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Cut off th' unjust, but crown the saints With lasting peace and joy.

W

PSALM CXXVI.

HEN Sion's God her sons recall'd
From long captivity,

It seem'd at first a pleasing dream
Of what we wish'd to see.

2 But soon in an accustom'd mirth
We did our voice employ,

And sung our great Restorer's praise
In thankful hymns of joy.
Our heathen foes repining stood,
Yet were compell'd to own,
That great and wondrous was the work
Our God for us had done.

3 'Twas great, say they; 'twas wondrous great,

Much more should we confess;

The Lord has done great things, whereof We the glad success. reap

4 To us bring back the remnant, Lord, Of Israel's captive bands,

More welcome than refreshing show'rs
To parch'd and thirsty lands.

5 That we, whose work commenc'd in tears,
May see our labours thrive,
Till finish'd with success, to make
Our drooping hearts revive.

6 Though he despond that sows his grain, Yet doubtless he shall come

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To bind his full-ear'd sheaves, and bring The joyful harvest home.

PSALM CXXVII.

"E build with fruitless cost, unless
The Lord the pile sustain;

Unless the Lord the city keep
The watchman wakes in vain.

2 In vain we rise before the day,
And late to rest repair,
Allow no respite to our toil,
And eat the bread of care.
Supplies of life, with ease to them,
He on his saints bestows;

He crowns their labour with success,
Their nights with sound repose.

3 Children, those comforts of our life,
Are presents from the Lord;
He gives a num'rous race of heirs,
As piety's reward.

4 As arrows in a giant's hand,
When marching forth to war,
E'en so the sons of sprightly youth
Their parents' safeguard are.

5 Happy the man whose quiver's fill'd
With these prevailing arms;

He needs not fear to meet his foe
At law, or war's alarms.

PSALM CXXVIII.

THE man is blest who fears the Lord,
or only worship pays,

But keeps his steps confin'd with care
To his appointed ways.

2 He shall upon the sweet returns
Of his own labour feed;
Without dependence live, and see
His wishes all succeed.

3 His wife, like a fair fertile vine,
Her lovely fruit shall bring;

His children, like young olive plants,
About his table spring.

4, 5 Who fears the Lord shall prosper thus;
Him Sion's God shall bless,
And grant him all his days to see
Jerusalem's success.

6 He shall live on, till heirs from him
Descend with vast increase;

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Much bless'd in his own prosp'rous state, And more in Israel's peace.

'F'

PSALM CXXIX. ROM my youth up, may They oft have me assail'd;

Israel say,

2 Reduc'd me oft to heavy straits, But never quite prevail'd.

3 They oft have plow'd my patient back With furrows deep and long;

4 But our just God has broke their chains, And rescu'd us from wrong.

5 Defeat, confusion, shameful rout

Be still the doom of those, Their righteous doom, who Sion hate, And Sion's God oppose.

6 Like corn upon our houses' tops, Untimely let them fade,

Which too much heat, and want of root, Has blasted in the blade:

7 Which in his arms no reaper takes,
But unregarded leaves;
Nor binder thinks it worth his pains
To fold it into sheaves.

8 No traveller that passes by

Vouchsafes a minute's stop,
To give it one kind look, or crave
Heav'n's blessing on the crop.

PSALM CXXX.

1 ROM lowest depths of woe To God I sent my cry;

2 Lord, hear my supplicating voice, And graciously reply.

3 Should'st thou severely judge,

Who can the trial bear?

4 But thou forgiv'st, lest we despond, And quite renounce thy fear.

5 My soul with patience waits For thee, the living Lord ;

My hopes are on thy promise built, Thy never-failing word.

6 My longing eyes look out

For thy enliv'ning ray,

More duly than the morning watch
Το the dawning day.

spy

7 Let Israel trust in God,

No bounds his mercy knows;

The plenteous source and spring from Eternal succour flows.

