and not onely that I but that my glory may sing them and alas what glory have I doth not all glory belong to God Indeed so it is my glory then sings his Prayses when I ascribe to him all praise and glory my glory then sings his prayses when I praise him with all I have to glory in with all the faculties and powers of my soule and body those especially in which I was made after his Image for this is my Glory If this then bee the end that God intends shall I be so ungratefull to crosse his intentions if hee have given mee a Tongue and a Voyce to serve him shall I hold my peace and be silent in his service if he have turned my Mourning into Dauncing shall I bee sullen and slow to sing his Prayses Alas my Dauncing can never be kindly without Musick and what musick so fit for it as singing and what singing so fit as to the Ditty of his Prayses O my soule seeing God hath procured thee libertie to Daunce thou mayst well afford to find the musick and yet neither my Dauncing shall hearken to the musicke nor my singing shall looke toward the Dauncing but my Singing and my Dauncing both shall bee addressed and directed to God alone Shall my heart be so set upon my joy as to make me forget the Authour of my joy No O God my joy hath so sure a foundation that I can never be unmindfull of the Founder I will give thankes to thee O Lord my God for ever Not for a time which will cease Not as long as the Sunne and Moone endure which shall not alwayes endure not as long as I have breath in my body No my soule but as long as thou thy selfe hast Being which being breathed into mee by God shall never cease shall alwayes endure shall be forever When I extolled God I had relation to his Omnipotencie when I sung his Prayses to his Mercie and now that I give him thankes for ever to his Eternitie that now I may conclude and say O Almightie most Mercifull and ever-living God to thee be ascribed all Honour Prayse and Glory world without end THE THIRTIE FOVRTH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Will blesse the Lord at all times his Prayse shall continually bee in my mouth 2 My soule shall make her boast in the Lord The humble shall heare thereof and be glad 3 O magnifie the Lord with mee and let us exalt his Name together 4 I sought the Lord and hee heard me and delivered me from all my feares 5 They looked unto him and were lightened and their faces were not ashamed 6 The poore man cryed and the Lord heard him and saved him from all his troubles 7 The Angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that feare him and delivereth them 8 O tast and see how good the Lord is Blessed is the man that trusteth in him 9 O feare the Lord yee his Saints for there is no want to them that feare him 10 The young Lyons doe lacke and suffer hunger but they that seeke the Lord shall not want any good thing 11 Come yee children hearken unto me and I will teach you the feare of the Lord. 12 What man is he that desireth life and loveth many dayes that he may see good 13 Keepe thy tongue from evil and thy lips from speaking guile 14 Depart from evil and doe good seeke peace and pursue it 15 The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his eares are open to their cry 16 The face of the Lord is against them that doe evil to cut off their remembrance from the earth 17 The righteous cry and the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles 18 The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit 19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous but the Lord delivereth him out of them all 20 Hee keepeth all his bones not one of them is broken 21 Evill shall slay the wicked and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate 22 The Lord redeemeth the soule of his servants and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate MEDITATIONS VPON THE XXXIV PSALME OF DAVID ALas what a Vow is this that Verse 1 David makes here a Vow which hee is sure before hand he cannot keepe for is it possible for any man to blesse God at all times Is there not a time of paine and miserie in which Jobs Wife perswaded him to curse God and dye and can cursing of God stand with blessing of God O my soule I take not my measure of blessing God from the last of that wicked Woman it is not paine it is not miserie it is not extremitie of paine or miserie that shall make mee to breake my Vow in blessing of God but if it be thought so great a matter to blesse God inmisery I will stretch my Vow yet further for I will blesse him for miserie and I may truly say if it were not for paine and misery I should want one speciall Motive for blessing of God But yet there is a time of sleepe which is a tribute due to Nature and is it possible to pay the tribute of sleepe to Nature and the tribute of blessing to God both at once If then sleepe be of necessitie so oftentimes how can blessing of God be performed at all times O my soule when our waking is terminated with blessing of God that blessing is in force till we wake againe for as in what place the tree falleth there it lyeth so in what state the Soule goes to rest in that state it resteth If my soule say to God I will lay mee downe to sleepe for it is Thou Lord onely that sustainest me my soule shall have it returned from God Thus the Lord giveth his beloved sleepe But if thus perhaps be made good the continuance