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PSALM I.

[OW blest is he who ne'er consents

By ill advice to walk;

Nor stands in sinners' ways, nor sits
Where men profanely talk.

2 But makes the perfect law of God
His business and delight;

Devoutly reads therein by day,

And meditates by night.

3 Like some fair tree, which, fed by streams,

With timely fruit does bend,

He still shall flourish, and success
All his designs attend.

4 Ungodly men and their attempts
No lasting root shall find;

Untimely blasted, and dispers'd

Like chaff before the wind.

5 Their guilt shall strike the wicked dumb
Before their Judge's face;
No formal hypocrite shall then
Amongst the saints have place.

6 For God approves the just man's ways,
To happiness they tend;

But sinners, and the paths they tread,
Shall both in ruin end.

PSALM II.

WITH restless and ungovern'd rage
Why do the heathen storm?
Why in such rash attempts engage,
As they can ne'er perform ?

2 The great in counsel and in might
Their various forces bring;
Against the Lord they all unite,
And his anointed King.

3 Must we submit to their commands?
Presumptuously they say:

No, let us break their slavish bands,
And cast their chains away.

4 But God, who sits enthron'd on high,
And sees how they combine,
Does their conspiring strength defy,
And mocks their vain design.

5 Thick clouds of wrath divine shall break On his rebellious foes;

And thus will he in thunder speak
To all that dare oppose:

6 Though madly you dispute my will,
The King that I ordain,
Whose throne is fix'd on Sion's hill,
Shall there securely reign.

7 Attend, O earth, whilst I declare
God's uncontroll'd decree;
Thou art my Son, this day my heir
Have I begotten thee.

8 Ask and receive thy full demands;
Thine shall the heathen be:
The utmost limits of the lands
Shall be possess'd by thee.

9 Thy threat'ning sceptre thou shalt shake, And crush them every where;

As massy bars of iron break

The potter's brittle ware.

10 Learn then, ye princes; and give ear, Ye judges of the earth;

11 Worship the Lord with holy fear;
Rejoice with awful mirth.

12 Appease the Son with due respect,
Your timely homage pay;
Lest he revenge the bold neglect,
Incens'd by your delay.

13 If but in part his anger rise,

Who can endure the flame?

Then blest are they whose hope relies
On his most holy Name.

PSALM III.

'HOW many, Lord, of late are grown The troublers of my peace!

And, as their numbers hourly rise,
So does their rage increase.

2 Insulting they my soul upbraid,

And him whom I adore;

The God in whom he trusts, say they,
Shall rescue him no more.

8 But thou, O Lord, art my defence;
On thee my hopes rely;
Thou art my glory, and shalt yet
Lift up my head on high.

4 Since whensoe'er in like distress
To God I made my pray'r,
He heard me from his holy hill,
Why should I now despair?

5 Guarded by him, I laid me down
My sweet repose to take;
For I through him securely sleep,
Through him in safety wake.

6 No force nor fury of my foes
My courage shall confound,
Were they as many hosts as men
That have beset me round.
7 Arise and save me, O my God,
Who oft hast own'd my cause,
And scatter'd oft these foes to me,
And to thy righteous laws.

8 Salvation to the Lord belongs,
He only can defend;

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His blessing he extends to all That on his pow'r depend.

PSALM IV.

LORD, that art my righteous Judge,
To my complaint give ear:

Thou still redeem'st me from distress;
Have mercy, Lord, and hear.

2 How long will ye, O sons of men,
To blot my fame devise?
How long your vain designs pursue,
And spread malicious lies?

3 Consider that the righteous man
Is God's peculiar choice;
And when to him I make my pray'r,
He always hears my voice.

4 Then stand in awe of his commands,
Flee ev'ry thing that's ill;
Commune in private with your hearts,
And bend them to his will.

5 The place of other sacrifice

Let righteousness supply;
And let your hope, securely fix'd,
On God alone rely.

6 While worldly minds impatient grow
More prosp'rous times to see,
Still let the glories of thy face

Shine brightly, Lord, on me.

7 So shall my heart o'erflow with joy, More lasting and more true,

Than theirs, who stores of corn and wine Successively renew.

8 Then down in peace I'll lay my head,
And take my needful rest;

No other guard, O Lord, I crave,
Of thy defence possest.

PSALM V.

