Hymn 29. Psalm 23

         The Lord, my shepherd and my guide,

                     Will all my wants supply;

         In safety I shall still abide

                     Beneath his watchful eye.

         Amid the verdant flowery meads,                                                         

                     He makes my sweet repose;

         When pain’d with thirst he gently leads

                     Where living water flows.

         If from his fold I thoughtless stray,

                     He leads the wanderer home;                                                               

         And shews my erring feet the way

                     Where dangers cannot come.

         Though hastening to the silent tomb,

                     And death’s dark shades appear;

         Thy presence, Lord, shall cheer the gloom,                                                    

                     and banish every fear.

         No evil can my soul dismay,

                     While I am near my God;

         My comfort, my support and stay,

                     Thy staff and guiding rod.                                                         

         Thy constant bounties me surround,

                     Amid my envious foes;

         My favour’d head with gladness crown’d

                     My cup with blessings flows.

         Thy shall thy goodness, love and care                                                  

                     Attend my future days;

         And I shall dwell for ever near

                     My God, and sing his praise.

Text: Timothy Whelan, gen. ed., Nonconformist Women Writers, 8 vols. (London: Pickering & Chatto, 2011), vol. 1, pp. 285-86; Collection of Hymns Adapted to Public Worship, no. 29 (all stanzas); Poems, 1780, vol. 2, pp. 147-48; MS, Steele Collection, STE 3/2/1, Angus Library, Regents Park College,  Oxford.