1 Happy the man to whom his God
No more imputes his sin,
But wash’d in the Redeemer’s blood,
Hath made his garments clean!
2 Happy, beyond expression, he
Whose debts are thus discharg’d;
And from the guilty bondage free,
He feels his soul enlarg’d.
3 His spirit hates deceit and lies,
His words are all sincere;
He guards his heart, he guards his eyes,
To keep his conscience clear.
4 While I my inward guilt supprest,
No quiet could I find;
Thy wrath lay burning in my breast,
And rack’d my tortur’d mind.
5 Then I confess’d my troubled thoughts,
My secret sins reveal’d;
Thy pardoning grace forgave my faults,
Thy grace my pardon seal’d.
6 This shall invite thy saints to pray,
When, like a raging flood,
Temptations rise, our strength and stay
Is a forgiving God.
Psalm 32:3. L. M.
Repentance and free pardon;
or, Justification and sanctification.
1 Blest is the man, for ever blest,
Whose guilt is pardon’d by his God,
Whose sins with sorrow are confess’d,
And cover’d with his Saviour’s blood.
2 Blest is the man to whom the Lord
Imputes not his iniquities,
He pleads no merit of reward,
And not on works, but grace relies.
3 From guile his heart and lips are free,
His humble joy, his holy fear,
With deep repentance well agree,
And join to prove his faith sincere.
4 How glorious is that righteousness
That hides and cancels all his sins!
While a bright evidence of grace
Thro’ his whole life appears and shines.
Psalm 32:4. Second Part. L. M.
A guilty conscience eased by confession and pardon.
1 While I keep silence, and conceal My heavy guilt within my heart, What torments doth my conscience feel! What agonies of inward smart!
2 I spread my sins before the Lord,
And all my secret faults confess;
Thy gospel speaks a pard’ning word
Thine Holy Spirit seals the grace.
3 For this shall every humble soul
Make swift addresses to thy seat;
When floods of huge temptations roll,
There shall they find a blest retreat.
4 How safe beneath thy wings I lie, When days grow dark, and storms appear! And when I walk, thy watchful eye Shall guide me safe from every snare.
Psalm 33:1. First Part. C. M.
Works of creation and providence.
1 Rejoice, ye righteous, in the Lord,
This work belongs to you:
Sing of his name, his ways, his word,
How holy, just, and true!
2 His mercy and his righteousness
Let heaven and earth proclaim;
His works of nature and of grace
Reveal his wondrous name.
3 His wisdom and almighty word
The heavenly arches spread;
And by the Spirit of the Lord
Their shining hosts were made.
4 He bid the liquid waters flow
To their appointed deep;
The flowing seas their limits know,
And their own station keep.