Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture, Psalms

Paraphrase of the Hard Texts of Scripture · Psalms

p. 162PSALMES.

PSALM. I.

1 Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsell of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornfull.BLessednesse is the thing we all drive at; would ye then know who is a blessed and happie man? It is he that first refraineth himselfe from all evill; and whereas there are three degrees of wicked men, ungodly in their thoughts, sinners in their actions, and scorners in their words and carriage; this man holds aloofe from them all; not yeelding to frame himselfe, either to the counsells of the ungodly, to continue in the way, and manner of life, which is used by sinners, or to settle himselfe in a resolution to joyne with the scornfull enemies of grace, and goodnesse.

2 But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law doth he meditate day and night.But contrarily, in stead of these leud courses, and sinfull pleasures, his delight is wholly placed in the Lord his God; and for his sake, in the word of that God; and wherewith his heart is so taken up, that he spendeth his thoughts upon it day and night.

6 For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous.For the Lord takes speciall notice of the actions and events of godly men; he graciously accepts of what they doe, and wisely and mercifully ordereth the issues of all things to their good.

PSALM. II.

1 Why doe the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vaine thing?WHat madnesse is this in the enemies of God and of his Annointed, thus to conspire against that kingdome and government, which hee would have established in me, as a type of the everlasting Soverainty of his Sonne, Christ?

7 I will declare the decree; Thou art my Sonne, this day have I begotten thee.That men may no longer pretend ignorance, I will declare and publish the eternall decree of God; who hath said, concerning his Sonne Christ, (whose type I beare) Thou art my onelyonly Sonne, I have from eternity p. 163begotten thee; and now I doe this day proclaime thee to the world, as the everlasting King, and governour thereof.

Give yee your true testimonies of your humble homage, and subjection to this eternall Sonne of God;12 Kisse the Sonne, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way. and of your meet obedience to me, whom he hath ordained to be a figure of that his glorious government; lest his anger be provoked against you by your contempt, and so he should cut you off in the midst of your designes.

PSALM. IIII.

OH yee proud enemies,2 O ye Sonnes of men, how long will ye turne my glory into shame? &c. that pride your selves in the favour and countenance of Saul, how long will yee vainly indevor to disappoint that glory, which God hath by his Prophet fore-promised unto me?

Be afraid of Gods judgements,4 Stand in awe and sinne not; commune with your owne hearts upon your bed, and be still. and be reclaimed from your sinnes, and especially from your bloody persecution of me; deale seriously with your own hearts in secret, betwixt God and them; retyre your selves purposely for the more oportunitie of your deepe meditations; and be confounded in your selves, turning your displeasure back upon your owne wicked hearts.

I know it is the common fashion of the world to look after outward prosperity;6 There be many that say, Who wil shew us any good? and to measure happinesse by the abundance of these earthly things; but for me, O Lord, I value thy favour aboue all things whatsoever.

They doe not so much rejoyce in their vintage and harvest, when it is most rich, seasonable, abundant,7 Thou hast put gladnesse in my heart more then in the time that their corne & their wine increased. as I doe in the assurance of thy grace towards me.

PSALM. V.

THey have swallowed downe many deare morsells,9 Their throate is an open Sepulcher. of the estates, and lives of the godly, and innocent; and out of their throats have proceeded nothing but words tending to the destruction of others.

PSALM. VI.

WHen I am once dead,5 For in death there is no remembrance of thee. I can no more celebrate thy name amongst the living, as I now doe.

p. 164PSALM. VII.

7 So shall the congregation of the people praise thee, for their sakes therefore returne on high.O God, in delivering me, thou shalt not onelyonly doe good unto me; but this proofe of thy mercy shall draw all the people to a just admiration of thy goodnes; for their sakes therefore, ascend thou upon thy throne of judgement, and make thy grace conspicuous to all the world.

14 Behold, he travaileth with iniquitie, and hath cōceived mischiefe, and brought forth falshood.It shall be with him, as with a woman that is mocked with a false, and yet painfull conception; he hath conceived a mischeivous plot against me; he travelleth, in bringing that sinfull designe to execution, and when all is done, he is delivered of nothing, but a vaine and false hope, which vanisheth into winde and disappointment.

PSALM. VIII.

2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength, because of thine enemies; that thou mightest still the enemie and avenger.O God, thou needest no skilfull Rhetoricians to set forth thy praise; even very new borne babes and sucklings doe sufficiently declare thy power, wisedome, and goodnesse; whosoever shall but looke upon them, and see their miraculous formation, and nourishment, and insensible growth shall see enough to stop the mouthes of all thine enemies; how much more whē they come to age and discretion dost thou fetch praise and glory to thy selfe from them?

5 For thou hast made him a little lower then the Angells.Thou hast made man in his very creation, and the Son, of man in his voluntary exinanition of himselfe (for our sake) a little lower then the Angells.

PSALM. IX.

6 Oh thou enemie; destructions are come to a perpetuall end; and thou hast destroyed cities; their memoriall is perished with them.O Thou enemie, thou hast now, I hope, done destroying, thou hast made an end of sacking and ruining our cities, there is no more worke for thee further to doe; and now, when they have done their worst, themselves and their memoriall is utterly rooted out.

12 When he maketh iniquisition for blood, hee remembreth them.When God calls men to a reckoning for their oppressions, and cruelties, he then remembers the poore, and is just and carefull to right their wrongs.

p. 165PSALM. X.

THe wicked man followes his unbridled lust;3 For the wicked boasteth of his hearts desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom God abhorreth. and boasts of his free and full contentment that he findes in his evill wayes, and magnifies those that are earthly and carnall minded, like himselfe; who though they bee applauded by him, yet are abhorred of God.

His wayes are ever offensive to God, thy judgements,5 His waies are alwaies grievous, thy judgements are farre above out of his sight? as for all his enemies he puffeth at them. O God, are by him put farre from his thoughts; & for his enemies, in a confidence of his owne strength, he maketh a mocke of them.

He glavereth; and speaks faire,10 He croucheth and humbleth himselfe that the poore may fall by his strong ones. and carryes himselfe courteously, to draw in the poore into his danger; and when he hath once got hold of them, he falls violently upon them.

Doe thou search out, and punish,15 Seeke out his wickednesse, till thou finde none. and restraine his wickednesse, till there be no more of it to be found; make a full end of his evill by thy judgements.

PSALM. XI.

OH God,3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous doe. they have undermined me in the very foundations of my being and subsisting; how can I then hold out? Let me be never so upright and innocent; yet I must needs (for ought I can doe) fall under their violence.

But howsoever such measure be offered me by men;4 The Lord is in his holy Temple, the Lords throne is in heaven? yet my comfort is, that I have a God, who dwells aboue in the glorious Temple of heaven, who can and will redresse my wrongs.

He will, in his due time, execute most terrible,6 VponUpon the wicked he shall raine snares, fire and brimstone. and dreadfull judgements upon the wicked, such as he did upon Sodom and Gomorrah; he shall raine downe upon their heads, fire and brimstone, which shall surprize them suddenly, and ensnare them without possibility of escape.

PSALM. XII.

IT must needs be that wicked men should abound every where, and beare them proudly in their lend courses,8 The wicked walke on every side, when the vilest men are exalted. when the worst and most godlesse men are exalted and preferred to places of honor, and command, and magnified in their sinnes.

p. 166PSALM. XIII.

3 Lighten mine eyes, lest I sleepe the sleepe of death.O Lord, doe thou comfort me, with the chearfull light of thy countenance; raise me up with a sweet sense of thy favour, lest I be utterly disheartned, and die disconsolate.

PSALM. XIIII.

1 The foole hath said &c.See Psal. 53.1.

WHat a strange madnes is this in wicked men, that they will not consider what vengeance they pull upon themselves,4 Have all the workers of iniquitie no knowledge? Who eate up my people as they eate bread. whiles they doe thus cruelly devoure my people, as they eate bread, so greedily, so familiarly; without feare or remorse?

5 There were they in great feare; for God is in the generation of the righteous.But how secure so ever they now seeme; God hath a time, wherein he shall confound them with feare, and astonishment; for that just God takes speciall charge of the generation of the just, and shall surely plague their cruell persecutors.

6 Yee have shamed the counsell of the poore; because the Lord is his refuge.Ye have scorned, & made a mocke of the holy resolutions of the poore & godly man, in that he depended upon the Lord, as his refuge; and trusted not (as you doe) to his owne devices, and to the arme of flesh.

PSALM. XV.

1 Lord, who shall abide in thy Tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill?OH Lord, whom wilt thou admit, as a living member of thy true Church upon earth, and as a glorious citizen of thine heavenly Jerusalem above?

PSALM. XVI.

2 My goodnesse extendeth not to thee.OH God what have I, or what can I doe, that can confer any thing to thee? Since thou are infinitely glorious and powerfull, & I am not finite onelyonly, but weake, and miserable?

4 Their drinke offerings of blood will I not offer, nor take up their names into my lips.I will have nothing to doe with those Idolatrous heathen, nor yet with their superstitious, and sinfull rites; if they pollute themselves with the drinke offerings of blood, whether of men, or other creatures, I abhorre to partake with them; neither will I so much as make mention of the names of their false gods.

p. 167I cannot envie the greatnesse,6 The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places, yea I have a goodly heritage. and prosperitie of these wicked Idolaters; no, God hath allotted an happy portion unto me in comparison of the best of them.

I will also lay downe this bodie of mine in the grave, in a certaine hope and assurance of my resurrection to immortality.9 My flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not give me utterly over to that corruption, which shall seize on me in the grave,10 For thou wilt not leave my soule in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption. neither wilt let the bodie of thy holy servant to vanish away in dust and rottennesse; but wilt one day raise it glorious; Whereof I am assured by the vertue of my insition into that Christ; whose sacred body thou wilt preserve from the least putrefaction in the earth.

PSALM. XVII.

THey are fat and well liking;10 They are inclosed in their owne fat. pampering themselves with all the contentments, and pleasures, that their heart can desire.

Save thou me, O Lord, by thy powerfull hand,14 From men (as in the margin) by thine hand O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life; and whose belly thou fillest with thy hid treasures. from the cruelty of men, even from worldly and blood-thirsty men; which have set up their rest here below, making no account of any other life after this, wherein to receive the retribution of good, or evill; whom yet thou causest to abound with the choisest of all temporall and outward blessings, for their further iudgement.

But as for me,15 As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousnesse, I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with they likenesse. I doe no way envie this happinesse of theirs, but rather am willingly content to suffer affliction here, since I am assured, I shall, one day, behold thy face in perfect beautie; When I shall awake out of my long sleepe in the grave, I shall be fully satisfied with thy glorious presence; and in the meane time, I shall comfortably hope to see thy deliverance of me in thy just vindication from mine enemies; and when thou raisest me out of my great adversitie, I shall be abundantly refreshed with thy loving countenance towards me.

PSALM. XVIII.

See for this whole Psalme in 2 Sam. 22.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortresse.

PSALM. XIX.

AS the continuall succession of day and night doth notably set forth the wonderfull power,2 Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. and providence p. 168of God, so there is no day or night, wherein God doth not renew unto us some notable demonstration of his goodnesse, power, & wisdome, in this great administration; every day affords us some new document thereof.

3 There is no speech or language where their name is not heard.Though these heavens and this day and night be mute, yet their speech and language is universally understood; so as the world, being distinguished by variety of tongues, (the people whereof understand not each other, yet) all of them through the whole earth understand this voice, whereby the heavens, and day, and night, praise their Maker.

4 Their line is gone out thorough all the earth and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he made a Tabernacle for the Sunne.The line that God made for the passage of the Sunne, the first day of his motion, is still and ever perpetuated round about the earth; so as God hath herein spoken, both to our eares, by the voice, and to our eyes by the visible lines, that he hath drawne of this great frame, and continuall and constant revolution of the heavens; In which, he hath made a receptacle (over and besies all other those glorious planets and starres) for the Sunne; as his most remarkable creature.

PSALM. XX.

1 The name of the God of Jacob, defend thee.THe Almighty power of him, that is named the God of Iacob, protect, and defend thee.

2 Send thee helpe from the Sanctuarie, and strengthen thee out of Sion.Send thee helpe from the holy heavens, and from his Sanctuarie, which is the type, and figure thereof; and strengthen thee out of Sion, where he hath by his command appointed the holy Arke of his covenant to bee placed, and from thence gives answers and directions to all thine actions.

PSALM. XXI.

9 Thou shalt make them as a fiery oven in the time of thine anger.THose that are insolent, and presumptuous enemies of the Kingdome of thy Christ, thou shalt confound with thy most terrible judgements: thou shalt consume them, and theirs, in the extremitie of thy wrathfull vengeance.

12 Therfore shalt thou make them turne their backes (or, as in the margin) Thou shalt set them as a butt; when thou shalt make ready thine arrowes upon thy string.Thou shalt make them as a butt, against which thou shalt levell thine arrowes of judgement; thou shalt set them as noted objects of thy fearfullest revenge.

p. 169PSALM. XXII.

MIne enemies (and, in type, thine,12 Many bulls have compassed me; strong Bulls of Basan have beset me round. O Saviour) are more like unto beasts then men, like furious Bulles which have beene pampered in the fat pastures of Basan, they beset me, and are ready to goare me thorow.

Neither are they like to Bulles for their strength,16 For dogges have compassed me, the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me; they pierced my hands and my feet. and Lyons for their fiercenesse, onelyonly; but they are also like unto dogges for clamour, and cruell insultation; they both bite me with their teeth, and bay at me with their impure throats; Thus doe my implacable enemies persecute me; yea they have done that to me, in figure and representation, which they shall doe really to thee my Saviour, they have pierced my hands and my feet.

Deliver thou O Lord, my deare life,20 Deliver, &c. and my darling from the power of the dogge. from the power and cruelty of these savage and mercilesse enemies.

Not onelyonly the poore and needy shall cheerfully eate of thy sacrifices,29 All they that be fat upon earth shall eate and worship: all they that goe downe to the dust shall bow before thee, and none can keepe alive his owne soule. but even the wealthy and great also shall partake thereof, and worship thee; yea all those that humble themselves even to the dust of death for the profession of thy name, even those that have no care to keepe themselves alive (when their life may stand in the way of thy honour) they shall humbly adore thee.

They shall make report of the righteous judgements of God unto that posterity which is yet unborne;31 They shall come and shall declare his righteousnesse unto a people that shall be borne; that he hath done this. & shall declare that it is he that hath done these great things.

PSALM. XXIII.

AS I am thy sheep, and thou my shepheard, O God;4 I will feare no evill, for thou art with me, thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me. so shall I be ever confident in thy protection; what can the sheepe feare whiles they see their shepheard ready to defend them? Thus shall I ever hold my selfe safe, and sure under thy defence, and thy gratious direction.

Thou givest me abundance of all helps,5 Thou anointest my head with oyle, my cup runneth ouer. and comforts, not onelyonly for necessity, but even for pleasure also.

PSALM. XXIIII.

HE hath caused the waters to lie lower then the surface of the earth;2 He hath founded it upon the seas. for the convenience of mans habitation; so hath he therefore lifted the earth over the sea, as if, to our sense, it were founded thereupon.

p. 1706 This is the generation of them that seek him; that seeke thy face, O Iacob.This is the generation of those that doe truly and sincerely serve God, with an holy worship, the true sons of thee O Jacob; who faithfully apply themselves to serve the God of Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads O ye gates, and be ye lift up ye everlasting doores, and the King of glory shall come in.It shall not be long that God shall dwell in these moving Tabernacles; ere long, he shall settle his abode in a fixed and lasting habitation of his Temple; Oh therefore ye firme and ever during doores of his Temple, open your selves cheerfully to receive that King of glory which shall come to dwell in those sacred walls, and triumph in so blessed a guest; and ye the faithfull hearts of all beleevers (who are his living temple shadowed by that other) raise up your soules, to intertaine him unto your everlasting comfort.

