wise Contend I not against them all Against thee that arise I hate them with unfained hate Even as my utter foes Try me O God and know my heart My thoughts prove and disclose I will not stay nor linger long As they that slothfull are But hastily thy lawes to keepe I will my selfe prepare THe greater fort crave worldly goods And riches doe embrace But Lord grant us thy countenance Thy favour and thy grace For thou thereby shalt make my heart More joyfull and more glad Than they that of their corne and wine Full great increase have had LOrd leade me in thy righteousnesse For to confound my foes And eke the wayes that I shall walke Before my face disclose Let me thy loving kindnesse in The morning heare and know For in thee is my trust shew me The way where I should goe That folke is blest that knowes aright Thy present power O God For in the favour of thy sight They walke full safe abroad Give us O Lord thy saving health When troubles doe assaile For all the helpe of man is vaine And can no whit availe Lord let thy grace and glory stand On us thy servants thus Confirme the workes we take in hand Lord prosper them to us O God thy house I love most deare To me it doth excell I have delight and would be neare Whereas thy grace doth dwell Send out thy light and eke thy truth And leade me with thy grace Which may conduct me to thy hill And to thy dwelling place I will harke what God saith for he Speakes to his people peace And to his Saints that never they Returne to foolishnesse The righteousnesse of thy judgements Doth laâ—t for evermore Then teach them me for even in them My life lies up in store Therefore will I come to thine house Trusting upon thy grace And reverently will worship thee Toward thy holy place c. vi Ps 84. IT is a thing both good and meeâ—e To praise the highest Lord And to thy name O thou most high To sing with one accord This is the joyfull day indeede Which God himselfe hath wrought Let us be glad and joy therein In heart in minde in thought Fall downe and worship yee the Lord Within his Temple bright Let all the people of the world Be fearefull at his sight Let all thy Priests be clothed Lord With truth and righteousnesse Let all thy Saints and holy men Sing all with joyfulnesse The man is blest whom thou dost chuse Within thy courts to dwell Thy house and Temple he shall use With pleasures that excell Vnto thy house resort will I To offer and to pray And there will I my selfe apply My vowes to thee to pay O come let us lift up our voyce And sing unto the Lord In him our rocke of health rejoyce Let us with one accord Yea let us come before his face To give him thankes and praise In singing Psalmes unto his grace Let us be glad alwayes MY hands I wash and doe proceede In workes to walke upright And to thine altar I make speede To offer there in sight That I may speake and preach the praise That doth belong to thee And so declare how wondrous wayes Thou hast beene good to me Within thy house they shall be fed With plenty at their will Of all delights they shall be sped And take thereof their fill For why the well of life so pure Doth ever flow from thee And in thy â—ight we are full sure The lasting light to see BVt as for me I am but poore Opprest and brought full low Yet thou O Lord wilt me restore To health full well I know And in my bed while I lye sicke The Lord will me restore And thou O Lord wilt turne to health My sicknesse and my sore Then in my sicknesse thus say I Have mercy Lord on me And heale my soule which is full woe That I offended thee Refuse me not O Lord I pray When age my limbs doth take And when my strength doth waste away Doe not my soule forsake Cast thou thy care upon the Lord And he shall nourish thee For in no wise will he accord The just in thâ—all to see FOr neither from the Easterne parts Nor from the Westerne side Nor from forsaken wildernesse Protection doth proceede For why the Lord our God he is The righteous Iudge alone He putteth downe the one and sets Another in the throne But yet the poore he raiseth up Out of their troubles deepe And oft-times doth their traine augment Much like a flocke of sheepe FOr why the Lord the portion is Of mine inheritance And thou art he that dost maintaine My rent my lot my chance The place wherein my lot did fall In beauty did excell Mine heritage assign'd to me Doth please me wondrous well THou givest to beasts their food and to Young ravens when they cry Thy pleasure not in strength of horse Nor in mans legs doth lye But in all those that feare the Lord The Lord hath his delight And such as doe attend upon His mercies shining light The mighty mountaines of his land Of corne shall beare such throng That it