8 For he shall judge the world in righteousness: and minifter true judgment unto the people.

9 The Lord alfo will be a defence for the oppreffed: even a refuge in due time of trouble.

10 And they that know thy Name will put their truft in thee: for thou, Lord, haft never failed them that feek thee.

;

11 O praise the Lord which dwelleth in Sion: fhew the people of his doings.

15

12 For when he maketh inquifition for blood, he remembereth them: and forgetteth not the complaint of the poor.

13 Have mercy upon me, O Lord; confider the trouble which I fuffer of them that hate me: thou that lifteft me up from the gates of death.

14 That I may fhew all thy praises within the ports of the daughter of Sion: I will rejoice in thy falvation.

15 The heathen are funk down in the pit that they made: in the fame net whichthey hid privily is their foot taken.

16 The Lord is known to execute judgment: the ungodly is trapped in the work of his own hands.

17 The wicked fhall be turned into hell: and all the people that forget God.

18 For the poor fhall not alway be forgotten: the patient abiding of the meek fhall not perish for ever.

19 Up, Lord, and let not man have the upper hand: let the heathen be judged in thy fight.

20 Put them in fear, O Lord: that the heathen may know themselves to be but men.

|| Pfalm 10.

Ut quid, Domine?

HY ftandeft thou fo far off, O Lord: and hideft thy face in the needful time of trouble?

WH

This Pfalm confifts of forrowful complaining, and fervent prayer: in which the Enemies of the Church are drawn in lively colours, and petition is made that

God would deliver the undefervedly afflicted Righ
teous-disappoint the cruel artifices of their Enemies,
and inflict upon them just punishment.
B..

2 The ungodly for his own luft doth perfecute the poor: let then be taken in the crafty wilinefs that they have imagined.

3 For the ungodly hath made boast of his own hearts defire: and fpeaketh good of the covetous whom God abhorreth.

4 The ungodly is fo proud, that he careth not for God: *neither is God in all his thoughts.

5 His ways are always grievous: thy judgments are far above out of his fight, and therefore defieth he all his enemies.

6 For he hath faid in his heart, Tufh, I fhall never be caft down: there fhall no harm happen unto me..

7 His mouth is full of curfing, deceit, and fraud: under his tongue is ungodliness and vanity.

8 He fitteth lurking in the thievish corners of the streets: and privily in his lurking dens doth he murder the innocent; his eyes are set against the poor.

9 For he lieth waiting fecretly, even as a lion lurketh he in his den: that he may ravish the poor.

10 He doth ravish the poor: when he getteth him into his net. 11 He falleth down and humbleth himfelf: that the congrega tion of the poor may fall into the hands of his captains.

12 He hath faid in his heart, Tush, God hath forgotten: he hideth away his face, and he will never fee it.

13 Arise, O Lord God, and lift up thine hand: forget not the poor.

14 Wherefore fhould the wicked blafpheme God: while he doth fay in his heart, Tufh, thou, God careft not for it.

15 Surely thou haft seen it: for thou beholdest ungodlinefs and wrong.

Neither is God in all his Thoughts, &c. It is worthy of obfervatiaton that in the ftriking picture which the Pfalmift here prefents us with of an abandoned Sinner, one of his principal features is a total difregard of Religion: He careth not for God, neither is God in all his Thoughts. The confequence of which we are too plainly told in the following verfe viz that kis ways are always grievous. For when a Man is be

come infenfible to all religious impreffions, he will foca
become an eafy prey to every Temptation; and no-
thing will be fufficient to reftrain him from running a
full courfe of Iniquity. Human Laws will be ineffec-
tual to keep him within the bounds of his duty: and
no Man may fafely rely upon his integrity, an, further
than that will ferve his prefent interest.

116 That thou mayeft take the matter into thy hand: the poor. committeth himself unto thee; for thou art the helper of the friendless.

17 Break thou the power of the ungodly and malicious: take away his ungodlinefs, and thou fhalt find none.

18 The Lord is King for ever and ever: and the heathen are perished out of the land,

19 Lord, thou haft heard the defire of the poor: thou preparest their heart, and thine ear hearkeneth thereto.

20 To help the fatherlefs and poor unto their right: that the man of the earth be no more exalted against them.

In Domino confido.

§ Pfalm II.

I

N the Lord put I my truft: how fay ye then to my foul, that fhe fhould flee as a bird unto the hill ?

2 For lo, the ungodly bend their bow, and make ready their arrows within the quiver: that they may privily fhoot at them which are true of heart.