PSALM. XXV.

3 Let them be ashamed which transgresse without cause.MAgnifie thou thy justice, in pouring shame upon the face of those, which rise up against me spitefully, without any just cause or occasion of provocation on my part.

14 The secret of the Lord is with them that feare him.The Lord beares a secret love and favour to those that feare him; how ever they may seeme outwardly neglected; and in a gracious familiarity he imparts unto them the great mysteries of his will and their salvation.

PSALM XXVI.

1 Iudge me O Lord; for I have walked in mine integrity.O God, doe thou stand out for me, and give sentence with me; for thou knowest I have walked in uprightnesse & sincerity before thee; however I may have failed in weaknesse, yet my purposes and desires have beene truly devoted to thee.

6 I will wash my hands in innocency; so will I compasse thine Altar, O Lord.Lord, thou requirest holinesse in them that come neare thee, which thou hast signified by those many legall cleansings, and lotions; I will be carefull accordingly, to purge my heart and hands from all the impuritie of my sinnes; and then will I approach to thine Altar, and offer my sacrifices to thee.

9 Gather not my soule with sinners.Oh doe not take away my soule with sinners; thou seest I would not doe as they doe; Oh let me not speed as they doe.

p. 171PSALM. XXVII.

VVHen my savage and cruell enemies came against me, like ravenous beasts,2 And my foes came upon me, to eat up my flesh. in an intention to worry and devoure me.

PSALM. XXVIII.

DOe not inwrap me in thy judgements together with the wicked;3 Draw mee not away with the wicked. whom thou draggest to their execution suddenly.

PSALM. XXIX.

VVOrship ye the Lord in that beautifull,2 Worship the Lord in the beautie of holinesse. and glorious Sanctuary, where he exhibits his presence to his people,

The dreadfull thunder (wherein God speakes his power unto us) is above in those higher waters of the clouds; there, and thence doth God speake unto us,3 The voice of the Lord is upon (or over) the waters, &c. more loud and terribly then all the roaring of these lower waters.

The voice of this thunder makes the very earth to shake, so, as the great mountaines of Lebanon,6 He maketh them to skip like a calfe: Lebanon, and Syrion like a young Vnicorne. and Hermon, are, as it were, moved out of their places with this horrible agitation.

This voice of the thunder causeth the fearefull flashes of the lightnings to breake forth of the clouds to the astonishing of the world.7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire.

The terror of this voice causeth the hindes (which doe not easily deliver themselves of their burden) to cast their calues, for feare;9 The voice of the Lord maketh the hindes to calve; and discovereth the forests. and so shaketh downe not the leaves, and twigs onelyonly, but the very trees of the forest, that they are left bare, and open to all eyes.

PSALM. XXX.

THou hast setled my habitation so firme and safe in my mountaine of Sion.7 Thou hast made my mountaine to stand strong.

See Psalm. 6.5.2 Shall the dust praise thee?

To the end that my tongue (which is the onelyonly instrument wherby we can expresse glory) may sing praise unto thee.12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee.

p. 172PSALM. XXXI.

8 Thou hast not shut me up into the hand of the enemie, thou hast set my feet in a large roome.THou hast not given me over into the power of mine enemie; but hast enlarged me, and set me free from the feare, or danger of his attempts.

12 I am like a broken vessell.I am cast aside like a broken vessell, quite past all use or regard.

20 Thou shalt keepe them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.As that which is hid in some secret, and sure corner, is safe from all eyes; so, through thy mercifull care are they laid up, under the covert of thy providence, from all their enemies, and from the issue of all those slanderous suggestions, which they make against them.

PSALM. XXXII.

3 When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, &c.WHen I concealed, and suppressed my guiltinesse, and smothered my sinne, in my bosome; I was extremely afflicted therewith; my body decayed, and languished.

6 Surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him.Surely, in the greatest extremity of troubles and persecution, there shall no evill have power to seize upon him, whom thou hast taken to thy protection.

9 Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding.Be not either stupid, or refractary under the hand of God, like to brute beasts which have no understanding.

PSALM. XXXIII.

THe element of waters though it be fluid, and naturally apt to spread,7 He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heape, he laieth up the depth in store-houses. and diffuse it selfe, yet hath he in his providence and power gathered it up, and compacted it close together, as into one heape; & part thereof, in stead of overflowing the face of the earth, he hath confined into the secret receptacles thereof.

In vaine shall the crafty ones of the world thinke to bring about their plots against God;15 He fashioneth their harts alike; he considereth all their workes. he formed, and fashioned their hearts, as well as the simplest, and silliest of all his creatures; and therefore he well knowes, and considers all that they goe about.

PSALM. XXXIV.

20 He keepeth all his bones, not one of them is broken.HE taketh charge of all that belongs to his children; so as no violence shall be prejudiciall unto p. 173them; not onelyonly their bones, but the very haires of their head are numbred, in vaine shall their enemies hope to fasten any evill upon them, which the wise providence of God hath not foreappointed for their good.

PSALM. XXXV.

THough thou hast wayes enow by naturall and ordinary meanes to plague thine enemies, yet besides,5 Let them be as chaffe before the winde, and the Angell of the Lord scattering them. doe thou give them over into the hands of thine Angells whether good or evill, to vexe them according to their deserts.

All the powers, and parts of my soule,10 All my bones shall say, Lord, who is like unto thee? and body shall praise thee; and confesse thee to be my onelyonly good, and gracious God.

I hanged downe my head in a serious humiliation,14 I bowed downe heavily, as one that mourneth for his mother. as one that had lost his dearest friend, even the mother that bore him.

Those pretended false friends of mine, at their feasts,16 With hypocriticall mockers in feasts: they gnashed upon me with their teeth. made me their table-talke; and there signified their malicious conceits against me.

Deliver my deare and precious life from these cruell and brutish enemies.17 My darling from the Lyons.

Those that doe secretly scorne me,19 Neither let them wincke with their eyes that hate me without cause. by their privie gestures of contempt, winking with their eyes, and wrying their faces at me, in a disdainfull manner, doe thou meet with them, and let them not have cause to insult over me.

PSALM. XXXVI.

SO leudly doth the wicked man demeane himselfe,1 The transgression of the wicked saith within my heart, that there is no feare of God before his eyes. that my heart easily, and justly tells me that there is no feare of God within him.

Thy righteousnesse is like some huge and high mountaine, which we may see afarre off;6 Thy righteousnesse is like the great mountaines. but can never comprehend with our eye all the extent, and largenesse of it, &c.

They shall be abundātly satisfied with all thy blessings,8 They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatnesse of thy house; and thou shalt make them drinke of the river of thy pleasures. both temporall and spirituall; and shall not onelyonly be fed up to a sufficiencie, but shall be furnished with thy mercifull provisions, even to delight, and pleasure.

In, and from thee, is the ground of all true comfort; all life and happinesse is derived onelyonly from thee;9 For with thee is the fountaine of life: and in thy light we shall see light. and of that infinite store of joy and contentment that is in thee, p. 174we shall partake in our measure; injoying thy blessings, and gracious illuminations.

11 Let not the foot of pride come against me.Let not the proud man prevaile against me; Oh doe thou deliver me from his insolent insultations.

PSALM. XXXVII.

13 The Lord shall laugh at him, for he seeth that his day is comming.THe Lord, who takes notice of all his secret plots, shall laugh him to scorne; for, howsoever the foolish wicked man flatters himselfe in the conceit of his safety, and stability of condition, yet the all-wise God sees that his destruction is at hand.

20 They shall be as the fat of lambes; they shall consume, into smoke shall they consume away.They shall vanish away into smoake, as the fat of lambes, which is laid upon the altar in sacrifice, so shall they be suddenly consumed.

21 The wicked borroweth and paieth not againe; but the righteous sheweth mercy and giveth.The wicked man shall be punished with such want, that when he shall be driven to borrow, he shall not have wherewith to repay; but the righteous shall have enough both for his owne use, and for the charitable supply of others.

25 I have beene young and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed beging their bread.In all my life time, I have diligently observed the good hand, that God hath held over his righteous servants; whose provision for them I have noted to bee wonderfully carefull, and gracious, so as the affliction of want hath not continued upon them, and beene derived from them, to their children; if they have beene straitned with penury for the time, yet, it hath ere long beene supplied either to themselves, or theirs.

37 Marke the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.However it please God so to order the events of this life, that they fall out indifferently to the godly, and wicked men, and perhaps the worst may speed better here then the holiest; yet, looke to the end of both, and ye shall wel observe a cleare difference of Gods respects; for in the end, the godly man shall finde a gracious retribution from the Lord his God; when the wicked man shall be everlastingly confounded.

PSALM. XXXVIII.

2 For thine arrowes sticke fast in me.THine afflictions, as so many sharpe arrowes, gall my soule and sticke fast in me.

4 For mine iniquities are gone over my head.Mine iniquities are as some deepe waters, wherein (without thy mercy and grace) I should be utterly drowned; for I am sunke under them, as not able to uphold my selfe against the guilt of them.

p. 175It is no short and transient affliction which I suffer,5 My wounds stinke and are corrupted; because of my foolishnesse. but lingringly painfull and lothsome; all which is most justly brought upon me by my sin, which I have foolishly committed.

But I would take no notice of their designes;13 But I as a deafe man heard not, I was as a dumbe man, that openeth not his mouth. onelyonly in a patient and humble silence commending my selfe to thy blessed care, and them to thy just revenge.

If thou didst not sustaine me, O Lord,17 For I am ready to halt. I am ready to be utterly depressed with my calamity, and to yeeld unto the weake doubts and diffidence of my naturall corruption.

PSALM. XXXIX.

I Have set downe this constant resolution in my heart,1 I said, I will take heed to my wayes, that I sinne not with my tongue: I will keepe my mouth with a bridle whiles the wicked is before me. that I will looke carefully to my selfe; and however my affliction bee very great, yet that I will not give my tongue leave to breake into any impatient, or unbeseeming speeches, whiles it pleaseth God to exercise me with the malice of wicked men.

I refrained my tongue from speaking that,2 I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred. which I might have justly said in my own defence, and in their reproofe and conviction, though I were so much the more pained in my suppression thereof.

PSALM. XL.

HE delivered mee out of extreme distresse,2 He brought me out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rocke, &c. and misery, and out of so wofull a condition, as wherein there was neither comfort not hope; & set me upon the firme ground of good assurance, and stedfast safety.

I doe not come to thee, O Lord,6 Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire, mine eares hast thou opened, burnt offerings and sin offerings hast thou not required. in the formalities of legall sacrifices, as thinking to please thee by these outward acts of devotion; but I bring a sincere heart to thee, and a prepared eare, in comparison whereof, burnt offerings and sinne offerings are of no value to thee.

When thou hadst thus addressed my heart,7 Then said I, Lo, I come, in the volume of the booke it is written of mee. and my eare, then I said cheerfully, Behold, Lord, I am ready to consecrate my selfe unto thee; In the volume of thine everlasting counsell, signified by thy revealed will,8 I delight to doe thy will, O God. it is written both of me, and especially of thy blessed Sonne, whose type I beare, that wee should doe thy will cheerfully and effectually.

These evills which mine iniquities have brought upon me, are so many and great,12 Mine iniquities have taken hold of me, so that I am not able to looke up. that I am not able to sustaine them, but must needs droupe under them, without thy mercifull release.

p. 176PSALM. XLI.

1 As the Hart panteth for the water-brookes, so panteth my soule after thee, O God.THe thirsty and panting Deere in the extremitie of drought, doth not more eagerly long for the water-brookes, wherein to coole and refresh himselfe, then I doe for my accesse to thy holy Sanctuary, O Lord, even to thy Tabernacle from whence I am forcibly driven.

2 My soule thirsteth for God.My soule doth vehemētly thirstafter this thy presence.

When I remember my former happinesse; how I had the liberty and favour of leading the multitude up to thine holy Tabernacle;4 When I remember these things, I powre out my soule in me; for I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise. and bethinke my selfe with what joy and melody we went up heretofore, to this house of thine, I cannot but poure out my soule into teares, and lamentations, to consider my greivous restraint, and exile from it.

6 O my God, my soule is cast downe within me; therefore will I remember thee from the land of Iordan, & of the Hermonites, from the hill Missar.My soule is cast downe with this affliction; in whom should I then seeke for comfort, but in thee, O God; therefore since I cannot be present at thine house, yet I will ever remember and thinke upon it, where ever I am in my utmost banishment; whether in that Easterne land beyond Jordan, or the Southerne coast of the mountaines of Hermonim, or in this little obscure hill, wherein I now am.

7 Deepe calleth unto deepe at the noise of thy water-spouts.One affliction (like so many waves) comes in the necke of another, and in a miserable succession as it were, calls for the next; upon thy predetermination of these my adversities, which doe as it were gush out from thee, by those conveiances which thou hast ordained.

The Lord will be gratiously present, to help and comfort me;8 Yet the Lord will commād his loving kindnesse in the day time, and in the night his long shall be with me. and, as in the day-time, hee will cheare me up, with the sense of his loving kindnesse, so in the night also, he will put songs of praise and thanksgiving into my mouth.

PSALM XLIIII.

12 Thou sellest thy people for nought, and dost not increase thy wealth by their price.VVE are made more base, O God, then those bondslaves, that are sold by their victors; there is somewhat given for them to their owners; but as for us, O Lord, thou hast sold us for nothing; and hast as it were cast us away, as unworthy to be prized.

19 Though thou hast broken us in the place of Dragons.Though thou have humbled us so low, as to the very bottom of the deepe; and hast cast us down into the extreamest degree of sorrow, and misery.

p. 177PSALM. XLV.

I Speake of that holy ditty,1 I speake of the things which I have made touching the King; My tongue is the pen of a ready writer. which I have made touching King Solomon, in the type of him, that was greater then Solomon, even the King of glory, the great Bridegroome of his Spouse the Church: My tongue shall be swift, and free in her expressions of his just praises.

Oh Saviour, there is more true inward beauty in thee,2 Thou art fairer then the children of men; grace is powred into thy lips. then in all the sonnes of men, yea all the glory and excellence which they have, is onelyonly derived from thee; So full of grace were thy lips, that thou spakest as never man spake.

As thou art armed with infinite power,3 Gird thy sword upon thy thigh, O thou most mightie; with thy glory and majestie. O thou Lord of hosts; so let it please thee to buckle thy selfe to the exercise of this power, to the subduing of the many and mighty enemies of thy Church, and decke thy selfe with such glory, and majesty, as may confound thy opposers;

Goe thou on, happily,4 And in thy majesty ride on prosperously, because of truth and meeknesse and righteousnesse, and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things. to execute the great administratiō of thy Kingly office, in the behalfe of thy Church, because of the meeknesse of thy person, and truth of thy word, and righteousnesse, of thy promises and performances; and the right hand of thy power shall bring to passe strange, and fearefull things.

Thy judgements are severely and mortally executed upon the enemies of thy divine Soverainty;5 Thine arrowes are sharp in the heart of the Kings enemies; whereby the people fall under thee. and upon the sight thereof, the people of the world are glad to humble themselves under thine almighty hand.

