He blessed is who with wise temper can Judge of th' afflicted man, For God shall him deliver in the time When most his troubles climb. The Lord will keep his life yet safe and sound With blessings of the ground, And will not him unto the will expose Of them that be his foes. When bed from rest becomes his seat of woe, In God his strength shall grow, And turn his couch, where sick he couched late, To well recovered state. Therefore I said in most infirmity, Have mercy, Lord, on me; O heal my soul, let there Thy cure begin Where 'gainst Thee lay my sin. My foes' evil words their hate of me display While thus, alas, they say: When, when will death o'ertake this wretched wight And his name perish quite? Their courteous visitings are courting lies, They inward evils disguise, Even heaps of wicked thoughts which straight they show As soon as out they go. For then their hateful heads close whispering be With hurtful thoughts to me. Now is he wracked say they; lo, there he lies Who never more must rise. O yea, my friend to whom I did impart The secrets of my heart, My friend I say, who at my table sate, Did kick against my state. Therefore, O Lord, abandoned thus of all, On me let mercy fall, And raise me up that I may once have might Their merits to requite. But what? This doth already well appear That I to Thee am dear, Since foes nor have, nor shall have cause to be Triumphing over me. But triumph well may I, whom Thou dost stay In my sound rightful way, Whom Thou, O place of places all, dost place For aye before Thy face. So then be blessed now, then, at home, abroad, Of Israel the God. World without end, let still His blessing flow; O so! O be it so! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ESCAPE by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON THE CHILD ALONE: 7. THE LAND OF STORY-BOOKS by ROBERT LOUIS STEVENSON INSULTING BEAUTY by JOHN WILMOT LATAKIA by THOMAS BAILEY ALDRICH THE APOLOGY OF THE BISHOPS IN ANSWER TO BONNER'S GHOST by ANNA LETITIA BARBAULD RAIN ON FALL NIGHTS by MILDRED TELFORD BARNWELL THE HOUREGLASSE by JOSEPH BEAUMONT |