MORNING PRAYER PLead thou my cause O Lord with them that strive with me and fight thou against them that fight against me 2 Lay hand upon the shield and buckler and stand up to help me 3 Bring forth the spear and stop the way against them that persecute me say unto my soul I am thy salvation 4 Let them be confounded and put to shame that seek after my soul let them be turned back and brought to confusion that imagine mischief for me 5 Let them be as the dust before the winde and the Angell of the Lord scattering them 6 Let their way be dark and slippery and let the Angell of the Lord persecute them 7 For they have privily laid their net to destroy me without a cause yea even without a cause have they made a pit for my soul 8 Let a sudden destruction come upon him unawares and his net that he hath laid privily catch himselfe that he may fall into his own mischiefe 9 And my soul be ioyfull in the Lord it shall reioyce in his salvation 10 All my bones shall say Lord who is like unto thee which deliverest the poor from him that is too strong for him yea the poore and him that is in misery from him that spoyleth him 11 False witnesse did rise up they laid to my charge things that I knew not 12 They rewarded me evill for good to the great discomfort of my soul 13 Neverthelesse when they were sick I put on sackcloth and humbled my soul with fasting and my prayer shall turn into mine own bosome 14 I behaved my selfe as though it had been my friend or my brother I went heavily as one that mourneth for his mother 15 But in mine adversity they reioyced and gathered them together yea the very abjects came together against me unawares making mowes at me and ceased not 16 With the flatterers were busy mockers which gnashed upon me with their teeth 17 Lord how long wilt thou look upon this O deliver my soul from the calamities which they bring on me and my darling from the lions 18 Sâ— will I give thee thankes in the great congregation I will praise thee among much people 19 O let not them that are mine enemies triumph over mee ungodly neither let them wink with their eyes that hate me without a cause 20 And why their communing is not for peace but they imagine deceitfull words against them that are quiet in the land 21 They gaped on me with their mouthes and said Fie on thee fie on thee we saw it with our eyes 22 This thou hast seen O Lord hold not thy tongue then goe not farre from me O Lord. 23 Awake and stand up to iudge my quarrells avenge thou my cause my God and my Lord. 24 Iudge me O Lord my God according to thy righteousnesse and let them not triumph over mee 25 Let them not say in their hearts There there so would we have it neither let them say we have devoured him 26 Let them be put to confusion and shame together that reioyce at my trouble let them be cloathed with rebuke and dishonour that boast themselves against me 27 Let them be glad and reioyce that favour my righteous dealing yea let them say alway Blessed be the Lord which hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servant 28 And as for my tongue it shall be talking of thy righteousnesse and of thy praise all the day long The Prayer O Lord our God who art the shield of the oppressed and the Buckler of all that trust in thee deliverus from all the assaults and intendments of our Enemies against us who without cause make pits for our Soules let the Angel of the Lord scatter all their mischievous imaginations least they triumph over us and say we have devoured them strive thou with them that strive with us and fight against them that fight against us Preserve us in innocency that we neither sinne against thee nor doe injustice to them and restore us to our Peace so shall we talk of thy righteousnesse and thy praise all the day long and give thee thankes in the great congregation of Saints because thou hast pleasure in the prosperity of thy servants and hast redeemed them from the hands of their Enimies through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 36. A Prayer desiring the joyes of Heaven the blessings of Eternity MY heart sheweth me the wickednesse of the ungodly that there is no feare of God before his eyes 2 For he flattereth himselfe in his own sight untill his abominable sinne be found out 3 The words of his mouth are unrighteous and full of deceit he hath left off to behave himselfe wisely and to do good 4 He imagineth mischief upon his bed and hath set himself in no good way neither doth he abhorre any thing that is evill 5 Thy mercy O Lord reacheth unto the heavens and thy faithfulnesse unto the clouds 6 Thy righteousnesse standeth like the strong mountains thy iudgements are like the great deep 7 Thou Lord shalt save both man and beast how excellent is thy mercy O God and the children of men shall put their trust under the shadow of thy wings 8 They shall be satisfied with the plenteousnes of thy house and thou shalt give them