16 O tarry thou the Lord's leifure: be strong, and he fhall comfort thine heart; and put thou thy truft in

the Lord.

UNTO th

Pfalm xxviii. Ad te, Domine.

TO thee will I cry, O Lord, my strength: think no fcorn of me; left, if thou make as though thou heareft not, I become like them that go down into the pit. 2 Hear the voice of my humble petitions, when I cry unto thee: when I hold up my hands towards the mercyfeat of thy holy temple.

3 O pluck me not away, neither destroy me with the ungodly and wicked doers: which speak friendly to their neighbours, but imagine mischief in their hearts.

4 Reward them according to their deeds: and according to the wickedness of their own inventions.

5 Recompenfe them after the work of their hands: pay them that they have deserved.

6 For they regard not in their mind the works of the Lord, nor the operation of his hands: therefore fhall he break them down, and not build them up.

7 Praised be the Lord: for he hath heard the voice of my humble petitions.

8 The Lord is my ftrength, and my shield; my heart hath trufted in him, and I am helped therefore my heart danceth for joy, and in my fong will I praise him.

9 The Lord is my strength: and he is the wholesome defence of his Anointed.

16 O tarry] An earneft exhortation to patience, to "wait on the Lord," till the few and evil days of our pilgrimage pafs away, and we arrive at the manfions prepared for us in the houfe of our heavenly father; till our warfare is accomplished.

Pfalm xxviii.] This pfalm, like the 22d, and many others, confifts of two parts. In the firft, David appears in a state of fuffering, and prays for deliverance; in the fecond, he fings a fhort hymn of triumph.

6 Not build them up] This comparison to a building thrown down is not uncommon among ancient writers; and the learned reader is referred to a very beautiful paffage of Plautus, quoted by Merrick in his annotations on this verse.

7] Here the fong of triumph begins.

9 Wholefome defence] "Saving ftrength."-Bib. tranf.

10 O fave thy people, and give thy bleffing unto thine inheritance: feed them, and fet them up for ever.

Pfalm xxix. Afferte Domino.

RING unto the Lord, O ye mighty, bring young rams unto the Lord: afcribe unto the Lord worship and ftrength.

2 Give the Lord the honour due unto his Name: worship the Lord with holy worship.

3 It is the Lord, that commandeth the waters: it is the glorious God, that maketh the thunder.

4 It is the Lord, that ruleth the fea; the voice of the Lord is mighty in operation: the voice of the Lord is a glorious voice.

5 The voice of the Lord breaketh the cedar-trees: yea, the Lord breaketh the cedars of Libanus.

6 He maketh them alfo to skip like a calf: Libanus alfo, and Sirion, like a young unicorn.

7 The voice of the Lord divideth the flames of fire; the voice of the Lord fhaketh the wilderness: yea, the Lord fhaketh the wilderness of Cades.

8 The voice of the Lord maketh the hinds to bring forth young, and difcovereth the thick bushes: in his temple doth every man fpeak of his honour.

9 The Lord fitteth above the water-floods: and the Lord remaineth a King for ever.

10 Set them up] "Lift them up," (Bib. tranf.) when they are fallen. Pfalm xxix.] David feems to have composed this pfalm in confequence of the victory which he had gained over the heathen kings by the athiftance of the Almighty, who, it is fuppofed from the frequent occurrence of the mention of their effects, difcomfited the enemy by the terror of his thunder and lightning. The Bible tranflation of this pfalm ought to be read for its great beauty and fublimity.

3 The waters] The waters upon which this voice is faid to be, and the many waters from which in the next words He is faid to thunder, or to be upon them when He thunders, and the water-floods upon which He is faid to fit, are ftill thofe waters above the firmament, the clouds, as in pfalm xviii. 11. "He maketh darkness his secret place, with dark waters and thick clouds to cover Him."

6] Neighbouring mountains of great height.

7] Divideth the flames] The forking of the lightning.

8] Difcovereth] The thick bushes fhall not be a cover for them. 9 Remaineth]" Sitteth."-Bib. tranf.

10 The Lord fhall give ftrength unto his people: the Lord fhall give his people the bleffing of peace.

MORNING PRAYER.

Pfalm xxx. Exaltabo te, Domine.

Will magnify thee, O Lord, for thou haft fet me up: and not made my foes to triumph over me.

2 O Lord my God, I cried unto thee: and thou haft healed me.

Thou, Lord, haft brought my foul out of hell: thou haft kept my life from them that go down to the pit. 4 Sing praifes unto the Lord, O ye faints of his: and give thanks unto him for a remembrance of his holiness.

5 For his wrath endureth but the twinkling of an eye; and in his pleasure is life: heavinefs may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning.

