Doctor Watts's Imitation of the Psalms of David ‎#71

71. Sick-Bed Devotion; or pleading without Repining

1 God of my life, look gently down,
Behold the pains I feel;
But I am dumb before thy throne,
Nor dare dispute thy will.

2 Diseases are thy servants, Lord,
They come at thy command;
I'll not attempt a murmuring word,
Against thy chastening hand.

3 Yet I may plead with humble cries,
Remove thy sharp rebukes;
My strength consumes, my spirit dies,
Through thy repeated strokes.

4 Crush'd as a moth beneath thy hand,
We moulder to the dust;
Our feeble powers can ne'er withstand,
And all our beauty's lost.

5 I'm but a stranger here below,
As all my fathers were;
May I be well prepar'd to go,
When I the summons hear!

6 But if my life be spared a while
Before my last remove,
Thy praise shall be my business still,
And I'll declare thy love.

Text Information

• First Line: God of my life, look gently down
• Title: Sick-Bed Devotion; or pleading without Repining
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1790
• Scripture:
  Psalm 39:9-13
• Topic: Afflictions: submission to them; Devotion: on a sick bed; Health: prayed for; Man: his vanity as mortal; Mortality: of man; Pleading: without repining; Resignation; Sick bed devotion; Submission: to sickness; Tongues governed; Vanity: of man as mortal; Watchfulness: over the tongue; Zeal and Prudence
• Notes: Third part

Tune Information

(No tune information)