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2 Confusion on their heads return,
Who to destroy my soul combine;
Let them, defeated, blush and mourn,
Insnared in their own vile design.
3 Their doom let desolation be,

With shame their malice be repaid,
Who mocked my confidence in thee,
And sport of my afflictions made.
4 While those who humbly seek thy face,
To joyful triumphs shall be raised,
And all, who prize thy saving grace,

With me shall sing, The Lord be praised.
5 Thus, wretched though I am, and poor,
The mighty Lord of me takes care;
Thou, God, who only canst restore,
To my relief with speed repair.

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2

IN

PSALM 71.

N thee I put my steadfast trust;
Defend me, Lord, from shame ;
Incline thine ear, and save my soul;
For righteous is thy name.

3 Be thou my strong Abiding-place,
To which I may resort;

'Tis thy decree that keeps me safe Thou art my Rock and Fort.

4,5 From cruel and ungodly men
Protect and set me free;

For, from my earliest youth till now,
My hope has been in thee.

6 Thy constant care did safely guard
My tender infant days;

Thou took'st me from my mother's womb,
To sing thy constant praise.

7, 8 While some on me with wonder gaze,
Thy hand supports me still;
Thy honour, therefore, and thy praise,
My mouth shall always fill.

9 Reject not, then, thy servant, Lord,
When I with age decay;

Forsake me not when, worn with years,
My vigour fades away.

10 My foes against my fame and me
With crafty malice speak;

Against my soul they lay their snares,
And mutual counsel take.

11 "His God," say they, "forsakes him now, "On whom he did rely;

"Pursue and take him, whilst no hope
"Of timely aid is nigh."

12 But thou, my God, withdraw not far;
For speedy help I call;

13 To shame and ruin bring my foes,
That seek to work my fall.

14 But, as for me, my steadfast hope
Shall on thy power depend;
And I in grateful songs of praise
My time to come will spend.

PART II.

15 Thy righteous acts, and saving health, My mouth shall still declare, Unable yet to count them all,

Though summed with utmost care.

16 While God vouchsafes me his support, I'll in his strength go on,

All other righteousness disclaim,

And mention his alone.

17 Thou, Lord, hast taught me, from my youth,
To praise thy glorious name;
And, ever since, thy wondrous works
Have been my constant theme.

18 Then now forsake me not, when I
Am gray and feeble grown,
Till I to these and future times

Thy strength and power have shown.

19 How high thy justice soars, O God!
How great and wondrous are

The mighty works which thou hast done!
Who may with thee compare?

20 Me, whom thy hand has sorely pressed,
Thy grace shall yet relieve,

And, from the lowest depth of woe,
With tender care retrieve.

21 Through thee, my time to come shall be
With power and greatness crowned;
And me, who dismal years have passed,
Thy comfort shall surround.

22 Then I, with psaltery and harp,
Thy truth, O Lord, will praise;
To thee, the God of Jacob's race,
My voice in anthems raise.

23 Then joy shall fill my mouth, and songs
Employ my cheerful voice;

My grateful soul, by thee redeemed,
Shall in thy strength rejoice.

24 My tongue thy just and righteous acts
Shall all the day proclaim,

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Because thou didst confound my foes,
And brought'st them all to shame.

PSALM 72.

LORD, let thy just decrees the king

In all his ways direct;

And let his son, throughout his reign,
Thy righteous laws respect.

2 So shall he still thy people judge
With pure and upright mind,
Whilst all the helpless poor shall him
Their just Protector find.

3 Then hills and mountains shall bring forth The happy fruits of peace,

Which all the land shall own to be

The work of righteousness;

4 Whilst he the poor and needy race
Shall rule with gentle sway,

And from their humble neck shall take
Oppressive yokes away.

5 In every heart thy awful fear

Shall then be rooted fast,

As long as sun and moon endure,
Or time itself shall last.

6 He shall descend like rain, that cheers
The meadow's second birth,

Or like warm showers, whose gentle drops
Refresh the thirsty earth.

7 In his blessed days, the just and good
Shall be with favour crowned;
The happy land shall, every where,
With endless peace abound.

8 His uncontrolled dominion shall
From sea to sea extend,

Begin at proud Euphrates' streams,
At nature's limits end.

9 To him the savage nations round
Shall bow their servile heads;
His vanquished foes shall lick the dust,
Where he his conquests spreads.

10 The king of Tarshish, and the isles,
Shall costly presents bring;
From spicy Sheba gifts shall come,
And wealthy Saba's king.

11 To him shall every king on earth
His humble homage pay,
And differing nations gladly join
To own his righteous sway.

12 For he shall set the needy free,
When they for succour cry;
Shall save the helpless and the poor,
And all their wants supply.

PART II.

13 His providence for needy souls
Shall due supplies prepare,
And over their defenceless lives
Shall watch with tender care.

14 He shall preserve and keep their souls From fraud and rapine free,

And, in his sight, their guiltless blood
Of mighty price shall be.

15 Therefore shall God his life and reign To many years extend,

Whilst eastern princes tribute pay,
And golden presents send.

For him shall constant prayers be made,
Through all his prosperous days;

His just dominion shall afford

A lasting theme of praise.

16 Of useful grain, through all the land,
Great plenty shall appear;

A handful, sown on mountain's top,
A mighty crop shall bear ;—

Its fruits, like cedars shook by winds,
A rattling noise shall yield;
The city, too, shall thrive, and vie
For plenty with the field.

17 The memory of his glorious name
Through endless years shall run;
His spotless fame shall shine as bright
And lasting as the sun.

In him the nations of the world
Shall be completely blessed,
And his unbounded happiness
By every tongue confessed.

18 Then blessed be God, the mighty Lord,
The God whom Israel fears,

Who only wondrous in his works

Beyond compare appears.

19 Let earth be with his glory filled For ever bless his name;

;

Whilst to his praise the listening world
Their glad assent proclaim.

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PSALM 73.

T length, by certain proofs, 'tis plain
That God will to his saints be kind;
That all, whose hearts are pure and clean,
Shall his protecting favour find.

2, 3 Till this sustaining truth I knew,
My staggering feet had almost failed;
I grieved the sinner's wealth to view,
And envied when the fools prevailed.
4, 5 They to the grave in peace descend,
And, whilst they live, are hale and strong;
No plagues or troubles them offend,
Which oft to other men belong.

6, 7 With pride, as with a chain, they're held,
And rapine seems their robe of state;
Their eyes stand out with fatness swelled;
They grow, beyond their wishes, great.

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