7 Teach us, O Lord, aright to plead
For mercies from above;
O come, and bless our souls indeed,
With light, and joy, and love.
8 The gospel's promis'd land is wide,
We fain would enter in;
But we are press'd on ev'ry side,
With unbelief and sin.
9 Arise, O Lord, enlarge our coast,
Let us possess the whole;
That satan may no longer boast,
He can thy work controul.
10 Oh, may thy hand be with us still,
Our guide and guardian be;
To keep us safe from ev'ry ill,
Till death shall set us free.
11 Help us on thee to cast our care,
And on thy word to rest;
That Israel's God, who heareth pray'r,
Will grant us our request.
Source: The Psalms of David: with hymns and spiritual songs: also, the catechism, confession of faith, and liturgy of the Reformed Church in the Netherlands #H52.II
John Newton (b. London, England, 1725; d. London, 1807) was born into a Christian home, but his godly mother died when he was seven, and he joined his father at sea when he was eleven. His licentious and tumultuous sailing life included a flogging for attempted desertion from the Royal Navy and captivity by a slave trader in West Africa. After his escape he himself became the captain of a slave ship. Several factors contributed to Newton's conversion: a near-drowning in 1748, the piety of his friend Mary Catlett, (whom he married in 1750), and his reading of Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ. In 1754 he gave up the slave trade and, in association with William Wilberforce, eventually became an ardent abolitionist. After becoming a tide… Go to person page >
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