The Daily Practice of Devotion, Psalms
PSALMS.
I. O God,Pſal. 74. 1, 2. wherefore art thou abſent from us ſo long? Why is thy Wrath ſo hot againſt the Sheep of thy paſture?
Remember the congregation which thou haſt purchaſed of old; the lot of thine Inheritance, and this Mount Sion wherein thou haſt dwelt.
O God, the Heathen are come into thine Inheritance:79. Ver. 1. thy holy Temple have they defiled, and laid Jeruſalem on heaps.
They have caſt fire into thy Sanctuary,74. ver. 7. they have defiled the dwelling place of thy Name unto the ground.
We are become a reproach to our Neighbours,79 ver. 4, 5, 8, 9, 10. a ſcorn and deriſion to them that are round about us.
Lord, how long wilt thou be angry? ſhall thy jealouſie burn like fire for ever?
O remember not our old ſins: let thy tender mercies ſpeedily prevent us, for we are brought very low.
Help us, O God of our Salvation, for the glory of thy Name; deliver us, and purge away our ſins for thy Names ſake.
Wherefore ſhould the Heathen ſay, whereis their God?
Remember this, O Lord,…4. ver. 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23. that the Enemy hath reproached, and the Fooliſh people have blaſphemed, thy Name.
O deliver not the Soul of thy Turtle Dove unto the multitude of the wicked: forget not the Congregation of thy poor for ever.
Have reſpect unto the Covenant: for the dark places of the Earth are full of the habitations of Cruelty.
O let not the Oppreſſed return aſhamed: let the poor and needy praiſe thy Name.
Ariſe, O God, plead thine own cauſe: remember how the fooliſh man reproacheth thee daily.
Forget not the voice of thine Enemies: the noiſe of thoſe that riſe up againſt thee increaſeth continually.
II. HEar,Pſal. 80. 1. 4, 5, 6, 7. O thou Shepherd of Iſrael, thou that leadeſt Joſeph like a flock: thou that dwelleſt between the Cherubims ſhew thy ſelf.
O Lord God of Hoſts, how long wilt thou be angry againſt the Prayer of thy people?
Thou feedeſt them with the bread of weeping, and giveſt them plenty of tears to drink.
Thou makeſt us a ſtrife unto our Neighbours, and our Enemies laugh among themſelves.
Turn us again, O God of Hoſts, and cauſe thy face to ſhine, and we ſhall be ſaved.
Thou haſt brought a Vine out of Egypt; V. 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15.thou haſt caſt out the Heathen and planted it.
Thou preparedſt the Soil before it, and didſt cauſe it to take root and it filled the Land.
The Hills were covered with the ſhadow of it, and the goodly Cedars with the branches thereof.
She ſent out her Boughs into the Sea, and her Branches upon the River.
Why haſt thou then broken down her Hedges, ſo that all they that paſs by the way do ſpoil her?
The Boar out of the Wood doth waſte it, and the Wild Beaſt of the Feild doth devour it.
Return, we beſeech thee, O Lord of Hoſts; look down from Heaven, behold and viſit this Vine;
And the Root which thy Right Hand hath planted, and the Branch which thou madeſt ſtrong for thy ſelf.
Let thy Hand be upon the Man of thy Right Hand,Ver. 17, 18, 19. upon the Son of Man whom thou madeſt ſtrong for thy ſelf.
So will not we go back from thee. Quicken us, and we will call upon thy Name.
Turn us again, O Lord God of Hoſts, cauſe thy face to ſhine, and we ſhall be whole.
III. O God, thou haſt caſt us off,Pſal. 60. 1, 2, 3. thou haſt ſcattered us; thou haſt alſo been diſpleaſed; O turn thee unto us again.
Thou haſt made the Land to tremble; thou haſt broken it: Heal the Breaches thereof, for it ſhaketh.
Thou haſt ſhewed thy people heavy things; thou haſt made us to drink the Wine of Aſtoniſhment.
For thou haſt forſaken and abhorred thine Anointed,89. ver. 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46. and haſt been diſpleaſed at him.
Thou haſt broken the Covenant of thy Servant, and haſt profaned his Crown to the ground.
Thou haſt broken down all his Hedges, and made his Strong Holds a Ruine.
All that paſs by ſpoil him: he is become a reproach to his Neighbours.
Thou haſt ſet up the Right hand of his Adverſaries; thou haſt made all his Enemies to rejoyce.
Thou haſt alſo turned the edge of his Sword, and giveſt him not victory in the Battel.
Thou haſt made his glory to ceaſe, and haſt caſt his Throne down to the ground.
The days of his Youth haſt thou ſhortened, and covered him with diſhonour.
How long, Lord, wilt thou hide thy ſelf for ever? Shall thy wrath burn like fire.
Behold, O God, our Defender,84. ver. 9. and look upon the face of thine Anointed.
Comfort us again now after the days wherein thou haſt afflicted us and the years wherein we have ſeen adverſity.90. ver. 15, 16, 17.
Shew thy Servants thy Work, and their Children thy glory. And the Glorious Majeſty of the Lord our God be upon us.
IV. TRuly God is good to Iſrael, Pſal. 73. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12.even to ſuch as are of a clean heart.
But as for me, my feet were almoſt gone, my ſteps had well nigh ſlipt:
For I was zealous at the fooliſh, when I ſaw the Proſperity of the wicked:
For they are in no peril of Death, but their ſtrength is firm.
They are not in trouble with the weak, neither are they ſcourged like other men.
Therefore Pride compaſſeth them as a Chain, Violence covereth them as a Garment.
Their eyes ſwell with fatneſs, they have ſurpaſſed the imaginations of their heart.
They deride and ſpeak maliciouſly, from on high they ſpeak Oppreſſion.
They ſet their Mouth againſt the Heavens, and their Tongue walked through the Earth.
And they ſay, How doth God know? Is there Knowledge in the moſt High?
Behold, theſe are the Ungodly, theſe proſper in the world, they increaſe in riches.
Verily I have cleanſed my heart in vain,Ver. 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20. and waſhed my hands in innocency.
If I ſay, I will ſpeak thus, I ſhould offend againſt the generation of thy Children.
And I thought to know this which was grievous in my eyes.
And I went into the Sanctuary, then underſtood I the end of theſe men.
Surely thou ſetteſt them in ſlippery places, thou caſteſt them down into deſtruction.
How are they brought into deſolation; As in a moment they are utterly conſumed with terrors.
As a Dream when one awaketh, ſo (Lord) when they awake thou ſhalt deſtroy their ſhadow.
Fret not thy ſelf becauſe of the evil doers;37 ver. 1, 2, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39. neither be thou envious againſt the workers of iniquity.
For they ſhall ſoon be cut down like the graſs, and wither as the green Herb.
I have ſeen the wicked in great power, aud ſpreading himſelf like a green Tree:
And he paſſed away, and lo he was not; yea I ſought him, but he could not be found.
Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright, for the end of that man is peace.
But the Tranſgreſſors ſhall be deſtroyed together, and the end of the wicked ſhall be cut off.
For the Salvation of the righteous of the Lord: he is their ſtrength in time of trouble.
And the Lord ſhall help them and deliver them: he ſhall deliver them from the wicked, and ſave them becauſe they truſt in him.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghoſt:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever ſhall be world without end. Amen.