was wroth 8 There went up a smoak out of his nostrils and fire out of his mouth devoured coals were kindled by it 9 He bowed the heavens also came down and darkness was under his feet 10 And he rode upon a cherub and did flie yea he did flie upon the wings of the wind 11 He made darkness his secret place his pavilion â—round about him were dark watters and thick clouds of the skies 12 At the brightness that was before him his thick clouds passed hail-stones and coals of fire 13 The Lord also thundred in the heavens and the highest gave his voice hailstones coals of fire 14 Yea he sent out his arrows and scattered them and be shot out lightnings discomfited them 15 Then the chanels of waters were seen and the foundations of the world were discovered at thy rebuke O Lord at the blast of the breath of thy nostrils 16 He sent from above he took me he drew me out of many waters 17 He delivered me from my strong enemy and from them whiâ—h hated me for they were too strong for me 18 They prevented me in the day of my calamity but the Lord was my stay 19 He brought me forth also into a large place he delivered me because he delighted in me 20 The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hand hath he recompâ—nced me 21 For I have kept the wayes of the Lord and have not wickedly departed from my God 22 For all his judgements were before me and I did not put away his statutes from me 23 I was also upright before him and I kept my self from mine iniquity 24 Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness according to the cleanness of my hands in his eye-sight 25 With the merciful thou wilt shew thy self merciful with an upright man thou wilt shew thy self upright 26 With the pure thou wilt shew thy self pure and with the froward thou wilt shew thy self froward 27 For thou wilt save the afflicted people but wilt bring down high looks 28 For thou wilt light my candle the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness 29 For by thee I have run through a troupâ— and by my God have I leaped over a wall 30 As for God his way is perfect the word of the Lord is tried he is a buckler to all those that trust in him 31 For who is God save the Lord or who is a rock save our God 32 It is God that girdeâ—h me with strength and maketh my way perfect 33 He maketh my feet like hindes feet setteth me upon my high plaâ—es 34 He teacheth my hands to warre so that a bow of steel is broken by mine arms 35 Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation and thy right hand hath holden me up thy gentleness hath made me great 36 Thou hast enlarged my steps under me that my feet did not slip 37 I have pursued mine enemies and overtaken them nâ—ither did I turn again till they were consumed 38 I have wounded them that they were not able to rise they are fallen under my feet 39 For thou hast girded me with strength unto battel thou hast subdued under me those that rose up against me 40 Thou hast also given me the necks of mine enemies that I might destroy them that hate me 41 They cried but there was none to save them even unto the Lord but he answered them not 42 Then did I beat them small as the dust before the wind I did cast them out as the dirt in the streets 43 Thou hast delivered me from the strivings of the people and thou hast made me the head of the heathen a people whom I have not known shall serve me 44 As soon as they hear of me they shall obey me the strangers shall submit themselves unto me 45 The strangers shall fade away and be afraid out of their close places 46 The Lord liveth blessed be my rock and let the God of my salvation be exalted 47 It is God that avengeth me and subdueth the people under me 48 He delivereth me from mine enemies yea thou liftest me up above those that rise up against me thou hast delivered me from the violent man 49 Therefore will I give thanks unto thee O Lord among the heathen and sing pâ—aiâ—â—â—â— unto thy name 50 Great deliverance giveth he to his King and sheweth mercy to his annointed to David and to his seed for evermore Psalm 19. To the chief musician A Psalm of David 1 THe heavens declare the glory of God and the firmament sheweth his handy work 2 Day unto day uttereth speech night unto night sheweth knowledg 3 There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard 4 Their line is gone out throughout all the earth and their words to the end of the world in them hath he set a Tabernacle for the sun 5 Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber and rejoyceth as a strong man to run a â—ace 6 His going forth is from the end of the Heaven and his circuit unto the ends of it and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof 7 The law of the Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple 8 The statutes of the Lord are right rejoycing the heart the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightning the eyes 9 The fear of the Lord is clean enduring for ever the iudgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether 10 More to be desired are they than gold yea than much fine gold sweeter also then honey and the honey-comb 11 Moreover by them is thy servant warned and in keeping of them there is great reward 12 Who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret faults 13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sâ—â—s let them not have dominion over me then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression 14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in thy sight O Lord my strength and my redeemer Psalm xx To the chief musician A Psalm of David 1 THe Lord bear thee in the day of trouble the name of the God of Jacob defend thee 2 Send thee help from the sanctuarie and strengthen thee out of Sion 3 Remember all thy offerings and accept thy burnt sacrifice Selah 4 Grant thee according to thine own heart and fulfil all thy counsel 5 We will rejoyce in thy salvation and in the name of our God we will set up our banners the Lord fulfil all thy petitions 6 Now know I that the Lord saveth his annointed he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his â—ight hand 7 Some trust in chariots and some in horses but we will remember the name of the Lord our God 8 They
his admirable works of providence principally to his Church but generally to all to praise him for them and acknowledge his grace and goodness in them 16 For in such cases when and where the afflicted have turned to the Lord by sorrow for their sin and strong cryes after mercie what infinite difficulties hath he broken through and removed and his power and providence is the same for ever to extricate and give relaxation to such afflicted ones all ages have made this manifest 17 Men void of the fear of the Lord which onely is true wisdom or that have it yet foolishly by temptation or negligence deviate from it and to gratifie their lusts by impiety or iniquitie displease the Lord these thereby bring evil upon themselves 18 God so severely chastizing their sins with inward or outward pains in bodie or mind that they are brought to that pass to abhor the very sight and tast of all manner of meat which should sustain nature and are brought in all mens seeming to deaths door 19 Then they use to make their addresses to God in such inextricable extreamities and he both hath done and of mercie will still in such cases when their troubles have wrought so good effect hear the cries of afflicted suppliants to ease and deliver them 20 For so soon as his rod drives them to him he cannot but as he was wont compassionate them and therefore as by his command the affliction whatever it be befel them so also at his word they are cured how deadly soever the disease be his command is enough to restore them to life and liberty 21 Oh that all men that every where participate the goodness of God would make answerable returns to him and take faithful notice of his admirable works of providence principally to his Church but generally to all to praise him for them and acknowledge his grace and goodness in them 22 That men would note the works of God and be so sensible of his benefits especially his own select people as to be thankful for them both inwardly in heart and outwardly also celebrate them with sacrifices according to the rule in such cases and with joyful hearts joyn in the memorizing and magnifying of his works of power and grace at his sanctuarie 23 Sea-men and merchants that trade in forreign Countreys and commodities and so are necessitated to venture themselves in the deep and main Ocean and are exposed far from land among the storms and surges incident to great waters in unsteady ships 24 25 These have dayly and visibly experience of the power of God raising the winds and by them causing terrible storms and tempests that swell the seas with mountainous waves 26 That hoise the vessel they sail in in an instant as high as the clouds so that the face of the waters under them shew like a valley from an hill and on a sudden they descend again as low as before they were high viewing the waves pendent over their heads as if the whole Ocean would overwhelm the ship whereat their hearts so misgive that every moment they expect death which seems inevitable 27 Thus they continue tossed and tumbled hither and thither at the pleasure of the waves the ship not being able to keep any course reeling first on this side and then on that as the winds blow or the waves beat upon it like a man that is drunk nor know they how in the world to help or save themselves but give all for lost both the ship and all that is in her their fears so amazing them that they can exercise neither Art nor strength nor if they could would it avail in such concussions of winds and waves 28 29 Then in self-despair when all creature-hopes are at an end they usually apply themselves to God seldom before and then he lets them see his power in their weakness and that their extremity is his opportunity maketh the storm a calm and quickly reduceth their fears and the seas outrages to a peaceable period 30 Then they are as much overcome with joy as before with fear when their lives are as it were restored and their troubles removed thus the Lord is gracious to them and brings them that ere while valued not their lives and lading at any thing safely to land in the port they so often prayed to be in when they were ready every foot to sink 31 O that all men that every where participate of the goodness of God would make answerable returns to him and take faithful notice of his admirable works of providence principally to his Church but generally to all to praise him for them and acknowledge his grace and goodness in them 32 Let such mercies be every where memorized and in all companies praise-fully related whether in congregations ecclesiastical those solemn meetings of his people in the sanctuarie or civil in juridical and magistratical conventions of Rulers and Governours that all may hear and fear and praise the Lord Almighty 33 We see what alterations and changes in nature are wrought in many places of the world how he dries up rivers and causeth drought where before was plenty of water 34 How for the sins of the inhabitants and abuse of his mercies he makes many a fruitful land and countrie barren and fruitless we have known it to be true in ours than which none was more fertil when God blessed it nor none more sterril when our sins cursed it 35 And on the contrarie when he bespeaks blessing to a place it shall be blessed The drie and desert places of the earth he can and does oft times make fruitful and habitable furnishes them with springs and water courses that were like the torrid zone 36 And there many times he bestowes the out-casts of other nations the poor and abject people yea his own persecuted ones causing them by providence there to set down their staff to plant colonies and begin a new Common-wealth in peace and quiet from their oppressours and contemners and to prosper by degrees from rude beginnings and scattered dwellings to cohabit in Towns and Cities 37 And to exercise husbandry plowing and planting fields and vine-yards and reduce them by Gods blessing thereupon to a yearly and orderly increase like other places long inhabited 38 The Lord also in time by his blessing multiplies them as we know he hath done us from a very few to a considerable and numerous people and with them proportionably increaseth their cattel the whilest they please him 39 But when they have forgot their low beginnings and Gods great blessings grow proud and sensual practise wickedness in stead of honesty and pietie God soon changeth the scene he that raiseth them up quickly casts them down and as before he blessed them with freedom and preserved them from evil so now he lets them loose to every
Bath-sheba 1 HAve mercy upon me O God acâ—ording to thy loving kindness according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies bloâ— out my transgressions 2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity and cleanse me from my sin 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions and my sin is ever before me 4 Against thee thee onely have I sinned and done this evil in thy light that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest be clear when thou judgest 5 Behold I am shapen in iniquity and in sin did my mother conceive me 6 Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom 7 Purge me with hysope and I shall be clean wash me and I shall be whiter than snow 8 Make me to hear joy and gladness that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce 9 Hide thy face from my 〈◊〉 and blot out all mine iniquities 10 Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me 11 Cast me not away from thy prâ—sence and take not thy holy spirit from me 12 Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and uphold me with thy free spirit 13 Then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee 14 Deliver me from bloud-guiltiness O God thou God of my salvation and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousâ— 15 O Lord open thou my lips and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise 16 For thou desirest not sacrifice else would I give it thou delightest not in burnt-offering 17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit a broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise 18 Do good in thy good pleasure unto Sion build thou the walls of Jerusalem 19 Then shalt thou be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness with burnt-offering and whole burnt-offering then shall they offer Bullocks upon thine altar Psalm li. To the chief musician Maschil A Psalm of David when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul and said unto him David is come to the house of Abimelech 1 WHy boastest thou thy self in mischief O mighty man the goodness of God endureth continually 2 Thy tongue deviseth mischiefs like a sharp rasour working deceitfully 3 Thou lovest evil more than good and lying rather than to speak righteousness Selah 4 Thou lovest all devouring words O thou deceitful tongue 5 God shal likewise destroy thee for ever he shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling-place and root thee out of the land of the living Selah 6 The righteous also shall see and fear and shall laugh at him 7 Lo this is the man that made not God his strength but trusted in the abundance of his riches and strengthened himself in his wickedness 8 But I am like a green olive-tree in the house of God I trust in the mercie of God for ever and ever 9 I will praise thee for ever because thou hast done it and I will wait on thy name Psalm liii To the chief musician upon Mahalath Maschil A Psalm of David 1 THe fool hath said in his heart there is no God corrupt are they and have done abominable iniquitie there is none that doth good 2 God looked down from heaven upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand that did seek God 3 Every one of them is gone back they are altogether become filthie there is none that doth good no not one 4 Have the workers of iniquitie no knowledge who eat up my people as they eat bread they have not called upon God 5 There were they in great fear where no fear was for God hath scatâ—ered the bones of him that encampeth against thee thou shalt put them to flame because God hath despised them 6 O that the salvation of Israel were come out of Sion when God bringeth back the captiâ—itie of his people Jacob shall rejoyce and Israel shall be glad The liiii Psalm To the chief musician on Neginoth Maschil A Psalm of David when the Ziphims came and said to Saul Doth not David hide himself with us 1 SAve me O God by thy name and judge me by thy strength 2 Hear my prayer O God give ear to the words of my mouth 3 For strangers are risen up against me and oppressours seek after my soul they have not set God before them Selah 4 Behold God is my helper the Lord is with them that uphold my Soul 5 He shall reward evil unto mine enemies cut them off in thy truth 6 I will freely sacrifice unto thee I will praise thy name O Lord for it is good 7 For he hath delivered me out of all trouble and mine eye hath seen his desire upon mine enemies Psalm lv To the chief musician on Neginoth Maschil A Psalm of David 1 GIve ear to my prayer O God and hide not thy self from my supplication 2 Attend unto me and hear me I mourn in my complaint and make a noise 3 Because of the voice of the enemie because of the oppression of the wicked for they cast iniquitie upon me and in wrath they hate me 4 My heart is sore pained within me and the terrours of death are fallen upon me 5 Fearfulness and trembling are come upon me and horrour hath over-whelmed me 6 And I said O that I had wings like a dove for then would I flie awâ—y and be at rest 7 Lo then would I wander far off and remain in the wilderderness Selah 8 I would hasten my escape from the windy storm and tempest 9 Destroy O Lord and divide their rongues for I have seen violence and strife in the Citie 10 Day and night they go about it upon the walls thereof mischief also and sorrow are in the midst of it 11 Wickedness is in the midst thereof deceit and guil depart not from her streets 12 For it was â—ot an enemy that reproched me then I could have borne it neither was it he that hated me that did magnifie himself against me then I would have hid my self from him 13 But it was thou a man mine equal my guid and mine acquaintance 14 We took sweet counsel together and walked unto the house of God in company 15 Let death seize upon them and let them go down quick into hell for wickedness is in their dwellings and among them 16 As for me I will call upon God and the Lord shall save me 17 Evening morning and at noon will I pray and crie aloud and he shall hear my voice 18 He hath delivered my Soul in peace from the battel that was against me for there were many with me 19 God shall hear and afflict them even he that abideth of old Selah because they have no changes therefore they fear not God 20 He hath put forth his hands against such as be at peace with him he hath broken his covenant 21 The words of his
your thirst at the spring it self whose waters are purest and which never shall be dry A lesson which you shall be often taught by the holy Psalmist and the godly Paraphrast in this Book whereof I need not say a word being therein prevented by the Authour himself in his Epistle to the Reader who shall here find the sweet spices punned into a greater fragrancy by the Authours accommodating his stile to the most vulgar capacity for it was his aime to elevate affections which in Psalms and spirituall songs are the predominant part and therefore he wrote not so much to the eye as to the tast which pardon the solecisme is the best sence to read him with so carrying on the work in this Paraphrase as also in that of Iob as one that had not a mere notionall or carnall knowledge of spirituall things but that peculiar light which they have which are taught of God Without which even Schollars themselves do see the beauty of them but by candle-light and which that it may increase in you as the light of the Sun unto the perfect day shall be the Prayer of LONDON Iune 17. 1650. Your ever obliged Servant In the work of the Lord Iesus RICHARD VINES TO THE READER In way of ARGUMENT and APPLICATION ALL Scripture was written by the holy men of God as they were moved or inspired by the holy Ghost but this of the Psalms was not onely written by a holy man but by a holy man in holy frames who was not onely moved by the spirit to write them but was in the spirit when he penned them not so much acted by externall impulsion as inward affection warmth of zeal and sensible experience For the Psalms being to be a speciall part of the worship of God in all ages of the Church whereby God not onely speaks to us as in other Scripture but we to him in Prayer and praise the Arguments of almost all of them were therefore dictated by another spirit than other Scripture by the spirit of grace and operation not onely of illumination prophesie or inspiration to shew us how God is to be worshipped not onely by holy regenerate men such as were all the sacred pen-men but by the regenerate part of a regenerate man else Prayers nor praises neither come down from heaven nor go up to heaven It was not enough to be a Priest to offer Sacrifice but it must be done by a holy man with holy fire And therefore should we sing the Psalms of David in the spirit of David and read them as he writ them with frameable tempers to the matter treated Of all Scripture our meditation in the perusall of this Book of the Psalmes so full of practicall Gospel ought to be sweet and spirituall of which one rightly affirms Let all the rest of the Scripture be the body and this is the heart so full of heavenly affections Every Psalm whereof is a spirituall pang or fresh gail breathed by the holy Ghost on Davids heart and penned by him and the rest in instanti in heat of affection His writing is his feeling and so should be thy reading the musick of the Temple should make musick in the living Temples of the holy Ghost the sons of Sion therefore have I laboured not onely to render the proper but also the full extensive meanings of the Psalmists by congruous enlargements to move the affections as well as to inform the judgement That so Davids spirit in these Psalms may be transmigrated into the experienced Reader in proportionable power energie wherewith they were conceived digestedly put over by him to the Church whereof as of Christ he was a most lively type wading through so many dangers temptations ebbings flowings yea and sins too to create him to be a Looking-glass for the Church and Spouse of Christ who may be black yet comly and can never pass through any condition of sin or suffering where first he hath not led the way and shewen the issue whose varieties of providences states and tempers made him of such an evangelicall spirit in the time of the Law as that God stiles him a man after his own heart so that in him we see that neither great sins nor great afflictions can seperate us from the love and approbation of God though the one may cost us dear and the other may lay us low yet neither the one nor the other can build up such a partition wall but that the grapling irons of Faith Prayer and Repentance are able to demolish it and make way for us to the throne of grace whither if we can but come we shall be sure to speed for grace can deny grace to none that graciously ask it And therefore if ever we will gain that Encomium of being as he was after Gods own heart who ever loves a zealous penitent better than a luke-warm innocent it must be by improving all advantages to the encrease of Gospel-growth thus If at any time God in his wisdom let us fall or Satan by his subtility and strength give us a fall or we by our weakness catch a fall all which may be in one and the same sin then know that that sin is thine advantage or opportunity which thou art to improve to mount thee to a higher rise of Gospel-ground and step forward towards more grace by the fresh exercise or exercise of fresh faith and humiliation God being more pleased with us when we penitently and faithfully confess our sin wherein David was very ingenuous than displeased when we commit it For though we are not to sin that grace may abound yet when we have sinned it s both our wisdom and duty too to look that grace do abound and that we make a sanctified sin of it Acts of sinning in the regenerate contrary to Philosophy lessening the habits of sin And so if we fall into afflictions there is another opportunity for the promise is that all shall work for good and that going in and out we shall find pasture yea even a price in our hands which if improved by the exercise of seasonable and suitable graces will ready us in our Gospel-way better than any trade-wind or constant gail of providence can ever do Severall conditions make exceedingly for setting forth the Art of God in the second Creation as severall creatures do his skill in the first which variety in both makes us to abound not onely with necessaries but delights which Scripture calls things both new and old which no one condition unvaried can possibly render us capable of for it is said all things work together for good c. Alluding to the Art of the Apothecary in the mixing of various and diverse Simples no one whereof alone is able to work that effect that many joyntly can And when I speak of change of states I mean inward as well as outward for the soul would be as a cake unturned excellent in something and stark naught in othersome or
