Abbildungen der Seite
PDF
EPUB

BE

11th

MORNING PRAYER.

Pfalm lvi. Miferere mei, Deus.

[ocr errors]

E merciful unto me, O God, for man goeth about to devour me he is daily fighting, and troubling me. 2 Mine enemies are daily in hand to fwallow me up: for they be many that fight against me, O thou moft Highest. 3 Nevertheless, though I am fometime afraid: yet put my truft in thee.

[ocr errors]

4. I will praife God, because of his word: I have put my truft in God, and will not fear what flesh can do unto

me.

5 They daily mistake my words: all that they imagine is to do me evil.

6 They hold all together, and keep themselves close: and mark my steps, when they lay wait for my foul.

7 Shall they escape for their wickedness: thou, O God, in thy displeasure fhalt caft them down.

8 Thou telleft my flittings, put my tears into thy bottle: are not these things noted in thy book?

9

Whenfoever I call upon thee, then shall mine enemies be put to flight: this I know; for God is on my fide.

to In God's word will I rejoice: in the Lords word will I comfort me.

11 Yea, in God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me.

12 Unto thee, O God, will I pay my vows: unto thee will I give thanks."

13. For thou haft delivered my foul from death, and my feet from falling: that I may walk before God in the light of the living..

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS. applying what David fays against his perfecutors to the occafions which we have of complaining against others, for any uneafinefs or difpleafur which we may be expofed to by them, The offences we receive are. generally (peaking, trifling: and if not, a Chriftian is bound to forgive all, and to hate no man; and fhould be fo far from making imprecations against any, that he ought to pray for those who do him the greatest injury, herein conforming to the laws of the gofpel, and to that pattern of patience and meekness which our Lord has given us in his life and death.

PRAC

BE

Pfalm lvii. Miferere mei, Deus.

E merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me, for my foul trusteth in thee: and under the fhadow of thy wings shall be my refuge until this tyranny be over-past. 2 I will call unto the most high God: even unto the God that fhall perform the caufe which I have in hand.

3 He hall fend from heaven: and fave me from the reproof of him that would eat me up.

4 God fhall fend forth his mercy and truth: my foul is among lions.

5 And I lie even among the children of men, that are set on fire: whofe teeth are fpears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp fword.

6 Set up thyfelf, O God, above the heavens: and thy glory above all the earth.

7 They have laid a net for my feet, and preffed down my foul: they have digged a pit before me, and are fallen into the midst of it themselves.

8 My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will fing, and give praife.

9 Awake up, my glory; awake, lute and harp: I my. felf will awake right early.

o I will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, among the people and I will fing unto thee among the nations.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS, Palm Ivi, lvii,] We find in thefe as in the preceeding pfalms, that David, animated by his piety and fupported by his faith, always applied to God for deliverance in the dangers that threatened him. Though we . are not exposed to dangers like thofe of David formerly, and therefore cannot apply to ourselves all we read in these pfalms, we may nevertheJefs from hence conclude in general, that in our neceffities we should draw nigh to God, and hide ourselves under the fhadow of his wings; being fully perfuaded, that he will not fail to fend us help from heaven, and to deliver us. But that we may thus truft in him, we must always adhere stedfaftly to our duty, and never make use of any unworthy means to extricate ourselves from any preffing difficulties; herein imitating David, who when he had it in his power to take away Saul's life, when that king came into the cave where he was, would not do it. Laftly, As David at the end of the pfalm praises God with holy transports of joy; fo is it our duty, after we have experienced the divine affiftance, to thank and praife his holy name, and every where publifh his goodness towards us.

PRAC

11 For the greatnefs of thy mercy reacheth unto the heavens and thy truth unto the clouds.

12 Set up thyself, O God, above the heavens and thy glory above all the earth.

A

Pfalm Iviii. Si vere utique.

RE your minds fet upon righteoufnefs, O ye congregation and do ye judge the thing that is right, O ye ions of men ?

2 Yea, ye imagine mifchief in your heart upon the earth: and your hands deal with wickedness.

3 The ungodly are froward, even from their mothers womb as foon as they are born, they go aftray, and speak lies.

4 They are as venomous as the poifon of a ferpent: even like the deaf adder, that stoppeth her ears;

5

Which refufeth to hear the voice of the charmer: charm he never fo wifely.

