And why with vexing thoughts art thou

Disquieted in me?

Still trust in God; for him to praise
Good cause I yet shall have:
He of my count'nance is the health,
My God that doth me save.

PSALM XLIV.

ALL the truths of God are joy and praise to those who believe them. This Psalm (and consequently its parallels, which see in the margin, *) is applied and explained, Rom. viii. 36. as descriptive of the condition of the saints of God in all ages of the world, exposed, as lambs among wolves, to all manner of sufferings, calamities, and deaths, till in all these things they become more than conquerors through him that loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood, and made them kings and priests unto God: to whom be glory for ever and Amen.

ever.

Behold the Scripture here fulfill'd,
As all the seers unfold;

The Woman's Seed by serpent kill'd!
(As 'twas in days of old).

But our Redeemer ever lives,

O blessed be his name,

Who death, and hell, and serpent, gives.

Unto the fiery flame.

10 GOD, we with our ears have heard,

Our fathers have us told,

What works thou in their days hadst done,
Ev'n in the days of old.

2 Thy hand did drive the heathen out,
Ånd plant them in their place;

*Prose Psalms of the Bible.

Thou didst afflict the nations

But them thou didst increase.

3 For neither got their sword the land,
Nor did their arm them save;

But thy right hand, arm, countenance;
For thou them favour gave.

4 Thou art my King: for Jacob, Lord,
Deliv'rances command.

5 Through thee we shall push down our foes, That do against us stand:

We through thy name, shall tread down those
That ris'n against us have.

6 For in my bow I shall not trust,
Nor shall my sword me save.

7 But from our foes thou hast us sav'd, Our haters put to shame.

8 In God we all the day do boast,
And ever praise thy name,

9 But now we are cast off by thee,
And us thou putt'st to shame;
And when our armies do go forth.
Thou go'st not with the same.
10 Thou mak'st us from the enemy,
Faint-hearted, to turn back;
And they who hate us for themselves
Our spoils away do take.

11 Like sheep for meat thou gavest us;
'Mong heathen cast we be.

12 Thou didst for nought thy people sell; Their price enrich'd not thee.

13 Thou mak'st us a reproach to be, Unto our neighbours near;

Derision and a scorn to them

That round about us are.

14 A by-word also thou dost us Among the heathen make;

The people, in contempt and spite,
At us their heads do shake.

15 Before me my confusion

Continually abides;

And of my bashful countenance
The shame me ever hides:

16 For voice of him that doth reproach,
And speaketh blasphemy;

By reason of th' avenging foe,
And cruel enemy.

17 All this has come on us, yet we
Have not forgotten thee;
Nor falsely in thy covenant
Behav'd ourselves have we.

18 Back from thy way our heart not turn'd; Our steps no straying made;

19 Though us thou brak'st in dragons' place, And cover'dst with death's shade.

20 If we God's name forgot, or stretch'd To a strange god our hands,

21 Shall not God search this out? for he Heart's secrets understands.

22 Yea, for thy sake we're kill'd all day, Counted as slaughter-sheep.

23 Rise, Lord, cast us not ever off; Awake, why dost thou sleep?

24 O wherefore hidest thou thy face? Forgett'st our cause distress'd,

25 And our oppression? for our soul
Is to the dust down press'd.

Our belly also on the earth
Fast cleaving hold doth take.

26 Rise for our help, and us redeem,
Ev'n for thy mercies' sake.

PSALM XLV.

THIS divinely glorious Psalm, parallel in subject, spirit, and expression, to the Song of Solomon, (whereof indeed it is the key), explained and applied, Heb. i. 8. to the Lord Jesus Christ, is a clear and decisive proof of the true interpretation of all its parallels, as recited in the marginal references; a larger catalogue whereof the reader will find in the illustration of Psal. ii.

1

God over all, bless'd evermore,

The Lord THE SON, the King,
Let all the heavenly hosts adore!
Let all the churches sing!
O daughter! see thy glory come!
O daughter of thy God!

Thy spouse he comes to take thee home
To heav'n thine own abode !

THE TITLE PARAPHRASED.

I'll sing the Lily of the vale;
I'll sing of Christ the King,

Whose loves above all loves prevail
So shall the song 1 sing.

MY

:

Y heart brings forth a goodly thing;
My words that I indite

Concern the King: my tongue's a pen
Of one that swift doth write.

2 Thou fairer art than sons of men :
Into thy lips is store

Of grace infus'd; God therefore thee
Hath bless'd for evermore.

3 0 thou that' art the mighty One,
Thy sword gird on thy thigh;
Ev'n with thy glory excellent,
And with thy majesty..

* Prose Psalms of the Bible.

4 For meekness, truth, and righteousness, In state ride prosp'rously

And thy right hand shall thee instruct
In things that fearful be.

5 Thine arrows sharply pierce the heart
Of th' en'mies of the King;
And under thy subjection

The people down do bring. 6 For ever and for ever is,

O God, thy throne of might;
The sceptre of thy kingdom is
A sceptre that is right.

7 Thou lovest right, and hatest ill;
For God, thy God, most high,
Above thy fellows hath with th' oil
Of joy anointed thee.

8 Of aloes, myrrh, and cassia,
A smell thy garments had,
Out of the iv'ry palaces,

Whereby they made thee glad.
9 Among thy women honourable
Kings' daughters were at hand;
Upon thy right hand did the queen
In gold of Ophir stand.

10 O daughter, hearken and regard,
And do thine ear incline;

Likewise forget thy father's house,
And people that are thine.

11 Then of the King desir'd shall be
Thy beauty veh'mently:
Because he is thy Lord, do thou
Him worship rev'rently.

12 The daughter there of Tyre shall be
With gifts and off'rings great:
Those of the people that are rich
Thy favour shall entreat,