The Whole Booke of Psalmes ‎#91

91. A Thanksgiving after receiving of the Lord's Supper

The Lord be thanked for his gifts
and mercies evermore,
That he doth shew unto his Saints,
to him be Lord therefore.
Our tongues cannot so praise the Lord,
as he of right deserves:
Our hearts cannot of him so think,
as he us all preserves.

His benefits they be so great
to us that be but sin:
That at our hands for recompence,
there is no hope to win.
O sinfull flesh that thou shouldst have,
such mercies of the Lord,
Thou dost deserve more worthily
of him to be abhord.

Noght els but sin and wretchednesse
doth rest within our hearts:
And stubbornly against the Lord
we daily play our parts.
The Sun above in firmament,
that is to us a light:
Doth shew it selfe more cleare and pure
than we be in his sight.

The hevens above and all therein
more holy are than we:
They serve the Lord in their estate,
each one in his degree.
They doe not strive for mastership,
nor slack their oaffice set:
But serve the Lord and do his will
hate is to them no let.

Also the earth and all therein,
of God it is in awe:
It doth observe the Formers will,
by skilfull natures law.
The sea and all that is therein
doth bend when God doth beck:
The spirits benenath do tremble all,
and feare his wrathfull check.

But we alas for whom all these
were made them for to rule,
Do not so know or love the Lord,
as doth the Oxe or Mule.
A Law he gave for us to know
what was his holy will:
He would us good, but we would not
avoid the thing is ill.

Nor one of us that seeketh not
the Lord of life to please:
Nor doth the thing thatmight us led
to Christ and quiet ease.
Thus are we all his enemeies,
we can it not denie:
And he againe of his good will
would not that we should die.

Therefore when remedy was none
to brint us unto life,
The Son of God our flesh he took,
to end our mortall strife
And all the law of God the Lord
he did it full obey:
And for our sins upon the Crosse
his bloud our debts did pay.

And that we should not yet forget
what good he to us wrought:
A signe he left our eyes to tell,
that he our bodies brought:
In Bread and Wine here visible,
unto thine eyes and taste,
His mercies great thou maist record,
if that his Spirit thou hast.

As once the corne did live and grow,
ans was cut down with sithe,
And threshed out with many stripes,
out from his husk to drive:
And as the mill with violence,
did teare it out so small:
And made it like to earthly dust,
not sparing it at all.

And as the oven with fire hot
did close it up with heat:
And all this done that I have said,
that it should be our meat.
So was the Lord in his ripe age
cut down by cruell death:
His soule he gave in troments great,
and yeelded up his breath.

Because that he to us might be
an everlasting read:
With much reproach and troubles great
on earth his life he led.
And as the grapes in pleasant time
are pressed very sore:
And plucked down when they be ripe,
and let to grow no more.

Because the juyce that in them is,
as comfortable drink,
We might receive and joyfull be,
when sorrowes make us shrink.
So Christ his bloud out pressed was
with nailes and eke with speare:
The juyce thereof doth save all those
that rightly do him feare.

And as the cornes by unity
into one loafe are knit:
So is the Lord and his whole Church,
though he in heaven sit.
As many grapes make but one wine,
so should we be but one
In faith and love in Christ above,
and unto Christ alone.

Leading a life without all strife,
in quiet rest and peace:
From envy and from malice both,
our hearts and tongues to cease.
Which if we do, then shall we shew
that we his chosen be:
By faith in him to lead a life,
as alwaies willed he.

And that we may so do indeed,
God send us all his grace:
Then after death we shall be sure
with him to have a place.

Text Information

• First Line: The Lord be thanked for his gifts
• Title: A Thanksgiving after receiving of the Lord's Supper
• Language: English
• Publication Date: 1640
• Notes: Sing this as Psalm 137

Tune Information

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