The thrones of earthly Princes are (like themselves) brittle and variable,6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, and the scepter of thy Kingdome is a right scepter. and their government many times drawne aside to protect evill, and depresse good; but thy throne, O Saviour, is everlasting; even when heaven shall passe, it shall continue, and thy government can be no other then holy and righteous.

Therefore God, even thy God,7 Therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oyle of gladnesse above thy fellowes. hath anointed thee from everlasting, as the King, Priest, and Prophet of thy Church, with that heavenly Oyle, whereby he hath gladded the hearts of all thy chosen people; and hath endowed thine assumed humanity; with all divine graces, above all meere mankinde.

As thy garments, O Solomon,8 All thy garments smell of myrrhe, aloes, and cassia, out of the yvory palaces whereby they have made thee glad. are persumed with that precious confection, which is made of the choisest odors, when thou comest out of thine yvory palaces; with which excellent fragrancies, thine attendants have cheared thy heart; so it is with thee, O Saviour, thine humane nature, wherewith thou art clad, is furnished with all p. 178graces and perfections, when thou descendest out of the glorious palace of heaven; wherby thou wert chearefully inabled to performe this great worke of thy mediation.

9 Kings daughters were amongst thine honorable women, upon thy right hand did stand the Queen in gold of Ophir.Thou hast the honourable attendance of many noble, and famous Congregations, that desire, and delight to wait upon thine ordinances; But the spouse, thine holy Catholike Church, is so honoured by thee, that shee is set upon thy right hand, clothed with all true glory, and magnificence.

10 Hearken, O daughter, and consider, and incline thine eare, forget also thy fathers house.And now, O daughter of Aegypt, heare what I shall say to thee, in type of the true Church and Spouse of my Saviour; in liew of so great mercy, as God hath shewed thee, in singling thee out of the world, it is thy duty to forget the corrupt condition of thy nature, and to be aliened in thine affections, from all earthly things; it it not for thee to thinke any more of the Aegypt of this world; but to be as a stranger to all earthly vanities.

11 So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty: for he is thy Lord, and worship thou him.So shall God take pleasure in those graces, which he hath given thee thus to improve; and be graciously affected with thy holy obedience, which thou justly reservest for him alone; for he is the Lord thy God; and therefore all thy worship and service is due to none but him.

12 And the daughter of Tyre shall be there with a gift; even the rich among the people shall intreat thy favour.The neighbouring, and yet, forraine Churches, shall, in an acknowledgement of thy great honour, and happinesse, present thee with the service of their love, and gifts of their bounty; and those that are great and famous in their reputation shall seeke communion with thee.

13 The Kings Daughter is all glorious within, her clothing is of wrought gold.Solomons Bride the daughter of Pharaoh; and Christs Spouse the daughter of the King of heaven, are both inwardly glorious, the one with rich embroideries, the other with excellent and heavenly graces; the one is clothed with gold, the other with the righteousnesse of her Saviour, and with all divine vertues.

14 She shall be brought to the King in raiment of needle worke; the virgins her companions shall bee brought unto thee.Neither hath she this glory put upon her, onelyonly to please, and amaze the eyes of the beholders, but the maine use of this goodly bravery, is, that she shall appeare glorious in the eyes of the King of glory, her celestiall husband, to whom she shall be presented in this goodly habit of grace; not without the attendance of all those beleeving soules, that appertaine to that blessed traine of hers.

15 With gladnesse & rejoycing shall they bee brought, they shall enter into the Kings Palace.With unspeakeable joy and triumph shall they bee presented unto the throne of glory; even into that Palace, not made with hands, eternall in the heavens; the p. 179seat and mansion of the ever-living God shall they be brought, by the ministery, and with the acclamation of the blessed Angells of God.

This happie marriage of thine shall be blessed with multitudes of children, who shall succeed their fathers,16 In stead of thy fathers shall be thy children whom thou maiest make Princes in all the earth. in a comfortable and during government; the issue and condition whereof shall be so large, and happie, that they shall be so many Kings upon; earth and all thrones shall bee furnished with Princes from thy loines, for as much as all thy spirituall children are a royall generation unto God.

O my God, and Saviour, I,17 I will make thy name to be remembred in all generations; therefore shal the people praise thee for ever and ever. who by thy gratious inspiration have made this Bridall-song unto thee, will celebrate and praise thy blessed name to all generations; and will stirre up thy people to blesse and praise thee for ever and ever.

PSALM. XLVI.

LEt the sea of this world roare,4 There is a river, the streames whereof shall make glad the Citie of God. and be never so unquiet, the holy city Jerusalem, the type of Gods Church, hath a litle river, even Gihon, or Kidron, whose calme and gentle streames shall abundantly refresh it; and the mysticall Jerusalem hath both the waters of life, the word of the ever-living God, to comfort and satisfie it here; and those living waters of life eternall in the Paradise of God, to make it everlastingly happie.

He can (when he pleaseth) put an end to those broiles,9 He maketh warres to cease unto the ends of the earth, he breaketh the bowe, and cutteth the speare in peeces, be burneth the chariot in the fire. and tyrannous oppositions, and persecutions, wherewith his Church is wont to be infested; and can cause the enemies thereof to be still,

PSALM. XLVII.

HE hath gratiously made choise of us,4 He shall chuse our inheritance for us, the excellency of Iacob whom he loved. for his peculiar people, and of the land of Canaan for an inheritance for us, and hath purchased, and prepared a more glorious inheritance for us above; even the inheritance of his Saints in light; and in the meane time, hath graced us with all those noble priviledges which are appropriated to the seed of Jacob, whom he loved.

As the Arke of God is gone with much triumph and joy to be placed in the Temple of the Lord,5 God is gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. so the Sonne of God is with much rejoycing of Angells and men, both received into his Evangelicall Church on earth, and afterwards taken up into the glory of heaven.

p. 1809 For the shields of the earth belong unto God.Unto God onelyonly belongeth the safe and gratious protection of his Church, and children; and he accordingly raiseth up and defendeth those Princes and governors, under whose rule his Church is preserved in peace.

PSALM. XLVIII.

4 For lo, the Kings were assembled, they passed by together.THe heathen Kings, especially Senacherib, and his mighty hoast & assistants, came up against Jerusalem, with menaces of utter destruction; but they staid not long, before those walles, ere they were sent away with shame and slaughter.

7 Thou breakest the shippes of Tarshish with an Eastwinde.As a Navie by sea is dispersed by a furious East-winde, so didst thou, O Lord, scatter and discomfit those mighty enemies that came up against Hierusalem.

8 As we have heard, so we have seene into the city of the Lord of Hosts.According to the relation of thy former deliverances of thy poeple, reported to us by our forefathers, so have our eyes beene witnesses of thy present rescue of our city, and nation.

13 Tell the towers thereof; marke well her bulwarkes, consider her Palaces.Looke well, O ye beholders, upon the many and goodly towers of Jerusalem, upon her strong fortifications, upon her faire Palaces, and as thereby you shall bee excited to praise God for the deliverance of so noble and beautifull a pile; so take occasion thereby to thinke of the splendor and glory of that heavenly Jerusalem which is above.

PSALM. XLIX.

5 Why should I feare in the dayes of evill, when the iniquitie of my heeles shall compasse me about.WHy should I feare upon any occasion whatsoever? Whether it be upon the conscience of the iniquity of my owne foot steps, or whether upon the prosecution of those enemies, which follow me at the heeles, and are ready to environ me?

7 None of them can by any meanes redeeme his brother, nor give God a ransome for him.It is not in the power of the wealthy, & great men of the world, to ransome another man from death, by all their riches and treasures; For the life of man is of greater price, and value, then can be countervailed by any earthly thing;8 For the redemption of their soule is pretious; and it ceaseth for ever. and therefore this redemption is a thing not to be effected, or hoped for at all.

14 And the upright shall have dominion over them in the morning, and their beautie shall consume in the grave, from their dwelling.But however they flourish, and sway here, yet after the long night of the grave is past, in the morning of the resurrection, the just and righteous servants of God, whom they have here trampled upon, shall so have dominion over them, that they shall sit as their Judges; In the meane time all their glory and bravery shall bee p. 181consumed, and rott away in the dull of their grave.

That man, who lives in outward honor, and yet wants true wisedome, and understanding, to know God;20 Man that is in honor and understandeth not, is like the beasts that perish. and himselfe, lives as a beast, and dies as a beast brutishly.

PSALM. L.

HEare, O ye inhabitants, of the earth;1 The mighty God, even the Lord hath spoken, and called the earth from the rising of the Sun to the going downe of the same. the great and mighty God of heaven having taken just notice of the extreame depravednesse of the wayes of men, calls you to account of this your universall wickednesse, even all the world over, from one side of the earth to the other.

Behold,2 Out of Sion the perfection of beauty God hath shined. God hath shewed himselfe in his holy hill of Sion (where his temple, the glory of the whole earth standeth) there he exhibits his Majestie, and thence shall he controll the wickednesse of men.

In great terror,3 Our God shall come and shall not keep silence, a fire shall devoure before him, and it shall bee very tempestuous round about him. and majesty shall God declare his displeasure against the presumptuous sinnes of men; for he shall come attended with fire, and tempest; a devouring fire shall goe before him, and a fearefull tempest shall be round about him.

He shall appeale both to the heavens, and earth,4 Hee shall call to the heaven above, and to the earth, that he may judge his people. as the witnesses of his just proceedings with men, and their too just deservings of judgements, and as the summoners of this great appearance.

Let that heaven,5 Gather my Saints together, those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice. and that earth (saith he) summon together before me, that chosen people of mine, who have made an externall profession of my name, and have, by the continuall use of their sacrifices, outwardly renewed their couenant with me.

Yea, those heavens shall not only summon his people,6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousnesse; for God is judge himselfe. and witnesse their wickednesse, but shall also proclaime, and declare to the world, his apparent justice, both in giving his law, and in exacting it of them; neither shall their hypocrisie any longer deceive the eyes of men, for now, God himselfe (who cannot be deluded) will unmaske their wickednesse, before all the world.

Doe not thinke to choke me with the formalities of thine outward sacrifices,8 I will not reprove thee for thy sacrifices, &c. these are not the things I stand upon.9 I will take no bullocke, &c.

p. 182PSALM. LI.

4 Against thee, thee onelyonly have I sinned; and done this evill in thy sight; that thou mightst be justified whē thou speakest, and be cleare when thou judgest.IT is only thy prohibition, O God, that can make a sin; I have sinned against men, but it is thy Law that I have violated, in that my offence; and if I have so carried my sinne that the world takes not notice of it, yet I know it cannot be hid from thee; thou onelyonly, as thou canst charge me with it, so canst remit it unto me: I doe therefore freely acknowledge these horrible sinnes of mine, that I may clearely acquite thee in thy proceedings against me; the reproofe of thy Prophet, the menaces of thy judgement are too well deserved on my part; doe what thou wilt with me, I must needs justifie thy severe courses against me.

6 And in the hidden part thou shalt make mee to know wisedome.Notwithstanding this darknesse, that I hauehave brought upon my soule, by my sinne, thou shalt in thy great mercy so inlighten me, that in the secret corners of my heart, I shall understand that wonderfull mystery of my redemption and Salvation in the blood of my Saviour.

7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be cleane; wash me, and I shall be whiter then snow.Oh, doe thou then by that precious blood, sprinkled upon my soule by a true faith, (which was, and is figured in the legall aspersions) cleanse me from mine iniquities; so shall I be pure and innocent in thy sight; wash me in that all-sufficient laver of the blood of my Saviour, so shall I be whiter then snow, before thee.

8 Make me to heare joy and gladnesse; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoyce.Doe thou speake peace and reconciliation to thy servant; renew the joy of my heart, in the comfortable assurance of thy forgivenesse, that so my soule which is now dejected, and justly grieved, for my sinne, may find cause of rejoycing in thee.

11 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me.Howsoever I have deserved that thou shouldest cast me off, and strip me of all the graces, and gifts of thy spirit, which thou hast blessed me with; Yet, O Lord, doe not thou deale thus with me, but continue me in thy presence, and continue thy graces in me.

12 Restore unto mee the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with thy free spirit.How can I, O Lord, be other then pensive, and miserable, whiles I stand in these termes with thee? what comfort can I finde, till my heart be assured of thy favour? Oh doe thou restore to me that joy of thine holy Ghost, which I have wont to feele in the cleare and evident apprehension of my salvation; and though I have made my selfe a slave to my sinne, yet doe thou free me by thy good Spirit; and thereby doe thou maintaine me in this happy liberty of thy service.

16 For thou desirest not sacrifice, else I would give it; thou delightest not in burnt offerings.O God, it is not the price, or the outward ceremony of legall sacrifices, that either thou takest pleasure in, p. 183or I affect to rest in; else I would be glad to come to thee with thousands of rammes; but these bare externall rites are not the thing thou requirest.

Here is another and a better sacrifice,17 The sacrifices of God are a broken; &c. A broken and contrite heart O God thou wilt not despise. which I present thee withall, even a broken and humbled soule; and this I know (such is thy wonderfull mercy) cannot but be very acceptable unto thee.

PSALM. LII.

OH thou vaine, and foolish Doeg,1 Why boastest thou thy selfe in mischiefe, O mighty man? the goodnes of God indureth continually. why doest thou thus pride thy selfe in Sauls favour, as if thou wert now able to doe what mischiefe thou listest? know, that there is an higher hand, that can either stint thee, or cut thee off, at pleasure, in vaine shalt thou strive against that ommipotent power, and goodnesse, which ever remaines ready to assist and deliver his Church.

PSALM. LIII.

THere is none so foolish, as an obdured sinner;1 The foole hath said in his heart there is no God. and that foole doth herein most approve his folly, in that (though with his mouth he dare not, yet) in his heart he hath said, There is no God; so lewd are his imaginations, desires, and affections, as if he verely thought and resolved, there is no supreme power, that takes notice of, and will revenge his lawlesse impieties.

See Psalm 14.4. and so for the whole Psalm.4 Have the workers of iniquitie no knowledge? &c.

PSALM. LIV.

OH God, doe thou save me by thy mighty power;1 Save me, O God, by thy Name, and judge mee by thy strength. and stand out for me in my just vindication, by thy strength.

PSALM. LV.

O Lord, doe thou destroy mine enemies,9 Destroy, O Lord, and divide their tongues; for I have seene violence and strife in the City. and for this cause doe thou divide them in their plots, and consultations; that they may crosse each other in their conspiracies, and attemps, for I have, too well seene them apt both to devise, and execute violent practices against thy Church.

It was not an open and professed enemie that hath12 For it was not an enemy that reproched mee, then I could have borne it, &c. p. 184offered this cruell measure to me, for then I could have borne it off, & have wisely avoided it; or if I must needs have suffered it, I could have endured it with so much more patience, by how much I should have more expected it.

13 But it was thou, a man, mine equall, my guid, and my acquaintance.But it was thou, O Achitophel, a man of note, of noble rancke, of great respect with me; whom I used familiarly.

14 We tooke sweet counsell together, and walked unto the house of God in company.With whom I did oft communicate my counsells, as with my bosome-friend; yea, whom profession of religious devotion had (as I supposed) assured to me, as my true friend; whiles we oft walked unto the house of God, in a loving partnership of holy duties.

19 Because they have no changes; therefore they feare not God.Because their prosperity continues, and they finde no change of their estate, no interposition of crosses and troubles, therefore their hearts are hardened against that God, by whom they are insensibly blessed, neither doe they stand in awe of that hand of justice, whose smart they have never felt.

