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25 But murmured in their tents: and hearkned not unto the voice of the Lord.

26 Then lift he up his hand against them: to overthrow them in the wilderness;

27 To caft out their feed among the nations: and to fcatter them in the lands.

28 They joined themselves unto Baalpeor: and ate the offerings of the dead.

29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their own inventions: and the plague was great among them.

30 Then ftood up Phinees and prayed: and fo the plague ceased. 31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness: among all pofterities for evermore.

32 They angred him alfo at the waters of ftrife: fo that he punifhed Mofes for their fakes;

33 Because they provoked his spirit: so that he spake unadvisedly with his lips.

34 Neither destroyed they the heathen: as the Lord commanded them;

35 But were mingled among the heathen: and learned their works.

36 Infomuch that they worshipped their idols, which turned to their own decay: yea, they offered their sons and their daughters unto devils,

37 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their fons and of their daughters: whom they offered unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was defiled with blood.

38 Thus were they stained with their own works: and went a whoring with their own inventions.

39 Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people: infomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

40 And he gave them over into the hand of the heathen: and they that hated them, were lords over them.

41 Their enemies oppreffed them: and had them in subjection. 42 Many a time did he deliver them: but they rebelled against him with their own inventions, and were brought down in their wickedness.

43 Nevertheless, when he faw their adverfity: he heard their complaint.

44 He thought upon his covenant, and pitied them, according unto the multitude of his mercies: yea, he made all those that led them away captive to pity them.

45 Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen: that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and make our boast of thy praise.

46 Bleffed be the Lord God of Ifrael from everlasting, and world without end: and let all the people fay, Amen.

O

MORNING

PRAY E R.

+ Pfalm 107. Confitemini Domino.

GIVE thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious: and his mercy endureth for ever.

2 Let them give thanks whom the Lord hath redeemed: and delivered from the hand of the enemy;

3. And gathered them out of the lands, from the cast, and from the weft: from the north, and from the fouth.

4 They went aftray in the wilderness out of the way: and found no city to dwell in ;

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5 Hungry and thirfty: their foul fainted in them.

6 * So they cried unto the Lord in their trouble: and he delivered them from their diftrefs.

7

He led them forth by the right way: that they might go to the city where they dwelt.

8 O that men would therefore praife he Lord for his goodness: and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

This may jufty be reckoned amongst the moit elegant of the Pfalms; and its principal elegancy S

arifes, in part, from the difpofition of its materials, and the form of the whole poem. The Author here

9 For he fatisfieth the empty foul: and filleth the hungry foul

with goodness;

10 Such as fit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: being faft bound in mifery and iron.

11 Because they rebelled against the words of the Lord: and lightly regarded the counfel of the most Highest;

12 He alfo brought down their heart through heaviness: they fell down, and there was none to help them.

13 So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble: he delivered them out of their distress.

14 For he brought them out of darknefs, and out of the shadow of death and brake their bonds in funder.

15 O that men would therefore praife the Lord for his goodnefs: and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

16 For he hath broken the gates of brass: and smitten the bars of iron in funder.

17 Foolish men are plagued for their offence: and becaufe of their wickedness.

18 Their foul abhorred all manner of meat: and they were even hard at deaths door.

19 So when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble: he deli vered them out of their diftrefs.

20 He fent his word, and healed them: and they were faved from their destruction.

21 O that men would therefore praife the Lord for his goodness: and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men! 22 That they would offer unto him the facrifice of thanksgiving: and tell out his works with gladness !

in celebrates the goodness and mercy of God towards all Men in their greateft calamities, in his lending a ready Ear to their requests.

*So when they cried unto the Lord, &c. Such is the happy tendency of affliction where it falls upon a mind which is difpoled for its reception-It naturally leads

us to think upon. God, and to cry unto him-because we then more particularly difcover the vanity and infuf ciency of all worldly help without him. How kind is it then in. Providence to fuffer Men to feel the effects. of their own follies, or to inflict upon them needful chaftifemeats, in order to bring them back to Duty!

23 They that go down to the sea in ships: and occupy their bufinefs in great waters,

24

Thefe men fee the works of the Lord: and his wonders in the deep.

25 For at his word the ftormy wind arifeth: which lifteth up the waves thereof.

26 They are carried up to the heaven, and down again to the deep: their foul melteth away because of the trouble.

27 They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man: and are at their wits end.

28 So when they cry unto the Lord in their trouble: he delivereth them out of their diftrefs.

29 For he maketh the storm to cease: fo that the waves thereof are still.

30 Then are they glad, because they are at reft: and so he bringeth them unto the haven where they would be.

31 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodnefs: and declare the wonders that he doeth the for children of men!

32 That they would exalt him alfo in the congregation of the people: and praise him in the feat of the elders!

33 Who turneth the floods into a wilderness : and drieth up the water-fprings.

34 A fruitful land maketh he barren: for the wickednefs of them that dwell therein.

35 Again, he maketh the wilderness a standing water: and water-fprings of a dry ground.

36 And there he fetteth the hungry: that they may build them a city to dwell in.

37 That they may sow their land, and plant vineyards: to yield them fruits of increase.

38 He bleffeth them fo that they multiply exceedingly: and fuffereth not their cattle to decreafe.

39 And again, when they are minifhed and brought low: through oppreffion, through any plague or trouble;

40 Though he fuffer them to be evil intreated through tyrants: and let them wander out of the way in the wilderness ;

41 Yet helpeth he the poor out of mifery: and maketh him houfholds like a flock of fheep.

42 The righteous will confider this and rejoice: and the mouth of all wickedness fhall be stopped.

43 Whofo is wife will ponder thefe things: and they fhall underftand the loving kindness of the Lord.

EVENING PRAYE R.

*Pfalm 108. Paratum cor meum.

God, my heart is ready, my heart is ready: I will fing and give praife with the best member that I have.

2 Awake, thou lute and harp: I myself will awake right early. 3 I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people: I will fing praifes unto thee among the nations.

4 For thy mercy is greater than the heavens: and thy truth

reacheth unto the clouds.

5 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory

above all the earth.

6 That thy beloved may be delivered: let thy right hand fave them, and hear thou me.

7 God hath spoken in his holiness: I will rejoice therefore and divide Sichem, and mete out the valley of Succoth.

8 Gilead is mine, and Manaffes is mine: Ephraim also is the ftrength of my head.

9 Judah is my law-giver, Moab is my wafh pot: over Edom will I caft out my fhoe; upon Philiftia will I triumph.

Lavid here extols God's Mercy and Truth; and implores his amflance; exprefling at the fame time his affurance that he should reign over the whole Land of Ifrael, and be victorious over the Moabites, Edomites, and all who opposed him.

↑ I will fing and give praise with the best Member, By this the Pfalmift probably meant his Tongue:

becaule by it he was enabled to utter publickly the praises of God, and make known to mankind the devout fentiments of his Heart. What pity it is that that which is here reckoned the best of our Members fhould be fo often rendered the worst, yea an unruly. Evil, full of deadly Poison and how much have its perverters to answer for!.

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