Psalm IV

Representative Text

I. O Lord, my strength, my righteousness
Attend my humble pray'r;
Oft thou hast heard me in distress,
Renew thy ancient care.

II. How long shall scoffers turn with lies
My glory into shame?
Ah cease these envious vanities,
Nor wound my injur'd name.

III. For know, the man of upright heart,
As his peculiar care,
The Lord himself has set apart,
And when I call will hear.

IV. With trembling awe your heart survey,
And ev'ry sin repent;
Let true contrition close the day,
And future guilt prevent.

V. The sacrifice the Lord will own,
If thus you seek his face,
Thus humbly bow before his throne,
And trust his pard'ning grace.

VI. Vain is the toilsome search of good
In all things here below;
Thy smile alone, my gracious God,
Can real bliss bestow.

VII. Thy smile, whence all my comfort springs,
With gladness fills my heart;
No joy increasing affluence brings,
Such pleasures can impart.

VIII. My days by thy kind presence blest,
From thee my safety flows;
Thy favour guards my nightly rest,
And gives me sweet repose.

Source: Poems on Subjects Chiefly Devotional, Vol. 2 #137

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Author: Anne Steele

Anne Steele was the daughter of Particular Baptist preacher and timber merchant William Steele. She spent her entire life in Broughton, Hampshire, near the southern coast of England, and devoted much of her time to writing. Some accounts of her life portray her as a lonely, melancholy invalid, but a revival of research in the last decade indicates that she had been more active and social than what was previously thought. She was theologically conversant with Dissenting ministers and "found herself at the centre of a literary circle that included family members from various generations, as well as local literati." She chose a life of singleness to focus on her craft. Before Christmas in 1742, she declined a marriage proposal from contemporar… Go to person page >

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First Line:	O Lord, my strength, my righteousness
Title:	Psalm IV
Author:	Anne Steele (1760)
Language:	English
Publication Date:	1760
Copyright:	This text is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before 1929.