the end for on thee only on thy good grace do I trust for preservatiō unto salvatiō 2 My soul hath firmly entred covenant with thee and chosen thee for its Lord to serve thee and to be saved by thee of thy free mercie abandoning all worth or goodnes of mine own as any ways meritorious or beneficial to thee that needeth nothing but hast all fulnes and cause of full contentednes in th◠self alone 3 Onely to thy children and sanctified ones here on earth do I labour to express my gratitude by what offices of love and respect I can shew for thy sake as they that to me are most excellent of all men in the world be their outward condition never so mean being happy to be a fellow servant and true worshipper of thee amongst them 4 Discomfort and destruction insted of peace and salvation shall be heaped upon them that forsaking thee have their hearts set upon any other God For my part I renounce all but thee and will serve and sacrifice to thee alone and will have nothing to do with their false worship nor once open my lips to any God but thee to swear by him or to pray to him 5 With the Lord alone am I well satisfied a singular portion rich inheritance do I account my knowledge of him interest in him thou art full content to me in thee and by thee shall I be ever happie blessed when other men of other confidences shall be miserable 6 In having thee for my God I have my hearts desire and think my self enriched beyond all earthly pleasures and profits which many in the world have which have not thee 7 I will ever bless and praise the Lord for revealing to me in his word the way of life and salvation when others sit in darknes and in the shadow of death and also teaching me effectually by the inward and secret inspiration and whisperings of his spirit consciously to walk in it when as others that know it externally for want of inspiration do wander from it 8 In what condition soever I have been I have still kept the eye of my faith full upon God and not suffered it to take to other things and because I make God my support and lean so wholly upon him I know he will not deceive my confidence but will sustain me in his favour and support me with his power and grace for ever till he bring me to glorie 9 And in the faith hereof my heart is comforted above all worldly sorrows even to the causing my tongue to break out in holy boastings and praises that instrument of speech wherein man transcends other creatures Yea in this confidence I dare die as well as live and by virtue of it cheerfully bequeath my body to the grave in certain expectation of a blessed resurrection thence 10 For as thou wilt enable Christ whose type I am and who shall spring from me to overcome all his sufferings and preserve him who is thy beloved son and solely without sin from the putrefaction which all men else that are sinners must sustain in the grave making him to triumph over death who is the resurrection and the life So by Christ shall I be set free in soul and body from wrath and mortality by a glorious resurrection to immortality and life 11 Yea thou wilt teach me the way of life and salvation and lead me in it until thou bring me into thy heavenly presence to partake and be possessed of those soul-satisfying and substantial joyes that are there and of those everlasting and immortal pleasures which Christ the head of his Church at thy right hand hath to bestow on all his glorified members The xvii PSALM David probably when he was in the cave encompassed by Saul makes his prayer and appeal to God impartially pleading his innocency against his enemies Further testifies that in conscience to God he durst never do as he was done by nor praies he never may but commits his matter over to God in prayer to be righted by him and delivered from the violence of his proud outragious enemies in his extream straights And again presseth hard upon the Lord to shew himself for him against them that have no interest in his special and saving favour onely share in his common mercies which he hath and prizeth as an happiness above all A Psalm of David in way of prayer 1 THou that art a righteous God hear the prayer of the righteous and innocent person heed my humble and vehement supplication let my prayer have audience which speaks nothing but truth of my self and enemies 2 Judge thou my cause against mine adversaries by clearing mine innocency behold the wrong I sustain and by thy just judgements do me right upon them according to my righteousness 3 Mine integrity is not unknown to thee for thou hast searched mine heart as well as seen mine actions thou hast put me upon the scrutiny and discovery of my self in my most retired thoughts yea in thought word and deed hast thou tried me and sifted me through great and many afflictions and neither hast nor shalt find unrighteousness in me for I am by thy blessed assistance fully purposed as to think so to speak the truth in all uprightness and not to seek mine advantage by lying and dissembling as do mine enemies 4 Concerning the wrongs they have done me I have been careful for all their unjust provocations to walk by the rule of thy word not rendring evil for evil nor requiting their injurious cruelty with the like though it lay in my power 5 And so Lord inable me ever to do to walk after thy word that I may never erre from thy truth nor by sinning forfeit my well doing and good success in the end which by thy promise in the way of obedience I am sure of 6 I have made thee my confidence and ever addressed me to thee for I know and believe according to thy promise thou wilt hear and do for me now Lord is a fit time and a needful I pray thee therefore withdraw not thy self but be intreated to take notice of me and to hear mine instant prayer 7 Shew thy love to me in marvellously delivering me and fulfilling the wonderful things thou hast promised me O Lord that usest to imploy thy power for their preservation that trust in thee for deliverance from them that unjustly oppress them 8 Do thou Lord watch carefully over me that am dear to thee and in tender compassion preserve thy weak and innocent one 9 From them that unjustly seek my ruine and pursue me to the death with mighty ods of power and strength 10 They bear themselves high in confidence of their own greatness and power wallowing in abundance and give out great swelling words in disdain and contempt of me an abject 11 They have hunted
and difference made between him and his wicked enemies whom he accurses as the wilful withstanders of the will of God touching him a type of Christ And therefore promises and prophesies their destruction and his own assured establishment over Israel whom he prayes for that they may be blessed under him as the Church shall be under the Messiah A Psalm made by David 1 UNto thee will I as I have ever done make my moan in my misery and cry for help for on thee O Lord depends all my trust and hope of safety therefore deny not to hear and help me who have no other helper for if thou doest I am utterly helpless and must unavoidably perish 2 Stop not thine ears nor with-hold not thy favour from me for it is as bitter as death to have my prayers unheard when in anguish of my spirit I pour them forth before thee and when according to thine ordinance I lift up mine eyes and hands in supplication towards the sanctuary which thou hast appointed as a type of heaven to vouchsafe thy presence and to hear and answer prayer in 3 Let me not perish as an evil doer by evil doers nor be untimely taken away in thy wrath as a male-factour and wicked worker amongst those that are so who with hipocritical dissembling make shew of peace and friendship to them that really mean no ill but intend nothing but mischievous deceit against them 4 Such as are so and do so which are mine enemies let them feel and find thy just displeasure according to their demerits and answerable to their sinful practises against the innocent let them have the wages they have wrought for and in thy justice pay them their just deserved punishment 5 And because they regard so little and slight so much the Lord in his remarkable judgements upon themselves and his no less remarkable grace and favour unto me so clearly manifested by extraordinary testimonies and singular providences confirming mine election to the Kingdom as a type of Christ he will and shall therefore at last I am sure do himself and me right upon them and make them understand it by their utter extirpation and overthrow and my establishment in their steads as he shall do by Christ and his enemies 6 Now blessed be the Lord who enables me in full assurance of faith and by an infallible spirit of of prophecy to foresee the issue of my prayers to be according to my desires and his gracious promise and decree touching me 7 So that I can say in the assurance of the event that the Lord is and shall be to the end my all-sufficient preserver and defendor against mine enemies Yea in full perswasion of faith I can say as if I had already taken a farewel of all my troubles That I am for so I shall be be fully delivered and gratiously established in a good estate according to the trust I have put in him therefore my heart at present rejoyceth as if all were done and past and with a Psalm of thanksgiving do I now promise publickly to praise the Lord when it shall be so 8 The Lord is a faithful and powerful deliverer and rescuer of his people from out their oppressions and from under their enemies and for their sakes he is and will be the undoubted Saviour and preserver of me whom he hath annointed and decreed to set over them for their good and welfare as a type of Christ over his Church 9 Therefore remember thy people to bring them out of the tyrannie of their enemies and the present distempers they lie under and bless them whom thou hast peculiarly chosen out of all the world to be thine by setting me over them as a type of Christ and feed them under me as Christ the shepheard shall feed his flock with plenty of grace and peace and bring them to a lasting and settled condition of tranquillity giving them the victory and dominion over all their enemies by and under me as the Church shall have by and under him The xxix PSALM David to awe all men to be respective of Gods Church people specially Kings from whom they then did ever should receive most opposition hardship He first seeks to awe them by a due respect of God himself and of his ordinances exhorting them to give him honour worship And therefore sets before their considerations the terriblest of his words to convince them of his glorious greatness to wit the thunder shewing the marvellous effects it hath upon things both sensible and unsensible the better to move with man and specially with great men to reverence the greatness of Almighty God And besides that he also preaches to them his glorious goodness manifested in his word and ordinances to excite them to partake therein together with his people But in case they refuse and obstinately oppose themselves against him and them He incourageth the Israelites and in them the faithful assuring them that God will subdue their enemies and make them prosperous under him as Christ shall his Church spite of all the world A Psalm made by David 1 O ye mighty potentates of the world suffer a word of exhortation be not high in your own conceits to which you are most subject be warned not to swell with the pride of your honour and power but set the Lord above you and pay the homage of both to God least he lay your honour in the dust and bring your strength to weakness 2 Do by God as you exspect others should do by you that are your subjects and inferiours Give him the honour that is due to his greatness and leave off your superstition and come and worship him and bring your gifts in token of service and subjection to his beautiful sanctuary for no where else will he receive them it being the sole appointed place of his glorious and solemn worship and special presence 3 Your power is here below but Gods is up above which loudly declares it self to us on earth from out those watery clouds that are in the firmament over us whence God who is the Lord of supream glory dreadfully thunders and shews his greatness by that terrible noise multiplied out of sundry clouds by sundry thunder-claps at once and by the infinite inundation of rain that immediately follows thereupon by sundry thunderclaps at once and by the infinit inundation of rain that immedaitly follows thereupon 4 This voice of the Lords thunder is in it self very dreadful and declares him to be of mighty power and of exceeding great Majestie and glorie far above all earthly potentates 5 When the Lord thunders it is so mightie and forcible that it overthrows the strongest trees even the great and tall Cedars of Lebanon are broken and turned up by the roots by the violence of thunder-storms 6 Yea of such affrightment is that terrible voice of his and
mischief and being the instrument of Sauls crueltie O thou treacherous parasite 5 But as thou hast been the death of the Preists of Nob even fourscore and five innocent persons and hast extirpated the family of Abimelech so shall God do by thee and thine he shall utterly destroy both thee and all that belongs unto thee null thy hopes of preferment and ruine thy substance and cast thee out of the land of Israel where there shall not so much as one remain of thy family where indeed thou wast never rightly planted hypocritically counterfeiting thy self a proselyte for the place and preferment sake thou hadst in Sauls Court And so bet it 6 The righteous people of God whom thou so much hatest and hast been the destruction of not a few of them for all that their survivors shall live to see as much by thee according to my prediction and shall give glorie to God in reverence of his righteous justice upon such enemies and faithfulness to his Church and people and in heart shall laugh at the folly of unbelievers and hypocrites for thy sake and personally at thee 7 Whom God shall especially make remarkable in the execution of his just judgements upon thee whereby the Godly shall be confirmed in their faith and dependance upon God when they see what thy courses come to in trusting and relying upon thy power at Court the wealth thou hast gotten and thine own wicked devises to amplifie and establish these and not upon God 8 Thou shalt wither when I and such as trust in God shall for all thine and Sauls malice to me and the present calamities that lie upon me being driven from the tabernacle and service of God be returned thither again in a flourishing condition of honour and felicitie and this I believe as confidently as if I were there already for as I know thy present prosperitie shall have a certain end so shall this mine unhappiness which shall not dismay me for expecting better through the mercie of God wherein I trust which in his own good time shall implant me in a perpetuated good condition like as his justice shall weed thee up by the roots never to grow again 9 Though I am now far from such a State yet will I give even present aswell as future thanks and praise unto thee for it O God of my hope as if I were possessed of it already because it is as sure to me as the destruction of Doeg is to him both which shall certainly come to pass to thine everlasting praise and for which I will live in humble expectancie depending upon thy grace and faithfulness till they be accomplished which are precious things with thy people the very solace and support of their souls how ever neglected by hypocrites and unbelievers who trust in riches and honour whilst that thy saints believe in thee because of them The liii PSALM David speaking in the wisdom of the holy Ghost befools the wisdom of all flesh which in all men naturally out of an enmitie and misunderstanding of God leads only unto sin and professedly hates those few in the world whom God hath renewed instead of seeking to become such themselves But he shews that they both have and shall certainly smart for that sin of contempt and hatred of God and his Church and praies that God would presently by him give tranquillity to his people as Christ shall to his Church To him that is most skilful upon the wind instrument Mahalath is this Psalm of Davids making committed instructing what man is by nature what Gods people must find from such and how God will take their parts against them 1 MAn by his fall hath lost and naturally is void of the right understanding of God believing nothing so of him as he is and so makes him as if he were not And out of this depraved ignorance all natural men live in sin and from the beginning have multiplied abominations not one either is or ever was that by nature without special and supernatural grace ever knew or served the Lord aright 2 The Lord made a long trial of it in the first age of the world in that time of nature between Adam and the Law purposely to see what nature of it self would bring forth whether there were any that could and would improve it to the knowledge belief and worship of God his love and service as a glass for after-ages to see themselves in 3 But he found by long trial and experience notwithstanding his documents and judgements upon the old world and so he finds still that all men are naturally fools void of true understanding carnally-minded and generally without exception of polluted hearts and lives lothsome in his sight that none in nature does that which is right or acceptable no not a man of all mankind every imagination of the thoughts of whose heart is onely evil continually 4 Insomuch as God himself admired to see all men by nature void of knowledge and given over to sin yea even to the hatred and devouring those few in the world that are the people of God and have obtained mercie and differing from them walk in wayes of holiness and righteousness never taking thought to do or to be like them neither themselves by nature worshipping God nor yet seeking to God for the grace and inablement that they had but contemned it and hated them 5 Which at last brought fearful and unexpected desolation upon them when the floud came and swept them all away in the midst of their jollitie Like measure shall the wicked contemners and haters of God and his worshippers have in after-ages God will certainly take part with his Church though never so few against her persecutors and despisers though never so many to save it and ruin them As then he did so shall he in his fierce wrath destroy even the whole world of wicked wretches that know not God and persecute his Church she shall worst them as contemptible as she seems because themselves are as hateful and detestable to God as she is to them who is and ever will be an enemy to his Churches enemies to blast befool and utterly destroy them 6 O that the time were come which I am sure will come and is not long to that God will be mine enemies ruin settle my Kingdom in Sion as a type of Christs in heaven and then and there by me send deliverance and happiness to his people Israel as he will thence salvation to his Church by him When God shall thus have delivered them from their enemies and out of their present troubles as formerly he did out of their captivities into peace and tranquillitie as his Church by Christ shall be from wrath and hell how shall the faithful and true Israel of God who properly are the seed of his servant Jacob rejoyce proportionably now in the type as then in the antitype The liiii
