6 The heathen make much ado, and the kingdoms are moved: but God hath fhewed his voice, and the earth fhall melt away. 7 The Lord of hofts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge.

80 come hither, and behold the works of the Lord: what deftruction he bath brought upon the earth.

9 He maketh wars to ceafe in all the world: he breaketh the bow, and knappeth the fpear in funder, and burneth the chariots' in the fire.

10 Be ftill then, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, and I will be exalted in the earth.

11 The Lord of hofts is with us: the God of Jacob is our refuge. EVENING

PRAYE R.

§ Pfalm 47. Omnes gentes, plaudite.

CLAP your hands together, all ye people: O fing unto
God with the voice of melody.

O

2. For the Lord is high, and to be feared: he is the great King upon all the earth.

3 He fhall fubdue the people under us: and the nations under our feet.

4 He shall choose out an heritage for us: even the worship of Jacob, whom he loved.

5: God is gone up with a merry noife: and the Lord with the 5 found of the trump.

6. O fing praifes,. fing praifés unto our God: O fing praifes, fing praises unto our King.

7 For God is the King of all the earth: fig ye praises with understanding.

8 God reigneth over the heathen: God fitteth upon his holy feat.

This Pfalm was probably compofed in the reign of Solamon, at the publick folemrity, when the A was brought into the Temple after its building,

Kings viii. And thereupon the infpired Author takes occafion to praise God for the future calling of the Gen tiles, which feems to have been revealed to him,', e

9

* The princes of the people are joined unto the people of the God of Abraham: for God, which is very high exalted, doth de fend the earth, as it were with a fhield.

§ Pfalm 48. Magnus Dominus.

GR

REAT is the Lord, and highly to be praised: in the city of our God, even upon his holy hill.

2 The hill of Sion is a fair place, and the joy of the whole earth: upon the north-fide lieth the city of the great King; God is well known in her palaces as a fure refuge.

3 For lo, the kings of the earth: are gathered, and gone by together.

1.:

4 They marvelled to fee fuch things: they were astonished, and fuddenly caft down.

5 Fear came there upon them, and forrow: as upon a woman in her travail.

6. Thou shalt break the fhips of the fea: through the east-wind. 7 Like as we have heard, fo have we feen in the city of the Lord of hofts; in the city of our God: God upholdeth the fame

for ever.

8 We wait for thy loving kindness, O God: in the midst of thy temple.

9 O God, according to thy Name, fo is thy praise unto the worlds end: thy right hand is full of righteousness.

10 Let the mount Sion rejoice, and the daughter of Judah be glad: because of thy judgments.

II Walk about Sion, and go round about her and tell the towers. thereof.

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ye may tell

12 Mark well her bulwarks, fet up her houses: that them that come after.

The Princes of the People are joined, &c. This prophecy feems to have been eminently fulfilled when the Gentiles were equally with the Jews admitted Into the number of the People of God, by their em bracing the Gofpel; and, like true Ifraelites, became the Children of Abraham through Faith. How much reafon have we to rejoice in the completion of this pro

phecy who were once Gentiles, carried away to Idolatry, and without a due fenfe of the living and true God! And how inexcufable fhail we be if we live wickedly and unprofitably under the glorious light of the Gospel!

"This Pfalm was compofed upon occafion of some great deliverance which God had granted to Jerufalem

13 For this God is our God for ever and ever: he fhall be our guide unto death. drsh ki guon 20on criz § Pfalm 49. Audite hæc, omnes

Le

Hear ye this, all ye people: ponder it with your ears, all ye that dwell in the world.

2 High and low, rich and poor: one with another.

3 My mouth' fhall speak of wisdom: and my heart fhall muse of understanding.

4 I will incline mine ear to the parable: and fhew my dark fpeech upon the harp.

5 Wherefore should I fear in the days of wickedness: and when the wickedness of my heels compaffeth me round about?:.,

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6 There be some that put their truft in their goods: and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches.

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7 But no man may deliver his brother: nor make agreement unto God for him;..

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8 For it coft more to redeem their fouls: fo that he must let that alone for ever:

9 Yea, though he live long: and fee not the grave.

10 For he feeth that wife men alfo die, and perifh together: as well as the ignorant and foolish, and leave their riches for other.

