To love, to seek, to prize, Things false and vain, and nothing else but lies? Yet know, the Lord hath chose, Chose to himself apart, Will hear my voice, what time to him I cry. Be aw'd, and do not sin; 15 On us lift up the light, Lift up the favour of thy count'nance bright. Into my heart more joy And gladness thou hast put, Than when a year of glut As in a rocky cell Thou, Lord, alone, in safety makest me dwell. PSALM V. (August 12, 1653.) JEHOVAH, to my words give ear, The voice of my complaining hear, Shalt in the morning hear; I' the morning I to thee with choice 5 Will rank my prayers, and watch till thou appear. For thou art not a God that takes In wickedness delight; 10 Evil with thee no biding makes; Fools or mad men stand not within thy sight. Thou wilt destroy that speak a lie; 15 The bloody and guileful man God doth detest. Thy numerous mercies, go. Into thy house; I, in thy fear, Will towards thy holy temple worship low. That do observe if I transgress; Set thy ways right before, where my step goes. No word is firm or sooth; Their inside, troubles miserable; An open grave their throat, their tongue they smooth. God, find them guilty, let them fall By their own counsels quell'd; Push them to their rebellions all Still on; for against thee they have rebell'd. Then all who trust in thee, shall bring 30 Defend'st them: they shall ever sing 35 And shall triumph in thee, who love thy name. For thou, Jehovah, wilt be found To bless the just man still; As with a shield, thou wilt surround Him with thy lasting favour and good will. 40 PSALM VI. (August 13, 1653.) LORD, in thine anger do not reprehend me, And very weak and faint; heal and amend mc: For all my bones, that even with anguish ake, 5 And thou, O Lord, how long? Turn, Lord; restore My soul; O save ine for thy goodness' sake: Who in the grave can celebrate thy praise? Nightly my couch I make a kind of sea; Depart, all ye that work iniquity, Depart from me; for the voice of my weeping 10 15 The Lord hath heard; the Lord hath heard my prayer; My supplication with acceptance fair The Lord will own, and have me in his keeping. Mine enemies shall all be blank and dash'd With much confusion; then, grown red with shame, They shall return in haste the way they caine, And in a moment shall be quite abash'd. 20 PSALM VII. (August 14, 1653.) Upon the words of Chush the Benjamite against him. LORD, my God, to thee I fly; Lord, my God, if I have thought Be in my hands; if I have wrought And not freed my foe for naught; 5 10 Let the enemy pursue my soul, And overtake it; let him tread My life down to the earth, and roll 15 In the dust; and there, out-spread, Rise, Jehovah, in thine ire, And wake for me, their fury asswage; So th' assemblies of each nation All people from the world's foundation. 30 My defence, and in him lies, 40 In him who, both just and wise, God is a just judge and severe, If the unjust will not forbear, His sword he whets, his bow hath bended 45 Already, and for him intended The tools of death, that waits him near. (His arrows purposely made he For them that persecute.) Behold, 50 He travels big with vanity; He digg'd a pit, and delv'd it deep, His mischief, that due course doth keep, Fall on his crown with ruin steep. Then will I Jehovah's praise PSALM VIII. (August 14, 1653.) O JEHOVAH our Lord, how wondrous great Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou 0, And think'st upon him; or of man begot, That him thou visit'st, and of him art found! Scarce to be less than gods, thou mad'st his lot, 15 With honour and with state thou hast him crown'd. O'er the works of thy hand thou mad'st him lord, we a All flocks and herds, by thy commanding word, Fowl of the heav'ns, and fish that through the wet O Jehovah our Lord, how wondrous great And glorious is thy Name through all the earth! (April, 1648. J. M.) 20 Nine of the Psalms done into metre, wherein all, but what is in a different character, are the very words of the text, translated from the original. P PSALM LXXX. 1 THOU, Shepherd, that dost Israel keep, Give ear in time of need; Who leadest like a flock of sheep Thy loved Joseph's seed; That sitt'st between the Cherubs bright, Between their wings out-spread; Shine forth, and from thy cloud give light, 2 In Ephraim's view and Benjamin's, * And in Manasse's sight, Awake thy strength, come, and be seen 3 Turn us again, thy grace divine To us, O God, vouchsafe; Cause thou thy face on us to shine, And then we shall be safe. 4 Lord God of Hosts, how long wilt thou, 5 10 15 How long wilt thou declare Thy smoking wrath, and angry brow Against thy people's prayer! 20 5 Thou feed'st them with the bread of tears; Their bread with tears they eat; And mak'st them largely drink the tears 25 6 A strife thou mak'st us and a prey Among themselves they laugh, they play, 7 Return us, and thy grace divine, O God of Hosts, vouchsafe; Cause thou thy face on us to shine, 8 A vine from Egypt thou hast brought, And drov'st out nations proud and haut, 35 9 Thou didst prepare for it a place, And root it deep and fast, That it began to grow apace, And fill'd the land at last. 40 10 With her green shade that 'cover'd all, The hills were over-spread; Her boughs as high as cedars tall 11 Her branches on the western side And upward to that river wide 45 12 Why hast thou laid her hedges low, And broken down her fence, 50 That all may pluck her, as they go, |