[Page 59]
It exhorts to praise God; declares who are most obliged thereunto; In what manner we should performe this dutie; [Page 60] & for what principall causes etc. We should often use it to put us in minde how much we are obliged to praise God, etc.
YE Righteous, in the Lord rejoice:
For, praise with Godly men doth sute:
Praise God with Psaltry, Harpe, & Voice,
And on the twice-five-stringed Lute,
To him, new ditties, sing & play;
And tune them to the loudest kay.
For, God is righteous in his word,
His Actions, ful of truth appear:
His Bounty, all the world hath storde:
His Darlings, Truth, & Justice are.
The Heav'ns were form'd when he but spake;
His breath, did all their Armies make.
The seas huge waves, aloft he rear'd,
The Deeps, as up in store, he layd:
Oh! let him through the world be fear'd,
And make Earths-dwellers all afraide.
For, his Commandings are fulfill'd;
And all is done as he hath will'd.
God, makes the Gentiles projects vaine,
And, brings the Peoples plotts to nought:
But, his decrees, for aye remaine,
And, everlasting is his thought.
Most surely blest therefore are those,
Whome for his owne, the Lord hath chose.
For, God from heav'n[ ]doth cast his eye,
The Sonn's of me[n] to veiwe & knowe:
Yea, from his dwelling-place on high,
He marketh all on earth belowe:
Their hearts, alike, he shapeth to,
And heeds, ev'n ev'ry work they do.
Great Armies cannot save a kinge,
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No strong-mans powre his life preserves,
The strength of horse, vaine succours bringe;
But, those who fear him, God observes:
And, whosoe're on him depends,
From dearth, & death, he them defends.
Our soul upon the Lord shall waite,
Who hath our sheild & shelter binn;
And, he shall be our harts delight;
Because, his Name, we t[r]usted in.
Oh! let us Lord, still succour'd be,
As we repose our trust in thee.
Blessed God! at thy word al things were created, & by thy providence they are stil governed. Thou hast fashioned the harts of all men, to be in some measure capable of thy grace; & observest how they emploie that Talent. Thy eternal decree remaines firme; & therfor, theie whome thou chusest shall be blessed for ever. Neither their owne strength, nor any powre (but thine) is able to keep them safe: Thou therfor, on whome their soul waiteth, shalt prevent the famine of that which is the meanes of their preservation; & therby, keep them from totall or final-falling. Lord, make us, to rejoice in this unspeakable mercie. Encrease our faith, & continue us in the meanes whereby we are to make our Election sure. We beleeve it is alreadie granted; & yet we praie for it, because it is our dutie; & because we cannot chuse but praie for that, which we beleeve, & hope, to obtaine, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.
[Page 195]
Halelujah. It typically expresseth (by God's deliverances of the Jewes, & his Covenant with them) the spiritual League & graces, vouchsafed to us etc. We should therfor sing it, not only historically, but with a respect also, to the Covenant of grace, & his mercies, by Christ Jesus.
COme praise the Lord, invoke his Name;
To all men make his actions knowne:
In Psalmes of praise, sing forth his fame,
And, speak what wonders he hath done.
Let them, who seek the Lord, be glad,
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Let of his Name, their boast be made.
Oh search God's powre, & seek his face;
Still, minde what wonders he hath done:
Let all, that are of Abraham's race,
And Jacob's, his elected-one,
God's wondrous works, record with heed,
And, minde what he hath fore-decreed.
He, is our God, our mighty Lord;
His Judgments through the world are spread:
He beares in minde, his promis'd word,
Unto a thousand Ages made;
Ev'n that, which he to Abr'ham swore,
And vow'd to Isa'ck heretofore.
To Jacob, came the same decree,
In Isr'el to continue still;
To thee, & all thy seed, sayd hee,
The Land of Can'an give I will.
Yea, thus he spake, when fewe they were,
And, they themselves, meer strangers there,
When forraigners, they liv'd among,
(And, oft from place to place remoov'd)
He suffred none to do them wrong;
But, for their sakes, ev'n kings reproov'd,
My prophets, harme yee not, sayd hee;
Untouch'd, let my Anointed be.
Then, he by dearth, their Land made pore;
And, did the staff of bread withhold;
But, Joseph, he, first sent before,
Ev'n him, whome for a Slave they solde.
With fetters, there, his feet they pain'd;
And, him in irons, they detain'd.
But, when his Triall was decreed,
God's word, his innocence disclos'd;
The king did send, to have him freed,
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And by the prince, he was un{c}los'd.
His cheef commander he was made,
To rule his house, & all he had.
Of all his Lords, he had command;
That he his Counsellers might guide.
Then, Isr'el came to Egipt land,
And, Jacob did with Cham reside:
And, so his Children thrived there,
That, stronger then his foes they were.
Whose hate, & fraudulent intent
When to his Folk, he well made knowne,
His servant Moses, then he sent,
And A'ron his Elected-one,
Who wrought great marvailes in his Name,
And wonders in the Land of Ham.
He darknes cal'd; & dark it grewe;
(For his commands were not withstood)
Throughout their Coast, their fish he slewe,
And chang'd their waters into bloud.
Upon their land he froggs did bring
Which climb'd the chambers of the king.
He spake, & flies of divers formes,
And, lice through ev'ry quarter craw'ld;
Insteed of raine, he gave them stormes,
And, hayle, & lightnings forth he cald.
Which, downe, their vines, & figtrees brake,
And in their groves, great spoile did make.
The Locust came at his command;
And Caterpillers did abound:
The grasse they wasted from the land,
And ev'ry fruite, upon the ground.
Then, he their Eldest-borne did smite,
The very prime of all their might.
His people, rich from thence he brought:
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Among his Tribes, no weaklings were:
All Egipt joy'd when they went out;
For why? of them, they stood in feare.
A Canopy of Clouds they had;
To give them light, a fire he made.
The people askt, & quailes he gave,
With heav'nly bread, he filled them:
The Rocks likewise, for them he clave,
And through dry Lands he sent a Streame:
Because, to minde that promise came,
Which he had made to Abraham.
His people, & his chosen bands,
He brought away with joyfulnes,
To them, he gave the Gentiles lands,
And, they their labours did possesse,
That, they might mark what he decreed,
And keep his lawes, with carefull heed.
Preserve us oh Lord, from that hardnes of hart for which thou sendest thy dreadfull judgments into the world; & withhold alsoe thy plaugues from our Kingdome: But, especially, that spirituall Darknes, & those Judgments, which are mistically signifiied, by Lice, froggs, Locusts, & the rest of the Egiptià plagues: And, as a meanes of this favour, make us mindfull of that Covenant, which thou hast made unto us, & wee unto thee, in Christ Jesus. Wee confesse thou didst gratiously lead our Fore-fathers in the wildernes; feeding, guiding & preserving them, by thy miraculous powre; Be thou also, we pray thee, our Assistance & protector in this our Pilgrimage; feeding us with that heavenly Manna, & refreshing us out of that spirituall Rock, whereof, they had the type; that wee may followe them who are gone before into the Land of the living, & there praise thee, world without end. Amen.