PSALM David taketh occasion to ingage God the more to him by how much the more his enemies and dangers increased upon him by secret treacheries and open violences and found God as he hoped his deliverer whereupon he goes a pin higher and strengthens his faith in his ultimate deliverance and establishment promised at which time when it shall come to pass he promises not to be a little thankful to God To him that is most skilfull upon the stringed instrument Neginoth is this Psalm committed of Davids making upon that occasion when the Ziphims came once and again to inform Saul where David had retired himself with his men for him to persecute him Instructing us to draw near to God as dangers draw nearer to us 1 LOrd remember thy gracious ingagements for my preservation and future establishment accordingly in thy grace and faithfulness deliver me out of mine extream difficulties when all humane help fails then for thy righteousness sake who knowest mine innocencie and mine enemies treacherie let thy miraculous and omnipotent power appear for me 2 Lord be mindful of me that flie to thee for succour and make thee my refuge hear my prayer in this my necessitie and grant me the deliverance I so earnestly make suite for 3 For besides the King and his courtiers and his ordinarie souldierie men that never saw my face meerly because I come to safeguard my self amongst them without any harm to any of them The Ziphims are also conspired against me and have betrayed me to Saul and his complices my deadly enemies who are upon their march against me to catch or kill me These Ziphims as they are strangers to me so they are to God and his wayes else they durst never have sought to betray innocent bloud in this sort The Lord remember them for it 4 But though enemies increase and dangers multiply yet by experience I find that God is able to deliver me and doth do so as my late wonderful escapes have made to appear and though I have many against me that seek my life and but few with me or for me yet they that are on my side he is on theirs and preserves them for my sake 5 The Lord shall be meet with these unjust enemies of mine and reward them according to their treacherous dealing and cruel persecution in thine own time and way O Lord ease me of them by destroying them that would destroy me without cause according to thy faithful promises and righteous judgements 6 If so when that time comes whereas now I am exercised in fear dependence then will I be as conversant in faithful thanks-givings when thou shalt set me free I will praise thee with an inlarged heart and offer free-will-offerings peace-offerings to thee in a plentiful and gratuitous manner magnifying thy grace and faithfulness which I have found made good unto me 7 For so it shall come to pass I am as sure of it as if it were already my faith carries me to it beyond and above all intervening difficulties so that I me thinks already enjoy my quietus est and see my bloud-thirsty enemies laid low enough for doing me any more harm The lv PSALM David being greatly oppressed by Saul and in some imminent danger probably that of Keilah plyes God hard by argument in prayer wishing himself any where out of Sauls reach and that God would by some exemplarie judgement both punish and disappoint his enemies declaiming against the base perfidiousness of some old acquaintance and intimates of his wishing such wicked dissemblers to God and man might perish remarkably but for all their crast and hypocrisie towards him doubts not but God will stand by him as he hath done and both preserve him and punish them He sets forth Sauls perfidious hatred against him but strengthens his faith in God who he is assured will put a speedy end to his cruelty and his own miserie To him that is most skilful upon the stringed instrument Neginoth to which this Psalm of instruction to trust in God for deliverance in greatest troubles is chiefly set do I David that made it recommend it for the care and ordering of it in the Quire 1 O God mine extremitie is thine opportunitie as is my danger such is my prayer the one present the other pressing In thy faithfulness hear me making my piteous moan in this my miserie for grace and mercie to be shewn me and thy power to appear for me in this my necessitie 2 Be not careless of my condition but weigh well what I say and pray being so nearly concerned and grant what I ask for as my grief such is my sorrow both of them very great forcing me bitterly to complain to thee of mine enemies and to lament my self with woful bewailing which for all my strivings I cannot smother but they do break out from me 3 Because of the calumnies and threats of Saul and his complices against me and their cruel and unjust persecution of me for they lay treason and conspiracie to my charge which I was never guiltie of and for this their false accusation they as if it were true bear a deadly hatred to me and with furie and revenge seek to take away my life 4 Their rage and crueltie is such as I am in such continual danger by it that I sustain wonderful trouble of mind and am almost sunk into despair of escaping their hands who at this instant do put my life in peril if thou deliver not 5 I cannot express the miserie that I am in and the anguish of mind I lie under at present my dangers are so imminent and my trouble so insupportable 6 Insomuch that I could wish my self any where far enough off to avoid Sauls causless suspition of me where ever I might enjoy my peace and freedom from this continual fear I am in of him 7 Had I but means he should soon see I would quit his Kingdom where I am such an eye-sore to him and live in the most solitarie place in all the world rather than to be thus in continual trouble and hazard I would to God it were so 8 He should soon be rid of me if I could tell how to get from him before I would lead this life to undergo this continual storm and tempest of such uncessant vexations within and without I would thrust my ship into any creek in the whole world go as far from him as my legs nay wings could carrie me if I had them 9 Thou hast O Lord heretofore admirably manifested thy power in a marveilous manner destroying those that opposed and mutined against thy servants witness Korah and his complices and against thee witness the confusion of Babel Truly now art thou also affronted and I thy servant endangered as Moses was then by a sort of people the Lord divert and frustrate their malice by destroying them and scattering
fact of thine I am accused and condemned as a Traitour and a proud aspiring person which slanders though innocent yet shame me to think that I should be thus thought of when thou Lord knowest its nothing so 8 My nearest kinred mine own flesh and bloud that lay in a belly with me emulate and censure me as bad as others and think it is my pride and rashness that brings this trouble upon me and them for my sake whereupon they avoid me all they can 9 For truly Lord such hath been my zeal for thy Church and people the promoting the good and prosperity thereof according as thou hast promised and designed I should as that I am wholly taken up as shall the Messiah with the desire of it not mine own self-seeking or interest as I am falsely and slanderously reported by those that indeed are in heart thine enemies and wish and speak evil of me onely for thy sake as they shall of Christ who they strike at and wound through my sides as they shall thee through his 10 Let my behaviour be at never such a distance to the designs they fasten upon me let me walk never so unlike to such attempts more saint than either politician or souldier like mourning for the sins and lamenting the judgements of God upon the Kingdom instead of coveting it for my sake why it was all one this humbling my self and fasting before the Lord was judged to be done in hypocrisie and design 11 I could not so demean my self but whatsoever I did it was wrested to misprision if they saw me in sack-cloth they would point at me and say in derision Behold the King 12 It is not some but all of all sorts that are thus bent against me they that should be wiser graver and juster and of better example even the magistrats and men in office and judicature have their invectives and jears at me and much more the deboisheers and rabscalions in their cups and merry-meetings make sport with me and scornfully abuse me 13 After this sort do men demean themselves but as for me I study not to reveng my self or to return like for like no Lord thou knowest mine application and appeal is to thee and however I am so unacceptable to men yet not to God when all men put me from them then can I betake my self to God in prayer and be welcome he never refuses me accordingly O Lord let me find thee now for I am in the midest of a multitude of miseries therefore in my behalf oppose against them the multitude of thy mercies remember thy promises touching me my deliverance and preservation to fulfill them faithfully 14 For though to my sense and outward appearance according to the face of things in humane probability I cannot scape this danger yet my faith is not so extinct but I know all things are possible to God and therefore pray thee even for the greatness sake of my present affliction to deliver me out of it that I fall not into the hands of my cruel enemies nor by them but that thou wilt save me from drowning that am as it were already so near it that I have but this word to speak to thee before I sink quite over head and ears irrecoverably 15 Let not this torrent of afflictions overwhelm me O thou that commandest the raging seas much more land-storms let me not be swallowed up of them like a ship wracked in a Tempest thou knowest into what a depth of miseries I am implunged find a way out for me to escape and let them not bring me to an utter and untimely end 16 Let me not pour out my complaints in vain nor in effectually open my case unto thee but Lord consider what I say hear me to purpose grant me releif let thy loving-kindness which according to thy promise I know thou bearest me manifest it self in gracious beneficence for I am sure thy love is not a vain but a beneficent love thou art a benefactour to whom thou art a wel-willer accordingly good Lord let me find the sweet effects of the earnings of thy bowells and the tenderness of thy compassions towards me which I know to be very great in a happy and powerfull relief and release of me out of these miseries according to my prayers 17 And do not suffer me thus uncomfortably to remain under a cloud without sence of thy favour or experience of thy goodness who am related to thee as near as man can be to God for I am thy servant chosen by thee and devoted to thee and therefore under thy protection as also because of my trouble which as it is for thy sake so it is great and my danger imminent and so therefore must be and I pray thee so it may be thy help and succour 18 Thou seemest to be afar off though thou art not so in reallity for my dangers greaten upon me and the nearer they approach my life the farther seemingly at least art thou from it in compassion and providence but Lord change the scene come thou speedily to my rescue let thine own goodness and mine enemies ungratiousness move thee to work my deliverance 19 For thou Lord hast known mine innocency and their injuries how they have heaped up lies and disgraces upon me the wrong they have done me they are known to thee and so are the doers of them though they are so many I know them not all yet thou dost and both canst and wilt do me justice upon them 20 Who have so wronged and slandered me that knowing mine own innocency it cuts me to the very heart and is a great grief unto me and the more for that I have none to take my part for as some that know me to be innocent do against their own consciences traduce me so others that believe so of me their mouths for all that is stopt and they dare not or will not speak a good word for me but all men are against me or as good for none are for me to shew any compassion to my wronged innocency or to afford me any comfort and support in my misery 21 Nay instead of comforting me those that I had need of and applied my self unto added affliction to affliction in stead of affording me relief when I craved it they fell upon me with all manner of bitterness and soure usage wherein I am as a member mysticall of Christs body the Church militant so also a type of Christ personall that shall be thus befriended on the Cross comforted with no other cordials then gall and vineger in the agonie of his soul. 22 Let the present plenty and prosperity of mine enemies whereupon they bear themselves so high and which makes them so proud and merciless be the cause of thine humbling them low enough let abused mercies turn to curses as shall Christ himself be to his unjust and inhumane persecutours
and thanks-giving by mercifull and powerfull deliverances which I have celebrated accordingly 18 And now Lord approve thine unchangeableness make out thy goodness to the uttermost period of my life when I have most need stick closest to me now in my declining old age O God withdraw not thine assistance but still be helpfull to me and magnifie thy power in my weakness that I may have cause to declare thy stedfastness and al-sufficiencie to preserve and deliver out and out and may be a pattern to the faithfull throughout the whole series of my life not onely to the past but present and all succeeding ages and generations of thy power to protect by thy wonderfull deliverances vouchsafed me in all of them 19 And thy faithfulness is no less to be extolled than thy power and will be by this mercie magnified in the same degree equally sharing in the glorie of all the wonderous deliverances thou hast and shalt vouchsafe me O God how wilt thou alone be exalted and thy peoples faith strengthened when they shall consider what thou hast done for me from one end of my life to the other it will cause astonishment and admiration and make thee to rule alone in all thy peoples hearts 20 For my sake they shall never have cause to despare when they consider how often I was plunged into most intricate perplexities and yet by thine almighty hand hath been extricated out of them as I shall be out of this as well as all the rest and shall have a resurrection out of this state of death and miserie wherein I seem to be swallowed up as of the grave 21 Yea thou shalt make this humbling a step to my further exaltation and as a foil to my future glorie which shall shine the brighter for it and my present sorrows shall bring me an increase of comforts favour and peace with God and man shall succeed them 22 And as thou shalt exalt my glorie and increase my comforts so will I magnifie thee in thanks-giving and praises which with mine uttermost power and skill I will give thee and particularly for thy truths sake which hath so firmly stuck to me and never deceived me whensoever I relied upon thee for it who hast ever been a faithfull God unto me therefore will I all the waies I can devise celebrate thy praises in the most solemn and affectionate manner that may be O thou God of truth and never failing faithfulness to thine ellect and chosen people that put their trust in thee worship and serve thee in holiness and righteousness 23 Lord I will every way that instrument and voice art and nature inward and outward man can act and perform celebrate thy praises and that with energie of spirit in the joyfull impressions and apprehensions of the things I utter will I express my mind and not with bare lip labour my mouth shall speak my heart and both shall greatly rejoice in thy salvation 24 Nor shalt thou be the onely subject of my song or solemn worship but also of my discourse and common converse thy faithfulness and just performance of thy promises shall never be out of my mouth I will make it even my table-talk for all to take notice of when as thou shalt as I know thou wilt with shame and destruction disapoint and defeat mine enemies that conspire against me to take away my life and Kingdom The lxxii PSALM David having set Solomon upon his throne a little before he dyed praies for him and prophesies of him according to what he praies how blessed a King he shall prove and what a flourishing Church and Kingdom there shall be in his daies how he shall be admired abroad and beloved at home admirably prefiguring Christ and his spiritual Kingdom A Psalm made by David near his death for and concerning his son and successour Solomon and his government 1 O God thou by whom Kings reign as thou hast called me and my son Solomon after me to sway the Scepter of Israel so do thou inable both me for that little time I have yet to live and him in an happy succession to me with those gifts of wisdom and knowledge as also of justice and holiness that are fit for Israels King to have above the Tyrants of the world who is to represent the Messiah thy son his government in and over his Church 2 And Lord what I pray for I also prophesie in thy name concerning this my son and successour whom thou hast especially chosen before all his brethren to rule in my stead He shall with understanding and uprightness administer justice and judgement unto this thy people committed to his charge and with impartialitie with just and fatherly pitie shall he give easie access to and judge the cause of the poor of thy people as well as of the rich he shall be no accepter of persons thy proprietie in them shall make him accept and esteem them equally and administer justice to them accordingly 3 O the wonderfull happiness of peace and plentie by the blessing of God that shall be all the land over under his government by the righteous administration thereof 4 He shall not onely be a father to the poor of thy people Israel but a just impartial Judge also to all other poor that come under his governance and a mercifull protectour of the helpless one or other against those that by might would wrong and oppress them not suffering a just cause to miscarrie for want of money and friends to carry it on but himself shall be the poor mans advocate and the judge of his oppressour who shall not escape by his greatness but be severely yet justly censured according to his merits 5 In his time the Temple shall be built and the Church and people of Israel put into a flourishing condition the worship of God in the types and significant ceremonies thereof shall be in his time compleated never to receive any more augmentation after who shall reign as well long as happily and is to be the liveliest type of Christ the saviour and King of his Church who in the age of the Gospel when he is come and taken upon him the Kingdom shall have a people a Church as in all places so in all ages of the world that shall fear and worship him in spirit and truth according to those resemblances that shall be in Solomons daies 6 His wise and just administrations with sweet and gracious deportments shall clear up the hearts of his people and make Israel by the blessing of God grow again and be a flourishing Common-wealth that hath undergone sad times and afflictions formerly like as Christ shall with evangelical Doctrines and the heavenly divine graces of his spirit distil into and upon the hearts of his people to their spiritual growth and refreshing 7 Together with the worship of God shall the number of the righteous people
being himself the master builder 2 The Lord hath made a special choice of and expressed therein a particular respect before all the rest of the land of Judah and Israel to the hill of Sion scituate in Jerusalem and to Jerusalem in the whole circumference therof for Sions sake where his Tabernacle Ark and Temple is for there true religion must abide till the coming of the Messiah and hence it must be spread over all the world 3 However outwardly Jerusalem is by the heavy mis-fortunes that have befallen her much lessened in beauty and glory to what she was yet glorious prophesies of spiritual excellencies whereof the former splendour was but adumbrations are recorded concerning her which are not yet fulfilled O thou citie of Gods peculiar love and election be yet comforted and confident they shall be doubt it not 4 Such glory shall shine from the tops of thy holy mountains and from thy holy citie as much changed as it is as shall be resplendent all the world over insomuch as I dare promise thee a mighty access of free-denizons members of the Church a glorious recruit of many that God shall call from all the parts teach to know and reverence him and thee for his sake even out of remote countries and from amongst thy bitter enemies as Egypt Babylon the Philistines Tyre and Ethiopia they shall flock to thee when the Messiah is known to be in thee and being partakers of the new birth shall be ambitious to be called after thy name children of the new Jerusalem 5 And as they shall be ambitious to be citizens of Jerusalem so also to be sons and daughters of Sion in a word they shall think themselves happy and blessed that they are begotten to God made partakers of the spiritual and new birth regenerated by the holy ghost and so incorporated in the seed and posteritie of faithful Abraham heirs of the Covenant and grace of salvation with us and so naturalized into the priviledge and participation of God and his worship practized in the Church typified by Sion which new Jerusalem and her denizons Sion and her children shall be founded upon the power of God who shall uphold and maintain her to perpetuitie so that the gates of hell shall not prevail against her Kingdoms and Empires shall have their period but the Church Christs Kingdom who is above all blessed for ever shall be everlasting 6 Yea the Lord himself shall name thy name upon his called and elect ones he shall muster them in the role of thy souldiers and number them in the catalogue of thy Citizens all that are his shall also be thine sons and daughters begotten of God but born in Sion as God shall be their Father so Sion shall be their mother by which name the Church it self shall be called A glorious priviledge 7 And as Sion shall be glorious in a numerous spiritual of-spring so in equivalent solemnities to what she was wont to have nay beyond it for whereas all Israel had but one Temple then every Israelite every member of this new Jerusalem shall be a Temple and every one of those Temples furnished with the substances of all those shadowish significant ceremonies the Church shall have no want of voices and musical instruments to praise the Lord withall they shall be in abundance men of large graces and enlarged hearts My heart is ravished with the apprehension of the happiness of those times what graces what comforts all that a faithful soul can desire or a hungrie soul stands in need of shall be plentifully supplied to the Church and the members thereof in this new Jerusalem and spiritual Sion wherewith I desire to be happie and hereof to share as being indeed the onely comfortable soul-refreshing musick The lxxxviii PSALM Heman a man extraordinarie wise exercised with extraordinarie trouble yea even all his life long applies himself to God by a faithful insinuation pathetical narration of the superlative nature of his afflictions and humble interrogation or expostulation touching the long continuance of them in such extremitie upon him is in hope because God hath stirred him up to pray that he himself will be moved to hear and that though he live miserable yet he shall not die so concludes as he began with expostulation and narration A Psalm made to be both sung played by the Korathites and committed to him that is most skilful upon the instrument Mahalath Leannoth to which it is chiefly set for his ordering it being a Psalm of instruction an exemplarie pattern how every sincere servant of the Lord is to demean himself towards God by ardent prayer and humble expostulation when his hand is heavie upon him in the pressure of a troubled spirit or other grievous adversitie penned by Heman one of the sons of Zerah of the posteritie of Judah famous for his wisdom 1 Kings 4.31 1 O Lord God who for all thy heavy hand upon me art my souls Saviour and I am sure must be my sole deliverer out of this anxietie and I hope wilt be so as my grief is extream so are my complaints pathetical and my prayers unto thee exceeding ardent and that without ceasing as is my misery 2 Let a poor mournfull man have admittance and his prayer audience with thee the great God estrange not thy self alwaies but vouchsafe a gracious condescention to me a poor crying creature in great extremity 3 For the anguishments of my soul are an inseparable burthen which are heaped brim-full upon it in so great a measure as the weight of them almost presseth my life and soul out of my body and I am reduced to the very point of death by them 4 By the troubles of my mind my body is quite wasted I am a very skelliton nothing but skin and bones as weak as water no strength left in me so that by all symptoms I am by all that see me given for a dead man irrecoverable 5 Though I live yet my soul is as if it were departed for it administers no comfortable communion to my body which is as a corps laid out for burying and I no more to be reckoned amongst the living but a free-denizon of another society of that moietie of mankind which are dead nor do I die as others by a natural death in the ordinarie way and by ordinarie means of sickness or old-age but I languish under a wounded spirit God as an enraged enemie thrusts mine heart through as it were with a sharp sword and sends me by a violent death down into the grave where is ended all that care and providence thou hast over us whilest we are living there I shall be as it were laid out of thy sight and forgotten thy hand of providence which was wont to provide and care for me then shall be quite quite of me and I both untimely and violently ravished from it as they that lose their lives by some ireful
