Some of his hymns, which were of more than ordinary merit, were said to
have been inspired by his youthful surroundings. Salisbury Plain, with
its shepherds and their sheep, must have constantly appeared before him
then, as they were immediately before us now, and would no doubt be in
his mind when he wrote:
The Lord my pasture shall prepare,
And feed me with a shepherd's care;
His presence shall my wants supply,
And guard me with a watchful eye;
My noonday walks He shall attend,
And all my midnight hours defend.
And then there was his magnificent paraphrase of the nineteenth Psalm:
The spacious firmament on high,
With all the blue ethereal sky,
And spangled heavens--a shining frame--
Their great Original proclaim.
Th' unwearied sun from day to day.
Doth his Creator's power display.
And publishes to every land
The work of an Almighty hand.
Soon as the evening shades prevail.
The Moon takes up the wondrous tale,
And nightly to the listening Earth
Repeats the story of her birth;
Whilst all the stars that round her burn,
And all the planets in their turn,
Confirm the tidings as they roll.
And spread the truth from pole to pole.
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