of Blessing God yet in what consists the worke of blessing him Is it onely in Thought or onely in a good intention No my soule his praise shall continually bee in my mouth for though the heart indeed bee the Fountaine of blessing him yet out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh and therefore it shall not be cloystered up in the Cells of silence but it shall have vent and bee brought into the light that if it bee not said that men seeing my good workes it may at least be said that men hearing my good words may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven But doe I not by this fall againe upon my old difficultie for if it seemed impossible before to blesse God at all times may it not justly seeme as impossible now that his Praise should continually be in my mouth It may perhaps be true of the Angels in whose mouthes wee know of nothing there is continually but Holy Holy Holy Lord God of Sabbath but to be verefied of the mouthes of men seemes a thing impossible for is
MEDITATIONS AND DISQVISITIONS UPON SEVEN CONSOLATORIE PSALMES OF DAVID NAMELY The 23. The 27. The 30. The 34. The 84. The 103. The 116. By Sir RICHARD BAKER Knight LONDON Printed by J. D. for F. Eglesfield and are to be sold by Henry Twiford at the signe of the Beare over against the middle Temple gate in Fleetstreet 1640. A CATALOGVE OF THE SEVERALL Treatises written by this Authour NAMELY MEditations and Disquisitions upon the Lords Prayer Meditations and Disquisitions vpon the 1 Psalme Meditations and Disquisitions vpon the seven Penitentiall Psalmes Meditations and Disquisitions vpon seven Consolatorie Psalmes Also a Poem of his entituled Cato Variegatus or Cato's morall Disticks vaâ—ied TO THE RIGHT HONOVRABLE WILLIAM Lord CRAVEN Baron of Hamstead c. MOST HONOURED LORD I Shall perhaps move Envie to say Quae te tam laeta tulerunt sâ—ecula but for my selfe I am bound to say it who have received from your Lordship indeed a great Favour the remission of a great Debt for which notwithstanding I account my selfe to stand obliged still though in a lesse profitable yet in a more binding Obligation to bee your perpetuall servant I am called upon by Gratefulnesse to erect some Monument in honour of your Bountie and a more lasting Monument I could not thinke of within the compasse of my poore abilities then to Dedicate these Psalmes of David to the memorie of your Name for though your owne Heroick vertue have made you a Monument of the same mettall that Fames Trumpet is made which is likely and worthy to last long yet this perhaps may prove Monumentum Fama perennius a Monument that will continue your memorie when Fame it selfe shall be buried in oblivion But how long soever it shall continue yet not so long as my Devotion to be as my Desire to be accounted to be Your Lordships humble and obliged servant Richard Baker Imprimatur Tho Wykes R. P. Episc Lond. Sacell Domest Septemb. 11. 1639. THE TVVENTIE THIRD PSALME OF DAVID Verse 1 THe Lord is my Shepheard I shall not want Verse 2 Hee maketh me to lye downe in greene pastures he leadeth me beside the still waters Verse 3 Hee restoreth my soule hee leadeth mee in the paths of righteousnesse for his Names sake Verse 4 Yea though I walke through the Valley of the shadow of death I will feare no evill for Thou art with mee Thy rod and thy staffe they comfort mee Verse 5 Thou preparest a Table before me in the presence of mine enemies Thou anoyntest my head with Oyle my cup runneth over Verse 6 Surely goodnesse and mercy shall follow me all the dayes of my life and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever MEDITATIONS VPON THE XXIII PSALME OF DAVID IS it not a grievous fall that Verse 1 where I might have said The Lord is my Creatour and hath made me after his own Image I am now glad to say The Lord is my shepheard as though I were but a sheepe and yet perhaps no Fall in this at all For what was I when I was at best but the Lords sheepe Depending wholly upon him for all I had No cloathes to cover my nakednesse but of his making no food to satisfie my hunger but of his providing and oh that I had continued his sheepe still for then though weake I should have beene innocent though feeble I should have been harmelesse Where by taking O miserable mistaking the Serpent for a shepheard I became of an innocent Sheepe a ravening Wolfe and should have so continued at least a perpetuall strayer if my true shepheard O the wonderfull bowells of compassion had not left the Ninetie nine in the Wildernesse to seeke after mee and had not found mee out and brought me back againe into his Fold that if there be joy in Heaven that the lost sheepe is found there ought to bee much more joy in Earth that the lost sheepe can say The Lord is my shepheard I shall not want But how can I truly say The Lord is my shepheard seeing hee hath turned me over sheepe and lambes and all to Saint Peter to be our shepheard Can he turne me over to another and yet himselfe reteine a propertie in me still But is it not that there is a Hierarchie of shepheards Saint Peter and his successours but Ministeriall shepheards God himselfe the shepheard Paramount Psal 77.20 Hee ledd his people like sheepe by the hand of Moses and Aaron Hee but used the service of Moses and Aaron himselfe was the shepheard still it was hee that led them And is it not said