fo high: * and yet humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and earth? 6 He taketh up the fimple out of the duft: and lifteth the poor out of the mire ; 7 That he may fet him with the princes: even with the princes of his people. 8 He maketh the barren woman to keep house: and to be a joyful mother of children. EVENING PRAYER. § Pfalm 114. In exitu Ifrael. HEN Ifrael came out of Egypt: and the house of Jacob from among the ftrange people, 2 Juda was his fanctuary: and Ifrael his dominion. 3 The fea faw that and fled: Jordan was driven back. 4 The mountains skipped like rams: and the little hills like young sheep, 5 What aileth thee, O thou fea, that thou fleddeft: and thou, Jordan, that thou waft driven back? 6 Ye mountains, that ye skipped like rams: and ye little hills like young sheep? 7 Tremble, thou earth, at the presence of the Lord: at the prefence of the God of Jacob. 8 Who turned the hard rock into a standing water: and the flint-ftone into a fpringing well. fake. Pfalm 115. Non nobis Domine. OT unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto thy Name give the praise: for thy loving mercy, and for thy ferved, and the lowly in particular are exaited And yet bumbleth himjelf to behold the Things, &c. When we confider the unspeakable distance there is be twixt God and his Creatures it must be confidered as an act of the greateft lamiliation in him to regard the Things that are in Heaven, where even his Angels muft humbly acknowledge all their excellency to be received from him, truths § This Pfalm is a poetical narration of the mira culous conveyance of the Ifraelites from Egypt tọ Canaan. When Ifrael came out of Egypt, &c. If the Jews had reafon to exalt the power and goodness of God on account of their deliverance from Egyptian flavery: much more reafon have Chriftians to praife and blefs him for their Redemption from Sin and Death: of 2 Wherefore shall the heathen fay: Where is now their God? 3 As for our God, he is in heaven: he hath done whatsoever pleafed him. 4 Their idols are filver and gold: even the work of mens hands. 5 They have mouths and speak not: eyes have they and fee not. 6 They have ears and hear not: nofes have they and smell not. 7 They have hands and handle not; feet have they and walk not: neither fpeak they through their throat. 8 They that make them are like unto them: and fo are all fuch ás put their truft in them. 9 But thou, houfe of Ifrael, truft thou in the Lord: he is their fuccour and defence. 10 Ye houfe of Aaron, put your truft in the Lord: he is their helper and defender. II Ye that fear the Lord, put your truft in the Lord: he is their helper and defender. 12 The Lord hath been mindful of us, and he shall bless us: even he shall bless the house of Ifrael, he fhall bless the house of Aaron. 13 He fhall blefs them that fear the Lord: both small and great. 14 The Lord fhall increate you more and more: you and your children. 15 Ye are the bleffed of the Lord: who made heaven and earth. C. 16 All the whole heavens are the Lords: the earth hath he given to the children of men. which the former was but a faint emblem. This Palm feems to have been wrote when the Ifraelites were under fome grievous and public calamity. The Pfalmift herein implores their deliverance defcribes the vanity of Idols and reprefents the hap pinefs of those who serve and worship the true God. He ball bless them that fear the Lord, both mall and great, &c. Be of good comfort therefore ye poor yet faithful Servants of God. The Mafter whom ye ferve is no refpecter of Perfons He takes care for the loweft as well as the higheft of the Sons of Men: and he distinguishes his Favourites only in proportion as they excel each other in Virtue and Hlinefs. A diftinction which the poor Man, has an equal oppors tunity of haring in with the ich. 17 The dead praife not thee, O Lord: neither all they that go down into filence. 18 But we will praise the Lord: from this time forth for evermore. Praise the Lord. MORNING PRAYER, || Pfalm 116. Dilexi, quoniam. AM well pleased: that the Lord hath heard the voice of my I prayer. 2 That he hath inclined his ear unto me: therefore will I call upon him as long as I live. 3 The fnares of death compaffed me round about: and the pains of hell gat hold upon me. 4 4 1 fhall find trouble and heavinefs, and I will call upon the Name of the Lord: O Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my foul. 5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous: yea, our God, is merciful. 6 The Lord preferveth the fimple: I was in mifery, and he helped me. 7. Turn again then unto thy reft, O my foul: for the Lord hath, rewarded thee. 8 And why? thou haft delivered my foul from death: mine eyes from tears and my feet from falling. 9. I will walk before the Lord: in the land of the living. 