PSALM. LVI.

3 What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.HOwsoever (such as my weaknesse is) I cannot but be overtaken with some feare, yet my feare shall never transport me from my trust, and confidence in thee; but in the midst of that my naturall timorousnesse, I will cast my selfe upon thee, and repose my heart upon thy mercy,

8 Thou tellest my wandrings, put thou my teares into thy bottle; are they not in thy booke?Oh God, thou takest full notice of all the persecutions that I have undergone, thou notest every step of my long, and forced wandrings; Oh let not any of those teares which I shed, be spilt in the dust, keepe thou them, as most precious liquor, in thy bottle; Yea, Lord, thou hast done it already; thy favour hath prevented me, thou hast set downe the number of all teares in thy booke of everlasting record.

PSALM LVII.

4 My soule is among Lyons, and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sonnes of men, whose teeth are speares and arrowes, and their tongues a sharp sword.O Lord, I am beset with cruell and bloody enemies, whose hearts are inflamed with deadly malice against me; even men given over to wickednesse; whose mouthes are full of mischievous slanders, & reproaches, wherewith they indevour to wound me to the death.

7 My heart is fixed O Lord (or prepared) my heart is fixed I will sing and giuegive praise.O God, I doe not suddenly, and abruptly breake p. 185forth into these praises of thy name, as a thing not before thought of, but I have seriously digested in my soule these my hearty thanksgivings unto thee.

And therefore, (O thou my tongue) which is the only instrument wherewith I can expresse the glory of my God) be thou stirred up chearefully,8 Awake my glory, &c. to utter the praises of my gratious deliverer.

PSALM. LVIII.

IN stead of balancing all things by justice,2 You weigh the violence of your hands in the earth. ye weigh them according to the violence of your owne passions; that measure, which may satisfie your malice (and no other) is held sufficient.

Neither is this any sudden surprisall with evill,3 The wicked are estranged frō the wombe: they goe astray assoone as they be borne, &c. but it is a long continued habit of wickednesse; their disposition hath beene perverse, and malicious; even from their infancy; and so they still continue, proceeding from evill to worse.

My enemies, O Lord, are like unto Serpents,4 Their poyson is like the poyson of a Serpent; they are like the deafe adder that stoppeth her eare, and their malice like unto deadly poyson; yet are they not like every Serpent; some there are, which are not so crafty, and whose poyson is not so deadly;5 Which will not harken to the voice of the charmer, charme he never so wisely. but my enemies are like the aspe, or adder, whose venome killeth speedily; and, which beside is so suttle, that laying one eare to the earth, and stopping the other with his taile, he eludeth all the power of whatsoever incantation; so doe these enemies of mine; no wholsome and holy advice can possibly fasten upon them, no threats of judgements can beat them off from their intended mischiefes.

Let their dispatch be quicke, and sudden;9 Before your pots can feele the thornes, hee shall take them away as with a whirlewinde; both living and in his wrath. even before the pot can boile with a fire of drie thornes put under it; let them be consumed; yea, God shall fetch them furiously away, as in a whirlewinde; swifter then thought, in the midst of their life, and the height of their strength, but in the extremity of his wrath.

PSALM. LIX.

THou seest, O God,5 Be not mercifull to any wicked transgressors. that these agents of Saul doe maliciously persecute me; they know well enough that I am innocent, and yet they seeke to take away my life; Oh doe not thou give way to their wilfull spight, and rancorous malice.

Mine enemies are like to ravening dogges,6 They returne at evening, they make a noise like a dogge, and go round about the citie. which run p. 186about the citie, all day long, and onelyonly late at night come to their kennell; in the meane time, barking and baying for a bone to supply their hunger, even so doe mine enemies incessantly bestirre themselves for my destruction.

9 Because of his strength will I wait upon thee; for God is my defence.The more strong, and the more malicious Saul is, the more will I looke up unto thee, and cast my selfe upon thee for thy protection and deliverance, for thou, O God, art my sure refuge in my greatest distresses.

PSALM. LX.

2 Thou hast made the earth to tremble, &c. heale the breaches thereof, for it shaketh.OH God, thou seest that through thy just judgment upon our land, all things are out of order; and, as it is seene oftentimes in earth quakes, here are fearefull breaches made in our State, by reason of our sinnes; Oh doe thou heale up these breaches which our sinnes have made.

3 Thou hast made us to drinke the wine of astonishment.Thou hast made us giddy, and unable to guide our selves through astonishment at thy judgements, even as the man that is drunke with wine, reeleth, and knowes not where to place his steps.

4 Thou hast given a banner to them that feare thee, that it may be displaied because of the truth.Oh God, thou hast given to thy people an happy victorie against the Syrians; and hast thereby incouraged them to depend upon thee, in these assaults of the men of Edom; that thou maiest thereby be glorified in the truth of thy promises, and performances.

6 God hath spoken in his holinesse, I will rejoyce, I will divide Shechem, and mete out the vally of Succoth.The holy God, who can never faile his promises, hath said that concerning me, wherein I will both trust, and triumph; Behold, he hath gratiously assured me that he will perfect, and accomplish this kingdome of mine, which he hath begun; & that part of it which is yet withheld in the hands of Ishbosheth, Sauls sonne, namely Shechem and the vally of Succoth, I shall receive into my full possession.

7 Gilead is mine, and Manasseth is mine; Ephraim also is the strength of mine head, Iudah is my lawgiver.As for Gilead and Manasseth, which are the utmost coasts of Canaan, they are as surely mine, as if they had yeelded themselves into my hands already; & as for the tribe of Ephraim, I make account of that as my chiefe strength, and the maine power of my kingdome; Judah (as by Gods appointment and prediction was fore-ordained) is the tribe of authority, which shall give lawes to Israel.

8 Moab is my washpot, over Edom will I cast out my shooe, Philistia triumph thou because of me.And as for the bordering, but malignant nations of Moab, Edom, and Pilistia, I shall subdue them at pleasure, and destine them to those base offices, they are p. 187worthy of; Moab shalbe as a pot of earth to wash my feet in, which I shall soone after breake into sheards; Over Edom I will trample, and insult, as it hath scornfully insulted upon Gods people; and thou Philistia doe thou now domineere, and proudly tyrannize over Gods Israel, as thou hast hitherto done; and if thou finde cause; continue thy triumphes.

Who, but thou, O Lord my God,9 Who will bring into the strong city; who will lead me into Edom? wilt bring me into those cities of strength, which pertaine to Edom, thou canst, and thou wilt give me victory over those proud neighbors?

PSALM. LXII.

CErtainly, man, of what degree or estate so ever,9 Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of hie degree are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter then vanity. is meere vanitie, and utterly deceitfull in the trust, that is put in them, let vanity be laid in one end of the scales, and man in another, man shall be found lighter then vanity it selfe.

Oh then, trust not in that wealth,10 Trust not in oppression, become not vaine in robbery, &c. and greatnesse which is gotten by oppression, and violence; for ye shall finde no solid comfort, and stay therein.

PSALM. LXIII.

THose that maliciously persecute me,9 Those that seeke my soule to destroy it, shall go into the lower parts of the earth. shall by thy just hand be brought downe into the grave.

They shall fall by the sword of the enemies, and be left in the field unburyed; as a prey to wild beasts.10 They shall fall by the sword, they shall be a portion for foxes.

PSALM. LXIIII.

THey have plotted secret devices against me;6 And the heart is deepe. according to the depth of their malice, and the height of their skill.

PSALM. LXV.

O God,3 Iniquities prevaile against me; as for our transgressions thou shalt purge them away. they are our iniquities that stand in the way of thy mercies, and prevaile strongly against all the endeavours of my reformation; but, O Lord, doe thou both mercifully forgive, and powerfully remedy our offences.

p. 1885 By terrible things in righeousnesse wilt thou answer us, O God.O God, thou in thine infinite justice wilt answer the prayers and supplications of thy Church, in marvellous deliverances, and in fearefull plagues upon thine enemies.

8 Thou makest the out-goings of the morning and evening to rejoyce.Thou glorifiest thy selfe by the constant succession of the day, and night, and causest all the inhabitants of the earth from the Sunne rising, to the setting of the Sun, to rejoice and sing unto thee, for the great workes that thou hast done.

9 Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God which is full of water.After a faint and barren drought, thou graciously condescendest to send downe a fruitfull raine, upon the face of the earth; thou greatly enrichest it with plentifull floods sent out from God, out of the clouds of heaven.

PSALM LXVI.

12 Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads, we went through fire and water: but thou broughest us out into a wealthy place.THou hast caused us to be miserably trampled upon, by our scornfull, and imperious enemies; and hast put us to all manner of hard trialls, there is no afflictive element which we have not passed through, by thy just sufferance and ordination; but, at last, thou hast put an end to our troubles, and hast setled us in a quiet plenty.

18 If I regard iniquitie in my heart; the Lord will not heare me.If I give my selfe over to wickednesse, I have no reason to expect favour from my God; how should I looke for other, then that he should marke me out for vengeance?

PSALM. LXVIII.

1 Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, &c.THy presence, O God, is with thine Arke; as that Arke of thine is now upon the remove, after a long rest; so doe thou, O Lord, arise, after thy seeming silence, and repose; and let thine enemies be discomfited and confounded.

4 Extoll him that rideth upon the heavens by his Name Iah, &c.Extoll him that moves and rules, and governes the heavens by his mighty power, and dwells in that inaccessible glory; praise him in that his infinite and absolute being, which he hath within himselfe, without all relation and dependance; and in that bounty, whereby he communicates a being to all his creatures.

He giveth plentifull issue to those that were childlesse,6 God setteth the solitary in families, he bringeth out those which are bound with chaines, but the rebellious dwell in a dry land. and delivers the captive out of their thraldome, as contrarily those that are rebelliously wicked (however they might seeme fast rooted in a rich patrimony) he sends away into want, and exile.

p. 189O God,7 O God when thou wentest forth before thy people, when thou didst march through the wildernesse, what noble demonstrations hast thou given of old, to us thy people, & our forefathers, of thy power and providence; when thou wentest before thy people, in a pillar of cloud, and fire, through the wildernesse.

Both in the heavens and the earth didst thou shew marvelous tokens of thy mighty protection,8 The earth shooke, the heavens also dropped at the presence of God; even Sinai it selfe was moved at the presence of God, the God of Israel. and gracious care for thy people; all the course of nature seemed to be miraculously altered to set forth thy power; Mount Sinai it selfe shooke at thy presence, in the delivery of thy Law.

The Lord gave abundant matter of celebration and thanksgiving,11 The Lord gave the word, great was the company of those that published it. and there wanted not store of messengers to publish his victories, or of damsells of Israel to applaud them, in their songs, and minstralsie.

The Kings of the nations (who led forth their armies against Israel) were glad to flee apace for their lives;12 Kings of the armies did flee, and she that tarried at home divided the spoile. and the spoile was so great, that the women (who staid at home) had their shares in the division of it.

Though ye hauehave lien, like the drudges of the Camp,13 Though you have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be like the wings of a dove, covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold. in the hearths and sooty ranges of your tents, and thereby are soiled and deformed, yet, by Gods mercifull deliverance, the case shall be so altered, as that ye shall bee faire, and beautifull, like a pleasantly-coloured dove, whose feathers are as overlaid with gold and silver.

And howsoever Gods Church seemed to be over-cast with darknesse of discomfort,14 When the Almighty scattered Kings in it, it was white as snow in Salmon. whiles tyrans oppressed her, yet now the Almighty hath subdued, and put to flight the enemies thereof, it was white and glorious, like to the hill of Salmon (of it selfe darke and shadie) when it is covered with snow.

Sion (which is Gods hill,15 The hill of God is as the hill of Bashan; an high hill as the hill of Bashan. where he pleaseth to dwell) may well compare with the fruitfull hill of Bashan; in height if it may equall it, in dignitie and priviledge it is much above it.

Why doe ye so proudly vaunt your selves,16 Why leape ye so, ye high hills? this is the hill which God delighteth to dwell in. O yee mighty mountaines of the earth? ye are all of no value to this hill, where the God of heaven hath chosen to put his name.

The great Lord of hosts is attēded with thousand thousands of heavenly Angells,17 The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of Angels, the Lord is among them as in Sinai, in his holy place. which are the chariots of defence for his Church; powreful, irresistible; and, as he was waited on by these innumerable Angells, on mount Siani, at his majestical delivery of the Law, so is he now attended with them (though invisibly) in his holy hill of Sion where he manifesteth his gracious presence to his people.

O Saviour,18 Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivitie captive, thou hast received gifts for men; yea even the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell among them. thou art gloriously ascended up unto thine p. 190highest heavens, having first happily triumphed over all thine enemies, and dragged them captive after thee; and immediately after that glorious ascension, thou hast sent downe thy Spirit, upon men, in the miraculous gifts thereof; which thou hast bountifully shed abroad, even upon those that were formerly rebellious against thee, that even by them thou O Lord mightest magnifie thy selfe in thy gracious inhabitation in them.

20 VntoUnto God the Lord belong the issues from death.Unto this almighty Lord, (who is the God of spirits) doe belong all the passages, both to, and from death; he can deliver his from it, he can bring his enemies into it, as seemeth best unto him.

22 The Lord said; I will bring againe my people from Bashan; I will bring my people againe from the depths of the red Sea.The Lord hath said; ye well know what deliverances I have wrought for my people; how I caused them to passe through, and conquer the country of Og the great King of Bashan; and how I led them through the red Sea, in a miraculous fashion: my hand is not shortned, I will still worke the very like deliverances for my people.

23 That thy foot may be dipped in the blood of thine enemies, and the tongue of thy dogges in the same.That, as it was in the destruction of the Aegyptians, and in the conquest of Bashan, and those other proud heathens, so againe, thou maist rejoyce in the utter debellation and destruction of them that oppose themselves spightfully against the Church, and Kingdome of Christ, so as thou maist trample in their blood, and thy dogs may lick it up.

24 They have seene thy goings, O God, even the goings of my God, my King in the Sanctuary.Oh God, all thy people have seene, and rejoyced to see, with what exultation, and spirituall triumph, thou my God and King, in that thy holy Arke (when it marched from the house of Obed Edom) wentst up towards thy sacred Tabernacle.

26 Even the Lord, from the fountaine of Israel.Blesse ye the Lord in the congregation of his people, all ye that flow from that plentifull fountaine of Israel.

27 There is little Benjamin with their ruler, the Princes of Iudah, and their Councell, the Pri…ces of Zebulun, and the Princes of Nepthali.There are the tribes of Israel, ready and zealous, to attend upon God; Benjamin the least of all the tribes, is not the least forward; but, together with their ruler, presents himselfe to this service: Iudah, the royall tribe, with their noble leaders, strives to be seene in the front of this glorious traine; and Zebulun & Nepthali, though most remote in situation, yet in this holy solemnity, are not behind their fellowes; but they and their Princes put forth themselves to celebrate this holy, and happy procession of Gods Arke.

28 Thy God hath commanded thy strength.O Israel, thy God hath decreed power and soveraignty unto thee; so as, notwithstanding all oppositions, thou shalt be strong and mighty.

29 Because of thy Temple at Ierusalem, shall Kings bring presents unto thee.When thou shalt have established thy Temple at p. 191Hierusalem; The Kings of the earth round about thee, shall come thither, and offer presents and sacrifices there unto thy name.