drink of thy pleasures as out of the river 9 For with thee is the well of life and in thy light shall we see light 10 O continue forth thy loving kindnesse unto them that know thee and thy righteousnesse unto them that are true of heart 11 O let not the foot of pride come against me and let not the hand of the ungodly cast me down 12 There are they fallen all that work wickednesse they are cast down and shall not be able to stand The Prayer O God whose mercy reacheth unto the Heavens and thy righteousnesse unto the clouds teach us to abhorre every thing that is evill and to set our selves in every good way that thy feare being alwaies before our eyes and our trust being under the shadow of thy wings thou maist continue forth thy loving kindnesse to us all the daies of our life that at last we may be satisfied with the plenteousnesse of thy house and may drinke down rivers of pleasures deriving from thee the eternall fountain and well of life and in the light of thy Countenance may see everlasting light through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 37. A Prayer that we may trust and delight in God and that our lot may be amongst the godly and not in the seeming prosperity of the wicked EVENING PRAYER FRet not thy selfe because of the ungodly neither be thou envious against the evill doers 2 For they shall soon be cut down like the grasse and be withered even as the green hearb 3 Put thou thy trust in the Lord and be doing good dwell in the land and verily thou shalt be fed 4 Delight thou in the Lord and he shall give thee thy hearts desire 5
concerning thy testimonies I have known long since that thou hast grounded them for ever The Prayer O Lord God of eternall mercy and truth give us hearts fixed upon thy divine beauties and an actuall intention in our prayers that we may call upon thee with our whole hearts and do thou heare in Heaven when we call upon thee deliver us from all them that of malice draw nigh to persecute and afflict us be thou also night at hand and nothing can disturbe our safety Make us to seek to thee early in the morning let our eyes and our prayers prevent the night watches that we may be safe in our conversation with thee and our daily approaches to thy mercy-seat where thou sittest attended with Cherubims and Seraphims glorious in thy Selfe incomprehensible in thy Attributes and infinitely rejoycing in thy mercies which thou shewest unto us in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ Amen XX. O Consider mine adversity and deliver me for I do not forget thy law 2 Avenge thou my cause and deliver me quicken me according unto thy word 3 Health is farre from the ungodly for they regard not thy statutes 4 Great is thy mercie O Lord quicken me as thou art wont 5 Many there are that trouble me and persecute me yet do I not swerve from thy testimonies 6 It grieveth me when I see the transgressours because they keep not thy law 7 Consider O Lord how I love thy commandments O quicken me according to thy loving kindnesse 8 Thy word is true from everlasting all the iudgements of thy righteousnesse endure for evermore The Prayer O Lord thy mercy is great thy Word is true from everlasting and in the truth of thy Word and in the mercies of thy promises and loving kindnesse thou lovest to be knowne to the sonnes of men O give us thy health and salvation that our soules being delivered from the heavie pressure of sin and quickened in thy Word thou mayest avenge us of all our ghostly enemies and deliver us in thy righteousnesse in the day of thy eternall vengeance upon the ungodly through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen XXI PRinces have persecuted me without a cause but my heart standeth in aw of thy words 2 I am as glad of thy word as one that findeth great spoiles 3 As for lies I hate and abhorre them but thy law do I love 4 Seven times a day do I praise thee because of thy righteous iudgements 5 Great is the peace that they have which love thy law and they are not offended at it 6 Lord I have looked for thy saving health and done after thy commandments 7 My soule hath kept thy testimonies and loved them exceedingly 8 I have kept thy commandments and testimonies for all my wayes are before thee The Prayer ALL our wayes O God are before thee let all our wayes be directed by thee and teach us to walke as in thy presence Make us to hate and abhorre lyes and vanitie and give us so much love and so much zeale of thy Name and honour that we may make it a businesse to give thee praises with a frequent and daily devotion that we standing in aw of thy Word and holy Lawes and doing after thy Commandments our expectations may be satisfied with thy saving health and we may at last enjoy the peace which they have that love thy Law even the peace of a good conscience here and of a blessed eternity hereafter through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen