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16 With the flatterers were bufy mockers: who gnafhed upon me with their teeth.

17 Lord, how long wilt thou look upon this: O deliver my foul from the calamities which they bring on me, and my darling from

the lions.

18 So will I give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people.

19 O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over me ungodly: neither let them wink with their eyes, that hate me without a cause.

20 And why? their communing is not for peace: but they imagine deceitful words against them that are quiet in the land.

21 They gaped upon me with their mouths, and faid: Fie on thee, fie on thee, we faw it with our eyes.

22 This thou haft feen, O Lord: hold not thy tongue then, go not far from me, O Lord.

23 Awake, and stand up to judge my quarrel: avenge thou my cause, my God, and my Lord.

24 Judge me, O Lord my God, according to thy righteousness: and let them not triumph over me.

25 Let them not say in their hearts, There, there, fo would we have it: neither let them fay, We have devoured him.

26 Let them be put to confufion and fhame together that rejoice at my trouble: let them be clothed with rebuke and difhonour that boast themselves against me.

27 Let them be glad and rejoice, that favour my righteous dealing: yea, let them fay alway, Bleffed be the Lord, who hath pleasure in the profperity of his fervants.

28 And as for my tongue, it shall be talking of thy righteoufnefs: and of thy praise all the day long.

by gain the victory over our angry paffions; but take the most efectual means to infpire our Adverfary with

fhame and remorfe; and to melt him down into Re-
pentance.
F

M

§ Pfalm 36. Dixit injuftus.

Y heart fheweth me the wickednefs of the ungodly: that there is no fear of God before his eyes.

2 For he flattereth himself in his own fight: until his abominable fin be found out.

3 The words of his mouth are unrighteous, and full of deceit: he hath left off to behave himself wifely, and to do good.

4 He imagineth mischief upon his bed, and hath fet himself in no good way: neither doth he abhor any thing that is evil.

5 *Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens: and thy faithfulness unto the clouds.

6 Thy righteousness standeth like the strong mountains : thy judgments are like the great deep.

7 Thou, Lord, fhalt fave both man and beaft: How excellent is thy mercy, O God: and the children of men shall put their truft under the fhadow of thy wings.

8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteoufnefs of thy house: and thou fhait give them drink of thy pleafures as out of the river. 9 For with thee is the well of life: and in thy light fhall we fee light.

10 O continue forth thy loving kindness unto them that know thee: and thy righteousness unto them that are true of heart.

II O let not the foot of pride come against me:, and let not the hand of the ungodly caft me down.

12 There are they fallen, all that work wickedness: they are caft down, and shall not be able to stand.

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EVENING

PRAY E R.
Pfalm 37. Noli æmulari.

RET not thyfelf because of the ungodly: neither be thou
envious against the evil doers.

FR

This Pfalm opens with a defcription of Hypocrites and the Ungodly. From whence the Pfalmift takes occafion to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God towards his Creatures in general not only in preferving the innocent, but also in fparing thofe

that deferve punishment; and in providing fuch abundant happiness for his People.

Thy Mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the Heavens, &c. As this defcription of God's Mercy is matter of great comfort to the fincere Chriftian, fo is it just caufe of

2 For they shall foon be cut down like the grafs: and be withered even as the green herb.

3 Put thou thy truft in the Lord, and be doing good: dwell in the land, and verily thou fhalt be fed.

4 Delight thou in the Lord: and he shall give thee thy hearts defire.

5 Commit thy way unto the Lord, and put thy trust in him: and he fhall bring it to pass.

6 He shall make thy righteousness as clear as the light: and thy juft dealing as the noon-day.

7 Hold thee ftill in the Lord, and abide patiently upon him: but grieve not thyself at him whose way doth profper, against the man that doeth after evil counfels.

8 Leave off from wrath, and let go difpleasure: fret not thyfelf, elfe fhalt thou be moved to do evil.

9 Wicked doers fhall be rooted out: and they that patiently abide the Lord, thofe fhall inherit the land.

10 Yet a little while, and the ungodly fhall be clean gone: thou fhalt look after his place, and he shall be away.

II But the meek-fpirited fhall poffefs the earth: and fhall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.