LORD, hear the voice of my complaint,

Accept my secret pray'r;

2 To thee alone, my King, my God,

Will I for help repair.

3 Thou in the morn my voice shalt hear; And with the dawning day

To thee devoutly I'll look up,
To thee devoutly pray.

4 For thou the wrongs that I sustain
Canst never, Lord, approve;
Who from thy sacred dwelling-place
All evil dost remove.

5 Not long shall stubborn fools remain.
Unpunish'd in thy view;

All such as act unrighteous things
Thy vengeance shall pursue.

6 The sland'ring tongue, O God of truth, By thee shall be destroy'd,

Who hat'st alike the man in blood
And in deceit employ'd.

7 But when thy boundless grace shall me To thy lov'd courts restore,

On thee I'll fix my longing eyes,
And humbly there adore.

8 Conduct me by thy righteous laws,
For watchful is my foe;

Therefore, O Lord, make plain the way
Wherein I ought to go.

9 Their mouth vents nothing but deceit,
Their heart is set on wrong;
Their throat is a devouring grave,
They flatter with their tongue.

10 By their own counsels let them fall,
Oppress'd with loads of sin;
For they against thy righteous laws
Have harden'd rebels been.

11 But let all those who trust in thee

With shouts their joy proclaim;
Let them rejoice whom thou preserv❜st,
And all that love thy Name.

12 To righteous men the righteous Lord
His blessing will extend,
And with his favour all his saints,
As with a shield, defend.

PSALM VI.

THY dreadful anger, Lord, restrain, And spare a wretch forlorn; Correct me not in thy fierce wrath, Too heavy to be borne.

2 Have mercy, Lord, for I grow faint, Unable to endure

The anguish of my aching bones,
Which thou alone canst cure.

3 My tortur'd flesh distracts my mind,
And fills my soul with grief;
But, Lord, how long wilt thou delay
To grant me thy relief?

4 Thy wonted goodness, Lord, repeat, And ease my troubled soul;

Lord, for thy wondrous mercy's sake
Vouchsafe to make me whole.

5 For after death no more can I
Thy glorious acts proclaim;
No pris'ner of the silent grave
Can magnify thy Name.

6 Quite tir'd with pain, with groaning faint, No hope of ease I see;

The night, that quiets common griefs,
Is spent in tears by me.

7 My beauty fades, my sight grows dim,
My eyes with weakness close;
Old age o'ertakes me, whilst I think
On my insulting foes.

8 Depart, ye wicked; in my wrongs
Ye shall no more rejoice;
For God, I find, accepts my tears,
And listens to my voice.

9, 10 He hears and grants my humble pray'r; And they that wish my fall,

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Shall blush and rage to see that God Protects me from them all.

PSALM VII.

LORD my God, since I have plac'd
My trust alone in thee,

From all my persecutors' rage

Do thou deliver me.

2 To save me from my threat'ning foe,
Lord, interpose thy pow'r;
Lest, like a savage lion, he
My helpless soul devour.

3, 4 If I am guilty, or did e'er
Against his peace combine;
Nay, if I have not spar'd his life,
Who sought unjustly mine;

5 Let then to persecuting foes
My soul become a prey;

Let them to earth tread down my life,
In dust my honour lay.

6 Arise, and let thine anger, Lord,
In my defence engage;
Exalt thyself above my foes,
And their insulting rage:

Awake, awake, in my behalf,
The judgment to dispense,
Which thou hast righteously ordain'd
For injur'd innocence.

7 So to thy throne adoring crowds
Shall still for justice fly;

O therefore for their sakes resume
Thy judgment-seat on high!

8 Impartial Judge of all the world,
I trust my cause to thee;
According to my just deserts,
So let thy sentence be.

9 Let wicked arts and wicked men
Together be o'erthrown;

But guard the just, thou God, to whom
The hearts of both are known.

10, 11 God me protects, nor only me,
But all of upright heart;
And daily lays up wrath for those
Who from his laws depart.

12 If they persist, he whets his sword,
His bow stands ready bent;

13 E'en now, with swift destruction wing'd, His pointed shafts are sent.

14 The plots are fruitless, which my foe Unjustly did conceive;

15 The pit he digg'd for me has prov'd His own untimely grave.

16 On his own head his spite returns, Whilst I from harm am free;

On him the violence is fall'n

Which he design'd for me.