Meditations Upon Eight Psalms, Part 7
A meditation vponupon the 143 Pſalme.
1 Heare my prayer, O Lorde, and hearken vntounto my ſupplication: anſwere me in thy trueth & in thy righteouſnes.O Eternall God, liſten to my prayer, hearken to my requeſt, heare mee, for thyne aſſured truſtines byndeth thee to holde that which thy goodnes hath promiſed: And what can I alleadge herein, but thyne owne ſelfe? for not I alone,2 (And enter not into iudgement with thy ſeruant: for in thy ſight ſhall none that liueth be iuſtified) poore and woe begone ſinner that I am, but no man aliue going about to debate his cauſe with thee, as though he had right on his ſide, ſhal be found righteous. Wherefore, in ſtead of pleading I condemne and iudge my ſelf: I bring thee nothing of myne owne but iniquitie, and I craue that which is thyne, to wit, grace and mercy.
3 For the enemie hath perſecuted my ſoule: hee hath ſmitten my life downe to the earth: he hath layde me in the darkenes, as they that hauehave bene dead long ago:3 O my God, thou ſeeſt, alas, my piteous eſtate: myne enemyes and thyne purſue me for life, which already lyeth as is were in the duſt, at their mercy: I am euen nowe in the darkenes of death, yea I am as a Carion long ſince dead and ſtinking.
4 Alas, my ſpirit is ſo perplexed, that it cannot reſolue nor winde it ſelfe out.4 And my ſpirit was in perplexitie in me, & mine heart within mee was amaſed. Both vnderſtanding and hart are quite loſt within me: wherupon I bethought mee of ſo many auncient teſtimonyes and experiments which I hauehave had of thy benignitie and fauour from mine infancie, and I ſtayde my ſelfe vponupon conſideration of the high workes of thy handes, euen true euidences of thine infinite wiſedome and bounty together, towardes the very leaſt of thy creatures: and namely I beheld in my ſpirit thine high actes on behalfe of thy welbeloued,6 I ſtretch forth mine hands vntounto thee: my ſoule deſireth after thee, as the thirſtie lād. things verily paſſing all wonder.
6 This incouraged me, my God, to ſtretche foorth myne handes to thee: this I ſay,7 Heare me ſpeedily, O Lorde, for my ſpirite fayleth: hide not thy face from me, elſe I ſhall be like vntounto them that goe downe into the pit ſtrengthened my poore conſcience to addreſſe it ſelfe to thee, yea with more burning deſire, then euer the moſt parched ground gaped for the moyſture of thy rayne.
7 But what is to be done? Euen forthwith haſte thee, anſwere me O eternal God,8 Let mee heare thy louing kindnes in the morning, for in thee is my truſt: ſhewe me the way, yt I ſhould walke in, for I lift vp my ſoule vntounto thee. for I cā endure no longer: Beholde me dead, lying in the duſt of the graue, vnleſſe thou ſhew forth that cheerefull eye which with one onelyonly looke can reuiue the dead: without the ſound of thy moſt gentle voyce, I am caſt away: make it then to ſounde and ſound agayne in mine eares, & in mine heart, for I am of ye number of thoſe to whō thou haſt bound thy ſelfe, no whit, alas, for any merit of mine, but thine only free mercy. I am, I ſay, one of thoſe by thy grace, to wit, of thoſe which hope for yt which thou haſt promiſed, & giuen them grace to beleeue: without this I wot not where to become, nor which way to turne me. And therefore, O high God, I prepare my ſelfe to thee, that thou mighteſt teache me which way to holde:9 Deliuer me, O Lord, from mine enemies: for I hid mee with thee. thou ſeeſt howe mine enemies hemme me in: deliuer me, O eternall, who alone canſt and wilt do it, for ſo much as I hauehave no refuge but vnderunder thy couert. Alas, I weened with my ſelfe to hauehave ſeene many trim ſtarting holes: & agayne I am tempted to aſſay infinite meanes. But, God forbid, I ſhoulde herein followe that which this blind & froward nature would ſuggeſt. Hence from mee, thou vnwiſe wit, fooliſh wiſedome, vnreaſonable reaſon, and all ye paſſions which can doe nought but cary me headlong on mine owne heade. It is thou, O Lord, that I will hold, & hold faſt for my God: conſequently,10 Teache mee to do thy wil, for thou art my God: let thy good Spirit lead me vntounto the land of righteouſneſſe. nothing will I will, ſaue that thou willeſt. And becauſe I can neither vnderſtand this will, nor take pleaſure to followe it when I hauehave vnderſtood it, teach it me, O Lord, and leade me in it, not alone to knowe it, but alſo to practiſe it, Let thy good ſpirit be my loads man in the right way,11 Quicken me, O Lord for thy Names take, & for thy righteouſnes bring my ſoule out of trouble. and not that tempting ſpirit, nor yet fleſh and blood.
11 Vp nowe then my poore ſpirit hitherunto deſolate: comfort thy ſelfe, for the eternall will drawe comfort forth of him ſelfe to reuiue ſhee, becauſe it hath pleaſed him that his name ſhould be called vponupon in thee, and according to his infinite bounty will deliuer thee out of all anguiſhes.
12 And for thy mercy ſtay mine enemies, & deſtroy all them that oppreſſe my ſoule: for I am thy ſeruant.12 Doeth Sathan amaſe thee? hee hath vanquiſhed him for thee. Doth the corruption of thy nature aſtoniſh thee? the ſonne of God making him ſelfe man hath fully ſanctified it for thee. Doe thy ſinnes affright thee which be fruits of this corruption? He hath borne them all vponupon the tree, and hath payd for thy diſcharge: which more is, his righteouſneſſe is thine, ſith he himſelfe is thine. Art thou afrayde of men, ſith God is for thee? Doth death affray thee? it is vanquiſhed and turned into an entry of life. Beholde then all thine enemies ſcattered, behold quite vnderunder foote, all ſuch as afflicted thee within and without, becauſe the Lorde alloweth thee for one of his ſeruants and houſhold. Amen.
❧ Imprinted at London in Bacon houſe by Chriſtopher Barker, Printer to the Queenes moſt excellent Maieſtie. 1582.
End of the text · Theodore Beza, Meditations Upon Eight Psalms (1582)