10 I believed, and therefore will I speak, but I was fore troubled: I faid in my hafte, All men are liars. II What reward fhall I give unto the Lord; for all the benefits that he hath done unto me? 12 I will receive the cup of falvation: and call upon the Name of the Lord. This feems to be a Pfalm of Thankgiving after a recovery from Sicknefs, or deliverance from fome grievous calamity. In which the Pfalmift affectingly def cribes the diftrefs to which he had been reduced: and praises God for his Mercies towards him, in ftrains of the most fervent gratitude, ‡ I said in my hafte, all Men are liars. It may feem at first fight as if David had uttered a rath unadvi fed expreilion for which he thought himfelf blameable. But this paffage implies only that he was in fo difficult and dangerous a fituation, that he could. not forbear openly declaring that all human help 13 I will pay my vows now in the prefence of all his people: right dear in the fight of the Lord is the death of his faints. 14 Behold O Lord, how that i am thy fervant: I am thy fervant, and the son of thine handmaid, thou haft broken my bonds in funder. 15 I will offer to thee the facrifice of thanksgiving: and will call upon the Name of the Lord. 16 I will pay my vows unto the Lord, in the fight of all his people: in the courts of the Lords house, even in the midst of thee, O Jerufalem. Praise the Lord. + Pfalm 117. Laudate Dominum. Praise the Lord, all ye heathen: praife him, all ye nations. 2 For his merciful kindness is ever more and more towards us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise the Lord.. C Pfalm 118. Confitemini Domino. Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious: because his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let Ifrael now confefs, that he is gracious: and that his mercy endureth for ever. 3 Let the house of Aaron now confess: that his mercy endureth for ever. 4 Yea, let them now that fear the Lord confefs: that his mercy endureth for ever. 5 I called upon the Lord in trouble: and the Lord heard me at large. 6 The Lord is on my fide: I will not fear what man doeth untó me. "was vain; and that God was his only fure depen"dence." ↑ The Pfalmift here calls upon all the Nations of the World to praise God, becaufe of his Meray and Trath. O praise the Lord all ye Heathen, &c. This paffage St. Paul confiders as a prophecy concerning the conversion of the Gentiles: and as a reafon why the Gentiles fhould fhare with the Jews in offering up their united praises to God for his Mercies in Chrift Jefus. Rom. xv. 11. Becaufe as all People partake in the divine goodness, all certainly ought to join alfo in thanke to their common Benefactor. || David here exhorts all the Ifraelites to celebrate the goodnefs of God: and fervently praises him for enabling him to triumph over his Enemies. The People answering his invitations, by bleffing the Lord, and praying for the profperity of their Sov reign. The latter part of this Pfalm relates to our Lord Jefus Chrift• 7 The Lord taketh my part with them that help me: therefore fhall I fee my defire upon mine enemies. 8 It is better to truft in the Lord: than to put any confidence in man. 9 It is better to trust in the Lord: than to put any in princes. confidence io All nations compaffed me round about: but in the name of the Lord will I destroy them. 11 They kept me in on every fide, they kept me in, I fay, on every fide: but in the Name of the Lord will I destroy them. 12 They came about me like bees, and are extinct even as the fire among the thorns: for in the Name of the Lord I will destroy them. 13 Thou haft thruft fore at me, that I might fall: but the Lord was my help. 14 The Lord is my strength and my fong: and is become my falvation. 15 The voice of joy and health is in the dwellings of the righ teous: the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pafs. 16 The right hand of the Lord hath the preeminence: the right hand of the Lord bringeth mighty things to pass. 17 I fhall not die but live: and declare the works of the Lord. 18 The Lord hath chaftened and corrected me: but he hath not given me over unto death. 19 Open me the gates of righteousness: that I may go into them, and give thanks unto the Lord. 20 This is the gate of the Lord: the righteous fhall enter into it. 21 I will thank thee, for thou haft heard me: and art become my falvation. 22 *The fame ftone which the builders refused: is become the head-ftone in the corner. The fame Stone which the Builders refused, is, &c. Tho' this paffage may in fome degree relate to David, as he was defpifed by his Brethren and the great Men of Ifrael; and was yet notwithstanding advanced to the Kingd m, yet it more fully and completely belongs to Chrift. Becaufe as the Head-Stone in the Corner ið |