Words: , Po­ems on Sub­jects Chief­ly De­vo­tion­al, 1760; the orig­in­al was the 13-stanza po­em, “When I Re­solved to Watch My Thoughts.” This ver­sion is a cen­to that first ap­peared in A Se­lect­ion of Hymns from the Best Au­thors, by , 1787.

Music: Win­scott, , 1872.


Almighty Maker of my frame!
Teach me the measure of my days,
Teach me to know how frail I am,
And spend the remnant in Thy praise.

My days are shorter than a span,
A little point my life appears;
How frail at best is dying man!
How vain are all his hopes and fears!

Vain his ambition, noise and show;
Vain are the cares which rack his mind;
He heaps up treasures mixed with woe,
And dies and leaves them all behind.

O be a nobler portion mine!
My God, I bow before Thy throne;
Earth’s fleeting treasures I resign,
And fix my hope on Thee alone.