6 This is the generation of them that feek him: even of them that feek thy face, O Jacob.

7 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors: and the King of glory fhall come in.

8 Who is the King of glory: It is the Lord, strong. and mighty, even the Lord, mighty in battle.

9 Lift up your heads, O ye gates, and be ye lift up, ye everlafting doors: and the King of glory fhall come in.

10 Who is the King of glory: even the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory.

Pfalm xxv. Ad te, Domine, levavi.

NTO thee, O Lord, will I lift up my foul; my God, I have put my trust in thee: O let me not be confounded, neither let mine enemies triumph over me.

U

2 For all they that hope in thee fhall not be afhamed: but, fuch as tranfgrefs without a caufe, fhall be put to confufion.

3 Shew me thy ways, O Lord: and teach me thy paths. 4 Lead me forth in thy truth, and learn me: for thou art. the God of my falvation in thee hath been my hope all the day long.

5 Call to remembrance, O Lord, thy tender mercies: and thy loving kindneffes which have been ever of old.

6 Oh remember not the fins and offences of my youth: but according to thy mercy think thou upon me, O Lord, for thy goodness.

7 Gracious and righteous is the Lord: therefore will he teach finners in the way.

8 Them that are meek, fhall he guide in judgement: and' fuch as are gentle, them fhall he learn his way.

PRACTICAL

OBSERVATIONS.

Pfal. xxiv.] This pfalm teaches us who they are whom God looks upon as children, and will admit into his glorious prefence. None will be admitted there, but men of pure hands and a clean heart, who are fincere and faithful in their words and in all their behaviour; who avoid fraud and deceit, and call upon the Lord, and feek his face with their whole heart. If therefore, we defire to be partakers of God's love, we should examine whether we find in ourselves these characters and fentiments; endeavouring to produce them in ourfelves if we have them. not, and if we have, improving them continually. PRAC

9. All the paths, of the Lord are mercy and truth: unto fuch as keep his covenant, and his teftimonies.

10. For thy Name's fake, O Lord: be merciful unto my fin, for it is great.

11 What man is he that feareth the Lord: him fhall he teach in the way that he fhall choose.

12 His foul fhall dwell at eafe: and his feed fhall inherit the land..

13 The fecret of the Lord is among them that fear him : and he will fhew them his covenant.

14 Mine eyes are ever looking unto the Lord: for he shall pluck my feet out of the net.

15 Turn thee unto me, and have mercy upon me: for 1 am defolate and in mifery.

16 The forrows of my heart are enlarged: O bring thou me out of my troubles.

17 Look upon my adverfity and mifery: and forgive me all my fin.

18 Confider mine enemies,, how many they are: and they bear a tyrannous hate against me.

19 O keep my foul, and deliver me: let me not be confounded, for I have put my trust in thee,

29 Let perfectnefs and righteous dealing wait upon me : for my hope hath been in thee.

21 Deliver Ifrael, O God: out of all his troubles.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfalm. xxv.] Obferve, 1, That what we ought moft earnestly to pray for is, that we may be filled with the knowledge of God; that he would teach us to walk in his way, and grant us pardon for all the fins we have committed, 2. We here learn, how advantageous it is to fear God. David has told us, that God makes known his ways to the meek and humble; that he fhews them that fear him the way that they should chufe; thas to them he reveals his fecrets and his covenant; that he blesses them and their pofterity exceedingly; and when they are in affliction, he protects them, and delivers them out of all their diftreffes. Thefe are inftructions of the greateft ufe and importance; and carefully reading and meditating on thefe things, and frequently offering up to God the excellent prayers contained in this pfalm, is one of the best things we can do to ftrengthen us more and more in the fear of the Lord, and fecure our eternal welfare,

PRAC

Pfalm xxvi. Judica me, Domine.

BE

E thou my judge, O Lord, for I have walked innocently my truft hath been alfo in the Lord, therefore fhall I not fall.

2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me: try out my reins, and my heart.