6 Break their teeth, O God, in their mouths, fmite the jaw-bones of the lions, O Lord: let them fall away like water that runneth apace, and when they fhoot their arrows let them be rooted out.

7 Let them confume away like a fail, and be like the untimely fruit of a woman: and let them not fee the fun. 8 Or ever your pots be made hot with thorns: fo let indignation vex him, even as a thing that is raw.

9 The righteous fhall rejoice when he feeth the vengeance: he hall wah his footsteps in the blood of the ungodly.

10 So that a man fhall fay, Verily there is a reward for the righteous doubtlefs there is a God that judgeth the earth.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm Iviii.] This is a pfalm which thofe in public offices ought to take good notice of, because it teaches them, that if they do not adminifter ftri&t justice, if they opprefs the innocent with artifice or violence, the vengeance of God will overtake them. And in general, we fee here, that all thofe who harden themselves in their evil ways, without hearkening to the voice of God, are likewife threatened with his vengeance.

DE

EVENING PRAYER.

Pfalm lix. Eripe me de inimicis.

Eliver me from mine enemies, O God: defend me from them that rife up against me..

2 O deliver me from the wicked doers: and. fave me from the blood-thirsty men.

3 For lo, they lie waiting for my foul: the mighty men are gathered againft me without any offence or fault of me, O Lord.

4 They run and prepare themselves without my fault: arife thou therefore to help me, and behold.

5 Stand up, O Lord God of hofts, thou God of Ifrael, to vifit all the heathen: and be not merciful unto them that offend of malicious wickedness.

6 They go to and fro in the evening: they grin. like a dog, and run about through the city.

7 Behold, they fpeak with their mouth, and fwords are in their lips for who doth hear?

8 But thou, O Lord, fhalt. have them in derifion: and thou fhalt laugh all the heathen to fcorn.

9 My ftrength will I afcribe unto thee: for thou art the God of my refuge.

10 God fheweth me his goodness plenteously: and God fhall let me fee my my defire upon mine enemies.

11 Slay them not, left my people forget it: but scatter them abroad among the people, and put them down, O Lord, our defence.

12 For the fin of their mouth, and for the words of their lips, they fhall be taken in their pride: and why? their preaching is of curfing and lies.

13 Confume them in thy wrath, confume them, that they may perish and know that it is God that ruleth in Jacob, and unto the ends of the world.

14 And in the evening they will return: grin like a dog, and will go about the city.

15 They will run here and there for meat: and grudge if they be not fatisfied.

16 As for me, I will fing of thy power, and will praise thy mercy betimes in the morning: for thou haft been my defence and refuge in the day of my trouble.

17 Unto thee, O my ftrength, will I fing: for thou,' O God, art my refuge, and my merciful God.

again.

Pfalm lx. Deus, repulifti nos.

God, thou haft caft us out, and scattered us abroad: thou haft also been displeased, O turn thee unto us

2 Thou haft moved the land, and divided it: heal the fores thereof, for it shaketh.

3 Thou haft fhewed thy people heavy things: thou hast given us a drink of deadly wine.

4 Thou haft given a token for fuch as fear thee: that they may triumph because of the truth.

5 Therefore were thy beloved delivered: help me with thy right hand, and hear me.

6 God hath spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice and divide Sichem and mete out the valley of Succoth.

7 Gilead is mine, and Manaffes is mine: Ephraim also is the strength of my head; Judah is my law-giver.

8 Moab is my wafhpot, over Edom will I caft out my fhoe: Philiftia, be thou glad of me.

9 Who will lead me into the ftrong city: who will bring me into Edom?'

PRACTICAL OBSERVATION S.

Pfalm lix.] That we may improve by the reading of this pfalm, it is proper to make thefe two reflections. 1. That David's prayers were heard, and that providence furnifhed him with means of efcaping the fury of Saul, who fought his life; from whence we learn, that the prayers of the faithful, and their confidence in God, is never in vain. 2. It is to be obferved, that what David fays in this pfalm against his enemies, was not spoken out of a principle of hatred or revenge; but being perfecuted unjustly, and his caufe being that of God, he might, as a prophet, denounce the divine judgments against them. However, it is not lawful for any private perfon to make the like prayers. When men treat us with malice and injuftice, we must keep within the bounds of that meeknefs prefcribed, in the gospel, return good for evil, and wait with patience for the divine affiftance. 3 N

PRAC.

« ZurückWeiter »