1 Shepherd of Israel, thou dost keep
With constant care, thy humble sheep.
By thee inferior pastors rise
To feed our souls, and bless our eyes.
2 To all thy churches such impart,
Modell'd by thy own gracious heart,
Whose courage, watchfulness, and love,
Men may attest, and God approve.
3 Fed by their active tender care,
Healthful may all thy sheep appear;
And, by their fair example led,
The way to Zion's pastures tread!
4 Here hast thou listen'd to our vows,
And scatter'd blessings on thy house;
Thy saints are succor'd, and no more
As sheep without a guide deplore.
5 Completely heal each former stroke,
And bless the shepherd and the flock;
Confirm the hopes thy mercies raise,
And own this tribute of thy praise.
Source: A Collection of Hymns and Prayers, for Public and Private Worship #355
Philip Doddridge (b. London, England, 1702; d. Lisbon, Portugal, 1751) belonged to the Non-conformist Church (not associated with the Church of England). Its members were frequently the focus of discrimination. Offered an education by a rich patron to prepare him for ordination in the Church of England, Doddridge chose instead to remain in the Non-conformist Church. For twenty years he pastored a poor parish in Northampton, where he opened an academy for training Non-conformist ministers and taught most of the subjects himself. Doddridge suffered from tuberculosis, and when Lady Huntington, one of his patrons, offered to finance a trip to Lisbon for his health, he is reputed to have said, "I can as well go to heaven from Lisbon as from Nort… Go to person page >
My Starred Hymns
My FlexScores
My Hymnals
My Purchased Files