XXII LEt my complaint come before thee O Lord give me understanding according to thy word 2 Let my supplication come before thee deliver me according to thy word 3 My lips shall speake of thy praise when thou hast taught me thy statutes 4 Yea my tongue shall sing of thy word for all thy commandments are righteous 5 Let thine hand helpe me for I have chosen thy commandments 6 I have longed for thy saving health O Lord and in thy law is my delight 7 O let my soule live and it shall praise thee and thy iudgements shall helpe me 8 I have gone astray like a sheep that is lost Oh seek thy servant for I do not forget thy commandments The Prayer O Lord God we have gone astray from thy Commandments and been like lost sheep thou art our Shepheard and our mercifull Guide O seek thy servants let thy hand helpe us let thy care and providence reduce us into the way of thy statutes that we being delivered according to thy Word from thy wrath and from our owne corruptions and irregularities may at last be satisfied with thy saving health and our lips may speak of thy praise in the quire of Saints and Angels singing glorious Anthems to all eternity to the honour of thee O Lord God eternall who livest and reignest world without end Amen PSALM 120. A Prayer to be delivered from false tongues and cohabitation with wicked persons MORNING PRAYER WHen I was in trouble I called upon the Lord and he heard me 2 Deliver my soule O Lord from lying lips and from a deceitfull tongue 3 What reward shall be given or done unto thee thou false tongue even mighty and sharpe arrowes with hot burning coales 4 Wo is me that I am constrained to dwell with Mesech and to have mine habitation among the tents of Cedar 5 My soule hath long dwelt among them that be enemies unto peace 6 I labour for peace but when I speak unto them thereof they make them ready to battell The Prayer O Lord God who hearest the prayers of them that call upon thee in their calamities and distresses have mercy upon us thy servants who live in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation whereof we our selves make too great a part we beseech thee so to order the circumstances and opportunities of our life that we may live in the society of holy people whose example and conversation may be a continuall incentive to the wayes of peace and righteousnesse and deliver us from a necessity of conversing with turbulent spirits angry and unpeacefull dispositions who upon all occasions make themselves ready to battell Sanctifie our hearts and lips with a burning coale from thy altar that our words may be holy and profitable and keep us from all slander and scandall and the rewards of both the sharpe arrowes of thy vengeance the hot burning coales of thy wrath Grant this for Iesus Christ his sake our Lord and onely Saviour Amen PSALME 121. A Prayer for Gods protection over us I Will lift up mine eyes unto the hills from whence cometh my helpe 2 My helpe cometh even from the Lord which hath made heauen and earth 3 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved and he that keepeth thee will not sleep 4 Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep 5 The Lord himselfe is thy keeper the Lord is thy defence upon thy right hand 6 So that the sun shall not burne thee by day neither the moon by
ships and there is that Leviathan whom thou hast made to take his pastime therein 27 These wait all upon thee that thou mayest give them meat in due season 28 When thou givest it them they gather it and when thou openest thy hand they are filled with good 29 When thou hidest thy face they are troubled when thou takest away their breath they die and are turned again to their dust 30 When thou lettest thy breath go forth they shall be made and thou shalt renew the face of the earth 31 The glorious maiesty of the Lord shall endure for ever the Lord shall reioyce in his workes 32 The earth shall tremble at the look of him if he do but touch the hills they shall smoke 33 I will sing unto the Lord as long as I live I will praise my God while I have my being 34 And so shall my words please him my joy shall be in the Lord. 35 As for sinners they shall be consumed out of the earth and the ungodly shall come to an end praise thou the Lord O my soul praise the Lord. The Prayer O Lord God who art exceeding glorious who art clothed with majesty and honour thou hast created all things with admirable wisedome established them with excellent order and hast provided for them with mercy and singular providence be pleased to give us grace that we may remember thou hast created us all for thy glory that thou hast planted thine image on us and hast crowned all our yeares with thy mercies and loving kindnesse let us never disobey thy will forget thy mercies or deface thine image in us but when all thy creatures praise thee in their manner let not us whom thou hast made in dignity next to Angels disturbe