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

LIX. Prayer for national deliverance

1 From foes, that round us rise,
O GOD of heaven, defend,
Who brave the vengeance of the skies,
And with thy saints contend.

2 Behold, from distant shores,
And desert wilds they come,
Combine for blood their barbarous force,
And through thy cities roam.

3 Beneath the silent shade,
Their sacred plots they lay,
Our peaceful walls by night invade,
And waste the fields by day.

4 And will the GOD of grace,
Regardless of our pain,
Permit secure that impious race,
To riot in their reign?

5 In vain their secret guile,
Or open force they prove;
His eye can pierce the deepest veil,
His hand their strength remove.

6 Yet save them, Lord, from death,
Lest we forget their doom;
But drive them with thine angry breath,
Through distant lands to roam.

7 Then shall our grateful voice
Proclaim our guardian GOD;
The nations round the earth rejoice,
And sound the praise abroad.

Text Information

• First Line: From foes, that round us rise
• Title: Prayer for national deliverance
• Meter: Short Metre
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1785
• Scripture:
  Psalm 59

Tune Information

(No tune information)