9 So shall my soul, with praise, O God, T HE wicked fools must sure suppose This gross mistake their practice shows, 2 The Lord look'd down from heav'n's high tow'r, The sons of men to view; 3 But all, he saw, were backward gone, 4 But are those workers of deceit 5 Their causeless fear shall strangely grow; And they, despis'd of God, Shall soon be foil'd; his hand shall throw Their shatter'd bones abroad. 6 Would he his saving pow'r employ To break our servile band, Loud shouts of universal joy Should echo through the land. PSALM LIV. ORD, save me, for thy glorious name, And cruel men, that fear no God, 4,5 But God takes part with all my friends, And he's the surest guard; While I my grateful off rings bring, 7 From dreadful danger and distress The Lord hath set me free; Through him shall I of all my foes The just destruction'see.. PSALM LV. NIVE ear, thou Judge of all the earth, GAnd listen when I pray; Nor from thy humble suppliant turn 2 Attend to this my sad complaint, 3 Hark how the foe insults aloud! How fierce oppressors rage! Whose sland'rous tongues, with wrathful hate, Against my fame engage. 4, 5 My heart is rack'd with pain; my soul With deadly frights distress'd; With fear and trembling compass'd round, With horror quite oppress'd. 6 How often wish'd I then, that I 7, 8 Then would I wander far from hence, And in wild deserts stray, Till all this furious storm were spent, This tempest past away. PART II. 9 Destroy, O Lord, their ill designs, Their counsels soon divide; For through the city my griev'd eyes Have strife and rapine spy'd. 10 By day and night, on ev'ry wall They walk their constant round; And in the midst of all her strength Are grief and mischief found. 11 Whoe'er through ev'ry part shall roam, Will fresh disorders meet; Deceit and Guile their constant posts Maintain in ev'ry street. 12 For 'twas not any open foe That false reflections made 2 For then I could with ease have borne For then I had withdrawn myself 13, 14 But 'twas e'en thou, my guide, my friend, Whom tend'rest love did join; Whose sweet advice I valu'd most; Whose pray'rs were mix'd with mine. 15 Sure vengeance, equal to their crimes, Such traitors must surprise, And sudden death requite those ills They wickedly devise. 16, 17 But I will call on God, who still Shall in my aid appear; At morn, at noon, at night, I'll pray; PART III. 18 God has releas'd my soul from those That did with me contend; And made a num'rous host of friends My righteous cause defend. 19 For he, who was my help of old, Shall now his suppliant hear; Aud punish them whose prosp'rous state] 12 To thee, O God, my vows are due, Makes them no God to fear. 20 Whom can I trust, if faithless men To ruin me, their peaceful friend, 21 Though soft and melting are their Their hearts with war abound; Their speeches are more smooth than oil, And yet like swords they wound. To thee I'll render praise. 13 Thou hast retriev'd my soul from And thou wilt still secure 22 Do thou, my soul, on God depend,HY mercy, Lord, to me extends 23 My foes, that trade in lies and blood, PSALM LVI. Do thou, O God, in mercy help; For man my life pursues; To crush me with repeated wrongs, 2 Continually my spiteful foes Thou see'st, who sitt'st enthron'd high, What mighty numbers join. On thy protection I depend; Who wonders hast for me begun, And truth, on which my hopes depend. Envenom'd darts and two-edg'd swords. But though sometimes surpris'd by 5 Be thou, O God, exalted high; fear, On danger's first alarm; Yet still for succour I depend On thy Almighty arm. 4 God's faithful promise I shall praise, In God I trust, and, trusting him, 5 They wrest my words, and make them A sense they never meant; 6 In close assemblies they combine, Let thy just wrath, too long provok'd, first I was compell'd to flee; 9 When therefore I invoke thy aid, since My righteous cause will own. 10,11 I'll trust God's word, and so despise The force that man san raise; And, as thy glory fills the sky, Thy truth beyond the clouds extends. SPEAK, Oye judges of the earth, Or must not innocence appeal are Alike by malice sway'd; Your griping hands, by weighty bribes, To violence betray'd. 3 To virtue strangers, from the womb 4 No serpent of parch'd Afric's breed 5 Unmov'd by good advice, and deaf As adders they remain; From whom the skilful charmer's voice Can no attention gain. 6 Defeat, O God, their threat'ning rage, And timely break their pow'r; Disarm these growling lions' jaws, E'er practis'd to devour. 