STUDY / LIVING THE CHRISTIAN LIFE / HYMNS

How shall the young secure their hearts Fourth Part. Instruction from scripture. Ver. 9

Isaac Watts's setting of Psalm 119, printed in 1719 in The Psalms of David Imitated, where he set the psalms "in the language of the New Testament".

WRITTEN BY

Isaac Watts 1674–1748

PRINTED

1719 The Psalms of David Imitated · no. 04

METRE

Common Metre 8.6.8.6 · 8 stanzas

WRITTEN ON

Psalm 119 the verse printed above it

The hymn, and the Scripture in it

All 8 stanzas as Watts printed them, with the verses their lines echo beside them. Point at a line to join it to its verse; click to read the passage.

SHARED WORDSthe verse shares the line's wording ECHOproposed by an AI model, confirmed by a separate check Not the author's own notes

The psalm it sets

Watts made this hymn from Psalm 119, "in the language of the New Testament": a paraphrase, not a translation. The line that comes closest to it is marked.

1Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the Law of the LORD. 2Blessed are those who keep His testimonies and seek Him with all their heart. 3They do no iniquity; they walk in His ways. 4You have ordained Your precepts, that we should keep them diligently. … 172 more verses PSALM 119 · ITS FIRST VERSES · BEREAN STANDARD BIBLE READ PSALM 119

How shall the young secure their hearts, And guard their lives from sin? Thy word the choicest rules imparts To keep the conscience clean. STANZA I

Its place in the book

Watts's psalms run from Psalm 1 to Psalm 150, several settings to many psalms: 367 hymns. This is number 04. Point at a tick to see the hymn; click it to open that hymn.

NO. 04 · ISAAC WATTS · THIS HYMN How shall the young secure their hearts

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