my wonderfull preservation and deliverance 19 When I was at the fullest of anxious cares and troublous thoughts were revolved in my breast by reason of my desperate condition what would become of me then when I but cast the eys of my mind upon thine all-sufficiencie and faithfulness I was presently quieted and never am so deep plunged in sorrow but these bladders bear me up again and make my joy and hope surmount them 20 Lord wilt thou that art the Judge of all the World not judge righteously shall the wicked scape thee as they do the corrupt Judges here on earth No thou wilt not suffer tyrants and persecutors of thy people always to rule over them in thy stead whose King thou properly art such as make laws flat against thine enact sin and legitimate their unjust and mischievous practises against thy people 21 They conspire and plot the destruction of the righteous yea sit in judgement upon the godly as upon malefactours and right or wrong condemn them to death though they can find no just accusation against them 22 But maugre the malice and injustice of mine enemies I doubt not of defence from them I have found God an al-sufficient refuge and safe hiding-place and my faith is in him as it was therefore I fear not but to find him the same God now as ever heretofore in my defence and preservation 23 Yea he shall compass my deliverance and the deliverance of his Church by her enemies confusion their fall shall be her rise what they purpose against Gods people shall redound upon themselves to their own mortal wounding this our good and Almightie Lord God is able to do and to the glorie of his faithfulness and praise of his power he shall effect it to all mens admiration The xcv PSALM David as appears by Heb. 4.7 was authour of this Psalm wherein he incites the people solemnly unanimously and affectionately to sing praise and thanks to God for his grace to them and his greatness in himself and over the world and not to be like their fore-fathers rebellious and unbelieving but to hear and obey lest imitating their sins they share in their plagues 1 2 O How meet a thing it is for all us Israelites the adopted people of the Lord frequently to meet together and with willing minds and thankfull hearts to set forth the praises of the Lord in solemn assemblies let us unanimously and cheerfully do so even sing aloud the praise-worthy preservations that he the Rock of our salvation hath in all ages vouchsafed unto us Let us joyfully repair to his sanctuary in the faith of his presence according to his promise with our hearts full-fraught with the memorie of his mercies and our lips gratuitously pouring out the praises of them before him there singing joyfully with all the melodious harmonie of voyces and instruments the Psalms made for that purpose 3 For who is there like him or who is besides him worthy of worship He onely is God great in might and majestie doing whatsoever pleaseth him the onely Potentate whose is the kingdom power and glory The maker of all things besides whom there is no God though falsly and abusively there are gods many and lords many as heathenish idols civil majestrates glorified Angels yea divels also bear that name but he is above every thing so called and commanded them as well as us 4 5 What is there that he hath not fashioned and framed in all the world and consequently which are not at his command and dispose from the bottom of the bottomless sea to the top of the mightiest mountains in the whole earth for both land and sea were made by him and possessed of those places they enjoy at first he commanded the al-over-flowing waters now the sea to the abyss prepared for them that the face of the earth might appear above them for the use of man and beast and so it did 6 O let me exhort you again and again chearfully and joyntly with unanimitie and gratuitie to frequent the tabernacle of this immense majestie there to worship him in all the ways and ordinances he hath appointed and adore his great and glorious name by humbling and prostrating our selves before him with lowly hearts and bended knees in token of giving our whole selves a living and reasonable sacrifice unto him as a homage due to so Almighty a God and our Creatour of whom we as well as all other things had our beeings and have still 7 8 9 Nor is that all but besides the common interest of Creation he is our God by special Election who governs us not onely by common providence as all mankind but by special gubernation as his Church and chosen people to whom and on whom he hath bestowed his saving truths and ordinances for us to feed upon and grow by unto everlasting life and happiness we are not of his flock which he turns out to the wide world as sheep-masters do some sheep to commons and fallows but we are his pasture-sheep yea his cades brought up at hand his very domesticks these priviledges we have if we know how to use them and walk worthy of them obedientially hearkening to the voice and submitting to the guidance of this shepherd of Israel and not after so much and so long experience as we have of him his goodness faithfulness and power at this time above what our fore-fathers had formerly and the light that now shines amongst us towards the perfect day more than it did then harden our hearts as they at Meribah and Massah the place where they chid with Moses and with ungratefull unbelief questioned the power and presence of the Almightie whether he were with them and would or could supply their want of water after the great things he had done for them all along from Egypt thither when as he expected far other from them considering what things he had even then done for them but much more for us since then and therefore expects much more from us for this was in the wilderness long ago during their peregrination there short of our times and what we have seen when yet God expected even then and there their faith and obedience to have been answerable to his care and providence and therefore there proved them purposely but instead of hearkening to the voice of Moses and of his miracles to trust in him faithfully and walk before him humbly in a meek and patient depending on him and seeking to him in their necessities they speak rebelliously mutined and murmured at God and his servant ungratefully and instead of submitting themselves to the will and dispensations of God to be proved by him that they might have opportunity to shew forth their faith and obedience in and to him that had done such great things for them they turned it to a contrarie use obstinately tempting and proving him by misbelieving and
obedience to thee their Creatour made hast to their confinement at thy appointment Thy word of command pronounced with such power and Majestie as if the heavens had thundred upon them so awed them that it made them yield ready obedience and give place to the surface of the earth to appear above them that ere while were so far above it 8 But when as thy pleasure was otherwayes made known they in post hast break through thick and thin nothing could stay them mountains could not dam them nor level and flat valleys hold them from speeding their course to the place thou hadst appointed for them so effectual was thy command that ascending and descending up-hill and down-hill was then alike easie to them they could rest no where till they were imbodied in the Abyss that thou createdst for them to be their elemental place and station 9 And as by the force and efficacie of thy command they were thus with-drawn from over-flowing the earth into the depths prepared for them and made to yield a readie obedience to it so by the same Almightie power are they now kept in that station by no more visibler bounds than the bare sands that they cannot return to that universal inundation though by their mountainous waves and raging violence they shew their propensitie and inclination and that a supernatural power onely restrains them 10 Which water he returns again amongst the hils and valleys not as it would by a deluge but as he wills by an orderly and usefull way of springs and rivers which though issuing from the salt sea yet are so strained through the veins of the earth and thereby refined that they are made fresh and are refreshing to all creatures both in mountains and valleys where they spring up and run down 11 To the satisfying of all sorts of beasts where ever bred and fed by natures instinct whether on hils or in dales those that are out of mans reach to provide for and of themselves have no forecast as other creatures have yet does the Lord out of his al-sufficient store-house so dispose it that they have no lack but as he hath ordained the fields to give them meat even in the most desert places of the earth where the foot of man never trod there also hath he ordered nature to give them drink by springs and rivers rising and running here and there for the quenching of their thirst and maintaining the life that God hath given them 12 The fowls of the air resort thither also as well as the beasts of the field selecting by special instinct such places as are well watered to be conversant in building their nests and chirping out their notes in those trees that grow in and about them being thereby maintained fresh and green fittest for them 13 14 And as thus he provides for one part of natures sustenance the quenching of thirst so also for the satisfying of hunger he as a faithfull and bountifull Creatour and benefactour supplies the creature in both and therefore waters the earth it self by seasonable and plentifull showres even the high hils and barren mountains have the influences and dew falls off the clouds from heaven upon them to the satisfying and quenching of their thirst too so that thereby the earth is every where made fruitfull by the Lords thus husbanding of it and caring for it and brings forth every creature in its kind and according to the nature thereof both grass and hearbs for food for man and beast as it was at first appointed to do which otherwise would be barren and fruitless 15 Nor doth the Lord cause the earth of it self onely by his own husbandry to bring forth mere necessaries to sustain nature but also by his blessing upon mans art and industrie makes it bring forth far better things than hearbs which as they are of near affinity with grass and appointed for the food of man to humble him into the apprehension of some kind of equality with the very beasts so to shew his supremacie above them he also hath bountifully enriched the earth for his sake with store of creatures of a higher kind and of better nutriment and that not onely to sustain but delight nature in a lawfull and moderate sort as wine to chear the heart within and strengthen the stomack oyl and sweet oyntments to fresh his countenance without and refresh his senses and corn whereof bread is made that staff of mans life wherewith above all it is supported 16 What is there that hath life that God doth not provide for or that can live without him of what kind soever whether they be creatures rational as man sensitive as beasts or vegetive as hearbs that grow upon the surface of the earth or trees that lift up their tops on high they also wheresoever they are take root by his appointment and grow up and increase to their height breadth and bigness by the thriving moisture he affords them watering the earth with showres which as well gives sap sufficient for them as for the meanest shrub or hearb that grows thereon Those famous trees of Lebanon which exceed all others in the world for height and growth were such by his special blessing being intended and put to a special use the building of the temple 17 Them hath he ordained to be a place of harbour and delight to the fowls of the air where they secretly make their nests out of harms way each according to their natural instinct as the stork in the fir-trees because the highest of all the rest 18 All things and all places have their use and property and each creature its several disposition way and means of life and preservation as the high trees harbour birds so the high hils the wild goats the unaccessible rocks they are not uninhabited neither the coneys climbe them though other creatures cannot and so secure themselves and there propagate their kind by a natural instinct given them of God of self-preservation 19 Nor are the earth and the things thereof onely ordered by him but the heavens also and those glorious luminaries that so orderly succeed one another and measure out time into days nights moneths years yea the several seasons in each year as summer winter spring Autumn all these are regularly squared out of God by the sun and moons vicissitudes declensions altitudes and augmentations 20 And as thou hast made the day and the light thereof usefull for some creatures that converse more orderly and civilly than others so again hast thou ordained the night and the darkness thereof to be the time when beasts of prey and rapine take their turns and come out of their dens and caves by a wise and gracious providence awing their natures by the day light that then other creatures as men and cattel may with more securitie go about their business and sustain their natures without hazard of their lives
their minds in the practical contemplation of him in them that they may affect their hearts toward him with suitable frame of thankfulness and praise for the greatness and goodness they are sensible of thereby 3 All that he hath done declares him to be for honour and power incomprehensible nor shall one word fail of all that he hath spoken concerning what he will do his Prophesies and promises yea and his threatenings too are as sure to be fulfilled as those which are already 4 The Lord hath done such memorable and admirable things for his Church in all ages as are never to be forgotten but with praise and thanksgiving to be had in everlasting remembrance his grace in choosing and compassion in relieving and pardoning his people is worthy our best observation and memory 5 He hath provided for his Church all along the Series of their successions and in all their peregrinations so that when in humble and faithfull addresses they that feared him at any time sought unto him they had supply of needfull mercies both for themselves and others that though they were of the visible Church yet did not so well deserve at his hands their sinnes and murmurings being enough to have made God unchurch them but that he was mindfull of his covenant made with our forefathers Patriarchs and Prophets Types of Christ not to do it of which as then he was so still he is and ever will be mindfull to be as good as his word in sparing and pardoning his people and blessing and preserving them when in fear of him and in the faith of his covenant they in humble-wise seek his favour towards them 6 He made manifest enough his exceeding great power in those miraculous victories he gave his people Israel over the Cananites when they entered the promised land which had been long possessed and inhabited by those heathenish Idolaters whom the Lord rooted out to establish them in it 7 The things he hath wrought have not onely been Acts of power but also of Truth and Justice his promises as well as his power have been written in legible Caracters in those his wonderfull dispensations to and for his Church as also his righteous judgements long before threatened to such wicked wretches and as his works have approved the faithfulness and infallibility of his promises and comminations so that other part of his word the Law of Commandments a safe rule to walk by is likewise as firm God looks they shall be obeyed by his people as certainly and undispensably as he gives them leave to expect his promises and threats to be fullfilled by him for them 8 Both the one and the other his word and works commands and providences as to his Churches preserving and governing are built upon a firm foundation the good pleasure and free grace of God according to his word and covenant and as inseperable companions go together God is good and doth good to those that are good and keep his commandments and ever will be so his truth and faithfulness binds him to be so and to do so to such as in truth and uprightness serve him 9 The Lord from time to time when his people were in jeopardy or the thraldom for their sinns if they cried unto him and humbled themselves before him he delivered them he hath established his covenant of free-grace as firm as any Law and hath bound himself by the one as firmly as us by the other so that his people shall ever find him to be the same unchangeable God for their good alwayes provided they walk worthy of him and becomingly towards him in reverence of his Majesty and obedience to his holiness 10 A man that hath never so much worldly wisdom and lives in sinne is for all that all that while but a fool till in the faithfull application of Gods saving goodness he be an altered man and fearing to offend him is carefull in all things to please him then and never till then he begins to be wise with that which is true wisdom for onely they have a right understanding both of the chiefest good and their chiefest end what 's best for themselves and why they were made that fulfill the will of God their Creatour living thereafter for therein is great reward As his mercy and faithfulness is and ever shall be firm to his faithfull and obedient people and Church in her preservation and her enemies confusion so ought to be his praises as long and large as his benefits which shall have no end The cxii PSALM The Psalmist stirrs up the people of the Lord in works to praise him the benefit whereof will be theirs their persons and posterities will be blessed by it in wo as well as in weal will God graciously visit such He sheweth a charitable minded man is much set by of God and by faith and a good conscience in the worst of times enjoys himself happily spite of those that malign him his liberall giving to the poor shall enrich him when as the covetous wretch for all his carking and caring shall suffer want and envy his abundance 1 LEt the Lord have his due praises for his great deservings and admirable excellencies that appear to be in him by what we see done by him and that not onely vocall but reall for he principally praiseth him and is certainly blessed of him that with a filiall fear dares not offend him and with a faith working by love is carefull in all things to please and obey him whose happiness is holiness and sinne his greatest affliction 2 Nor will God determine his blessings upon himself but extend them further even to his posterity walking in his wayes witness our forefather Abraham how did the Lord multiply his seed according as he promised and like blessings hath he in store for faithfull Abrahams faithfull off-spring who walking as he did with an upright heart before God in perfect obedience shall be as he was blessed in their own persons and posterities 3 God will both increase his family and provide well for it whereof our times and the times of our forefathers and Scripture-records have given good testimony He and his shall reap the benefit of his and their righteousness by a Series of blessings successively transferred by virtue of the covenant made to him and them for many generations 4 And though God doth not alwayes bless him that is of an upright heart and righteous conversation with externall affluence for his dispensations though agreeable to wisdom and justice are various yet this such an one may be sure of that he shall find God most trusty in his greatest trialls and no such cloud of tribulation shall ever over-shadow him but the sunne of righteousness shall shine through it upon his soul with healing consolations in his wings for God whatsoever he may seem to be by his outward dispensations is in his native disposition
for the good and well-fare of his Church and to be a type of Christ be blessed in his own person and a means of much blessing unto Israel and blessed of them again with a prayer and praise to God for him and his Government Yea let the Priests of the Lord that wait upon the Altar whose office by the Lords special appointment it is to bless his people discharge their sacred function in performance of that holy action from out that sacred place where they immediatly attend the Lords service upon David and his people the figure of Christ and his Church and let him and them be blessed accordingly both of Priests and people that worship within or without in the Courts of the sanctuarie of the Lord. 27 God hath approved himself to be the Lord omnipotent for that he hath brought us out of a miserable estate void of temporal but especially spiritual felicitie having of late nothing but confusion amongst us in Church and Kingdom and reduced us to a comfortable condition in both principally in the enjoyment of the Doctrine and ordinances of his saving truth and holy worship which by David and Christ that blessed type and Antytipe are made to shine forth upon the Church and people of God after the dark times of Sauls reign and Gentilism like as the sun comforts and lightens all creatures when the darkness is past for which unspeakable and unvaluable mercie let us therefore bring those offerings and sacrifices the Law appointeth accompanied with sincere and hearty praise and thanks-givings before him and tie them with cords ready for their oblation and that in abundance answerable to his benefits and for the larger expression of our praises in proportion to those Holocausts of Hallelujahs that shall be offered under Christs regiment Let the people by their frank and liberal offerings find the Priests store of work in their sacrificing imployment at the Altar 28 For my part I am resolved to lead the way by mine example unto thy praising and magnifying and I confess cause I have to do so if I consider how much thou hast done for me and how thou hast made choice of me to this place and office of honour and service 29 As I begun so I conclude with hearty advice and instigation to be mindful of and thankful for the goodness of God whose mercie to his Church and faithful people never failed nor never shall The cxix PSALM This Psalm by the Author of it which some say and by many circumstances probably was David in his flight and exile is divided into 22 parts according to the number and order of letters in the Hebrew Alphabet each part containing eight verses and the first word of every verse in each part beginning with the same letter that is prefixet to the part it self as it is in order and succession in the Hebrew A. B. C. which its conceived was done for help of memorie The Psalm is without title and for the matter of it drives on no one particular subject but partly by the Psalmists own example and partly by rule is represented what is requisit to enter a man into and carrie him through a holy life specially in an afflicted state which are promiscuously scattered throughout the Psalm promises precepts documents prayers being variously intermingled and to be taken notice of accordingly by the Reader as they happen in his way as also the Authors exalting Gods grace and decrying self in his own person a president for all and a confutation of all self-opinionists or justiciaries whether Papists Armenians in judgement or practise mâ—n morally righteous or carnally confident Israelitish Christians which worship God but not in the spirit and rejoyce but not in Christ Iesus having confidence in the flesh contrarie to Paul Phil. 3.3 and David throughout this Psalm Aleph Is the first letter of the Hebrew Alphabet and is therefore here according to order prefixed to the first part of this Psalm to signifie that it is so and so do all the rest of the Letters in their ranck and order as they are prefixed to each part signifie alike numerarie orderly succession of the rest of the parts of this Psalm for instance The second letter Beth signifies that to be the second part and the third letter the third part and so of the rest 1 ALl men would be blessed but certainly happie and onely happie is here and shall be hereafter that man that seeks not after a sensual sinful felicitie as most do but on the contrarie throughout the whole course and trade of his life approves himself as one that walks towards heaven in heavens way in conscience to God avoiding the spots and stains of every sin in heart and life that may render him unpleasing or unsightly with God and strives to walk exactly in holy obedience to all his commandments to his well-pleasing 2 Yea they onely do and shall partake of true happiness peace of conscience and favour with God which deviate not into by-wayes of their own fancying but keep constant to an obediential walking with him according to the rules he in his word hath prescribed and commanded and that set so high a rate upon his grace and favour as to over-value it to all other happiness and therefore pray for it as their chiefest good and strive to walk worthy of it in all well-pleasing with sincere and entire obedience 3 Nor dare they transgress or willingly contract the least guilt of any known sinne upon themselves out of a filiall fear of displeasing God and forfeiting his favour but carefully tread his paths which onely lead to life and true happiness and bring with them sweet peace of conscience and seals of sincerity 4 And if it be asked what is the cause of the blessed mans exact walking and not taking the liberty that others do to sinne it is because he prefers Gods will before his own because the holy God strictly commandeth holiness therefore is he strict in observance to do thereafter to keep all and break none of his commandments 5 Lord let other men take other courses my prayer is and ever shall be that I may be so happy as to be enabled by thee to walk in well-pleasing to thee all my dayes and in all my wayes according to the rule of righteousness 6 Others think shame of holiness but I count it my glory yea the more holiness the less shame to come short of duty and sincerity is onely shame-worthy make me therefore in sincerity of heart and integrity of life to do thy whole will with my whole heart and then and never but then am I as I would be because then and onely then I am as I ought to be able to look God and man in the face free from an evil conscience 7 Truly Lord if I know mine own heart and I take it to be upright towards thee there is nothing that thou