of Kings too that they are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Shepheards of the people and perhaps David speakes here as hee was a King for though a King be a shepheard in relation to his Subjects yet he is but a sheep in relation to God for relation in all created things makes quidlibet ex quolibet a sheepe of a shepheard and a shepheard of a sheepe till we come at God and there Relation ceaseth for God being summum bonum unum idem can take no disparagement by any relation we are all sheepe to him David and Kings Saint Peter and all All faine to say The Lord is my shepheard or else can neuer truly say I shall not want It is a great happinesse for sheepe to have a good shepheard but a greater happinesse to have him both good and able many shepheards are the one and not the other few are both indeed none are both None able to secure from want but onely the shepheard who is Elohim Saddai God All-sufficient Kings no doubt are able shepheards but yet not able to secure from want for we see them often-times to be in want themselves Saint Peter an able shepheard yet not so able as to secure from want for who knowes not what want he was in himselfe when time was Wee shall never be sheepe secure from want till wee come to say The Lord is my shepheard and then wee may justly inferre We shall not want Indeed God is a shepheard as able as hee is good and as good as he is able For hee leadeth mee into greene pastures Not onely hee hath greene pastures to lead me into which shewes his Abilitie but hee leads mee into them which shewes his Goodnesse Hee leades me not into pastures that are withered and drye that would distaste me before I taste them but he leades me into Greene pastures as well to please my eye with the verdure as my stomacke with the herbage and inviting me as it were to eate by setting out the meat in the best colour A meat though never so good yet if it looke not handsomely it dulls the appetite but when besides the goodnesse it hath also a good looke This gives the appetite another edge and makes a joy before enjoying But yet the goodnesse is not altogether in the greennesse Alas Greene is but a colour and colours are but deceitfull things they might be greene
made my mountaine to stand strong Thou didst hide thy face and I was troubled 8 I cryed unto thee O Lord and unto the Lord I made supplication 9 What profit is there in my bloud when I goe downe into the pit shall the dust praise thee shall it declare thy truth 10 Heare O Lord have mercy upon mee Lord be thou my helper 11 Thou hast turned for mee my mourning into dauncing Thou hast put off my sack-cloath and girded mee with gladnesse 12 To the end that my glory may sing praise to thee and not be silent O Lord my God I will give thankes unto thee for ever MEDITATIONS VPON THE XXX PSALME OF DAVID IT seemes to be a course in Nature Verse 1 for Hosanna's alwayes to precede Allelujahs and therefore the Exordiums of Davids Psalmes are commonly thus Have mercy upon mee O God heare my prayer O Lord rebuke mee not in thine anger or some such forme of Hosanna but in this Psalme contrary to his custome he makes his Exordium of an Allelujah I will extoll thee O God And why is this done is it out of Devotion that he might get before hand and begin with God in Praises before God should begin with him in Benefits O my soule the showres of Gods blessings are so continually poured downe upon us that it is impossible we should ever get before hand with God in Allelujahs Although therefore he begin with an Allelujah yet it is because God hath prevented him in his Hosanna Hee will extoll God but it is because God hath lifted him up Gods praise indeed is put in the Present Tense but it is because his benefit is in the Preterperfect Tense I will extoll thee O God for thou hast lifted mee up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me But if David will extoll God how will he doe it for to doe it unworthily it were better to be left undone and who is able to extoll God worthily Hee will therefore perhaps call all the creatures of God to assist him and say Praise the Lord all yee his Angels Praise him all his Hosts praise yee him Sun and Moone praise him all yee starres of light Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. But if it be expected he must extoll him himselfe and not looke for helpe from others Hee will then extoll him in his exaltation and say Bee thou exalted O God above the heavens Or he will extoll him in his owne humilitie by kneeling and falling downe before him hee will extoll him in his singularitie and say There is no other God in heaven or in earth but onely thou O God or he will extoll him in his pluralitie and say Thou O God art wonderfull in thy Being Three Persons and one God blessed for ever And if to extoll him with sayings will not serve he will then extoll him with workes that men seeing his good workes may glorifie our Father which is in heaven And if neither words nor workes will be sufficient hoe will then extoll him with his silence and his wonder leaving that for Thought which cannot be exprest and leaving that for astonishment which cannot be conceived But why is it that David will thus extoll God Is it that hee may returne a thankfulnesse answerable to the benefit returne it in the same kind and answer it as it were in its owne language