8 Whose friendly streams to us

Supplies in want convey;

3,4 I will not go into my house,
Nor to my bed ascend;
No soft repose shall close my eyes,
Nor sleep my eyelids bend:
5 Till for the Lord's design'd abode
I mark the destin'd ground;
Till I a decent place of rest

For Jacob's God have found.

6 Th' appointed place with shouts of joy At Ephrata we found, [fields And made the woods and neighb'ring Our glad applause resound.

7 O with due rev'rence let us then
To his abode repair;

And, prostrate at his footstool fall'n,
Pour out our humble pray'r.

8 Arise, O Lord, and now possess
Thy constant place of rest;
Be that, not only with thy ark,
But with thy presence blest.

9, 10 Clothe thou thy priests with righteousness,

Make thou thy saints rejoice;
And, for thy servant David's sake,
Hear thy anointed's voice.

11 God sware to David in his truth,
(Nor shall his oath be vain,)
One of thy offspring, after thee,
Upon thy throne shall reign.
And if thy seed my cov'nant keep,
And to my laws submit,

[whence

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A healing spring, a spring to cleanse, And wash our guilt away.

Their children too upon thy throne
For evermore shall sit.

13, 14 For Sion does in God's esteem
All other seats excel;

His place of everlasting rest,
Where he desires to dwell.

15, 16 Her store, says he, I will increase, Her poor with plenty bless;

Her saints shall shout for joy, her priests
My saving health confess.

17 There David's pow'r shall long remain In his successive line,

And my anointed servant there

Shall with fresh lustre shine. 18 The faces of his vanquish'd foes Confusion shall o'erspread,

Whilst, with confirm'd success, his crown Shall flourish on his head.

PSALM CXXXV.

PRAISE the Lord with one con-
And magnify his Name;

Let all the servants of the Lord
His worthy praise proclaim.

2 Praise him all ye that in his house
Attend with constant care;

12, 13 Their land upon his chosen race
He firmly did entail;

For which his fame shall always last,
His praise shall never fail.

14 For God shall soon his people's cause With pitying eyes survey;

Repent him of his wrath, and turn
His kindled rage away.

15 Those idols, whose false worship spreads O'er all the heathen lands,

Are made of silver and of gold,

The work of human hands. 16, 17 They move not their fictitious tongues, Nor see with polish'd eyes; Their counterfeited ears are deaf,

No breath their mouth supplies. 18 As senseless as themselves are they That all their skill apply

[sent,

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With those that to his outmost courts
With humble zeal repair.

3 For this our truest interest is,

Glad hymns of praise to sing;

And with loud songs to bless his Name,
A most delightful thing.

4 For God his own peculiar choice

The sons of Jacob makes;
And Israel's offspring for his own
Most valued treasure takes.

5 That God is great we often have
By glad experience found;

And seen how he with wondrous pow'r
Above all gods is crown'd.

6 For he with unresisted strength

Performs his sov'reign will,

In heav'n and earth, and wat'ry stores
That earth's deep caverns fill.

7 He raises vapours from the ground,
Which, pois'd in liquid air,

Fall down at last in show'rs, thro' which
His dreadful lightnings glare.

8 He from his storehouse brings the wind;
And he with vengeful hand
The first-born slew of man and beast
Through Egypt's mourning land.
9 He dreadful signs and wonders shew'd
Through stubborn Egypt's coasts;
Nor Pharaoh could his plagues escape,
Nor all his num'rous hosts.

10, 11 'Twas he that various nations smote,
And mighty kings suppress'd;
Sihon and Og, and all besides
Who Canaan's land possess'd.

To make them, or in dang'rous times
On them for aid rely.

Their just returns of thanks to God
Let grateful Israel pay;

Nor let the priests of Aaron's race
To bless the Lord delay.

20 Their sense of his unbounded love
Let Levi's house express;

And let all those that fear the Lord

His Name for ever bless.