6 And in my profperity I faid, I shall never be removed : thou, Lord, of thy goodness hadft made my hill fo ftrong. 7 Thou didst turn thy face from me and I was troubled.

8 Then cried I unto thee, O Lord: and gat me to my Lord right humbly.

9 What profit is there in my blood: when I go down to the pit?

10 Shall the duft give thanks unto thee, or fhall it declare thy truth?

11 Hear, O Lord, and have mercy upon me: Lord, be thou my helper.

12. Thou haft turned my heavinefs into joy: thou haft put off my off my fackcloth, and girded me with gladness.

Pfalm xxx.] In this devout hymn, written by David probably on revifiting the fanctuary; after a recovery from fome dangerous fickness, he returns thanks; compares temporary fufferings and eternal rewards; defcribes his profperity and his afflictions; mentions his fupplications to the Almighty in his diftrefs; celebrates his deliverance, and glorifies God for his mercy.

1 Set me up] "Drawn me out," namely, out of the pit,

3 Hell]"From the grave."-Bib. tranf.

9) This is David's fupplication.

13 Therefore fhall every good man fing of thy praise without ceafing: O my God, I will give thanks unto thee for ever.

IN

Pfalm xxxi. In te, Domine, fperavi.

N thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: let me never be put to confufion; deliver me in thy righteousness.

2 Bow down thine ear to me: make hafte to deliver me. 3 And be thou my ftrong rock, and house of defence; that thou mayeft fave me.

4 For thou art my strong rock, and my caftle: be thou alfo my guide, and lead me for thy Name's fame.

5 Draw me out of the net, that they have laid privily for me for thou art my ftrength.

6 Into thy hands I commend my fpirit: for thou haft redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth.

7 I have hated them that hold of fuperftitious vanities: and my truft hath been in the Lord.

8 I will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy for thou haft confidered my trouble, and haft known my foul in adverfities.

9 Thou haft not fhut me up into the hand of the enemy but haft fet my feet in a large room.

10 Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble: and mine eye is confumed for very heavinefs; yea, my foul and my body.

11 For my life is waxen old with heavinefs: and my years with mourning.

13] "That my glory may fing praife to thee."-Bib. tranf. The notion of glory for the tongue or heart of man praifing God, as elsewhere. Pfalm xxxi.] There is an admirable combination of prayer and praise in this pfalm of David. It is thought to have been written after his escape from Keilah, and his flight through the wilderness. 1 Sam. xxiii..

6] The first words of this verfe our Saviour repeated when he was expiring on the crofs. It is no objection against the use of the pfalms by ourfelves for the purposes of devotion, that in many of them there are prophetical references to our Lord's character and fituation, and therefore that he might use them with more propriety than ourselves; but our Saviour evidently cites paffages of a general nature, as from an inspired book well known to every Jew.

7] "Thou (O God) hateft." Superftitious vanities are the idols, the diviners, augurs, &c. of the heathen.

12 My ftrength faileth me, because of mine iniquity: and my bones are confumed.

13 I became a reproof among all mine enemies, but especially among my neighbours: and they of mine acquaintance were afraid of me; and they that did fee me without conveyed themselves from me.

14 I am clean forgotten, as a dead man out of mind: I am become like a broken vessel.

15 For I have heard the blafphemy of the multitude: and fear is on every fide, while they confpire together against me, and take their counfel to take away my life.

16 But my hope hath been in thee, O Lord: I have faid, Thou art my God.

17 My time is in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of mine enemies: and from them that perfecute me.

18 Shew thy fervant the light of thy countenance: and and fave me for thy mercy's fake.

19 Let me not be confounded, O Lord, for I have called upon thee: let the ungodly be put to confufion, and be put to filence in the grave.

20 Let the lying lips be put to filence: which cruelly, difdainfully, and defpitefully fpeak against the righteous. 21 O how plentiful is thy goodness, which thou haft laid up for them that fear thee: and that thou haft prepared for them that put their truft in thee, even before the fons of men!

22 Thou fhalt hide them privily by thine own prefence from the provoking of all men: thou fhalt keep them fecretly in thy tabernacle from the ftrife of tongues.

23 Thanks be to the Lord: for he hath fhewed me marvellous great kindnefs in a ftrong city.

24 And when I made hafte, I faid: I am caft out of the fight of thine eyes.

13 Areproof] A bye word.

37 My time] This word fignifies what our Litany fo well expreffes: "in all time of our tribulation, in all time of our wealth," any of the viciffitudes in the circumftances of life.

22]"Thou shalt hide them in the fecret of thy prefence from the pride," Bib. Tranf. or "confpiracies of men."

24]"For I faid in my hafte."-Bib. tranf.