Oh Lord,30 Rebuke the company of the speare men, the multitude of the Bulls, with the calves of the people, till every one submit himselfe with pieces of silver; scatter thou the people which delight in warre. doe thou confound those professed enemies of thy Church; both their great patrons and abettors, as also their servile and ignorant followers; and humble thou them so farre, as till they shall submit themselves to thy spirituall government, and yeeld their homage and tribute unto thy Sonne Christ; and as for such as take pleasure in blood, and exercise wilfull hostility against thy people, doe thou utterly destroy them, and their designes.

The Gentiles shall come in,31 Princes shall come out of Aegypt; Ethiopia shall soone stretch out her hands to thee. and yeeld subjection to thee; even those (which are most unlikely) from the loines of Cham, the Princes of Aegypt and Ethiopia; these shall sue to be received into the bosome of the Church.

PSALM. LXIX.

OH God;2 I sinke in the deepe mire where there is no standing. I am ready to be utterly swallowed up with the evills, which are comne upon me; I find not any ground of comfort to rest my soule upon.

The rulers,12 They that sit in the gate speake against me. and men of authority sticke not to raise slanderous suggestions against me.

Let all those comfortable helps which thou hast given them here,22 Let their table become a snare to them. be (in thy just judgement) turned into so many tentations, and occasions of their fall.

Let the eyes of their understandings be so darkned,23 Let their eyes bee darkned that they see not; and make their loines continually to shake. that they may not see the things belonging to their peace; and as thou blindest their judgement, so doe thou also weaken their strength; that they may be no lesse unfit for action.

Doe thou so farre give them over to the lawlesse desires, and counsells of their owne hearts,27 Adde iniquitie unto their iniquity, & let them not come into thy righteousnesse. that they may adde sinne to sinne, untill their measure be full; and may not recouer themselves by a seasonable conversion unto thee.

Take them away by some sudden judgement,28 Let them be blotted out of the booke of the living, and not be written with the righteous. from among the living, let not their names be recorded among thy faithfull servants here, or thy Saints above.

p. 192PSALM. LXXI.

7 I am a wonder unto many.THere are many that gaze upon me in this my distressed condition, as if I were some uncouth monster, some rare spectacle of thy displeasure.

16 I will goe in the strength of the Lord.I wil go on (through the power of him that inables me) to glorifie my God; and to win due praises to his name.

PSALM. LXXII.

1 Give the King thy judgements, O God; and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings sonne.O God, thou, by whom Kings raigne, as thou hast called me, and my sonne Salomon after me, to the government of this Kingdome, so doe thou inable both me (for that little time I have to live) and him in an happy succession to me, with those gifts of wisedome, and knowledge, as also of justice and holinesse, that are fit for so great a service.

2 He shall judge the people with righteousnes, and thy poore with judgment.Let him governe thy people justly and uprightly; and even the poorer sort of them unpartially, and wisely.

The very mountainous parts of the land, which use to be most barren shall under his peaceable and righteous government,3 The mountaines shall bring peace to the people; and the little hills, by righteousnesse. yeeld an happy, and joyfull increase to their owners.

O thou Saviour of men (whose type my sonne Salomon shall be) men shall serve & devoutly worship thee,5 They shall feare thee as long as the Sunne and Moone indure. so long as the Sun & Moone shall shine upon the earth.

He shall be gentle and mild in his administration, and sweet and gratious in his heavenly doctrine,6 He shall come downe like raine upō the mowne grasse. which shall distill upon the hearts of men, as the still & gentle raine falls upon the mown grasse; so plausibly, so refreshingly.

8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea; and from the river to the ends of the earth.As the dominions of Salomon shall be large, and spread farre, so shall their extent be but a shadow of that unlimited Kingdome, which pertaines to the great Messias, whom he figureth; for behold, all the nations of the earth, even from one end thereof unto the other, shall yeeld their subjection to his spirituall Kingdome.

9 They that dwell in the wildernesse shall bow before him.Even those that are yet the most barbarous and savage people, shall submit themselves to the scepter of his Kingdome.

10 The Kings of Tarshish and the yles shall bring presents, the Kings of Sheba and Saba, shall offer gifts.The heathenish Princes of remotest countries, yea, even those that are by the broadest seas divided from the firme lands, shal acknowledge the soveraignty of Christ; and, as in type, the Queene of the South shall come to heare and admire the wisedome of Salomon, not without rich gifts in her hand, so shall all the farre distant Kings, and Princes of the world, come in and acknowledge p. 193their homage to this King of kings.

He shall live for ever; when as all earthly Princes shall lay downe their corruptible crownes in the dust;15 And he shall live, & to him shall be given of the gold of Sheba, &c. and so shall his devout clients be affected to him, that they shall thinke their richest treasures fittest to be presented to him.

His blessing shall make the earth exceedingly fruitfull;16 There shall bee an handfull of corne in the earth upon the top of the mountaines, the fruit therof shall shake like Lebanon. in so much as one handfull of corne sowne upon those very hills, which might cary the suspition of barrennesse, shall grow to a marvelous increase; and with a plentifull eare shall yeeld so large and strong a stalke, that, with the motion of the winde, it shall shake Cedar-like.

PSALM. LXXIII.

THere is neither pangs of body,4 There are no bands in their death. nor remorse and terrour of soule in their death.

They are pampered with the delicacies and pleasures of the world, they are full fed, and too well liking.7 Their eyes stand out with fatnesse.

Therefore Gods owne people,10 Therefore his people returne hither; And waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. and deare children come to this passe, seeing that they are exercised with store of afflictions, whiles the wicked prosper; as to say; Doth the God of heaven take notice of these things,11 And they say, How doth God know? &c.

If I should yeeld to these weake thoughts,15 If I say I will speak thus, behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. surely I should doe wrong to the happy estate of thy faithfull ones.

When I lookt into the ground of this complaint,16 When I thought to know this; it was too painfull for me. I found it was too deepe for me, by my owne naturall discourse, to search into.

Untill I betooke my selfe to inquire into the holy will of my God, revealed by his Prophets.17 Untill I went into the Sanctuary of God.

Surely thou hast so contrived it,18 Surely thou didst set them in slippery places. that these wicked men, howsoever their places be high, yet they are slippery; and such as they shall never be able to hold their feet in; but must needs fall downe into everlasting perdition.

So, O Lord,20 So, O Lord, when thou awakest, thou shalt despise their image. when thou stirrest up thy selfe to execute judgement, thou shalt shew how little thou reckonest of this vaine fancy, or dreame of the wicked mans prosperity.

So ignorant was I,22 So ignorant I was, as a beast before thee. and so brutish in my misconceits of these prosperous conditions of wicked men.

Notwithstanding,23 Neverthelesse I am continually with thee; thou hast holden mee by my right hand. thou hast not taken advantage of my infirmities, but renewest thy favours upon me continually; and keepest both my heart, and my steps aright p. 192with thee, and hast by thy mighty power upheld me from miscarying under this temptation.

PSALM. LXXIIII.

3 Lift up thy feet unto the perpetuall desolations, even all that the enemie hath done wickedly in thy Sanctuary.OH God, doe thou stirre up thy selfe to worke the perpetuall desolations of thy enemies; trample them so downe, that they may never rise up againe; come speedily, and take notice of all that mischiefe which the enemie hath wrought against thy Sanctuary.

4 Thine enemies roare in the midst of thy Congregations, they set up their ensignes for signes.Thine enemies insult, and triumph, in scorne of thy holy assemblies; and display proudly the monuments of their Idolatry, & despight of thy worship to the world; that all men may applaud their successe, and witnesse thy dishonour.

5 A man was famous acc rding as he had lifted up axes upon the thicke trees.It was heretofore thought an imployment of much honor, and merit, in those men who did cut downe and square the timber trees for the building of thy holy Sanctuary.

6 But now they breake downe the carved worke thereof at once, with axes and hammers.But now, it is comne to that passe, that every man thinkes himselfe to deserve most thankes, that can doe most havocke to thine holy place; that can most spightfully demolish the walls, and breake downe the goodly seelings, and curious ornaments of thy Temple.

9 We see not our signes, there is no more any prophet; neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.We have no testimonies left us, any more of Gods gratious presence with us; he hath so withdrawne himselfe, as that we have none of the wonted evidences of his favour to us; we have no prophet, of whom we might aske counsell of Gods purposes towards us, and be informed how long we shall groane under this grievous calamity.

13 Thou brakest the heads of the Dragons in the waters.Thou didst confound the great and mighty enemies of thine Israel, in the red Sea.

14 Thou brakest the heads of Leviathan in pieces, and gavest him to be meat to the people inhabiting the wildernesse.Thou didst destroy the great Princes of Aegypt, and gavest their flesh to be a prey unto wild beasts and ravenous fowles.

15 Thou didst cleave the fountaine, & the flood; thou driedst up mighty rivers.Thou clavest the rocke in sunder; and broughtst out a fountaine from thence, which flowed forth in plentifull streames; thou driedst up the great river of Jordan, that it might give free passage to thy people, through the chanells thereof.

p. 193PSALM. LXXV.

WHen I shall in thine appointed time,2 When I shall receive the congregation, I will judge uprightly. take upon mee the charge of thy people, I will rule them justy, and unpartially.

Both the whole world, and thy Church in speciall,3 The earth and al the inhabitants thereof are dissolved; I beare up the pillars of it. are full of troubles, and dangerous affrights; it is I, whom thou hast, from all eternitie, ordained to be a mediator betwixt thee and it, that sustaine and uphold it from ruine.

God hath set to every man his measure of sorrow,8 For in the hand of the Lord, there is a cup; & the wine is red; it is full of mixture, and he powreth out of the same; but the dregs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring out and drink them. and affliction, and to the wicked he hath determined very grievous plagues, and sufferings which they must of force undergoe; and if his children drinke of the cleare wine of this bitter cup, they which are his enemies shall drink of the lees and dreggs thereof; and shall be judged in his extreame displeasure.

The proud strength,10 All the hornes of the wicked also will I cut off. and power of wicked men wherin they boast themselves, shall be abated, and utterly disappointed to their shame.

PSALM. LXXVI.

THere did he discomfit the mighty host of Senacherib; and confounded them in their military projects,3 There brake hee the arrowes of the bow; the shield, and the sword, and the battle. and defeated their bloody executions.

Oh God,4 Thou art more glorious and excellent then all the mountaines of prey. thou shewedst thy selfe more mighty then all the forces of those Assyrians, which dwell upon the mountaines; yea, then the strongest powers upon earth; though seconded with the advantage of the steepe, and rocky mountaines;

The mighty warriors that came up against Jerusalem are spoiled, and have slept their last sleep, even in death;5 The stout hearted are spoyled; they have slept their sleep; and none of the men of might have found their hands. neither could any of those great champions be able to resist the destroying Angell.

Thou canst, and dost so order the matter,10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee, the remainder of wrath shalt thou restraine. that from the spight, and malice of thine enemies, thou shalt take occasion to win praise and glory to thy name; even their mischiefe shall, in despight of them, glorifie thee, in that those judgements which their malice drawes from thee, shall cause others to acknowledge and magnifie thy power and justice; and for the sequell, thou canst and wilt so restraine their power and tyranny, that they shall doe no further mischiefe to thy people.

p. 196PSALM. LXXVII.

2 My sore ran in the night, and ceased not.MY paine of body, and the sorrow of my soule continued upon me without any intermission.

3 I remembred God, and was troubled.I lookt up to God, and remembred him, who is the God of comfort, in whom I was wont to finde relief; and yet now my remembrance of him added to my trouble, in that I could not feele that aide and consolation from him which I expected, but rather found his countenance hid, and estranged from mee.

6 I call to remembrance my song in the night; I commune with my owne heart; my Spirit made diligent search.I call to remembrance those songs of praise, which I have heretofore made unto thee, in the deepest night of mine afflictions. I reasoned with my selfe, my soule made diligent search into the experiments of thy former mercies.

10 And I said; this is mine infirmity; but I will remember the yeares of the right hand of the most high.Thus I said, but I tooke my selfe in the manner, and corrected my owne errour: and found that it was nothing but my infirmity, that I gave way to this temptation: but now I will stirre up my drooping heart, and recall the thought of those many, and ancient favours, which the bountifull hand of God hath heaped upon me of old.

13 Thy way, O God, is in the Sanctuary.Thy counsels and judgements, O God, are hidden from our reach; thou hast reserved them to thy selfe in the cabinet of heaven; it is fitter for us to adore, then search them.

The waters of the red sea, and of Jordan, were sensible of thy divine presence,16 The waters saw thee, O God, the waters saw thee, they were afraid. and power, O Lord; and, as if they had beene afraid of thee, they ran away, and divided themselves into severall courses.

17 Thine arrowes also went abroad.Thy lightnings were shot forth of thy cloudes, as so many arrowes out of thy bow; and thine hailstones were as so many bullets, sent out from thence upon thine enemies.

19 Thy way is in the sea; and thy path is in the great waters.Thou shewedst thy power in going before thy people, and making way for them through the midst of the sea; which is only subject to thy soveraigne command, and either stands, or moves according to thy will.

PSALM. LXXVIII.

9 The children of Ephraim being armed, and carrying bowes, turned back in the day of battle.EPhraim, which was the chiefe of the ten revolted tribes of Israel, though they were well armed, and furnished with those weapons which might gall the enemy afarre off, yet (as a punishment from God upon them) p. 197they cowardly fled before the enemie; and gave a foule example of base flight to the rest of their brethren.

They, with their revolted associates,10 They kept not the covenant of God: and refused to walke in his law. kept not the covenant which God had made with them, but turned aside to follow Ieroboam, in his wicked Idolatry; forsaking the law, and temple of their God.

In the territories that belong to Zoan,12 In the field of Zoan. a chiefe citie of Aegypt, and the court of Pharaoh: where those miraculous workes would be so much more noted.

Man did eat of that bread,25 Man did eat Angels food. which descended from heaven, the glorious mansion of Angels.

By giving them over into the power of evill Angels,49 By sending evill Angels among them. which are the executioners of Gods wrath: so as by their hand, many of those judgements, which were inflicted upon Aegypt, were wrought.

He brought them into the possession of this promised land, where he hath placed his Sanctuary;54 He brought them to the border of his Sanctuary; even to this holy mountaine which his right hand hath purchased. and to this holy hill of Sion, which he hath chosen to that purpose, having cast out the Iebusites (who formerly possessed it) by his mighty power.

So that he forsooke that Tabernacle of his,60 So that he forsook the Tabernacle of Shiloh, &c. which was pitched in Shiloh: & had no further respect to that chosen place.

And withall gave up his very Arke,61 And delivered his strength into captivity, and his glory into the enemies hand. which was the strength and glory of Israel, and that signe of his presence, whereby he manifested his strength and glory to Israel, that Arke did he give up into the hands of the Philistims.

Then the Lord who seemed to sleep,65 Then the Lord awaked as one out of sleep, and like a mighty man that shouteth by reason of wine. whiles he winked at the captivity of the Arke, rouzed up himselfe, to a revenge of these insolencies of the Philistims: and laid about him, as some mighty Gyant, whose spirits are cheared with abundance of wine, dealing judgements on all sides.

And he smote the Philistims with a grievous,66 And he smote his enemies in the hinder parts, he put them to a perpetuall reproach. and shamefull disease, in their hinder parts, even with sore Emerods, to their great paine and reproach.

Moreover he refused to dwell any longer in Shiloh,67 Moreover he refused the Tabernacle of Ioseph, and chose not the tribe of Ephraim. which was in the tribe of Ephraim, the sonne of Ioseph, where his Arke had long sojourned.

