THE PSALTER OF DAVID WITH Titles and Collects according to the matter of each PSALME OXFORD Printed by Leonard Lichfield Printer to the Vniversity 1644. The Preface IT is Naturall for all men when they are straitned with feares or actuall infelicities to run for succour to what their fancy or the next opportunity presents as an instrument of their ease and remedy But that which distinguishes men in these cases is the choyce of their Sanctuary for to rely upon the Reeds of Egypt or to snatch at the Bulrushes of Nilus may well become a drowning man whose reason is so wholly invaded and surprized by feare as to be uselesse to him in that confusion But he whose condition although it be sad is still under the Mastery of reason and hath time to deliberate unlesse he places his hopes upon something that is likely to cure his misery or at least to ease it by making his affliction lesse or his patience more does deserve that misery he groanes under stripes and remedilesse miseries are the lot of Fooles but afflictions that happen to wise men or good men represent indeed the sadnesses of mortality but they become Monuments and advantages of their Piety and Wisdome In this most unnaturall Warre commenced against the greatest solennities of Christianity and all that is called God I have been put to it to run somewhether to Sanctuary but whether was so great a question that had not Religion been my guide I had not known where to have found rest or safety when the King and the Lawes who by God and Man respectively are appointed the protectors of Innocence and truth had themselves the greatest need of a Protector And when in the beginning of these troubles I hastened to His Majesty the case of the King and His good Subjects was something like that of I saack ready to be sacrificed the wood was prepared the fire kindled the knife was lift up and the hand was striking that if we had not been something like Abraham too and against hope have believed in hope we had been as much without comfort as we were in outward appearance without remedy It was my custome long since to secure my selfe against the violences of Discontents abroad as Gerson did against temptatiōs in angulis libellis in my bookes and my retirements But now I was deprived of both them and driven to a publike view and participation of those dangers and miseries which threatned the Kingdom and disturb'd the evennesse of my former life I was therefore constrained to amasse together all those arguments of hope and comfort by which Men in the like condition were supported amongst all the great examples of trouble and confidence I reckon'd King David one of the biggest and of greatest consideration For considering that he was a King vexed with a Civill-Warre his case had so much of ours in it that it was likely the devotions he used might fit our turne and his comforts sustaine us And indeed when I came to look upon the Psalter with a neerer observation and an eye diligent to espy my advantages and remedies there deposited I found very many Prayers against the enemies of the King and Church and the miseries of Warre I found so many admirable promises so rare variety of expressions of the mercies of God so many consolatory hymnes the commemoration of so many deliverances from dangers and deaths and Enemies so many miracles of mercy and salvation that I began to be so confident as to believe there could come no affliction great enough to spend so great a stock of comfort as was laid up in the treasure of the Psalter the saying of S. Paul was here verified if sinne and misery did abound then did grace superabound and as we believe of the Passion of Christ it was so great as to be able to satisfy for a thousand Worlds so it is of the comforts of Davids Psalmes they are more then sufficient to repaire all the breaches of Mankind But for the particular occasion of creating confidences in us that God will defend his Church and his Annoynted and all that trust in him against all their Enemies which was our case and contained in it all our needs for the present I found so abundant supply that of 150. Psalmes some whereof are Historicall many Encharisticall many Propheticall and the rest Prayers for severall occasions 34 of them are expresly made against Gods and our Enemies Eleven expresly for the Church foure for the King that is a third part of the Psalmes relate particularly to the present occasion besides many clauses of respersion in the other which if collected into one would of themselves be great arguments of hope to prevaile in so good a cause This which experience taught me now I was promised before by a frequent testimony of the Doctors of the Church who give the Psalter such a Character as is due to the best and most usefull book in the whole World viz. The most profitable of books the treasure of Holy instructions consummationem totius paginae Theologicae the