Page images
PDF
EPUB

courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh rejoice in the living God. 3 Yea, the fparrow hath found her an houfe, and the fwallow a nest, where she may lay her young: even thy altars, O Lo:d of hofts, my King and my God.

4 Blefied are they that dwell in thy houfe: they will be alway praifing thee.

5 Befled is the man whofe ftrength is in thee: in whose heart are thy ways.

ó Who going through the vale of mifery, use it for a well: and the poo's are filled with water.

7 They will go from strength to ftrength: and unto the God of gods appeareth every one of them in Sion.

8 O Lord God of hofts hear my prayer: hearken, O God of Jacob.

9 Behold, O God our defender: and look upon the face of thine Anointed.

I For one day in thy courts: is better than a thousand.

11 I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God; than to dwell in the tents of ungodlinefs.

12 For the Lord God is a light and defence: the Lord will give grace and worship, and no good thing fhall he withhold from them that live a godly life.

13 * O Lord God of hofts: bleffed is the man that putteth his

truft in thee.

Li

Pfalm 85. Benedixifti, Domine.

ORD, though art become gracious unto thy land: though haft turned away the captivity of Jacob.

2 Thou haft forgiven the offence of thy people: and covered

all their fins.

O Lord God of befls: bleffed is the Man that putteth his truft, &c. Which is as if David had faid "Though we are at prefent diftreffed, and forced to "wander far diftant from thy Tabernacle; yet, this "comfort ftill remains; we can ftili firmly rely on thy goodness, that thou wilt deliver us, and restore us to

"profperity when thou feeft it beft for us." Such a'fo may be the Confolation of ev ry fincere Christian under afi &tion.

This Pfalm is fuppofed to have been occafioned by the return of the Ifraelites from their Babylonian Capti vity; when, the Temple being rebuilt &c. the people

3 Thou haft taken away all thy displeasure and turned thyself from thy wrathful indignation.

4 Turn us then, O God our Saviour: and let thine anger cease from us.

5 Wilt thou be difpleafed at us for ever: and wilt thou ftretch out thy wrath from one generation to another?

6 Wilt thou not turn again and quicken us: that thy people may rejoice in thee?

7 Shew us thy mercy, O Lord: and grant us thy falvation.

8 I will hearken what the Lord God will fay concerning me: for he shall speak peace unto his people, and to his faints, that they turn not again.

9

*

For his falvation is nigh them that fear him: that glory may dwell in our land.

10 Mercy and truth are met together: righteoufness and peace have kiffed each other.

11 Truth shall flourish out of the earth: and righteousness hath looked down from heaven.

12 Yea, the Lord fhall fhew loving kindness: and our land fhall give her increase.

13 Righteoufnefs fhall go before him: and he shall direct his going in the way.

[blocks in formation]

OW down thine ear, O Lord, and hear me: for I am poor

Bow
B and in milery.

2 Preferve thou my foul, for I am holy: my God, fave thy fervant that putteth his truft in thee.

began to be united into one body and to be elevated with hopes of their former gloy Though, in a fublimer fente, it has been thought to refer to the times of the Mfiah.

*For bis Salvation is nigh them that fear him; that Glory, &c. This was completely fulfilled in none

but Jejus Chrift, concerning whom it is faid that he was made Flesh and dwelt among us (and we beh la his Glory, the Glory as of the only begotten of the Father) full of Grace and Truth. Joh i. 14. He is alfa faid to be the Glory of his People Ifrael Luke ii. 32.

David, confcious of his own Weakness and need

3 Be merciful unto me, O Lord: for I will call daily upon thee. 4 Comfort the foul of thy fervant: for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my foul.

5 For thou, Lord, art good and gracious: and of great mercy unto all them that call upon thee.

6 Give ear, Lord, unto my prayer: and ponder the voice of my humble defires.

7 In the time of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou heareft me.

8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord: there is not one that can do as thou doeft,

9 Ail nations whom thou haft made, fhall come and worship thee, O Lord: and fhall glorify thy Name.

10 For thou art great, and doeft wondrous things: thou art God alone.

11 Teach me thy way, O Lord, and I will walk in thy truth: 0 knit my heart unto thee, that I may fear thy Name.

12 I will thank thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and will praise thy Name for evermore.

13 For great is thy mercy toward me: and thou haft delivered my foul from the nethermoft hell.

14 O God, the proud are risen against me: and the congregations of naughty men have fought after my foul, and have not fet thee before their eyes.