And made choise to fix himselfe at Hierusalem,68 But chose the tribe of Iudah, the mount Sion which he loved. within the tribe of Iudah: even upon mount Sion, which he hath preferred to all the earth.

p. 198PSALM. LXXX.

1 Give eare O shepheard of Israel, thou that leadest Ioseph like a flocke, thou that dwellest betweene the Cherubims, shine forth.O Thou great ruler, and protector of thy people Israel, thou that both guidest, and defendest the posterity of Joseph, as a good shepherd doth his flocke, thou that art gratiously wont to manifest thy presence in thy Mercy-seate, which is between the wings of the Cherubims, looke downe graciously upon us, and shew thy power in our deliverance.

2 Before Ephraim and Benjamin, and Manasseh stirre up thy strength; and come to save us.Before those holy remainders of the Tribes of Ephraim, Benjamin, and Manasseh, which still held close unto thee, notwithstanding the miserable defection of their brethren, even before these thy faithfull servants, stirre up thy strength, and worke our deliverance,

8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Aegypt; thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it.Thy Church of Israel is some generous, and pleasant vine, which thou hast brought out of that barren and hard soyle of Aegypt; and having cast out the Canaanites, which were the wild and naturall plants of this place, hast here set, in this good land of thy promise.

13 The boare out of the wood doth wast it, and the wild beasts of the field doe devoure it.The heathenish Tyrans, that came up from Babylon and Assyria in open hostility to thy people, have made havocke of this thy vineyard, having rooted up the plants, and torne downe the branches of it; and their wicked complices, and followers devoure the grapes thereof.

15 And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted; and the branch that thou madest strong for thy selfe.Be gratious to thy whole Church, and especially to that thine anointed servant, whom thou hast set over thy people, and advanced for the defence of thine owne cause, and the safegard of thine inheritance.

17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand; upon the Sonne of man whom thou madest strong for thy selfe.Doe thou prosper and blesse the great worke of thy deare and powerfull Messiah; even that Sonne of man, that Sonne of God, that God and man, whom thou hast set apart for this blessed worke of mediation; and furnished with power, & graces fit for so glorious an imployment.

PSALM. LXXXI.

3 Blow up the trumpet in the new Moone, in the time appointed of our solemne feast-dayes.DOe ye testifie the inward joy of your hearts by all kindes of melody, and especially by the loud noise of Trumpets; such, as wherewith ye celebrate the feasts of the new moones, and other set and Solemne festivities.

5 This he ordained in Ioseph for a testimony, whē he went out through the land of Aegypt.This he ordained to be observed of all the tribes, and especially those that are the ringleaders of the rest, even the posterity of Joseph; when he led his people along, frō p. 199the land of Aegypt, through the wildernesse.

I answered thee really out of the clouds;7 I answered thee in the secret places of thunder. from whence I sent thunder, and lightnings, and hailstones, upon thine enemies.

I made proofe of thee,7 I proved thee at the waters of Meribah. whether thou wouldest meekly, and faithfully attend upon my providence, and keepe my commandements, even at those waters, which justly had their name from that strife, which thou hadst with my servant Moses.

See Deut. 32. verse 13.16 With hony out of the rocke should I have satisfied thee.

PSALM. LXXXII.

GOd is present in the Counsells of the great Rulers of the earth; he survaieth all their actions,1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods. and consultations, and passeth judgement upon them accordingly.

All things are out of order, good lawes are violated, authority is contemned, men are lawlesse.5 All the foundations of the earth are out of course.

I have said of the great rulers of Israel; Ye are as the Angells of God to the people; yea, as Gods owne deputies upon earth, yea, as earthly images of God;6 I have said, Yee are gods; and all of you ate children of the most High; and ye are all in a peculiar manner chosen, and respected of the Almighty.

But ye shall die like other men,7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the Princes. there shall be no difference betwixt you and those other heathen Princes which know not God, in respect of the necessity, and wayes, and manner of your death, and dissolution.

PSALM. LXXXIII.

THey have laid their heads together, and consulted,3 And consented against thine hidden ones. how they may root out thine holy seed, those whom thou hast in thy secret counsell chosen for thy owne, and whom thou hast taken upon thee to protect.

Those of the posterity of Esau & Ishmael,6 The Tabernacles of Edom & the Ishmaelites, of Moab and the Hagarens. and of Lot and Hagar which ought in regard of nearnesse of blood, to favour, and joyne with the other issue of Abraham and Jacob, they doe yet conspire all together against them, &c.

And are in confederacy with the other neighbouring nations,7 Gebal, &c. and Amaleck; the Philistims, with the inhabitants of Tyre: &c. which professe and exercise hostility against thy people Israel.

Doe thou utterly defeat, and destroy them, as thou didst the Midianites, and their five Kings;9 Doe thou unto them as unto the Midianites, as to Sisera, as to Iabin, at the brnoke Kishon. as thou didst Sisera the Generall of Jabins host, and his strong army, at the brooke and valley of Kison,

p. 20010 Which perished at Endor, they became as dung for the earth.Which perished in the plaines of the city Endor, neare to that famous river of Kishon; and left their carkasses upon the earth, for a prey to the fowles, and compost to the soile.

11 Make their nobles like Oreb, and like Zeeb; yea all their Princes, as Zeba and Zalmunna.Make their Princes, and nobles, like unto those Princes of the Midianites, which Gedeon pursued and slew.

Doe thou whirle them away, & all their projects and attempts,13 O my God, make them like a wheele, as the stubble before the winde. and scatter them as stubble before the winde.

PSALM. LXXXIV.

OH God, how doe I, in this my exile, envie those little familiar birds,3 Yea the sparrow hath found an house, and the swallow a nest for her selfe, where she may lay her young, even thine altars, O Lord of hosts. the sparrow and the swallow, which are allowed to finde out quiet nests for themselves, and their young, in the houses of men; yea, neare unto thy very altars, O Lord of hosts; whiles I am driven away, and not suffered to enjoy the benefit, and comfort of thine house.

6 Who passing through the valley of Baca make it a well, the raine also filleth the pooles.Who cannot be discouraged in their journie towards the holy Tabernacle, by all the difficulties of the way; for, though they passe through a dry, and barren desert, yet there doth their comfortable resolution make a well of refreshing; and afford them sweet, and pleasant showres; in that their heart is possessed with the expectation of that blessing, which they shall be partakers of in that holy mountaine.

7 They goe from strength to strength, every one of them in Sion appeareth before God.And therefore they goe on chearefully gathering strength and courage, in the way, untill they come into the presence of the Lord, in his Temple, upon the hill of Sion.

10 I had rather bee a doore keeper in the house of my God, then to dwell in the tents of wickednes.I would rather choose to be in the lowest and basest roome within thy holy Tabernacle, then to be setled in whatsoever dignitie, out of the bounds of thy Church.

For the Lord God is the author and fountaine of all good,11 For the Lord God is a Sunne and a shield. & comfort, that can befall his children; & the protector and defender of them from all those evills, which they might be incident into.

PSALM. LXXXV.

8 He will speake peace unto his people; and to his Saints; But let them not turne againe to folly.GOd will be exceeding gratious, no doubt, unto his people; both in his remission, and blessings, but let them take heed that they keepe stedfast unto him; and that they be not foolishly miscarried againe, into Idolatry, and other such grievous offences; as whereby they may justly forfeit his favours.

p. 201The Kingdome of Christ under the Gospell,10 Mercy and truth are met together; righteousnesse and peace have kissed each other. shall be exceeding glorious, and happie; for therein, the merciemercy and truth of God will approve themselves to be fully accorded; In that both God will be found true, in the making good of his decreed threats of death to sinfull man; and also mercifull in saving mankinde (lost by sinne) through the blood of the redeemer; and in men answerably shall righteousnesse and peace imbrace each other; for that, upon this imputed righteousnesse of Christ, joyned with true inward sanctification, shall follow an happie peace both with God, and with our owne consciences.

By the effects wrought upon men here on earth,11 Truth shall spring out of the earth, and righteousnesse shall looke downe from heaven. shall God make good the truth of his promises; and righteousnesse, which is the free gift of God to men, shall descend from above.

His servants shall walke before him,13 Righteousnesse shal goe before him, and shall set us in the way of his steps. in holinesse and righteousnesse; and shall, by these graces, be directed in all the wayes of his commandements.

PSALM LXXXVI.

AMongst those that are falsly called gods, O Lord,8 Among the gods there is none like unto thee, O Lord. there is none that is like unto thee; there is no lesse difference then betwene that which is nothing, and infinite.

O Lord, doe thou give some good,17 Shew me a token for good, that they which hate me may see it and be ashamed. and sensible proofe of thy mercifull respect to me; such, as whereby mine enemies may be convinced; and may with shame confesse their errour, whiles they spightfully said, there is no helpe for him in his God.

PSALM. LXXXVII.

GOd hath founded his city Jerusalem,1 His foundation is in the holy mountaines. and his holy Temple upon the mountaines, which he hath chosen.

The Lord taketh more pleasure to dwell in his Tabernacle, and his Temple, on Sion hill,2 The Lord loveth the gates of Sion more then all the dwellings of Iacob. then in all the rest of the Land of Judah, or Israel.

I rejoyce to see that the Church of God shall not alwayes be confined to these narrow bounds of Judea;4 I will make mention of Rahab and Babylon to them that know me: Behold, Philistia, and Tyre, with Ethiopia, this man was borne there. but that it shall extend it selfe to all nations, in so much as I make account of the most unlikely nations of Egypt and Babylon to be admitted into the bosome therof; and even amongst the most spightful Philistims, and the Tyrians, p. 202and Ethiopians, there shall be sonnes borne unto God.

5 And of Sion it shall be said, This and that man was borne in her: And the Highest himselfe shall establish her.And Sion, the true spirituall Sion, shall be so inlarged, that it shall be said of every professed Christian, that he was borne in her; and God shall so establish her, that the gates of hell shall not prevaile against her.

All the living waters of true comfort, all graces, and all salvation,7 All my springs are in thee. are to be found in thee onelyonly, (viz. the Church of God.)

PSALM. LXXXVIII.

5 Free among the dead.I Am as a man already admitted into the society of dead men, free and perfectly acquitted from all the cares and affaires of this life.

10 Shall the dead arise and praise thee?Shall the dead arise out of their graves, and live here among men, and celebrate thy praises?

12 Shall thy wonders be knowne in the darke? and thy righteousnesse in the land of forgetfulnesse?Shall notice be takē of thy wonderfull workes, in the grave? & shall the dead carkasses, in that estate of death where all these earthly things are forgotten, be sensible of thy righteous dealings with the living?

15 I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up, while I suffer thy terrors, I am distracted.My trialls and sufferings, as they have beene grievous, and such, as have brought me to the very brinke of the grave, so they have beene also long, and tedious; for even from my youth up, hitherto, have I beene exercised with them; and, besides the sense of evills, the feare and expectation of them hath beene, and is, no small torment and distraction to me.

PSALM. LXXXXIX.

2 For I said, Mercy shall be built up for ever; Thy faithfulnesse shalt thou establish in the very heavens.AFter all my troubles, I came to this resolution; Thy mercy, O Lord, is as some goodly structure, which thou wilt never leave to build up (till thou have finished it) so firmely, that it shall stand for ever; Thy faithfulnesse in making good all thy promises, is as surely established, as the very heavens themselves.

10 Thou hast broken Rahab in pieces.Thou hast overthrowne the proud Aegyptian in the red Sea.

12 The North and the South, thou hast created them: Tabor and Hermon shall rejoyce in thy name.Thou hast made all the coasts of heaven; The North and the South are created by thee; Tabor that is in the West, and Hermon towards the East, doe rejoyce in thee, and acknowledge thy power.

15 Blessed are the people that know the joyfull sound.Blessed are the people whose eares are inured unto the chearefull sound of the sacred trumpets of God, p. 203in their solemne feasts, and sacrifices.

Thou spakest by way of vision to thine holy Prophet Samuel, and after him to Nathan thy prophet;19 When thou speakest in vision to thy holy One, and saidst, I have laid help upon one that is mighty, &c. and saidst; I have ordained to give help and victory unto my people, by my strong and mighty Champion, David.

I will establish his rule over those which dwell on the Sea coast;25 I will set his hand also in the Sea; and his right hand in the rivers. and from the river Euphrates to the land of the Philistims; so as both the red Sea, and the mediterranean, together with the rivers of Euphrates, Jordan and the rest within that compasse, shall be swaied by his scepter.

As he whom thou;27 Also I will make him my first borne; higher then the Kings of the earth. O David and Salomon doe represent (as types of him to come) is the first borne of every creature, and in all things hath the preeminence; so thou in figure of him, shalt be advanced to the honour of the highest Prince upon earth; having therein the true priviledge of primogeniture.

See 2 Sam. 7.14.33 Neverthelesse my loving kindnesse wil I not utterly take from him, &c.

The Spirituall government of Christ the Sonne of David shall continue as firme and stedfast,36 His throne shall be as the Sunne before me. as the Sunne and Moone, and those other heavenly bodies, which are the faithfull witnesses of Gods unfailable power,37 It shall be established for ever as the Moon, and as a faithfull witnesse in heaven. and providence.

But now as if thou meant'st to reverse, and recant that word of thine,39 Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant; thou hast prophaned his crowne, by casting it to the ground. and to frustrate the covenant with thine Anointed, thou hast, for the time, suffered his crowne to be puld off his head, and to be cast upon the ground; and his government to be openly despised.

PSALM. XC.

O Lord,11 Who knoweth the power of thine anger? even according to thy feare so is thy wrath. who is able to conceive how fearefull a thing thine anger is; and yet, it is fit to tremble at the conceit thereof, for according as men doe more, or lesse tremble at thy judgements, so dost thou more or lesse execute them.

Call backe those evills, which are threatned, and,13 Let it repent thee concerning thy servants. as it were, gone out against thy servants; and doe, as wee men are wont, when we repent of our actions, forbeare to punish us thy servants any more.

p. 204PSALM. XCI.

1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.HE that puts himselfe under the protection of the Almighty, shall be sure to be safely preserved under the shadow of his wings.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noysome pestilence.He shall deliver thee from those secret dangers, which the craft of devils, or men have devised to intangle thee in; and from the fearefull and noysome contagion of the pestilence.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid of the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flyeth by day.Thou shalt be freed from the feare of either secret, or open evils; whether by day, or by night; inward or outward; from all the violent machinations of enemies, and from the immediate judgements of God that strike swiftly, and insensibly.

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darknesse, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noone day.Thou shalt not be afraid of that plague of pestilence, that infecteth secretly, and spreadeth insensibly, and yet destroyeth openly, and where it rageth, leaves the footsteps of death to be lamentably viewed at mid-day.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shal not come nigh thee.In a common mortality, God shall make a difference betwixt his owne, and others; For his owne (save where and when he sees it best for them to suffer, and hath decreed their advantage by the stroke) he shall save, and preserve them, so as whiles many thousands fall on each hand of them, yet they shall be free.

11 For hee shall give his Angels charge over thee, to keepe thee in all thy waies.So great is his care of the good of his children, that besides his owne immediate protection, he shall give charge to his most glorious creatures, the Angels of heaven, and that not to one, but to many of them, to attend upon their persons, and waies.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the Lion and Adder; the yong Lyon and the Dragon shalt thou trample upon.Thou shalt be delivered from the danger and annoyance of whatsoever creatures may be hurtfull unto thee; whether by their violence, or by their venome: so as the most fierce, or the most poysonous shall be trampled upon by thee without harme.

PSALM. XCII.