7 Let now their insolence, at height, Like ebbing tides be spent ; Their shiver'd darts deceive their aim, When they their bow have bent. 8 Like snails let them dissolve to slime; Like hasty births, become Unworthy to behold the sun, And dead within the womb. 9 E'er thorns can make the flesh-pots boil, Tempestrous wrath shall come From God, and snatch them hence alive To their eternal doom. 10 The righteous shall rejoice to see Their crimes with vengeance meet; And saints in persecutor's blood Shall dip their harmless feet. 11 Transgressors then with grief shall see Just men rewards obtain; And own a God, whose justice will The guilty earth arraign. PSALM LIX. ELIVER me, O Lord, my God, 2 Preserve me from a wicked race, 4 In haste they run about, and watch 5 Thou, Lord of Hosts, and Israel's God, While others through the city range, And ransack ev'ry street. 7 Their throats envenom'd slander breathe; Their tongues are sharpen'd swords; Who hears? say they, or, hearing, dares 'Reprove our lawless words?' But from thy throne thou shalt, 0 Their baffled plots deride; 9 On thee I wait; 'tis on thy strength For succour I depend; 'Tis thou, O God, art my defence, 10 Thy mercy, Lord, which has so oft 11 Destroy them not, O Lord, at once; Disperse them through the nations round By thy avenging pow'r; Do thou bring down their haughty pride, O Lord, our shield and tow'r. 12 Now, in the height of all their hopes, Their arrogance chastise; Whose tongues have sinn'd without restraint, And curses join'd with lies. 18 Nor shalt thou, whilst their race endures; Thine anger, Lord, suppress; 14 At ev'ning let them still persist 16 Whilst early I thy mercy sing, 17 To thee, with never-ceasing praise, My health and safety spring. PSALM LX. GOD,who hast our troops dispers'd, As we thy just displeasure mourn, To us, in mercy, Lord, return. 2. Our strength, that firm as earth did stand, Is rent by thy avenging hand; 5 Let thy right hand thy saints protect; 8 Moab my slave and drudge shall be, And clear my way to Edom's tow'rs? Or through her guarded frontiers tread The path that doth to conquest lead? 10 Ev'n thou, O God, who hath dispers'd Our troops; (for we forsook thee first;) Those whom thou didst in wrath for 'Tis he treads down our proudest foes. PSALM LXI. LORD hear my cry, regard my pray❜r, Which I, oppress'd with grief, 2 From earth's remotest parts address To thee for kind relief. O lodge me safe beyond the reach 3 Thou, who so oft from spiteful foes Hast been my shelt'ring tow'r. 4 So shall I in thy sacred courts 5 In sign my vows are heard, once more I o'er thy chosen reign; 6 O! bless with long and prosp'rous life The king thou didst ordain." 7 Confirm his throne, and make his reign Accepted in thy sight; And let thy truth and mercy both 8 So shall I ever sing thy praise, Thy name for ever bless; Devote my prosp'rous days to pay The vows of my distress. PSALM LXII. M My Y soul for help on God relies; To bear the shock of all my foes. Or fence of uncemented stone. 4 To make my envy'd honours less, They strive with lies, their chief delight; For they, though with their mouths they bless, In private curse with inward spite. 5,6 But thou, my soul, on God rely; On him alone thy trust repose: My Rock and Health will strength sunply To bear the shock of all my foes. 7 God does his saving health dispense, And flowing blessings daily send: He is my fortress and defence; On him my soul shall still depend. 8 In him, ye people, always trust; Before his throne pour out your hearts; For God, the merciful and just, His timely aid to us imparts. 