1, 2

O

HA!

9 But most of all I'll seek thy good,

And ever wish thee well,
For Sion and the temple's sake,
Where God vouchsafes to dwell.

PSALM CXXIII.
N thee, who dwell'st above the skyes,

For mercy wait my longing eyes ;
As servants wait their master's hands,

And maids their mistresses' commands. 3, 4, O then have mercy on us, Lord;

Thy gracious aid to us afford ;
To us, whom cruel foes oppress,
Grown rich and proud by our distress.

PSALMI CXXIV.
1 AD not the Lord, may Israel say,

Been pleas'd to interpose ; 2 Had he not then espous'd our cause,

When men against us rose;
3, 4, 5 Their wrath had swallow'd us alive,

And rag'd without controul;
Their spite and pride's united floods

Had quite o'erwhelm'd our soul. 6 But prais'd be our eternal Lord,

Who rescu'd us that day,
Nor to their gavage jaws gave up

Our threaten'd lives a prey.
Our soul is like a bird escap'd

From out the fowler's net;
The snare is broke, their hopes are cross'd,

And we at freedom set.
8 Secure in his Almighty Name

Our confidence remains,
Who, as he made both heav'n and earth,
Of both sole Monarch reigns.

PSALM CXXV.
HO place on Sion's God their trust,

Like Sion's rock shall stand ;
Like her immoveable be fix'd

By his Almighty hand.
» Look how the hills on ev'ry side

Jerusalem enclose ;
So stands the Lord around his saints,

To.guard them from their foes.

WHO

,

WHEN

3 The wicked may afflict the just,

But ne'er too long oppress, Nor force him by despair to seek

Base means for his redress. 4 Be good, O righteous God, to those

Who righteous deeds affect; The heart that innocence retains,

Let innocence protect.
5 All those that walk in crooked paths

The Lord shall soon destroy,
Cut off th' unjust, but crown the saints
With lasting peace and joy.

PSALM CXXVI.
1 THEN Sion's God ber suns recallid

From long captivity,
It seem'd at first a pleasing dream

Of what we wish'd to see :
2 But soon in unaccustom'd mirth,

We did our voice employ,
And sung our great Restorer's praise

In thankful hymns of joy.
Our heathen foes repining stood,

Yet were compelld to own
That great and wondrous was the work

(ur God for us bad done. 3 « Twas great, say they, twas wondrous great ;"!

Much more should we confess,
The Lord has done great things, whereof

IVe reap the glad success.
4 To us bring back the remnant, Lord,

of Israel's captive bands,
More welcome than refreshing show'rs

To parch'd and thirsty lands;
5 That we, whose work commenc'd in tears,

May see our labours thrive,
Till finish'd with success, to make

Our drooping hearts reviye.
6 Though he desponds that sows his grain,

Yet doubtless he shall come
To bind his full-ear'd sheaves, and bring
The joyful harvest home.

PSALM CXXVII.
WE

E build with fruitless cost, unless

The Lord the pèle sustain ;

We ,

Unless the Lord the city keep,

The watchman wakes in vain. 2 In vain we rise before the day,

And late to rest repair,
Allow no respite to our toil,

And eat the bread of care.
Supplies of life, with ease to them,

He on his saints bestows;
He crowns their labours with success,

Their nights with sound repose. 3 Children, those comforts of our life,

Are presents from the Lord ; He gives a num'rous race of heirs,

As piety's reward. 4 As arrows in a giant's hand,

When marching forth to war ; Er'n so the sons of sprightly youth,

Their parents' safeguard are. 5 Happy the man whose quiver's fill'd

With these prevailing arms;
He need not fear to meet his foe,
At law or war's alarms.

PSALM CXXVIII.
"HE man is blest that fears the Lord,

Nor only worship pays,
But keeps his steps confin' with care

To his appointed ways.
2 He shall upon the sweet returns

Of his own labour feed; Without dependance live and see

His wishes all succeed.
3 His wife, like a fair fertile vine,

Her lovely fruit shall bring;
His children, like young olive plants,

About his table spring.
4 Who fears the Lord shall prosper thus ;

Him Sion's God shall bless, 5 And grant him all his days to see

Jerusalem's success.
6 He shall live on, till heirs from him

Descend with vast increase ;
Much bless'd in his own prosp'rous statë,

And more in Israel's peace.

'THE

F

,

PSALM CXXIX. } TROM my youth up, may Israel say,

They oft have me assaild; 2 Reduc'd me oft to heavy straits,

But never quite prevail'd. 3 They oft have plough'd my patient back

With furrows deep and long ; 4 But our just God has broke their chains

And rescu'd us from wrong.
5 Defeat, confusion, shameful rout

Be still the doom of those,
Their righteous doom, who Sion hate,

And Sion's God oppose.
6 Like corn upon our houses' tops,

Untimely let them fade,
Which too much heat, and want of roots

Has blasted in the blade :
7 Which in his arms no reaper takes,

But unregarded leaves ;
No binder thinks it worth his pains

To fold it into sheaves.
8 No traveller that passes by

Vouchsafes a minute's stop,
To give it one kind look, or crave.
Heav'n's blessings on the crop.

PSALM CXXX. 1

FROM lowest depths of woe

FROM

2 Lord, hear my supplicating voice,

And graciously reply. 3 Should'st thou severely judge,

Who can the trial bear? 4 But thou forgiv'st, lest we despond,

And quite renounce thy fear. 5 My soul with patience waits

For thee, the living Lord';
My hopes are on thy promise built,

Thy never-failing word. 6 My longing eyes look out

For thy enliv'ning ray,
More duly than the norning watch

To spy the dawning day. 7 Let Israel trust in God,

No bounds his mercy knows;

O

The plenteous source and spring from whence

Eternal succour flows ;.
8 Whose friendly streams to us

Supplies in want convey ;
A healing spring, a spring to cleanse;
And wash our guilt away.

PSALM CXXXI.
LORD, I am not proud of heart,
Nor cast a scornful eye ;

La
Nor my aspiring thoughts employ

In things for me too high.
2 With infant innocence thou know'st

I have myself demean'd;
Compos’d to quiet, like a babe

That from the breast is wean'd, 3 Like me let Israel hope in God,

His aid alone implore ;
But now and ever trust in him,
Who lives for evermore.

PSALM CXXXII.
ET David, Lord, a constant place

In thy remembrance find ;
Let all the sorrows he endur'd.

Be ever in thy mind.
2. Remember what a solemn oath :

To thee, his Lord, he swore ;
How to the mighty God he vow'd;

Whom Jacob's sons adore ;
3, 4 I will not go into my house, .

Nor to my bed ascend ;
No soft repose shall close my eyes,

Nor sleep my eye-lids bend;
5 Till for the Lord's design'd abode

L-mark the destin'd ground;
Till I a decent place of rest

For Jacob's God have found.
6 The appointed place, with shouts of joy,

At Ephrata we found,
And made the woods and neighb'ring fields

Our glad applause resound.
7. O with due rev'rence let us then

To his abode repair ;
And, prostrate at his foot-stool fallrt;

Pour out our humble pray’r.