Scripture Verse

If the Lord delights in a man’s way, He makes his steps firm; though he stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him with His hand. Psalm 37:23–24

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts
1674–1748

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. The way and end of the right­eous and wick­ed.

Music: Ar­me­nia Syl­va­nus B. Pond, in The Mu­sic­al Mis­cel­la­ny, ed­it­ed by Tho­mas Hast­ings & Ez­ra Col­li­er (New York: 1836) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Pond (head-and-shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els), would you ?

Lyrics

My God, the steps of pious men
Are ordered by Thy will;
Though they should fall, they rise again,
Thy hand supports them still.

The Lord delights to see their ways,
Their virtue He approves;
He’ll ne’er deprive them of His grace,
Nor leave the men He loves.

The heav’nly heritage is theirs,
Their portion and their home;
He feeds them now, and makes them heirs
Of blessings long to come.

Wait on the Lord, ye sons of men,
Nor fear when tyrants frown;
Ye shall confess their pride was vain,
When justice casts them down.

The haughty sinner have I seen,
Nor fearing man, nor God,
Like a tall bay-tree, fair and green,
Spreading his arms abroad.

And lo! he vanished from the ground,
Destroyed by hands unseen;
Nor root, nor branch, nor leaf was found
Where all that pride had been.

But mark the man of righteousness,
His several steps attend;
True pleasure runs through all his ways,
And peaceful is his end.