13 Those that are planted in the house of the Lord, shall flourish in the Courts of our God.THose that are truly planted in Gods Church, being rooted in a lively, and stedfast faith, shall flourish, and spread forth into a fruitfull profession to the glory of their God, and benefit of others, and their owne happinesse.

p. 205PSALM. XCIII.

THe great waters roare loud;3 The floods have lifted up, O Lord, the floods have lifted up their voice; the floods lift up their waves. and the combined multitude of the enemies of thy Church, O Lord, make great noises of threats, and furious attempts against thee and thy people.

But the Lord on high can allay,4 The Lord on high is mightier, &c. and quiet them at pleasure.

In the multitude of the sad and perplexed thoughts of my heart, the comforts of thy word and spirit,19 In the multitude of my thoughts within mee, thy comforts delight my soule. have cheared up my soule.

Wilt thou, O Lord, have any thing to doe with,20 Shall the throne of iniquity have fellowship with thee; which frameth mischiefe by a law. or give any supportation to the tyrannicall government of wicked persecutors, which doe enact sinne and mischief; countenancing it both by their example and authority? No, thou hatest them and their divelish courses.

PSALM. XCVII.

See 2. Sam. 22.12.2 Clouds and darknes are round about him.

See 2. Sam. 22.9, 13, 14.3 A fire goeth before him

THere is much joy and happinesse laid up in store for the godly man;4 His lightnings enlightened the world. 11 Light is sowne for the righteous, and gladnes for the upright in heart.howsoever it doe not yet make any shew to carnall mindes; the seed of their comfort lies under the clods of affliction, for the time, but it shall surely sprout out, and fill their hearts, when their harvest comes, with gladnesse.

PSALM. XCIX.

THe Lord of heaven ruleth & defendeth his Church,1 The Lord raigneth, let the people tremble; He sitteth betweene the Cherubims, let the earth. &c. and executes judgements upon the enemies of it; let all the people of the world therefore, in an humble feare, submit themselves to him, he manifesteth his presence upon his mercy-seat, betweene the Cherubims, let the earth therefore tremble at his majesty, and be afraid to oppose him, and his Church.

Worship him,5 And worship at his footstoole. and bow downe upon the pavement of his Sanctuary.

How gracious respect God gives to his faithfull ones,6 Moses and Aaron among his Priests, and Samuel among them that call upon his name; they called upon the Lord, and he answered them. doth well appeare in those proofes of his mercifull audience which he gave to Moses and Aaron, among the p. 206prime Rulers and Peeres of his Church, and to Samuel amongst his Prophets; all which were intercessors for Gods people, upon many occasions, and were heard so farre as to prevaile for them.

PSALM. CI.

1 I will sing of Mercy and Iudgment; unto thee, O Lord, will I sing.OH Lord I will celebrate both thy mercy in blessing and forgiving thy people, and thy judgement in avenging thine enemies; and I will withall imitate thee in both, labouring to rule thy people both wisely and justly.

2 I will behave my selfe wisely in a perfect way. O when wilt thou come unto mee? I will walke within thine house with a perfect heart.I have vowed unto my selfe an holy and strict obedience and wise carriage before thee, in all my actions, that when thou shalt come to take an account of me (as I doe unfainedly desire thou shouldst) I may be well approved for my true sincerity of heart and life, in thy presence.

8 I will early destroy all the wicked of the land; that I may cut off all wicked doers from the City of the Lord.I will roundly set my selfe to purge the land of all notorious offendors; and will indeavour that the Church of God may be freed from those wicked ones, which are a burden and a slander unto it.

PSALM. CII.

3 My bones are burnt as an hearth.MY very bones are dryed up with sorrow, and are burnt blacke therewith, as an hearth is with the fire.

4 So that I forget to eat my bread.My heart is so wholly taken up with sorrow, that I cannot thinke of any earthly comforts, no, not so much as of my necessary sustenance.

6 I am like a Pelican of the wildernesse; I am like an Owle of the desert.I am left, and forsaken of all; and live, like one of those solitary, and dismall birds, which shriek out their mournfull notes, in a desert wildernesse, where either none heareth them, or those that doe heare them, hate their noise, as portending evill.

9 For I have eaten bread like ashes, and mingled my drinke with weeping.As I have layne groveling upon the earth in my sorrow, I have taken no sustenance at all, except I have perhaps licked up the dust where I lay, and drunke in my teares in stead of other liquors.

14 For thy servants take pleasure in her stones, and favour the dust thereof.For, howsoever the glory of thy Temple is utterly defaced, yet thy servants love the very rubbidge of those walls, and favour the very dust, into which it is mouldred.

26 As a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed.Oh God, the very heavens themselves, through our sinne, are made subject to corruption; they shall be both folded up once, as a garment; and changed, as an old garment p. 207is changed for a new; so as these heavens shall bee once other then they are;27 But thou art the same. OnelyOnly thou art eternally immutable.

PSALM. CIII.

WHo abundantly furnisheth thee with all good things, and reviveth thee,5 Who satisfyeth thy mouth with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the Eagles. when thou droopest under thy afflictions; as the Eagle, by casting her feathers and her beake, seemes to receive a new youthfulnesse.

PSALM. CIIII.

WHo art kept from all mortall eyes by that inaccessible light wherein thou dwellest above.2 Who coverest thy selfe with light as with a garment.

Who layeth the floore of his upper loft,3 Who layeth the beames of his chambers in the waters, who maketh the clouds his charets, and who walketh upon the wings of the winds. which is the higher region of the aire, in the clouds; on which, as on some chariot, he seemeth to ride, in that he directs the uncertaine motion thereof, & so disposeth of the winds, as ordering their quick, and unsteddy agitations.

Who maketh those glorious spirits of heaven, his messengers, which he sends on his holy errands,4 Who maketh his Angels Spirits; and his ministers a flaming fire. downe into the world; and causeth these celestiall ministers of his, to appeare in the formes of fire; and maketh both the windes, and fire to execute those offices of revenge, or preservation, which he committeth unto them.

In the first creation,6 Thou coverest it with the deepe as with a garment. thou hadst covered all the face of that, which we now call earth, with the waters, as with a garment that enwrapped it;

VponUpon thy command the waters sunke downe into one place, so as,8 They goe up by the mountaines (or the mountaines ascend, the vallies descend unto the place thou hast foūded for thē.) the hils (thereupon appearing) seemed to ascend, and the vallyes to goe downe into their settled hollownesse; thither, by thy powerfull appointment, did the waters gather themselves, and there abide.

It is he that causeth the springs to breake forth into large rivers, which finde passage in the lower plaines,10 Hee sendeth the springs into the vallies, which run among the hils. betwixt the hils.

Out of the chambers of the clouds,13 Hee watereth the hils from his chambers. he sendeth raine to water the dry, and barren hils,

Those trees which the Lord hath caused to grow,16 The trees of the Lord are full of sappe; the Cedars of Lebanon which he hath planted. even those goodly Cedars, which he set in Lebanon, are full of sappe, and thriving moisture, so that they grow tall and spreading.

He hath given to every creature a severall disposition, and a severall way, and meanes of life,18 The high hils are a refuge for the wild goates and, &c. and hath fitted p. 208them with places meet for their disposition; so as the hils are the refuge for the wild goates, which to other creatures were inaccessible, &c.

21 And seeke their meat from God.And seeke to satisfie their hunger, with that prey, which the providence of God hath ordained for them, without their knowledge and expectation.

That Spirit of thine, which moved, at the first, upon the face of the waters,30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created; and thou renuest the face of the earth. is still sent forth by thee, for the renuing of those severall creatures, whose daily mortality requires the supply of a continuall succession, and propagation.

If he doe but touch the hils, they smoake for feare of his mighty power,32 He toucheth the hils, and they smoake. which can shake, or remove them at pleasure.

PSALM. CV.

15 Touch not mine Anointed.DOe not dare to lay hands upon those, whom I have peculiarly consecrated to my selfe and my service.

16 He brake the whole staffe of bread.He caused a great scarcity of bread, whereby the life of man is upheld, and maintained.

28 He sent darknesse, and made it dark, and they rebelled not against his word.He commanded a palpable darknesse to spread it selfe over the whole land of Aegypt; and, as Moses and Aaron obeyed in giving the command, so all the creatures yeelded their willing obedience to it.

PSALM. CVI.

15 He gave them their request, but sent leanenesse into their soule.HE gave them abundance of food, according to their desire, but withall, hee sauced it with judgement; causing it not to prosper with them; so as they did eate, but did not thrive withall.

39 They went a whoring with their owne inventions.They were mis-carryed into spirituall fornication, committing folly with those idols, and false Gods, which they had vainly devised to themselves.

PSALM. CVII.

7 He led them forth by the right way, that they might goe to a city of habitation.HEe led them by a pillar of cloud, and fire, till hee brought them into the cities of Canaan, which he had prepared for their habitation.

16 He hath broken the gates of brasse, and cut the barres of yron in sunder.He hath wrought out their freedome, against all difficulties, and hath removed all the strongest hinderances of their peaceable setling in the land of promise.

p. 209PSALM. CVIII.

See Psalm. 57.8.1 O God my heart is fixed, &c. 7 God hath spoken in 8 his holines; I will di- 9 vide Sichem, &c.

See Psalm. 60. verse. 6. and for this whole Psalme.

PSALM. CIX.

GIve him over into the rule and command of a wicked tyran, which taketh pleasure in blood;6 Set thou a wicked man over him; and let Satan stand at his right hand. and let his spirituall estate be yet worse; let Satan, the great enemy of mankinde, have full advantage against him, and victory over him.

As it was his common use, & practice to curse others,18 As he clothed himselfe with cursing like as with garment, so let it come into his bowels like water, and like oyle into his bones. so let his curses returne upon himselfe; and take so full possession of him, as not only to enter into his bowels, but to soke into his very bones.

I a… tossed up and downe by the violent persecution of my enemy, as a locust is tossed with the winde;23 I am tossed up and downe as the locust. which is driven with every blast, here and there, where it would not, and is not suffered to rest any where.

PSALM. CX.

GOd the Father, in his eternall counsell,1 The Lord said unto my Lord; Sit thou at my right hand, untill I make thine enemies thy footstoole. said unto his Sonne my Lord and Saviour, Take thou all power and authority, as the only mediator, and true King of my Church; untill I shall have utterly subdued all those, that dare rise up against thee; then, doe thou deliver up this royall state, and Kingdome of thy Mediatorship.

The Lord shall send the scepter of thy power (O Saviour) from out of Sion, and Jerusalem,2 The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion, rule thou in the mids of thine enemies. (where thou first manifestedst thy glory) into all the coasts of the earth; in that all the nations of the world shall be subject unto thy spirituall government; Rule thou in the midst of those, which are yet thy professed enemies.

Thy people shall willingly present themselves unto thee in thy holy Church, in that day,3 Thy people shall bee willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holinesse, from the womb of the morning; thou hast the dew of thy youth. when thy Gospell shall be powerfully preached unto them; even from the utmost coasts of the world; And, as the dewe falls sweetly and plentifully from the wombe of the morning, so shall thine holy & vigorous professors abundantly come forth from thee, and shew themselves upon the face of the earth.

p. 2104 Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchisedech.Thy priesthood is everlasting, not temporary as the Leviticall; in thy person & office is, and shall be fulfilled that which was figured in the royall priesthood, person and name of Melchisedech, King of Salem; the King of righteousnesse, and peace.

6 He shall wound the heads over many countries.He shall bring downe, and trample under foot, Satan, and al his powerfull instruments, which labour to oppose his soveraignty, and rule in the Church.

7 He shall drinke of the brooke in the way; therefore shall he lift up his head.And in the heat of pursuit of his chased enemies, hee shall so hasten, that he shall onelyonly content himselfe to drinke of the brooke, that runnes in the way; and shall speedily lift up his head, to follow his victory, which he shall gloriously atchieve.

PSALM. CXI.

2 The workes of the Lord are great, sought out of all them that take pleasure therein.THe workes of the Lord are great; which are diligently searched, and inquired after; and profitably discovered by those his wise and faithfull servants, who take pleasure both to note, and publish them.

10 The feare of the Lord is the beginning of wisedome; a good understanding have all they that doe his commandements.The feare of the Lord is the chiefe point of all true wisedome; and those men have a right understanding of what is best for themselves, that give themselves wholly to the carefull keeping of his commandements.

PSALM. CXII.

4 VntoUnto the upright there ariseth light in the darknesse.VNtoUnto those that are true of heart, God raiseth the light of comfort, in the midst of the darknesse of tribulation.

9 His righteousnesse endureth for ever; his horne shall be exalted with honour.The mercifull man shall finde the fruit of this his charity, and holy beneficence, for ever; and God shall give him increase of true honour, & abundantly reward his liberality.

PSALM. CXIIII.

2 Iuda was his sanctuaary, and Israel his dominion.THe seed of Israel, and among them, in speciall, the Tribe of Judah, were his peculiar people, over which he raigned, and in whom he was honoured and sanctified.

3 The Sea saw it and fled; Iordan was driven backe.The red Sea, as acknowledging the powerfull hand of God for the protectiō, & safety of his people, gave way unto their passage; and Jordan in the shutting up of their p. 211journy, dividing his waves, ran backe, to give them way through his chanells.

The great mountaines of the wildernesse shooke,4 The mountaines skipped like Rams, the little hills like Lambs. and were moved sensibly at his terrible presence, when he delivered the Law to his people.

PSALM. CXVI.

I Was even in the very pangs of death;3 The sorrows of death compassed me, and the paines of hell gat hold upon me. and brought downe to the very brimme of the grave; and was, as it were, given up unto the estate of death.

I said in the extremity of my sudden feare,11 I said in my haste; All men are liers. and perplexity, that all men are liers; that even those Prophets, which had foretold me the certainty of my succession to the Kingdom of Israel, were but deceivers; and no credit was to be given to their prediction.

I will in my thankfull peace-offerings take up the cup of blessing, and joyfully acknowledge the Salvation,13 I will take the cup of Salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. which God hath wrought for me; and praise his name for my so gracious deliverance.

The Lord makes high account of the life of his holy ones; so as he will not suffer them to miscarry,15 Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his Saints. but will rescue them from death, and disappoint the attempts of their enemies.

PSALM. CXVIII.

LIke as the Bees flie angerly about the man that stirres their hive, and threat their stings against him,12 They compassed me about like Bees, they are quenched as the fire of thornes. so doe mine enemies against me; but they shall soone be stilled, and mastered; They send forth a great flame of menaces, and oppositions, but it shall be like a fire of thornes, soone out.

The mutinous people have spightfully rejected the government of their Messiah, & of David,22 The stone which the builders refused, is become the head stone of the corner. his type and predecessor; but now, behold, by the holy and wise ordination of God, either, and both of them are appointed for the chiefe stay of his people; so as the whole fabricke of the Church is coupled together, and resteth upon the foundation of that Christ, whom they have wickedly refused.

God is the Lord which hath comforted us in our extremities; bring ye therefore abundance of sacrifices,27 God is the Lord which hath shewed us light, binde the sacrifice with cords; even unto the hornes of the altar. before him; and tye them with cords, ready for their p. 212oblation, so thicke, as they can stand each by other, till they come up to the very hornes of the altar.

PSALM. CXIX.

1 Bessed are the undefiled in the way, who walke in the Law of the Lord.BLessed are they whose hearts are upright with God; and who live conscionably according to the Law of the Lord.

They make not a trade of any knowne, and willing sin, but frame themselves to walk in the waies which he hath chalked forth unto them.3 They also doe no iniquity, they walke in his wayes.