the blessed order of Creation by our sinnes and irregular disobedience Open thy hand O Lord and fill us with good things both spirituall and temporall that when thou takest away our breath that we die and turne again to our dust thou mayest not hide thy face away from us but communicate to us the light of thy countenance and the glories of thy Kingdome thorough Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen PSALME 105. A commemoration of Gods care of his Church and blessings to his people MORNING PRAYER OBive thankes unto the Lord and call upon his Name tell the people what things he hath done 2 O let your songs be of him and praise him and let your talking be of all his wondrous workes 3 Reioyce in his holy Name let the heart of them reioyce that seek the Lord. 4 Sèek the Lord and his strength seek his face evermore 5 Remember the marvellous workes that he hath done his wonders and the iudgements of his mouth 6 O yee seed of Abraham his servant yee children of Iacob his chosen 7 He is the Lord our God his iudgements are in all the world 8 He hath been alway mindfull of his covenant and promise that he made to a thousand generations 9 Even the covenant that he made with Abraham and the oath that he sware unto Isaac 10 And appointed the fame unto Iacob for a law and to Israel for an everlasting testament 11 Saying unto thee will I give the land of Canaan the lot of your inheritance 12 When there were yet but a few of them and they strangers in the land 13 What time as they went from one nation to another from one kingdome to another people 14 He suffered no man to do them wrong but reproved even Kings for their sakes 15 Touch not mine Anointed and do my Prophets no harme 16 Moreover he called for a dearth upon the land and destroyed all the provision of bread 17 But he had sent a man before them even Ioseph which was sold to be a bond-servant 18 Whose feet they hurt in the stockes the iron entred into his soule 19 Untill the time came that his cause was known the Word of the Lord tried him 20 The King sent and delivered him the prince of the people let him go free 21 He made him Lord also of his house and ruler of all his substance 22 That he might informe his princes after his will and teach his senatours wisedome 23 Israel also came into Egypt and Iacob was a stranger in the land of Ham. 24 And he increased his people exceedingly and made them stronger than their enemies 25 Whos 's heart turned so that they hated his people and dealt untruly with his servants 26 Then sent he Moses his servant and Aaron whom he had chosen 27 And these shewed his tokens among them and wonders in the land of Ham. 28 He sent darknesse and it was darke and they were not obedient unto his Word 29 He turned their waters into bloud and slew their fish 30 Their land brought forth frogs yea even in their Kings chambers 31 He spake the word and there came all manner of flies and lice in all their quarters 32 He gave them hailstones for raine and flames of fire in their land 33 He smote their vines also and fig-trees and destroyed the trees that were in their coasts 34 He spake the word and the grashoppers came and caterpillars innumerable and did eat up all the grasse in their land and devoured the fruit of their ground 35 He smote all the first-borne in their land even the chiefe of all their strength 36 He brought them forth also with silver and gold there was not one feeble person among their Tribes 37 Egypt was glad at their departing for they were afraid of them 38 He spread out a cloud to be a covering and fire to give light in the night season 39 At their desire he brought quailes and he filled them with the bread of heaven 40 He opened the rocke of stone and the waters flowed out so that the rivers ran in dry places 41 For why he remembred his holy promise and Abraham his servant 42 And he brought forth his people with ioy and his chosen with gladnesse 43 And gave them the lands of the heathen and they took the labours of the people in possession 44 That they might keep his statutes and observe his lawes The Prayer O Lord God who art alway mind full of thy covenant and promise to a thousand generations and didst deliver the seed of Abraham the children of Iacob thy chosen from the slavery of Egypt from the waves of the sea from the rage of Pharaoh from the thirst and â—amine of the wildernesse continue the like mercies to all Christian people deliver us from the bondage of our sinnes preserve us in the Aâ—ke of the Church that we perish not in the waves of this troublesome world save us from the â—â—ry of all our temporall and ghostly enemies â—eed us with food from heaven and give us competency of good things on earth that we may keep thy statutes and observe thy Lawes and at last receive the promises of a blessed eternity which in the covenant of thy Gospell thou hast
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