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4 Yea, the Lord hath done great things for us already : whereof we rejoice.

5 Turn our captivity, O Lord: as the rivers in the south. 6 They that fow in tears: fhall reap in joy.

7 He that now goeth on his way weeping, and beareth forth good feed: fhall doubtless come again with joy, and and bring his fheaves with him.

Pfalm cxxvii. Nifi Dominus.

Except the Lord build the house: their labour is but

that build it.

2 Except the Lord keep the city: the watchman waketh but in vain.

3 It is but loft labour that ye hafte to rife up early, and fo late take reft, and eat the bread of carefulness for fo he giveth his beloved fleep.

4 Lo, children and the fruit of the womb are an heritage and gift that cometh of the Lord,

5 Like as the arrows in the hand of the giant: even fa are the young children.

6 Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them : they fhall not be ashamed when they fpeak with their enemies in the gate.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm cxxvi.] This pfalm engages us to reflect on the wonderful things which God has done in all times for his people, by delivering them, contrary to all appearance, from the power of their enemies. It affures us, moreover, that if the church, or the righteous, are in affliction and in tears, God gives them at laft occafion to rejoice; and in general, when men have been tried and humbled by affliction, he makes gladness fucceed to forrow; fo that, as the Jews here exprets it," they that fow in tears, fhall reap in joy."

Pfalm cxxvii.] Here we learn, 1. That it is not so much the care which men take, as the blefling of God, that makes ftates, cities, and families fubfift; and therefore, that magiftrates, and heads of families, ought to labout to bring this bleffing upon them. 2. That God gives children; and that we ought to esteem them a particular bleffing; fince, if we bring them up in virtue and godlinefs, they will be the joy and glory of their parents, not only in this world, but in that which is to

come.

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Pfalm cxxviii. Beati omnes.

Leffed are all they that fear the Lord: and walk in his ways,

BL

2 For thou fhalt eat the labours of thine hands: O well is thee, and happy fhalt thou be.

3 Thy wife fhall be as the fruitful vine: upon the walls of thine house.

4 Thy children like the olive-branches: round about thy table.

5 Lo, thus fhall the man be bleffed: that feareth the Lord.

6 The Lord from out of Sion fhall fo bless thee: that thou shalt fee Jerufalem in profperity all thy life long.

7 Yea, that thou shalt fee thy childrens children: and peace upon Ifrael.

Pfalm cxxix. Sæpe expugnaverunt..

ANY a time have they fought against me from my

M youth up: may Ifrael now lay.

2 Yea, many a time have they vexed me from my youth up but they have not prevailed against me.

3 The plowers plowed upon my back: and made long furrows.

4 But the righteous Lord: hath hewn the fnares of the ungodly in pieces.

5 Let them be confounded and turned backward: as many as have evil will at Sion.

6 Let them be even as the grafs growing upon the houfetops which withereth afore it be plucked up.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATION S.

Pfalm cxxviii.] This pfalm affures us, that God bleffes the labour and the families of thofe that fear him and walk in his ways. Though the temporal bleffings which were formerly promifed to the Jews, are not the chief things which Chriftians ought to afpire after; yet they are to be confidered as a reward of piety, and to be received with thankfulness. Godliness has the promife of the life that now is. God always bleffes those families where piety prevails, and does particularly fhower down upon them fpiritual bleflings; and at last exalts them who live in innocence to the fupreme happiness which he has prepared for them in heaven. PRAC.

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27 EXPL

ILLUSTRATED AND EXPLAINED.

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Whereof the mower filleth not his hand neither he that bindeth up the fheaves his bofom.

8 So that they who go by fay not fo much as, The Lord profper you: we wish you good luck in the Name of the Lord.

Ο

Pfalm cxxx. De profundis.

UT of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord:
Lord, hear my voice.

2 O let thine ears confider well: the voice of my complaint.

3 If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done. amifs: O Lord, who may abide it?

4 For there is mercy with thee: therefore fhalt thou be feared.

5 I look for the Lord, my foul doth wait for him: in his word is my trust.

6 My foul fleeth unto the Lord, before the morning watch, I fay, before the morning watch.

7 O Ifrael, truft in the Lord; for with the Lord there is mercy and with him is plenteous redemption.

8 And he fhall redeem Ifrael: from all his fins.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm cxxix.] What is faid in. this pfalm engages us to confider, that the church has been often affaulted, both under the Old Teftament and under the New; but that God has always preserved it, and that its enemies have never been able to destroy it. This ought to confirm us in our belief, that the church and all its true members will for ever subsist; and that all those who fet themselves against them, fhall have nothing but fhame and confufion for their portion.

