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3 For while I held my tongue: my bones confumed away through my daily complaining.

4 For thy hand is heavy upon me day and night: and my moifture is like the drought in fummer.

I will acknowledge my fin unto thee: and mine unrighteoufnefs have I not hid.

6 I faid, I will confefs my fins unto the Lord: and fo thou forgaveft the wickedness of my fin.

7 For this fhall every one that is godly make his prayer unto thee, in a time when thou mayeft be found: but in the great water-floods they fhall not come nigh him.

8 Thou art a place to hide me in, thou fhalt preferve me from trouble: thou shalt compass me about with fongs of deliverance. 9 I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou fhalt go: and I will guide thee with mine eye..

10 Be ye not like to horse and mule, which have no understanding: whofe mouths must be held with bit and bridle, left they fall upon thee.

11 Great plagues remain for the ungodly: but whofo puttetl his truft in the Lord, mercy embraceth him on every side.

12 Be glad, O ye righteous, and rejoice in the Lord: and be joyful all ye that are true of heart.

R

§ Pfalm 33, Exultate, jufti.

Ejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for it becometh well the just to be thankful.

2 Praise the Lord with harp: fing praifes unto him with the lute, and inftrument of ten ftrings..

3 Sing unto the Lord a new fong: fing praises luftily unto him with with a good courage.

Man had a claim to the bleffings and privileges of the Gofpel on account of his obferving the rites and ceremonies of the Law of Mofes, neither because he was a Jew or a Gentile: but that these were the gift alone of God's unmerited favour to all of every Nation, who hould believe and embrace the Gospel

§ David here exhorts the Righteous to praife

God.

with the utmoft fervency and fincerity, from the confideration or goodness, righteousness, and power, which appear in the works of his Creation and Providence.. He reprefents God alfo as feeing all things, examining the actions of all Mer, and difplaying his mercy to wards them that fear and truft in him,

ful.

4

For the word of the Lord is true: and all his works are faith

5 He loveth righteousness and judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the Lord.

6 By the word of the Lord were the heavens made: and all the hofts of them by the breath of his mouth.

7 He gathereth the waters of the fea together as it were upon an heap and layeth up the deep as in a treafure-house.

8 Let all the earth fear the Lord: ftand in awe of him all ye that dwell in the world;

9 For he fpake, and it was done: he commanded, and it stood faft.

10 The Lord bringeth the counsel of the heathen to nought: and maketh the devices of the people to be of none effect, and eafteth out the counfels of princes.

II The counfel of the Lord fhall endure for ever: and the thoughts of his heart from generation to generation.

12 Bleffed are the people whose God is the Lord Jehovah: and bleffed are the folk that he hath chofen to him to be his inheritance. 13 The Lord looked down from heaven, and beheld all the children of men: from the habitation of his dwelling he confidereth all them that dwell on the earth.

14

He fashioneth all the hearts of them: and understandeth all their works.

15 There is no king that can be faved by the multitude of am hoft: neither is any mighty man delivered by much strength.

16 A horse is counted but a vain thing to fave a man: neither fhall he deliver any man. by his great strength.

17 *Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him: and upon them that put their truft in his mercy.

• Behold the Eye of the Lord is upon them, &c. From hence it may be obferv'd, that the true way to make God our. Friend is to have fuch a reverential fear of

him as will engage us to obey his commands; and to repofe fuch a pious trust in him, as will make us refign'd to his will under all his difpenfations

18 To deliver their foul from death: and to feed them in the time of dearth.

19 Our foul hath patiently tarried for the Lord: for he is our help, and our shield.

20 For our heart shall rejoice in him: because we have hoped in his holy Name.

21 Let thy merciful kindness, O Lord, be upon us: like as we do put our trust in thee.

§ Pfalm 34. Benedicam Domino.

