful noise unto God. Our heavenly Father does not care about the quality of our voice. He cares about the content of our heart. So SING!!! -- by Franklin Senters, Living in His Word devotions October 3, 2006

Saw the above and thought it somewhat humourous and probably true.