Imatges de pàgina
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4 And that I may go unto the altar of God, even unto the God of my joy and gladness: and upon the harp will I give thanks unto thee, O God, nly God.

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5 Why art thou fo heavy, O my foul and why art thou fo difquieted within me?

6 O put thy truft in God for I will yet give him thanks which is the help of my countenance, and my God,

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MORNING PRAYER.

Palm xliv.

Deus, auribus.

E have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us what thou haft done in their time of old, 2 How thou halt driven cut the heathen with thy hand and planted them in how thou haft deftroyed the nations,

and caft them out.

3 For they gat not the land in poffeffion through their own fword: neither was it their own arm that helped them. 4 But thy right hand, and thine arm, and the light of thy countenance: becaule thou hadst a favour unto them.

5 Thou art my king, O God: fend help unto Jacob. 6 Through thee will we overthrow our enemies: and in thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us. 7 For I will not trust in my bow; it is not my fword that fhall help me.

8 But it is thou that faveft us from our enemies: and putteft them to confufion that hate us.

9 We make our boaft of God all day long and will praise thy name for ever.

10 But now thou art far off, and putteft us to confusion : and goest not forth with our armies.

11 Thou makeft us to turn our backs upon our enemies: fo that they which hate us, fpoil our goods.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xliii.] The complaints and fighs of the prophet, in this and the foregoing pfalm, because he could not come into the houfe of God, fhould engage thofe who have the liberty to ferve God in the religious aemblies, gladly to improve fo ineftimable a blefing.

PRAC.

12 Thou lettest us be eaten up like sheep: and haft fcatteted us among the heathen.

13 Thou felleft thy people for nought: and takest no money for them.

14 Thou makeft us to be rebuked of our neighbours : to be laughed to fcorn, and had in derifion of them that are round about us.

15 Thou makest us to be a by-word among the heathen : and that the people shake their heads at us.

16 My confufion is daily before me : and the shame of my face hath covered me;

17 For the voice of the flanderer and blafphemer: for the enemy and avenger.

18 And though all this become upon us, yet do we not forget thee: nor behave ourselves frowardly in thy covenant. 19 Our heart is not turned back: neither our steps gone out of thy way;

20 No, not when thou haft fmitten us into the place of dragons and covered us with the fhadow of death.

21 If we have forgotten the name of our God, and holden up our hands to any ftrange god: fhall not God search it out; for he knoweth the very fecrets of the heart.

22 For thy fake also are we killed all the day long and are counted as sheep appointed to be flain.

23 Up, Lord, why fleepeft thou: awake, and be not abfent from us for ever.

24 Wherefore hideft thou thy face: and forgetteft our mifery and trouble?

25 For our foul is brought low, even unto the duft our belly cleaveth unto the ground.

26 Arife, and help us and deliver us for thy mercies fake.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xliv.] This pfalm was compofed at a time when the people of Ifrael were under affliction and perfecution. The complaints here made of their deplorable condition, fhew, that in all times the church has been afflicted; and that God often permits his people to be delivered into the bands of the wicked, and the faithful to be cruelly perfecuted. This is St Paul's reflection, (Rom. viii) where he applies to Chriftians thefe

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Pfalm xlv. Eructavit cor meum.

Y heart is inditing of a good matter: I fpeak of the things which I have made unto the King.

2 My tongue is the pen of a ready writer:

3 Thou art fairer than the children of men: full of grace are thy lips, because God hath bleffed thee for ever.

4 Gird thee with thy fword upon thy thigh, O thou most mighty according to thy worship and renown.

5 Good luck have thou with thine honour ride on, because of the word of truth, of meeknefs and righteousness, and thy right hand shall teach thee terrible things.

6 Thy arrows are very fharp, and the people fhall be fubdued unto thee: even in the midft among the kings enemies. 7 Thy feat, O God, endureth for ever: the fceptre of thy kingdom is a right fceptre.

8 Thou haft loved righteoufnefs, and hated iniquity: wherefore God even thy God hath anointed thee with thee oyl of gladness above thy fellows.