3 For thy loving kindness is ever before mine eyes: and I will walk in thy truth.

4 I have not dwelt with vain perfons: neither will I have fellowship with the deceitful.

5 I have hated the congregation of the wicked: and will not fit among the ungodly.

6 I will wash my hands in innocency, O Lord and fo will I go to thine altar;

7 That I may fhew the voice of thanksgiving: and tell of all thy wonderous works.

8 Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house and the place where thine honour dwelleth.

9 O fhut not up my foul with the finners: nor my life with the blood-thirty;

10 In whofe hands is wickedness: and their right hand is full of gifts.

11 But as for me, I will walk innocently: O deliver me, and be merciful unto me.

12 My foot standeth right: I will praife the Lord in the congregations.

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfal. xxvi.] 1. The first inftruction this pfalm furnishes us with, is, that God chiefly regards our integrity and fincerity; that he fearches and tries the heart; and therefore, that the only means of obtaining God's favour is to approve ourselves in his fight, to live in innocency, to walk. in truth, and to hate vice. z. David's earneft defire to ferve God in the tabernacle, fhould ftir us up to discharge the duties of religion with the fame fervency, and to take the greatest delight in going to the houfe of God, there to praife him, and to meditate on the wonders of his love. But the care this pious king took to purify himself before he went unto the aitar of God, fhould convince us, that in order to appear in the prefence of God, we fhould be pure and live a holy life.

1

EVENING PRAYER.
Pfalm xxvii. Dominus illuminatio.

HE Lord is my light, and my falvation; whom then fhall I fear the Lord is the ftrength of my life; of whom then fhall I be afraid?

TH

2 When the wicked, even mine enemies, and my foes came upon me to eat up my flefh: they ftumbled, and fell. 3 Though an hoft of men were laid against me, yet fhall not my heart be afraid: and though there rose up war against me, yet will I put my trust in him.

4 One thing have I defired of the Lord, which I will require even that I may dwell in the houfe of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to vifit his temple.

5 For in the time of trouble he fhall hide me in his tabernacle: yea, in the fecret place of his dwelling fhall he hide me, and fet me up upon a rock of stone.

6 And now fhall he lift up mine head: above mine enemies round about me..

7 Therefore will I offer in his dwelling an oblation with great gladnefs: I will fing, and fpeak praises unto the Lord.

8 Hearken unto my voice, O Lord, when I cry unto thee have mercy upon me, and hear me.

9 My heart hath talked of thee, Seek ye my face: thy face, Lord, will I feek.

10 O hide not thou thy face from me: nor caft thy fervant away in difpleasure.

II Thou haft been my fuccour: leave me not, neither forfake me, O God of my falvation.

12 When my father and my mother forfake me: the Lord taketh me up.

13 Teach me thy way, O Lord and lead me in the right way, because of mine enemies.

14 Deliver me not over into the will of mine adversaries : for there are false witneffes rifen up against me, and fuch as speak wrong.

15 I fhould utterly have fainted: but that I believe verily to fee the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

16 O tarry

16 O tarry thou the Lords leifure: be ftrong, and he shall comfort thine heart, and put thou thy trust in the Lord.

Pfalm xxviii. Ad te, Domine.

UNTO

NTO thee will I cry, O Lord my ftrength: 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 mifchief in their hearts.

4 Reward them according to their deeds: and according to the wickednefs 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 shall 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 fhield, 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 wholfome defence of his Anointed.

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

PRACTICAL OBSERVATIONS.

Pfal. xxvii.] 1. Obferve, That the most inestimable advantage and the greatest confolation we can enjoy in this world is, to meet often in the houfe of God, there to praise and adore him, and to receive the testimonies of his favour. 2. David's affurance fhews, that fhould we be forfaken by all the world, yet God will never forfake us, if we fear him and depend upon him; that nothing but our trust in him, and hope in his promifes, can fupport us in the midit of the troubles of this life; and that the expectation of those who seek their happiness in God alone, fall never be in vain.

PRAC