9 The vulgar fickle are and frail; The great dissemble and betray; And, laid in Truth's impartial scale, The lightest things will both out weigh. 10 Then trust not in oppressive ways; By spoil and rapine grow not vain; Nor let your hearts, if wealth in crease, Be set too much upon your gain. 11 For God has oft his will express'd, And I this truth have fully known; To be of boundless pow'r possess'd Belongs, of right, to God alone. 12 Though mercy is his darling grace, In which he chiefly takes delight; Yet will be all the human race According to their works requite. PSALM LXIII. GOD, my gracious God, to thee My morning pray'rs shall offer'd be; For thee my thirsty soul does pant: My fainting flesh implores thy grace Within this dry and barren place, Where I refreshing waters want. 2 O! to my longing eyes, once more That view of glorious pow'r restore, Which thy majestic house displays. 3 Because to me thy wondrous love Than life itself does dearer prove, My lips shall always speak thy praise. 4 My life, while I that life enjoy, In blessing God I will employ; With lifted hands adore his name: My soul's content shall be as great As theirs, who choicest dainties eat, While I with joy his praise proclaim. 6 When down Ilie, sweet sleep to find, Thou, Lord, art present to my mind; And when I wake in dead of night: Because thou still dost succour bring, Beneath the shadow of thy wing I rest with safety and delight. Their crimes disclos'd, shall make then be Despis'd and shunn'd by all. 9 The world shall then God's pow confess, And nations trembling stand, Convinc'd that 'tis the mighty work Of his avenging hand. 10 Whilst righteous men, whom God secures. In him shall gladly trust; And all the list'ning earth shall hear Loud triumphs of the just. PSALM LXV. 8 My soul, when foes would me devour, FOR thee, O God, our constant praise, Cleaves fast to thee, whose matchless pow'r In her support is daily shown: 9 But those the righteous Lord shall slay, That my destruction wish; and they That seek my life shall lose their own. 10 They by untimely ends shall die, Their flesh a prey to foxes lie; But God shall fill the king with joy: 11 Who thee confess shall still rejoice, Whilst the false tongue, and lying voice, Thou, Lord, shalt silence and destroy. LORD, hear the voice of my com plaint, To my request give ear; 20! hide me with thy tend'rest care, 3 See how, intent to work my harm, They whet their tongues like swords; And bend their bows to shoot their darts, Sharp lies, and bitter words. 7 But God, to anger justly mov'd, In Sion waits, thy chosen seat; Our promis'd altars there we'll raise, And all our zealous vows complete. 2 0 thou, who to my humble pray'r Didst always bend thy list'ning ear, To thee shall all mankind repair, And at thy gracious throne appear. 3 Our sins, though numberless, in vain To stop thy flowing mercy try; Whilst thou o'erlook'st the guilty stain, And washest out the crimson dye. Blest is the man, who, near thee 4 plac'd, Within thy sacred dwelling lives! Whilst we at humble distance taste The vast delights thy temple gives. 5 By wondrous acts, O God, most just, Have we thy gracious answer found In thee remotest nations trust, And those whom stormy waves sur round. 6, 7 God, by his strength, sets fast the hills, And does his matchless pow'r engage With which the sea's loud waves be stills, And angry crowds' tumultuous rage. PART II. 8 Thou, Lord, dost barb'rous lands dir may, When they thy dreadful tokens view With joy they see the night and day Each other's track, by turns, pursue. 9 From out thy unexhausted store Thy rain relieves the thirsty ground; Makes lands, that barren were before, With corn and useful fruits abound. 10 On rising ridges down it pours, And ev'ry furrow'd valley fills; Thou mak'st them soft with gen show'rs, In which a blest increase distils. 11 Thy goodness does the circling you With fresh returns of plenty crow And where thy glorious paths appear, Th fruitful clouds drop fatness down. 12 They droon harren forests, chang'd By them to pastures fresh and green; |