like Cedar trees shall stand In Libanus full long He covers Heaven with clouds and for The earth prepareth raine And on the mountaines he doth make The grasse to grow againe THou mak'st our sonnes to be as plants Whom growing youth doth reare Our daughters like carv'd corner stones Like to a Pallace faire Our garners full and plenty may With sundry sorts be found Our sheepe bring thousands in our streets Ten thousand may abound THy promise which thou mad'st to me Thy servant Lord remember For therein doe I put my trust And confidence for ever It is my comfort and my joy When troubles me assaile For were my life not by thy word My life would soone me faile THough th' earth remove we wil not feare Though hils so high and steepe Be thrust and hurled here and there Within the sea so deepe No though the waves doe rage so sore That all the bankes it spils And though it over-flow the shore And beate downe mighty hils The Lord of hosts doth take our part To us he hath an eye Our hope of health with all our heart On Iacobs God doth lie The strength that doth our foâ—s withstand O Lord doth come from thee My God he is my helpe at hand A fort of fence to me Thou art my strength thou hast me stayd O Lord I sing to thee Thou art my fort my strength and ayde A loving God to me Then Lord depart not now from me In this my present greife Since I have none to be my helpe My succour and releife Thy mercy Lord endures for aye Lord doe me not
kindle thus At thine owne pasture sheepe Lord call the people to thy thought Which have beene thine so long The which thou hast redeem'd and brought From bondage sore and strong Have minde therefore and thinke upon Remember it full well The pleasant place thy Mount Zion Where thou was wont to dwell Lift up thy foote and come in haste and all my soesdeface Which now at pleasure rob and waste Within thy holy place Rise Lord let be by thee maintain'd The cause that is thine owne Remember how that thou blasphem'd Art by the foolish one The voyee forget not of thy foes For the presumption hie Is more and more increast of those That hate thee spitefully Give ayde O Lord and us relieve From them that us disdaine The helpe that Hoasts of men can give It is but all in vaine Except the Lord had beene mine ayde Mine enemies to repell My soule and life had now beene layde Almost as low as hell When I did say my foote did slide I now am like to fall Thy goodnesse Lord did so provide To stay me up withall In Chariots some put confidence And some in horses trust But we remember God our Lord That keepeth promise just They fall downe flat but we doe rise And stand up stedfastly Now save and helpe us Lord and King On thee when we doe cry IN thy good-will deale geutly Lord To Sion and withall Grant that of thy Ierusalem Vprear'd may be the wall O Lord give thou thy people health And thou O Lord fulfill Thy promise made to Israel From out of Sion hill Thy people and thine heritage Lord blesse guide and preserve Increase them Lord and rule their hearts That they may never swerve The Lord will give his people power In vertue to increase The Lord will blesse his chosen flocke With everlasting peace Let them in thee have joy and wealth That seeke to thee alwayes That such as love thy saving health May say to God be praise God loves the Gates of Sion best His grace doth there abide He loves them more than all the rest Of Iacobs tents besides Though Basan be a fruitfull hill And in hight others passe Yet Sion Gods most holy hill Doth farre excell in grace From such as thee desire to know Let not thy grace depart Thy righteousnesse declare and shew To men of upright heart O Thou the Saviour of all them That put their trust in thee Declare thy strength on them that spurne Against thy Majesty Destroy them not at once O Lord Lest it from minde doe fall But vvith thy strength drive them abroad And so consume them all For their ill vvords and truthlesse tongues Confound them in their pride Their vvicked Oathes vvith lies wrongs Let all the vvorld deride And as the fire doth melt the vvaxe And vvinde blowes smoake away So in the presence of the Lord The vvicked shall decay Our God vvill vvound his enemies head And breake the hairy sealpe Of those that in their wickednesse Continually doe vvalke Lord turne their table to a snare To take themselves therein And vvhen they thinke full vvell to fare Then trap them in the gin The third head of Prayer is Thankesgiving TO sing the mercies of the Lord My tongue shall never spare And vvith my lips from age to age Thy truth I vvill declare The Heavens doe shew with joy and mirth Thy vvondrous vvorkes O Lord Thy Saints within thy Church on earth Thy Faith and Truth