Pfalm cxxx.] The pfalmift here gives us three leffons of inftruction. 1. That if God fhould examine us in the rigour of his juftice, none would be found righteous before him: wherefore we ought all to have recourse to his mercy, and fay, with the deepeft humility, "if thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amifs, O Lord, who may abide it?" 2. That if God is inclined to pardon men, it is to engage them to fear him; and that without this fear there is no pardon to be expected from him. This is exprefs in these words; "There is mercy with thee, that thou mayeft be feared." 3. That God has always been, and will be, the defender of his church, and of true believers.

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20th

Pfalm cxxxi. Domine, non eft.

ORD, I am not high minded: I have no proud looks. 2 I do not exercife myfelf in great matters: which are too high for me.

3 But I refrain my foul, and keep it low, like as a child that is weaned from his mother: yea, my foul is even as a weaned child.

4 O Ifrael truft in the Lord: from this time forth for

evermore.

284 MORNING PRAYER.

Pfalm cxxxii. Memento, Domine.

LORD, remember David: and all his trouble.

2 How he fware unto the Lord: and vowed a vow unto the Almighty God of Jacob.

3 I will not come within the tabernacle of mine houfe: nor climb up into my bed;

4 I will not fuffer mine eyes to fleep, nor mine eye-lids to flumber neither the temples of my head to take any rett, 5 Until I find out a place for the temple of the Lord: an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.

6 Lo, we heard of the fame at Ephrata: and found it in the wood.

7 We will go into his tabernacle and fall low on our nees before his footstool.

8 Arife, O Lord, into thy refting-place: thou, and the ark of thy ftrength.

9 Let thy priefts be clothed with righteousness: and let thy faints fing with joyfulness.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Ffalm cxxxi. This pfalm expreffes the fentiments which all the children of God ought to entertain: They are to be humble, not aiming at high things, but refembling little children in innocency and fimplicity. What David teaches us on this head, is the fame with what our Lord more fully recommends in the gofpel, when he tells us, that, if we become not as little children, he will not acknowledge us for his difciples, not hall we enter into the kingdom of heaven.

PRAC

10 For thy fervant Davids fake: turn not away the prefence of thine anointed.

II The Lord hath made a faithful oath unto David: and he fhall not fhrink from it;

12 Of the fruit of thy body: fhall I fet upon thy feat.

13 If thy children will keep my covenant, and my tef timonies that I fhall learn them: their children alfo fhall fit upon thy feat for evermore.

14

For the Lord hath chofen Sion to be an habitation for himself he hath longed for her.

15 This fhall be my reft for ever here will I dwell, for I have a delight therein.

16 I will blefs her victuals with increafe: and will fatisfy her poor with bread.

17 I will deck her priests with health and her faints fhall rejoice and fing:

18 There fhall I make the horn of David to flourish: I have ordained a lantern for mine Anointed.

19 As for his enemies, I fhall clothe them with fhame: but upon himself fhall his crown flourish.

Pfalm cxxxiii. Ecce, quam bonum !

Ehold, how good and joyful a thing it is brethren to dwell together in unity.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm cxxxii.] 1. The vow mentioned in this pfalm, which David made to establish divine fervice, is a mark of his piety. From hence great men, magiftrates, and all men in general, ought to learn, that the glory of God, and his true worship, is what they fhould defire with the greateft fervency, and procure to the utmost of their power. 2. The fa vour God fhewed David, in enabling him to execute his pious defign, fhews us, that God bleffes thofe undertakings that are formed with a good intention. 3. The choice which God had made of Sion for the place of his worship; and the promifes with which he had engaged to dwell there for ever to blefs and profper it, are to be applied to the Christian church, in which he dwells in a more particular manner, and wherein he is to be worshipped and adored unto the end of the world. Laftly, We ought all of us, in imitation of the pfalmift, continually to pray for the preferva tion of the church, for a bleffing on its minifters, and for profperity to all its members.

PRAC