perfection of the whole Scripture so the ordinary Glosse calls it arma juvenum parva Biblia tribulatorum solatia the young mans armory the little Bible the comfort of the distressed so others to be said by all men upon all occasions is the counsell of the most devout amongst them But concerning the Psalter there are good words enough and reall observation of advantages in the severall prefaces before the Commentaries upon the Psalmes set forth by the Fathers and Writers of the first and middle ages I leave the particular enumeration of them to the Learned Divines of our Church to whom it is more proper the summe of them is this which Tertullian alone hath expressed in his Apology against the Gentiles Omnes Bibliothecas omnia monumenta unius Prophetae serinium vincit in quo videtur thesaurus collocatus esle to totius Iudaici Sacramenti inde etiam nostri this book alone of the Prophet David hath in it some excellencies beyond all the monuments of Learning in any Library whatsoever and is the store house both of the Iewish and Christian Religion But that which pleases me most is the fancy of S. Hilary expounding the Psalter to be meant by the Key of David spoken of by S. Iohn in his Revelation And properly enough for if we consider how many mysteries of Religion are open'd to us in the Psalter how many things concerning Christ what cleare vaticinations concerning his Birth his Priesthood his Kingdom his Death the very circumstances of his Passion his Resurrection and all the degrees of his Exaltation more cleerly and explicitely recorded in the Psalter then in all the old Prophets besides we may easily believe that Christ with a Key of David in his hand is nothing else but Christ fully open'd and manifested to us in the Psalmes in the whole mystery of our Redemption Omnes penè psalmi Christi personam
for the testimony of a good conscience the doctrines of a Catholike faith Let not them that trust in thee O Lord God of Hosts be ashamed but let them who for thy sake have suffered reproofe be delivered from them that hate them and from the deep waters of persecutions and discomforts that we and all thy faithfull people being saved from our Enemies may praise thee and thy faithfulnesse in this world and may finally inherit the land of promise which thou hast made to all that suffer persecution for a cause of righteousnesse even the possession of thine inheritance thy Kingdome in Heaven where thou livest and reignest ever one God world without end Amen PSALME 70. A Prayer to God for blessings upon faithfull People and deliverance from our Enemies HAst thee O God to deliver mee make hast to help me O Lord. 2 Let them be ashamed and confounded that seek after my soul let them be turned backward and put to confusion that wish me evill 3 Let them for their reward be soon brought to shame that crie over me There there 4 But let all those that seek thee be ioyfull and glad in thee and let all such as delight in thy salvation say alway The Lord be praised 5 As for me I am poore and in misery baste thee unto mee O God 6 Thou art my helper and my redeemer O Lord make no long tarrying The Prayer O Lord God our Helper and Redeemer have mercy upon us and all thy faithfull people make haste and help us ô God against all those that seek after our soules to doe us mischiefe make us to delight in thee to waite for thy salvation to trust in thy mercies to rejoyce in thy excellencies and perfection that our feet being directed by thy guidance our weaknesses strengthned by thy power our sinnes pardoned by thy mercies and our soules justified by thy free grace we may alwaies give thee praise with the humble addresses of devotion and thankfulnesse through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 71. A Prayer for the continuance of Gods favours to us even to our old age and a longing for a happy departure MORNING PRAYER IN thee O Lord have I put my trust let me never be put to confusion but rid me and deliver me in thy righteousnesse encline thine eare unto me and save me 2 Be thou my strong hold whereunto I may alway resort thou hast promised to help me for thou art my house of defence and my castle 3 Deliver me O my God out of the hand of the ungodly out of the hand of the unrighteous and cruell man 4 For thou O Lord God art the thing that I long for thou art my hope even from my youth 5 Through thee have I been holden up ever since I was born thou art he that took me out of my mothers wombe my praise shall be alway of thee 6 I am become as it were a monster unto many but my sure trust is in thee 7 O let my mouth be filled with thy praise that I may sing of thy glory and honour all the day long 8 Cast me not away in the time of age forsake me not when my strength faileth me 9 For mine enemies speak against me and they that lay wait for my soul take their counsel together saying God hath forsaken him persecute him and take