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To love, to seek, to prize,

Things false and vain, and nothing else but lies?

Yet know, the Lord hath chose,

Chose to himself apart,

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Will hear my voice, what time to him I cry.

Be aw'd, and do not sin;

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On us lift up the light,

Lift up the favour of thy count'nance bright. Into my heart more joy

And gladness thou hast put,

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Than when a year of glut

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As in a rocky cell

Thou, Lord, alone, in safety makest me dwell.

PSALM V.

(August 12, 1653.)

JEHOVAH, to my words give ear,
My meditation weigh;

The voice of my complaining hear,
My King and God; for unto thee I pray.
Jehovah, thou my early voice

Shalt in the morning hear;

I' the morning I to thee with choice

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Will rank my prayers, and watch till thou appear.

For thou art not a God that takes

In wickedness delight;

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Evil with thee no biding makes;

Fools or mad men stand not within thy sight.

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Thou wilt destroy that speak a lie;

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The bloody and guileful man God doth detest.
But I will, in thy mercies dear,

Thy numerous mercies, go.

Into thy house; I, in thy fear,

Will towards thy holy temple worship low.
Lord, lead me in thy righteousness,
Lead me, because of those

That do observe if I transgress;

Set thy ways right before, where my step goes.
For, in his falt'ring mouth unstable,

No word is firm or sooth;

Their inside, troubles miserable;

An open grave their throat, their tongue they smooth.

God, find them guilty, let them fall

By their own counsels quell'd; Push them to their rebellions all

Still on; for against thee they have rebell'd.

Then all who trust in thee, shall bring
Their joy; while thou from blame

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Defend'st them: they shall ever sing

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And shall triumph in thee, who love thy name.

For thou, Jehovah, wilt be found

To bless the just man still;

As with a shield, thou wilt surround

Him with thy lasting favour and good will.

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PSALM VI.

(August 13, 1653.)

LORD, in thine anger do not reprehend me,
Nor in thy hot displeasure me correct;
Pity me, Lord, for I am much deject,

And very weak and faint; heal and amend mc:

For all my bones, that even with anguish ake,
Are troubled, yea, my soul is troubled sore,

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And thou, O Lord, how long? Turn, Lord; restore

My soul; O save ine for thy goodness' sake:
For in death no remembrance is of thee;

Who in the grave can celebrate thy praise?
Wearied I am with sighing out my days;

Nightly my couch I make a kind of sea;
My bed I water with my tears; mine eye
Through grief consumes, is waxen old and dark
I'the midst of all mine enemies that mark.

Depart, all ye that work iniquity,

Depart from me; for the voice of my weeping

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The Lord hath heard; the Lord hath heard my prayer; My supplication with acceptance fair

The Lord will own, and have me in his keeping.

Mine enemies shall all be blank and dash'd

With much confusion; then, grown red with shame, They shall return in haste the way they caine,

And in a moment shall be quite abash'd.

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PSALM VII.

(August 14, 1653.)

Upon the words of Chush the Benjamite against him.

LORD, my God, to thee I fly;
Save me and secure me under
Thy protection while I cry;
Lest, as a lion (and no wonder)
He haste to tear my soul asunder,
Tearing, and no rescue nigh.

Lord, my God, if I have thought
Or done this; if wickedness

Be in my hands; if I have wrought
Ill to him that meant me peace;
Or to him have render'd less,

And not freed my foe for naught;

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10

Let the enemy pursue my soul,

And overtake it; let him tread

My life down to the earth, and roll
In the dust my glory dead,

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In the dust; and there, out-spread,
Lodge it with dishonour foul.

Rise, Jehovah, in thine ire,
Rouse thyself amidst the rage
Of my foes that urge like fire;

And wake for me, their fury asswage;
Judgement here thou didst engage
And command, which I desire.

So th' assemblies of each nation
Will surround thee, seeking right;
Thence to thy glorious habitation
Return on high, and in their sight.
Jehovah judgeth most upright

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All people from the world's foundation.

