PSALM XVI. *.!

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1
PROTE
ROTECT me from my cruel foes,

And shield me, Lord, from harm :
Because my trust I still repose

On thy Almighty arm.
2 My soul all help but thine does slight,

All gods but thee disown;
Yel can no deeds of mine requite

The goodness thou hast shown.
3 But those that strictly virtuous are,

And love the thing that's right,
To favour always, and prefer,

Shall be my chief delight.
4. How shall their sorrows be increas'd,

Who other gods adore ?
Their bloody off'rings I detest,

Their very names abhor.
5 My lot is fallin in that blest land

Where God is truly known ;
He fills my cup with lib'ral land,

'Tis he supports my throne.
6 In nature's most delightful scene

My happy portion lies;
The place of my appointed reign

All other lands outvies.
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Whose precepts give me light;
And private counsel still afford

In sorrow's dismal night.
2 8 I strive each action to approve

To his all-seeing eye;
No danger shall my hopes remove,

Because he still is nigh.
3 9 Therefore my heart all grief defies,

My glory does rejoice ;
My flesh shall rest, in hope to rise,

Wak’d by his powerful voice.
* 10 Thou, Lord, when I resign my breath,

My soul from hell shalt free;
Nor let thy Holy One in death

The least corruption see.
S 11 Thou shalt the paths of life display,

Which to thy presence lead ;
Where pleasures dwell without allay,

cinal y Therefore my soul shall bless the Lord,

PSALM XVII. To my just plea and

sad complaint Attend, And to my pray’r, as 'tis unfeign’d,

A gracious ear afford.
? As in thy sight I am approv'd,

So let my senience be ;
And with impartial eyes, O Lord,

My upright dealing see. · For thou hast search'd my heart by day,

And visited by night :
And, on the strictest trial, found

Its secret motions right.
Nor shall thy justice, Lord, alone

My heart's designs acquit ;
For I have purpos’d that my tongue

Shall no offence commit.
4 I know what wicked men would do,

Their safety to maintain ;
But me thy just and pild commands

From bloody paths restrain.
5 That I may still, in spite of wrongs,

My innocence secure,
O guide me in thy righteous ways,

And make my footsteps sure. 6 Since, heretofore, I ne'er in vain

To thee my pray'r address'd ;
O! now, my God, incline thine ear

To this my just request.
7 The wonders of thy truth and love

In my defence engage ;
Thou, whose right hand preserves thy saints
From their oppressor's rage.

PART II.
3,9 () ! keep me in thy tend'rest care ;

Thy shelt'ring wings stretch out,
To guard me safe from savage foes,

That compass me about :
10 O'ergrown with luxury, enclos'd

In their own fat they lie ;
And, with a proud blaspheming mouth,

Both God and man defy.
11 Well may they boast, for they have now

My paths encompass'd round:

Their eyes at watch, their bodies bow'd,

And couching on the ground; 12 In posture of a lion set,

When greedy of his prey ;
Or a young lion, when he lurks

Within a covert way.
13 Arise, O Lord, defeat their plots,

Their swelling rage controul;
From wicked men, who are thy sword,

Deliver thou my soul :
14 From worldly men, thy sharpest scourge,

Whose portion's here below;
Who, filled with earthly stores, aspire

No other bliss to know.
15 Their race is num'rous, that partake

Their substance while they live ;
Their heirs survive, to whom they may

The vast remainder give. 16 But I, in uprightness, thy face

Shall view without controul;
And, waking, shall its image find
Reflected in my soul..

PSALM XVIII.

1, 2 No change of time shall ever shock

°

My firm affection, Lord, to thee;
For thou hast always been my rock,

A fortress and defence to me.
Thou my deliv’rer art, my God;

My trust is in thy mighty pow'i ;
Thou art my shield from foes abroad,

At home my safeguard and my tow'r. 3. To thee I will address my pray'r,

To whom all praise we justly owe ;
Se shall I, by thy watchful care,

Be guarded from my treach'rous foe. 4, 5 By floods of wicked men distress'd,

With seas of sorrow compass'd round,
With dire infernal pangs oppress'd,

In death's unwieldy fetters bound ;
6 To heav'n I made my mournful pray'r,

To God address'd my humble moan ;
Who graciously inclin'd his ear,

And liwant. In from his lofty throne.

PART II.
7 When God arose my part to take,

The conscious earth was struck with fear :
The hills did at his presence shake,

Nor could his dreadful fury bear.
8 Thick clouds of smoke dispers'd abroad,

Ensigns of wrath before him came;
Devouring fire around him glow'd,

That coals were kindled at its fame. 9 He left the beauteous realms of light,

Whilst heav'n bow'd down its awful head ; Beneath his feet substantial night

Was like a sable carpet spread. 10 The chariot of the King of kings,

Which active troops of angels drew,
On a strong tempest's rapid wings,

With most amazing swiftness few.
11, 12 Black watery mists and clouds conspir'd,

With thickest shades, his face to veil i
But at his brightness soon retir'd,

And fell in show'rs of fire and hail. 13 Through Heav'n's wide arch a thund'ring peal

God's angry voice did loudly roar ;
While earth's sad face with heaps of hail

And flakes of fire was cover'd o'er. 14 His sharpen'd arrows round he threw,

Which made his scatter'a foes retreat ;
Like darts his nimble lightnings flew,

And quickly finish'd their defeat. 15 The deep its secret stores disclos'd,

The world's foundations naked lay ;
By his avenging wrath expos’d,
Which fiercely rag'd that dreadful day.

PART III.
16 The Lord did on my side engage ;

From Heav'n, his throne, my cause upheld ; And snatch'd me from the furious rage

Of threat’ning waves, that proudly swell’d. 17 God his resistless pow'r employ'd

My strongest soes' attempts to break ;
Who else with ease had soon destroy'd

The weak defence that I could make. 18 Their subtle rage had near prevailid,

When I distress'd and friendless lay;

But still, when other succours faild,

God was my firm support and stay. 19 From dangers that enclos'd me round,

He brought me forth and set me free;
For some just cause his goodness found,

That mov'd him to delight in me. 20 Because in me no guilt remains,

God does his gracious help extend ;
My hands are free from bloody stains ;

Therefore the Lord is stiil my friend. 21, 22 For I his judgments keep in sight,

In his just paths I always trod;
I never did his statutes slight,

Nor loosely wandera from my God. 23, 24 But still my soul, sincere and pure,

Did ev'n from darling sins refrain ;
His favours therefore yet endure,
Because my htart and hands are clean.

PART IV. 25, 26 Thou suit'st, O Lord, thy righteous ways

To various paths of human-kind ;
They who for mercy merit praise,

With thee shall wondrous mercy find.
Thou to the just shalt justice show ;

The pure thy purity shall see:
Such as perversely choose to go,

Shall meet with due returns from thee 27, 28 That he the humble soul will save,

And crush the haughty's boasted might,
In me the Lord an instance gave,

Whose darkness he has turn'd to light. 29 On his firm succour I rely'd,

And did o'er num'rous foes prevail ;
Nor fear'd, whilst he was on my side,

The best defended walls to scale. 30 For God's designs shall still succeed,

His word will bear the utmost test;
He's a strong shield to all that need,

And on his sure protection rest. 31 Who then deserves to be ador'd;

But God, on whom my hopes depend ?
Or who, except the mighty lord,

Can with resistless pow'r defend ?