Scripture Verse

I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, Thou knowest. Psalm 40:9

Introduction

Words: From The Psal­ter (Pitts­burgh, Penn­syl­van­ia: Unit­ed Pres­by­ter­ian Board of Pub­li­ca­tion, 1912), num­ber 112.

Music: Dun­stan Jo­seph Barn­by, 1893 (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)

Lyrics

Before Thy peo­ple I con­fess
The won­ders of Thy right­eous­ness;
Thou know­est, Lord, that I have made
Thy great sal­va­tion known,
Thy truth and faith­ful­ness dis­played,
Thy lov­ing­kind­ness shown.

Withhold not Thou Thy grace from me,
O Lord, Thy mer­cy let me see,
To me Thy lov­ing­kind­ness show,
Thy truth be still my stay;
Let them pre­serve me where I go,
And keep me ev­ery day.

Let all who seek to see Thy face,
Be glad and joy­ful in Thy grace;
Let those who Thy sal­va­tion love
Forevermore pro­claim:
O praise the Lord who dwells ab­ove,
And mag­ni­fy His name.

Although I poor and nee­dy be,
The Lord in love takes thought for me;
Thou art my help in time of need,
My Sav­ior, Lord, art Thou;
Then, O my God, I pray, I plead:
Stay not, but save me now.

A new and joy­ful song of praise
He taught my thank­ful heart to raise;
And ma­ny, see­ing me re­stored,
Shall fear the Lord and trust;
And blest are they that trust the Lord,
The hum­ble and the just.