him for there is none to deliver him 10 Go not farre from me O God my God hast thee to help me 11 Let them be confounded and perish that are against my soul let them be covered with shame and dishonour that seek to doe me evill 12 As for me I will patiently abide alway and will praise thee more and more 13 My mouth shall daily speak of thy righteousnesse and salvation for I know no end thereof 14 I will go forth in the strength of the Lord God and will make mention of thy righteousnesse only 15 Thou O God hast taught me from my youth up untill now therefore will I tell of thy wondrous works 16 Forsake me not O God in mine old age when I am gray-headed untill I have shewed thy strength unto this generation and thy power to all them that are yet for to come 17 Thy righteousnesse O God is very high and great things are they that thou hast done O God who is like unto thee 18 O what great troubles and adversities hast thou shewed me and yet didst thou turn and refresh me yea and broughtest me from the deep of the earth again 19 Thou hast brought me to great honour and comforted me on every side 20 Therefore will I praise thee and thy faithfulnesse O God playing upon an instrument of musick unto thee will I sing upon the harp O thou holy one of Israel 21 My lips will be fain when I sing unto thee and so will my soule whom thou hast delivered 22 My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousnesse all the day long for they are confounded and brought unto shame that seek to do me evil The Prayer O Lord God our house of defence and our Castle who by thy mercies and thy loving Spirit hast taught us and led us in thy wayes from our first years untill now thou hast brought us to great honour even the honour of being Christians the honour of adoption to be thy Children and heires of thy glorious promises coheir◠with thy Sonne Iesus Christ and hast comforted us on every side with a continuall streame of thy mercies and refreshments give us thy grace that we may love thee and long for thee above all the things of this World and as thou hast holden us up ever since we were borne so let thy mercy goe along with us all our daies Cast us not away in the time of age and give us grace that we may never cast thee or thy Lawes from us Let not thy grace and the ghostly strength we derive from thee forsake us when our naturall strength failes us but let our spirit grow upon the disadvantages of the flesh and begin to receive the happinesse of eternity by an absolute conquest over the weakned and decaying body that after we have by thy aide passed through the great troubles and adversities thou shewest unto all thy Children in this world we may lye downe in righteousnesse and with thy favour that when thou bringest us out from the deep of the earth againe we may have a joyfull resurrection to the society of Saints and Angells and the full fruition of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen PSALME 72. A Prayer for the exaltation and propagation of Christs Kingdome GIve the King thy judgements O God and thy righteousnesse unto the Kings sonne 2 Then shall he iudge the people according unto right and defend the poore 3 The mountains also shall bring peace and the little hills righteousnesse unto the people 4 He shall keep the simple folk by their right defend the children of the poore and punish the wrong doer 5
those that are appoynted to die 13 And for the blasphemy wherewith our neighbours have blasphemed thee reward thou them O Lord seven fold into their bosome 14 So we that be thy people and sheep of thy pasture shall give thee thanks for ever and will alway be shewing forth thy praise from generation to generation The Prayer O Lord God of thine inheritance who conveyest many blessings to the children of men by the prayers and ministery of thy Church let our Prayers obtain of thee mercies and deliverances for her O Lord thou hast planted thy Church in the humility and poverty and death of thy Sonne thou hast watered it with the blood of thy Apostles and Martyrs thou hast made it flourish and spread forth its branches by the warmth and heate and graces of thy holy spirit and hast according to thy promise still preserved it in the midst of all enmities and disadvantages Thy Lawes and righteous commandements have been a scorn and derision to Iewes and Gentiles the flesh of thy servants have been meat for the beasts of the Land and still she weares the purple robe of mockery and the crowne of thornes which at first she took from the head and side of her Dearest Lord At last O Lord be gratious unto thine inheritance help us ô God of our salvation for the glory of thy Name let not thine enemies devour the Church and lay wast her dwelling places be mercifull unto our sinnes preserve all those that by malice of their enemies are appoynted to death or prison or any other misery let us still enjoy the freedom of thy