Death & Dying
Psalm 17: Portion of saints and sinners; or, Hope and despair in death
From The Psalms of David Imitated (1719)
Arise, my gracious God,
And make the wicked flee;
They are but thy chastising rod,
To drive thy saints to thee.
Behold, the sinner dies,
His haughty words are vain;
Here in this life his pleasure lies,
And all beyond is pain.
Then let his pride advance,
And boast of all his store;
The Lord is my inheritance,
My soul can wish no more.
I shall behold the face
Of my forgiving God;
And stand complete in righteousness,
Washed in my Savior's blood.
There's a new heav'n begun,
When I awake from death,
Dressed in the likeness of thy Son,
And draw immortal breath.
Cite this poem
MLA
Watts, Isaac. “Psalm 17: Portion of saints and sinners; or, Hope and despair in death.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/watts/35/.
Chicago
Watts, Isaac. “Psalm 17: Portion of saints and sinners; or, Hope and despair in death.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/watts/35/.
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