So thou, O Lord, when thou awak'st, their image fhalt despise.

21 Thus grieved was my heart in me, and me my reins opprest:

22 So rude was I, and ignorant, and in thy fight a bealt..

23. Neverthelefs continually,

O Lord, I am with thee:

Thou doft me hold by my right-hand, -and-ftill upholdest me.

24 Thou, with thy counfel, while I live,. wilt me conduct and guide; And to thy glory afterward

receive me to abide.

25 Whom have I in the heavens high,
but thee, O Lord, alone?
And in the earth, whom I defire
befides thee, there is none.

26 My flefl and heart doth faint and fail. but God doth fail me never:

For of my heart God is the ftrength, and portion for ever.

27 For lo, they that are far from thee, for ever perifli fhall-;

Them that a whoring from thee go, thou halt destroyed all.

28 But furely it is good for me,
that I draw near to God,

In God I trust, that all thy works:
I may declare abroad.

03

Mafchil of Afaph.

This Pfalm relates to the deftruction of the city and temple of Jerufalem, by the Chaldeans, or to fome fimilar dilafter. In it, we have (1) The Church's bitter complaints of God's difpleafure; of the outrage of their enemies; and of the ap parent hopeleffncfs of their cafe, ver. 1,-11. (2) Strong and heart-encouraging pleadings with God-upon the account of his relation to them, and of the great things he had done for them; and that he was at once their God and the God of nature; that therefore he would remember to execute juít vengeance, upon his worn enemies, and grant help and relief to his covenant-people, ver. 12,-23.- - While I fing this, let me admire the fovereignty and holinefs of God, in fo feverely correcting his own people. And let the broken, the deferted Condition of the Church, in this land, deeply aflect my heart, and excite mine earnest prayers for her restoration...

GOD, why haft thou caft us off?

is it for evermore?

Against thy pafture-fheep why doth
thine anger fmoke fo fore?.

2 O call to thy rememberance
thy congregation,

Which thou haft purchased of old;
ftill think the fame upon:

The rod of thine inheritance,
which thou redeemed hast;
This Sion hill, wherein thou hadst
thy dwelling in times paft.

3 To thefe long defolations

thy feet lift, do not tarry:
For all the ills thy foes have done
within thy fanctuary.

4 Amidit thy congregations

thine enemies do roar:

Their enfigns they fet up, for figns

of triumph thee before.

5 A man was famous, and was had
in estimation,

According as he lifted up
his axe thick trees upon.

6 But all at onee with axes now,
and hammers they go to,

And down the carved work thereof
they break, and quite undo.

7 They fired have thy fanctuary,
and have defil'd the fame,

By catting down unto the ground
the place where dwelt thy name.

8 Thus faid they in their hearts, Let us
deftroy them out of hand:

They burnt up all the fynagogues
of God within the land..

9 Our figns we do not now behold;
there is not us among.
A prophet more, nor any one
that knows the time how long.,

O How long, Lord, fhall the enemy
thus in reproach exclaim?
And thall the adverfary thus
always blafpheme thy name?
Thy hand, ev'n thy right-hand of might,
why doit thou thus draw back?
O from thy bofom pluck it out,
for our deliv'rance fake..

12 For certainly God is my King,
ev'n from the times of old,

Working in midft of all the earth
falvation manifold.

13 The fea, by thy great pow'r, to part
afunder thou didst make:

And thou the dragons' heads, O Lord, within the waters brake.

14 The leviathan's heads thou brak'st
in pieces, and didit give

Him to be meat unto the folk
in wilderness that live.

15 Thou clav'it the fountain and the floods
which did with ftreams abound:
Thou dry'dft the mighty waters up,
unto the very ground.

16 Thine only is the day, O Lord,
thine alfo is the night:
And thou alone prepared haft
the fun and thining light.
17 By thee the borders of the earth
were fettled ev'ry, where :

The fummer and the winter both
by thee created were.

18 That the enemy reproached hath,
O keep it in record;

And that the foolish people have
blafphem'd thy name, O'Lord..

F9 Unto the multitude do not-
thy turtle's foul deliver:
The congregation of thy poor
do not forget for ever..

20 Unto thy cov'nant have refpect: for earth's dark places be

Full of the habitations

of horrid cruelty.

21 O let not thofe that be opprefs'd;
return again with flame:

Let thofe that poor and needy are,
give praise unto thy name.

22 Do thou, O God, arife, and plead
the cause that is thine own:
Remember how thou art reproach'
ftill by the foolish one.

23 Do not forget the voice of those
that are thine enemies:

Of thofe the tumult ever grows,
that do against thee rife.

To the chief Mufician Al-tafehith, A Pfalm or Song of Afaph.

Here (1) David returns thanks to God, for advancing him to the throne of Ifrael; and refolves to act for the public welfare, ver. 1-3. 9, 10. (2) He rebukes the infolence of fuch as opposed his advancement, which sprung from the fove reign dilpofal of God, the judge of the world; and denounceth While I fing, let me think their destruction, ver. 4,-8.of Jefus, whom God hath crowned with glory and honour; and of the infinite danger of oppofing his government, And if he exalt me to the fpiritual honours of his kingdom, let it be my care to glorify him, and to profit his people.

To

--

TO. thee, O God, do we give thanks, we do give thanks to thee: Because thy wond'rous works declare thy great name near to be.

2 I purpofe, when I fhall receive
the congregation;

That I fhall judgment uprightly
render to ev'ry one.

3 Diffolved is the land, with all
that in the fame do dwell;
But I the pillars thereof do-
bear up, and 'itablish well
4 I to the foolish people faid,
Do not deal foolishly;

And unto thofe that wicked are,
Lift not your horn on high.

5 Lift not your horn on high, nor fpeak
with flabborn neck. But know,

That not from eaft, nor weft, nor fouth,
promotion doth flow.

But God is judge: he puts down one,
and fets another up.

8 For in the hand of God most high
of red wine is a cup:

"Tis full of mixture, he pours forth,
and makes the wicked all