15 But thou, O Lord God, art full of compaffion and mercy: long-fuffering, plenteous in goodness and truth.

16 O turn thee then unto me, and have mercy upon me: give thy ftrength unto thy fervant, and help the fon of thine handmaid.

of the divine Affiftance, here earnestly calls upon God to help, teach, govern, and establish him in Innocency of Life. He prays to him with a firm confidence of being heard; and at the fame Time proclaims his infinite power, Majefty, and Mercy.

Preferve thou my Soul, for I am boly &c. This Ex. preflion may at firft Sight appear harth for David to utter concerning himself; because, he fays elfewhere

that in God's fight no Man living fall be justified: yet David might be faid to be holy in refpect of his enemies; and might therefore have reafon to hope that God on that account would fhew Kindness to him in preference to them, because, as the Man that had been born blind justly obferved, We know that God heareth not Sinners: bt if any Man be a Worshipper of God and doeth his Will, him he beareth John 9. 31.

1

17 Shew fome token upon me for good, that they who hate me may see it, and be afhamed: because thou, Lord haft holpen, me, and comforted me.

HE

§ Pfalm 87. Fundamenta ejus.

ER foundations are upon the holy hills: the Lord loveth the gates of Sion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.

2 Very excellent things are spoken of thee: thou city of God. 3 I will think upon Rahab and Babylon: with them that

know me.

4

Behold ye the Philistines alfo: and they of Tyre, with the Morians; lo, there was he born.

5 And of Sion it fhall be reported that he was born in her: and the moft High shall stablish her.

6 The Lord shall rehearse it when he writeth up the people: that he was born there.

7 The fingers alfo and trumpeters shall he rehearse: all my fresh fprings fhall be in thee.

O

Pfalm 88. Domine Deus.

Lord God of my falvation, I have cried day and night before thee: O let my prayer enter into thy presence, incline thine ear unto my calling.

2 For my soul is full of trouble: and my life draweth nigh unto hell.

3 I am counted as one of them that go down into the pit: and I have been even as a man that hath no strength.

4 Free among the dead, like unto them that are wounded, and lie in the grave: who are out of remembrance, and are cut away from thy hand.

5 Thou haft laid me in the lowest pit: in a place of darkness and in the deep.

The Prophet here celebrates the praises ofthe City of Jerufalem and Mount Sion, in preference to all the neighbouring Kingdoms and Cities: who, although they might boaft of famous and remarkable Perfonages being born among them; yet could not equal

Judea as to the Men of renown who were natives of it. || This Pfalm feems to have been compofed by one who was under the deepest Affliction, and almost deprived of all confolation. He reprefents herein the violence and continuance of his Sufferigns, and the

6 Thine indignation lieth hard upon me: and thou haft vexed me with all thy forms,

7 Thou baft put away mine acquaintance far from me: and made me to be abhorred of them.

8 I am fo faft in prifon: that I cannot get forth.

9 My fight faileth for very trouble: Lord, I have called daily upon thee, I have firetched forth my hands unto thee.

10 Doft thou fhew wonders among the dead: or fhall the dead rife up again, and praife thee?

11 Shall thy loving kindness be shewed in the grave: or thy faithfulness in deftruction ?

12 Shall thy wondrous works be known in the dark: and thy righteousness in the land where all things are forgotten?

13 Unto thee have I cried, O Lord: and early fhall my prayer come before thee.

14 Lord, why abhorrest thou my foul: and hideft thou thy face

from me?

15 Iam in mifery, and like unto him that is at the point to die: even from my youth up thy terrors have I fuffered with a troubled mind.

16 Thy wrathful displeasure goeth over me: and the fear of thee hath undone me.

17 They came round about me daily like water: and compaffed me together on every fide.

18 My lovers and friends haft thou put away from me: and hid mine acquaintance out of my fight.

MY
Μ

EVENING

PRAYER.

Pfalm 89. Mifericordias Domini.

Y fong fhall be alway of the loving kindness of the Lord: with my mouth will I ever be fhewing thy truth from one generation to another.

Terrors which difcompofed his mind, complaining that God did not hear him, tho' he called upon him with great fervency. This Plalm agrees with thofe

that are commonly called penitential.

This Piaim was compofed at a time when the Jews were under iome publick calamity. The writer

« PreviousContinue »