I am exceeding low brought by thine afflicting hand; oh doe thou raise me,25 My soule cleaveth to the dust; quicken thou mee. and restore comfort unto mee, as thou hast graciously promised.

26 I have declared my wayes, and thou heardest mee.I have laid open my whole estate before thee, and thou gavest a mercifull respect to me.

Oh let not mine eye betray my hart unto vanity, let me not so see,37 Turne away mine eyes from beholding vanity. that I be transported with any of these earthly objects, from my perfect love of thee, and desire of heavenly things.

43 And take not the word of Truth utterly out of my mouth; for I have hoped in thy judgements.Oh God, continue, I beseech thee, as true faith in my heart, so the profession of thy truth in my mouth, for I have still hoped (and so shall doe) in thy righteous promises; who wilt graciously accept, and reward, both the beleefe of the heart, and confession of the mouth.

45 I will walke at liberty, for I seeke thy precepts.I will walke free from all feares, and distractive cares; for my heart tells me, that I doe sincerely indevour to keepe thy Law.

48 My hands also will I lift up unto thy commandements.I will earnestly imploy my selfe, and all my actions, to the performing of what thou commandest me.

I am deeply afflicted in my selfe, to see the outrages, and rebellious courses of wicked men;53 Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy Law. and am driven to great extremity, by their cruell attempts against me.

Whole troupes of wicked men have conspired to undoe me,61 The bands of the wicked have robbed me. and to dispoyle me of my innocence.

My soule is overcomne, and languisheth with a longing desire of thy salvation;81 My soule fainteth for thy salvation, but I hope in thy word. yet still I am sustained by an assured hope of thy mercifull performances.

82 Mine eyes faile me for thy word.I have so long and earnestly looked for the accomplishment of thy promises, that I can scarce hold open mine eyes any longer.

83 I am become like a bottle in the smoake.I am dried up, and shrunke, and deformed and wrinckled with sorrow, even as a bottle that is hanged up in the smoake.

96 I have seene an end of all perfection, but thy Commandement is exceeding large.There is no earthly thing (be it never so excellent) but I have observed it subject to change, and corruption; but p. 213thy Law, O Lord, is of infinite perfection, both for the wisedome, and justice of it, as also for the eternall continuance of it.

O Lord,109 My soule is continually in my hand. I am exposed to continuall danger of my life, I am ready to have it taken from me upon all occasions.

Thou hast taken vengeance of wilfull sinners,118 Thou hast troden downe all them that erre from thy Statutes, for their deceit is falshood. and perverse hypocrites; for their deceit, wherewith they thought to beguile the eyes of men, doth but deceive themselves.

O Lord, doe thou take my cause upon thee,122 Be surety for thy servant for good. and stand out for the protection of mine innocence.

See verse. 81. and 82.123 Mine eyes faile.

It is high time for thee, O Lord,126 It is time for thee, Lord, to worke; for they have make void thy Law. to shew thy detestation of the leaud courses of men, by executing due judgements upon them, for they have so sleighted thy Law, as if it were to no purpose.

There is so cleare a light in thy word, O God,130 The entrance of thy words giveth light. that upon the first sight thereof it gives great knowledge, and comfort to the beholder.

See verse 53.139 My zeale hath consumed me.

Late at night, and early in the morning,148 Mine eyes prevented the night watch, that I might meditate in thy word. did I give my selfe to the meditation in thy word.

Many a time, in the day, doe I lift up my soule unto thee, and praise thy name in my continuall ejaculations.164 Seaven times a day doe I praise thee.

PSALM. CXX.

SVrely, the plagues of God shall be sent,4 Sharp arrowes of the mighty, with coales of Iuniper. as so many arrowes, singing into thy bosom; and his wrath shall waxe hot, and endure eternally upon thee.

Woe is mee that I am forced to live amongst savage,5 Woe is me that I sojourne in Meshech; that I dwell in the tents of Kedar. and barbarous men, that have neither feare of God, nor regard of humanity.

PSALM. CXXI.

NOne of all the creatures shall be hurtfull unto thee,6 The Sunne shall not smite thee by day, nor the Moone by night. the Sunne shall not offend thee with his scorching heat, nor the Moone with her cold and raw nightly vapors.

p. 214PSALM. CXXII.

3 Ierusalem is builded as a city that is compact together.IErusalem is stately built, for the outward fabricke, in type of the glorious frame of Gods Church; And is strongly, and unanimously compacted together; not divided into several townes and religions, as it is was; but, once perfectly united both for structure, & for concord of heart, and affections.

5 There are set thrones of judgement, the thrones of the house of David.There doe yet remaine the thrones of judgement of the Kings of Judah, and Israel; the royll seat of the posterity of King David; where he and his, sate to judge and governe their people.

PSALM. CXXIIII.

5 The proud waters had gone over our soules.OUr swelling and raging enemies had utterly overthrowne us, and brought us to nothing.

PSALM. CXXV.

3 The rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous, lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.THe cruell oppression, and tyranny of wicked men shall not be suffered to prevaile long against the righteous; lest they should be too much discouraged, and drawne into a weake distrust.

PSALM. CXXVI.

1 We were like them that dreame.WE were so over-joyed with the blessing, that we could scarce assure our selves, whether we might beleeve that wee were indeed so happy, or whether it were a pleasing dreame.

4 Turne againe our captivitie, O Lord, as the streames in the South.O Lord, doe thou so refresh us with a full accomplishment of our returne from this captivitie, as if thou shouldst cause some comfortable streames to flow through a dry Southerne desert, for the pleasure of the passengers.

6 He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtlesse come againe with rejoycing, bringing his sheaves with him.As yet the returne from the captivitie is not perfect, and we that are returned, are subject to much oppression, and danger, from our heathen persecutors; but take comfort to your selves, O ye people of God, for howsoever ye are now distressed, and have a wet-seed-time, yet doubtlesse ye shall be at last abundantly comforted; and reape the fruit of your patient expectation.

p. 215PSALM. CXXVII.

WHereas worldly minded men spend themselves in carking, and toyling,2 For so he giveth his beloved sleepe. and yet prosper not in their designes; God will so blesse his faithfull ones, that they shall without these turmoyles, and perplexities, enjoy themselves, and the comforts bestowed on them.

They have those who shall stand by them,5 They shall not be ashamed, but they shal speak with their enemies in the gate. and be ready to maintaine their cause in all quarrells whether of law or violence.

PSALM. CXXIX.

THey have oppressed me with many,3 The Plowers plowed upon my backe, and made long their sorrowes. and intolerable injuries, and exercised their utmost spight upon me.

PSALM. CXXX.

MY soule waiteth for the Lord,6 My Soule waiteth for the Lord more then they that watch for the morning. and longs for his comfortable presence, more then the watchman, that is forced to wake the whole night, waiteth for the breake of day, that he may be discharged.

PSALM. CXXXII.

LO, we heard of thine Arke, O Lord,6 Lo, we heard of it at Ephrata, we found it in the fields of the wood. that it was for many yeares pitched in Shiloh, within the Tribe of Ephraim; & we found it, after the returne from the Philistims; long fixed in the woody country of Kiriath-jearim.

I will spread my protection,16 I will clothe her Priests with salvation. and defence over her Priests, which are consecrated to me.

I will inlarge the power and glory of the royall issue of King David;17 I will make the horne of David to bud; I have ordained a lampe for mine Anointed. and will cause a glorious successour to arise out of the loines of mine anointed.

PSALM. CXXXIII.

IT is as the comfortable dew that falls upon and from the fruitfull mountaine of Hermon into the fields of Bashan;3 As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upō the Mountaine of Sion, for there the Lord commanded blessing; even life for evermore. or the dew that falls upon the Mountaine of Sion; For where there is p. 216peace and concord, there God gives abundance of blessings, both for the present, and for the future life, which is eternall.

PSALM. CXXXVII.

7 Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom, in the day of Ierusalem; who said, Rase it, rase it, even to the foundations thereof.REmember, O Lord, the unkinde and cruell posterity of Esau; how spightfully they behaved themselves in the day, when Hierusalem was taken and sacked; how they insulted; how they incouraged our enemies, to rase, and demolish it, even to the very ground.

8 O daughter of Babylon who art to be destroyed; happy shall he be that rewardeth thee as thou hast served us.Oh thou Babylon, who, as thou hast destroyed this our goodly city, so thy selfe also art ordained to destruction; it shall be an happy worke in those that shall have an hand in thy ruine, to returne thine owne cruell measure backe unto thee.

PSALM. CXXXVIII.

1 Before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.EVen publiquely in the holy place, in thy presence, and the presence of thy blessed Angels, who are there represented, and before the great peeres of Israel, wil I sing praise unto thee.

5 Yea they shall sing in the waies of the Lord.They shall celebrate, and set forth all the wondrous workes that thou hast wrought, and all the courses that thou hast taken with them, and tell what thou hast done, and what thou hast injoyned them to doe.

6 But the proud he knoweth afarre off.He so knowes the proud, that he will come neare them no way, but in judgement; and to that he hath long since designed them;

PSALM. CXXXIX.

5 Thou hast beset mee behinde and before, and laid thine hand upon mee.O Lord, thy presence, and Almighty power encompasseth me, on all sides; and thou hast laid hold on mee by thine hand, so as there is no starting from thee.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderfull for mee.The knowledge of thy great, and glorious majesty, and infinitenesse, O Lord, is utterly past all humane comprehension.

9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea.If I could flie, as swift as the day, and remove my selfe into the utmost coasts of the world.

If there were no other workmanship of thine, but that which thou hast shewed in framing the body,14 I will praise thee for I am fearefully and wonderfully made. and inspiring the soule of man; O God, I can never praise and admire p. 217thee enough for this only worke of thine.

Thine eye,15 My substance was not hid from thee when I was made in secret: and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. and thine hand was upon that originall matter, whereof I was framed secretly in the wombe of my mother; thou sawest all the marvellous proceedings of my conception, and formation here below.

Thou takest notice and keepest record of all the members of this body of mine, which thou hast made;16 And in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. which by severall degrees were to be fashioned, in the wombe; thou knewest, and in thy eternall decree hadst ordained them, when as yet they had no being.

How wonderfully, and inconceiveably gracious are thy purposes towards mee, O Lord;17 How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God, how great is the summe of them? and how impossible is it for me, to expresse the specialties of thy bounty unto mee?

PSALM. CXL.

LEt that mischiefe,9 Let the mischiefe of their owne lips cover them. which the lips of wicked men have plotted, and uttered and wished against me, befall unto themselves, and so enwrap them, that they may not be able to extricate themselves.

Let all manner of judgements light upon them,10 Let burning coales fal upon them, let them be cast into the fire. let it not be enough that fire fals downe upon them, but let them be cast downe into the fire.

PSALM. CXLI.

LEt my prayer ascend up unto thee,2 Let my prayer be set forth as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. with so sweet acceptation, as that fragrant incense of the Sanctuary, which is every morning offered up unto thee; and let my supplication be as pleasing to thee, as that prescribed meat offering, which is every evening made unto thee.

O God, let good men reprove me,5 Let the righteous smite mee, it shall bee a kindnesse; let him reprove me, it shall be as an excellent oyle which shall not breake my head, for yet my prayer also shall be in their calamity. this shall be a speciall favour and blessing to me, which in stead of hurt, shall be soveraigne and profitable unto me; This shall not be as a stone to breake my head, but as sweet oyle to refresh and supple it; which I shall be ready to repay unto them, in the day of their calamity.

These men,6 When their judges are overthrowne in stony places, they shal heare my words, for they are sweet. when they shal see the judgements of God executed upon their rulers, and commanders (who set them on worke) shall then finde favour (in the day of affliction) in my words, and shall acknowledge the fidelity, and good purpose thereof.

Our bones ly scattered upon the mouth of the grave,7 Our bones are scattered at the graves mouth as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood upon the earth. p. 218through their cruelty, as chipps are wont to lye scattered about, when a man heweth wood.

PSALM. CXLII.

7 The righteous shall compasse me about.THe godly men shall come about mee to see and applaud thy gracious deliverances of me; and to helpe mee to praise thy mercy.

PSALM. CXLIIL.

5 I remember the daies of old.I Call to remembrance thy ancient mercies to me, and from thence fetch assurance of thy present goodnesse.

Lest I be utterly comfortlesse, as those that are forsaken of all hopes and possibilities of life,7 Lest I bee like to them that goe downe into the pit. and have yeelded themselves over to the grave.

PSALM. CXLIIII.

6 Cast forth lightning and scatter them, shoot out thine arrowes and destroy them.OH God, doe thou take this revenge into thine own immediate hand; doe thou smite them with thy thunderbolt, or lightning from heaven; let those fiery darts of thine strike them through.

That our daughters may be both goodly, and fruitful, like unto the corner stones of a royall building,12 That our daughters may be as corner stones polished after the similitude of a palace. upon which the structure of a faire and lasting pile may bee raised.

14 That there be no breaking in, nor going out; no complaining in our streets.That there be no sacking of our cities, no carrying away into captivity; no shrieking, and out-cries at the violence of an enemy raging in our streets.

PSALM. CXLV.

14 He raiseth up all those that be bowed downe.THose that stoope under their afflictions, and are depressed to the earth, he raiseth up with seasonable comfort.

PSALM. CXLVII.

4 He telleth the number of the starres, he calleth them all by their names.HE well knoweth the number of the starres, which he hath created; and causeth them in their seasons, so to arise, as if he called them up by their severall names.

p. 219It is he that makes thy cities strong, and invincible.13 Hee maketh strong the barres of thy gates.

Whatsoever his pleasure is concerning his creatures upon earth, it is speedily and effectually accomplished.15 He sendeth forth his commandement upon earth, his word runneth very swiftly.

He causeth a moist and thawing winde to blow,18 He causeth his winde to blow, and the waters flow. and then the waters which were bound up with a firme yee, doe returne to their former flowing.

PSALM. CXLVIII.

HE hath, by his eternall decree, ordered the motions,6 He hath made a decree which shall not passe. and effects of these supernall creatures, which cannot be altered or eluded.

Let the great God,7 Praise the Lord from the earth, yee dragons, and all deepes. the creator and preserver of all things have glory from all his wonderfull workes; let them shew forth his mighty power, and wisedome, in creating, and disposing of them; even from this inferiour globe of the earth, and sea; Let God be magnified in those huge, and fearefull whales, and sea-dragons, which he hath made, and in those vast and deepe waters wherein he hath placed them.

PSALM. CXLIX.

THose that meekly depend upon him,4 He will beautifie the meek with salvation. he will make glorious, both with his rich blessings here, and with salvation hereafter.

Let that sword of the Spirit,6 And a two-edged sword in their hand. even that two-edged sword, which divideth the hearts and reines, the word of truth, be in the mouthes and hands of his holy ones.

Which powerfull word of his,8 To binde their Kings with chaines, and their nobles with fetters of yron. in the mouthes of his faithfull messengers, shall be able to hamper, and restraine the most furious Tyrans of the earth; and bring the great Potentates of the world, in humble subjection, to the Gospell of peace.

And (upon their perversenesse and obstinate continuance in their sinnes) to denounce against them those judgements, which are written in the booke of God.9 To execute upon them the judgements written. This honor have all his Saints. Behold then what honor God hath put upon his Saints, to be so powerfull agents both in mercy and judgements.

p. 220PSALM. CL.

6 Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord.LEt every creature that liveth, and breatheth upon the earth, praise the name of the Lord; and, in his kinde, yeeld glory to his Creator.