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My defence, and in him lies,

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In him who, both just and wise,
Saves th' upright of heart at last.

God is a just judge and severe,
And God is every day offended;

If the unjust will not forbear,

His sword he whets, his bow hath bended

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Already, and for him intended

The tools of death, that waits him near.

(His arrows purposely made he

For them that persecute.) Behold,

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He travels big with vanity;
Trouble he hath conceiv'd of old,
As in a womb; and from that mould
Hath at length brought forth a lie.

He digg'd a pit, and delv'd it deep,
And fell into the pit he made;

His mischief, that due course doth keep,
Turns on his head; and his ill trade
Of violence will, undelay'd,

Fall on his crown with ruin steep.

Then will I Jehovah's praise
According to his justice raise,
And sing the Name and Deity
Of Jehovah the Most High.

PSALM VIII.

(August 14, 1653.)

O JEHOVAH our Lord, how wondrous great
And glorious is thy Name through all the earth!
So as above the heav'ns thy praise to set
Out of the tender mouths of latest birth.

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Out of the mouths of babes and sucklings thou
Hast founded strength, because of all thy foes,
To stint th' enemy, and slack th' avenger's brow,
That bends his rage thy Providence to oppose.
When I behold thy heav'ns, thy fingers' art,
The moon and stars, which thou so bright hast set 10
In the pure firmament; then saith my heart,
what is man, that thou rememb'rest yet,

0,

And think'st upon him; or of man begot,

That him thou visit'st, and of him art found! Scarce to be less than gods, thou mad'st his lot,

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With honour and with state thou hast him crown'd.

O'er the works of thy hand thou mad'st him lord, we a
Thou hast put all under his lordly feet;

All flocks and herds, by thy commanding word,
All beasts that in the field or forest meet,

Fowl of the heav'ns, and fish that through the wet
Sea-paths in shoals do slide, and know no dearth.

O Jehovah our Lord, how wondrous great

And glorious is thy Name through all the earth!

(April, 1648. J. M.)

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Nine of the Psalms done into metre, wherein all, but what is in a different character, are the very words of the text, translated from the original.

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PSALM LXXX.

1 THOU, Shepherd, that dost Israel keep,

Give ear in time of need;

Who leadest like a flock of sheep

Thy loved Joseph's seed;

That sitt'st between the Cherubs bright,

Between their wings out-spread;

Shine forth, and from thy cloud give light,
And on our foes thy dread.

2 In Ephraim's view and Benjamin's,

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And in Manasse's sight,

Awake thy strength, come, and be seen
To save us by thy might.

3 Turn us again, thy grace

divine

To us, O God, vouchsafe;

Cause thou thy face on us to shine,

And then we shall be safe.

4 Lord God of Hosts, how long wilt thou,

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How long wilt thou declare

Thy smoking wrath, and angry

brow

Against thy people's prayer!

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5 Thou feed'st them with the bread of tears;

Their bread with tears they eat;

And mak'st them largely drink the tears
Wherewith their cheeks are wet.

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6 A strife thou mak'st us and a prey
To every neighbour foe;

Among themselves they laugh, they play,
And flouts at us they throw.

7 Return us, and thy grace divine,

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O God of Hosts, vouchsafe;

Cause thou thy face on us to shine,
And then we shall be safe.

8 A vine from Egypt thou hast brought,
Thy free love made it thine,

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And drov'st out nations proud and haut,
To plant this lovely vine.

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9 Thou didst prepare for it a place,

And root it deep and fast,

That it began to grow apace,

And fill'd the land at last.

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10 With her green shade that 'cover'd all, The hills were over-spread;

Her boughs as high as cedars tall
Advanc'd their lofty head.

11 Her branches on the western side
Down to the sea she sent,

And upward to that river wide
Her other branches went, i

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12 Why hast thou laid her hedges low, And broken down her fence,

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That all may pluck her, as they go,
With rudest violence?

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