He will therefore extoll God which is a kind of lifting God up because God hath lifted him up which is a kind of extolling of him For as our extolling of God is the highest worke of our thankfulnesse so Gods lifting us up is the greatest benefit of his goodnesse We are thankfull to God and ought to be for his other benefits even for casting us downe but we use not to extoll him but for lifting us up For naturally indeed wee are all of us desirous to bee lifted up to be set aloft and to be high in the world for this pleaseth the eyes that they may see the more and pleaseth the whole body that it may the more bee seene but this is not the lifting up that David meanes but to be lifted up out of danger and out of the reach of the arme of his enemies O my soule let this bee thy comfort that although thy enemies be many and great yet they are not more thy enemies then they are Gods slaves and can goe no further then the length of their chaine which is seldome so long to reach to triumphing Sathan was a bitter enemie to Job and had certainly defeated him utterly if God had not held him short in his chaine and though linke after linke hee eetched out his chaine to a great length yet he could never make it reach so farre as to a Triumph For it is not properly a Triumph but when Dux Duci arma detrahit When one Generall disarmes another and this could never be done to Job for he kept on his Armour still his Helmet of Faith and his Brest-plate of Righteousnesse hee never let it goe off from him that there could be no cause for Sathan to triumph Men commonly are not satisfied unlesse themselves can triumph over their enemies but it is enough for me O Lord that thou suffer not my enemies to triumph over me for I aime not at glory but at safetie I might then ayme at glory if I were the assailant but now that I am onely the assailed what can I more desire then safetie and to bee out of the reach of all my enemies and such safetie without any glory may well give contentment seeing of all the miseries that can befall a man in this wretched world there is none greater none so great as to fall into the hands of enemies whose Malice like the fire of Hell is commonly unquenchable Let a friend strike me and it shall be a Balme to my head but to be strucken by an enemie who can endure it The striking of a friend is out of love and intends amendment but the blowes of an enemie are out of malice and tend to ruine It troubles mee not that my enemies rejoyce so their rejoycing have no relation to mee It troubled not Samson so much to have his eyes put out as to bee brought out before his enemies to be the laughing-stock for them to rejoyce at But why will David speake thus Thou hast not made my enemies to rejoyce over me as though it were God that made our enemies to rejoyce over us and not their owne spitefulnesse and malice Is it that permission is in God a kind of action and therefore he may justly be said to doe that which he suffers to be done Or is it that in his anger he makes our enemies the Executioners of his justice and punisheth our neglect of rejoycing in him with giving them power to rejoyce over us and so their rejoycing is not more in us his judgement then it is in them his act and operation But what enemies do
a transitorie thing and wert not to continue thou mightst justly then looke after transitorie pleasures and such as have no continuance but seeing thou art a substance perpetuall and immortall O therefore looke after pleasures like thy selfe pleasures that may last and never come to the last that may last and be durable and not leave thee to the miserie of Fuit Ilium ingens gloria teucrorum for Fuisse foelicem miserrimum est To have beene happy and not to bee to have flourished and now to bee withered is the greatest miserie in the world And the greater for that once pluckt off from his stalke Once taken from the Earth the Earth will never know him any more Alas it will scarce take notice that ever such a one there was and the Verse 16 notice it takes but in specie neither not in Individuo some perhaps as of a man None as of this man or rather some as of a Name None as of a man Or is it rather that Man turned once to Dust his place will know him no more for how should it know one from another when they are all so like How know Dives from Lazarus when they have both the same face seeing Death hath but one copie to draw all her pictures by Or is it rather that Man once turn'd to Dust is blowne about with every wind from place to place and what knowes the place when Dust falls upon it whether it be the Dust of a Prince or of a Peasant whether of a Man or of a Beast And must not Man then bee needes very miserable when Time and place the two best helpes of life doe both forsake him for what helpe can hee have of Time when his dayes are but as Grasse What help of Place when his place denyes him and will not know him But O how vaine a thing is Man to forget not onely the very matter of which he is made but the very condition under which hee is made and so to forget it that God must bee faine to remember him of it but much the vainer that being remembred of it never so often yet hee regards it never the more but contenting himselfe to be fading grasse at most a fading flowre never seekes to improve his Dust to that true solidnesse which nothing but the