12 The ungodly feeketh counsel against the just: and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.

13 The Lord fhall laugh him to fcorn: for he hath feen that his day is coming.

14 The ungodly have drawn out the fword, and have bent their bow: to caft down the poor and needy, and to flay fuch as are of a right conversation.

terror to the hardened habitual Sinner: fince they that defpife the riches of God's goodness and forbearance and long-fuffering, not confidering hat the goodness of God leadeth them't Repentance-thefe treajure up unto themfelves wrath against the Day of wrath, and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, Rom. ii. 4. 5.

The design of this Pfalm is principally to fhew

that we fhould not be furprized if the Wicked are
fometimes profperous, and the Righteous afflicted:
fince fooner or later God fails not to deliver the Vir
tuous, and reward their Piety; and to make the
Wicked feel the effects of his wrath.
But the meekspirited ball poffefs the Earth, .
Tho' this in its primary fignification might imply

Day vii. 15 Their fword fhall go through their own heart: and their bow fhall be broken.

16 A fmall thing that the righteous hath: is better than great riches of the ungodly.

17 For the arms of the ungodly shall be broken: and the Lord upholdeth the righteous.

18 The Lord knoweth the days of the godly: and their inheritance fhall endure for ever.

19 They shall not be confounded in the perilous time: and in the days of dearth they fhall have enough.

20 As for the ungodly, they fhall perish, and the enemies of the Lord fhall confume as the fat of lambs: yea, even as the fmoke fhall they confume away.

21 The ungodly borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous is merciful, and liberal.

22 Such as are bleffed of God, fhall poffefs the land: and they that are curfed of him, shall be rooted out.

23 The Lord ordereth a good mans going: and maketh his way acceptable to himself.

24 Though he fall, he fhall not be caft away: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

25 I have been young, and now am old: and yet faw I never the righteous forfaken, nor his feed begging their bread.

26 The righteous is ever merciful, and lendeth: and his feed is bleffed.

27 Flee from evil, and do the thing that is good: and dwell for evermore.

28 For the Lord loveth the thing that is right: he forfaketh not his, that be godly, but they are preserved for ever.

only that fuch fhould inherit the promised Land: yet in a more general fenfe it fignifies that the meek Man fhall enjoy what he has, be it little, or much, with comfort and fatisfaction of mind; because he is refigned to every difpenfation on Providence, and conines his wants to his prefent circumstances. Befides.

meeknefs fecures a Man against many injuries, which he might otherwise be expofed to; a foft answer being powerful to turn away wrath: or at least enables him to bear the injuries with tranquility, and strengthens him to overcome them with good...

29 The unrighteous fhall be punished: as for the feed of the ungodly, it fhall be rooted out.

30 The righteous fhall inherit the land: and dwell therein for

ever.

131 The mouth of the righteous is exercifed in wisdom: and his tongue will be talking of judgment.

32 The law of his God is in his heart: and his goings fhall not flide.

33 The ungodly feeth the righteous: and feeketh occafion to flay him.

34 The Lord will not leave him in his hand: nor condemn him when he is judged.

35 Hope thou in the Lord, and keep his way, and he fhall promote thee, that thou shalt poffefs the land: when the ungodly fhall perish, thou fhalt fee it.

36 I myself have feen the ungodly in great power: and flourshing like a green bay-tree.

37

I went by, and lo, he was gone: I fought him, but his place could no where be found.

38 Keep innocency, and take heed unto the thing that is right: for that fhall bring a man peace at the laft.

39 As for the tranfgreffors, they fhall perish together: and the end of the ungodly is, They fhall be rooted out at the last.

40 But the falvation of the righteous cometh of the Lord: who is also their ftrength in the time of trouble.

41 And the Lord shall stand by them, and fave them: he fhall deliver them from the ungodly, and fhall fave them, because they put their trust in him.

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§ Pfalm 38. Domine, ne in furore.

UT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine anger: neither chaf ten me in thy heavy displeasure.

3. This is the third of the penitential Pfalms: in which David under a deep conviction of the heinouf

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