Scripture Verse

Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. Psalm 1:1

Introduction

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James Montgomery (1771–1854)
National Portrait Gallery

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Words: James Mont­go­me­ry, Songs of Zi­on (Lon­don: Long­man, Hurst, Rees, Orme & Brown, 1822).

Music: Park Street Fred­er­ick M. A. Ve­nua, cir­ca 1810 (🔊 pdf nwc). Re­peats the last line of each verse.

If you know where to get a good pic­ture of Ve­nua (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

Thrice hap­py he, who shuns the way
That leads un­god­ly men as­tray;
Who fears to stand where sin­ners meet.
Nor with the scorn­er takes his seat.

The law of God is his de­light;
That cloud by day, that fire by night.
Shall be his com­fort in dis­tress,
And guide him through the wil­de­rness.

His works shall pros­per—he shall be
A fruit­ful, fair, un­wi­ther­ing tree,
That, plant­ed where the ri­ver flows,
Nor drought, nor frost, nor mil­dew knows.

Not so the wick­ed—they are cast
Like chaff upon the ed­dy­ing blast;
In judg­ment they shall quake for dread,
Nor with the right­eous lift their head.

For God hath spied their sec­ret path.
And they shall per­ish in His wrath;
He too hath marked His peo­ple’s road,
And brings them to His own abode.