Scripture Verse

Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men. They speak vanity every one with his neighbor: with flattering lips and with a double heart do they speak. Psalm 12:1–2

Introduction

portrait
Benjamin H. Kennedy (1804–1889)

Words: Ben­ja­min H. Ken­ne­dy, Hym­no­lo­gia Chris­ti­ana (Lon­don: Long­man, Green, Long­man, Ro­berts & Green, 1863), num­ber 2.

Music: Ir­ae Jo­seph Barn­by (1838–1896) (🔊 pdf nwc).

portrait
Joseph Barnby (1838–1896)

Lyrics

Help us, O Lord, the good decay;
The faithful from the world depart;
The liar rules with subtle sway,
The false smooth lip, the double heart.

The flatterer’s guile the Lord shall quell,
The mouth that speaks with boastful glee—
Our tongues in matchless power excel,
Our lips are strong; what lord have we?

He hears the poor man’s deep-drawn sighs
He sees the hearts that inly mourn,
And Lo, I come, He saith, I rise
To save thee from the tyrant’s scorn.

Thy Word is pure and perfect, Lord,
As silver in the furnace tried:
Seven times assayed, that holy Word
Seven times hath come forth purified.

The souls, O Lord, that with Thee walk
Thy love will shield in evil hour,
On every side, though sinners stalk,
And baseness climbs to lofty power.