feare of God is able to procure nothing but the pitty in God is able to effect But now at last if neither the Distances of Place nor the Affection of Nature can make you sufficiently conceive the greatnesse of Gods mercy then take an expressing in plaine tearmes and this will certainly make you conceive it For his mercy is from everlasting Verse 17 to everlasting upon them that feare him It is from everlasting for it began to be before the Foundations of the world were laid and it is to everlasting for it will continue to be when the Frame of the World shall bee dissolved that now O my soule there can bee no feare of the greatnesse of Gods mercy all the feare now is of thine owne feare for although Verse 18 Gods mercy bee so Everlasting yet it is so but to them that feare him for if thou feare him not and keepe not his Commandements then his mercy to thee is neither from Everlasting nor to Everlasting but if thou feare him and keepe his Commandements then his mercy to thee is both and not onely to Thee as though Gods mercy were onely a Personall benefit and should end with thy selfe but it shall be continued to thy childrens children Et natis natorum qui nascentur ab illis to thy whole Posteritie O my soule what an Inheritance is this to purchase to our children at least if it bee not an absolute Inheritance yet it is so sure an Entayle that nothing but the want of fearing God can cut it off And indeed why else hath God prepared Verse 19 his Throne in Heaven but to the end the godly may bee assured that though they bee now oppressed on earth yet thither they shall come at last to bee with him in Joy to bee there in Joy for having obeyed him when the wicked shall bee left behind to bewayle their miseries for not obeying him For though his Throne be prepared onely in Heaven Yet his kingdome ruleth over all Over All both Man and Beast both the Godly and the Wicked both blessed Angells and damned Spirits and because his Kingdome ruleth over all therefore All shall serve him and shall serve him indeed with feare yet there shall be a difference for the godly shall serve him with feare and joy where the wicked shall serve him with feare and trembling And now seeing God hath prepared his Throne in heaven Therefore O yee his Angells inhabitants of Heaven that obey his Commandements by the freedome of your will Doe you begin first and prayse his Name for you excell in strength and are best able to doe it And seeing his Kingdome ruleth overall Therefore all ye his Hosts his other Creatures that obey his Commandement too though not by will yet by instinct Doe you second the Angels in praising his Name And then thou my soule that partakest of both the Natures Doe thou also and with thee also the Soules of all the godly joyne with them in his Prayses that so at least there may bee a Consort of Three to Blesse and Praise him who is a Trinitie in Unitie Three Persons and one God to be Blessed and praised for ever and ever But to be blessed and praised as by all the persons of his Kingdome so in all the places of his Dominion which are Heaven and Earth and Hell a Triplicitie too for even Hell is a place within his Dominion And for praising him in Heaven the Angells will be sure enough to looke to that and for praising him in Hell let the wicked and the damned spirits looke to that at their perill but for praising him on Earth Thou my soule and the soules of all the godly will undertake to doe that at least will pray continually to him that sitteth upon the Throne to be enabled to doe it and when all these shall faile or lest they should faile when Heaven and Earth shall passe away when Time and Place shall bee no more yet his Prayse shall bee continued still by his owne Workes which are his Glory and his Power his Infinitenesse and his Eternitie but above all which is above all his Workes the Workes of his infinite and Everlasting Mercie THE HVNDRED AND SIXTEENTH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Love the Lord because hee hath heard my voyce and my supplication 2 Because hee hath inclined his eare unto me therefore will I call upon him as long as I live 3 The sorrowes of death compassed me and the paines of hell got hold upon mee I found trouble and sorrow 4 Then called I upon the Name of the Lord O Lord I beseech thee deliver my soule 5 The Lord is gracious and righteous
then things themselves we see nothing now but colours and colours are deceitfull and no trusting to them the light I hope for is to see as I am seene a sight not subject to either dimnesse or dazeling a sight that discerneth not onely colours but substances and is not the hope of such a sight a comfortable Ingredient to keepe from fainting But yet what good is it to see goodnesse for we see many good things which yet wee are never the better for seeing But is it not true here Videte gustate for such our seeing shall be Vidchimus gustavimus our seeing shall be a tasting our tasting an enjoying and enjoying is not properly of any thing but in which there is joy and where there is joy must there not needs be comfort But yet what more goodnesse of God can wee hope to see hereafter then now for can there bee a greater goodnesse of God to bee seene then this that hee makes the Sunne to shine the raine to fall upon both just and unjust Wee see indeed now a great goodnesse of God but