Have mercy upon me, O Lord; consider my trouble, thou that liftest me up from the gates of death:

That I may shew forth all thy praise, in the gates of the daughter of Zion: I will rejoice in thy salvation.

For the needy shall not always be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.

Psalm X.

HY standest thou afar off, O Lord? why hidest thou thyself in times of trouble?

WHY

The wicked in his pride doth persecute the poor: let them be taken in the devices that they have imagined.

For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and blesseth the covetous, whom the Lord abhorreth.

The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not all his thoughts.

He hath said in his heart, God hath forgotten: he hideth his face; he will never see it.

Arise, O Lord; O God, lift up thine hand: forget not the humble.

Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God? he hath said in his heart, thou wilt not require it.

The poor committeth himself unto thee; thou art the helper of the fatherless.

Lord, thou hast heard the desire of the humble: thou wilt prepare their heart, thou wilt cause thine ear to hear:

To judge the fatherless and the oppressed, that the man of the earth may no more oppress.

Psalm XI.

N the Lord put I my trust: how say ye to my soul, Flee as a bird to your mountain?

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?

The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold the children of men.

For the righteous Lord loveth righteousness; his countenance doth behold the upright.

II.

Psalm XII.

H

ELP, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth; for the faithful fail from among the children of men.

For the oppression of the poor, for the sighing of the needy, now will I arise, saith the Lord.

The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times.

Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them for ever.

Psalm XIII.

OW long shall I take counsel in my soul, having sorrow in my heart daily?

Consider and hear me, O Lord my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death.

I have trusted in thy mercy; my heart shall rejoice in thy salvation.

I will sing unto the Lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me.

Psalm XIV.

HE fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt, they have done abominable works.

THE

Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the Lord.

There were they in great fear: for God is in the generation of the righteous.

Ye have shamed the counsel of the poor, because the Lord is his refuge.

L

Psalm XV.

ORD, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in thy holy hill?

He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth in his heart.

He that backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor.

He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. He that doeth these things shall never be moved.

Third Selection.

I.

Psalm XVI.

RESERVE me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust.

PRES

Oh, my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup: thou maintainest my lot.

The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places: yea, I have a goodly heritage.

I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

For thou wilt not leave my soul in the grave, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.

Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm XVII.

EAR the right, O Lord, attend unto my cry; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

HE

Thou hast proved mine heart; I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress.

Concerning the works of men, by the word of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer.

Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not.

I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech.

Show thy marvellous loving-kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee.

Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me under the shadow of thy wings.

Arise, O Lord, deliver my soul from the wicked, which is thy sword: From men which are thy hand, O Lord, from men of the world, which have their portion in this life.

As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness.

II.

Psalm XVIII.

I

WILL love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised: so shall I be saved from mine enemies.

The sorrows of death compassed me, and the floods of ungodly men made me afraid.

The sorrows of hell compassed me about: the snares of death prevented

me.

In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice, and my cry came before him.

He sent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

For all his judgments were before me, and I did not put away his statutes from me.

Therefore hath the Lord recompensed me according to my righteousness, according to the cleanness of my hands in his eyesight.

With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful; with an upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright; with the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure ; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself froward.

For thou wilt light my candle: the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness.

As for God, his way is perfect: the word of the Lord is tried: he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.

For who is God save the Lord? or who is a rock save our God? It is God that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect. Thou hast also given me the shield of thy salvation: and thy right hand hath holden me up, and thy gentleness hath made me great.

The Lord liveth; and blessed be my Rock; and let the God of my salvation be exalted.

Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and sing praises unto thy name.

Fourth Selection.

I.

Psalm XIX.

T

HE heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork.

Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge.

There is no speech nor language; their voice is not heard.

Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,

Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.

His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.

The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.

More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.

Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.

Psalm XXIII.

HE Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.

TH

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.