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 shalt be fed.

4 Delight thou in the Lord: and he fhall give thee thy hearts's defire.

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

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6 He fhall make thy righteoufnefs 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 thyfelf at him whofe way doth profper, against the man that doeth after evil counfels,

8 Leave off from wrath, and let go difpleafure: 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 shalt look after his place, and he fhall be away, 11 But the meek-fpirited fhall poffefs the earth and fhall be refreshed in the multitude of peace.

12 The ungodly feeketh counfel against the juft: and gnafheth 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 converfation.

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

30 The righteous shall inherit the land: and dwell therein for ever.

31 The mouth of the righteous is exercised in wifdom: and his tongue will be talking of judgment.

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

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 shall perish, thou shalt fee it.

36 I myself have feen the ungodly in great power: and flourishing 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

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

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

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

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

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PUTE

MORNING PRAYER.

Pfalm xxxviii. Domine, ne in furore

UT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine anger: neither chaiten me in thy heavy difpleature.

2 For thine arrows ftick faft in me: and thy hand preffeth me fore.

3 There is no health in my flefh, because of thy difpleafure neither is there any reft in my bones, by reason of. fin.

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4 For my wickedneffes are gone over my are gone over my head; and are like a fore burden, too heavy for me to bear.

5 My wounds ftink, and are corrupt: through my foolishness.

6 I am brought into fo great trouble and mifery; that I go mourning all the day long.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xxxvii.] The fum of the doctrine contained in this pfalm is, that we ought not to envy the happiness which the wicked enjoy in this world, nor be offended at the afflictions of good men. For if the latter are fometimes in affiction, in their trials they experience the divine affistance, and have a happy iffue out of all their troubles: But it is not fo with the ungodly; their profperity is only imaginary, and of fhort duration; God confounds their unjuft defigns; and his anger, in a very fenfible manner, falls upon them and all that belongs to them. Every day's experience verifies what this pfalm teaches; and therefore the effect which the reading of it fhould produce, is to convince us, that our whole hap pinefs depends on our perfeverance in piety, which is attended with fuch fare and glorious rewards.

PRAC.

7 For my loins are filled with a fore disease: and there is no whole part in my body.

8 I am feeble, and fore fmitten: I have roared for the very difquietness of my heart.

9 Lord, thou knoweft all my defire and my groaning is not hid from thee.

10 My heart panteth, my ftrength hath failed me and the fight of mine eyes is gone from me.

11 My lovers and my neighbours did stand looking upon my trouble and my kinfmen ftood afar off.

12 They alio that fought after my life, laid fnares for me and they that went about to do me evil, talked of wickedness, and imagined deceit all the day long.

13 As for me, I was like a deaf man, and heard not: and as one that is dumb, who doth not open his mouth. 14 I became even as a man that heareth not: and in whofe mouth are no reproofs.

15 For in thee, O Lord, have I put my trust: thou fhalt answer for me, O Lord my God.

16 I have required that they, even mine enemies, should not triumph over me: for when my foot flipped, they rejoiced greatly against me.

17 And I, truly, am fet in the plague: and my heavinefs is ever in my fight.

18 For I will confefs my wickednefs: and be forry for my fin.

19 But mine enemies live, and are mighty and they that hate me wrongfully, are many in number.

20 They also that reward evil for good, are against me : because I follow the thing that good is.

-21 Forfake me not, Ŏ Lord my God: be not thou far from me.

22 Hafte thee to help me: O Lord God of

my

falvation.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATION S.

Pfalm xxxviii.] What is faid in this pfalm is very proper for the inAruction and confolation of those who are afflicted with pains and difeafes, or in any other manner: David teaches them by his own example, to look upon the evils that befal them, how fevere foever they be, as a jutt correction for their fins, and to ask God pardon for them.

PRAC

I

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Pfalm xxxix. Dixi, Cuftodiam.

Said, I will take head to my ways: that I offend not in my tongue.

2 I will Keep my mouth as it were with a bridle: while the ungodly is in my fight.

3 I held my tongue and fpake nothing: I kept filence, yea, even from good words: but it was pain and grief to me.

4 My heart was hot within me; and while I was thus mufing, the fire kindled and at the last I spake with my tongue.

5 Lord, let me know my end, and the number of my days that I may be certified how long I have to live.

6 Behold, thou haft made my days as it were a fpan long : and mine age is even as nothing in refpect of thee; and verily every man living is altogether vanity.

7 For man walketh in a vain fhadow, and difquieteth himself in vain: he heapeth up riches, and cannot tell who fhall gather them.

8 And now, Lord, what is my hope: truly my hope is even in thee.

9 Deliver me from all mine offences: and make me not a rebuke unto the foolish.

10 I became dumb, and opened not my mouth for it was thy doing.

11 Take thy plague away from me: I am even confumed by the means of thy heavy hand.

12 When thou with rebukes doft chaften man for fin, thou makeft his beauty to confume away, like as it were a moth fretting a garment: every man therefore is but vanity.

13 Hear my prayer, O Lord, and with thine ears confider my calling hold not thy peace at my tears.

14 For I am a ftranger with thee and a fojourner, as all my fathers were.

15 O fpare me a little, that I may recover my ftrength : before I go hence, and be no more feen.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm xxxix.] 1. This pfalm contains an excellent doârine; which is, that the way never to fall into murmuring, when we fee the tempera!

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