record O how great good hast thou in store Laid up full safe for them That feare and trust in thee therefore Before the sonnes of men Thou wilt them teach the vvay to life For all treasure and store Of perfect joy are in thy face And povver for evermore O Lord my God thy vvondrous deedes In greatnesse farre doe passe Thy favour tovvards us exceedes All things that ever vvas When I intend and doe devise Thy workes abroad to shovv To such â— reckoning they doe rise Thereof no end I know My soule from death thou doest defend And keep'st my feete vpright That I before thee may ascend With such as live in light COme forth and hearken here full soone All yee that feare the Lord What he for my poore soule hath done To you I vvill record Full oft I call to minde his grace This mouth to him doth cry And thou my tongue make speede apace To praise him by and by THe doctrine of his holy Word To Iacob he doth show His Statutes and his Iudgements he Gives Israel to knovv With every Nation hath he not So dealt nor they have knowne His secret judgements yee therefore Praise yee the Lord alone O Lord out of my mothers wombe I came by thy request Thou didst preserve me still in hope While I did sucke her brest I vvas committed from my birth With thee to have abode Since I vvas in my mothers wombe Thou hast beene e're my God FOr vvhy the eyes of God above Vpon the just are bent His eares likevvise doe heare the plaint Of the poore innocent What thou commandedst vvrought it vvas At once vvith present speede What thou doest vvill is brought to passe With full effect indeede Knovv that the Lord our God he is He did us make and keepe Not we our selves for wee are his Ovvne flocke and pasture sheepe The Lord of Hoasts doth take our part To us he hath an eye Our hope of health vvith all our heart On Iacobs God doth lie Thou openest thy plenteous hand And bounteously doest fill All things vvhatsoever doe live With gifts of thy good-will O praise the Lord Ierusalem Thy God O Sion praise For he the barres hath forged strong Wherewith thy Gates he stayes Thy children he hath blest in thee And in thy borders â—e Doth settle peace and vvith the floure Of wheate â—e filleth thee BVt Lord that man is happy sure Whom thou dost keepe in avve And through correction dost procure To teach him in thy Lavv. ALl praise to thee O Lord of Hoasts Both now and eke for aye Through skie and earth and all the coasts Amen Amen I say FINIS THis for an Essay I desired to shew on every head of Prayer that some place or other in the Psalmes might be made use of on severall occasions which a Christian hath to doe about There may be divers added but for peâ—â—â—ring this Booke I had added all those which I have lying by me thus digested but these may suffice to shew thee Christian Reader my meaning who mayst as thy neede requires supply what is now wanting in this Sing with the Spirit and sing with the understanding also Maister QVARLES on Ionah in the generall use of the STORY MAlâ—â—do rouze thy leaden spirit bestirre thee Hold up thy drousie head
every Communion c. to a particular confession and bewayling of them Thou maist set them downe in a paper Qu. 2. What would I desire God to doe for me if I were sure to obtaine my wish of him Thy heart will answer O that God would please to forgive my sinnes such and such O that hee would give unto me stedfast faith in the Lord Iesus the grace of Perseverance Health c. Set downe the particulars 3. Qu. What speciall favours and blessings hath God bestowed on mee from my infancie till now for which I owe him all possible thankesgiving Thy heart will make answer such and such a time hee delivered mee from danger from death c. made such a man to be my friend gave mee a husband a wife preferment c. Thus if thou signifie to God thy hatred of those sinnes want and hearty desire of those graces thankesgiving for those blessings Exercise will make this easie and Christs spirit that great master of requests will be ready to draw thy petitions for thee prompting thee with sit words and holy affections thou shalt make thy prayers unto him and hee shall heare thee and if thou seeke him hee will be found Iob 22. 27. Doe this daily it will bee no hinderance to thy worldly employments No man ever lost by serving God Meat and Mattens hinder no mans thrift Godlinesse hath the Promise for as hee rideth not furthest that goes early out on a bad horse c. or hee that is early up at his busines with blunt and dull-edged tooles but weaâ—ies himselfe and mars his worke so he prospers not best that goes about his calling before he hath seasoned his heart with holy meditations reading and prayer to God Exod. 40. 