1 And yet they think that their houses fhall continue for ever: and that their dwelling-places fhall endure from one generation to another; and call the lands after their own names.

... 12 Nevertheless, man will not abide in honour: seeing he may be compared unto the beafts that perifh; this is the way of them. 13 This is their foolishness: and their pofterity praife their faying.

I God upholdeth the fame for ever, &c. This promife is ftill better fuited to the Chriftian, than to the Jewish Church; concerning which Chrift hath faid that the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it and ought ito convince us of our happiness in being members of it, and fill all fincere Believers with stedfaft hope and confidence in God.

In this Pfalm which is doctrinal and instructive,

the writer proves that the happinefs of Man' does not confift in the riches and honours of the World-and that those who purfue them as their chief good are fools and unwife; and therefore that we ought not to fet our Hearts upon them, nor fear nor eavy thofe that poffefs them; but that we fhould trust in God alone, who can render happy, even after death, those who fear, and firmly confide in him.

14. They lie in the hell like theep, death ignaweth upon them, and the righteous fhall have domination over them in the morning: their beauty fhall confume in the fepulchre out of their dwelling.

15 But God hath delivered my foul from the place of hell: for he fhall receive me.

16 Be not thou afraid, though one be made rich: or if the glo ry of his house be increased;

17 For he hall carry nothing away with him when he dieth : neither fhall his pomp follow him.

18 For while he lived, he counted himself an happy man: and fo long as thou doeft well unto thyfelf, men will fpeak good of

thee.

19 He fhall follow the generation of his fathers; and fhall never fee light.

20 * Man being in honour hath no understanding: but is compared unto the beasts that perish.

MORNING

Pfalm 50. Deus deorum.

T

HE Lord, even the most mighty God hath fpoken: and called the world from the rifing up of the fun, unto the going down thereof.

2 Out of Sion hath God appeared: in perfect beauty.

PRAYER.

3. Our God fhall come, and shall not keep filence: there shall go before him a confuming fire, and a mighty tempest shall be stirred up round about him.

4 He fhall call the heaven from above: and the earth, that he may judge his people.

Man being in honour hath no understanding, &c. This feems to be more properly tranflated in the Bible verfin. Man that is in honour and understandeth not, is like the Beafts that perish. From hence we may difcern how dangerous riches and worldly advancement are to our eternal in.ereits and efpecially where their pofleflors

are forgetful from whom, and to what end they are bestowed upon them. For as fuch are apt to abuse them to the worst of purposes: fo by their ingratta, e to God, the giver they defcend to a level with Brutes.

This Palm is of a mural inftructive nature: and is dengned to fhew that God is not pleased with the

5 Gather my faints together unto me covenant with me with facrifice.

6 And the heavens thall declare his righteoufnefs: for God is judge himself.

thofe that have made a

Hear, O my people, and I will fpeak: I myself will testify. against thee, O Ifrael; for I am God, even thy God.

8 I will not reprove thee, because of thy facrifices, or for thy burnt-offerings: because they were not alway before me.

1

I will take no bullock out of thine houfe: nor he-goat out of thy folds.

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10 For all the beafts of the foreft are mine: and fo are the cattle upon a thoufand bills.

II I know all the fowls upon the mountains: and the wild beafts of the field are in my fight.

12 If I be hungry, I will not tell thee: for the whole world is mine, and all that is therein.

13 Thinkest thou that I will eat bulls-flefh: and drink the blood of goats?

14 Offer unto God thanksgiving: and pay thy vows unto the most Higheft.

15 And call upon me in the time of trouble: fo will I hear thee, and thou shalt praise me.

16 But unto the ungodly faid God: Why doft thou preach my laws, and takest my covenant in thy mouth;

17 Whereas thou hateft to be reformed: and haft caft my words behind thee?

18 When thou faweft a thief, thou confentedft unto him: and haft been partaker with the adulterers.

19 Thou haft let thy mouth speak wickedness: and with thy tongue thou haft fet forth deceit.

facrifices and outward ceremonies of Religion, but rather with fincere devotion of Mind, and praife which flows from a grateful Heart: altho' even thefe marks of piety will not be acceptable without juftice

and the other virtues. In order to give greater weight to these Doctrines, God himself is introduced by the Pfalmift as delivering them in all the awful pomp of divine Majesty, as he did the Law from Sinai.