wee see it mingled with much badnesse of men and may I not say with some badnesse of his too for is there any evill in the Citie and God hath not done it but the goodnesse of God which I hope to see is a goodnesse like to garbled spice without any mixture at all of refuse stuffe amongst it a goodnesse not mingled with either evill of men or evill to men but pure and Impermixt as God himselfe is The goodnesse of God which we see now is a goodnesse in effects but there is a goodnesse in God which is as the cause Not as having goodnesse but as being goodnesse Not onely as imparting it selfe to us but as communicating it selfe with us and this goodnesse wee shall then see though now we cannot Have Philosophers conceived that if vertue could be seene with the eyes Mirabiles excitaret amores sui It would stirre up in us a wonderfull love and will not the goodnesse of God when seene with our eyes stirre up in our hearts a wonderfull joy and is not the hope of such a joy a strong Cordiall to keepe from fainting But why in the land of the living for is not the world in which wee now live the land of the living Are there not in the water living fishes in the Ayre living Birds On the Earth living Trees living Beasts living Men and what can be thought of more then these to make a Land of the living Alas what Land of the living is this in which there are more dead then living more under ground then are above it where the earth is fuller of graves then houses where life lyes trembling under the hand of Death and where Death hath power to tyrannize over life No my soule there onely is the Land of the living where there are none but the living where there is a Church not Militant but Triumphant a Church indeed but no Church-yard because none dead nor none that can dye where life is not passive nor Death active where Life sits crowned and where Death is swallowed up in victorie And now make up a Compound of these Ingredients Take first a Hope of seeing which is enjoying then the goodnesse of God not a qualitie but a substance then the Land of the living where there is no dying and now say if such a Cordial must not needs be strong of necessitie be effectuall to keepe from fainting O therefore my soule bee sure to provide thee good store of this Cordiall that if at any time thou be oppressed with either multitude or malice if at any time false witnesses bee risen up against thee if enemies at any time come upon thee to eat up thy flesh thou maist have this Cordiall in a readinesse and be able to say Doe the worst you can I feare you not for I beleeve to see the goodnesse of God in the Land of the living This not onely will keepe thee from fainting but wil fill thy spirits with extasie of joy for it is grounded upon a principle of comfort delivered by Saint Paul The afflictions of this life are not worthy of the glory that shall be revealed And what is this glory but to see the goodnesse of God and where to be revealed but in the Land of the living But all this yet is but the hope of a Cordiall at most but a Cordiall of hope but when will the Cordiall it selfe that is hoped for bee had May I not stay so long waiting for it that I may be weary with waiting and faint with wearinesse and then the Cordiall will come too late No my soule Waite on the Verse 14 Lord be of good courage and he shall give thee strength for as none is so worthy to be waited on as God so nothing is so worthy to be waited for as this Cordiall and never feare wearinesse by long waiting for it so long as thou waitest upon God for it for God that gives power to the Cordiall to keepe thee from fainting will give power to thy waiting to keepe it from wearinesse Onely bee sure to have a good heart and God will not faile to supply it with spirits Doe thou but onely bring wood to the Sacrifice and God will send fire from Heaven to kindle it But how happens it that David should give so good counsell to others and yet follow it so ill himselfe for hee confesseth of himselfe in another place that hee is dejected and bowed downe and can it stand with courage to be dejected But is it not that to be dejected is a Passive infirmitie to be couragious an Active vertue and there is no contradiction to bee Passively weake and Actively strong both at once Or is it not indeed rather that when he confesseth himsele to be dejected hee lookes upon his sinne and sinne will deject any that hath but eyes and is able to see it but when he counsells to be couragious hee lookes upon God and God is ready to give strength to any that hath but a heart and is able to take it As therefore I said before so I say againe Waite on the Lord which can never be too much taught because never enough be learned never be too much said because never be enough done THE THIRTIETH PSALME OF DAVID 1I Will extoll thee O Lord for thou hast lifted me up and hast not made my foes to rejoyce over me 2 O Lord my God I cryed unto thee and thou hast healed mee 3 O Lord thou hast brought up my soule from the grave thou hast kept mee alive that I should not goe downe to the pit 4 Sing unto the Lord all yee Saints of his and give thankes at the remembrance of his holinesse 5 For his anger endureth but a moment weeping may endure for a night but joy commeth in the morning 6 And in my prosperity I said I shall never be moved 7 Lord by thy favour thou hast