Looking to God in the Distress of War

Lord, thou hast scourged our guilty land

Author: Joel Barlow
Tune: OLD MARTYRS
Published in 54 hymnals

Printable scores: PDF, Noteworthy Composer
Audio files: MIDI

Representative Text

1 Lord thou hast scourg'd our guilty land,
Behold thy people mourn;
Shall vengeance ever guide thy hand?
And mercy ne'er return?

2 Beneath the terrors of thine eye,
Earth's haughty tow'rs decay;
Thy frowning mantle spreads the sky,
And mortals melt away.

3 Our Zion trembles at thy stroke,
And dreads thy lifted hand;
Oh, heal the people thou hast broke,
And save the sinking land.

4 Exalt thy banner in the field,
For those that fear thy name;
From barb'rous hosts our nation shield,
And put our foes to shame.

5 Attend our armies to the fight,
And be their guardian God;
In vain shall num'rous pow'rs unite,
Against thy lifted rod.

6 Our troops beneath thy guiding hand,
Shall gain a glad renown:
'Tis God who makes the feeble stand,
And treads the mighty down.

Source: Church Hymn Book: consisting of newly composed hymns with the addition of hymns and psalms, from other authors, carefully adapted for the use of public worship, and many other occasions (1st ed.) #P.LX

Author: Joel Barlow

Barlow, Joel, born at Reading, Connecticut, 1755 [sic], graduated at Yale 1778, and died near Cracow, Poland, 1812, He was well known as an author and politician during and after the American Revolution. His publications include Hasty Pudding; Columbia, &c. In 1785, at the request of the (Congregational) General Association of Connecticut, he corrected and enlarged Dr. Watts's Psalms, supplying those omitted by Watts, and adapting the whole to American thought and circumstances. This work, published in 1786, went through various editions, and, although officially superseded by Dwight in 1800, it continued to be issued for many years after. Its title is somewhat curious as setting forth its design. It reads:— Psalms carefully suited to the… Go to person page >

Text Information

First Line: Lord, thou hast scourged our guilty land
Title: Looking to God in the Distress of War
Author: Joel Barlow
Meter: 8.6.8.6
Language: English
Copyright: Public Domain

Timeline

Media

The Cyber Hymnal #14440
  • PDF (PDF)
  • Noteworthy Composer Score (NWC)

Instances

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The Cyber Hymnal #14440

Include 53 pre-1979 instances
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