3 For the foundations will be caft down: and what hath the righ teous done?

4 The Lord is in his holy temple: the Lords feat is in heaven. 5 His eyes confider the poor: and his eye-lids try the children of men.

6 The Lord alloweth the righteous: but the ungodly and him that delighteth in wickednefs doth his foul abhor.

7* Upon the ungodly he fhall rain fnares, fire and brimftone, storm and tempeft: this fhall be their portion to drink.

8 For the righteous Lord loveth righteoufnefs: his countenance will behold the thing that is juft.

PRA Y E R.. § Pfalm 12. Salvum me fac.

HE

Elp me, Lord for there is not one godly man left: for the faithful are minifhed from among the children of men. 2 They talk of vanity every one with his neighbour: they do. but flatter with their lips, and diffemble in their double heart.

3 The Lord fhall root out all deceitful lips: and the tongue that speaketh proud things.

4 Which have faid, With our tongue will we prevail: we are they that ought to speak, who is lord over us?

5 Now for the comfortless troubles fake of the needy: and becaufe of the deep fighing of the poor;

6 I will up, faith the Lord: and will help every one from him that fwelleth against him, and will fet him at reft.

EVENING

7 The words of the Lord are pure words: even as the filver, which from the earth is tried, and purified feven times in the fire.

8 Thou shalt keep them, O Lord: thou fhalt preserve him from this generation for ever.

9 The ungodly walk on every fide: when they are exalted, the children of men are put to rebuke.

Pfalm 13. Ufque quo, Domine?

OW long wilt thou forget me, O Lord, for ever:
long wilt thou hide thy face from me?

§ David in this Pfalm complains of the general corruption of Manners of the age he then lived in; and implores God's protection, whom he alfo introduces fpeaking and promifing his affiftance. This Pfalm feems to have been compofed when he was in danger of being betrayed by Doeg and the Ziphites.

Help me Lord, for there is not, &c. David's complaint of the fmall number of good People in his time, and his Prayer to God on that occafion, teach us, that when we fee Integrity fail, and Iniquity abound in the World, it is then our wifdom to have recourse

how

to God by Prayer as a. means to preferve us from op. preffion and corruption.

In this Pfalm David, being in the utmost distress, complains that God had for faken him; that his forrows were increafed, and his Enemy grown infolent with fuccefs. He therefore intreats God to comfort and deliver him from his terrors. In the midst of which

however, he is infpired with an holy confidence in the divine goodness; and promifes to fhew himself thankful for it.

* How long wilt thou forget, &c. This Pfalm is

2. How long fhall I feek counsel in my foul, and be fo vexed in my heart: how long fhall mine enemies triumph over me?

3 Confider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, that I fleep not in death.

4 Left mine enemy fay, I have prevailed against him: for if I be caft down, they that trouble me will rejoice at it.

5 But my trust is in thy mercy: and my heart is joyful in thy falvation.

6 I will fing of the Lord, because he hath dealt fo lovingly with me: yea, I will praise the Name of the Lord moft Higheft. || Pfalm 14. Dixit infipiens.

HE fool hath faid in his heart: There is no God.

*

TH

2 They are corrupt, and become abominable in their doings: there is none that doeth good, no not one.

3 The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men: to see if there were any that would understand, and seek after God.

4 But they are all gone out of the way; they are altogether become abominable: there is none that doeth good, no not one.

5 Their throat; is an open fepulchre, with their tongues have they deceived: the poison of afps is under their lips.

6 Their mouth is full of curfing and bitterness: their feet are fwift to fhed blood.

7 Destruction and unhappiness is in their ways, and the way of peace have they not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.

8 Have they no knowledge, that

very proper for Perfons in affliction. Since they are
here taught by the example of David where to apply
for relief and deliverance in all diftreffes. Since God is
able to enlighten their darknefs-to speak comfort
to their Souls to remove their calamities to turn their
forrows into joy, and their mournings into fongs of
praife.
|| David in this Pfalm, deferibes the great and gene
ral Corruption, the Wickedness and Impiety of the
Men of his age.

they are all fuch workers of

They are corrupt and become abominable, &c. It were much to be wifhea that the complaint which the Pfalmift here makes of the People in his time were not applicable to the prefent Profeffors of a more enligh tened Difpenfation! But happy would it be would every one endeavour to prevent the reproach by a diligent reformation of himself, and all that are under his influence: rather than to nourish in himself (piritual Pride, by indulging himfelf in unprofitable complaints of the Wickedness of his Neighbours.