sure to do it and no doubt had done it long ere this but that God would not let them but still preserved and wonderfully delivered us from being swept away with a total destruction as was intended and easie else to have been effected by them 6 O let us lay it seriously to heart and heartily bless and praise the Lord our God for so long preserving and so many sundry times delivering us by no less than miraculous power from the crueltie and outrage of such barbarous bloudie enemies and that hath not been provoked by our sinful ingratitude himself to give us for a prey to their destructive malice as in justice he might 7 But hath brought us notwithstanding all their power malice and treacherie wherewith we have been long insnared and indangered on all hands into a state of libertie and freedom not onely given us our lives for a prey but a libertie from them yea a superioritie above them insomuch as now we are asmuch too strong for them as they were wont to be too strong for us and have them asmuch at an under as they had us their strength is become weakness and by his goodness our weakness is become strength too strong for them 8 Let the power and goodness of God have the praise and glorie of what is done and wrought for us both as to our preservation and exaltation and as in time past we have found him so for time to come let us believe in him as ought the Church and people of God to do in all ages of the world Let us and they magnifie his power and goodness in all estates and times not despairing in adversitie nor presuming in prosperitie but in the one hopefully and in the other humbly believe in him as our all-sufficient and onely deliverer and preserver not fearing nor Idolizing an arm of flesh or second causes but rely on and seek to the onely true God that made all things and disposeth all things and is able to help above all power to hurt if we believe and to hurt above all power to help if we presume The cxxv PSALM For the encouragement of the faithful and sincere hearted the Psalmist tells them as what they must meet with so what they may trust in firm protection in their sorest affliction And addeth praier to promise But bids the hypocrites hands off tells them their doom that are in but not of the Church to whom onely blessedness belongs See the title of the 120 Psalm 1 BElieve firmly in the Lord and you shall be established every such an one is as dear to God as mount Sion it self where is his Temple Ark and all his sanctuarie-worship every faithful servant of God being spiritually all these a living Temple Priest and sacrifice a very heaven on earth in whom God is really more than typically present and to whom belongs all the promises made to the Church in general so that though he may be externally assaulted and seemingly indangered with ghostly enemies and manifold temptations and trials as Jerusalem by the Gentile nations round about yet shall the same invincible guard and protection be upon him and them that so believe as upon it so that the gates of hell shall never prevail against them to un-establish or disinterest them as to the rock whereon they and the whole Church of God are built unmoveably by faith Christ Jesus 2 See you the hills that compass this Citie Jerusalem hence let your faith helped by setting your imagination on work raise a suitable Idea of Gods encompassing his faithful Church and people yea every such one by his Almighty power and guard of Angels for their sure defence and preservation against all assaults of the world and divel who also surround them and this is as everlasting as those mountains an infallible truth for all and every faithful servant of the Lord in all ages and places of the world now and ever to trust unto 3 Not that the godly are in this world exempt from oppression and temptation no for they are the great eye-sore of Satan the Prince of the world and all his malignant instruments and natural Subjects the men of the world which with their utmost malice and power shall labour to afflict the faithful as the Gentile nations do Israel and partly for their sins partly for their trial and exercise of their graces which God sets much by they may be permitted to sit sore upon their skirts and put them to it but this be sure of that the siedge shall be raised before the Town be taken no afflictions nor afflictors by what ever wicked practises shall any longer be permitted to oppress the righteous than they have grace to sustain them under it God allwayes gages one by the other afflictions to the faithful are often less never more tempted they may be and sint hey may by their frailtie and strength of temptation but fall away by sinning they never shall for God is faithfull who will not suffer them to be tempted above that they are able but will with the temptation make a way to escape that they may be able to bear it 4 This is thy promise which as in faithfulness it is made so as faithfully shall it be performed to those that are faithful and holy but thou wilt be sought unto by them and for them for thy promise and its performance is of grace not of debt even to the righteous themselves O Lord therefore be intreated in the name and for the sake of all thy people to be ever mindful of it to do according to it in time of need Let mercie and protection be extended seasonably and effectually to those that themselves are good and suffer in a cause that is good by those that are evil Yea bless with all manner of blessings those that in sinceritie of heart believe in thee and are careful to please thee with integritie of soul and universalitie of obedience active and passive 5 But as for those linsy-woolfy professours Israelites after the flesh that have a room in the Church but no firm rooting in religion that serve the Lord in shew and not in substance neither know him perfectly believe in him firmly nor serve him sincerely either with a right heart or by a right rule but are divided in their faith and affections trusting and obeying by halves deviating into by-wayes and carnal confidences of their own to their own self-pleasing such hypocrites counterfeits in pietie how ever commixed with the Godly partakers of their outward priviledges and formal worshippers of the same God in the self-same ordinances yet the all-seeing and heart-searching eye of God knows them notes them and esteems them as bad as the very Gentiles who worship Idols these making an Idol of the true God when they worship him and their reward and portion shall be alike judgement shall be pronounced against them both and they cast out
the vile from the precious which here are undistinguished into the place of execution torment together But blessed are they that are Israelites indeed that worship God in spirit and in truth who onely are the Israel and Church of God grace and peace from God their Father through Christ their Saviour shall be their portion interessed in their consciences to their unspeakable consolation here with assurance of glory hereafter The cxxvi PSALM This Psalm shews the excess of joy the Iews specially the Godly had at Gods wonderfull infranchising them after their long captivitie in Babylon which the heathen themselves admired God for but much more his people who pray for accomplishment of those happy beginnings and promise out of their own experience and â—aith that all Gods people that undergo afflictions patiently shall have them end happily See the title of the cxx Psalm 1 AFter we had endured a long and grievous captivitie in Babylon the figure of Satan and Antichrist exiled out of our own countrey and from the priviledges we there enjoyed of worshiping God in Jerusalem at last when the set time was come prefixed long before by Jeremiah's prophesie and that according thereunto the Lord so miraculously moved the heart of Cyrus a heathen Potentate to proclaim our libertie with so much unexpected favour and accommodation for our journey and entertainment at our journeys end when we came into Canaan with leave there to dwell and to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple and there to worship God as formerly It was so great a mercy after so long a miserie so unexpected and improbable considering the disproportion of our abject condition and Cyrus his greatness not worth his taking notice of and so strange to come of himself an Infidel and Pagan together with the suddenness of it and the over-joy we conceived at it that we know not whether we apprehended it sleeping or waking we could scarce believe our own ears what we heard of it or our own hearts what we thought of it to be real fearing the certainty and yet hoping the truth 2 But when we had over-come our amazement and were come to our selves and had digested the certainty and wonderfulness of the thing O the unexpressable joy that we were in like men besides our selves not knowing how to vent our passions sometimes congratulating it amongst our selves with inarticulate laughter and hands lifted up to heaven in stupified admiration other-sometimes more soberly resolving our joy into articulate expressions of thanks and praises expressed in Psalms and Hymns And as God over-powered the King to grant it so he convinced the very heathens in their kind to magnifie him for it those with whom we were captive could not but see and admire the finger of God in this their own very act of our deliverance so much against their nature and interest and to acknowledge both the transcendencie of the King and of the power that wrought it to the glory of our God whom they were forced to magnifie in our behalfs that formerly had contemned both him and us 3 Surely we can say no less of it than they that the Lord hath wrought wonders for us yea let us at least go one step beyond them as we have cause If they that are blind Idolaters and bare spectatours are yet so far enlightened by it as to have the sight of God in it and to magnifie though not gratifie him for it let us do more every way indear it that are the immediate subjects of so rich mercie not onely see his power and greatness as they do but admire his love and goodness thank him for it as a benefit inestimable as well as praise him for it as a miracle and with a holy avarice take the praises out of their mouthes that are no sharers in it and appropriate both him and it wholly to our selves by a joyfull welcom of God again amongst us in his declarative goodness and thankfull acknowledgement of his favour 4 O Lord go on to shew thine omnipotencie as in begetting and beginning so in the progression and perfecting this great work of our return from captivitie and re-establishment in Canaan that as the sun in its season makes streams like rivers to run in the droughtie desarts of southern countries where naturally there are none to the refreshing of the thirstie traveller by dissolving snow and ice from high hils and remote parts so O Lord let thy favour now it is returned upon us go on to move and melt the heathenish hearts of Cyrus his Princes and people on our behalfs to our infinite rejoycing to forward us homeward to Judah out of this our Babylonish captivity under them which with so much hardship we have long endured as also the frozen and carnal hearts of thine own very Israel to accept this opportunity and offer themselves willingly as thy people shall do in the day of thy power and Gospel-jubilee in one joynt compleat bodie universally and unanimously to return as rivers by instinct run towards the sea from whence they came to repossess and replenish our desolate countrey that as a wilderness is uninhabited except by barbarous and savage people without form or beautie of Church or Common-wealth and neither for fear or sloth in respect of difficulties or dangers in the journey or at the journeys end faithlesly draw back chuse to stay and refuse to go as carnal Christians will the tender of grace imbracing rather this present world 5 The Lord will never quite forsake his people we are a perfect emblem of his faithfulness to the faithful that submit to him and wait upon him O the sad hearts that we left our countrey withall at the command of God by his prophet Jeremiah to put our necks into this long Babylonish yoak but our sins and Gods decree had so destined it either so or worse therefore though with great renitencie as the needie husbandman in time of dearth casts his corn which should stustain him for seed into the ground in hope of future gain by present loss so we with a willing willingness for obedience sake put our selves into thraldom loth to displease and as loth to leave our libertie and countrey in hope and expectation of a joyfull return and deliverance as the Church and people of God shall ever have out of their sufferings from out this bondage as now it is made good unto us our joy surpassing our sorrow a hundred fold 6 We are set for the incouragement of the Church in whole and in every part for what is true in the general is applicable to each particular the members singly sharing the promise among them that is made to the bodie joyntly therefore may all and every one that is godly be confident that what precious faith and patience in obedience to God they sow in affliction they shall at last reap it again in reward and consolation God will wipe all tears from their
at the right hand of his Father in the heavenly Jerusalem whose blessed exaltation unto the execution of those offices there is the desire and delight of his soul as being onely well pleased in him and reconciled by him therefore so is Sion here which is the representation of him and them 15 I will multiply blessings for so thou hast said upon the whole land for Sions sake that she may be provided with all manner of store for holy services Let not the poor Israelite fear to bring his offerings and disfurnish himself to worship me as I have appointed for if the service of my sanctuarie lessen his store if there he seek me faithfully he shall carrie such a blessing home with him as he shall have no cause to repent him for I will both bless him with lively-hood let him not fear it and bless it to him 16 The Priests that there officiate in consecrated garments shall be in like manner clothed upon with the saving and sanctifying righteousness of the Messiah which in their zeal and faithful discharge of their places they shall hold forth to the example and edification of their brethren who in the sinceritie of their hearts shall bless the Lord for such happie times wherein so much of God his grace and favour appears in blessing them with a holy Priest-hood and Divine worship and powerfully protecting both it and them 17 I will bless Sion and there shall David my servant be blessed not onely in himself during the time of his regencie but after him his successour and Gods anointed King Solomon shall far exceed him in power and glorie whose wisdom which I shall give him to govern by shall shine with that brightness as shall wonderfully increase his fame and dignitie the world over who shall be a lively pattern of the anointed Messiah that also shall spring out of the stock of David that spiritual Solomon the Prince of peace and mightie counsellour 18 And his enemies that would not he should rule over them but oppose his advancement or disturb his Government I will shamefully cut off both them and their enterprises but him will I bless with a flourishing reign of glorie and affluence at home and abroad resembling Christ both in his own happiness and his enemies confusion The cxxxiii PSALM David being received of all Israel for their King by common and joynt consent after much disagreement and war among the tribes some being for and some against him He shews the happie condition they were now in upon the change how amiable and acceptable unitie had rendered them to God what a flourishing Church and Common-wealth they had and should have by it and that nothing can be a greater blessing to them nor shall be to the Church and people of God in all ages than for them to honour their father and head in heaven by living in brother-hood here on earth See the title of the 120 Psalm the Authors name superadded here 1 COnsider well the singular mercie of God in uniting all the tribes sons of the same father both by nature and adoption that were so far asunder at deadly feud and open war among themselves to the hazard of the whole had not God graciously over-ruled them to peace and unitie under one head and to be all of one heart And as the mercie so the good and benefit of this union is worthie your consideration to move you to cherish and nourish it all you can for besides that Harmonie of hearts is it self an unestimable Jewel and beautiful ornament in the Church and among the people of God a very resemblance of that concord and consort which shall be in heaven the commodities also that issue thence to the publick and every mans particular weal is very considerable and impulsive how thereby all things go well and happily forward in Church and Common-wealth the worship and service of God that flourisheth the re-publick that does the like things are now orderly constituted magistracie maintained people protected justice administred and whereas before we weakened our selves by civil wars now we are strong to defend our selves and offend our enemies round about us In breef it renders us acceptable to God comfortable to our selves and an astonishment to our adversaries both profit and pleasure yea all manner of good that can be named is complicate in and productive from this one comprehensive mercie of concord we for our parts find the sweet of it and so shall the Church of God allwayes especially after such sowr dissentious as we have waded through 2 If I would compare this brotherly union of us so of the people of God in all ages in the pleasurable delectable part of it to any thing it must be to a non-such for such it is I cannot liken it to any thing that in all points better resembleth it than that rich sacred odoriferous ointment made by the special appointment of God himself for so is peace unitie in his Church for the consecration of Aaron and his sons to their holy office and service which being plentifully poured upon the High-priests head did diffuse it self down to his beard and so from thence to the holy vestments from top to toe such in perfect analogie is this general amity wrought by God among us in the sweet savour and blessed effects of it God by me your King and head consecrated as it were to mine office by this your unanimous consent and election as with an holy unction as well as by Gods immediate designation conveighing the benefit and sweetness thereof through the blessing and mediation of the Priestly office and service as by Aarons beard down to you again and so you made happie in the sweet and comfortable benefits and blessings of both by means of amitie and unitie with them and among your selves like as the Church mystical united to her head Christ at Gods right hand in glorie and at brotherly love and amitie in it self shall be unspeakably blessed with those Divine influences of grace and spirit derived from her King and Priest Christ Jesus by the mediation and ministration of his Evangelists and Gospel-ministers down to all the members of his bodie partakers of the sweet fruits and benefits of all his offices and thereby consecrated a sweet savour even Kings and Priests to God with the self-same spirit or holy unction to their infinite honour and consolation 3 And as brotherly love and concord is a pleasant and amiable thing in it self and sweet and acceptable with God so also it is exceeding profitable and brings with it abundance of blessings peace God is wont to bless with plentie whereas wars and discord are accompanied with curses and scarcitie Look how the fruitful dew that falls upon and from mount Hermon that fertil hill down into the fields of Bashan and so abundantly enricheth them to the owners benefit or look which is indeed a properer