Gospell the food of thy word the sweet refreshings of thy Sacraments publike Communions in thy Church and all the benefits of the society of Saints and let not our sinnes cause thee to remove the Candlestick from us but make thy people and the sheep of thy pasture secure and glad in thy salvation that we may shew forth thy praise in this world and in the world to come through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 80. A Prayer for the Church HEare O thou Shepheard of Israel thou that leadest Ioseph like a sheep shew thy self also thou that sittest upon the cherubims 2 Before Ephraim Beniamin and Manasses stirre up thy strength and come and help us 3 Turn us again O God shew the light of thy countenance and we shall be whole 4 O Lord God of hosts how long wilt thou be angry with thy people that prayeth 5 Thou feedest them with the bread of tears and givest them plenteousnesse of tears to drink 6 Thou hast made us a very strife unto our neighbours and our enemies laugh us to scorn 7 Turn us again thou God of hosts shew the light of thy countenance and we shall be whole 8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt thou hast cast out the heathen and planted it 9 Thou madest room for it and when it had taken root it filled the land 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedar-trees 11 She stretched out her branches unto the sea and her boughs unto the river 12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedge that all they that go by pluck off her grapes 13 The wild bore out of the wood doth root it up and the wild beasts of the field devoure it 14 Turn thee again thou God of hosts look down from heaven behold and visit this vine 15 And the place of the vineyard that thy right hand hath planted and the branch that thou madest so strong for thy self 16 It is burnt with fire and cut down and they shall perish at the rebuke of thy countenance 17 Let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand and upon the sonne of man whom thou madest so strong for thine own self 18 And so will not we go back from thee O let us live and we shall call upon thy name 19 Turn us again O Lord God of hosts shew the light of thy countenance and we shall be whole The Prayer O Thou shepheard of Israel thou that sittest upon the Cherubims stirre up thy strength and come and help thy people that prayeth unto thee for mercy and protection Thou hast made affliction the portion of thy Children in this life thou feedest them with bread of teares and givest them plenteousnesse of teares to drinke yet be pleased to shew the light of thy countenance upon us to lighten our darknesses to relieve our miseries to heal our sicknesses and let not thy Church become a strife unto her neighbours but reunite her divisions and make her not a prey to them that would devoure her and then laugh her to scorne O Lord hedge her about with thy mercies with the custody of Angels with the patronage of Kings and Princes with the hearts and hands of Nobles and the defence of the whole secular arme least the wild beasts of the field pluck off her grapes destroy the vintage and root up the vine it selfe but let her so flourish under the beams of thy favour and providence that it may take root and spread and fill all lands that the name of the man of thy right hand the God and Man Christ Iesus may be glorified thy Church enlarged and defended and we blessed with thy health and salvation Grant this O Lord for Iesus Christ his sake our only Saviour and Redeemer Amen PSALME 81. A festivall song and a Prayer for the grace and blessings of obedience to Gods Lawes SIng we merrily unto God our strength make a cheerfull noise unto the God of Iacob 2 Take the psalme bring hither the tabret the merry harp with the lute 3 Blow up the trumpet in the new moon even in the time appoynted and upon our solemne feast day 4 For this was made a statute for Israel and a law of the God of Iacob 5 This he ordained in Ioseph for a testimony when he came out of the land of Egypt and had heard a strange language 6 I eased his shoulder from the burden and his hands were delivered from making the pots 7 Thou calledst upon me in troubles and I delivered thee and heard thee what time as the storm fell upon thee 8 I proved thee also at the waters of strife 9 Heare O my people and I will assure thee O Israel if thou wilt hearken unto me 10 There shall no strange god be in thee neither shalt thou worship any other god 11 I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt open thy mouth wide and I shall fill it 12 But my people would not heare my voyce and Israel would not obey me 13 So I gave them up unto their own hearts lust and let them follow their own imaginations 14 O that my people would have hearkned unto me for if Israel had walked in my wayes 15 I should soon have put down their enemies and turned my hand against their adversaries 16