Will alway give thanks unto the Lord: his praise fhall ever be

I Will alway giv

my

2 My foul fhall make her boast in the Lord: the humble fhall hear there of, and be glad.

3 O praise the Lord with me: and let us magnify his Name together.

4 I fought the Lord, and he heard me: yea, he delivered me out of all my fear.

5 They had an eye unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not afhamed,

6 Lo, the poor crieth, and the Lord heareth him: yea, and faveth him out of all his troubles.

7 The Angel of the Lord tarrieth round about them that fear him: and delivereth them.

8 O tafte, and fee, how gracious the Lord is: bleffed is the man that trufteth in him.

9 O fear the Lord, ye that are his faints: for they that fear him, lack nothing.

10 The lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they who seek the Lord, fhall want no manner of thing that is good.

II Come, ye children, and hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the Lord.

This is a Pfalm of Thanksgiving for David's deliverance, when he was difcovered by the Philistines in Gath, 1 Sam. xxi. 10, &c. In which also he repre

fents God's care and protection of his People-the advantages which a regard to Religion procures them and the fatal lot of the wicked.

I 2 *What man is he that lufteth to live: and would fain fee good

days?

13 Keep thy tongue from evil: and thy lips that they speak no guile.

14 Efchew evil, and do good: feek peace, and ensue it. 15 The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous: and his ears are open unto their prayers.

16 The countenance of the Lord is against them that do evil: to root out the remembrance of them from the earth..

17 The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth them: and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a contrite heart : and will fave fuch as be of an humble spirit.

19 Great are the troubles of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of all.

20 He keepeth all his bones: fo that not one of them is broken. 21 But misfortune fhall flay the ungodly: and they that hate the righteous, fhall be defolate.

22 The Lord delivereth the fouls of his fervants: and all they that put their trust in him fhall not be destitute.

PLEA

me.

MORNING

PRAYER.

Pfalm 35. Judica me, Domine.

LEAD thou my caufe, O Lord, with them that strive with me: and fight thou against them that fight against me.

2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler: and stand up to help

3 Bring forth the fpear, and ftop the way against them that perfecute me: fay unto my foul, I am thy falvation.

What Man is he that lufteth to live, Et. Sc. It may be obferved upon this pailage in the words of Arch Bishop Tillotson, that "no Man knows in the chance of things and the mutability of human affairs, whofe kincnefs or goodwill he may come to stand in "need of before he dies. So that did a Man only "confult his own fafety and quiet, he ought to << refrain from evil fpeaking,"

David here earneftly implores God's affiftance, as well against Saul and his Forces; as at the 11th verfe against fome falfe Accufers, who though they had received favours from him, yet maliciously mifieprefented him to the King. The imprecations which David here pronounces against his Adverfaries, are chiefly to be confidered as Prophetical. But, as Chriftians, it is our duty to love and pray for our Enemies.

4 Let them be confounded, and put to fhame, that seek after my foul: let them be turned back, and brought to confufion, that imagine mischief for me.

5 Let them be as the duft before the wind: and the Angel of the Lord scattering them.

6 Let their way be dark and flippery: and let the Angel of the Lord perfecute them.

7 For they have privily laid their net to deftroy me without a caufe: yea, even without a caufe have they made a pit for my foul.

8 Let a fudden deftruction come upon him unawares, and his net that he hath laid privily catch himfelf: that he may fall into his own mischief.

9 And, my foul, be joyful in the Lord: it fhall rejoice in his falvation.

10 All my bones fhall fay, Lord, who is like unto thee, who deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him: yea, the poor, and him that is in mifery, from him that spoileth him?

11 Falfe witneffes did rife up: they laid to my charge things

that I knew not.

12 *They rewarded me evil for good: to the great discomfort of my foul.

13 Nevertheless, when they were fick, I put on fackcloth, and humbled my foul with fasting: and my prayer shall turn into mine own bofom.

14 I behaved myself, as though it had been my friend, or my brother: I went heavily as one that mourneth for his mother.

15 But in mine adverfity they rejoiced, and gathered themselves together: yea, the very abjects came together against me unawares making mouths at me, and ceafed not.

They rewarded me evil for good, &c. Never do the Arrows of Malice pierce fo deeply as when they are pointed with Ingratitude. Yet the nobleft revenge that

we can take upon an ungrateful Enemy is to forgive him, to pray for him, and to do him kind offices according as we have opportunity; because we not only here

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