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PSALM 1.

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 dispersed

like chaff before the wind.

5 Their guilt shall strike the wicked dumb before their Judge's face:

No formal hypocrite shall then

among 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 2.

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 council 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 enthroned 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 be 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.

"Thy threatening 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,
incensed 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 3.

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."

3"But thou, O Lord, art my defence; on thee my hopes rely;

Thou art my glory, and shall yet
lift up my head on high.

4 Since whensoe'er, in like distress,
to God I made my prayer,
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 :

His blessings he extends to all that on his power depend.

PSALM 4.

Lord, thou 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 prayer, he always hears my voice.

4 Then stand in awe of his commands,
flee every 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 prosperous 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 possess’d.

PSALM 5.

LORD, hear the voice of my complaint,

accept my secret prayer;

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
can'st never, Lord, approve,
Who from thy sacred dwelling-place
all evil dost remove.

6 Not long shall stubborn fools remain
unpunish'd in thy view;

All such as act unrighteous things thy vengeance shall pursue.

6 The slandering 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 loved courts restore,

On thee I'll fix my longing eyes, and humbly thee 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.

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 tortured 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 prisoners of the silent grave can magnify thy name.

6 Quite tired 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 prayer; and they that wish my fall,

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

2 To save me from my threat'ning foe, Lord, interpose thy power; 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 had not spared 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 injured innocence.

7 So to thy throne, adoring crowds

shall still for justice fly: Oh! therefore, for their sake, 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, not 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 Ev'n 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 proved
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.

17 Therefore will I the righteous ways
of Providence proclaim;

I'll sing the praise of God most high, and celebrate his name.

PSALM 8.

THOU, to whom all creatures bow
within this earthly frame,

Through all the world how great art thou! how glorious is thy name!

In heaven thy wondrous acts are sung, nor fully reckon'd there;

2 And yet thou mak'st the infant tongue thy boundless praise declare.

Through thee the weak confound the strong, and crush their haughty foes;

And so thou quell'st the wicked throng,

that thee and thine oppose.

3 When heav'n, thy beauteous work on high, employs my wondering sight;

The moon, that nightly rules the sky, with stars of feebler light;

4 What's man, say I, that, Lord, thou lov’st to keep him in thy mind?

Or what his offspring, that thou prov'st to them so wondrous kind?

5 Him next in power thou didst create to thy celestial train;

6 Ordain'd, with dignity and state, o'er all thy works to reign.

7 They jointly own his powerful sway; the beasts that prey or graze;

8 The bird that wings its airy way; the fish that cuts the seas.

9 0 thou, to whom all creatures bow within this earthly frame,

Through all the world how great art thou! how glorious is thy name!

PSALM 9.

To celebrate thy praise, O Lord,

I will my heart prepare ; To all the listening world, thy works, thy wondrous works declare.

2 The thought of them shall to my soul Exalted pleasures bring;

Whilst to thy name, O thou Most High, triumphant praise I sing.

3 Thou mad'st my haughty foes to turn their backs in shameful flight: Struck with thy presence, down they fell, they perish'd at thy sight.

4 Against insulting foes advanced,
thou didst my cause maintain;
My right asserting from thy throne,
where truth and justice reign.

5 The insolence of heathen pride
thou hast reduced to shame ;
Their wicked offspring quite destroyed,
and blotted out their name.

6 Mistaken foes, your haughty threats
are to a period come;

Our city stands, which you design'd
to make our common tomb.

7, 8 The Lord for ever lives, who has
his righteous throne prepared,
Impartial justice to dispense,
to punish or reward.

9 God is a constant sure defence
against oppressing rage;

As troubles rise, his needful aids

in our behalf engage.

10 All those who have his goodness proved will in his truth confide;

Whose mercy ne'er forsook the man that on his help rely'd.

11 Sing praises therefore to the Lord, from Zion, his abode;

Proclaim his deeds, till all the world confess no other God.

PART II.

12 When he inquiry makes for blood, he'll call the poor to mind: The injured humble man's complaint relief from him shall find.

13 Take pity on my troubles, Lord, which spiteful foes create, Thou that hast rescued me so oft from death's devouring gate. 14 In Sion then I'll sing thy praise to all that love thy name; And, with loud shouts of grateful joy, thy saving power proclaim.

15 Deep in the pit they digg'd for me, the heathen pride is laid; Their guilty feet to their own snare are heedlessly betray'd.

16 Thus, by the just return he makes, the mighty Lord is known;

While wicked men by their own plots, are shamefully o'erthrown.

17 No single sinner shall escape,

by privacy obscured;

Nor nation, from his just revenge, by numbers be secured.