9. All thy garments smell of myrrh, aloes, and caffia: out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad.

10 Kings daughters were among thy honourable women : upon thy right hand did ftand the Queen in a vefture of gold, wrought about with divers colours.

11 Hearken, O daughter, and confider, incline thine ear: forget alfo thine own people, and thy fathers house.

12 So fhall the King have pleasure in thy beauty: for he is thy Lord God, and worship thou him.

13 And the daughter of Tyre fhall be there with a gift: like as the rich alfo among the people shall make their fupplication before thee.

14 The Kings daughter is all glorious within: her clothing is of wrought gold.

15 She fhall be brought unto the King in raiment of needle work the virgins that be her fellows fhall bear her com pany, and shall be brought unto thee.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATION S.

words of this pfalm; "For thy fake alfo we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep appointed to be flain." God permits it fo to be for the glory of his name, and to try and purify his church.

PRAC.

i6 With joy and gladnefs fhall they be brought and fhall enter into the Kings palace.

17 In ftead of thy father's thou shalt have children: whom thou mayeft make princes in all lands.

18 I will remember thy name from one generation to another therefore shall the people give thanks unto thee, world without end.

Pfalm xlvi. Deus nofter refugium.

NOD is our hope and ftrength: a very prefent help

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in trouble..

2 Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be moved : and though the hills be carried into the midst of the fea.

3 Though the waters thereof tage and fwell: and though the mountains shake at the tempeft of the fame.

4 The rivers of the flood thereof shall make glad the city of God: the holy place of the tabernacle of the most Higheft. 5 God is in the midst of her, therefore fhall fhe not be removed: God fhall help her, and that right early.

6 The heathen make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved but God hath fhewed his voice, and the earth mhall melt away.

7 The Lord of hofts is with us the God of Jacob is our refuge.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xlv.] This pfalm is to be confidered in two lights: 1. As a hymn defigned to procure the divine bleffing upon the marriage of Solomon and upon his kingdom. 2. As it properly relates to Jefus Chrift; the hufband and king of the church. In this pfalm there is exprefs mention made of his divinity, of his anointing, of his power, of the glory and duration of his kingdom: This St Paul teaches us, in the firft chapter of the epiftle to the Hebrews, where he applies to our Lord the word's of this pfalm: "Thy feat, O God, is for ever and ever; a fceptre of righteoufnefs is the fceptre of thy kingdom; God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladnefs above thy fellows." Thefe words can properly fuit no other but Chrift Jeíus; and as they defcribe his infinite power and glory, they engage us to reverence and adore him, and in all things to fubmit to him, that we may fhare in the bleffings he pours upon his church, and upon all those who have the happiness to dive under bis dominion,

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8 O come hither, and behold the works of the Lord? what deftruction he hath brought upon the earth.

9 He maketh wars to ceafe in all the world: he break th the bow, and knappeth the fpear in funder, and burneth the chariots in the fire.

16 Be still then, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth. 11 The Lord of hofts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.

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EVENING PRAYER.
Pfalm xlvii. Omnes gentes plaudite.

Clap your hands together, all ye people: O fing unto
God with the voice of melody.

2 For the Lord is high, and to be feared: he is the great King upon all the earth.

3 He fhall fubdue the people under us: and the nations under our feet.

4 He fhall choose out an heritage for us: even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.

5 God is gone up with a merry noife; and the Lord with the found of the trump.

6 O fing praises, fing praifes unto our God: O fing praises fing praifés unto our King.

7 For God is the King of all the earth: fing ye praises with understanding.

8 God reigneth ove. .he heathen: God fitteth upon his holy feat.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xlvi.] We are to learn from hence, that God is the protector of his church; and that even when kings and nations, who are reprefented in this pfalm by floods and torrents, are confederate against it, God renders all their efforts vain, and powerfully delivers it. The Chriftian church has ftill greater fhare in thefe promifes and the divine protection than the ancient people had, fince this is for ever to fubfift. This the church has always experienced; this the faithful fhould confider for their comfort, and the confirmation of their faith.

PRAC

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