21 Let all with thanks his wondrous works In Sion's courts proclaim;

Let them in Salem, where he dwells,
Exalt his holy Name.

PSALM CXXXVI.

10 God, the mighty Lord,
Your joyful thanks repeat;

To him due praise afford,
As good as he is great.
For God does prove
Our constant friend;
His boundless love
Shall never end.

2,3 To him whose wondrous pow'r
All other gods obey,
Whom earthly kings adore,
This grateful homage pay.
For God, &c.

4, 5 By his Almighty hand
Amazing works are wrought;
The heav'ns by his command
Were to perfection brought.
For God, &c.

6 He spread the ocean round
About the spacious land;
And made the rising ground
Above the waters stand.

For God, &c.

7, 8, 9 Through heav'n he did display

His num'rous hosts of light;

10, 11, 12 He struck the first-born dead
Of Egypt's stubborn land;
And thence his people led

With his resistless hand.
For God, &c.

13, 14 By him the raging sea,
As if in pieces rent,
Disclos'd a middle way,

Through which his people went.
For God, &c.

15 Where soon he overthrew

Proud Pharaoh and his host,
Who, daring to pursue,
Were in the billows lost.
For God, &c.

16, 17, 18 Through deserts vast and wild
He led the chosen seed;
And famous princes foil'd,

And made great monarchs bleed.
For God, &c.

19, 20 Sihon, whose potent hand

Great Ammon's sceptre sway'd;
And Og, whose stern command
Rich Bashan's land obey'd.
For God, &c.

21, 22 And of his wondrous grace,
Their lands, whom he destroy'd,
He gave to Israel's race,
To be by them enjoy'd.
For God, &c.

23, 24 He, in our depth of woes,
On us with favour thought,
And from our cruel foes

In peace and safety brought.
For God, &c.

25, 26 He does the food supply
On which all creatures live:
To God who reigns on high
Eternal praises give.

For God will prove
Our constant friend;
His boundless love
Shall never end.

Musick and mirth of us requir'd; Come, sing us one of Sion's songs. 4 How shall we tune our voice to sing? Or touch our harps with skilful hands? Shall hymns of joy to God our King Be sung by slaves in foreign lands? 5 O Salem, our once happy seat, When I of thee forgetful prove, Let then my trembling hand forget The speaking strings with art to move! 6 If I to mention thee forbear,

Eternal silence seize my tongue;
Or if I sing one cheerful air,
Till thy deliv'rance is my song!

7 Remember, Lord, how Edom's race,
In thy own city's fatal day,
Cried out, Her stately walls deface,
And with the ground quite level lay.
8 Proud Babel's daughter, doom'd to be
Of grief and woe the wretched
prey;
Bless'd is the man who shall to thee
The wrongs thou lay'st on us repay.
9 Thrice blest, who with just rage possest,
And deaf to all the parents' moans,
Shall snatch thy infants from the breast,
And dash their heads against the stones.

PSALM CXXXVIII.

ITH my whole heart, my God and

W King,

Thy praise I will proclaim;
Before the gods with joy I'll sing,
And bless thy holy Name.

2 I'll worship at thy sacred seat;
And, with thy love inspir'd,
The praises of thy truth repeat,
O'er all thy works admir'd.

3 Thou graciously inclin'dst thine ear,
When I to thee did cry;

And, when my soul was press'd with fear,

Didst inward strength supply.

4 Therefore shall ev'ry earthly prince
Thy Name with praise pursue,
Whom these admir'd events convince
That all thy works are true.

5 They all thy wondrous ways, O Lord,
With cheerful songs shall bless;
And all thy glorious acts record,
Thy awful pow'r confess.

6 For God, although enthron'd on high,
Does thence the poor respect;
The proud far off his scornful eye
Beholds with just neglect.

7 Though I with troubles am oppress'd, He shall my foes disarm;

Relieve my soul when most distress'd, And keep me safe from harm.