The Psalms of David ‎#158

158. Man Mortal and God Eternal: A mournful Song at a Funeral

1 Through every Age, eternal GOD,
Thou art our Rest, our safe Abode;
High was thy Throne e'er Heav'n was made,
Or Earth, thy humble Footstool, laid.

2 Long hadst thou reign'd e'er Time began,
Or Dust was fashion'd to a Man,
And long thy Kingdom shall endure,
When Earth and Time shall be no more.

3 But Man, weak Man, is born to die,
Made up of Guilt and Vanity;
Thy dreadful Sentence, Lord, was just,
Return, ye sinners, to your Dust.

4 [A Thousand of our Years amount
Scarce to a Day in thine Account.
Like Yesterday's departed Light,
Or the last Watch of ending Night.]

Pause.

5 [Death, like an overflowing Stream,
Sweeps us away; our Life's a Dream,
An empty Tale; a morning Flow'r,
Cut down and wither'd in an Hour.

6 [Our Age to seventy Years is set;
How short the Term! How frail the State!
And if to Eighty we arrive,
We rather sigh and groan than live.

7 But O! how oft thy Wrath appears,
And cuts off our expected Years!
Thy Wrath awakes our humble Dread;
We fear that Pow'r that strikes us dead.]

8 Teach us, O Lord, how frail is Man;
And kindly lengthen out our Span,
'Till a wise Care of Piety
Fit us to die, and dwell with Thee.

Text Information

• First Line: Through every Age, eternal GOD
• Title: Man Mortal and God Eternal: A mournful Song at a Funeral
• Meter: Long Metre
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1740
• Scripture:
  Psalm 90
• Topic: Death: the effect of sin; Frailty of Man; Funeral psalm; God: Eternal and Man mortal; Life and Riches: short and feeble; Man: his vanity as mortal; Mortality: of man; Saints: Reward at last

Tune Information

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