Scripture Verse

Since my youth, O God, You have taught me, and to this day I declare Your marvelous deeds. Psalm 71:17

Introduction

portrait
Isaac Watts (1674–1748)

Words: Is­aac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid 1719. The aged Chris­tian’s pray­er and song; or, old age, death and the res­ur­rec­tion.

Music: Ar­men­ia Syl­van­us B. Pond, in The Mu­sic­al Mis­cel­la­ny, ed­it­ed by Tho­mas Hast­ings & Ez­ra Col­lier (New York: 1836) (🔊 pdf nwc).

If you know where to get a good pho­to of Pond (head & shoul­ders, at least 200×300 pix­els),

Lyrics

God of my childhood and my youth,
The guide of all my days,
I have declared Thy heavenly truth,
And told Thy wondrous ways.

Wilt Thou forsake my hoary hairs,
And leave my fainting heart?
Who shall sustain my sinking years,
If God my strength depart?

Let me Thy power and truth pro­claim
To the surviving age;
And leave a savor of Thy name
When I shall quit the stage.

The land of silence and of death
Attends my next remove;
O may these poor remains of breath
Teach the wide world Thy love!

Thy right­eous­ness is deep and high,
Unsearchable Thy deeds;
Thy glo­ry spreads beyond the sky,
And all my praise exceeds.

Oft have I heard Thy threatenings roar,
And oft endured the grief;
But when Thy hand has pressed me sore,
Thy grace was my relief.

By long experience I have known
Thy sovereign power to save;
At Thy command I venture down
Securely to the grave.

When I lie buried deep in dust,
My flesh shall be Thy care;
These withering limbs with Thee I trust,
To raise them strong and fair.