5. Thou shalt set the Altar of Gold for the Incense before the Arke of the Testimonie Exod. 30. 7. Aaron shall burne thereon sweet Incense every morning vers 8 and at Even hee shall burne incense upon it a perpetuall incense before the Lord. Levit. 16. 12. He shall take a censer full of burning coales of fire from off the Altar before the Lord and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small and bring it within the veile vers 13. And hee shall put the incense upon the fire before the Lord that the cloud of the incense may cover the Mercie-seat that is upon the Testimonie Holy Incense for the the Censers of the Saints Or Selected Sentences of holy Scripture furnâ—shing with materialls and serving as Formes of Prayer according to the heads of the former Method PREPARATION LEt us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the heavens Unto thee lift I up mine eyes O thou that dwellest in the heavens DESCRIPTIONS of GOD. O God the God of the Spirits of all flesh Thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and mercifull slow to anger and of great kindenesse O thou that hearest prayers Thou Lord that createdst the heavens and stretchedst them out that spreadest foorth the earth and that which commeth out of it that givest breath unto the people upon it and spirit to them that walke therein The God in whose hand our breath is and whose are all our wayes The high and lofty One that inhabitest eternity whose name is holy who dwellest in the high and holy place c. The living God and the everlasting King Who hast made the earth by thy power and hast established the world by thy wisedome and stretched out the heavens by thy discretion That formest the mountaines and createst the wind declarest unto man what is his thought that makest the morning darkenesse and treadest upon the high places of the earth The blessed and onely Potentate the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Who onely hast immortality dwelling in the light which no man can approch unto whom no man hath seene or can see The Lord of Hoasts which dwelleth betweene the Cheâ—uâ—ims Behold the heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot containe thee Thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all Both riches and honour come of thee and thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and to give strength unto all Behold even to the Moone and it shineth not yea the Stars are not pure in his sight O Lord my God thou art very great thou art cloathed with honour and Majesty Who coverest thy selfe with light as with a garment who stretchest out the heavens like a curtaine The nations are as a drop of a bucket and are counted as the small dust of the ballance hee taketh up the Isles as a very little thing All nations before him are as nothing and they are counted to him lesse than nothing and vanity It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the Earth and the inhabitants thereof are as grashoppers that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtaine and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in O Lord of Hoasts that trieth the righteous and seest the reines and the heart The Lord which giveth the Sunne for a light by day and the ordinances of the Moone and of the Stars for a light by night which divideth the Sea when the waves thereof roare the Lord of Hoasts is his name Lord God behold thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arme and there is nothing too hard for thee Thou shewest loving kindnesse unto thousands and recompencest the iniquity of the Fathers into the bosome of their children after them the great the mighty God the Lord of hoasts is his name Great in Councell and mighty in worke for thine eyes are open upon all the wayes of the Sonnes of men to give every one according to his wayes and according to the fruit of his doings The King whose name is the Lord of Hoasts Him that maketh the seaven Stars and Orion and turneth the shaddow of death into the morning and maketh the day darke with night that calleth for the waters of the Sea and powreth them out upon the face of the earth the Lord is his name He that buildeth his stories in the heaven and hath founded his troupe in the earth Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage he retaineth not his anger for ever because hee delighteth in mercie He rebuketh the Sea and maketh it dry and drieth up all the Rivers I hou art of purer eyes then to behold evill and canst not looke on iniquity Descriptions of God from his Mercie and long-suffering Exod 34. 6. 2 Pet. 3. 9. 2 Chron. 30. 9. Nehem. 9. 31. Psal 103. 8. 11. 13. 17. Mic. 7. 18. 19. Rom. 2. 4. Gracious Promises Gen. 3