comparison for brotherly love is a celestial benefit how the spiritual dew is dispensed from God in heaven on those holy consecrated mountains Sion and Moriah where he vouchsafes his presence unto his people who resort thither to worship him and where they meet with soul-enriching graces and consolations othergets blessings than the dew of Hermon which makes them abound in faith and godliness to their own eternal as well as temporal felicitie such like is peace and love among the Israel and people of God it self is a special blessing from heaven and brings with it all manner of blessings from thence both temporal and spiritual if ever we mean to be rich and happie this is the way to live and love as sons of one father and mother God and the Church members of one body under one head the Messiah as all Israel shall be through love and obedience to David and his successours ruling in Sion as types of Christ. The cxxxiv. PSALM David being a man of fervour and affection in the service of God gives a watch-word to the watch-men of the Temple the Priests and Levites and in them to gospel-Ministers not regardlesly to passe over their duties but to be imployed for the whilst as Christ himself is for ever in praying for the people and Church of God and blessing both God and them and that in a proportionable zeal here to Christ and his saints in heaven in their respective imployments there See the title of the 120 Psalm 1 YOu that are by the special appointment and ordination of God chosen as Christ himself from among all your brethren and preferred to the honour of sanctuarie-administration continually in his presence consider the place you hold whom and what you personate even Jesus Christ in his Priestly office at the right hand of God who ever liveth to make intercession and offer thanks-givings for his Church to his father have that allwayes in your eie and be active suitably stand not idle in your offices nor keep not sleepie centry in the sanctuarie but as your turns come to watch do service there as well night as day rouse up your spirits call to mind the moral meaning of your imployments which is to improve your nearer interest in God by virtue of your offices for the good of his Church and people as Christ does in heaven continually through Christ presenting to God in the Churches behalf the spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanks-giving for his mercies vouchsafed together with prayers and supplications for the continuation and constant gracious dispensation of them still as there is need 2 I say again busie and lay out your selves in those sacred and religious imployments of praise and prayer neither idle nor nifle out your time and Turn in the sanctuarie nor yet with formalitie or hypocrisie do you do your service to him as bare pretenders but as holy and real performers clap your wings in your night-watches let your hearts be in heaven and your hands in token of the fervour of your spirits lifted up thitherwards and so bless the Lord not betwixt sleeping and waking but with the whole soul and bodie too considering he whom you worship is a spirit and his proper place of residence is above in the heavens whose service there for condiscention sake you personate in the sanctuarie here in types shadows wherein you must not stick but by them mount up higher even to him where he is in spirit and faith externally manifested by suitable comportment of bodily action and expression such as are significant and adorative commensurable to Gods glorie and greatness your own hearts puritie faith and fervour and the Divine condition of the Church-Triumphant in heaven 3 Your office is double faced upward and downward you are in Christs stead like Jacobs ladder on which and by which blessings are to ascend and descend for as you are the mouth of the Church and people of God to offer him their thanks and praises blessing him continually in their behalfs as Christ does the father for the elect so likewise are you to be the mouth of God down to his people to bless them from him which doubtless is as an honourable so a full imployment if you set your selves to do it as it ought to be done with that zeal and reverence the Church oweth to her head and with that delight and love the head hath in and to his bodie and fellow-members Pray therefore for and as presenting the person of Jesus Christ that effectual mediatour in his name also faithfully bless ye the Israel of God that do worship him in Sion his place of residence with the blessings of his special protection and salvation who is the onely true God and Allmighty master of heaven and earth The cxxxv PSALM The Psalmist quickens up the people of Israel in general the Priests and Levites more particularly but most especially the faithful of both sorts to magnifie and praise the Lord and this he doth by way of argument taken from the congruitie delectabilitie and dutie of it from such a people to such a God who as he is greatly to be preferred for his self-sake and the excellent power that is in him so for the effects of it towards them the grateful memorie whereof should ever be upheld for his glorie and his peoples faith sake All other Gods being but puppits he onely is God and onely to be blessed as such especially of them that are his onely people and Priests his Church preferred by him of all the world to that honour who therefore ought to honour him how and where he will be worshipped 1 O That all sorts of people would consider their dutie of praising God conscionably to discharge it in spirit and power to magnifie him for his greatness as Lord of and over all yea for his excellent attributes and properties not onely absolute but relative of grace and goodness and for his alonenes for as there is no God like him so there is no God but him O ye servants of the Lord chosen by him and set apart for that purpose what ever others do forget not you your duties not onely of your persons but of your places to praise the Lord worthily with hearts enlarged with the apprehensions of him and his manifold excellencies 2 I mean ye Priests and Levites principally be you especially conversant in this service of praising the Lord in his holy Temple where you are priviledged to administer like to the glorified saints in heaven that stand in his presence for ever more praising the Lord. Yea and all others also that are admitted to the participation of grace and that worship him in his ordinances though at greater distance whether Levites or people whose persons and praises faithfully tendered in spirit are yet really accepted and graciously regarded by the God of Israel whose presence is as well in the courts which also are sanctified as in
that by his power so alters the face of the heavens as we often see from serene and clear suddenly over-spreading them with thick and dark clouds so disposing it for the use and benefit of the earth that needs as well rain as fair weather which he transmits by those clouds so convoked and thereby causeth the earth to fructifie which else would be barren and like fallow land yea the very mountains are made pasturable by this means that are not capable of the benefit of flouds like lower grounds yet by his blessing from above are usefull and productive of grass and hearbs 9 And so provideth sustentation for the irrational creature making nature to supply the want of art and husbandrie to the very beast and that variously too according to the several kinds thereof in apt times and places producing suitable food to the several Species of that vast Genus and the birds as well as beasts are sustained and provided for by him yea those that we least set by the raven that though it be not meat for man yet God it being his creature provides meat for it and that too when they are young and early forsaken of the old and so want skill to shift for themselves yet have they their cries heard which nature hath taught them to put up their need supplied by God who even hears them 10 Think not that it is any created excellencie that commends men to God he is not moved by such objects and arguments as man is he bestows not his blessings upon man either by or for his own or the creatures strength or exceellencie to give success either therefore or thereafter 11 No that whch moves with God is his own graces active and stirring in the hearts of his people if you would be blessed of him be in favour with him then with filial fear endeavour his pleasing in all you do and avoid the contrarie and so walking before him confidently trust in him for grace and mercie chear-up your hearts in hope of his goodness and faithfulness toward you this and onely this is the way to be accepted of him and blessed by him 12 Wherein you that are his Church and people have the odds of all the world who for those extrinsecal created priviledges of men and horses may go beyond you but not as to God it is your intrinsecal graces wrought by him and active towards him that prefers you above all the world in his esteem O therefore praise the Lord ye his Israel his Church chosÌ„e that have the happiness to congregate at Jerusalem to worship him there in his holy mountain which he hath peculiarely set apart for the place to be worshiped in like as you for the people representing his church universal chosen out of the world to have the honour to worship and serve him from all others on whom he bestows his grace and in whom he onely takes content and pleasure no creature but the new creature since the fall being delightfull to him for which they therefore that are so ought to praise him even for this their happie proprietie and interest in him 13 Whereby it is that Jerusalem both real and mystical is fortified against all earthly power by divine protection stronger than horse or man the sons and daughters of the Church whereof God is the father is blessed in that their relation and interest and are under the Lords special care and power for their preservation as Jerusalem with the inhabitants and faithfull worshippers therein is and shall be secured by the special presence of God there resident 14 To whom he giveth peace and preservation spite of her many enemies even in all the borders of Israel who by the blessing of God in their own land enjoy peace and tranquilitie as his Church and people shall peace of conscience yea and with peace plentie and that of the best of earthly blessings of the flower of wheat the staff of temporal life like as his Church shall be happie as in peace of conscience so in Angels food the joy of the holy Ghost testifying the mind of God his love and favour toward them the best upholder of life spiritual 15 This thy God O Israel is he that commands all the world over and whatsoever throughout the whole creation he pleaseth effectually to will is by all creatures obeyed accordingly and can be no other nothing can give impediment to his will all second causes being at his beck to do his pleasure so that the word of command is no sooner given to any creature or creatures from one end of the world to the other but it is obeyed and the thing acted that he commanded the whole course of nature being nothing else but a ready and actual fulfilling of those things which he commands 16 Witness the several and wonderfull effects thereof how in the winter time by Gods appointmen and transmutation the earth is quite changed in form and complexion being covered over with snow a white and light substance as sheep with wâ—oll which he transmits from above and makes the hoarie frost lye upon the face of the earth scattered and dispersed as ashes when they are blowne about by the wind 17 Also the hail when it falls it is he that as he formed it above so sends it down below not in one intire coagulated bodie as is the nature of ice which would overwhelm and destroy the creature but in those showers and dispersions piece-meal as we see Who lives that is not sensible of the pinching weather that in winter time he is pleased to send and that is able to endure the extremitie of cold without helps and arts whereby to keep them warm 18 And as before he sent out his word and that caused them to be both snow and frost when and whilest they were so when he pleaseth to change the scene and that the earth and waters shall return to their proper elementarie appearance again he doth but give the word and it is done as it made them so it dissolves them he commands but a moist thawing wind for the winds also are his and at his dispose to blow and that melts the snow and ice into the water whereof it was congealed and so reduceth the rivers which in that could season were bound up with a firm unmoveable bodie of ice into their motion and current as before with an over-flowing augmentation by the dissolving of those waterie Meteors 19 By the word of his power creative and providential he is thus seen and known all the world over no people nor nation but partake thereof evidently But to Israel Jacobs posteritie his Church and chosen people doth he besides that hold forth another manner of word to wit a word of grace declaring his whole will to them and government over them not onely as a Creatour but a Lord and Saviour and so also owning them for his not
Kings of the earth set themselves and the Rulers took counsel together against the Lord and against his anointed saying 3 Let us break their bands asunder and cast away their cords from us 4 He that sitteth in the Heavens shall laugh the Lord shall have them in derision 5 Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath and vex them in his sore displeasure 6 Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Sion 7 I will declare the decree the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day hâ—ve I begotten thee 8 Ask of me and I shall give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession 9 Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potters vessel 10 Be wise now therefore O ye Kings be instructed ye Judges of the earth 11 Serve the Lord with fear and rejoyce with trembling 12 Kiss the Son lest he be angry and ye perish from the way when his wrath is kindled but a little blessed are all they that put their trust in him Psalm 3. A Psalm of David when he fled from Absalom his son 1 LOrd how are they encreased that trouble meâ— many are they that rise up against me 2 Many there be which say of my soul There is no help for him in God Selah 3 But thou O Lord art a shield for me my glory and the lifter up of my head 4 I cried unto the Lord with my voice and he heard me out of his holy hill Selah 5 I laid me down and slept I awaked for the Lord sustained me 6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people that have set themselves against me round about 7 Arise O Lord save me O my God for thou hast smitten all â—ine enemies upon the cheek bone thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly 8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord thy blessing is upon thy people Selah Psalm 4. To the chief musician on Neginoth A Psalm of David 1 HEar when I call O God of my righteousness thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress have mercie upon me and hear my prayer 2 O ye sons of men how long will ye turn my glorie into shame how long will ye love vanitie and seek after leasing Selah 3 But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself the Lord will hear when I call unto him 4 Stand in aw and sin not commune with your own heart upon your bed and be still Selah 5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord. 6 There be many that say who will shew us any good Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us 7 Thou hast put gladness in my heart more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased 8 I will both lay me down in peace and sleep for thou Lord onely makest me dwel in safetie Psalm 5. To the chief musician upon Neginoth A Psalm of David 1 GIve ear to my words O Lord consider my meditations 2 Hearken unto the voice of my crie my King and my God for unto thee will I pray 3 My voyce shalt thou hear in the morning O Lord in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee and will look up 4 For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness neither shall evil dwell with thee 5 The foolish shall not stand in thy sight thou hatest all workers of iniquitie 6 Thou shalt destroy them that speak leasing the Lord will abhor the bloudie and deceitful man 7 But as for me I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercie and in thy fear will I worship toward thy holy Temple 8 Lead me O Lord in thy righteousness because of mine enemies make thy way straight before my face 9 For there is no faithfulness in their mouth their inward part is very wickedness their throat is an open sepulchre they flatter with their tongue 10 Destroy thou them O God let them fall by their own counsels cast them out in the multitude of their transgressioâ—s for thy have rebelled against thee 11 But let all those that put their trust in thee rejoyce let them ever shout for joy because thou defendest him let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee 12 For thou Lord wilt bless the righteous with favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield To the chief musician on Neginoth upon Sheminith A Psalm of David 1 O Lord rebuke me not in thine anger neither chasten me in thy hot displeasure 2 Have mercie upon me O Lord for I am weak O Lord heal me for my bones are vexed 3 My soul is also soar vexed but thou O Lord how long 4 Return O Lord deliver my soul o save me for thy mercie sake 5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee in the grave who shall give thee thanks 6 I am wearie with my groaning all the night make I my bed to swim I water my couch with my tears 7 Mine eye is consumed because of grief it waxeth old because of all mine enemies 8 Depart from me all ye workers of iniquitie for the Lord hath heard the voice of my weeping 9 The Lord hath heard my supplication the Lord will receive my prayer 10 Let all mine enemies be ashamed and sore vexed let them return and be ashamed suddenly Psalm 7. Shiggaion of David which he sang unto the Lord concerning the words of Cush the Benjamite 1 O Lord my God in thee do I put my trust save me from all them that persecute me and deliver me 2 Lest he tear my soul like a Lion renting it in pieces while there is none to deliver 3 O Lord my God if I have done this if there be iniquitie in my hands 4 If I have rewarded evil unto him that was at peace with me Yea I have delivered him that without cause is mine enemie 5 Let the enemie persecute my soul and take it yea let him tread down my life upon the earth and lay mine honour in the dust Selah 6 Arise O Lord in thine aâ—ger lift up thy self because of the rage of mine enemies and awake for me to the judgement that thou hast commanded 7 So shall the congregation of the people compass thee about for their sakes therefore return thou â—e high 8 The Lord shall â—udge the people â—udge me O Lord according to my righteousness and according to mine integritie that is in me 9 Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end but establish the just â—or the righteous God trieth the heaâ—rs and reins 10 My defence is of God which saveth the upright in heart 11 God judgeth the righteous and God is angrie with the wicked every day 12 If he turn not he will wheâ— his sword he hath bent
counsel of the Lord standeth for ever the thoughts of his heart to all generations 12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance 13 The Lord looketh from heaven he beholdeth all the sons of men 14 From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth 15 He fashioneth their hearts alike he considereth all their works 16 There is no King saved by the multitude of an host a mighty man is not delivered by much strength 17 An horse is a vain thing for safety neither shall he deliver any by his great strength 18 Behold the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him upon them that hope in his mercy 19 To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine 20 Our soul waiteth for the Lord he is our help and our shield 21 For our heart shall rejoyce in him because we have trusted in his holy name 22 Let thy mercy O Lord be upon us according as we hope in thee Psalm xxxiv A Psalm of David when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech who drove him away and he departed 1 I will bless the Lord at all times his praise shall continually be in my mouth 2 My soul shall make her boast in the Lord the humble shall hear thereof and be glad 3 O magnifie the Lord with me and let us exalt his name together 4 I sought the Lord and he heard me and delivered me from all my fears 5 They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed 6 This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and saved him out of all his troubles 7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him and delivereth them 8 O tast see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him 9 O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him 10 The young lions do lack and suffer hunger but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing 11 Come ye children hearken unto me I will teach you the fear of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good 13 Keep thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile 14 Depart from evil and do good seek peace and pursue it 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open unto their cry 16 The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth 17 The righteous cry the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all 20 He keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken 21 Evil shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate 22 The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate Psalm xxxv A Psalm of David 1 PLead my cause O Lord with them that strive with me fight against them that fight against me 2 Take hold of shield and buckler stand up for mine help 3 Draw out also the spear and stop the way against them that persecute me say unto my soul I am thy salvation 4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul let them be turned back brought to confusion that devise my hurt 5 Let them be as chaff bâ—fore the wind and let the Angel of the Lord chase them 6 Let their way be dark and slippery and let the Angel of the Lord persebute them 7 For without cause have they hid for me their net in a pit which without cause they have digged for my soul. 8 Let destruction come upon him at unawares and let his net that he hath hid catch himself into that very destruction let him fall 9 And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord it shall rejoyce in his salvation 10 All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him 11 False witnesses did rise up they laid to my charge things that I knew not 12 They rewarded me evil for good to the spoiling of my soul. 13 But as for me when they were sick my clothing was sackcloth I humbled my soul with fasting and my prayer returned into mine own bosome 14 I behaved my self as though he had been my friend or brother I bowed down heavily as one that mourneth for his mother 15 But in mine adversity they rejoyced and gathered themselves together yea the abjects gathered themselves together against me and I know it not they did tear me and ceased not 16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts they gnashed upon me with their teeth 17 Lord how long wilt thou look on rescue my soul from their destructions my darling from the lions 18 I will give thee thanks in the great congregation I will praise thee among much people 19 Let not them that are mine enemies wrongfully rejoyce over me neither let them wink with the eye that hate me without a cause 20 For they speak not peace but they devise deceitâ—ul matters against them that are quiet in the land 21 Yea they opened their mouth wide against me and said Aha aha our eye hath seen it 22 This thou hast seen O Lord keep not silence O Lord be not far from me 23 Stir up thy self awake to my judgement even unto my cause my God and my Lord. 24 Judge me O Lord my God according to thy righteousness and let them not rejoyce over me 25 Let them not say in their hearts Ah so would we have it let them not say we have swallowed him up 26 Let them be ashamed and brought to confusion together that rejoyce at mine hurt let them be clothed with shame dishonour that magnifie themselves against me 27 Let them shout for joy and be glad that favour my righteous cause yea let them say continually Let the Lord be magnified which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant 28 And my tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long Psalm xxxvi To the chief musician A Psalm of David the servant of the Lord. 1 THe transgression of the wicked saith within my heart that there is no fear of God before his eyeâ— 2 For he flattereth himself in his own eyes until his iniquity be found to be hateful 3 The words of his mouth are iniquity deceit he hath left off to be wise and to do good 4 He deviseth mischief upon his bed he setteth himself in a way that is not
