M § Pfalm 36. Dixit injuftus. Y heart fheweth me the wickedness 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 ftandeth like the ftrong 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 fhall 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 pleasures 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. 11 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. EVENING PRAYER.. | 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 such abun dant 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 canfe of 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass: 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 displeasure: fret not thyfelf, elfe fhalt thou be moved to do evil. 9 Wicked doers shall be rooted out: and they that patiently abide the Lord, those shall 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. 11 ‡ 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 leaderb themt Repentance-these 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.co fhew that we fhould not be furprized if the Wicked are 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 shall confume as the fat of lambs: yea, even as the fmoke shall 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 acceptable to himself. way 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 preferved for ever. only that fuch fhould inherit the promised Land: yet in a more general fenfe it fignifies that the meek Man hall 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 otherwife be expofed to; a foft anfwer 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 shall be rooted out. 30 The righteous fhall inherit the land: and dwell therein for ever. 131] The mouth of the righteous is exercised 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 shall promote thee, that thou fhalt poffefs the land: when the ungodly shall perish, thou shalt 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 last. 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 strength in the time of trouble. 41 And the Lord fhall stand by them, and fave them: he fhall deliver them from the ungodly, and fhall fave them, because they put their trust in him. PUT § Pfalm 38. Domine, ne in furore. UT me not to rebuke, O Lord, in thine anger: neither chaf ten me in thy heavy displeasure. This is the third of the penitential Pfalms: in which David under a deep conviction of the heinouf 2 For thine arrows flick faft in me: and thy hand preffeth me fore. 3 There is no health in my flesh, because of thy difpleasure: neither is there any reft in my bones by reafon of my fin. 4 For my wickedneffes 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. * 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 difquietnefs of my heart. 9 Lord, thou knoweft all my defire: and my groaning is not hid from thee. 10 My heart panteth, my strength 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 kinsmen stood afar off 12 They also that sought 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 whose mouth are no reproofs. 15 For in thee, O Lord, have I put my truft: thou shalt answer for me, O Lord my God. ness of his Crimes expreffes the utmost forrow and concern for them; reprefents himself as utterly depreffd under the load of his iniquities, forfaken by Ki Frinds, and perfecuted by his Enemies. He therefore humbly applies to God for pardon and deliver ance. * For my loins are filled with a fore d feafe, &c. Tho' shis and fome other paffages in this Pfalm may make it feem as if David was afflicted with fome bodily dis. temper: yet, according to the genius of the Hebrew Language (which frequently defcribes inward perceptions by bodily fenfations) it only implies, that he was deeply affected with grief from a fenfe of his Sins: infomuch that the burden of them was ́ mo`e than he was able to bear.-Surely that pleasure is dear bought that is attended with fo much pain! yet happy |