7. I will bless the Lord who hath given me counfel; my reins alfo inftruct me in the night season.

8. I have fet the Lord always before me; he is on my right hand, therefore I fhall not fall.

9. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope.

10. For thou wilt not leave my foul to the grave; neither wilt thou fuffer thy holy one to see corruption.

11. Thou wilt fhew me the path of life, in thy prefence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore,

PSALM XVII.

David humbly reprefents to God his innocence, and therefore befeeches him to grant him deliverance from his enemies.

1. HEAR the right, O Lord, confider my complaint; give ear unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips.

2. Let my fentence come forth from thy prefence; let thine eyes behold the things that are equal.

3. Thou haft proved my heart, thou hast visited me in the night; thou haft tried me, and fhalt find nothing.

4. I am purposed that my mouth fhall not tranfgrefs because of the doings of men.

5. By the words of thy lips, I have kept me from the way of the deftroyer: hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps flip not.

6. I have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, O God; incline thine ear unto me, and hearken unto my words.

7. Shew thy marvellous loving kindness, O thou that savest by thy right hand them that trust in thee, from those that rise up against them.

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

9. From the wicked that opprefs me, from my daily enemies who compafs me about.

10. They are inclosed in their own fat, with their mouth they speak proud things.

11. They obferve me, they now encompass me, they have fixed their eyes on me, couching down to the ground:

12. Like a lion that is greedy of his prey, or as it were a young lion lurking in fecret places.

13. Arife, O Lord, disappoint him, and caft him down; let thy fword deliver my foul from the wicked:

14. Thy hand from men, O Lord, from men of the world, who have their portion in this life, and whofe belly thou filleft with thy hidden stores :

15. So that their fons are satisfied, and they leave their abundance to their children.

16. But as for me I will behold thy face in righteousness; and when I awake, I will be fatisfied with thy likeness.

THIRD EVENING.

Evening Prayer.

PSALM XVIII,

This animated Pfalm feems to have been written by David very foon after the overthrow of Saul, and the fubjection of the neighbouring people; while he enjoyed perfect tranquillity, and before his kingdom was difturbed by any misfortune, or he himself polluted by any crime.

1. I WILL love thee, O Lord, my ftrength.

2. The Lord is my rock and my fortrefs, and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will trust, my buckler, and the horn of my falvation, and my high tower.

3. I called on the Lord, who is worthy to be praised, and I was faved from mine enemies.

4. The waves of death furrounded me, and the floods of ungodliness made me afraid.

5. The forrows of the grave compaffed me about; the fnares of death prevented me.

6. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God; he heard my voice out of his temple, and my .cry came before him, even unto his

ears.

7. Then the earth fhook and trembled; the foundations of the hills moved and were fhaken, because he was wroth.

8. There went up a smoke in his anger; and fire at his command devoured; coals were kindled at it. 9. He bowed the heavens also and came down; and darkness was under his feet.

10. And he rode upon a cherub, and did fly; and he was feen upon the wings of the wind.

11. He made darkness his pavilion, and his tent round about him were dark waters, and thick clouds of the sky.

12. At the brightness before him his thick clouds paffed, hailstones and coals of fire.

13. The Lord alfo thundered in the heavens, and the highest uttered his voice.

14. Yea, he fent out his arrows and fcattered them; and he shot out lightnings and discomfited them.

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Then the channels of the waters were feen, 15. and the foundations of the world were discovered;

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at thy rebuke, O Lord, at the blast of the breath of thy difpleasure.

16. He fent from above, he took me, he drew me out of many waters.

17. He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from them who hated me, when they were too strong for me.

18. They prevented me in the day of calamity; but the Lord was my stay.

19. He brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me.

20. The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness, he recompenced me according to the cleannefs of my hands.

21. For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

22. For all his judgments were before me; and I did not put away his ftatutes from me.

23. I was alfo uncorrupt before him; and kept myself from offences.

24. Therefore hath the Lord recompenced me according to my righteousness, according to the cleannefs of my hands in his eye fight.

25. With the merciful thou wilt fhew thyfelf merciful; with an upright man, thou wilt fhew thyself upright.

26. With the pure, thou wilt fhew thyfelf pure; and with the froward, thou wilt fhew thyfelf froward.