The Happy Man: From the 23rd Psalm

Happy the man of heavenly birth

Author: Anne Steele
Published in 2 hymnals

Representative Text

Happy the man of heavenly birth,
Beyond the proudest boast of earth
Whom mercy thus sustains:
To scenes of living verdure led,
Plenty and peace their blessings spread,
And not a thought complains.

Conducted by his gracious guide
Where streams of sweet refreshment glide,
And fed with food divine;
God is the guardian of his rest,
Beneath his smile, serenely blest,
He bids his soul recline.

Yet, should his feet forgetful stray,
His guide restores, and points the way
To safety, life, and peace;
Still mindful of his glorious name,
A faithful God is still the same,
His paths are righteousness.

Should gloomy shades the path o'erspread,
Dark as the mansions of the dead,
His heart no terrors wound:
His heavenly guardian ever near,
Sustains his hope, forbids his fear,
And comfort smiles around.

The constant bounty of his Lord,
With rich provision spreads his board,
Amid repining foes:
While peace and gladness on his head
Their sweetest odours hourly shed,
His cup with bliss o'erflows:

O happy portion! lot divine!
Thus shall indulgent goodness shine
On all his future days;
For ever near his guardian God
Shall mercy fix his blest abode
And tune his soul to praise.

Source: Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose #30

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 >

Text Information

First Line: Happy the man of heavenly birth
Title: The Happy Man: From the 23rd Psalm
Author: Anne Steele
Language: English

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Dupuy's Hymns and Spiritual Songs (Rev. corr. and enl.) #S133

Text

Miscellaneous Pieces in Verse and Prose #30

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