thou hast broken it heal the breaches thereof for it shaketh 3 Thou hast shewed thy people hard things thou hast made them to drink the wine of astonishment 4 Thou hast given a banner to them that fear thee that it may be displayed because of the truth Selah 5 That thy beloved may be delivered save with thy right hand and hear me 6 God hath spoken in his holiness I will rejoyce I will divide Shechem mete out the valley of Succoth 7 Gilead is mine Manasseh is mine Ephraim also is the strength of mine head Judah is my Law-giver 8 Moab is my washpot over Edom will I cast my shoe Philistia triumph thou because of me 9 Who will bring me into the strong Citie who will lead me into Edom 10 Wilt not thou O God which hadst cast us off and thou O God which didst not go out with our armies 11 Give us help from trouble for vain is the help of man 12 Through God we shall do valiantly for he it is that shall tread down our enemies Psalm lxi To the chief musician upon Neginoth A Psalm of David 1 HEar my cry O God attend unto my prayer 2 From the end of the earth will I cry unto thee when mine heart is overwhelmed lead me to the rock that is higher than I. 3 For thou hast been a shelter for me and a strong tower from the enemy 4 I will abide in thy tabernacle for ever I will trust in the cover of thy wings Selah 5 For thou O God hast heard my vows thou hast given me the heritage of those that fear thy name 6 Thou wilt prolong the Kings life and his years as many generations 7 He shall abide before God for ever O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve him 8 So will I sing praise unto thy name forever that I may daily perform my vows Psalm lxii To the chief musician to Seduthun A Psalm of David 1 TRuly my soul waiteth upon God from him cometh my salvation 2 He onely is my rock and my salvation he is my defence I shall not be greatly moved 3 How long will ye imagine mischief against a man Ye shall he slain all of you as a bowing wall shall ye be and as a tottering fence 4 They only consult to cast him down from his excellencie they delight in lies they bless with their mouths but they curse inwardly 5 My soul wait thou onely upon God for mine expectation is from him 6 He onely is my rock and my salvation he is my defence I shall not be moved 7 In God is my salvation and my glory the rock of my strength and my refuge is in God 8 Trust in him at all times ye people pour out your hearts before him God is a refuge for us Selah 9 Surely men of low degree are vanity and men of high degree are a lie to be laid in the ballance they are alltogether lighter than vanity 10 Trust not in oppression and becom not vain in robbery if riches increase set not your heart upon them 11 God hath spoken once twice have I heard this that power belongeth unto God 12 Also unto thee O Lord belongeth mercy for thou renderest to every one according to his work Psalm lxiii A Psalm of David when he was in the wilderness of Judah 1 O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth after thee my flesh longeth for thee in a a dry and thirsty land where no water is 2 To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary 3 Because thy loveing-kindness is better than life my lips shall praise thee 4 Thus will I bless thee while I live I will lift up my hands in thy name 5 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness and my mouth shall praise thee with joyfull lips 6 When I remember thee upon my bed and meditate on thee in the night watches 7 Because thou hast been my help therefore in the shaddow of thy wing will I rejoyce 8 My soul followeth hard after thee thy right hand upholdeth me 9 But those that seek my soul to destroy it shall go into the lower parts of the earth 10 They shall fall by the sword they shall be a portion for Foxes 11 But the King shall rejoyce in God every one that sweareth by him shall glory but the mouth of them that speak lies shall be stopped Psalm lxiv. To the chief musician A Psalm of David 1 HEar my voice O God in my prayer preserve my life from fear of the enemie 2 Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked from the insurrection of the workers of iniquitie 3 Who whet their tongue like a sword and bend their bow to shoot their arrows even bitter words 4 That they may shoot in secret at the perfect suddenly do they shoot at him and fear not 5 They encourage themselves in an evil matter they commune of laying snares privily they say who shall see them 6 They search our iniquities they accomplish a diligent search both the inward thought of every one of them and the heart is deep 7 But God shall shoot at them with an arrow suddenly shall they be wounded 8 So they shall make their own tongue to fall upon themselves all that see them shall flie away 9 And all men shall fear and shall declare the work of God for they shall wisely cnsider of his doing 10 The righteous shall be glad in the Lord and shall trust in him and all the upright in heart shall glory Psalm lxv To the chief musitian A Psalm and Song of David 1 PRaise waiteth for thee O God in Sion and unto thee shall the vow be performed 2 O thou that hearest prayer unto thee shall all flesh come 3 Iniquitiâ—s prevail against me as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away 4 Blessed is the man whom thou choosest and causest to approach unto thee that he may dwell in thy courts we shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house even of thy holy temple 5 By terrible things in righteousness wilt thou answer us O God of our salvation who art the confidence of all the ends of the earth and of them that are aâ—ar off upon the seas 6 Which by his strength setteth fast the mountains being girded with power 7 Which stilleth the noise of the seas the noise of their waves and the tumult of the people 8 They also that dwell in the uttermost parts are affraid of thy tokens thou makest the out-goings of the morning and evening to rejoyce 9 Thou visitest the earth and waterest it thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God which is full of water thoâ— preparest them câ—rn when thou hast so provided for it 10 Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly thou setlest the furrows thereof thou makest it soft with showers thou blessest the
strength is in the clouds 35 O God thou art terrible out of thy holy places the God of Israel is he that giveth strength and power unto his people blessed be God Psalm lxix To the chief musician upon Shoshannim A Psalm of David 1 SAve me O God for the waters are come in unto my soul. 2 I sink in deep mire where there is no standing I am come into deep waters where the flouds overflow me 3 I am weary of my crying my throat is dried mine eyes fail while I wait for my God 4 They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head they that would destroy me being mine enemies wrongfully are mighty then I restored that which I took not away 5 O God thou knowest my foolishness and my sins are not hid from thee 6 Let not them that wait on thee O Lord God of hosts be ashamed for my sake let not those that seek thee be confounded for my sake O God of Israel 7 Because for thy sake I have born reproach shame hath covered my face 8 I am become a stranger unto my brethren and an aliant unto my mothers children 9 For the zeal of thine house hath eaten me up and the reproaches of them that 10 When I wept and chastened my soul with fasting that was to my reproach 11 I made sack-cloth also my garment and I became a proverb to them 12 They that sit in the gate spake against me and I was the song of the drunkards 13 But as for me my prayer is unto thee O Lord in an acceptable time O God in the multitude of thy mercy hear me in the truth of thy salvation 14 Deliver me out of the mire and let me not sink let me be delivered from them that hate me and out of the deep waters 15 Let not the water â—loud overflow me neither let the deep swallow me up and let not the pit shut her mouth upon me 16 Hear me O Lord for thy loving kindness is good turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies 17 And hide not thy face from thy servant for I am in trouble here me speedily 18 Draw nigh unto my soul and redeem it deliver me because of mine enemies 19 Thou hast known my reproach and my shame and my dishonour mine adversaries are all before thee 20 Reproach hath broken my heart and I am full of heaviness and I looked for some to take pitie but there was none for comforters but I found none 21 They gave me also gall for my meat and in my thirst they gave me vineger to drink 22 Let their table become a sâ—are before them and that which should have been for their welfare let it become a trap 23 Let their eyes be darkned that they see not and make their Ioiâ—es continually to shake 24 Pour out thine indignation upon them and let thy wrathfull angâ—r take hold of them 25 Let their habitation be desolate and let none dwell in their tents 26 For they pâ—rsecute him whom thou hast smitten and they talk to the grief of those whom thou hast wounded 27 Adde iniquitie to their iniquitie and let them not come into righteousness 28 Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous 29 But I am poor and sorrowfull let thy salvation O God set me up on high 30 I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnifie him with thanksgiving 31 This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs 32 The humble shall see this and be glad and your heart shall live that seek God 33 For the Lord heareth the poore and despiseth not his prisoners 34 Let the heaven and earth praise him the seas and every thing that moveth therein 35 For God will save Sion and will build the Cities of Judah that they may dwell there and have it in possession 36 The seed also of his servants shall inherit and they that love his name shall dwell therein Psalm lxx To the chief musician A Psalm made by David to bring to remembrance 1 MAke hast O God to deliver me make hast to help me O Lord. 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soule let them be turned backward and put to confusion that desire my hurt 3 Let them be turned back for a reward of their shame that say Aha Aha 4 Let all those that seek thee rejoyce and be glad in thee and let such as love thy salvation say continually Let God be magnified 5 But I am poor and needy make hast unto me O God thou art my help and my deliverer O Lord make no tarrying Psalm lxxi 1 IN thee O Lord do I put my trust let me never be put to confusion 2 Deliver me in thy righteousness and cause me to escape incline thine ear unto me and save me 3 Be thou my strong habitation whereunto I may continually resort thou hast given commandment to save me for thou art my rock and my fortress 4 Deliver me O my God out of the hand of the wicked out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruel man 5 For thou art my hope O Lord God thou art my trust from my youth 6 By thee have I been holden up from the womb thou art he that took me out of my mothers bowels my praise shall be continually of thee 7 I am as a wonder unto many but thou art my strong refuge 8 Let my mouth be filled with thy praise and with thy honour all the day 9 Cast me not off in the time of old age forsake me not when my strength faileth 10 For mine enemies speak against me and they that lay wait for my soul take counsel together 11 Saying God hath forsaken him persecute and take him for there is none to deliver him 12 O God be not far from me O my God make hast for my help 13 Let them be confounded and consumed that are adversaries to my soul let them be covered with reproach and dishonour that seek my hurt 14 But I will hope continually and will yet praise thee more and more 15 My mouth shall shew forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day for I know not the numbers thereof 16 I will go in the strength of the Lord God I will make mention of thy righteousness even of thine onely 17 O God thou hast taught me from my youth and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works 18 Now also when I am old and gray-headed O God forsake me not until I have shewed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to every one that is to come 19 Thy righteousness also O God is very high who hast done great things O God who is like unto thee 20 Thou which hast shewed me great and sore troubles shalt quicken me again
also out of the rock and caused waters to run down like rivers 17 And they sinned yet more against him by provoking the most high in the wilderness 18 And they tempted God in their hearts by asking meat for their lust 19 Yea they spake against God they said Can God furnish a table in the wilderness 20 Behold he smâ—te the rock that the waters gushed out the streams over-flowed can he give bread also can he provide flesh for his people 21 Therefore the Lord heard this and was wroth so a fire was kindled against Jacob and anger also came up against Israel 22 Because they believed not in God and trusted not in his salvation 23 Though he had commanded the clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven 24 And had rained down Manna upon them to eat and had given them of the corn of heaven 25 Man did eat angels food he sent them meat to the full 26 He caused an East-wind to blow in the heavens and by his power he brought the South-wind 27 He rained flesh also upon them as dust and feathered fowls like the sand of the sea 28 And he let it fall in the middest of their camp râ—und about their habitations 29 So they did eat and were well filled for he gave them their own desire 30 They were not estranged from their lust but whilest the meat was in their mouths 31 The wrath of God came upon them and slew the fattest of them and smote down the chosen men oâ— Israel 32 For all this they sinned stâ—ll and believed not for his wonderous works 33 Therâ—fore their days did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble 34 When he slew them then they sought him and they returned and enquired early after God 35 And they remembred that God was their rock and the high God their redeemer 36 Nevertheless they did â—latter him with thâ—ir mâ—uth and they lyed unto him with their to â—gueâ— 37 For their heart was not right with him neither were they stedfast in his covenant 38 But he being full of compaâ—â—ion forgave their iniquitie and destroyed them not yea many a time turned he his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath 39 For he remembered that they were but flesh a wind that passeth away and cometh not again 40 How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness and grieve him in the desert 41 Yea they turned back and tempted God and limited the holy one of Israel 42 They remembered not his hand nor the day when he delivered them from the enemy 43 How he had wrought his signs in Egypt and his wonders in the field of Zoan 44 And had turned their rivers into bloud and their flouds that they could not dâ—ink 45 He sent divers sorts of flies among them which devoured them and frogs which destroyed them 46 He gave also their increase unto the catterpiller and their labour unto the locust 47 He destroyed their vines with hail and their syromore trees with frost 48 He gave their cattel also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts 49 He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger wrath and indignation and trouble by sending evil angels among them 50 He made a way to his anger he spared not their soul from death but gave their life over to the pestilence 51 And smote all the first-born of Egypt the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham. 52 But made his own people to go forth like sheep and guided them in the wilderness like a flock 53 And he led them on safely so that they feared not but the sea over-whelmed their enemies 54 And he brought them to the border of his sanctuary even to his mountain which his right hand had purchased 55 He câ—st out the hâ—athen also beâ—ore them anâ— divided thâ—m aâ— inheritance by 〈◊〉 and made the tribes of Israel to dwel in their tents 56 Yet they tempted and provoked the most high God and kept not his testimonies 57 But turned back and delt unfaithfully like their fathers they were turned aside like a deceitful bowe 58 For they provoked him to anger with their high places and moved him to jealousie with their graven images 59 When God heard this he was wroth and greatly abhorred Israel 60 So that he forsook the tabernacle of Shiloh the tent which he placed among men 61 And delivered his strength into captivitie and his glorie into the enemies hand 62 He gave his people over also unto the sword and was wroth with his inheritance 63 The fire consumed their young men and their maidens were not given in marriage 64 Their priests fell by the sword and their widows made no lamentation 65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep and like a mightie man that shouteth by reason of wine 66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts he put them to a perpetual reproch 67 Moreover he refused the Tabernacle of Joseph and chose not the tribe of Ephraim 68 But chose the tribe of Judah the mount Sion which he loved 69 And he built his sanctuarie like high palaces like the earth which he had established for ever 70 He chose David also his servant and took him from the sheep-folds 71 From following the ewes great with young he brought him to feed Jacob his people and Israel his inheritance 72 So he fed them according to the integritie of his heart and guided them by the skilfulness of his hands Psalm lxxix A Psalm of or for Asaph 1 O God the heathen are come into thine inheritance thy holy Temple have they defiled they have laid Jerusalem on heaps 2 The dead bodies of thy servants have they given to be meat unto the fowls of heaven the flesh of thy saints unto the beasts of the earth 3 Their bloud have they shed like water round about Jerusalem and there was none to burie them 4 We are become a reproch to our neighbours a scorn and a derision to them that are round about us 5 How long Lord wilt thou be angrie for ever shall thy jealousie burn like fire 6 Pour out thy wrath upon the heathen that have not known thee and upon the Kingdoms that have not called upon thy name 7 For they have devoured Jacob and laid wast his dwelling place 8 O remember not against us former iniquities let thy tender mercies speedily prevent us for we are brought very low 9 Help us O God of our salvation for the glorie of thy name and deliver us and purge away our sins for thy names sake 10 Wherefore should the heathen say where is their God let him be known among the heathen in our sight by the revenging of the bloud of his servants which is shed 11 Let the sighing of the prisoner come before thee according to the greatness of thy power preserve thou those that are appointed to
Selah 5 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee in whose heart are the ways of them 6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well the rain also filleth the pooles 7 They go from strength to strength every one of them in Sion appeareth before God 8 O Lord God of hosts hear my prayer give ear O God of Jacob Selah 9 Behold O God our shield and look upon the face of thine anointed 10 For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God than to dwel in the â—ents of wickedness 11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield the Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will â—e with-hold from them that walk uprightly 12 O Lord of hosts blessed is the man that trusteth in thee Psalm lxxxv To the chief musician A Psalm for the sons of Korah 1 LOrd thou hast been favourable unto thy land thou hast brought back the captivity of Jacob. 2 Thou hast forgiven the iniquitie of thy people thou hast covered all their sin Selah 3 Thou hast taken away all thy wrath thou hast turned thy self from the fierceness of thine anger 4 Turn us O God of our salvation and cause thine anger towards us to cease 5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever wilt thou draw out thine anger to all generations 6 Wilt thou not revive us again that thy people may rejoce in thee 7 Shew us thy merâ— O Lord and grant salvation 8 I will hear what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people and to his Saints but let them not turn again to â—olly 9 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him that glorie may dwell in our land 10 Mercie and truth are met together righteousness peace have killed eaâ—h other 11 Truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness shall look down from heaven 12 Yea the Lord shall give that which is good and our land shall yield her increase 13 Righteousness shall go before him and shall set us in the way of his steps Psalm lxxxvi A prayer of David 1 BOw down thine ear O Lord hear me for I am poor and needie 2 Preserve my soul for I am holy O thou my God save thy servant that trusteth in thee 3 Be merciful unto me O Lord for I crie unto thee dayly 4 Rejoyce the soul of thy servant for unto thee O Lord do I lift up my soul. 5 For thou Lord art good and ready to forgive and plenteous in mercie unto all them that call upon thee 6 Give ear O Lord unto my praier and attend to the voice oâ— my supplications 7 In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee for thou wilt answer me 8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee O Lord neither are there any works like unto thy works 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee O Lord and shall glorifie thy name 10 For thou art great and doest wondrous things thou art God alone 11 Teach me thy way O Lord I will walk in thy truth unite my heart to fear thy name 12 I will praise thee O Lord my God with all my heart and I will glorifie thy name for evermore 13 For great is thy mercie toward me and thou hast delivered my soul from the lowest hell 14 O God the proud are risen against me and the assemblies of violent men have sought after my soul and have not set thee before them 15 But thou O Lord art a God full of compassion and gracious long-suffering and plenteous in mercie and truth 16 O turn unto me and have mercie upon me give thy strength unto thy servant and save the son of thine handmaid 17 Shew me a token for good that they which hate me may see it and be ashamâ—d because thou Lord hast holpen me and comforted me Psalm lxxxvii A Psalm or song for the sons of Korah 1 HIs foundation is in the holy mountains 2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sâ—on more than all the dwellings of Jacob. 3 Glorious things are spoken of thee O citie of God Selah 4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know ' me behold Philistia and Tyre with Ethiopia this man was born there 5 And of Sion it shall be said This and that man was born in her and the highest himself shall establish her 6 The Lord shall count when he writeth up the people that this man was born there Selah 7 As well the singers as the players on instruments shall be there all my springs are in thee Psalm lxxviii A song or Psalm for the sons of Korah to the chief musician upon Mahalath Leannoth Maschil of Heman the Ezraelite 1 O Lord God of my salvation I have cried day and night before thee 2 Let my prayer come before thee incline thine ear unto my cry 3 For my soul is full of troubles and my life draweth nigh unto the grave 4 I aâ— counted with them that go down into the pit I am as a man that hath no strength 5 Free among the dead like the slain that lie in the grave whom thou rememberest no more and they are cut off from thy hand 6 Thou hast â—aid me in the lowest pit in darknes in the deeps 7 Thy wrath lieth hard upon me and thou hast afflicted me with all thy waves Selah 8 Thou hast put away mine aâ—quaintance far from me thou hast made me an abomination unto them I am shut up and I cannot come forth 9 Mine eye mourneth by reason of afâ—â—ition Lord I have called dâ—lly upon thee I have stretched our mine hands unto thee 10 Wilt thou shew wonders to the dead shall the dead arise and praise thee Selah 11 Shall thy loving kindness be declared in the grave or thy faithfulness in destruction 12 Shall thy wonders be known in the dark and thy righteousness in the land of forgetfulness 13 But unto thee have I cried O Lord and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee 14 Lord why castest thou off my soul why hidest thou thy face from me 15 I am afflicted and readie to die from my youth up while I suâ—fer thy terrours I am distracted 16 Thy fierce wrath goeth over me thy terrours have cut me off 17 They came round about me dayly like water they compassed me about together 18 Lover and friend hast thou put far from me and mine acquaintance into darkness Psalm lxxxix Maschil of Ethan the Ezrahite 1 I Will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations 2 For I have said mercie shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens 3 I have made a covenant with my chosen I have sworn unto
