4 He plots upon his bed, New mischiefs to fulfil;

5

He fets his heart, and hands, and head,
To practife all that's ill.

But there's a dreadful God,
Though men renounce his fear;
His juftice, hid behind the cloud,
Shall one great day appear.
6 His truth tranfcends the fky;
In heaven his mercies dwell;
Deep as the fea his judgments lie,
His anger burns to hell.

7

How excellent his love!

Whence all our fafety fprings : O never let my foul remove

From underneath his wings!

PSALM XXXVII. 1ft Part. Com. Metre. [*]

Ver. 1-15.

The cure of envy, fretfulness and unbelief: or, the rewards of the righteous and the wicked: or, the world's hatred, and the faint's patience.

1

WHY

THY fhould I vex my foul, and fret
To fee the wicked rife?

Or envy finners, waxing great

By violence and lies?

2 As flowery grafs cut down at noon,
Before the evening fades,

So fhall their glories vanifh foon
In everlafting fhades.

3 Then let me make the Lord my truft,
And practife all that's good;

4

5

So fhall I dwell among the juft,
And he'll provide me food.

I to my God my ways commit,

And cheerful wait his will;

Thy hand, which guides my doubtful feet,

Shall my defires fulfil.

Mine innocence fhalt thou display,

And make thy judgments known,
Fair as the light of dawning day,
And glorious as the noon.

6 The meek, at laft, the earth poffefs,
And are the heirs of heaven :

True riches, with abundant peace,
To humble fouls are given.

PAUSE.

7 Reft in the Lord, and keep his way,
Nor let your anger rife,

Though Providence fhould long delay
To punish haughty vice.

8 Let finners join to break your peace,
And plot, and rage, and foam;
The Lord derides them, for he sees
Their day of vengeance come.

9 They have drawn out the threatening sword,
Have bent the murderous bow,

To flay the men that fear the Lord,
And bring the righteous low.

10 My God fhall break their bows, and burn
Their perfecuting darts;

Shall their own fwords against them turn,
And pain furprife their hearts.

PSALM XXXVII. 2d Part. Com. Met. [*]
Ver. 16, 21, 26–31.

Charity to the poor; or, religion in words and deeds.
HY do the wealthy wicked boaft,
And grow profanely bold?

'WHY

The meaneft portion of the juft
Excels the finner's gold.

2 The wicked borrows of his friends,
But ne'er defigns to pay;
The faint is merciful, and lends,
Nor turns the poor away.

3 His alms, with liberal heart, he gives
Amongft the fons of need;
His memory to long ages lives,
And bleffed is his feed.

4 His lips abhor to talk profane,
To flander or defraud;

His ready tongue declares to men
What he has learn'd of God.

5 The law and gofpel of the Lord
Deep in his heart abide;
Led by the Spirit and the word,
His feet fhall never flide.

6 When finners fall, the righteous ftand,
Preferv'd from every fare;

They fhall poffefs the promis'd land,
And dwell forever there.

PSALM XXXVII. 3d Part. Com. Metre. [*]
Ver. 23-37.

1

The way and end of the righteous and the wicked. Y God, the fteps of pious men

ΜΥ

Are order'd by thy will;

Though they fhould fall, they rife again;
Thy hand fupports them fill.

2 The Lord delights to fee their ways,
Their virtue he approves :

He'll ne'er deprive them of his grace,
Nor leave the men he loves.

3 The heavenly heritage is theirs,
Their portion and their home;

He feeds them now, and makes them heirs
Of bleffings long to come.

Wait on the Lord, ye fons of men,
Nor fear when tyrants frown;
Ye fhall confefs their pride was vain,
When justice cafts them down.

PAUSE.

5 The haughty finner have I feen,
Not fearing man nor God,

Like a tall bay tree, fair and green,
Spreading his arms abroad.

6 And lo, he vanifh'd from the ground,
Deftroy'd by hands unfeen;

Nor root, nor branch, nor leaf was found,
Where all that pride had been.

7 But mark the man of righteoufnefs,
His feveral fteps attend;

True pleasure runs through all his ways,
And peaceful is his end.

PSALM XXXVIII. Common Metre. [b]

Guilt of confcience and relief;

or,

repentance and prayer for pardon and health.

AMIDST thy wrath remember love,

Reftore thy fervant, Lord;
Nor let a father's chaftening prove
Like an avenger's fword."

2 Thine arrows ftick within my heart,
My flesh is forely prefs'd;
Between the forrow and the fmart,
My fpirit finds no rest.

3 My fins a heavy load appear,
And o'er my head are gone;
Too heavy they for me to bear,
Too hard for me t'atone.

4 My thoughts are like a troubled fea,
My head ftill bending down;
And I go mourning all the day
Beneath my Father's frown.
5 Lord, I am weak and broken fore,
None of my powers are whole;
The inward anguifh makes me roar,
The anguifh of my foul.

6 All my defire to thee is known,
Thine eye counts every tear,
And every figh and every groan
Is notic'd by thine ear.

7 Thou art my God, my only hope,
My God will hear my cry,
My God will bear my fpirit up
When Satan bids me die.

8 [My foot is ever apt to flide,
My foes rejoice to fee't;

They raife their pleasure and their pride,
When they fupplant my feet.

9 But I'll confefs my guilt to thee,
And grieve for all my fin;

I'll mourn how weak my graces be,
And beg fupport divine.

10 My God, forgive my follies past,
And be forever nigh;

O Lord of my falvation, hafte,
Before thy fervant die.]

PSALM XXXIX. 1ft Part. Com. Metre. [*]

Ver. 1, 2, 3.

Watchfulness over the tongue; or, prudence and zeal. HUS I refolv'd before the Lord, "Now will I watch my tongue,

1

T

"Left I let flip one finful word,
"Or do my neighbour wrong."

G

2 And if I'm e'er conftrain'd to itay
With men of lives profane,
I'll fet a double guard that day,
Nor let my talk be vain."

3 I'll fcarce allow my lips to fpeak
The pious thoughts I feel,
Left fcoffers fhould th' occafion take
To mock my holy zeal.

4 Yet if fome proper hour appear,
I'll not be over-aw'd,

But let the fcoffing finners hear
That I can fpeak for God.

PSALM XXXIX. 2d Part.

1

Com. Met. [b]

Ver. 4-7. The vanity of man as mortal.
EACH me the measure of my days,
Thou maker of my frame!

TEAC

I would furvey life's narrow fpace,
And learn how frail I am.

2 A fpan is all that we can boast,
An inch or two of time;

Man is but vanity and duft,

In all his flower and prime.
3 See the vain race of mortals move
Like fhadows o'er the plain;

They rage and ftrive, defire and love,
But all their noife is vain.

4 Some walk in honour's gaudy fhow,
Some dig for golden ore;

They toil for heirs, they know not who,
And ftraight are feen no more.

5 What fhould I wifh or wait for then
From creatures, earth, and duft?
They make our expectations vain,
And difappoint our truft.

6 Now I forbid my carnal hope,
My fond defires recal;

I give my mortal intereft up,

And make my God my all.

PSALM XXXIX. 3d Part. Com. Met. [b]

Ver. 9-13.

Sick bed devotion; or, pleading without repining.
GOD of my life, look gently down,
Behold the pains I feel;