Insnare them by their own devisc, For of their Lust they boast And praise those Freindes to Avarice, Whom God abboreth (sic) most. Their scornefull eies regard not thee, Their hartes do thee denay. Too high for them thy judgments be; Stil greevous is their way. They snuff, and sleight their greatest Foes, And (come what mischeeves will) Within their hartes, they doe suppose, That they shall prosper still. Their mouthes with curseings overflowe; Their tongues lie, swear, and vaunt: The pore to catch and overthrowe, Obscured paths they haunt. They watch, unseene, for simple men, They lurck like Lions in their denn, To catch the pore by lowlie shewes, Their strength, doth help them on, They think in hart, that God nor viewes, Nor careth what is done. But, rise oh Lord, thy powre to showe, For, why should Sinners sleight thee soe And think thou mind'st them not? Thou see'st, yea see'st their wickedness That punished it may be: And loe, the pore and Fatherles, Of ev'ry wicked-one; Serch out their sinnes, and thou (at length) Shall cause them to have none. Our everlasting king thou art, Thou, from the Realme likewise, Hast forc'd the Gentiles to depart, GEORGE WITHER (1588-1667). PSALM XI. I PUT my trust in God my King! How say ye to my soul, "Take wing And safety seek in mountain height. "For lo, the wicked bend the bow, They to the string their arrow suit; Hid in the dark, that none may know, They ready stand at thee to shoot. "The labor of thy hands is void; The Lord is in His temple, why Should we take counsel of despair? His throne is fixed above the sky, No earthly power can reach it there. Enough to know, His eyes behold, Upon the wicked He shall rain Snares, fire and brimstone as of yore; The portion of their cup is pain, Is, was, and shall be evermore. For that the Lord is righteous He Loves righteousness, and evil hates: The upright man His face shall see,Immortal honor him awaits. ABRAHAM COLES. PSALM XII. HELP, Lord, because the godly man Doth daily fade away; And from among the sons of men The faithful do decay. Unto his neighbor ev'ry one Doth utter vanity; They with a double heart do speak, And lips of flattery. God shall cut off all flatt'ring lips, Tongues that speak proudly, thus, We'll with our tongues prevail, our lips Are ours: who's lord o'er us? These black clouds will overblow- Hymns to God in sacred measure, PSALM XIV. "THERE is no God,' the fool in secret said: 'There is no God that rules or earth or sky.' Tear off the band that binds the wretch's head, That God may burst upon his faithless eye; Is there no God? The stars in myriads spread, If he look up, the blasphemy deny; While his own features in the mirror read, Reflect the image of Divinity. Is there no God? The stream that silver flows, The air he breathes, the ground he treads, the trees, The flowers, the grass, the sands, each wind that blows, All speak of God; throughout one voice agrees, And eloquent, his dread existence shows: Blind to thyself, ah, see him, fool, in these. GIOVANNI BATTISTA COTTA (1668-1738). PSALM XV. LORD, who's the happy Man that may But to inhabit there? 'Tis he, whose ev'ry Thought and Deed By Rules of Virtue moves; Whose gen'rous Tongue disdains to speak The Thing his Heart disproves. PSALM XVII. HARKEN, O Lord, unto the right, Give ears unto my pray'r that goes From thy face let my judgment come, Thou rov'st mine heart, thou visitest Yet nothing find'st, I have resolv'd From men's works; by word of thy lips Stay my feet in thy paths, lest my For thou wilt heare, God, heare my speech Incline thy ears to mee. O thou that sav'st by thy right hand, Show unto them that trust in thee, (2) As apple of thine eye mee keepe: Clos'd in their fat they are: and they Speak with their mouth proudly. Thev round us in our stepps: they set On earth their bow'd downe eye. His likeness as a lion is, That greedy is to teare, Their sonnes are fil'd, and to their babes THE BAY PSALM BOOK (1640). Th' unwearied sun, from day to day Soon as the evening shades prevail, |