David my servant 4 Thy seed will I establish for ever and build up thy throne to all generations Selah 5 And the heavens shall praise thy wonders O Lord thy faithfulness also in the congregation of the saints 6 For who in the heaven can be compared unto the Lord who among the sons of the mightie can be likened unto the Lord. 7 God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints and to be had in reverence of all them that are about him 8 O Lord God of hosts who is a strong Lord like unto thee or to thy faithfulness round about thee 9 Thou rulest the raging of the sea when the waves thereof arise thou stillest them 10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces as one that is slain thou hast scattered thine enemies with thy strong arm 11 The heavens are thine the earth also is thine as for the world and the fulness thereof thou hast founded them 12 The North and the South thou hast created them Tabor and Hermon shall rejoyce in thy name 13 Thou hast a mightie arm strong is thine hand and high is thy right hand 14 Justice judgement are the habitation of thy throne mercy and truth shall go before thy face 15 Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound they shall walk O Lord in the light of thy countenance 16 In thy name shall they rejoyce all the day and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted 17 For thou art the glorie of their strength and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted 18 For the Lord is our defence and the holy one of Israel is our King 19 Then thou spaâ—est in vision unto thy holy one and saidst I have laid help upon one that is mightie I have exalted one chosen out of the people 20 I have found David my servant with my holy oil have I anointed him 21 With whom my hand shall be established mine arm also shall strengthen him 22 The enemy shall not exact upon him nor the son of wickedness afflict him 23 And I will beat down his foes before his face and plague them that hate him 24 But my faithfulness and my mercie shall be with him and in my name shall his horn be exalted 25 I will set his hand also in the sea and his right hand in the rivers 26 He shall crie unto me Thou art my Father my God and the rock of my salvation 27 Also I will make him my first born higher than the Kings oâ— the earth 28 My mercie will I keep for him for evermore and my covenant shall stand fast with him 29 His sâ—ed also will I make to endure for ever and his throne as the dayes of heaven 30 If his children forsake my Law and walk not in my judgements 31 If they break my statutes and keep not in my judgements 32 Then will I visit their transgression with the rod and their iniquitie with stripes 33 Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him nor suffer my faithfulness to fail 34 My covenant will I not break nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips 35 Once have I sworn by mine Holiness that I will not lie unto David 36 His seed shall endure for ever and his throne as the sun before me 37 It shall be established for ever as the Moon and as a faithful witness in heaven Selah 38 But thou hast cast off and abhorred thou hast been wroth with thine anointed 39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant thou hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground 40 Thou hast broken down all his hedges thou hast brought his strong holds to ruine 41 All that pass by the way spoil him he is a reproch to his neighbours 42 Thou hast set up the right hand of his adversarie thou hast made all his enemies to rejoyce 43 Thou hast also turned the edge of his sword and hast not made him to stand in the battel 44 Thou hast made his glorie to cease and cast his throne down to the ground 45 The dayes of his youth hast thou shortned thou hast covered him with shamâ— Selah 46 How long Lord wilt thou hide thy self for ever shall thy wrath burn like fire 47 Remember how short my time is wherefore hast thou made all men in vain 48 What man is he that liveth and shall not see death shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave Selah 49 Lord where are thy former loving kindnesses which thou swarest unto David in thy truth 50 Remember Lord the reproch of thy servant how I do bear in my bosom the reproch of all the mightie people 51 Wherewith thine enemies have reproched O Lord wherewith they have reproched the footsteps of thine anointed 52 Blessed be the Lord for evermore Amen and Amen Psalm xc A Prayer of Moses the man of God 1 LOrd thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations 2 Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world even from everlasting to everlasting thou art God 3 Thou turnest man to destruction and saiest return ye children of men 4 For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past and as a watch in the night 5 Thou carriest them away as with a floud they are as a sleep in the morning they are like grass which groweth up 6 In the morning it flourisheth and groweth up in the evening it is cut down and withereth 7 For we are consumed by thine anger and by thy wrath are we troubled 8 Thou hast set our iniquities before thee our secret sins in the light of thy countenance 9 For all our dayes are passed away in thy wrath we spend our years as a tale that is told 10 The dayes of our years are threescore years and ten and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years yet is their strength labour sorrow for it is soon cut off and we flie away 11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger even according to thy fear so is thy wrath 12 So teach us to number our dayes that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom 13 Return O Lord how long and let it repent thee concerning thy servants 14 O satisfie us early with thy mercy that we may rejoyce and be glad all our days 15 Make us glad according to the dayes wherein thou hast afflicted us and the years wherein we have seen evil 16 Let thy work appear unto thy servants and thy glory unto their children 17 And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us establish thou the works of our hands upon us yea the woâ—k of our hands establish thou it Psalm xci 1 HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty 2 I will say of the Lord he is my
young man cleanse his way by taking heed thereto according to thy word 10 With my whole heart have I sought thee O let me not wander from thy commandments 11 Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sinne against thee 12 Blessed art thou O Lord teach me thy statutes 13 With my lips have I declared all the judgements of thy mouth 14 I have rejoyced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches 15 I will meditate in thy precepts and have respect unto thy wayes 16 I will delight my self in thy statutes I will not forget thy word Gimel 17 Deal bountifully with thy servant that I may live and keep thy word 18 Open thou mine eyes that I may behold wonderous things out of thy law 19 I am a stranger in the earth hide not thy commandments from me 20 My soul breaketh for the longing it hath to thy judgement at all times 21 Thou hast rebuked the proud that are cursed which do erre from thy commandments 22 Remove from me reproach and contempt â—or I have kept thy testimonies 23 Princes also did sit and speak against me but thy servant did meditate in thy statutes 24 Thy â—eâ—timonies also are my delight and my counsellours Daleth 25 My soul cleavetâ—â— unto the dust quicken thou me according to thy word I have declared my wayes and thou heardest me teach me thy statutes 27 Make me to unâ—derstand the way of thy precepts so shall I talk of thy wonderous works 28 My soul melteth for heaviness strengthen thou me according unto thy word 29 Remove from me the way of lying and grant me thy law graciously 30 I have chosen the way of truth thy judgemâ—nts have I laid before me 31 I have stuck unto thy testimonies O Lord put me not to shame 32 I will run the wayes of thy commandments when thou shalt enlarge my heart He. 33 Teach me O Lord the way of thy statutes and I shall keep it unto the end 34 Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law yea I shall observe it with my whole heart 35 Make me to go in the path of thy commandments for therein do I delight 36 Encline my heart unto thy testimonies and not to covetousness 37 Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity and quicken thou me in thy way 38 Stablish thy word unto thy servant who is devoted to thy fear 39 Turn away my reproach which I fear for thy judgements are good 40 Behold I have longed after thy preceptsâ— quicken me in thy righteousness Vau. 41 Let thy mercies come also unto me O Lord even thy salvaâ—tion aâ—cording to thy word 42 So shall I have wherewith to answer him that reproacheth me for I trust in thy word 43 And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth for I have hoped in thy judgements 44 So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever And I will walk at liberty for I seek thy precepts 46 I will speak of thy testimonies also before Kings and will not be ashamed 47 And I will delight my self in thy commandments which I have loved 48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandments which I have loved and I will meditate in thy statutes Zain 49 Remember the word unto thy servant upon which thou hast caused me to hope 50 This is my comfort in my affliction for thy word hath quickened me 51 The proud have had me greatly in derision yet have I not declined from thy law 52 I remembred thy judgements of old O Lord and have comforted my self 53 Horrour hath taken hold upon me because of the wicked that forsake thy law 54 Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrim age 55 I have remembred thy name O Lord in the night and have kept thy law 56 This I had because I kept thy precepts Cheth 57 Thou art my portion O Lord I have said that I would keep thy words 58 I intreated thy favour with my whole heart be merciful unto me according to thy word 59 I thought on my wayes and turned my feet into thy testimonies 60 I made hast and delayed not to keep thy commandments 61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me but I have not forgot thy Law 62 At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgements 63 I am a companion of all them that fear thee and of them that keep thy precepts 64 The earth O Lord is full of thy mercie teach me thy statutes Teth. 65 Thou hast dealt well with thy servant O Lord according unto thy word 66 Teach me good judgement and knowledge for I have believed thy commandments 67 Before I was afflicted I went astray but now have I kept thy word 68 Thou art good and doest good teach me thy statutes 69 The proud have forged a lie against me but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart 70 Their heart is as fat as grease but I delight in thy Law 71 It is good for me that I have been afflicted that I might learn thy statutes 72 The Law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver Iod. 73 Thy hands have made me and fashioned me give me understanding that I may learn thy commandments 74 They that fear thee will be glad when they see me because I have hoped in thy word 75 I know O Lord that thy judgements are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me 76 Let I pray thee thy merciful kindness be for my comfort according to thy word unto thy servant 77 Let thy tender mercies come unto me that I may live for thy Law is my delight 78 Let the proud be ashamed for they dealt perversly with me without a cause but I will meditate in thy precepts 79 Let those that fear thee turn unto me and those that have known thy testimonies 80 Let my heart be sound in thy statutes that I be not ashamed Caph. 81 My soul fainteth for thy salvation but I hope in thy word 82 Mine eyes fail for thy word saying when wilt thou comfort me 83 For I am become like a bottle in the smoke yet do I not forget thy statutes 84 How many are the dayes of thy servant when wilt thou execute judgement on them that persecute me 85 The proud have digged pits for me which are not after thy Law 86 All thy commandments are faithful they persecute me wrongfully help thou me 87 They had almost consumed me upon earth but I forsook not thy precepts 88 Quicken me after thy loving kindness so shall I keep the testimonie of thy mouth Lamed 89 For ever O Lord thy word is setled in heaven 90 Thy faithfulness is unto all generations thou hast established the earth and it abideth 91 They continue this day according to thine ordinances for all are
thy servants 92 Unless thy Law had been my delights I should then have perished in mine affliction 93 I will never forget thy precepts for with them thou hast quickened me 94 I am thine save me for I have sought thy precepts 95 The wicked have waited for me to destroy me but I will consider thy testimonies 96 I have seen an end of all perfection but thy commandment is exceeding broad Mem. 97 O how love I thy Law it is my meditation all the day 98 Thou through thy commandments hast made me wiser than mine enemies for they are ever with me 99 I have more understanding than all my teachers for thy testimonies are my mediation 100 I understand more than the ancients because I keep thy testimonies 101 I have refrained my feet from every evil way that I may keep thy word 102 I have not departed from thy judgements for thou hast taught me 103 How sweet are thy words unto my tast yea sweeter than honey to my mouth 104 Through thy precepts I get understanding therefore I hate every false way Nun. 105 Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path 106 I have sworn and I will perform it that I will keep thy righteous judgements 107 I am afflicted very much quicken me O Lord according unto thy word 108 Accept I beseech thee the free-will-offerings of my mouth O Lord and teach me thy judgements 109 My soul is continually in my hand yet do I not forget thy Law 110 The wicked have laid a snare for me yet I erred not from thy precepts 111 Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever for they are the rejoycing of my heart 112 I have enclined mine heart to perform thy statutes alway even unto the end Samech 113 I hate vain thoughts but thy Law do I love 114 Thou art my hiding place and my shield I hope in thy word 115 Depart from my ye evil duers for I will keep the commandments of my God 116 Uphold me according unto thy word that I may live and let me not be ashamed of my hope 117 Hold thou me up and I shall be safe and I will have respect unto thy statutes continually 118 Thou hast troden down all them that erre from thy statutes for their deceit is falshood 119 Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross therefore I love thy testimonies 120 My flesh trembleth for fear of thee and I am afraid of thy judgements Ain 121 I have done judgement and justice leave me not to mine oppressours 122 Be surety for thy servant for good let not the proud oppress me 123 Mine eyes fail for thy salvation and for the word of thy righteousness 124 Deal with thy servant according unto thy mercie teach me thy statutes 125 I am thy servant give me understanding that I may know thy testimonies 126 It is time for thee Lord to work for they have made void thy Law 127 Therefore I love thy commandments above gold yea above fine gold 128 Therefore I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right and I hate every false way Pe. 129 Thy testimonies are wonderful therefore doth my soul keep them 130 The enterance of thy words giveth light it giveth understanding unto the simple 131 I opened my mouth and panted for I longed for thy commandments 132 Look thou upon me and be merciful unto me as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name 133 Order my steps in thy word and let not any iniquitie have dominion over me 134 Deliver me from the oppression of man so will I keep thy precepts 135 Make thy face to shine upon thy servant and teach me thy statutes 136 Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they keep not thy Law Tsaddi 137 Righteous art thou O Lord and upright are thy judgements 138 Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded are righteous and very faithful 139 My zeal hath consumed me because mine enemies have forgotten thy words 140 Thy word is very pure therefore thy servant loveth it 141 I am small and despised yet do I not forget thy precepts 142 Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness and thy Law is the truth 143 Trouble and anguish have taken hold on me yet thy commandments are my delights 144 The righteousness of thy testimonies is everlasting give me understanding and I shall live Koph 145 I cried with my whole heart hear me O Lord I will keep thy statutes 146 I cried unto thee save me and I shall keep thy testimonies 147 I prevented the dawning of the morning and cried I hoped in thy word 148 Mine eyes prevent the night watches that I might meditate in thy word 149 Hear my voyce according unto thy loving kindness O Lord quicken me according to thy judgement 150 They draw nigh that follow after mischief they are far from thy Law 151 Thou art near O Lord and all thy commandments are truth 152 Concerning thy testimonies I have known of old that thou hast founded them for ever Resh 153 Consider mine affliction and deliver me for I do not forget thy Law 154 Plead my cause and deliver me quicken me according to thy word 155 Salvation is far from the wicked for they seek not thy statutes 156 Great are thy tender mercies O Lord quicken me according to thy judgements 157 Many are my persecutors mine enemies yet do I not decline from thy testimonies 158 I beheld the transgressours and was grâ—eved because they kept not thy word 159 Consider how I love thy precepts quicken me O Lord according to thy loving kindness 160 Thy word is true from the beginning and every one of thy righteous judgements endureth for ever Schin 161 Princes have persecuted me without a cause but mine heart standeth in aw of thy word 162 I rejoyce at thy word as one that findeth great spoil 163 I hate and abhor lying but thy Law do I love 164 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous judgements 165 Great peace have they which love thy Law and nothing shall offend them 166 Lord I have hoped for thy salvation and done thy commandments 167 My soul hath kept thy testimonies and I love them exceedingly 168 I have kept thy precepts and thy testimonies for all my wayes are before thee Tau 169 Let my cry come near before thee O Lord give me understanding according to thy word 170 Let my supplication come before thee deliver me according to thy word 171 My lips shall utter praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes 172 My tongue shall speak of thy word for all thy commandments are righteousness 173 Let thine hand help me for I have chosen thy precepts 174 I have longed for thy salvation O Lord and thy Law is my delight 175 Let my soul live and it shall praise thee let thy judgements
help me 176 I have gone astray like a lost sheep seek thy servant for I do not forget thy commandments A song of degrees Psalm cxx 1 IN my distress I cried unto the Lord and he heard me 2 Deliver my Soul O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitful tongue 3 What shall be given unto thee or what shall be done unto thee thou false tongue 4 Sharp arrows of the mightie with coals of juniper 5 Wo is me that I sojourn in Mesech that I dwell in the tents of Kedar 6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace 7 I am for peace but when I speak they are for war Psalm cxxi A song of degrees 1 I Will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my help 2 My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven earth 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved he that keepeth thee will not slamber 4 Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep 5 The Lord is thy keeper the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand 6 The sun shall not smite thee by day nor the moon by night 7 The Lord shall reserve thee from all evil he shall preserve thy soul. 8 The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and even for evermore Psalm cxxii A song of degrees of David 1 I Was glad when they said unto me let us go into the house of the Lord. 2 Our feet shall stand within thy gates O Jerusalem 3 Jerusalem is builded as a Citie that is compact together 4 Whither the tribes go up the tribes of the Lord unto the testimonie of Israel to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. 5 For there are set thrones of judgement the thrones of the house of David 6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem they shall prosper that love thee 7 Peace be within thy walls and prosperiâ—ie within thy palaces 8 For my brethren and companions sake I will now say Peace be with thee 9 Because of tâ—e house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good Psalm cxxiii A song of degreeâ— 1 UNto thee lift I up mine eyeâ— O thou that dwellest in the heavens 2 Behoâ—d as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their maiters and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God until that he have mercie upon us 3 Have mercie upon us O Lord have mercie upon us for we are exceedingly filled with contempt 4 Our soul is exceedingly filled with the scorning of those that are at ease and with the contempt of the proud Psalm cxxiv A song of degrees of David 1 IF it had not been the Lord who was on our side now may Israel say 2 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us 3 Then they had swallowed us up quick when their wrath was kindled against us 4 Then the waters had overwhelmed us the stream had gone over our soul. 5 Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. 6 Blessed be the Lord who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth 7 Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers the snare is broken and we are escaped 8 Our help is in the name of the Lord who made heaven and earth Psalm cxxv A song of degrees 1 THey that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Sion which cannot be removed but abideth for ever 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever 3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquitie 4 Do good O Lord unto those that be good and to them that are upright in their hearts 5 As for such as turn aside unto their crooked wayes the Lord shall lead them forth with the workers of iniquitie but peace shall be upon Israel Psalm cxxvi A song of degrees 1 WHen the Lord turned again the captivitie of Sion we were like them that dream 2 Then was our mouth filled with laughter our toÌ„gue with singing then said they among the heathen the Lord hath done great things for them 3 The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad 4 Turn again our captivity O Lord as the streams in the south 5 They that sow in tears shall reap in joy 6 He that goeth forth and weepeth hearing pretious seed shall doubtless â—ome again wiâ—h reioycing bringing his sheaves with him Psalm cxxvii A Song of degrees for or as in the margin of Solomon 1 EXcept the Lord build the house they labour in vain that build it except the Lord keep the citie the watchman waketh but in vain 2 It is vain for you to rise up early to sit up late to eat the bread of sorrow for so he giveth his beloved sleep 3 Lo children are an heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb is his reward 4 As arrows are in the hands of a mighty man so are children of the youth 5 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them they shall not be ashamed but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate Psalm cxxviii A Song of degrees 1 BLessed is every one that feareth the Lord that walketh in his waies 2 〈◊〉 thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands happy shalt thou be and it shall be well with thee 3 Thy wife shall be as a fruitfull vine by the sides of thine house thy children like olive plants round about thy table 4 Behold that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord. 5 The Lord shall bless thee out of Sion and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life 7 Yea thou shalt see thy childrens children and peaâ—e upon Israel Psalm cxxix 1 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth may Israel now say 2 Many a time have they afflicted me from my youth yet they have not prevailed against me 3 The plowers plowed upon my back they made long their furrows 4 The Lord is righteous he hath cut asunder the cords of the wicked 5 Let them all be confounded and turned back that hate Sion 6 Let them be as the grass upon the house tops which withereth before it springeth up 7 Wherewith the mowe silieth not his hand nor he that bindeth sheaves his bosom 8 Neither do they whiâ—h go by say the blessing of the Lord be upon you we bless you in the name of the Lord. Psalm CXXX A song of degrees 1 OUt of the depths have I cried uno thee O Lord. 2 Lord hear my vioce let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication 3 If thou Lord shouldest mark iniquities